So, a 'little birdie' gave me some information. It doesn't seem to entirely refute my last post, about the on time of the attys (which I believe were originally low, like 2-3 seconds, original RD and LTs, no?), but it's not conclusive...all I can say is this little birdie has done some prior investigation, and has talked to the manufacturer. If any other 'little birdie might like to privately share some information, feel free to IM or email me, and you can ask that your name is not attached to it.
NOTE - lest this thread be taken the wrong way, none of this (at least my postings, and later additional pics, etc) is about attacking any vendor, nor trying to drive away anyone's sales. Like those of you trying to find the ultimate atty cleaner, or the perfect poly wick replacement, this is simply about finding out what 'is,' what works, and what does not. Maybe this will result in us determining this 'burnt wick' is harmless, or no worse than the inner wick for the 3 piece standard atomizers, which does seem to start to burn (although not *through*/entirely..?), or maybe it'll wind up resulting in a change to the way the cartomizers are manufactured, or filled. Dunno, but felt that should be said, regardless. We all want 'a good e-cig,' preferably one that *is* 'healthier,' right?
So, back to the little birdie. Said birdie believes, and has apparently had confirmation:
- all carts are made by a single manufacturer or production line, at least for the KR808D-1 units (including 'clones,' derivatives, what have you), regardless of where they are sold to or through.
- Their atomizers are designed to heat to no more than ~250*C. That doesn't necessarily tell us that they never exceed this, nor that it's even what the 'expected operating temperature is,' but it's some data, anyways. More would be greatly appreciated.
- Not sure what the inner wick (the smaller square in the melted pics) is made of, but it obviously has a lower melting point. If kept wet, that point is higher.
- The cart inconsistency - pretty much everyone's noticed it, and Drew's said it as well as indirectly, with his way to 'revive them' by dropping a few drops of distilled water inside them and let them sit for a bit. When they run 'dry,' they are not necessarily *dry*, but they are not wicking to the coil effectively at that point. They are also filled by hand/could use some QC.
End of little birdy info.
So, it doesn't really tell us 'all we need to know,' but...my idea currently remains as - originally it was designed with a low cutoff time on the atomizer, the 2-3 seconds. With a *properly* filled cart, and *not* refilling it, perhaps it's possible for the cart to go 'dry enough to notice the drop-off,' but not to the point of burning. Recall also most instructions say to effectively 'use it like an analog,' which means- take a dozen puffs, set down for 30-180 minutes, then repeat.
Enter it became popular - I don't *know* for certain how the battery on times have increased, or that anything was *designed* for that longer duration. I'd wager it's a simple matter of setting a few bits on the battery's mini controller, though, and that was done at request of a larger vendor initially, then 'copied' for everyone else that wanted better throat hit, more vapor, etc. Which is fine, maybe it degrades the battery longevity slightly, or not..but I think the carts weren't significantly updated to handle the on times, nor frequency with which many of us are
vaping. The wicking system also may not be able to keep up with the more 'constant
vaping' many of us do..so it's 'outside the design' in a way.
Does anyone have an RD/e9/early KR with a shorter battery cutoff, or that wants to help test this theory? Have a better one? I'm sure many of us are all ears..I really *like* the idea of the 2 piece, just have doubts about the implementation under 'regular use from regular people using it.'
