Cartomizers

[Yankee802]

Ok, so I got the SmokeStik cartomizers a little while ago on the recomendation of a friend, who the next day told me to get the NEW 510 cartos. I had already ordered the cartos from SmokeStik, oh well.

Flash forward a few weeks. I had vaped the 4081 cartos from SmokeStik off and on, not bad, not great, just about like your average KR. Well, tonight I finially vaped one dry, got a mild burnt taste. So I figured I'd sacrifice it and open it up, figuring that if I got any burnt taste (as with all cartos) it was done for anyway.

I had opened these up before just to see, and noticed they were a little different from the other cartos. You have the cap, gasket, a (polyfill?) filter disk (I assume to keep juice from getting into one's mouth) and another gasket. Under all that you see the batting material and hole, but no wires like with all the other cartos.

Now I will reveal my surprise and findings.

I took some tweasers and pulled on the batting, and it came out with ease, but no wires! I look inside the carto and see the atty hair/fibers. Ok, I put the carto aside and unrol the batting, which is one flat piece of something (again polyfill?) surrounding 2 pieces of tube (fiberglass?). I don't know why the tube wasn't just in one piece, would be nice. Anyway, there was a VERY slight browning/scorching, and I do mean slight. And the batting was pretty dry, dry enough I would have expected to see it all toasted and burnt to a crisp if it were any other carto. So that is cool, it didn't burn when dry, that is a BIG plus, to bad I had to sacrifice it.

Or did I?

Back to the carto: by moving the "atty" around a little with the tweasers, I could see the vent hold in the bottom of the battery connector, and 2 wires leading up from it to meet in the center where the hairs are. I wondered, could I just put this thing back together and it work? Nawww, but screw it, let's try it anyway for laughs. I rolled up the tubes in the batting and pushed it back down after making sure the "atty" was centered in the tube. When I thought it was down over the atty and where it was originally, I put the gaskets/filter/cap back on. I screwed it on my PV and gave the button a quick tap, and heard the familiar sizzle. Hmmm, that's a good sign. I put 10 drops of liquid on and proceeded to vape, YES!

So, these 4081 cartos from SmokeStik have NO references that I could find on ECF, and seem very unknown and under appreciated. As far as flavor/vapor/TH, they are on average with all the other cartos. Only drawback I see to these is the need for an adaptor for 510 or 901 threads that are so popular.

 

[billster88]

We get some flack for our prices of the Cartomizers sometimes...but...it's because they are not the same mass produced ones that you will find used by most company's...we actually make our own in our facility ...takes a bit longer ...costs more...but we find its worth it in the end...

 

[Yankee802]

Oh really? That explains a lot, expecially after taking one of these apart. AND now I can ask you a question. Why are the tube things in 2 pieces, can you make them in one? It would be easier putting them back together if it were in one piece.

Edit: For anyone interested, I got these here.

 

[billster88]

I just need to find out exactly why they are in 2 pcs like you mentioned...I can say I do think it has to do with the wicking ability of the fibers....it does prevent it from "burning" when it goes dry...a common complaint with most cartomizers...and btw..you can enter coupon code ecig10 and get the same price on SmokeStik Electronic Cigarette (eCig)::: The Alternative to Smoking ..it will give you a $10usd off a kit and also discounts on accessories...

 

[Yankee802]

Bill,

Are they your cartos? Is that site affiliated with you? The only reason I'd prefer ordering from the above linked site is they carry adapters for other threads. (510/901)

It doesn't make that big a difference in the 2 piece "straw" design, and if it helps or prevents burning, I'm all for it. I have to say being they don't seem to burn, and you can take the filler out easily and clean it, then put it back in and vape, they are WORTH the price.

 

[Yankee802]

Ok, so I got currious and put my SmokeStik carto on 6v. I can tell you this, I wont be doing that again!! I got a wierd sensation in my mouth, looked at the top of the carto, thought I saw an orange glow! Well, I hit the buton again while watching, YUP, it's glowing alright.

So I took it apart and you can see what I found. AMAZINGLY it didn't burn, even though it WAS red (ok, orange) hot.

I tested it before putting it back together, it still worked, at least it still glowed orange when activated.

So, I put it back together and juiced it up. Nope, it just glowed orange, nada for vapor. Of course this is back at 3.7v. If you look at the photos, you'll see the hairs/fibers, I guess the atty needs those, they did get burnt and stuck to the filler material.

Oh well, 1 carto down and dead, but what we learned here is these cartos DON'T BURN filler, they may glow, but nothing inside BURNS (well maybe the hairs)

Still think these just might be the best cartos on the market.

 

[billster88]

We stayed away from going to the high voltage battery for a reason...if you go too high..you don't vape...you actually are smoking again...and not tobacco...which in this case smoking tobacco would be a better thing than (never thought I would say that!!) the inside of a cartomizer...so for that reason we like to stay in the 3.6v-4.2v output range...keeps it from cooking the wire and fibers that keep wicking the fluid to the core...you want a job as a test engineer?...your good...very thorough...

 

[lorikay13]

so are these cartos threaded to fit the 510??

 

[Yankee802]

No, you need an adapter for 510 (or whatever else) to 4081. You can find adapters here for 510 -> 4081 or 901 (KR8/KR808D1) -> 4081.

 

[lorikay13]

Thank you Yankee802. So it's been a couple weeks since your OP. Are you still happy with these things ? I'm a little unclear as to exactly how they work....no wires...so there is a bundle of fibers at the bottom of the atty tube....basicly like a GreenCig carto ? They sound great....I too bad they don't come in blanks. Have you tried refilling them and/or reusing them yet? How do they hold up for that ?
Thanks!!!

 

[lorikay13]

So billster....I have a box of cartos ordered and was just wondering if you could give some technical details about them? Such as:
ohm rathing at 3.7 volts
what is the material that the atomizer is made of
maximum tempurature that they achieve at 3.7v
stuff like that
oh...and you said they are made in your facility...so that means they are made in Canada? Do you also make your batteries? Because that would be pretty cool....I don't think there are any others making them domesticaly.

 

[Wench]

So billster....I have a box of cartos ordered and was just wondering if you could give some technical details about them? Such as:
ohm rathing at 3.7 volts
what is the material that the atomizer is made of
maximum tempurature that they achieve at 3.7v
stuff like that
oh...and you said they are made in your facility...so that means they are made in Canada? Do you also make yourbatteries? Because that would be pretty cool....I don't think there are any others making them domesticaly.

I can't answer some of those but I tested mine when I got it and it came in at 3.5 ohms on the multimeter. I think that may be a reason they aren't burning like other carto's do.
I'm now at 2 1/2 weeks on 1 single one. So longevity wise they last very well. ( I probably just jinxed myself there lol)

 

[lorikay13]

Hey thanks! Thats a really good thing to know...and I think your right. So you probably havn't gutted one yet ? I'm just wondering about the whole atty thing....the description of hairs (fibers) instead of wires is very interesting. Can't wait to try them!

(great avatar btw! did you make her or is she from a comic/anime ? )

 

[Wench]

Hey thanks! Thats a really good thing to know...and I think your right. So you probably havn't gutted one yet ? I'm just wondering about the whole atty thing....the description of hairs (fibers) instead of wires is very interesting. Can't wait to try them!

(great avatar btw! did you make her or is she from a comic/anime ? )

Comic art piece
I have pulled the filler out and put it back in but was afraid to mess to much and destroy it. lol

 

[billster88]

First off...the cartomizers are made in our own facility...but it is in china...but at least we control what parts are used...and to be honest....we could make them the easier way (Kanger way?) but we found that we had better results on vapor production by doing it this way...the longevity factor I guess is great for people that want to re-use them..although that was not our goal...we can't sell liquid bottles according to our liability insurance..so that's one reason why we don't sell blanks..

I think the 3.2-3.5 ohm range is good for us because when we pump through the 3.7V we get a reading of approx 230C -250C if I am remembering correctly...don't quote me on that...but I am pretty sure it's where we are temperature wise...

I must say the Wench is quite adept at taking things apart and checking them out...want a job?...lol..by the way...if anyone wants some older style carts...cheap...let me know...we are planning to stop making them very soon as we find cartomizers are taking up the bulk of our orders...so if anyone wants a deal on some..for the 4081 style battery's...PM me and I will let you know a price..

As for the batteries..(RsL..notice the paragraphs?..thinking of your constructive comment everytime I ramble..lol) we make some of them in the Canadian facility and some in China...the cost factor is huge when making them domestically...and the diference in quality is almost nil...after all..they are the same parts...but we are working on some newer designs that may have to be made in Canada only because of the complicated assembly and design features of it (curious??)

Hope I answered your questions oh Queen Lorikay13....ye who is the arm twister of many men...lol..Cheers!!

 

[Yankee802]

I can't believe I forgot to post this here, LOL.

YouTube - SmokeStik 4081 Cartomizer

OH, and I got my first sticky, horray me!

 

[lorikay13]

So I'm checking back in to let ya'll know what I think about these cartos. It's been about two weeks that I have been using them.

In my opinion there is just no comparison between these SS 4081 cartos and KR8 cartos. Everything about the design is completely different. The biggest difference IMO being the male threads of the 4081. Because of this the airflow design is completely different...there is an air chamber at the bottom of the carto. The other big difference is the wicking design of the atty. Unlike KR8's there is no bare wire running up through the filler. Instead there is a small bundle of heat resistant fibers at the bottom of the cart. The fibers are wrapped in the nickle heating coil and absorb juice from the filling.

Because of these differences if you are going to refill them you cannot get the maximum performance,flavor and burn resistance from them using KR8 methods. So specific to the SS 4081 carto here is the proper refill method:

Remove cap and all the little silicon rings and stuff under the cap. Toss the extras...you don't need them.

Drip 10-12 drops around the sides of the carto. Now put 3-4 drops directly down the center tube. Thats it. Replace cap.

What NOT to do:
Don't use the condom method or drip into the battery end.
Don't use a spin or shake...you do not want to force liquid down into the air chamber at the bottom.

Keep in mind these are smaller than the Turbo/Mega/Premium KR8's so you will need to pay more attention to keeping them topped off.

fyi....510 cartomizers have the same male type threads and therefore would probably benefit from being treated the same way....no condom filling and no dripping into the battery end.

 

[Katya]

Very useful info, Lorikay. I started adding a few drops into the cartomizer even before I take my first inhalation, just to make sure that all is nice and moist but not overfilled. Works like a charm. Haven't burned one since I started doing this.

These cartos are small, so they need to be topped off early and often for perfect performance.

 

[lorikay13]

cartomizers.........I want to explain our cartomizer policy....and this goes for any and all customers...not just ECF......

Since our cartos are individually wrapped and inventoried as single items....one carto/one item....they are returnable. If you buy a five pack....open one and hate it...no problem...send them back for a refund or exchange. (minus shipping and the one you used of course)

it's really that easy....why? Because we make 10's of thousands of these things at a time. And each one is assembled and filled by a human being...not some high tech robot.....and humans make mistakes. We are happy when you understand that....but certainly dont expect you to pay for it.

 

[Tim the Enchanter]

I'm now at 2 1/2 weeks on 1 single one. So longevity wise they last very well. ( I probably just jinxed myself there lol)

2½ weeks on 1 cartomizer? Is that what you're saying? How much/often do you vape in a day? Just one draw when you wake up, and then one more after meals? LOL

I'm trying to understand how a single cartomizer could last that long.

Thx!

Tim