Completely New to Vaping

[kmkvr]

Alright so I was first introduced to vaping with Blu Ecigs. Long story short, never going back to those. I have a local ecig shop where I purchased a kit called "Ego Twist Kit 2" I couldn't find the kit online, so I couldn't get any help with my problems. So I'm hoping you guys can bear with me and help me figure this out

Let's start with the tank. I have two tanks, Lets call the first an "ego" because I'm not sure what it's technically called. But I do know it's a clearomizer with two wicks that go through this tiny piece. What's that piece called? The second tank is a Kanger mini protank 2, which I'm disappointed in. It gives a burnt taste and the tank heats up for some reason.

God knows what the battery is, and I know it's not a twist. It's silver, and has a button with a blue light.

Now that we covered the parts, I have some questions about cleaning and taking care of the ecig:

1. What the hell is an atomizer?
2. Do "atomizers" have to be replaced?
3. In the mini protank 2, Is the wick in the atomizer?
4. In the "ego" how often should I change the wicks, and how do you know when they've gone bad?
5. How much does it cost to keep up with an ecig? What do I need to update besides the juice?

I know I sound like an idiot but I'm trying to understand all the detailed tech talk but just can't. Any help is appreciated

 

[wonner]

Let me welcome you while the experts gather to help with your journey.

 

[chikkaccino]

Atomizers are a coil inside the clearomizer (the tank with the wick). Atomizers can be cleaned by soaking in Pure Grain alcohol or vodka overnight. Let it air dry completely, and dry burn it until the coils glow. Lots of YouTube videos on this.

Protank mini 2, yes, the wick is inside the atomizer coil.

Ego is the type of battery. I think you might have a plastic clearomizer with the Protank Mini. Does it look sort of like this:


We all have to start somewhere.

First sign that things aren't right -- it tastes burnt. In a ProTank, depending on how much you vape and the type of juices you use, that can be anywhere from a day to several days.

 

[kmkvr]

lol thanks man. I feel like a deer in headlights with all of this

 

[kmkvr]

chikkaccino, that's exactly the clearomizer I have. So the coil is the thing that holds the wicks in the clearomizer... How do you replace the wicks in the protank? Do you have to keep buying new atomizers?

 

[liquidzoo]

I'm by no means an expert, but I'll take a crack at it:

The atomizer is where the coil and wick are. It's what turns the liquid into vapor. I haven't had one go out on me, but I've heard that they do wear out (people rebuild the Kanger coils a lot). Apparently you will notice when it goes bad due to the taste. Also, chances are that the "ego" tank you have is probably a CE4 clearomizer like this.

If you're happy with what you have, the only maintenance I can think of that you will need is to replace the atomizer (or head, coil, etc) when it goes out and refill the tank when it runs low. Oh, and recharge the battery.

If you're like me (and probably a lot of others), you'll want to keep improving your equipment (though the ProTank is pretty good, did it come with 2 coils? Maybe you have the lower resistance one installed and it's heating up too much...my wife loves her PT Mini) until you're satisfied.

 

[Harlen]

Hello and welcome
We all did when first starting out
On the ego I like the MT3 tank best easy to clean and to replace the coil head , looks good too.
I even use them on the SVD .
Best wishes
H

 

[Cr0tchF4i]

chikkaccino, that's exactly the clearomizer I have. So the coil is the thing that holds the wicks in the clearomizer... How do you replace the wicks in the protank? Do you have to keep buying new atomizers?

Initially yes, buy a few new atty's that you can replace once a week or so. You can typically just dry burn these to clean them and they last a good long time. Once some time goes by and if you're into it you can start to rebuild those little attys so you can basically never have to buy a new one.

There are hundreds of vape shops online that will offer much cheaper prices than going in-store. fasttech, discountvapers etc... Keep searching this forum, tons of knowledge and very helpful people. I'm 6 months analog free and never going back. Keep it up.

 

[liquidzoo]

chikkaccino, that's exactly the clearomizer I have. So the coil is the thing that holds the wicks in the clearomizer... How do you replace the wicks in the protank? Do you have to keep buying new atomizers?

Buy new ones or rebuild the ones you have (lots of YouTube videos on this, seems pretty straightforward). Make sure that if you buy (or build) that you get it close to the right resistance. Chances are you want to look for something in the 2.2-2.6 Ohm range. To change it, unscrew it from the bottom of your ProTank and screw in a new one. Let it soak in some liquid for a few minutes and you should be good to go.

 

[kmkvr]

Alright so the atomizer in the protank can be cleaned by soaking in vodka, right? Also, can you change atomizers in clearomizers? the ones with the two long wicks coming out of it? Or is it better to buy a whole new atomizer?

 

[liquidzoo]

From what I've seen there are at least some that you can change, but not all of them. The cheap ones I have (from my local B&M) cannot be changed that I can see. The ones that can will likely unscrew at the bottom so you can pull the whole center post out.

 

[chikkaccino]

There are MUCH better videos than this, but I made a quick and dirty one up just to give you an idea of how to rewick the ProTank head. Those other clearomizers (the one that I posted a picture of, probably a CE4 or CE5) you need to replace the heads entirely. You can do that with the ProTank heads too, but rewicking is a little more cost effective. ProTanks aren't exactly plug and play, but when you get the hang of them after awhile, they're nice.



You should probably have a couple of spare heads to be able to change out while some are cleaning/drying.

After changing out a head, you should put a few drops of e-liquid on the wicks to keep from getting a dry hit (that burnt nasty taste). One step further and take a gentle hit on the tip once it's installed and in the tank without hitting the power on your battery to make sure the liquid is drawn into the center of the wick.

Tip when cleaning: NEVER dry burn cotton. You can dry burn silica, but never cotton.

 

[tpseabird]

Much like you, I have information overload. I had no idea as to the depth of vaping...RBA, RDA, 510, 808, Bridge, LR, SR, TH, PT...oh and the list goes on!

lol thanks man. I feel like a deer in headlights with all of this