Average Lifespan of your Cartomizers ?

[zoiDman]

Perhaps this has been done before but I couldn’t find it.

Anyway, I am very curious what is the AVERAGE life span of your cartomizers. For the results to be somewhat correct, you should have used at least 5 cartomizers so you can tell what the AVERAGE life spans is.

Of course, you can still post a result even if you have used less than 5 cartomizers. The ECF police will not kick down your door a seize you PV if you do.

At least, I have it on good faith that they will not.

 

[bonnienclyde]

I haven't voted because I've never used a cartomizer, but I am ordering some tomorrow to try.

I'm very interested in the results of this, though, so anybody that uses them, please vote!

 

[zoiDman]

... I'm very interested in the results of this, though, so anybody that uses them, please vote!

I'm hoping that this Poll is around for awhile. I, like yourself are curious what other people are getting out of their cartos.

 

[zoiDman]

Just an UPDATE:

When I say "Lifespan" I mean how long does a Cartomizer last before it breaks and will not produce vapor. Or how long it lasts before the batting starts breaking down.

A member e-Mailed me saying that there was no way a Cartomizer could last 30 days unless a person only took 3 or 4 hits a day.

I'm trying to see how long a Cartomizer wil last, being refilled as many times as possible, under "normal" vaping with 3.7 volt batteries.

 

[searcher]

I voted 25 to 30 but that is for a 5 pack. I only had one burn in the last 2 months and just like atomizers, I stop using them when the plume and th seem to be reduced (still there but not satisfying to me).

 

[zoiDman]

I voted 25 to 30 but that is for a 5 pack. I only had one burn in the last 2 months and just like atomizers, I stop using them when the plume and th seem to be reduced (still there but not satisfying to me).

Sorry to hear that they didn't work for you. Just curious, did you try perfilled cartos or did you buy blank ones and put your own juice in them?

 

[searcher]

I am sorry that I wasn't clear. Cartomizers do work for me. They are all I use now and I think they are so much better than my 510 or 901. I was just trying to say that I get about 30 days use from a 5 pack. I could probably get more but I discard them when the vapor or th diminish (still has vapor and th but not the same as a new one). I do buy blanks and fill them myself.

 

[sunriseha]

How many times do you refill each one?? I have only bought prefilled so far and haven't refilled, didn't know you could, . I have two left and just bought juice and will refill them, also bought blanks. I don't puff on my ecig all day however, just a little here and there. So far, in two weeks I have gone through three, but I am not sure they even were empty because I wasn't drawing on the correctly and thought they were out.

 

[zoiDman]

Absolutely you can refill a Cartomizer !

I try to buy my 510 Cartomizers prefilled since they cost about the same as Blank Cartomizers. If I like the juice that comes with them, Great. But if I don’t, I flush it out with warm water, let it dry over night and refill it with My DIY e-Juice.

Either way, I refill my Cartomizers until it stops working or gives me a taste that is funky. The one I’m vaping on right now has been refilled about 9 times and is hit the same as it did on the first day I used it.

 

[doots]

I have used some cartos for several weeks..

 

[candre23]

I put 10-15 days, but it's just an estimate. Though I use cartos almost exclusively, I have so many of them that it's kinda hard for me to judge. Due to trades, PIF and buying lots for cheap in the classifieds forum, I have 60-70 cartos that I swap out frequently. In the couple months I've been vaping, I haven't had one burn out yet. Though I did have one burn the filler (using a 5V PV), a couple that I tossed right away because the hole down the middle was partially clogged and they didn't draw properly, and one that I ruined trying to clean.

 

[pianoguy]

I have used some cartos for several weeks..

Ditto. It varies quite a bit - sometimes I can use a carto for days on end, while others don't work well after a couple of refills. I voted 5-10 average. I just set one aside I had been using for 10 days straight, topping off all day, about 3ml of liquid per day. Today it finally stopped performing well. I would measure that as at least 30 carto-days - LOL!

 

[Axium]

I've been using cartos for 2-3 months now, almost exclusively and heavily, and here's basically what I get (not including a few outliers):

2-3 days perfect performance all around
3-5 more days of acceptable but reduced performance
Any more than that and my carto won't hold very much juice, won't produce very much vapor, or will have a very hard draw. Usually, it's the draw that finally gets me to retire the cartomizer. If I have a decent supply of new cartos, I usually swap at around the 4th day. If I'm low on cartos, I can go 7-10 days on a carto before I start to feel like the atty produces more problems than satisfaction.

 

[zoiDman]

As for tight draw or clogged center hole...

Sometimes this can be fixed by carefuly pushing a straighten out paperclip thru the battery end hole. Once it comes out the filler material, spin the carto on the paperclip. I find it works 7 out of 10 times.

I hear you guys when you say it's hard to keep track of carto life because of how many cartos you have. I vape about 3 flavors on a regular basis but have perhaps 8 or 9 other flavors that I rotate into the mix.

It would be nice if I could find different colored soft tips to keep track of what is inside each carto.

 

[uzzaperez]

Mine seem to last forever. I leave the tops off and drip them to keep them wet. No cartomizer gets constant use because I have maybe eight or so flavors going at a time, so that throws a wrench in my impression of carto life, but I have yet to have a carto die on me.

When the juice gets dirty I just drain it via the tissue method and refill with the same flavor, so I'm never boiling them or anything. They only go bad if I vape them too dry and burn the filler - if I do that I toss it, but I haven't done that for a long long time. Or if I get the occasional under performer - which I haven't had since switching to premium cartomizers, I'll throw that out too even though it is "working". Otherwise, I really have yet to have one die on me.

 

[candre23]

Sometimes this can be fixed by carefuly pushing a straighten out paperclip thru the battery end hole. Once it comes out the filler material, spin the carto on the paperclip. I find it works 7 out of 10 times.
...
It would be nice if I could find different colored soft tips to keep track of what is inside each carto.

I have a very tiny flathead screwdriver that I use to open up the hole through the middle. Sometimes it works, but about half the time they keep closing up. It's a pain to have to keep doing it, and I have so many cartos that it's easier to just toss the problematic ones.

As for labeling, I use a high-end label maker for my cartos. It works great, but unless you already have one on hand (as I did), it's probably not worth the investment for most people.

 

[uzzaperez]

If you are only getting 5 to 10 days out of a carto you are either vaping it dry and burning it, not refilling at all, or you must be vaping like 10ml a day out of a single carto without changing flavors. I really don't understand the concept of only getting a week or two out of a carto. I couldn't make a carto have that short of a life unless I wanted to and ran it dry on purpose.

 

[zoiDman]

As for labeling, I use a high-end label maker for my cartos. It works great, but unless you already have one on hand (as I did), it's probably not worth the investment for most people.

Thats funny because I have a Brother PT-1500 labeler. I never thought about using it for cartos. Great Idea.

A PT-1500 is a USB labeler that can print about any graphic or font that you can see on a PC running windows. The cool thing about it is that I bought it on e-Bay for 99 cents plus $4.95 shipping.

The seller listed it as a store return. When I asked what was wrong with it he told me that the drivers wouldn't load correctly for it so it wouldn't print. Drivers not loading? Sounds like a Windows issue not a hardware issue.

I got it, there were no other bids and it turns out that the only problem was that when the print drivers were installed by windows, they were associated to the wrong Virtual Printer Port. I made the change and it worked like a charm.

6 bucks for a killer labeler, isn't e-Bay Cool.

 

[uzzaperez]

6 bucks for a killer labeler, isn't e-Bay Cool.

Ebay used to be a good place for great deals, now you have to get lucky because Ebay is so huge that most everything gets bid up to market value. Nice to find a killer deal once in awhile though.

 

[zoiDman]

... I really don't understand the concept of only getting a week or two out of a carto. I couldn't make a carto have that short of a life unless I wanted to and ran it dry on purpose.

I'm a bit perplexed by this myself but that is why I wanted to start a poll.

I've got one carto that I call the Engerizer Bunny.

It just keeps going and going and going and going ...