Carto tanks vs rebuildable tanks

[Impulso]

Hi all,

spent many hours perusing the topics but am confused about a few things.

1) why do so many have carto tanks AND RBAs/RBTs and use them both? I've seen many say that RBAs are better? If so why do you still use your carto tanks? Isn't this a recurring expense that you could avoid(not about the money, but why pay for inferiority?)

2) do all carto tanks leak, or is it about the build?

3) non resistive wire - is it required for all ceramic cup devices? It seems in Todd's videos, he doesn't mention the use of it in the taifun etc? How fragile are these cups, and are replacements easy to buy?

i'm fascinated at all the choices, but yet have more questions than i can find answers to. Its great to have these forums to get answers from!! Thanks!

 

[UncHellMatt]

Hi there, Impulso!

I'm a relative newbie to RBAs, and started out with cartos and carto tanks. Here is what I've found as far as answers to what you asked.

1) I use carto tanks and Kanger ProTanks primarily when I'm traveling, or just to and from work. Of those two, the carto decidedly gives much, much better flavor (IMO), however I've found cartos "waste" a lot of juice saturating the cotton. On top of that, I've either over filled very easily or under filled carto tanks so that I've either flooded them or burnt them respectively.

Are cartos better than RBAs? Oof. In my opinion? No. I've found that my RSST with an Ekowool wick and tight coil give me much, much better flavor and vapor. My Fogger, while temperamental, is my favorite so far. Insane clouds of vapor and flavor on par with a carto. Also, I like chocolate flavors at 50/50, and that type of juice just destroys cartos for me. I would go through one every other day.

That said, I don't travel with RBAs that much, because frankly carto tanks are easier to deal with if there's a problem, and if I drop a carto tank and break it, I'm not going to lose any sleep over $15.

2) No, but getting to the point where the carto is fully saturated and ready to go can be tricky and time consuming. Then again, building a wick and coil can be slow going as well

3) I don't like those types of RBAs, personally. I like my Genesis style, and my Fogger, and my RDAs. They're easy, all I need is kanthal and my wick, and I've gotten to the point where I can quickly and easily figure out what my resistance will be at just by eye-balling the wire and being aware of what its resistance per inch is. I'll leave the "why non-resist wire" and reasons for the devices with ceramics to someone else, but if you're interested in an EASY to manage RBA, personally I'd say go for the RSST. You can find them for under $30, the tank is plastic so if you use a stainless mesh wick, you won't need to worry too much about getting a short from the bottom of the wick having a "raw" patch touching metal.

Drop a few bucks on a dripping atomizer like the IGO-L, test the waters on rebuilding a wick on something easy and inexpensive. Then nibble on an RSST or AGA-T or AGI.

Just my two bits

 

[gotch23]

hi impulso,

1) ofc i can't answer for all. But i have used carto-tanks as my daily driver for a long time.
I liked the convenience about them and that they performed consistently without dry-spots or gurgles.
As i got into RTAs like the Taifun GT/Kayfun, i stopped using these however, since the latter
provided a superior vape with equal or less hassle. Setting up a carto-tank also takes time,
so i didn't find them worthwhile any more.

2. No they don't leak, when set up properly. More/bigger holes in the carto for thick (vg) less/smaller holes
for thin (pg) juices.

3. It is only some RBAs that need res/no-res wire combo... all from Greece afaik. Atmistique, Golden Greek, some others...
I have avoided those so far, because i do not like the idea of even more fiddling. Gennies, Taifun/Kayfun and most others don't need that.

 

[Impulso]

That helps a lot. I have a kfl+ and igo w and am thinking of adding something to the stable, and am confused as anything, trying to figure out what to get without getting a whole bunch of other accessories. Wife already doesn't like all the clutter, and have to maximize the dti(domestic tranquility index) to keep on vaping in peace.

 

[Credo]

I've acquired different things over 'time'.

Around mid 2012...it all got pretty dawg gone good...just 'different'. Variety is a nice thing So...I keep using, rebuilding, and reusing it all till it dies, and some classics (Like stock 801 atomizers) I'll still replace simply because I like a certain liquid best in them.

I'm more into low watt setups built for flavor and long battery life.

I've fallen in love the KayFun type of tank with cotton and micro-coils for many of my liquids; however, the thing is large, and HEAVY...so for out and about vaping I'll often opt for much lighter stuff (Vivi Nova's with my own custom coils are a current favorite). This thing is pretty easy to build/fill/maintain and vapes like a dream.

Then there are liquids that are really rich or don't meld well for daily constant vaping...hence the practice of keeping an easy to access and rewick (cotton...easy as pie to change wicks without having to rebuild a coil) RBA. Occasionally I do other types of wick since some liquids are better that way...but cotton is by far the easiest to change out as often as needed, and cotton also has next to zero break in time...wet it and vape