Can someone explain like I'm a child?

[lmags629]

Ok, so I'm about six weeks into vaping. I started with blu disposables, the moved onto V2 e-cigs. My understanding was that the cartridges i screwed onto the battery was a carto? I got super sick of constantly having to charge my battery, so I decided I needed something better. After reading a ton on this forum, I decided I needed to upgrade.

I went to a B&M and got an ego-c upgrade kit, which came with what I assume was a generic stardust. From there, I got what appears to be a knockoff bottom feeder clearomizer from another brick and mortar. Then ordered lots of generic stardusts from fasttech.

Here's my issue: the stardusts taste gross way too soon. Sometimes I get a burnt taste after just a few minutes. I fill them up, and turn them sideways, but still get a burnt taste. I also got a huge vivi-nova from fasttech (I'm assuming a knockoff). Burnt taste, and just bad flavor. yuck.

I thought the fake kanger was my best bet. I stopped by the b&m for replacement heads. $18 for five, and they seem to poop out after a day. I thought this was supposed to be cheaper than smoking!!!

I'm convinced that the b&M buys all of their stuff from fasttech. They had the same crappy packaging that mine came in. I like the kanger knockoff the best of the options I have, but it just seems pricey to pay that much for the replacement heads when they only last a day. If I buy the real brand name ones, will they last more than a day??? Am I just having bad luck because I keep getting knockoffs? Should I try to start rebuilding (I'm assuming that means changing out the wicks myself?)

Am I going to need to go back to cartos? I'm REALLY confused about the carto tank thing. I don't get how it works. So does a carto tank have an actual cartridge like blu cigs do, but it's in the tank? How often do you have to put juice in it?

I've tried to figure all of this out from reading the forums, but there are just too many options and abbreviations, so I can't quite figure it out. The people at the brick and mortars aren't helpful at all. Can someone help me?? I'm so confused and getting very frustrated!

 

[lmags629]

And what the heck is an atomizer?? Is it PART of a cartomizer/clearomizer, or is another name for it?

 

[onion456]

are you adjusting your voltage down on your twist when it tastes burnt?

 

[djsvapour]

And what the heck is an atomizer?? Is it PART of a cartomizer/clearomizer, or is another name for it?

The atomiser in this case is part of your clearo or carto. AN atomiser (on it's own) is purely the device for making the vapour.

Firstly, bad luck.
Secondly, maybe you should consider going back to the B&M store and asking them to help you. If your clearomisers aren't good at all, either they are simply bad/cheap/rubbish or you are doing something wrong.

A carto tank is a tank full of e-juice with a cartomizer inside that. The cartomiser (yes, like your blu) sits surrounded by juice and the juice gets in through small holes punched in the sides. Once inside the tank, you puff on it like a normal carto.


t.b.h. I never buy clearos from fasttech. I've heard too many problems with "cloned" or "copy" clearomisers. I've had 2 x Nova copies and both have been a 100% FAIL.

 

[Dakota Jim]

And what the heck is an atomizer?? Is it PART of a cartomizer/clearomizer, or is another name for it?

the original Blu's (and older cigalikes in general) were a 3 piece set up - - battery - atomizer - cartridge

battery - you know what that is
atomizer - has the heating coil visible with a stainless steel bridge that would come in contact with the filler foam in the
cartridge - has filler foam/material in it that holds about 10-12 drops of e-liquid and a hole in end that the vapor comes out of

cartomizer's are what replaced the atomizer/cartridge combo
most cartomizers hold 20-25 drops of e-liquid and are easier to carry spares with you

replacement heads for clear's are often called atomizers now also

 

[Caridwen]

And what the heck is an atomizer?? Is it PART of a cartomizer/clearomizer, or is another name for it?

The atomizer is the heating element. A cartomizer is a cartridge (filler material holds the liquid) plus the atomizer.

Some people use an atomizer for direct dripping. It's build into the other juice deliver systems.

If you liked the cartomizer that you used with your blu but didn't like to fill it, you can get a carto/tank setup. Your cartomizer is inside a tank and the liquid feeds into your cartomizer. You can get one for about $8.00 on up to $40.00+. I use the $8.00 one.

It takes awhile to find what works for you. After spending way too much I realized clearomizers aren't for me.

 

[Hippieangst]

The atomizer that is a part of the clearomizer is also called a head or coil head...with the wick and the coil.

I don't think you're getting knock offs from FastTech...I'm sure many vendors buy their stock from them. I also just got a Vivi Nova and am not real happy with it. The juice I had in there to start turned kind of gross. Did you get a Variable Voltage (VV) eGo? If you did, you might have the voltage up too high. With my VVs, I keep them around 4.0 to 3.6... If I go above 4.2, I start tasting some burning.

One of the heads for my Vivi just died after about an hour of use...the other one lasted about a week and was still working when I changed it out when I changed flavors.

An atomizer that is not part of a clearomizer is just a heating element that requires a mouth piece (drip tip) or a cartridge (filled with a poly blend).

I can't speak on rebuilding, but even these heads for the clearo tanks can be rebuilt. Look up the specific model with rebuilding. I've read it's quite easy to do. You do ABSOLUTELY need a multimeter to TEST the head BEFORE using it with the battery. A bad coil can be very dangerous.

 

[spegtoast]

Give tank some time after filling to be sure the wick is not dry on the first drag. 2 minutes should be good.
Be sure you don't have the voltage cranked up at the beginning. Slowly increase after a few drags.
I have heard not so good reviews with the stardust.
Quit buying knock offs! My first was a Vision mini vivi nova. It was great. I went to the local shop and bought a 5 dollar knockoff. Juice taste like burnt toast. Fastech don't sell the Vision brand. There are lots of stores selling vivi nova, but they're not Vision.

 

[Caridwen]

The atomiser in this case is part of your clearo or carto. AN atomiser (on it's own) is purely the device for making the vapour.

Firstly, bad luck.
Secondly, maybe you should consider going back to the B&M store and asking them to help you. If your clearomisers aren't good at all, either they are simply bad/cheap/rubbish or you are doing something wrong.

A carto tank is a tank full of e-juice with a cartomizer inside that. The cartomiser (yes, like your blu) sits surrounded by juice and the juice gets in through small holes punched in the sides. Once inside the tank, you puff on it like a normal carto.


t.b.h. I never buy clearos from fasttech. I've heard too many problems with "cloned" or "copy" clearomisers. I've had 2 x Nova copies and both have been a 100% FAIL.

There was nothing wrong with my clearomizers, I just don't like them.

 

[Hoosier]

Lmags629, before I forget, there is a vape meet being hosted by a B&M in Greenfield. There will be a number of vapers there with all kinds of setups to look at, ask about, and generally a wealth of information in a face-to-face & hand-to-hand format. It is June 15th and there are details at the links in my signature. Might be helpful, even when you get your answers from the great folks here at ECF, to come over and hang out. Feel free to look for me and say "Howdy". (I'll be the one guy that could play Little John or Mongo and be believable.)

I'm a dripper, so I'll take the second post.

An atomizer is basically a resistance wire coil and a wick in a stainless steel tube. If you combine a cartride and an atomizer into a single unit you get a cartomizer. If you combine a clear tube tank and an atomizer into a single unit you get a clearomizer. I just use atomizers because the other "mizer"'s tend to annoy me. Others on here have much better time with them and I'll let those great folks help you out with which clearomizer and/or cartomizer is better for you.

Hopefully I'll see you in Greenfield in a couple of weeks...

 

[Hitmetwice]

Like a child??

Get a Protank and go to your room and vape it.

And you Will like it!

 

[spegtoast]

Is it NOT recommended to put a atomizer on a variable volt unit?

 

[iamtyy]

I'm fairly new too, but in my experience, B&M are almost entirely avoidable. Sometimes my impatience forces me into a B&M, and there are a couple juices I like that I can only pick up at a local store, but other than that, I haven't found a real reason to frequent in-store locations. Online is your best bet.

 

[spegtoast]

Like a child??

Get a Protank and go to your room and vape it.

And you Will like it!

Well said!

 

[Hoosier]

Is it NOT recommended to put a atomizer on a variable volt unit?

Nope, highly recommended. I only run VV and atomizers. Works great for me.

 

[spegtoast]

I'm fairly new too, but in my experience, B&M are almost entirely avoidable. Sometimes my impatience forces me into a B&M, and there are a couple juices I like that I can only pick up at a local store, but other than that, I haven't found a real reason to frequent in-store locations. Online is your best bet.

Our local shop has a website too, but I prefer to go inside and talk to the guy.

 

[Insurgence]

Here's my issue: the stardusts taste gross way too soon. Sometimes I get a burnt taste after just a few minutes. I fill them up, and turn them sideways, but still get a burnt taste. I also got a huge vivi-nova from fasttech (I'm assuming a knockoff). Burnt taste, and just bad flavor. yuck.

I can't speak to cigalikes or cartomizers, so I'm sorry to not be as helpful as I wish I could. However, when I first got my eGo I got some Stardusts (CE4) with it and I was having a similar problem.

What kind of juice are you using? Maybe I'm way off here, but I think I've narrowed my experience of this down to using dark juices. I'm running my first experiment of only clear juice through a CE5, and so far it's gone through 3 tanks without a hint of the issue. Tons of vapor and flavor, no burnt taste. I had previously noticed my CE4s were fine for days with a clear juice and as soon as I switched to something dark it'd be kaput within a day.

I've only recently switched from CE4s (non-replaceable atomizer) to CE5s and a Vivi Nova (replaceable atomizers). I can definitely see the build up in atomizers/wicks I've used with dark juice vs. without, so my assumption is that there's more residue which is hard to clean out and can get burned. I'm still new to this too, but I would assume I could replace the wick and coil in these heads and they'd be fine again(?) A few spares came with my Vivi so I don't think I'm going to be getting that deep yet, but I'm hanging onto the old ones in case I change my mind later.

A picture like this helped clear up a lot of my confusion.



Here's the CE5 broken down. The first one in the line up is the atomizer head. The atomizer specifically is (I think) in the metal tube, under the wicks.



If you're already using clearer juices, I got nothing.

 

[lmags629]

are you adjusting your voltage down on your twist when it tastes burnt?

I don't have a twist, but I do have the one where you can hold the button down and it changes from blue to orange. I turned it down to blue, and that has helped a bit, but I still get a burned taste.

 

[lmags629]

Wow, thanks for all of the great replies! I wasn't expecting such a big response! So looks like I'm going to try a protank, a variable voltage battery, and a cartotank. Any recommendations on an easy cartotank? And a good vendor to get a protank and battery at a good price?

Insurgence, I alternate between dark and clear juices. I'm going to have to do a juice experiment.

Hoosier, the meet up sound fun. I'll be there!

 

[lmags629]

I can't speak to cigalikes or cartomizers, so I'm sorry to not be as helpful as I wish I could. However, when I first got my eGo I got some Stardusts (CE4) with it and I was having a similar problem.

What kind of juice are you using? Maybe I'm way off here, but I think I've narrowed my experience of this down to using dark juices. I'm running my first experiment of only clear juice through a CE5, and so far it's gone through 3 tanks without a hint of the issue. Tons of vapor and flavor, no burnt taste. I had previously noticed my CE4s were fine for days with a clear juice and as soon as I switched to something dark it'd be kaput within a day.

I've only recently switched from CE4s (non-replaceable atomizer) to CE5s and a Vivi Nova (replaceable atomizers). I can definitely see the build up in atomizers/wicks I've used with dark juice vs. without, so my assumption is that there's more residue which is hard to clean out and can get burned. I'm still new to this too, but I would assume I could replace the wick and coil in these heads and they'd be fine again(?) A few spares came with my Vivi so I don't think I'm going to be getting that deep yet, but I'm hanging onto the old ones in case I change my mind later.

A picture like this helped clear up a lot of my confusion.

View attachment 216819

Here's the CE5 broken down. The first one in the line up is the atomizer head. The atomizer specifically is (I think) in the metal tube, under the wicks.

View attachment 216822

If you're already using clearer juices, I got nothing.

I'm a visual person - thank you!!