e-liquid vs refills

[dayswithout]

A question has been bugging me for a while. Seems that a lot of you here rather prefer liquid than refills. Mainly because liquid is cheaper and taste variety is nearly endless.

I think liquid is too messy, it damages my cigarette, it seems to make more sense if the supplier has done the job for me. Besides I prefer comfort and quality over price. In other words, the optimum between quality, comfort and other aspects compared to price of refills seem to be a better deal than liquid price compared to its benefits.

I got my first PEP e-cig just a little while ago and they don´t provide liquids and a lot of you has been suggesting me liquid and I am not so sure about it, so once again I need your advise.

 

[nycityjeff]

Um....it's ALL liquid. The carts contain liquid. That's what you vape if you vape. Liquid. There is no such thing as non-liquid vaping. All e-cigs vape liquid. ALL of them. Liquid will NOT ruin your e-cig. That makes no sense at all. The thing is not to overfill when you refill a cart.

 

[dubnluvn]

I'm guessing you mean refilling carts v pre-filled carts. Refilling carts can be frustrating and messy, in some cases. A degree of convenience does come with using pre-filled cats, no doubt. For me, the cost difference is considerable enough to refill my own stuff. My wife (by 'my wife' I mean 'I') refills her M4 carts, which I think are probably the most efficient carts for refilling, despite the lower capacity compared to others. I, however, don't refill carts, I drip. Sure I keep a bottle with me at all times but its no different than a Bic. No filler means no waste thus the most efficient way to use your PV and I don't have to worry about filler, mods, leaks, etc. and other issues with actually refilling carts.

 

[tarkus]

Hey if you want to just buy carts go for it. I'm sure nobody has a problem with that. I find that refilling cartomizers is quick and easy. I have a few greencig cartos that have been refilled over 40 times and have the option of a lot of flavors, and vg/pg mixes plus I spend less in a week then I spent in a day for analogs.

 

[dayswithout]

mmkay! Seems like it´s a matter of practice. But I´m rather sticking to cartridges.

 

[quasimod]

Is this the PV you're talking about?

http://pep-products.com/pep-cigarette-electronic-cigarette-kit.html

That seems very pricey to me.

I'm confused: The PEP e-cig appears to be a 2 piece, which uses cartomizers. They call them cartridges, but I think that's just a translation thing (I think they're based in Estonia). It's very odd that they don't sell replacement cartomizers... maybe you should e-mail them and ask how that is supposed to work.

I don't know if the cartos sold by other vendors are compatible, maybe someone can chime in here.

 

[dayswithout]

yap! this is the one I purchased and it was 2 piece e-cigarette. They delivered mine from UK and yes, I am replacing my cartridges/atomizers from the same site. Question was, why so many people prefer liquid instead of atomizers. Cost is less than 1/2 pack of cigarettes and gives me none of the problems that a lot of liquid users are describing.

 

[quasimod]

[...] why so many people prefer liquid instead of atomizers. Cost is less than 1/2 pack of cigarettes and gives me none of the problems that a lot of liquid users are describing.

You usually hear that from 3-piece users who are refilling cartridges. I don't read a lot of 2-piece users complaining about refilling cartomizers, because it's pretty simple. Here's a video showing how to refill a cartomizer:

YouTube - How-to guide to refilling KR808D-1 or Vapor King cartomizers

I didn't see the cost for pre-filled cartomizers on that site, but there is generally a considerable price difference. I replaced a 3 pack per day habit with about $12-18 worth of liquid per week.

Just off the top of my head, here are some other reasons beyond price:

Choice of flavors: There are a LOT of flavors available.

Choice of base liquid: PG, VG, or a blend? What ratio? It makes a difference, and everyone has their own preference.

Choice of supplier: Not all liquids are created equal. They taste quite a bit different, depending on who makes them.

Ability to mix your own flavors: Say you like both the coffee and the caramel, and wonder what they would taste like mixed together. Simple enough to find out, if you have a bottle of both on hand.

 

[aubergine]

I'm brand new to this, but in truth it was the two-piece cartomizer with pre-fills idea that sold me on ordering my first kit (V4L), which should be here very soon. I actually loved reading BaBaBoom's (you know, that guy's) long, gadget-happy thread - the first I'd heard of the things - but absolutely didn't want to get into any learning curve bigger than absolutely necessary. It might be a guy thing, all that fooling (especially in the cool early posts) with pieces and little bottles and tiny tools and glop... and I might get into it myself as filling a cart looks very easy. But for marketability to a general populace, ease of use is gonna be the key. I think. Addictive personalities are obsessive and fiddly by definition (which is why we spend hours reading these forums) but I'm thinking I'm more likely to get hooked on bright shiny pretty stuff than homemade-looking bottles of mysterious liquids and fishing tackle boxes full of teeny spare parts. If I can get better quality control and better taste by fiddling that'd be one thing, but with the price of cigarettes being what they are in NY now (inSANE), I'm not blinking at the extra cost. Like everyone at first I guess I'm more afraid that the juice will be sporadically dangerous ("turns green"???) by virtue of being mixed up by some no-reg factory overseas, or by a whacked kid in his garage... (or, at some awful I-hope-it-doesn't happen date, by the FDA and a huge corporation in profitable cahoots...those guys that brought us Camels...)

 

[dayswithout]

Is this the PV you're talking about?

PEP Cigarette - Best Electronic Cigarettes

That seems very pricey to me.

I'm confused: The PEP e-cig appears to be a 2 piece, which uses cartomizers. They call them cartridges, but I think that's just a translation thing (I think they're based in Estonia). It's very odd that they don't sell replacement cartomizers... maybe you should e-mail them and ask how that is supposed to work.

I don't know if the cartos sold by other vendors are compatible, maybe someone can chime in here.

Yup, this is the one I purchased and actually they do sell replacement cartomizers! I don´t have any problems with buying them.

 

[dayswithout]

I'm brand new to this, but in truth it was the two-piece cartomizer with pre-fills idea that sold me on ordering my first kit (V4L), which should be here very soon. I actually loved reading BaBaBoom's (you know, that guy's) long, gadget-happy thread - the first I'd heard of the things - but absolutely didn't want to get into any learning curve bigger than absolutely necessary. It might be a guy thing, all that fooling (especially in the cool early posts) with pieces and little bottles and tiny tools and glop... and I might get into it myself as filling a cart looks very easy. But for marketability to a general populace, ease of use is gonna be the key. I think. Addictive personalities are obsessive and fiddly by definition (which is why we spend hours reading these forums) but I'm thinking I'm more likely to get hooked on bright shiny pretty stuff than homemade-looking bottles of mysterious liquids and fishing tackle boxes full of teeny spare parts. If I can get better quality control and better taste by fiddling that'd be one thing, but with the price of cigarettes being what they are in NY now (inSANE), I'm not blinking at the extra cost. Like everyone at first I guess I'm more afraid that the juice will be sporadically dangerous ("turns green"???) by virtue of being mixed up by some no-reg factory overseas, or by a whacked kid in his garage... (or, at some awful I-hope-it-doesn't happen date, by the FDA and a huge corporation in profitable cahoots...those guys that brought us Camels...)

Well, ease of use and simplicity are the keywords to me as well and that´s why I prefer not to mess with refilling myself. Quasimod added a video here, which shows very precisely all of the reasons why I prefer buying new cartomizers instead of filling them. I do understand the concept of saving money, especially in these times, but I am already saving a lot by not smoking regular cigarettes. But as someone already mentioned here, it´s a matter of taste, so everyone is free to make up one´s own mind.

 

[Liz!]

First of all, to each his own.

But I'm with the it's-too-much trouble-to-refill-my-own-cart camp. I've tried 4 different ecigs, adore the V4L one, and after about a month of vaping began refilling my own carts. It started to feel like a PITA. So I decided to just buy prefilled. I still have some liquids which I'll use for emergencies, but buying prefills is so convenient. When I used to smoke analogs, I never rolled my own. I just opened a new pack. Now I just pull the rubber stopper off a cart.

Maybe I'm lazy. But I already have lots of hobbies and work. Plus, ecigs still come out way, way cheaper than analogs.

 

[dayswithout]

First of all, to each his own.

But I'm with the it's-too-much trouble-to-refill-my-own-cart camp. I've tried 4 different ecigs, adore the V4L one, and after about a month of vaping began refilling my own carts. It started to feel like a PITA. So I decided to just buy prefilled. I still have some liquids which I'll use for emergencies, but buying prefills is so convenient. When I used to smoke analogs, I never rolled my own. I just opened a new pack. Now I just pull the rubber stopper off a cart.

Maybe I'm lazy. But I already have lots of hobbies and work. Plus, ecigs still come out way, way cheaper than analogs.

I´m glad to see I am not alone!