clearomizer/glassomizers vs cartotanks? differences?

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novio

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A clearo tank uses a wick, a carto uses a cartomizer. Some people are all for wicks and others are all for cartos...it's just up to the individual.

I understand the physical differences. im wondering more of how they perform differently, and im pretty confused as to how cartotanks work.
 

sawtoothscream

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I have a few clearmizers that are top fed, my brother has a bottom fed ismoka clearmizer and I have a tank with a cartomizer. Here are my thoughts. While all work the top fed seem to weaken the taste of the liquid, bottom fed taste great to me and the carto is even better flavor wise. Vape production all of them produce a good amount but I get more from my tank set up. next tank I get will be a bottom fed clearmizer most likely.
 

ShariR

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Go to Youtube and watch some Pbusardo videos. He's real good about describing stuff and adds in a great sense of humor. I am still trying to figure all this out too. The videos help a lot more than I thought they would. They will even show you how to clean the equipment and replace wicks, etc. Lots of fun. I haven't watched TV in over a week! Also, some of the long timers on here have blogs that are very informative and helpful. I have to reread and rewatch stuff a few times to get a feel for it. Some of this stuff looks real easy and some looks real fiddley and a lot of work, unless you like to tinker.
 

ms1055

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This is just my opinion but I personally don't like anything involving a cartomizer. I had bad experiences with them as a newb and it almost turned me off to vaping. Even after getting them to work properly I felt the taste was muted by the poly fill material. If you don't let them soak in the e liquid long enough or they aren't filled properly you will get a burnt taste that won't go away. Also sometimes with the tank it can slide off the cartomizer in your pocket or if you drop it. I like the Vivi Nova clearomizer because you can almost vape them right away, it's easy to see how much liquid you have left and they're completely rebuildable. You can leave it in your pocket or on it's side with no worries. I have yet to have a burnt taste on any of my Nova's. I haven't tried the pro tank.
 

wv2win

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I understand the physical differences. im wondering more of how they perform differently, and im pretty confused as to how cartotanks work.

I prefer the tank cartomizers over the clearos. I have tried several clearos that have been recommend and found, in comparison to cartos, the draw is always super airy and light and the throat hit is reduced. My overall preference is a good atomizer but don't want the hassle of either building them or dripping on them.
 

ms1055

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Also to answer your question about what they are. Cartomizers are tube shaped and have poly fill (looks like cotton inside) with a coil through the middle. You soak the poly fill with liquid and let it sit for a while and once everything is all saturated you can vape. The tank works as an additional reservoir for the liquid. To use a tank you will need to punch holes in the cartomizer for the liquid to wick through. Then you will put the tank over the cartomizer and fill that with liquid as well. The liquid will feed the poly fill material through the holes in the cartomizer. There are a lot of different designs out there, some involve locks so it won't slide off and there are A LOT of really nice style options with custom glass tanks. Make sure you buy a tank that will fit the cartomizer because there are different sizes as well.
 

Baditude

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There are basically two classes of juice delivery devices: cartomizers (and cartotanks) and clearomizers (and clearotanks).

Clearomizers are simpler devices, easy to fill and use. They use a silica string to wick juice to the heating coil. These are further defined by top and bottom coiled. Top coil will provide a slightly warmer vape, and as their heating coil is located at the top of the device, require frequent tipping to keep the wicks wet to avoid dry hits. Bottom coils provide a slightly cooler vape, as the heating coil is toward the bottom of the device. Because of the heating coil's lower location in the tank, one doesn't need to tip it to keep its wicks wet.

Cartomizers are marginally more difficult and time consuming to fill, as are the cartotanks. However many believe that they provide better flavor than clearos. They are not position dependent as some of the clearomizers are. Cartomizers use a polyfiller material to wick the juice to the atomizer. Cartomizers can be used in tanks (cartotanks) to hold a larger amount of juice.

All of the above can be considered disposable devices, the parts with heating coils and wicks will eventually burn out or clog up and become useless. Some of the clearotanks have replaceable wicks/heads, and cartomizers in cartotanks can be replaced and the tank re-used.

For more info on the above, read my blog article on "Proper Terminology - Is it a tank, a carto, or what? A primer on juice delivery devices" here:

E-Cigarette Forum - Baditude - Blogs

More info here: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/
 
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RevJerp

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I use artemis cartotanks at home and vivis and protanks on the go. Cartotanks seem like they are stronger in flavor, and clearos are more rugged/leak less. Some juices perform better in one versus the other. The best recommendation i can give is to try stuff when it goes on sale and see what ya like.

Also worth noting, clearos can for the most part be rebuilt for pennies. Buying new coils are slightly more expensive than new cartos, but recoiling a clearo coil is dirt cheap.
 

ms1055

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I've heard stories of the Vivi Nova's not wicking properly but in my experience it has only been when the e liquid was at it's lowest and was barely covering the wick that I had to tilt it. I feel the flavor is much richer compared to the same juice in the one carto tank I've tried. My Vivi Nova's are Smok Techs. Just my opinion, I've heard many people think the Vivi Nova's mute the flavor but the Supernova juice I vape literally tastes like I'm drinking a Mountain Dew with strawberries and melons. Very easy to change flavors in the Vivi Nova as well as there is not as much material to clean, the material is more easily accesible and worst case the material is replaceable. The poly fill in cartomizers tend to be more difficult to clean the flavor completely out and the poly fill/coil is not replaceable. On the other hand cartomizers are much cheaper. I guess its all preference but I would try both and see what you like. There are $10 carto tanks on many sites which aren't the best but you'll have a chance to try before you drop the money on some of the nicer locking ones. Also a Vivi Nova is only like $7 bucks.
 

wv2win

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I've heard stories of the Vivi Nova's not wicking properly but in my experience it has only been when the e liquid was at it's lowest and was barely covering the wick that I had to tilt it. I feel the flavor is much richer compared to the same juice in the one carto tank I've tried. My Vivi Nova's are Smok Techs. Just my opinion, I've heard many people think the Vivi Nova's mute the flavor but the Supernova juice I vape literally tastes like I'm drinking a Mountain Dew with strawberries and melons. Very easy to change flavors in the Vivi Nova as well as there is not as much material to clean, the material is more easily accesible and worst case the material is replaceable. The poly fill in cartomizers tend to be more difficult to clean the flavor completely out and the poly fill/coil is not replaceable. On the other hand cartomizers are much cheaper. I guess its all preference but I would try both and see what you like. There are $10 carto tanks on many sites which aren't the best but you'll have a chance to try before you drop the money on some of the nicer locking ones. Also a Vivi Nova is only like $7 bucks.

I don't know why or who would try and clean a carto. They only cost $1.99 and last 7 - 10 days. 3-hole punched carto tanks in a 5 ml glass tank is a very trouble free way to vape, IMO.
 

wv2win

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In my experiences cartomizers have a warmer hit while clearomizers have an airy cool hit.

Exactly why many of us don't like clearos. I have found that typically, when someone who has only used clearos actually tries a good carto system, they make the switch due to the warmer vapor, non-airy draw and better TH.
 

ms1055

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I don't know why or who would try and clean a carto. They only cost $1.99 and last 7 - 10 days. 3-hole punched carto tanks in a 5 ml glass tank is a very trouble free way to vape, IMO.

A lot of people attempt to clean them. If you've really never heard of people cleaning them then google clean cartos and you will be astonished. I understand they're cheap and you can just throw them away but for the same price I can get a coil for my Nova that I can clean 5 times easily that will work for weeks. Thats basically what I was getting at.
 

ms1055

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Exactly why many of us don't like clearos. I have found that typically, when someone who has only used clearos actually tries a good carto system, they make the switch due to the warmer vapor, non-airy draw and better TH.

I think you guys are stereotyping an entire category of atomizers based on a bad experience with a particular model. I have experienced airy draws from clearomizers such as the Vision V2 CE6 but never the Smok Tech Vivi Novas ... just what I've seen personally.
 

ms1055

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Honestly though maybe I'm missing something with the carto tanks because I've only tried them once and I felt the draw was very weak and the flavor muted compared to my Nova. Can someone recommend a carto tank they've had success with? With all the carto tank/anti clearomizer Nazi's out there I might have to give this a second try.
 
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