E-juice in clearomizers: do not use list.

[Bizzar1]

I recall a post somewhere with a list of brands/flavors that do not mix well with some plastics. Well today I broke my 2 day old clearomizer Is there a post stickied that I am missing to avoid this happening again and share my own findings? Really sucks...first liquid it saw it cracked all over the place and even the black tip was melted looking and gooey. I'll post a funeral pic tonight. So...

Ecblend Rootbeer is a NO go.

Ecblend banana/strawberry, ry4, coconut caramel cookie, butter rum are all good to go in the clearomizer.

 

[cindycated]

I thought root beer was on the list...http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-crack-tanks-ce2s-clearos-17.html#post6105173
I heard of TV Ultimate Vanilla doing the same thing (melting, etc.). But go figure, not everyone goes through it...

 

[Baditude]

Mrs. T's Bakery Strawberry Lemonade ate up one of my clearos within 10 minutes.

 

[cindycated]

OUCH! That sucks!
You should post it in that thread so that she can add it on and update it.

 

[Baditude]

You should post it in that thread so that she can add it on and update it.

Yeah, I just did. I love the Volt Clearos, but now after that experience I have to really judge what juices that I am willing to put in them. Unfortunately, I had bought quite a few that could be considered suspicious.....many fruit, acidic, and cola flavors, including Root Beer Float, Peanut Butter Cookies, Tangerine, Mango, Cherry Cola Slushy amoung others. I can't risk trying those in a clearo, so I bought extra blank cartos to fill until I can find a safer alternative that uses either polypropylene, delrin, or pyrex glass.

 

[cindycated]

Hmmm, they all sound so yummy. Root beer float was the bomb! Somebody else mentioned the new CE4+ for eGos that's supposed to be made out of different plastic (haha, "PCPGPX1001" - sounds scary) but it's different threading. Plus it just came out, so who knows what inherent problems they'll have...

 

[Bizzar1]

Here it is This happened in less than 20 minutes. The plastic is very soft feeling now as well. What sucks is I had it sitting in my Volt case and it made a mess!

 

[JENerationX]

I'm using Kick Bass Vapor's Sweet Tea with Peach and Raspberry added as well as their Arnie Palmer in my clearos and had no issues for a month.

I'm always a little scared to try anything new with fruity flavor in there. I don't want to hurt my clearos.... but I'm so glad we have a list somewhere to check.

Sorry about your clearo Bizzar1... but thank you for letting us know.

 

[Cyrus Vap]

what exactly are these clearomizers made out of? (the current version I mean?)

 

[Bizzar1]

So it seems all the really good flavors are just not good for these clearos. Thats the whole reason I bought some. So tired of filling cartos every day. Si are ya listening ^_- We need better plastics

 

[JENerationX]

Hmmmm..... would a Phiniac tank be an option? Would it work on an X2?

 

[cthompson116]

From my understanding they are made out of poly-carbonate. The newer ones are made out of a newer plastic that apparently is better. The new ones have longer wicks and few other improvements. From another thread, Imagine mentioned they are switching over to the longer wick ones as there stock of existing ones dwindle. On another thought, longer wicks may mean longer drying time when switching juices if your doing the quick hot water switch juice method.

C

 

[Baditude]

what exactly are these clearomizers made out of? (the current version I mean?)

Most of the clearomizers ( and tanks for mods) being sold by distributors currently are being made of polycarbonate plastic. If the plastic is perfectly clear (including the colored ones), they use polycarbonate. This plastic can slowly or quickly degrade when in contact with certain juices.

There are materials that could be used in its place that would be safe to use with these juices, but there are tradeoffs. Polypropylene, delrin, or pyrex glass can be used but are more expensive than the polycarb. The polypropylene and delrin allow light to come through but they are opaque or frosty, not entirely clear (think of the material in a syringe). Pyrex glass is also clear, but this material likely would be too expensive to use for devices that are intended to ultimately be disposable. More and more tanks for mods are becoming available with these alternative materials and are even promoted to be safe with all juices.

There are distributors that are selling clearomizer/fluxomizer/smokyizers made from polypropylene or delrin. You can tell if the tank portion is frosty/opaque. However, the quality control on the manufacturing end of these devices might be inconsistant.

I'd still be reluctant to buy a clearo that claims to use a higher quality (thicker?) plastic and the photo of the tank is still clear. To my logic, even a thicker polycarbonate tank is still subject to chemical breakdown if exposed to suspicious juices.

 

[Baditude]

Hmmmm..... would a Phiniac tank be an option? Would it work on an X2?

I think any tank would work on an X2. It will look a little top heavy, like the clearos on an 78mm Volt. The X2's are the same diameter as many of the EGO type batteries and there are numerous photos on the internet with them fitted with smaller tanks. Most tanks work by having a cartomizer with either punched holes or cut slots to allow the juice to enter from the tank. The main issue would be to use a carto whose length is longer than the length of the tank, and making sure the carto's resistance/ohms match with whatever battery you plan to use it on.

The Phiniac website is currently down due to one of the manufacturer/distributors recently having surgery. I looked into their tanks as a possible solution for suspicious juices. Their XL Tallboy tanks would fit Smokeless Image's XL carto. You would have to punch them yourself but many distributors sell carto punches as an accessory. You'll spend at least $40 for a Phiniac; that's a lot of money unless you are putting one on a mod and have just one favorite juice to put in it. I will say they are works of beauty, and the man hours put in to create each one is remarkable. They are also built to take a reasonable beating. Phiniac Rugged Pyrex Tanks

View attachment 101779
There's a thread on this topic here with a pic: e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-smoking-discussion/279922-phiniac-tank-ego-battery.html

 

[blueeyeddevil]

the new phoenix and the fluxomizers are alot sturdier and durable IMO

 

[Cyrus Vap]

so on that note, the phoenix seems pretty clear, and the fluxo frosty. I would guess polycarbonate and polypropylene, respectively?

but the phoenix isn't as clear as the stardust, so i dunno

wrt to wicks: I've rewicked my stardusts/iturbos/SI clearos a thousand different ways, and honestly the length never makes a difference for me.

what does make a difference is getting rid of that silica and using cotton yarn or stainless steel mesh. you have to TRY to get a dry hit, no BS!

 

[Baditude]

the new phoenix and the fluxomizers are alot sturdier and durable IMO

I've seen those and they do look like they could stand up to corrosive juices; note that the plastic material appears to be frosty/opaque (or it could be a bad photo) rather than crystal clear like Smokeless Images and other distributors. Neither distributor comes out to say exactly what the material is. Only ... "It is manufactured with a strong, durable poly plastic clear tube". I'd feel more confident if they specified that the material is polypropylene or delrin.

There are others KR808D1 Ultimate CE2 Clearomizer XL and innokin.com/tidy12-clearomizer.htm

 

[JENerationX]

Hmmmm.... yeah that's a little top-heavy. For now, I guess I just put the dangerous juices in the cartos.

 

[kia2]

I tried the new Phoenix, with a 510 to 808 adapter, on my Volts. It works. Will any juice break down the plastic of the Phoenix? I don't know, but it has taken my liquids ok so far. What I'm not liking about the Phoenix is the distinct metal taste, and the fact that I can vape down a lot of liquid really fast if I'm not careful. It promotes marathon vaping. It looks top heavy, it's rather long, but it really isn't heavy and seems to work well. I honestly do not think the plastic is the same as used for our clearo's, but I am by no means an expert and can't say whether it will break down in time with any particular liquid.

 

[cindycated]

Most of the clearomizers ( and tanks for mods) being sold by distributors currently are being made of polycarbonate plastic. If the plastic is perfectly clear (including the colored ones), they use polycarbonate. This plastic can slowly or quickly degrade when in contact with certain juices.

There are materials that could be used in its place that would be safe to use with these juices, but there are tradeoffs. Polypropylene, delrin, or pyrex glass can be used but are more expensive than the polycarb. The polypropylene and delrin allow light to come through but they are opaque or frosty, not entirely clear (think of the material in a syringe). Pyrex glass is also clear, but this material likely would be too expensive to use for devices that are intended to ultimately be disposable. More and more tanks for mods are becoming available with these alternative materials and are even promoted to be safe with all juices.

There are distributors that are selling clearomizer/fluxomizer/smokyizers made from polypropylene or delrin. You can tell if the tank portion is frosty/opaque. However, the quality control on the manufacturing end of these devices might be inconsistant.

I'd still be reluctant to buy a clearo that claims to use a higher quality (thicker?) plastic and the photo of the tank is still clear. To my logic, even a thicker polycarbonate tank is still subject to chemical breakdown if exposed to suspicious juices.

This stuff is still clear, and it's gaining popularity as a substitute for polycarbonate, because it's greener (no BPAs), tougher and more chemical resistant (especially the medical grade version): Eastman Tritan Copolyester
It forms a lot like PC too, so companies can actually keep using the same molds and processes that they already have in place. Maybe the "PCPGPX1001" composition is something similar (the Chinese version maybe)...and I agree - just making it thicker won't do a damn thing if it's still PC. Ah, the wonders of technology...

Sorry, Imagine. I promised you I wasn't gonna harass you about plastics anymore, but just couldn't resist adding this in...
...but hurry up and fix it - I just got a job and will be shopping for these very soon! (finally, after 5 months)

So just to recap: better plastic and the Fu Man Chu wicks!