eCig newbie frustrated with eGo-C

[darcagn]

Hi,


I ordered the Ovale eGo-C (type B) starter kit about two weeks ago from OvaleUSA. It's my first electronic cigarette ever, and from the moment I first took a vape, I became completely in love with it. I've become a bit of an evangelist for electronic cigarettes, telling all of my analog-smoking friends about how awesome it is; it's everything I love about smoking but nothing I hate! Now everyone I know is dying to have me come over and let them try out my eGo-C kit.


However, things have gone sour within the last few days. Last weekend I was out of town with both batteries, and having forgotten my charger at home, I used both batteries until they were dead. When I got home, I charged both using the wall charger, and then... well, my experience since has been a nightmare. Using the menthol liquid from OvaleUSA (I found the tobacco and cappuccino flavors to be unpleasant, but I LOVE the menthol), I began to get sour, plasticky, flavorless vapor. Believing that perhaps the atomizer had gone bad, I attempted to disassemble the atomizer so that I could see what the deal was. After all, if I messed it up, I have 4 more in the blister pack. Well, when I took it apart, the wick came undone. No big deal, so I put it aside and opened another atomizer so that I could get it working.


Only the new atomizer was showing the same issues. After having read extensively online that some of the eGo atomizer wicks need adjustments, I used a paper clip to slide the wick down closer to the atomizer coil, hoping that I simply wasn't getting enough juice out of my vapes. That changed nothing. I figured maybe it was already in too far and maybe I actually needed to pull it out more. I opened the atomizer and repositioned the wick so that it wasn't as deep. This time, I was getting extremely hot, burnt vapor, so I knew it was too far out. I slowly adjusted the wick down, trying many, many times to get it just right, but still I would get sour, plasticky, flavorless vapor.


Becoming increasingly frustrated, I decided to push EVERYTHING aside and eliminate all possible variables. I went to my kit box, and I completely assembled another eGo-C using my spare base, a new atomizer, my spare cone, and a new tank. Somehow... still nothing different. I am still getting sour, plasticky, flavorless vapes.


At this point, I have searched every blog, message board, and online video and read every praise and criticism about the eGo-C and how to fix any issues with its vapor or flavor production. I have tried:


- Swapping hard tank caps and soft tank caps (both were included in my kit)
- Changing the position of the tank held by the cone with respect to the air holes visible in the atomizer
- Filling the tanks at various levels to see if flow would be better filled partially, halfway, or almost full.
- Adjusting the position of the wick within the atomizer spike
- Changing the position of the spike with respect to the atomizer coil
- Used both atomizer bases
- Used both batteries
- Used both cones
- Tried different tanks
- Tried all five atomizers
- Tried tobacco and cappuccino liquids just in case I was suddenly having an aversion to the menthol liquid
- Cleaning the atomizers, tried with water, tried with vodka, tried dry burning
- Shaking it
- Taking short breaths without triggering the battery in attempts to get liquid to draw through the wick
- Dripping a drop directly on the coil and on both sides of the wick so that it would already be ready to flow


I have done everything I possibly could with everything, wasting several hours a day for the last few days trying to get JUST ONE proper vape of menthol. Still, I am left with a mess of juice, tanks, atomizers, and other parts on my kitchen table.


I feel like I have tried eliminating every possible variable in getting this to work properly. My 20mL bottle of menthol is almost empty because I've burned through so much of it trying to get this to vape properly. The only thing left is that both batteries were charged by the same charger. It seems silly to think the charger could have effected both batteries in a way so that they are not allowing the atomizer to produce vapor properly, but I am at the point of frustration where it seems like anything is possible. The batteries do seem like they're getting pretty hot...


Even worse, I feel silly having raved about this thing to all of my friends and now I won't even be able to show it to them unless I want to torture them with disgusting vaporized plastic taste.




Does anyone have ANY advice for me? I feel like I've wasted my money and I miss the vaping I was getting a week ago! I really don't feel like spending more money on anything at this point since I've already spent over $100 on my first order and I WAS enjoying the product... sigh. At this point I feel like giving up on everything altogether... I haven't smoked analogs in over a year now and I was just starting this because I missed smoking while I drink. At this rate, none of it is worth it...

 

[Los Marauder]

I don't have an Ego, so I can't help you fix it, but PLEASE don't go back to coffin nails. The enjoyment you had will return with a few ecf member posts. There are a lot of Ego users here, so if you don't get the answere realy soon, repost or check the Ego threads. Good luck. and stick it out. All this frustration will simply help you learn more and some day you will pass on your knowledge to another new Ego user.

 

[sailorman]

Wow! I kept thinking of stuff, then re-reading your post, only to find that you already tried what I had been thinking.

I'm down to my last couple thoughts. I don't have an eGo-C, so hopefully another owner will chime in, but I'll throw this out anyway.

I can't really tell if it sounds like you're getting weak vapor, or just nasty vapor. Do you have a multimeter to verify the output of your batteries. It's suspicious that both batteries are giving you the same results and they were both charged/recharged from the same level (I assumed at or near cutoff?) Is that a regulated unit? Could both regulation circuits malfunctioned at the same time? Sounds like a long shot, but you need a meter to verify.

Does your unit have a standard 510 or 808 connection? If so, do you have a regular, non eGo, cartomizer or atomizer? That would eliminate battery issues. A connection is a connection and at least that would isolate the problem to something ahead of the battery connection.

Sorry, not having that unit, I can't come up with any other suggestions. Good luck. I've never been a fan of those T and C and WW and XYZ eGos, but I"ve never heard anyone having this much trouble with them.

 

[frosting]

That sounds terrible.... You could just get a tradtional atomizer without all the bells and whistles of that one ($7-8), or better yet (in my opinion) I find cartomizers(7$ pack of 5) excellent and easy. A touch of learning curve at first but once you get the hang of it they become 2nd nature to fill and know when to re-fill.

I have yet to see this beaten as they include a free bottle of 5ml juice per pack you buy: Boge 510 2.0 LR Cartomizer 5 Pack With FREE 5ml Bottle Of Eliquid

Couldn't hurt to pick up a drip tip if you like, they just make vaping so satisfactory. They're about 3 bucks.

I hope your troubles soon blow over!! In no time you'll be a pro Welcome to ECF.

 

[calecamo]

Hi I have been using. Y ego- c for 5 months now. You said you already tried your second base with a different atty. Are u sure your tank is correctly assembled? Sometimes when not completely closedd and pushed into the atty all the way you get a plastic tasting vapor

 

[Cheechako]

I use both the Ego-T and C, I have had the same issue you are having, but an adjustment on the tank to cone usualy fixed it.
The only thing I can think of is what Calecamo stated, insure your tank is pushed down in the cone all the way.
Stay with it! I use the cartos, tanks and stardust.

 

[darcagn]

Thanks for the support and help, guys!

Wow! I kept thinking of stuff, then re-reading your post, only to find that you already tried what I had been thinking.

Yeah, I felt silly posting this because I feel like no one is going to be able to help me as I feel like I've tried everything I possibly could have. Just so frustrated.

I can't really tell if it sounds like you're getting weak vapor, or just nasty vapor. Do you have a multimeter to verify the output of your batteries. It's suspicious that both batteries are giving you the same results and they were both charged/recharged from the same level (I assumed at or near cutoff?) Is that a regulated unit? Could both regulation circuits malfunctioned at the same time? Sounds like a long shot, but you need a meter to verify.

I do have a multimeter, but I'm not really sure what the proper way is to test one of these batteries. I'm not sure where to contact and what is negative and what is positive.

They were both dead, and yes, they should both be regulated.

Does your unit have a standard 510 or 808 connection? If so, do you have a regular, non eGo, cartomizer or atomizer? That would eliminate battery issues. A connection is a connection and at least that would isolate the problem to something ahead of the battery connection.

I don't have any other equipment besides what shipped with the eGo-C Type B kit. This is my first vaping purchase ever, heh.

I don't have an Ego, so I can't help you fix it, but PLEASE don't go back to coffin nails. The enjoyment you had will return with a few ecf member posts. There are a lot of Ego users here, so if you don't get the answere realy soon, repost or check the Ego threads. Good luck. and stick it out. All this frustration will simply help you learn more and some day you will pass on your knowledge to another new Ego user.

I definitely won't be going back to coffin nails. I haven't smoked analogs regularly for a year now and I'm not about to go back. Nicotine has never been very addictive to me and I can go a few days without, I won't be tempted much, thankfully.

That sounds terrible.... You could just get a tradtional atomizer without all the bells and whistles of that one ($7-8), or better yet (in my opinion) I find cartomizers(7$ pack of 5) excellent and easy. A touch of learning curve at first but once you get the hang of it they become 2nd nature to fill and know when to re-fill.

I have yet to see this beaten as they include a free bottle of 5ml juice per pack you buy: Boge 510 2.0 LR Cartomizer 5 Pack With FREE 5ml Bottle Of Eliquid

Couldn't hurt to pick up a drip tip if you like, they just make vaping so satisfactory. They're about 3 bucks.

I hope your troubles soon blow over!! In no time you'll be a pro Welcome to ECF.

Thanks for the link. I really want this to be working, so I invested $23 in two clearomizers (one SR and one LR, I want to try both) and a pack of 5 cartos w/ the free 5mL liquid. I really didn't want to spend more money but if I'm having this many issues with the tank system, I think it's worth it to look into alternative systems. I'm most nervous that even if I get this up and running, I'll run into these problems again. One thing I never thought about when I decided to get the eGo-C is that if I use different tanks for different flavors, I still have to deal with the extra flavor left in the atty/wick... I might as well go with cartos/clearos instead of changing out tanks, esp. seeing as there's not really much of a price difference when compared to swapping out the attys on the eGo-C, and that was supposed to be the selling point...

Hi I have been using. Y ego- c for 5 months now. You said you already tried your second base with a different atty. Are u sure your tank is correctly assembled? Sometimes when not completely closedd and pushed into the atty all the way you get a plastic tasting vapor

It's pushed in all the way and the lip of the mouth tip portion is pressed against the cone. I tried pulling it out slightly and it made it worse like you implied it would, but pushing it all the way in still doesn't make it work correctly.

 

[wyetterp]

Just curious if all the liquid you have is from the same vendor? Maybe there's something in that brand juice that's producing a sour taste for you. Having a ego-c I really can't think of anything else other then what you've tried.

I do think ordering the clearomizer is a good idea. If you get a chance, also try a 2ohm boge.

I will say out off all the atty's I tried, which I only ordered joye's & ovale, none produced a sour taste.

Hope you get it sorted out & let us know how it goes.

 

[John D in CT]

So sorry you're having trouble. I've been using an Ego-T for a few months now, with zero problems. I have one friend using an eGo-T and another an eGo-C, both on my recommendation, and they too are having zero problems. (I have modified my recommendations, but they still include eGo-C cartomizers and tanks, along with Boge 2.0 cartomizers, and Smoktek eMDCC's, with an e-power 3.7 volt power source, but that's another thread).

I have a digital multimeter and I just measured my battery voltage and atomizer resistance; 3.43 volts (after hours of use) and 3.0 ohms, respectively.

To measure your battery voltage:

Set the meter to the 20 volt range.
Put the red probe straight down onto the contact that the atomizer makes contact with, without touching the inside threads. Put the black probe against the outside threads. Push the power button.

To measure the atomizer resistance:

Set the meter to the 200 ohm range.
Put either probe onto the contact that contacts the battery.
Now bear in mind that I have only eGo-T atomizers ....
So I put the other probe on the inside of the cone. Just put it on various parts of the atomizer, like the base, until you get a reading. (Keep the base and "head" (coil section) together - I think that's your best bet).

I have some eGo-T low res cartos, and they read around 2.3 ohms, but I like the regular resistance ones better.

It's possible you happened to get a bunch of duds for atomizer heads. Don't give up, you'll be vaping in style very soon. This reminds me of my Dodge van that I was about to drive off a cliff until I finally determined that my Crankshaft Position Sensor was squirrelly, and now it runs like an Indy car.

Last thought: lately, after filling my tanks I've been putting one drop of juice on the bottom hole of the tank, and one drop right onto the atomizer. Makes a big difference in how it fires up. Try it. [Dripping a drop directly on the coil and on both sides of the wick so that it would already be ready to flow] (Oh well).



My eGo batteries also do very well with low-res cartomizers. I have some no-names 1.5 ohms that I got from esmokeronline. next will be eGo-C tanks and some clearomizers, but I do like the tanks for the convenience. The cartos give a little better taste, but I think the tanks are pretty nice.

So good luck, test away, and please get back to us.

***

Also: make sure the hole in the bottom of the tank looks OK; nice and open, without a little flap of plastic blocking the juice. And I know you checked this, but it's worth saying that I didn't use the tanks for like a month (just cartomizers) because I didn't realize how insanely hard you had to push the tanks onto the atomizer to get the little atty prong to fully puncture the bottom of the tank. if it wasn't a struggle to push the tank on, there's a chance, however slight, that it's not on all the way.

Very lastly - after all that those atomizers have been through, including the dry burning and maybe not being dried out yet, you just might need new ones. I did read one person's comments that they were having trouble with the C-type heads (atomizers). Maybe try a -T type atomizer as part of your learning experience. Try a low-res and a regular res.

Again, get some cartos ASAP so you don't go crazy (or has that ship already sailed?)

Good luck.

 

[juicejunky]

Try dripping ejuice down the sides directly on the atomizer without a tank and vape. At least you will know if it is the battery or atomizer.

 

[Benzin]

Man, im so sorry youre having problems.
I just got my eGo-C, and im enjoying it like crazy so far.
Since you have changed tanks, atties and tried 2 juices, and pretty much replaced everything but the batteries, im thinking something arround the lines of what sailorman said...
maybe your chrager is defective, and it damaged the regulators of both your batteries, and you are now getting a higher voltage, witch is giving your juice that crappy flavor.

Its a good thing you have a multimeter, check your battery voltage to see if its the proper one.

 

[bubucis]

maybe its not problem with ego-c, but maybe taste buds are on hollydays. When my tastebuds was off,then all liquids tasted like crap.

 

[Bdbodger]

Well the only "working part" on the ego-c is the changable head so I suspect that that is the root cause . I don't know if it is how it is positioned in the base or just one that did not last long . I assume you tried other heads in it . Nothing about the base has probably changed since day one so it must be about the changable heads . Quality maybe an issued with them they seem a bit um I don't know if cheap is the right word but the bottom for example is very delecate just a small flat piece of metel of some kind easy to pull off .

 

[Sheriff420]

Are your atomizers low resistance? I've been using tanks and mega cartomizers lately because of that burnt taste with the C model. I was getting it really bad a little while ago and decided to throw one of the higher resistance atomizers that I cleaned (hot water rinse) on and the taste is gone. I got a pack of low resistance atomizers thinking low resistance = more vapor but all I've gotten from them is a hot burnt taste with a couple good hits here and there.

 

[Pur3Rush]

this dosent help your original post, but I highly recommend the ego mega dual coil cartomizer. Always have back ups to the back ups. I gave up the ego tank system for the very reasons you mentioned in describing your problem. A lot of variables to try and figure out when something goes wrong. Life is too short to macguyver your ecig all the time.

 

[sedge]

Try s Vision EGO LR Clearomizer. They work really well, easy to fill and no leaks. They fit perfectly on you ego c bat

 

[Seraphina]

Low resistence atomizers do work best with the ego!

 

[Benzin]

I wonder if he tested the voltage on his battery, i hope he reports back

 

[Nookie1]

maybe you can find a ECF member next to you to find out why???
Good luck! I startet with eGo-C and its working pretty well - still using it for outdoor every day!

 

[Barbe]

I am so sorry you are having trouble with your Ego C. I got mine on March 4 and I am loving it. However, about a week after I got it, I had the same pasticy problem that you did. I realized it was because the cap on the cartridge wasn't all the way in and the atty melted the cap as it was too close to the atty. After I threw that cartridge out and have made sure that the caps are all the way on, I haven't had a problem. Good luck, I hope you can solve the issue.