I used a brand-new, just opened out of the package CE-3 and X-2 clearomizer. I used the same juice in both devices (my favorite all-day 18mg watermelon vape). I used Volt X2 batteries, one a 650mah, the other a 900mah. I periodically switched the clearomizers between the batteries, but I never noticed any difference due to the battery mah.
The CE-3s I purchased have 510 threads, so I used an 808-to-510 adapter. The package comes with 5 CE-3s, a syringe, 2 blunt tips, and a flexible, rubbery drip tip. You can throw the drip trip away the rubbery taste is disgusting. I am not including that as part of the overall review of the CE-3.
I vaped approx. 10 ml in each device for a total of 20 ml over 5½ days. I pretty much vaped constantly; I normally vape around 3 ml per day.
I rinsed the X2 out with water after 3 fills (approx. 4.8 ml of juice vaped) and let it dry for around 30 minutes before filling it again. I actually took the CE-3 apart after 5 fills (5 ml vaped) and rinsed it with water. I let the parts dry for about 30 minutes before putting it back together and refilling it.
APPEARANCE: X2 Clearo wins
The appearance might not be important to you, but it is to me. The X2 clearomizer is very pleasing to the eye and comes in a variety of colors. I have the red and yellow ones; both look awesome on my red and silver X2 batteries.
The CE-3 (different names from various vendors such as CV-3, Phoenix, etc.) is either clear or a somewhat frosty-looking plastic, depending on the vendor. Its pretty plain and in my opinion, somewhat ugly. My (older) cone will not fit over the CE-3, but I understand that the cones from Smokeless Image will fit. That would improve the appearance somewhat.
CAPACITY: personal preference
The CE-3 holds just under 1 ml; the X2 clearomizer holds 1.6 ml. Its really personal preference, but you will obviously fill less often with the X2 clearo. I believe the CE-3 does come in an XL higher-capacity version, but I have not yet purchased those.
EASE OF FILL: X2 Clearo wins:
The X2 clearo is filled straight from the bottle; you just drip the juice down the side. Its definitely the easiest.
Initially, I was really reluctant to try anything that required a syringe-fill. But its pretty easy after youve done it a couple of times. I discovered that my small 5ml juice bottles had just the right size hole in the dripper nipple that I could insert the blunt-tip needle straight down into the hole, turn the bottle upside down, and easily fill the syringe. The trick was to do this very slowly. After removing the needle from the juice bottle, hold it vertically with the needle tip at the top, letting the juice settle down into the syringe. Expel any air from the syringe by gently pushing the plunger.
Remove the endcap from the CE-3 (you can use the needle on the syringe if you want). Insert the needle into the small fill hole and push the needle through the plastic. Adjust the needle position until its just barely above the plastic seal. Hold the CE-3 vertifically (upside down). Slowly, very slowly, push the ejuice into the CE-3. When full, pull the needle out and replace the end cap or insert your favorite 510 drip tip.
DRAW: X2 Clearo wins, but YMMV
The CE-3 draw is pretty loose and airy; it took me quite awhile to get used to it. I have to be honest this draw is way too airy for my personal preference.
The X2 draw is not tight by any means, but it is way tighter than the CE-3. This falls into the category of personal preference, but I definitely preferred the X2.
VAPOR PRODUCTION: CE-3 wins, but only by a narrow margin
I got excellent vapor production from both the CE-3 and the X2 clearo. After vaping approx. 10 ml in each device over 5 days, I will have to give the slight edge to the CE-3.
THROAT HIT: X2 Clearo wins
I prefer a strong throat hit. And even with regular cartomizers, Ive always gotten a good throat hit with my watermelon juice. So I expected that same level of throat hit with these devices. Im not sure if its because of the airy draw or not, but I frequently did not get much throat hit with the CE-3. It was pretty hit-and-miss, even with extremely long draws.
I got a good throat hit nearly every time with the X2 clearo.
TASTE: CE-3 wins
The taste is where the CE-3 really shines. Once you get past the plastic-y taste on the first 4 or 5 vapes, flavor is pure and bright. Taste with the X2 clearo is exceptionally good (after the first 3 or 4 draws on the very first fill), but I definitely get a stronger flavor and taste from the CE-3. And that flavor never diminished from the 1st ml all the way through to the 10th ml.
DRY HITS/BURNED TASTE: CE-3 wins
I vaped the CE-3 pretty much all the way down to the last drop before refilling, and I never got a dry hit. You cannot do that with the X2 clearo; you will get dry hits. The X2 is a top coil, so you have to have enough juice in it to tip to the top where the coil/wicking is, or you will get dry hits. In my mind, it doesnt really retract from the quality of the X2, but its something to keep in mind. I kept my battery/clearo resting on its side to keep the wicking going, something you dont have to worry about with the CE-3. With the CE-3, you can sit it upright, lay it on its side it really doesnt matter.
I did not experience any burned taste with the CE-3, even though I vaped every fill down to only a drop or two left in the tank. I did get a burned taste with the X2 clearo, because I let it get too dry. The bad taste rinsed out easily, and I made sure not to let it get too low after that; nobody wants to experience that burned taste if it can be avoided.
SUMMARY:
CE-3 Wins: Vapor Production, Taste, No Dry Hits/Burned Taste
X2 Clearo Wins: Appearance, Ease of Fill, Draw, Throat Hit
These are pretty evenly matched 3 wins for the CE-3 and 4 wins for the X2 Clearo. If you dont care about appearance so much, theyre even. I really DO like the bottom coil and the ability to vape all the way to the bottom. I could probably live with the CE-3s ugliness if it only had a better throat hit.
I should note that I really like the CE-3s when they work, but unfortunately, they dont always work. In my package of 5, I had used one before starting this review, and it worked great. I opened a 2nd one, and it worked for the first fill, but after that it was just dead. Not sure what happened, but I just couldnt get it to fire ever again. I tried multiple batteries, multiple different 808-to-510 adapters. Nothing. But the new one right out of the package that I used for this review worked flawlessly, and is still working. So who knows, right? But it does sound like a quality control issue at the manufacturer.
Im looking forward to trying the T-3s when they show up on SIs website this week. Bottom coil, bottle-fill device AND available in colors sounds perfect to me.
The CE-3s I purchased have 510 threads, so I used an 808-to-510 adapter. The package comes with 5 CE-3s, a syringe, 2 blunt tips, and a flexible, rubbery drip tip. You can throw the drip trip away the rubbery taste is disgusting. I am not including that as part of the overall review of the CE-3.
I vaped approx. 10 ml in each device for a total of 20 ml over 5½ days. I pretty much vaped constantly; I normally vape around 3 ml per day.
I rinsed the X2 out with water after 3 fills (approx. 4.8 ml of juice vaped) and let it dry for around 30 minutes before filling it again. I actually took the CE-3 apart after 5 fills (5 ml vaped) and rinsed it with water. I let the parts dry for about 30 minutes before putting it back together and refilling it.
APPEARANCE: X2 Clearo wins
The appearance might not be important to you, but it is to me. The X2 clearomizer is very pleasing to the eye and comes in a variety of colors. I have the red and yellow ones; both look awesome on my red and silver X2 batteries.
The CE-3 (different names from various vendors such as CV-3, Phoenix, etc.) is either clear or a somewhat frosty-looking plastic, depending on the vendor. Its pretty plain and in my opinion, somewhat ugly. My (older) cone will not fit over the CE-3, but I understand that the cones from Smokeless Image will fit. That would improve the appearance somewhat.
CAPACITY: personal preference
The CE-3 holds just under 1 ml; the X2 clearomizer holds 1.6 ml. Its really personal preference, but you will obviously fill less often with the X2 clearo. I believe the CE-3 does come in an XL higher-capacity version, but I have not yet purchased those.
EASE OF FILL: X2 Clearo wins:
The X2 clearo is filled straight from the bottle; you just drip the juice down the side. Its definitely the easiest.
Initially, I was really reluctant to try anything that required a syringe-fill. But its pretty easy after youve done it a couple of times. I discovered that my small 5ml juice bottles had just the right size hole in the dripper nipple that I could insert the blunt-tip needle straight down into the hole, turn the bottle upside down, and easily fill the syringe. The trick was to do this very slowly. After removing the needle from the juice bottle, hold it vertically with the needle tip at the top, letting the juice settle down into the syringe. Expel any air from the syringe by gently pushing the plunger.
Remove the endcap from the CE-3 (you can use the needle on the syringe if you want). Insert the needle into the small fill hole and push the needle through the plastic. Adjust the needle position until its just barely above the plastic seal. Hold the CE-3 vertifically (upside down). Slowly, very slowly, push the ejuice into the CE-3. When full, pull the needle out and replace the end cap or insert your favorite 510 drip tip.
DRAW: X2 Clearo wins, but YMMV
The CE-3 draw is pretty loose and airy; it took me quite awhile to get used to it. I have to be honest this draw is way too airy for my personal preference.
The X2 draw is not tight by any means, but it is way tighter than the CE-3. This falls into the category of personal preference, but I definitely preferred the X2.
VAPOR PRODUCTION: CE-3 wins, but only by a narrow margin
I got excellent vapor production from both the CE-3 and the X2 clearo. After vaping approx. 10 ml in each device over 5 days, I will have to give the slight edge to the CE-3.
THROAT HIT: X2 Clearo wins
I prefer a strong throat hit. And even with regular cartomizers, Ive always gotten a good throat hit with my watermelon juice. So I expected that same level of throat hit with these devices. Im not sure if its because of the airy draw or not, but I frequently did not get much throat hit with the CE-3. It was pretty hit-and-miss, even with extremely long draws.
I got a good throat hit nearly every time with the X2 clearo.
TASTE: CE-3 wins
The taste is where the CE-3 really shines. Once you get past the plastic-y taste on the first 4 or 5 vapes, flavor is pure and bright. Taste with the X2 clearo is exceptionally good (after the first 3 or 4 draws on the very first fill), but I definitely get a stronger flavor and taste from the CE-3. And that flavor never diminished from the 1st ml all the way through to the 10th ml.
DRY HITS/BURNED TASTE: CE-3 wins
I vaped the CE-3 pretty much all the way down to the last drop before refilling, and I never got a dry hit. You cannot do that with the X2 clearo; you will get dry hits. The X2 is a top coil, so you have to have enough juice in it to tip to the top where the coil/wicking is, or you will get dry hits. In my mind, it doesnt really retract from the quality of the X2, but its something to keep in mind. I kept my battery/clearo resting on its side to keep the wicking going, something you dont have to worry about with the CE-3. With the CE-3, you can sit it upright, lay it on its side it really doesnt matter.
I did not experience any burned taste with the CE-3, even though I vaped every fill down to only a drop or two left in the tank. I did get a burned taste with the X2 clearo, because I let it get too dry. The bad taste rinsed out easily, and I made sure not to let it get too low after that; nobody wants to experience that burned taste if it can be avoided.
SUMMARY:
CE-3 Wins: Vapor Production, Taste, No Dry Hits/Burned Taste
X2 Clearo Wins: Appearance, Ease of Fill, Draw, Throat Hit
These are pretty evenly matched 3 wins for the CE-3 and 4 wins for the X2 Clearo. If you dont care about appearance so much, theyre even. I really DO like the bottom coil and the ability to vape all the way to the bottom. I could probably live with the CE-3s ugliness if it only had a better throat hit.
I should note that I really like the CE-3s when they work, but unfortunately, they dont always work. In my package of 5, I had used one before starting this review, and it worked great. I opened a 2nd one, and it worked for the first fill, but after that it was just dead. Not sure what happened, but I just couldnt get it to fire ever again. I tried multiple batteries, multiple different 808-to-510 adapters. Nothing. But the new one right out of the package that I used for this review worked flawlessly, and is still working. So who knows, right? But it does sound like a quality control issue at the manufacturer.
Im looking forward to trying the T-3s when they show up on SIs website this week. Bottom coil, bottle-fill device AND available in colors sounds perfect to me.
