Control your variables

[liuser]

This is a bit of a brain dump and may not be interesting to anybody but myself

Still a noob, started with an eGo-C (clone, 1100mAh). Liked them OK but found the tanks verrrry fiddly, uneven performance. Tried a giant dual-coil clear cartomizer, liked the performance OK but think the filling/batting stuff looks disgusting, and the plastic sleeving started to crack on both the ones I was testing out after only a few days.

So: decided to try a bunch of new kit, and went to e-smokeytreats.com (a supplier I hadn't tried yet, but I like his videos) and bought:

- a giant clear cartomizer with LED (what e-smokeytreats calls a "lightsaber"; it has no batting/filling stuff)
- a Vision Stardust
- a bridgeless 510 atomizer with drip tip
- a 306 atomizer with drip tip
- a bunch of new flavors of juice.

Here's where I got myself into a bit of trouble I think: trying too many things at once.

First, the bridgeless 510. I tried the Prickly Pear juice. Not bad at all, good vapor production and a nice flavor, though I detect a rubbery flavor undertone that isn't terrible but doesn't seem like it belongs there.

I switched to dripping the Energy (aka Red Bull) flavor. It seemed to translate from Prickly Pear to Red Bull quickly and easily. I still taste the weird rubbery undertone -- now I'm not sure whether the atty or the juice is to blame. Or maybe I was supposed to blow out or clean the atty before I used it? I'm not sure.

Second, the 306 atomizer. I removed the empty cart sleeve thing, and removed the bridge with needlenose pliers as per a video I watched. Added the drip tip and first primed, then dripped an EY4 liquid (RY4 clone, I believe). The TH and vapor are A-OK but the flavor makes me want to hurl, seriously. Ick. Also I managed to get the atty very hot (uncomfortably so) in a very short time.


Third, the Vision Stardust. Looks great on the eGo battery and feels like super-solid construction. Filled it with a Caramel liquid. Draw is a little tight for my taste, vapor production OK, but the taste is sharp and peppery; I don't detect any hint of caramel. In fact the distance between the stated flavor and the actual flavor is so great that I fear there's something actually wrong with the juice, or the Vision Stardust, or both.

Finally, I tried a Pure Menthol flavor in the giant clear fillerless carto with LED, the "lightsaber". OMG, heaven! Great vapor, great flavor, comfortable draw, solid feel, and I have to say I like the LED effect through the clear liquid. Very, very nice. I can't say a thing against it, in fact.

So here's my problem: all of this kit and all of these flavors are new to me, and that calls all of my results into question (in particular, the wholly or partially negative ones). Is there somethign wrong with my technique, or the flavors of juice, or the kit involved?

I don't really know, and to answer the question properly would involve trying each liquid in each device. That frankly sounds exhausting. I am daunted by the idea of cleaning out the Vision Stardust and trying some other juice. I just want to vape away on the ol' lightsaber at this point.

TL;DR try one new thing at a time -- it's a better way to determine what you like and don't like!

 

[sailorman]

My advice:

1) Don't try to do everything at once. The world will wait.
2) mount one atty or carto and stick to it for a week. Use it for different juices and make note of what works and what doesn't. Clean atty or purge with unflavored VG and/or PG between flavors. Clean cartos or use new one for each flavor and label with flavor if they're the filled type.
3) Don't over-analyze. You'll only hurt yourself.

 

[VintageMitzi]

Hi Liuser,

Total newbie here but I've been reading ECF for months just trying to get up to speed. I've read many times that a lot of the juice is better tasting after it has steeped for a while. Maybe the juice you don't like will taste better in a couple of months or can be blended with something else to make it taste better/different. Hope that helps.

 

[hairball]

If your juices are freshly made, they made need to steep for a week or so. Or, you can remove the cap/dripper and let air get to it to help the process. Just keep it out of reach of little hands and paws.

Don't try everything in the same day. You'll not only hate everything but you'll blow out your taste buds. Try one thing at a time and give that piece of hardware time to break in. Basically, the more you use it, the better it will perform.

As for the 306, I don't remove the bridge due to the heat issue you already experienced. I've vaped so hard on them that I have literally melted the drip tips before. Slow down a bit and let it cool between vapes.

 

[ColKurtz]

Use cheap disposable boge or whatever cartomizers to test out flavors. Mixing flavors will most likely get disgusting pretty quick. You can try clearing out flavors by using one of these.... put the cartomizer or atty one the end and draw very hot water back-and-forth thru the syringe in a cup. Let dry overnight.

I never got into the 306's. All of them seemed to burn too hot for me. Every liquid came out tasting scorched.

I've settled on eGo type B tanks and atomizers. They're no-fuss, and don't have the leaking issues of the Type A and C. Takes 10 seconds to fill the tank, and paired with a 1000mah battery it lasts me all day.

Flavor is subjective, of course. I struggled to find a flavor that I liked - a lot of people do. I liked Halo Malibu for a long time, but eventually the sweet flavor got old. No tobacco flavors taste like smoke. They taste like... what wet tobacco smells like. Or nuts. Or butter. They were all foul to me.

Eventually I settled on Backwoods Brew Backo. It has very little taste, which IMO is its strong point. If you're still smoking, exhale and describe what you taste... not much. Kind of the same thing with Backo. Decent throat hit (best at around 4v IMO) and clouds of vapor, but no lingering taste to sit in your mouth all day wearing out its welcome.

Good luck.

 

[cyberwolf]

As the others have said, you probably tried too many things at once. Out of all that you found one juice and one component that are definitely keepers, but don't be too quick to write off the others. The same juice will give you a difference flavor on using a different atomizer or at a different voltage. The trick is to gradually change the variables in order to identify exactly what works for you and what doesn't. This is all very subjective, by the way, so don't get discouraged when you don't care for something that seemingly everybody raves about. Your taste is the only one that counts. Best of luck and welcome to the ECF!

 

[Stef64]

If you're trying to gauge how well the attys/cartos work, use the same juice for the test. This way you can see how much flavor an atty/carto lets though, how much vapor it produces and how hot/warm the vapor is. Rather than trying them out all at once, use one for a full day. Some cartos (i.e. the Stardust) work better after a couple of ml of juice and some will loose flavor or vapor production after a while.

Good luck with your testing.