Are All Blank Cartos Created Equal?

[turretin]

Hey guys I have a Volt KR808 and for the most part I really like it. I recently purchased some blank cartos from them obviously because its cheaper and the flavor is supposed to be better. However, I've tried several different kinds of cartos in the past month and it always seems like the flavor is muted. I'm now finding that filling cartos tastes a little better but I still taste that cotton/somewhat burnt plastic taste. Its not terrible but it doesn't seem to match the flavor you get when you drip, at all! I didn't expect that it would but its not even close, dripping provides so much better flavor. Therefore I wanted to ask you guys if you've found some blank cartos to taste better than others or they all pretty much the same? Maybe my taste buds are becoming more refined now, ha ha. Maybe once you taste that rich drip flavor, you'll never be completely satisfied with anything else lol!

 

[swedishfish]

Maybe once you taste that rich drip flavor, you'll never be completely satisfied with anything else lol!

Lots of people do say that.

 

[dearme]

Are you sure you are keeping them wet enough? I've never had a cotton or burnt taste from cartos that have enough eliquid in them. I only use Boge cartos, but maybe my taste buds are not refined enough..........LOL........but, no, the flavor will not be as crisp and flavorful as it would if you were dripping. The flavor is a little muted. To me, it's a trade off.....slightly less flavor versus lots more ease of use.

 

[turretin]

Dearme, yes I thoroughly soaked the carto in my ejuice, but maybe your Boge performs better than the smokeless image carto.

 

[dearme]

I've never tried any other cartos besides Boge. A lot of people say the Boges are the best, however, I would think the performance of any quality carto would be the same. I just like to keep things simple, and I might be in a rut..........LOL

 

[Retriever]

A lot of people say that there is no substitute for dripping. Cartos don't bother me though. Maybe a different juice?

 

[turretin]

I don't think your in a rut, if you find something that works well you stick with it. Sounds like you've found something you believe gets the job done. I haven't tried the tank cartos yet (I also have an Ego) and I wonder if the flavor will be slightly better than the regular cartos?

 

[turretin]

@Retriever, yah I think you may have a good idea as well, need to try another juice.

 

[swedishfish]

A lot of people prefer dripping, they say you get a cleaner taste than cartos. I've never been able to drip sucessfully so you can't go by me. All I get is hot juice in my mouth.

Volt cartos are good. Boge are good as well. You just might prefer dripping. Loads of people swear by it and hate the taste using cartos.

Maybe you'd like something like a clearomizer better with no filling.

 

[dearme]

I honestly can't tell any difference between the carto and the carto tank. I do use a carto tank, which I sometimes find to be a hassle, but when I get them filled without leaking, they work effortlessly. I try to make things as easy on myself as possible.

 

[propagandax]

I have the same experience as you. I found if I keep it full that helps. I carry multiple filled carts with me so I can puff and switch often so i get the fresh hit :0

 

[SummerDawn]

I agree, I have never had a burnt taste from cartos. Atty's yes, but the learning curve is different there. Being a strict carto tank user, I am all about good cartos. I swear by Boges, 3.0's for my VV, 6v and 5v devices, and 2.0's for my 3.7v devices. I will agree that the flavor is a bit muted in comparison, but that's to be expected. You can always order your juice with a higher PG concentration (if you're not PG-intolerant, as some are) and several vendors do offer extra flavor options. Last but not least, as other members have already mentioned, I can't stress enough the importance of a properly filled carto. You can get up to 35 drops (almost 2ml) in an average sized carto, sometimes even a bit more. I always fill from the top and avoid the condom filling method as often you'll end up overfilling at the bottom. The Taryn Spin method is perfection for filling cartos. Since you are KR8 user, I assume you have a battery bag. If not, you can pick one up for quite a steal, or even make your own "homemade spin device." The Taryn Spin is illustrated in several vids on YouTube.

 

[Nikkita6]

The only time I ever taste plastic when I am using my KR8 cartos is when it is too dry .... usually once I re-fill it, I no longer taste plastic. It is important to stop vaping and fill once you detect that taste, because if you keep going for a fews puffs then that plastic taste will be there to stay.

I drip also, and I started as a dripper, and I get the same fullness of flavor, sometimes better on a fresh carto ... I love the flavor in a fresh carto!! I only find the taste to be muted after about 7 days of use.

 

[SummerDawn]

As a side note, when/if you move pass the KR8's, you will find that oftentimes a good solid PV at a higher voltage will produce better flavor.

 

[swedishfish]

A burnt taste is almost always caused by a dry cartomizer. Either it wasn't filled completely on first fill or needs to be topped off.

 

[turretin]

Thanks for your advice Dearme, really appreciate it!

 

[mafig]

the make up of cartomizers varies..i see boge the centre hole is much bigger and the filler is well pack..some cartomizers are loosely pack and centre hole is tiny..but the way U fill yr cartomizer is paramount to having a good vapor and TH(throat hit)..so i like the 1.5 ohms LR DCC(low resistance dual coil cartomizer) and using a syringe to refill(less waste and more certain of a complete fill as i can see when the cartomizer is fully saturated..i use the condom and syringe method.

placed a condom at the base of the threaded end..and inject the liquid 30-45 degree angle(make sure yr needle is half way down the tube) ..looking for the liquid to break the filler surface and then rotate to new spot and repeat..that way U can see the filler is soaked..when U have done that,fix a drip tip & removed the condom.

next is to see the tunnel(the centre hole) it is not blocked by liquid(U do that by looking through against the skylight or a light bulb)..if it is blocked,single blow from the drip-tip against a tissue and checked for the light at the end of the tunnel..if still cannot see,repeat..that is the proper way to take the guesswork of filling the cartomizer & when U vape non stop.

1st sign of burnt taste,yr cartomizer needs to be refilled..happy vaping ..regards mafig ps cartomizers do die out eventually after 1 week to 3 weeks of usage..the sign of failure when yr vape is hard to draw and the vapor poor with a permanent burnt taste..look at yr cartomizer and U will see why,the filler is all hardened and unlikely to be soaked & sign of burnt filler in evident..so good tip to have more than just 1 or 2 setups..usually 4 setups of diff flavors & rotate usage on all 4

 

[turretin]

Thank you Nikkita, Swed and Summer, I actually did fill my carto using the condom method and I didn't even think about all of the juice being at the bottom. Duh, that makes perfect sense, dont know why I didn't figure that out, ha ha. I'll try the other way next time. I did notice that once I topped it off a few times that it did taste better!

 

[Eric A. Blair]

I use a brand pre-filled cartomizer and am thankful when it is dry. I can refill it with my juice.

 

[dearme]

OK, I guess this is where I have to confess to never filling cartos. On the Reos, I just put on a new carto dry, and squeeze the bottle a few times, take a couple of strong pulls without any power, and then continue on normally. On the Provari with a carto tank, I basically do the same thing. Fill up the tank and take a couple of strong pulls without power.

I don't recommend my method to anyone, but it works for me. Just an extension of my Lazy Woman's Way of Vaping......LOL