Easy way to fill cartos too good to be true?

[Michael2Times]

well as a newbie im very hesitant to start refilling my cartos, hell i just realized i was smoking cartomizers not cartridges today. anyway i wanted to know if this method would work. it involves filling the condom with your juice and slowly pressing the carto down until the juice pokes through the other side. Seeing as nicotine is poison could this method be problematic?

Refill Ecig Cartos Quick and Easy (CCFM) - YouTube

video demonstrating this method

 

[Ladypixel]

I've done this. It works like a champ. However, I think you're thinking of putting it in mouth-side first... don't do that. Put it in threaded-side first.

Either way, you're going to get the nicotine in your system, so if you're worried about nicotine as a poisonous substance, you might want to drop to 0mg. That said, juice does not feel good on the lips or tongue, so if you put it in threaded-side first, you avoid that problem!

 

[Bradder]

That is the only way that I do it - I hate dealing with needles, spins, etc. Glad it is working out for you.

 

[Michael2Times]

thanks for the feedback, definitely trying this out as soon as the postman decides to drop by. and i guess any drippage can be solved with a quick alcohol swab. and i figured thread first was the way to go, but the .... in the video insisted on the mouth end.

for the sake of not starting another thread, any clue as to how many times i can refill these cartos before having to toss em?

 

[Bradder]

My experience with cartos is they will reload until the atty in them burns out or until something gets set wrong and the plastic casing or the filler filaments get ruined. I have several and swop out for different flavors, so really have never vaped just one until it dies. Good luck - and let us know what mileage you get.

 

[Michael2Times]

will do and thanks for the help guys

 

[Warren D. Lockaby]

thanks for the feedback, definitely trying this out as soon as the postman decides to drop by. and i guess any drippage can be solved with a quick alcohol swab. and i figured thread first was the way to go, but the .... in the video insisted on the mouth end.

for the sake of not starting another thread, any clue as to how many times i can refill these cartos before having to toss em?

Hi & Welcome to ECF! First, here's a better video (IMO): A Great Way To Fill Cartomizers - YouTube I would add to this, I do this more slowly than he does & watch the inside of the carto. As the juice comes up the center, sort of roll it around to let it absorb into the filler. Once the filler is saturated I like to let it sit upright for a few minutes, then remove the condom, wipe off any excess with a tissue or paper towel, then blow thru it from the mouth end into the paper towel to get any excess out of the tube, wipe threads again & you should be good to go.

As to carto life, don't think "refill", think "top-off" and they'll live a lot longer. I don't know what brand or setup you're using but I like the Boge cartos very well and they last very well. I rotate several with different flavors so I'm guessing here, but I'd say probably a couple of weeks' use at least from one if I used it exclusively & kept it topped off. *Your Vapeage May Vary*

What kind of PV / cartos are you using, if I may ask? Anyway, best of luck & Happy Vaping!

 

[Bradder]

Never knew you did vids Warren - will need to check them out. Thanks for letting me know..

 

[Ladypixel]

I'll second the DoctorVapor vid that Warren posted about a minute ago. Great vid, that -- it's what taught me how to fill carts that way.

 

[Michael2Times]

thanks for the welcome warren, and the advice, im almost embarrassed to say im using wall mart mistic brand kr808d menthol cartos until i can find the money for a whole new setup, im very eager to upgrade

when you say think of it as "topping off" it makes me believe i shouldnt finish the catridge before adding juice?

 

[Warren D. Lockaby]

I wasn't very clear on the "top off" thing... what that's about is, after vaping for awhile pop the cap off & add a few drops of juice to the filler to keep it pretty moist, *avoiding the center air tube*. Best way to do this is hold the carto at an angle & drip in the tube just above the filler so it can run down from there. Until you get the hang of this (and especially if you're using an automatic battery) you might want to take the carto off the battery to watch for signs of overfilling.

Keeping the filler good & moist will keep the atty (electrical part of the carto) damp & keep it from burning out prematurely, or from burning the filler around it & fouling up the flavor.

 

[Bradder]

Topping off is much better than running a cart/carto dry, which can burn out the atty. Most people "top off" when the vapor or flavor drops off a bit. Makes for manipulation more often, but definitely extends the life of the carto.

Nothing wrong with starting with a WalMart - perhaps you can use the money saved from vaping to get a more sturdy kit.

 

[Warren D. Lockaby]

Never knew you did vids Warren - will need to check them out. Thanks for letting me know..

Hahahahaaa! You're welcome, but I didn't (& don't) do 'em. I've seen several of Dr. Vapor's that are right informative though, and this one came to mind. He mentions at the beginning he'd just discovered this method so he may have a later, better vid available on the subject, not sure.

 

[Michael2Times]

ah thanks for clarifying and exactly, we quit smoking to save money and end up spending it on vape accesories

 

[Bradder]

@ Warren - thought it was strange that someone mention the Dr's vid after that. Guess I misunderstood when your post said "I do this more slowly than he does & watch the inside of the carto." Thought you were referring to a vid you had done that was slower in its demonstration (wouldn't be a bad idea). But, yes, those vids can be great - I also love the 'Nomad tapes as well... short, sweet and good general information across a number of topics

 

[Ladypixel]

Well, at first, yes, there's some money outlay. But once you have a good PV that you enjoy using, your only expenditures are for juice (which you can make yourself if you want to go really inexpensive, or you can buy for reasonable costs), cartos, and occasionally a new battery. Now, compare that to the common pack-a-day smoker, who (in my area) is spending at least $5 a pack (and in some states as high as $10 a pack). At $5 a pack, that's $35 a week, or $140 a month, or $1680 a year... and unless you're buying every mod in sight and every juice you can find, it's pretty unlikely you'll get up to $1680 a year every single year.

For me, it's slightly more expensive to vape than to smoke, as I rolled my own cigs, which ended up costing me about $2 a pack (and I was a 1.5 pack a day smoker, so I was still spending less on cigs than I would on a meal at McDonalds -- not that that's any safer than smoking!). But you know, the health benefits of kicking the cigs make it worthwhile, and as I plan on eventually making my own juice, the cost of vaping will end up dropping below even that $2 a pack cost.

Anyhow. I went majorly tangential here, so I'll shut up.

 

[dekalbave]

I guess I'm in the minority here in this thread, but I found filling cartos that way to be rather messy. Personally, and just for me, I prefer to drip the juice in the first time in the same way you top off. I feel I have more control over it, even thought it certainly takes more time. And I haven't had it go wrong at all. Anyway, just my 2 cents on the issue.

Hey, and welcome to the forum!

 

[Warren D. Lockaby]

thanks for the welcome warren, and the advice, im almost embarrassed to say im using wall mart mistic brand kr808d menthol cartos until i can find the money for a whole new setup, im very eager to upgrade

when you say think of it as "topping off" it makes me believe i shouldnt finish the catridge before adding juice?

Nothing to be embarrassed about, we all had to start somewhere and I started off worse than you did (with one of those "free trial" offers that wound up costing me over $100 - but the education I got helped to get me here so it was money well-spent!) I don't know anything about the Mistic brand but if they're KR808D-1 (I'll need double-checking on this) I think they can probably interchange cartos/batteries with most other popular KR808s (Volt, V4L, etc.). I'm pretty sure there exists a deviant beast out there called a KR808D-2 which is a fairly rare but similar PV with different threading. Here I should provide a caveat: I have never owned a KR808 and what little I know about them I've learned here on ECF, so my knowledge is thus lacking.

One thing I might add though: from what I've read, for a cig-sized unit a KR808 has some real advantages over a cig-sized 510, one being it provides 3.7 volts as opposed to (I think) the small 510's 3.4 or so. More Voltage Is Good. So, I'd keep this in mind when considering an upgrade, but that's just me.

Keep on Vapin'!

 

[Michael2Times]

Well, at first, yes, there's some money outlay. But once you have a good PV that you enjoy using, your only expenditures are for juice (which you can make yourself if you want to go really inexpensive, or you can buy for reasonable costs), cartos, and occasionally a new battery. Now, compare that to the common pack-a-day smoker, who (in my area) is spending at least $5 a pack (and in some states as high as $10 a pack). At $5 a pack, that's $35 a week, or $140 a month, or $1680 a year... and unless you're buying every mod in sight and every juice you can find, it's pretty unlikely you'll get up to $1680 a year every single year.

For me, it's slightly more expensive to vape than to smoke, as I rolled my own cigs, which ended up costing me about $2 a pack (and I was a 1.5 pack a day smoker, so I was still spending less on cigs than I would on a meal at McDonalds -- not that that's any safer than smoking!). But you know, the health benefits of kicking the cigs make it worthwhile, and as I plan on eventually making my own juice, the cost of vaping will end up dropping below even that $2 a pack cost.

Anyhow. I went majorly tangential here, so I'll shut up.

no no no your tangentialness is indeed welcome and at the rate im thinking about going i just might buy every mod in sight! analogs cost 8 bucks a pack out here so that's more savings i get to spend i guess.

 

[Dana A]

Just don't make the same mistake I did at first and fill 5 cartomizers with the same liquid so your all ready for the weekend. I did that when I got my 1st bottle of juice and then it steeped a few hrs and was so nasty that I couldn't vape it. I couldnt get them cleaned of that taste no matter what so I had to throw them out. We live and learn I guess. Also don't make up your mind about how you feel about a liquid till it steeps at least 24 hrs. And dekalbave I agree with you 100%. I am a needle girl to start a new one and then drops to top off...