Cartomizer or Atomizer more cost efficient?

[sfgiants]

For me, CE2s are a no go. I don't want to torch anything and wicking can be a problem. I've never had a consistent vape with them meaning I would have to fiddle with it before I got 4 or 5 good hits in a row.

Cartos are the most cost effective choice for me. I got 15 boge LR Cartos for $20 shipped and they lasted me about 11 months! All it takes is a little cleaning. They also produced more vapor and TH than CE2s.

I just got a 15 pack of dual coil cartos for $30 shipped from the same website and hopefully they last me just as long.

If someone can find a cheaper alternative than $20 shipped for 11 months with the same quality and consistency as the ones I got, I'll be sold.

 

[wizard10000]

I'm kinda partial to SmokTech 2.5 ohm XL cartomizers - the one on my eGO batt right now has been in use for about ten days so I got a wild hair and decided to boil the thing out just for fun.

I took out the silicone plug and tossed it in a pan with about 2" of water, boiled it for about five minutes, changed the water and repeated the process then dried it in a 200° oven for an hour. Looking at the water I drained out of the pan it looks like there was a fair bit of carbon in it.

When I refilled it I found out an hour drying time wasn't quite long enough as what dripped out of the end of the carto appeared to be a little thin but it smoked just fine and after about fifteen minutes of vaping the thing works like new.

I've got some dual coil eGO cartos on the way and I know I can't boil them - but it is nice to know I can ungunk the SmokTech cartos fairly easily. I'm pretty sure I can't do that indefinitely but it was an interesting experiment.

 

[my4jewels]

I've got some dual coil eGO cartos on the way and I know I can't boil them - but it is nice to know I can ungunk the SmokTech cartos fairly easily. I'm pretty sure I can't do that indefinitely but it was an interesting experiment.

Why can't we boil the eGo DC cartos? just curious

 

[wizard10000]

Why can't we boil the eGo DC cartos? just curious

My mistake - I read somewhere (or thought I did) that the eGO mega dcc had a plastic cover but it looks like six boiled them just fine -

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ego-type-models/201142-ego-mega-dual-coil-2.html#post3611123

...Cleaning: I ran out of the flavor I started with in the first carto (as predicted - I only had 10ml). All I did was toss the carto (minus the mouth piece) in some boiling water for 4 or 5 minutes. I let it cool down, blew it out, rinsed again with just water, blew out again - and let dry on a tray in a sunny window. - that worked great. It left no residual flavor and the carto performs flawlessly. I filled it up with a 100% VG juice the next day to test these with thicker juice.

 

[uzzaperez]

I'm primarily a carto user because I hate leakage and maintenance. I'll run 20 to 30ml through a carto and toss it. I never pull any "dirty" juice out of it because I don't want polluted condensation in my new clean atty and I never clean them because the performance drop is just not worth it.

Bottom line on the cost comparison is that no matter which way you go, you just have to recognize that your real expense is juice. If you want to save money, look at your juice. Like I said, I'll often run 30ml through a carto that cost me $1.60. And since most of my fav juices probably average $18 to $20 shipped for 30ml, the cost of my cartos is the least of my worries.

I've tried DIY to save $ on juice, and come up with some stuff I like quite well, but nothing I like as well as some of my favorite juices from certain vendors. If you have the space and patience to become a DIY pro - that's where you save the $. Your atty/carto choice should be all about performance and preference (flavor production, vapor, maintenance hassle, etc). Just my two cents, but a big discussion about atties vs cartos in terms of cost doesn't help much.

 

[haft2doit]

Uzz is right about juice being the main money hog. I buy a 5 pack of ce2's every two months or so. I buy 120-150ml of juice in that time. I buy madvapes top vapor juice which is quite cheap 21cents per mil when purchace in 60ml bottles. But $30/month is more of an issue than $6/month for the cartos. (this is based on my usage mileage will vary)

 

[mylose64]

Carto Clearomizers are my favorite. Right now I'm using a map tank with a CE2.

All my atomizers failed me. I've tried to fix them all, I have 6, and they are beyond repair. The wick pretty much melted to all of them and I can't get a good constant vape. It always taste burnt to me.

Carto's are easier to clean and I personally think they perform better. Also you can get 5 for the price of 1 atomizer, and they can last a long time. My longest one that I've had has last me almost 2 months!

Dry burning takes care of pretty much everything with a carto. This works a lot better when rinsing them with water first.

I also personally grew to hate dripping. Carto's can carry enough liquid when i'm out. This is a lot better than having to carry a bottle of liquid with me.

I need to pick up a few carto's because this map tank is absolutely obnoxious when bringing it in public. It looks like I'm using .... or something and I get a lot of turned heads haha.

 

[Kahuna]

I didn't know you could dry burn ce2's though, that's awesome. And what do you mean exactly by torching the wick?

thanks a lot!

After a soaking in rubbing alcohol overnight, as clean as the wicks look, they aren't that pristine. So I take a torch lighter (I suppose you can use a simple Bic type lighter, it just takes longer and not as precise) and heat up the wick until it glows orange. Don't worry, you won't burn or melt the silicon wicks. They will be as clean and pearly white as the day you opened the pack. The fat wicks take... oh about 2-3 seconds to torch per side. I also torch the coil if the slag is heavy and blow off the white ash and then do a dry burn to finish a complete clean. Just remember, never heat up anything for longer than a couple of seconds!

 

[llmercll]

Got my clearomizers today!!

they are GREAT. It vapes so well, I've never had flavors so "clean" before. I got the 2.6ohm and it's got great throat hit and vapor production. The fact that I can see the reservoir, dry burn, and there is no poly, seals the deal!

The only downsides I'm seeing is the low quality tube. It's very brittle, I'll need to get a syringe and mod it, there already little cracks at the bottom. I knew this though =p

It also looks like a little juice is seeping through toward the mouthpiece. Not a problem yet, but we'll see.

 

[Creniker]

Here is my personal experience. I got 250ml of my favorite juice for $40 and have had 4 atomizer that I've been using for 3 months now. Still have juice after 1 and a half months, and havent bought a new atomizer in a month. I use the atty ressurection method on the tips and tricks section of the forum, and they work like new everythime. I probably wont have to buy juice for a month, and all my attys are going strong. If you watch for sales, and buy quality atomizers and take care of them, they will last, and you will spend less vs the average cartomzers, because you can't clean them as thourghly as a atomizer. Its all about the dry burn.

 

[haft2doit]

Got my clearomizers today!!

they are GREAT. It vapes so well, I've never had flavors so "clean" before. I got the 2.6ohm and it's got great throat hit and vapor production. The fact that I can see the reservoir, dry burn, and there is no poly, seals the deal!

The only downsides I'm seeing is the low quality tube. It's very brittle, I'll need to get a syringe and mod it, there already little cracks at the bottom. I knew this though =p

It also looks like a little juice is seeping through toward the mouthpiece. Not a problem yet, but we'll see.

Awesome!! I'm glad you tried them. They really are the best thing I've tried so far. A hint for you is to use a dental pick or little screw driver or something and pull out the plug over the cup. You can adjust the wicks in the slits to get proper juice flow and just put the plug in upside down. This way you can pull it out easily for filling (or just use a syringe still works for that) also now there will be great juice flow so you will get a great hit every time. Let us know how they work out. Best vape IMO.

I've used them since they came out. If you run into any issues let me know, I'll probably be able to help. Good luck.

The tubes can be an issue. What I like to do is use them with an ego which protects them with the cone. When the cracks get big enough you will see bubbles coming through when you hit it. When this happens I pull the tube and flip it around and put it on. Now the cracks are at the top and no longer an issue. (make sure you pull the middle plug first or you can pull the cup off. a dental pick works great. You stick it through one of the fill holes and pull it out. That way you don't damage the top of the tube by prying it out) When dry burning I like to remove the tube rinse the wicks under water and dab dry with paper towel and then dry burn until clean. Then reassemble. I like to get replacement tubes so if it cracks on both ends I can continue to use the same carto. I think I will make a video for you now because you seem to like them. I'll do that in the next day or two.

 

[llmercll]

thanks, that was really helpful!

mines cracked and leaking, and I'm getting the air bubbles. I'll use your trick and flip it over until I can get my BD syringe =)

It's a shame they don't come with quality tubes from the start, they would be worthless if you couldn't replace the tube (IMO). But with a new tube I'm confident these will replace Boges in my vaping arsenal =p

The only difficulty I'm experiencing besides the bottom leaking is a slight leak in the top. It's not a dealbreaker but It'd be nice if no juice at all got between the plug and mouthpiece.

 

[Nomoreash]

thanks, that was really helpful!

mines cracked and leaking, and I'm getting the air bubbles. I'll use your trick and flip it over until I can get my BD syringe =)

It's a shame they don't come with quality tubes from the start, they would be worthless if you couldn't replace the tube (IMO). But with a new tube I'm confident these will replace Boges in my vaping arsenal =p

The only difficulty I'm experiencing besides the bottom leaking is a slight leak in the top. It's not a dealbreaker but It'd be nice if no juice at all got between the plug and mouthpiece.

The new revision CE2 is supposed to be hitting pretty soon and supposed to have solved the tube issue, don't hold your breath on that one though lol. I'll wait and see what others think, they are different though, look like the ones they are putting on the CE3. It is pathetic that they can't put a decent tube on it from the start, I do wonder if they just don't want to. These things last so long moded with decent tubes that we wouldn't need to buy that many lol.

You'll figure out the juice getting in the center tube with time, it depends on how far you push the seal down around the cup. To far and it doesn't wick well and not enough and it floods easier. I generally put the seal in and line it up with the wicks then put the little ring on top of it and push them both down with my drip tip. Works about perfect for me every time. My drip tip doesn't push it all the way down on the cup but far enough that it seals and doesn't leak in the center tube, unless I lay it down flat for extended periods of time, then it will but I just blow it out if that happens.

 

[wutzthedeal]

I'm reading this and more confused than ever XD! I guess I'll just stick with attys and I gotta get some drip tips. Ideally, I would like something that would let me vape the equivelant of 3-5 cigarettes without taking anything apart (or even dripping into a drip tip; would a cartomizer allow for this? Do they just have more storage/vapor production value or?). I got out of vaping for a while; had two 4081s (both dead now) and two 510s (one dead, one half-alive... talking about batteries, of course) so I just ordered two additional 510s with my favorite juice (French toast... makes vaping as pleasing as eating French Toast while smoking during sex at the superbowl while getting a mani pedi). Am I being left behind, going with the non xl 510 generic setup with attys?

 

[Creniker]

Im really suprised people can get cartomizers to last this long. Ive tried every cleaning method out there and the longest Ive ever had a cartomizer last is like two weaks. Most of the time they lose there flavor after a week.

 

[Iffy]

Cost effectiveness is not a concern of mine if I get the vaping experience I'm seeking.

With that said, I was fortunate in trying the eGo Mega DCCs ($2.49) and have stuck with 'em. They easily last me a month and I'm a heavy vaper. Of course, YMMV.

 

[DC2]

I would like something that would let me vape the equivelant of 3-5 cigarettes without taking anything apart (or even dripping into a drip tip; would a cartomizer allow for this? Do they just have more storage/vapor production value or?).

Yes, cartomizers would definitely allow for this.
But your basic 510 cartridges should also allow for this.

 

[Eternityroad]

CE2's are okay. I got tired of fiddling with them to achieve a great vape.

A week ago I got a glass Ce2 clearomizer (3ml) from Digitalciggz. It was good-to-go out of the box. No fiddlin' nor breaking in. And you just take the mouthpiece off and fill from the top. So far it has been performing very well, but I'll be guarded with these comments for a little longer. I have read about the problems with tank cartos, leaking and so forth. The only time this one leaked was when I didn't have the mouthpiece fully plugged to the main unit and laid it on its side in my kit. Otherwise a great vape and fine unit, albeit at 11.99$. But if it performs in the long-run it will be a good bargain.

 

[donnah]

French toast... makes vaping as pleasing as eating French Toast while smoking during sex at the superbowl while getting a mani pedi

Too funny!

I like the mega 1.7 boge cartos with an eGo or Riva.. fill it and it lasts as long a 3-4 cigs without fiddling. I can stretch one out to 3 days. I get mine at crystalclearvaping.com

 

[Standpoint]

I personally prefer cartomizers for ease of use and longevity vs cost. I don't like the reduced flavor I get, though. I love atomizers for the better flavor, but have not found any to last me long. I mean, they continue to work for a month or two, but after two days of use I get far reduced vapor, wicking issues, flavor issues, etc. Cleaning helps a little, but they just don't seem worth the cost to me.

I haven't tried anything else, can't comment on clearomizers, etc.