601 ePipe questions

[the_quitter]

Hi all - my apologies in advance for these very simple and likely-obvious questions, but I'm completely green to e-smoking and just got my pipe in the mail today. It's performing well so far, but the 'engrish' instruction manual is leaving me a bit confused, and I was hoping for some help:

(I have read the 601 maintenance thread, but much of seems to be geared towards people who have been e-smokers for a while, and the language / techniques are a bit over my head).

1. when I place the cartridge in the neck of the pipe (the one that came with the pipe), it goes in open-end down, right? And the soft rubber cap thing comes off before it goes in? And it's okay that the liquid leaks out of the cartridge into the bowl like it does? I'm assuming that's the whole point but I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't hurting the atomizer somehow.
2. what is the 'dripping' problem that people are complaining about?
3. how does inserting a small straw into the cartridge help the flow (I've read that in a few posts)?
4. I've heard some people mention that their pipes last 6 months, some only a few weeks. Which end of the spectrum is more likely for a pack-a-day smoker such as myself?
5. If I want to, I can just buy blank cartridges and fill them up with any e-juice I choose? Are there any e-juices specifically for the 601, or does it matter at all?
6. Anything else a newbie like myself should know about the pipe? Things to avoid / ways to maintain the atomizer / etc?

Many thanks for the help!

 

[the_quitter]

(of course I thought of a few more right after I published the last)

7. What are people referring to when they mention VG / PG in reference to e-juice?
8. is there any reason I can't use the spent cartridges that came with the 601 kit as refills?

Thanks again!

 

[tinstar15]

1. when I place the cartridge in the neck of the pipe (the one that came with the pipe), it goes in open-end down, right? And the soft rubber cap thing comes off before it goes in? And it's okay that the liquid leaks out of the cartridge into the bowl like it does? I'm assuming that's the whole point but I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't hurting the atomizer somehow.
Yep, pretty much. Just remove the cart when your done and drain the bowl/atty by putting it in a glass stem down. Keeps juice from soaking into the wood.
2. what is the 'dripping' problem that people are complaining about?
Not entirely certain if you are referring to the leaking of fluid into the bowl, which occurs if you skip the occasional draining, or direct dripping of juice onto the atty. If you drip on the atty, the problem would come from having to constantly "re-drip" to keep it running. I don't drip, I just replace the stock cart filler with blue marineland foam which seems to wick better and refill the cart when empty.
3. how does inserting a small straw into the cartridge help the flow (I've read that in a few posts)?
I used to use the straw mod but found that method provided inconsitent wicking with the stock polyfil. When I switched to blue foam, I found it so consistent for me that adding a straw seemed unnecessary.
4. I've heard some people mention that their pipes last 6 months, some only a few weeks. Which end of the spectrum is more likely for a pack-a-day smoker such as myself?
The amount of time the pipe will last, as far as function is concerned, will vary. The atty could last as long as 6 months or more or it could last two days, or it may die the night you first use it. Atty quality is all over the place. The one I'm currently using has gone almost 3 months now without any hiccups. the first one I had lasted around 5 or 6 months. The second one I bought lasted a couple of days before dying. It really is a sort of crap shoot with the 601 so there's no real way to answer this one with any certainty.
5. If I want to, I can just buy blank cartridges and fill them up with any e-juice I choose? Are there any e-juices specifically for the 601, or does it matter at all?
Yep. My pipe with my carts filled with blue foam work best with a juice that has a slightly higher viscosity than off-the-shelf generic juices. You could add a small amount of VG to standard juices to keep them from draining into the bowl/atty too quickly.
6. Anything else a newbie like myself should know about the pipe? Things to avoid / ways to maintain the atomizer / etc?
General opinion, which I have been using with success so far, is to drain the bowl when finished for the day. See #1.
7. What are people referring to when they mention VG / PG in reference to e-juice?
PG is propylene glycol, the standard ingredient in common manufactured juices. VG is Vegetable Glycerine, which is used as an ingredient in some more specialized juices from certain retailers/distributers, and can be purchased at stores like Walmart. VG purchased from Walmart or pharmacies can be added as part of a recipe in DIY juices or added to stock juices to cut the nicotine content or flavor, or to increase viscosity of juices.
8. is there any reason I can't use the spent cartridges that came with the 601 kit as refills?
Nope, you can use them. As I mentioned earlier, you can replace the filler or leave it as is and refill it or mod it to your heart's content.

 

[the_quitter]

whew...that makes this all a bit easier to get my head around. Thanks for all the info! Just what I needed...

I've been doing some e-juice shopping today and think I've lost a few hours of my life that I'll never get back - there's so many! Assuming that I'm a no-nonsense Camel smoker that just wants a good hard throat hit and tons of vapor, any recommendations?

 

[tinstar15]

Finding a tobacco juice that accurately simulates the taste and feel of the real deal is a common quest and the subject of countless threads on this board. If you like pipes, you might want to try a BE112 801 style atty on a KR minipipe battery housing. If cigars, try a RN-4062 e-cigar. For cigarette styles, a 510, 901, or 801 device.

I have yet to find a tobacco flavored juice that actually tastes close to right for me, so I stick with other flavors like coffee, menthol, peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, or pineapple. Eventually it will all boil down to trying small samples of stuff until you find what you like, or mixing your own experimentally until you find it.

 

[ladyships]

(thanks for starting this thread, i want to get my dad an e-pipe for father’s day & this [+ responses] helped me get a bit of a handle on the differences.)

 

[DjPitbull]

My dse601 has lasted for 5 months now and counting. I am however getting a chuck. But I do like the pipe. It has really given me no problems. high vapor and really hard throat hit. I found a suplier that has the carts for the pipe and label each one so i know what juice I put in them.

 

[DallasEd]

My dse601 has lasted for 5 months now and counting. I am however getting a chuck. But I do like the pipe. It has really given me no problems. high vapor and really hard throat hit. I found a suplier that has the carts for the pipe and label each one so i know what juice I put in them.

What kind and level of nic juice are you vaping?

 

[DjPitbull]

I use different flavors and it is all 12 mg from zigcigs

 

[TJJ]

I had similar problems as new to vaping having been a pipe smoker for 44 years.
It all depends on what tobacco you are used to.
I found the cartridges that came with my 601 & mini pipe awful.
I have found Totally Wicked very helpful, they recommended the Black Label ‘Aromatic’ and ‘Rich Pipe’ which I found acceptable substitutes for my ‘Gold Block (UK)’ ‘Virginia 444 (Swizz)’ and ‘Amphora’ (Dutch) tobaccos.
By far the best thing to do is to buy the mixing kit and mix your own flavours & strengths. Its simple to do and a hell of a lot cheaper.
I still smoke a little tobacco but the ePipes have reduced me from 20+ pipes of tobacco a day to 2.

 

[tj99959]

Might want to look at one of these
Jazz cartopipe the first Cartomizer Pipe
or one of these
Hand-Crafted ePipes, custom made personal vaping devices from ePipeMods.com ...more than just an eCig

 

[dormouse]

BTW in case you are interested, AZSmokeFree sells a cartomizer pipe and cartomizers for it which is similar to what you have but uses cartomizers (what most people prefer on other ecigs). It uses some special longer cartos that AZSmokeFree sells. And another traditional looking cartopipe is the Jazz cartopipe.