Cartridges... Topping them up too often imo. Are tanks the solution?

[KnifeHex]

Hi everyone,

I started to vape at least 4 months ago, and I always wanted to get a clear idea if this is only me or if happens to others as well.
At first I didn't really care, as I was vaping "part-time", but it really gets on my nerves now, so here it goes...

No matter how well I fill my cartridges, I always end up having to top them up every 10 minutes.
And this is, if I am lucky!

Sometimes, I take 4 or 5 drags and that's it, kaput.. and the awful taste just waves at me.
Then if I remove the cartridge, it's still wet and if I move the inside around, I see plenty of liquid. (I tried at the very least with 20 cartridges at 10 atomizers, never gets better)

I tried a number of ways of filling them, so I am sure that is not it neither.
They all come from LF, so, weren't they supposed to be OK?

Or is this just a "normal" thing on cartridges + atomizers? I hope not.

This is by far the reason I am not yet off the analogs, and by the looks of it, I will never be.
It's just super inconvenient to carry bottles with you and stop at the middle of something to top it up. (easier to just get a cigarette, I am sure I am not the only one doing it..)

I tried cartomizers (awful experience, not for me) and direct dripping, but I didn't like it at all, neither it's a solution for the main issue here (convenience...). If I have to carry a bottle with me at all times, and have to be constantly "ewwing" my hands, and my steering wheel on the car, than this is all pointless and it will never stand a chance against the evil cancer machines...

</end rant>

I ordered a few tank atomizers now, hope this will make it better?
How long do you guys vape before you have to refill it again?

 

[Bdbodger]

Sounds like a wicking problem . Perhaps take some of the filler out or use a thinner eliquid in them . In a larger atomizer such as the ego mega atomizer type B cylinder style you had to draw harder when it was 1/2 empty and / or take a few draws without activating the battery to suck more ejuice down to the atomizer . It takes a bit of learning to use an ego mega atomizer and it depends on the ejuice used .

 

[Doomed!]

Cartomizers are the answer and a cartomizer tank would keep you filled up for a whole day. The cartridge and atomizer thing just doesn't really work very well. There are various things that you could do to fix the wicking problem, but it's not worth the trouble when you can just get some cartomizers and be done. What problems did you have with cartomizers when you tried them before? Personally, I don't like the ego tank system. Yes, you would have a bigger juice supply on top of your atomizer, but it has bad wicking problems. You are limited in what juice you can use because thicker juices don't feed right. The flavor of your juice is very weak, as is the throat hit. The worst part about the tank system is the constant fiddling to get them to work even sort of consistantly. No, if your concern is convenience, the ego-t/c is not for you. Seriously consider giving cartomizer tanks a try.

 

[TonyTT]

If you're having problems with cartos, tanks might be worse...The tanks that go on atomizers, that is...They have huge wicking problems, and mute flavors...

What didn't you like about cartomizers?....I can understand there is still the issue of needing to top off frequently, but I would assume that it is equal to, if not, better then cartridges by a lot. It sounds to me, like you want that fresh, just top offed flavour, that will diminish 3-5 drags later...If you wan't a better solution to that problem, you should probably take a look at cartomizer tanks. They make it so you don't have to constantly top off your carto, and can hold 3-6 ml, which mean's you really only have to re-fill every 1-2 days...

The j-tank at electronicstix, might be a good place to start, and you can get a saddle valve at home depot to punch holes in your carto...

 

[dotma]

thats why i use clearomizers, so i can see whats going on in there!

 

[Eddie.Willers]

I tried cartomizers (awful experience, not for me)

What, might I ask, was the issue? And what kind of cartomizer were you using?

I've been vaping almost a year and it seems that there is a slow movement towards cartomizers as they give a longer, more consistent vape. They are easier and cleaner to use, generally, and have a wide variety of resistances.

As others have said, it might be something you need to look at again and persist with. perhaps a Smoktek tank with a punched dual-coil carto?

Oh, and welcome to ECF!

 

[Lacedolphin]

I also got sick of having to fill cartos every hour or so and didn't like the looks of tanks and leaking/wicking issues so I bought a bottom feeder.
I'm really enjoying it!! I fill the bottle in the morning ( 6ml lasts me all or most of the day) put in a fresh battery and I'm good all day long.
If I want a taste change I have an extra bottle or I can just drip into the atty. and take a few hits of something else.

I don't think I will be ever going without one again!

 

[KnifeHex]

Hi guys,

Thank you for the replies, that was really fast.
Regarding your questions:

What, might I ask, was the issue? And what kind of cartomizer were you using?

I do not really know the model of them, I know they were the standard ones available at Liberty-Flights at the time, I presume they are pre-boge, because Abe from LF recommended those to me once he got my complaint (one of the cartomizers killed my battery - literally, just went poof!).

Here's a picture of the cartomizer (if it helps to identify the model):

After that incident, I got Cartomizer PTSD (yay), so I never used them again. I actually have 4 of them SEALED, that shows how bad the experience was.

The problem was not only killing my battery, before it did that I tried to fill them several times and the result was always the same, a really burnt bleach taste, just terrible (I really mean terrible, it would make me want to vomit after 2 tries).
I did try to fill them several times, also tried to use different ones (I thought it could be just a factory defect, and since I ordered 10 I just used a bunch of them for different refilling methods, the result was always the same.

I ended up wasting 6 of those 10 (just trashed them) and an enormous amount of e-liquid.
Less but not least, another issue was the lenght of the cartomizer itself. When I screwed the RIVA Cone in, I would have no space at all, and would end up burning my lips whenever I tried to give it a shot.

Here's a picture of what I mean (notice the very small space after the cone):

Here's a direct comparison between the cartomizer and regular atomizer+cartridge combo, just to help you understand what I mean:

That difference in lenght did make a huge difference.
In order to be able to just try it out, I would need to remove the cone.

Now, if you combine all those problems... it's too much for just an "optional" part.
I just moved back to cartridges after that. Not perfect at all as I said in my original post, but at least I can vape with it (even if it's just for a few minutes), it was impossible for me to get any results with the cartomizers I bought from LF. (not their fault, they actually replaced my battery for no charge and everything, so I cannot really complain about them, just about the cartomizers themselves...)

It sounds to me, like you want that fresh, just top offed flavour, that will diminish 3-5 drags later...If you wan't a better solution to that problem, you should probably take a look at cartomizer tanks. They make it so you don't have to constantly top off your carto, and can hold 3-6 ml, which mean's you really only have to re-fill every 1-2 days...

This is EXACTLY what I need, but so far it's been a frustrating and expensive experience.

Oh, and welcome to ECF!

Thank you!

 

[AZCraig]

In my experience, cartridges never performed as well as any other option for vaping. I too was constantly fighting to keep the wicking material wet and if it wasn't oriented right, it would burn.

I used Ego-T's for a while, but they couldn't handle the thicker juices for longer than a few days without getting fouled up.

Cartomizers can mute certain flavors, but overall, I've had good luck with them. So far, I've found Boge cartomizers to be the most reliable and flavorful, but I've also heard good things about SmokTech cartos. You need to make sure you've properly paired the resistance of the carto you select with the voltage of the battery you are using.

I don't like dripping into plain atomizers, but I really like dripping with the HH.357 which has a chamber to hold about 10 to 12 drops of liquid underneath the coil. They do require a break in period, but the flavor from an HH.357 can't be matched by any other system.... (at least the ones I've tried).

 

[Eddie.Willers]

+1 to AZCraig
Also, you should try either an 'XL' cartomizer - they are longer - or using a drip-tip, so you don't burn your lips.

 

[n9emz]

I still use and enjoy my 510s with cartridges, but I have to top them off after 6 or so pulls to get good hits. I usually grab a 510 with cartridge on my way out the door to a box or convenience store; somewhere I'll only be visiting for an hour or so, and I usually take a 10ml bottle of juice for top-off in case I'm delayed.

I keep holding off on cartomizers because I'm having such great success with tanks; both 510 and VEC. I recently purchased and Ego-C atomizer assembly which initially sucked. I pulled it apart and noticed it had a "beard." Once I trimmed that off flush and ran a 1.1 ml tank through it, it vapes great.

I assume that cartos must be the real deal but I don't understand all the problems people have with tanks other than they're relatively high maintenance but I don't mind that. Plenty of time to kill and it's enjoyable.

 

[kardus]

Try cartos/carto tanks again. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette.

 

[Eddie.Willers]

...You have to break a few E-gos to make an omelette.

groan!

 

[inanitydefined]

Have you considered using ego atomizers+cartridges? Perhaps you just need a bit more wicking room. I'm having pretty good luck with 801 atties and carts. I can't do cartomizers either, the filler taste is terrible. I keep hearing about these vision stardust ce2 cartos, they might do the trick. Oh and skip the tank cartridges, when they work they're ok but that's pretty rarely

 

[Oneida]

I use the eGo mega cylinder atomizers and cartridges. The cartridges are listed as holding 2.5 ml (in practice 2 ml seems more realistic) and last me quite a while. I want to vape not fiddle with things and I've found them to be a simple, no fuss, no mess solution. They easily handle both PG and VG juices and I haven't noticed any filler taste like I constantly did with cartomizers.