It sounds like it might not be so much what you've used, but that you need a bit more experience.
When cartos start tasting "bad," they're usually no longer good. But if that's happening quickly to you, then you're not topping them off enough and have burnt the filler. Cartos always taste fine to me until after a few days when they finally get worn out. But they're not supposed to last forever. Still, they'll last a lot longer if you keep them wet and don't allow them to go dry.
By
tanks, I'm not sure if you mean carto tanks, or wick tanks like the Vivi Nova. Or if you mean clearos like CE4s, or even eGo tanks.
You might try either Kanger T2s or T3s. They don't have much of a reputation for leaking, and they're fairly easy to use.