Back to basics?

Status
Not open for further replies.

dragonlover

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 26, 2011
807
573
chicopee ma
Ok I haven't been at this very long, but I need to vent.

Disposable
901
510
eGo
cartridges, poly fill, blue foam, atties, dripping, kr808d1s,510, 510, dual coil, ce2 version 4 & 5

Iv'e soaked, baked, dried burned
killed a Riva that was given to me
committed "cartomizer murder"

Some days it seems that I'm cleaning and fiddling with cartos more than vaping, def. spend more time cleaning cartos ( and looking for info online) than I do cleaning my house!

I found my happy place and then "lost" it
I've spent more money looking for the "perfect" setup for me than I did when I was smoking

I totally aprreciate and respect the opinions of everyone on this forum. I have gotten some great advice, but also quite a few conflicting ones.:confused:

With all that, I'm still not ready to give up.

I was thinking about going "back to the basics" and getting some prefilled Boge cartomizers from Vapor Kings. I bought some for a friend of mine who wants to try vaping and she loves them so far.

I think I might need a day or two a week where I'm not messing around with equipment and be able to just enjoy vaping.

I don't have the money to buy a new PV, or mod or even a tank system at the moment, with my luck I'd probably kill the atty anyways:(

Any and all suggestions and recommendations, as always, are welcome

Thanks for letting me vent
 

hiram13pm

Super Member
ECF Veteran
May 4, 2010
851
126
58
Merced, CA
Well, at this point in my vaping "journey", I've tried lots of different setups. I keep returning to my cheap-o homebuilt 3.7v box mods with a 2 ohm soft-tip carto, though. Simple, effective (both in vapor production and expense). I just love the things.

My bosses wife has two of them. She's killed multiple egos and rivas, didn't like (!!!) a Precise P10, which I now have... and still keeps coming back to my box mods. I'm actually about to start prepping half a dozen battery boxes to make some more of the things ;)

I hear nothing but wonderful things about V4L, and nothing but good about the KR808... but really, the 510 threading gives you the most options out there. If the 510 threading is "VHS", the KR808 is "Betamax". Superior, but limited.

Break it down to [battery] and [the rest]. I have lots of atomizer-side options; I have CE2R4 Clearomizers, I've got the new dual-coils... but I keep coming back to that soft-tip 2 ohm Boge or Smoke-Tek carto.

Lots of battery options: 510, Ego, Indulgence, P10... but I keep coming back to my little box mods.

Same with juice; I DIY, and I keep coming back to my all-day "Spearmint". Simple, neutral, goes with anything... it just works for me. I try all kinds of flavors, new battery options, new [everything else] options... but I've always got that 'home base', and I seem to keep coming back to it. It's my "happy place".

Soooooo.... you just need to find that "happy place" for yourself. It doesn't have to be that "oh my god this blows me away" place, just "this works and I'm happy" place. From there, you can experiment around, but always have that home-base to come back to.

For me, it's 3.7v Box Mod + Boge/Smoke-Tek Carto + Spearmint = Happy Place. Just my feelings on it. Dunno if this will help, but it's what I've found that works for me :) Good Luck!
 

hiram13pm

Super Member
ECF Veteran
May 4, 2010
851
126
58
Merced, CA
There are plans for a simple box mod in the modders forum here... it's a really simple circuit, and costs me all of about $10 in parts (if you've already got the right tools and some epoxy and solder and stuff). Add $2.50 if you want to put an LED in it, and you can get everything but the connector for the atomizer at Radio Shack. 900mah batteries can be had at dealextreme for about $6 per pair, and a charger for about 9-12 bucks. If money is a major concern, it might be a good option. The only hard part to come by is the connector, which you can buy from vendors (lots carry them; I get a lot of parts from Madvapes), or you can cannibalize one from a dead battery.
 

dragonlover

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 26, 2011
807
573
chicopee ma
thanks, but i'm pretty "technically challenged" lol. I know a lot of people here love v4l , but their shipping is real pricey! Is vaporkings.com basically the same thing? I've heard good things about boge cartos and the thought of not having to fill anything for a couple of days is sounding better every time i talk about it!
 

hiram13pm

Super Member
ECF Veteran
May 4, 2010
851
126
58
Merced, CA
Boge cartos are easy to refill, especially if you use a drip tip in place of the little rubber stopper (like I do). Easy to pop on/off. Keep it wet & it'll last you a week or so. VaporKings sells both KR808 (like the V4L), and 510 (the model 510 & ego). Their pricing on the ego is on the high end; a Riva is basically the same thing and can be cheaper. A lot cheaper.

Even if you're "technically challenged", check out the kits at Madvapes. They even sometimes have them assembled for around $20. The hardest part is drilling the holes for the connector & switch without cracking the box; I've gotten pretty good at it. After that, it's all cake. Some simple soldering, and just gluing everything in place. My first one was a mess, honestly, but it worked! After that, I knew what to do & now they're really kinda "pro" looking. I tell ya, a clear plastic box mod (where you can see all the interior parts) with an internal color-changing LED and a clearomizer is really awesome for attracting attention & "edumacating" people about what e-cigs are and how they work :)

Depending on how much you vape, you could get a couple of 5-packs of cartos, pre-fill them yourself, and just have them on-hand. I spend a lot of time on the road... generally, I have one carto going & just pop the drip-tip out & refill it throughout the day. But when I'm driving for 12 hours, I'll have 3 or 4 that I loaded up the previous night, so I can just trade 'em out. "Drip-Driving" is not a good thing, lol. Works for me.

Incidentally, I love the dual-coil soft tips for this. At 3.7v, they're comparable to a standard Boge carto. Really nothing special. They SHINE at 6v (WOW), but I rarely do 6v vaping anymore. The nice thing about them is that they hold a lot. I mean a LOT. Fill one up, and I can hit the road & not have to worry for about 3-4 hours, seriously.
 

WomanOfHeart

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Sep 19, 2010
5,430
1,253
60
Colorado
I can totally understand, dragon! When I first started vaping it seemed like I spent more time modding carts and fiddling with "the latest greatest cartos" than I did actually vaping! There were days when it seemed like there was more juice on my hands and mopped up in paper towels than there was in my stupid carts! It was completely frustrating! I would think that I had tried everything and NOTHING was working. I even went through a phase where I wondered if all of this was even worth the effort.

But I stuck with it because I didn't want to go back to smelling like an ashtray, and I'm finally at a point where I'm a happy vaper. I found the mods and the cartos that I love, started doing DIY juice and it's all worth it. It just takes time to find the hardware and juice that are perfect for you. The journey is different for everyone and I think that's what makes vaping fun and personal. It's just about as individual as you are. Sure, other people might have the same PV as you, but they're using different cartos or vaping different juice and using different atties. It is whatever you want it to be and as soon as you think you've got it down, the new "latest greatest vaping gear" will appear!
 
Last edited:

hiram13pm

Super Member
ECF Veteran
May 4, 2010
851
126
58
Merced, CA
Amen, WOH, amen.

Find the battery that has enough "oomph" for you. Then find the carto or atty that works best on it. Find a good "go-to" juice (or make one yourself), and you're set. THEN you can go hunting for the "better" things... but you need that home-base, like I said. And never go back to the analogs... ack!

About 2 months after I made the switch, so about last late-July, I was 6 hours north of here in Arkansas, and ran out of juice. New vaper, not nearly as paranoid about "backup" stuff as I am now. I broke down and bought a pack of Winstons. Smoked 7 of them on the way home... and they were the nastiest, foulest things I'd ever tasted. Saturday night, I had to hit the brakes hard, and guess what came sailing out from under the seat? 13 Winstons. I looked at 'em and laughed, literally laughed out loud. I just can't think of myself ever going back to those horrible 'cat-box' sticks again.
 

dragonlover

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 26, 2011
807
573
chicopee ma
Wow that really is cool looking! Again I want to thank everyone. Don't worry I have no I intention ogf going back to analogs! Just wish I could find a carto that suit's me. I really like me eGo. I think I'm gonna get the prefilled from vaporkings. I do know how to get the juice out if I don' like it
. I just watched a video on how take the stainless steel ce2 apart so I can clean it the right way
Wish me luck!
 

AttyPops

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Jul 8, 2010
8,708
134,218
Hc Svnt Dracones - USA EST
Yeah, this stuff is so subject to "personal preference". For me, basics are:
5 volt 3xAA box mod. (Batteries charged once per day)
Standard joye 3.0 ohm Atomizers
Dripping
DIY Juice. Flavor A, or Flavor B (OK.. maybe C) Mixed up every 3 or 4 days.

That's my simplest do-it-every-day thing. Most like a cig. No possible tech issues with cartos, leaking, etc. No PTB. No blue or orange or green or whatever foam. No gotta-have flavor of the day from whomever. I happen to have enough e-juice supplies and spare atomizers that I didn't even have to place an order this month. Nothing changed in my vaping in the last month. And I'm glad.

Ask me again next month..... it may be different ;) This vaping thing is a moving target.
 

Creniker

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 24, 2011
1,518
462
Salt Lake
Dragon, I will build you a box mod for 10 bucks included shipping. The only thing you would have to buy is some batteries and chargers. It would cost you about 10 bucks for 4 batteries (only uses 1 at a time 3.7v same as a vapor king) and 10 bucks for a charger from madvapes. PM me and i will be more then willing to help you out.
 

dragonlover

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 26, 2011
807
573
chicopee ma
thanks for your VERY generous offer, but I'm not sure that I am ready to try a box mod yet. That, and I really, really like my eGo. I actually have three 1100 mah batteries and tw 650 ones. It's the cartomizers (evil things that they are) that I seem to be having trouble with. Resistance, ohm, standard, LR -- too many variables. I've tried to use the cartos from mypvshop and can't seem to get a good draw on them (sorry Randall)- could be the resistance or it could be that I tried them after using ce2 version 4 2.4 ohm cartos and they are totally different. I was able to actually take one apart and put it back together with no leaking last night, so maybe things are looking up :). I am still thinking about the prefilled boges from vaporkings but haven't been able to get much feed back on them yet.

Thanks again everyone!
 

K24A3

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Jun 15, 2010
1,122
45
Aus
dragon, I was in the same boat. All the fiddling around can be a headache sometimes.

A week ago I came across the new G4 cartomoizers (A revised version of the Kanger Vortex I believe), and these things literally take 5 seconds to fill.. actually I timed myself and filled one from empty to full (including removing and reinserting the cap) in 3.5 seconds :) No soaking, baking, burning, removing rings, syringes, etc.... they are very simply and work quite well.

I was spending 20 minutes a day refilling about 6-7 CE2's, now it takes a minute or two. Highly recommended for a hassle-free vape imo.
 

K24A3

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Jun 15, 2010
1,122
45
Aus
Are those the clear ones? I've heard that they have a tendency to leak because of the plastic used. I think I might have the ce2 version 5 "dialed in" now. At least I hope I do lol

They are clear and have no filler material, but the plastic is *very* strong on the G4 and can take some punishment, unlike the fragile CE2 clearomizers. None of them have cracked or leaked.

A couple of things you should know:

1) The ohms are a tad too high, so they take a little longer to vape compared to a CE2, and the vapor isn't as hot. I think lower ohm ones are coming soon.
2) After refilling them, some juice might get pushed into the coil area. But all you need to do is blow into the threaded end for a second and they are good to go.
 

Creniker

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 24, 2011
1,518
462
Salt Lake
Dragon if you order some LR Cartomizers from Ikenvape I promise you won't be disappointed. The mega LR holds like 1.8m I think, so two gets me through the day pretty easy, and the taste and vapor is just great. It made every single on of my flavors taste better. They also clean very well. I know this doesnt solve all your problems, but I can totally relate to your situation, and this did the trick for me.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread