Cleaning clearomizers

[TamJeff]

I went from dual coils to the resurrectors. They were 3.5 ml dual coils though. I think dual coils work better with larger volume for the fact that the feed rate to the wicks must also be relative to mass. I used the condom method for my boges. Actually, it was the 3 pack boge deal from Virgin Vapor that got me onto using her juice. The KCM sample I chose with them started it all. With the smoke tech version, I use the clear ones and just drip fill them slowly being I have a window to see when the filler is evenly saturated. After that, when I see them becoming white again, I just top it off with 15 drops.

I have found it takes up to several rounds of dry burning to get gunked coils clean, which is why I don't fool with cleaning cartomizers. One would have to take them apart to clean them to where they performed well again. That was my initial attraction to the Vivi. I just happen to be one of those people that looks silly puffing on a stick with a Frankentank on it. The KGO with the cones and cartos are a lot less conspicuous for my scene. By now, if I have to fool with anything more than plug and play devices, I would consider needing to quit this habit as well, since the inconvenience associated with not running out of analogs was also part of the motivation for quitting.

 

[SunshyneGurl]

I have found it takes up to several rounds of dry burning to get gunked coils clean, which is why I don't fool with cleaning cartomizers. One would have to take them apart to clean them to where they performed well again. That was my initial attraction to the Vivi. I just happen to be one of those people that looks silly puffing on a stick with a Frankentank on it. The KGO with the cones and cartos are a lot less conspicuous for my scene. By now, if I have to fool with anything more than plug and play devices, I would consider needing to quit this habit as well, since the inconvenience associated with not running out of analogs was also part of the motivation for quitting.

LOVE it!!! I sooo agree with you and I'm seriously stealing your term "Frankentank"!

The Vivi Nova was just too much to take out of the house.. but I'm hoping the mini will be much better (for me at least). Couldn't possibly think about quitting this yet... VV's flavors are just too good!

About the dry burning... did you ever find that it actually burned any of the gunk off the coils or just made them gunky, burnt coils? That's kinda what I found out. Hoping we find some kind of resolution to at least some of these issues to make this a little easier to enjoy! Guess the 1st step is to find out if there happened to be cloned VN's were we purchased them and go from there to get the experience the happy VN users have had! I think they're great for me at home cuz I don't have to keep refilling them.

Curious TamJeff... did the clear Smok Tech look a little funky? I was debating whether to get them or not and went for the stainless instead. I am very happy that a certain person convinced me to give those and the Boges a second chance so I at least have something that works. Just sad it doesn't give me the awesome taste that the VN does with the Pillow Dreams and the Blk Cherry Marshmallow and also just has a totally different flavor for the Amaretto and Cotton Candy Spiderweb. Oh well... a girl can dream!

 

[kittypie]

TJ, I got a SmokTech DCCT today and so far I am LOVING it! I like it waaaaaaaaaay better than the VN.

 

[myyrkezaan]

@SunshyneGurl: the gunkier they are the more dry burns are required. for gunkier ones i've done it about 10 times.

at first it takes longer for the coils to get orange, once they are I only fire it until it glows orange, let go, blow, fire it, let go, blow.

if it starts getting to warm, i'll pause for a bit and do it again.

once done they look like new.

 

[Bundles]

I've been using clearomizers, and I'm getting tired of them. Maybe I'm being too cheap & need to buy them more often...But I like the idea of being able to use them at least 2 weeks before throwing them out! Just cuz. Anyway i've pretty much decided I need to limit each one to its own flavor (or very similar flavors).

I just CANNOT clean flavors completely out of them. I even bought an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner just for this purpose! I dislodge or completely pull out the silicon cap & tube thingy, do lots of rinsing, then put them in several runs in the ultrasonic cleaner. Then let them dry overnight... It does a pretty good job of cleaning, but still doesn't remove enough flavor. Wicks that were dark from dark liquid might get halfway lighter.

Sooo... I've ordered a couple mini ViVis from Annette, and I'm hopeful.

 

[myyrkezaan]

The non replaceable coil clearomizers are definitely harder to clean, have you dry burned them? The previous flavor taste is most likely coming from the build up on the coil. There is a video on youtube that shows how to clean that type of clearomizer.

Having said that, I do like the Vivis and some of the other replaceable coil clearos. And they are cheaper, replacement coil no more than 2.50, even if it lasts just a week thats only .36/day.

I'm checking out this tank system next:

DS3 Versi Tank System

 

[Bundles]

At first I'd dry burn them once after cleaning (no rinsing again after the dry burn). Today I cleaned some & dry-burned, rinsed, dry-burned again. Crossing fingers that that'll help. I couldn't see the coil burning red though... Hmm.

Thanks for the advice myyrkezaan!

 

[myyrkezaan]

If you can't see the coil getting hot you are not doing it long enough or there is still gunk on the coils.

Which clearo are you using?

 

[TamJeff]

TJ, I got a SmokTech DCCT today and so far I am LOVING it! I like it waaaaaaaaaay better than the VN.

So is it just me or does the flavor seem stronger than string tanks? Between that, the 'just'right' throat hit and generous vapor vs draw time ratio makes them a win/win for me. I have not needed the dual coils though. I thought I would but the LR singles have been doing well and my batteries last longer between charges. I admit enjoying the warmer vapor of the dual coils but it was almost too warm in anything less than the 3.5ml sizes. Admittedly, the flavor is much more apparent in dual coils, which only stands to reason being you are essentially getting a double dose from two coils at once.

 

[TamJeff]

Yes, you have to see the orange glow and it takes a bit of time thru heavily gunked coils. At first you will hear it hissing like it is wet, then that will stop and you will eventually see the orange skeleton of the coil glowing thru the gunk. I keep burning them until the gunk turns to grey/white ash. I will then let them cool off and rinse them again.

This is what I liked about the Vision Deux clearomizers. You could pull the silicone cap off the atty and watch it. That and the tanks were flexible. The problem with the deux is they needed to be modded slightly. I still have some that even used and dry burned multiple times, still put out as much or more vapor than the Vivi, and that is likely because of a near perfect air flow/draw.

After a few rounds of dry burning/cleaning, the coils will become crusty and rough and will crust up a little sooner than when newer but you can get enough use out of a 5.00 clearo to where it costs closer to a buck being you get to avg about 5 reconditionings out of each one.

I think there is videos on youtube that show how to dry burn and what to look for.

 

[TamJeff]

LOVE it!!! I sooo agree with you and I'm seriously stealing your term "Frankentank"!

The Vivi Nova was just too much to take out of the house.. but I'm hoping the mini will be much better (for me at least). Couldn't possibly think about quitting this yet... VV's flavors are just too good!

About the dry burning... did you ever find that it actually burned any of the gunk off the coils or just made them gunky, burnt coils? That's kinda what I found out. Hoping we find some kind of resolution to at least some of these issues to make this a little easier to enjoy! Guess the 1st step is to find out if there happened to be cloned VN's were we purchased them and go from there to get the experience the happy VN users have had! I think they're great for me at home cuz I don't have to keep refilling them.

Curious TamJeff... did the clear Smok Tech look a little funky? I was debating whether to get them or not and went for the stainless instead. I am very happy that a certain person convinced me to give those and the Boges a second chance so I at least have something that works. Just sad it doesn't give me the awesome taste that the VN does with the Pillow Dreams and the Blk Cherry Marshmallow and also just has a totally different flavor for the Amaretto and Cotton Candy Spiderweb. Oh well... a girl can dream!

I was used to clearomizers so the clear seemed right to me. Plus I was curious to what a cartomizer actually does in use and it lets me see it. The real plus is, I can monitor how much juice is in there. I like being able to see it. I notice if I can visibly keep them wet, they don't get to any burnt wick taste. I have essentially cross platformed the use of my cartos to that of drip atties. But instead of having to drip 2-3 drops every 10 hits or so, it's more like 15-20 drops for 50 or 60 hits, and if I can't get away to drip fill, they are still good to go for quite awhile regardless. Stranger yet, as they start getting a bit gunked up and on the verge of drying out a little, a caramelized taste I enjoy sometimes. Like those cookies that get a little overbaked but are still good. Not quite that drastic of course in a 'burned' sense, but just another flavor profile I find I like sometimes. Finally, the being able to see when they are getting too funky to warrant using any more juice on. I have just gotten used to them enough to know when to toss them, and it's well after they start turning black around the coil.

 

[TamJeff]

Here is the KGO with a clear smok tec single coil. I have variable voltage devices but I find the EGO style devices much more convenient and with anything from 1100-1300 mah ratings, the sweet spot in usage for moderate to heavy vape habits with regard to all day convenience. I get up to 10+ hrs of use from each battery. A match made in heaven for my habit.

This is day 3 on the same carto. It's getting gross looking, but it's been chain vaped hard and put away wet and is still working. Whether the solid colored sleeves hide it, it's along the lines of, just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. Can't put the clear ones in your pants pocket and the tank will separate from the thread end if you are rough with them, but I don't do these things anyway. All I have had to do is just keep adding juice to it at will. I still think these things use less juice than tanks overall. Seems I am now getting two to three more days per oz of liquid now.

 

[DesertHogRider]

Ya know... I hated them too till I was given a different way to fill them, and wow... the world became brighter!!! Well... ok so maybe not brighter but my Boges and Smok Tech's are lasting soooo much longer - several days of chain vaping! I also only vape 100% pure VG. Virgin Vapor juices will really change the way you feel about 100%VG and they're amazing! Yaayyyy!

When I first started vaping I tried carto's but found the hit soooooo dryyyyyy....I thought it was the filler that was in them. Reading your filling instructions made me curious...

First I had to look up what a "boge" was But I can't find a large enough picture to determine exactly what you are describing in the filling style you use. Now I need to know if I was just using the carto wrong? I was just slowly soaking the filler with drops.

I may have to try the carto again...Are you saying the filling last you days??

 

[kittypie]

DesertHogRider,
I'm just going to chime in with my experience with carto filling. I always use the "push" method, aka condom method. I first drip a few drops into the top of the carto. Then I fill a condom about 2/3 full with juice. I carefully insert the bottom end of the carto into the condom, then slowly push the condom up to let the juice saturate the filling, until I see a little coming out through the air hole. Then I remove it carefully from the condom and let it sit for a few minutes. Then I top off the carto again with any juice leftover in the condom, and usually I'm ready to vape right away.

Jeez I hope that doesn't sound dirty!

A freshly filled carto will need to be topped off often during the first hour or so of vaping to keep the filling fully saturated. After that I don't have to top off as often.

Hope that helps!

 

[LouP]

Where do you get your CE3's? Is that what the Visions are on here?

Hi MPage....sorry..I missed this.

The CE3s are not the Visions or at all like the CE4, CE5, etc... They are a bottom coil clearomizer and can be had at several vendors. I get mine in Canada. I'm not sure if it's OK to link to another site from this forum??

They have their pros and cons just like other hardware.

They have to be filled with a syringe upside down.
They are not as sturdy as a Vivi Nova or CE4 for taking out and about.
They work best with a flexible rubber drip tip.

They are easy to clean and change flavours.
They last a long, long time.
They provide excellent flavour with no muting.
They can be used with citrus and cinnamon.

I think it's the bottom coil design that does it for me. There is now a T3 available which is also a bottom coil so I will eventually give it a try. It's more along the lines of the Vivi Nova types and has replaceable heads.

Do you think the industry will ever have equipment that everyone likes and that always just works with no messing about?

 

[MPage]

Hi MPage....sorry..I missed this.

The CE3s are not the Visions or at all like the CE4, CE5, etc... They are a bottom coil clearomizer and can be had at several vendors. I get mine in Canada. I'm not sure if it's OK to link to another site from this forum??

They have their pros and cons just like other hardware.

They have to be filled with a syringe upside down.
They are not as sturdy as a Vivi Nova or CE4 for taking out and about.
They work best with a flexible rubber drip tip.

They are easy to clean and change flavours.
They last a long, long time.
They provide excellent flavour with no muting.
They can be used with citrus and cinnamon.

I think it's the bottom coil design that does it for me. There is now a T3 available which is also a bottom coil so I will eventually give it a try. It's more along the lines of the Vivi Nova types and has replaceable heads.

Do you think the industry will ever have equipment that everyone likes and that always just works with no messing about?

Thank you for the info- I doubt there will ever be just one thing- just need to find our own happy place, ha.

 

[myyrkezaan]

Thank you for the info- I doubt there will ever be just one thing- just need to find our own happy place, ha.

+1

It gets even worse because they are changing them so fast.

 

[Bundles]

Yes, you have to see the orange glow and it takes a bit of time thru heavily gunked coils. At first you will hear it hissing like it is wet, then that will stop and you will eventually see the orange skeleton of the coil glowing thru the gunk. I keep burning them until the gunk turns to grey/white ash. I will then let them cool off and rinse them again.

Okay this is the info I needed! I had read something cautioning against more than a few seconds... I just tried it and finally saw the red glow. Rinsed and repeated.

These are Vision EGO clearomizers, Myyrkezaan.

 

[kittypie]

LouP, no problem linking to other sites in your posts, IMO. We're here to help each other.

 

[myyrkezaan]

Okay this is the info I needed! I had read something cautioning against more than a few seconds... I just tried it and finally saw the red glow. Rinsed and repeated.

These are Vision EGO clearomizers, Myyrkezaan.

I don't burn for more than 3 seconds and once you do it several times the coils will get hot quicker. I've never rinsed after dry burning, I usually just blow it off after every burn.

Which version, some are replaceable coil, some are not. But with a little finagling you can replace coils on the non replaceable ones .

I like the coils because they are the cheapest way to go, several dollars for a head and run it for weeks and weeks, that's cheap .