Hi I am new at filling cartomizers and I wanted to know if you can fill them ahead of time like enough to last you a week or do you fill them right before you vape? Thanks
Filling cartos
- Thread starter Crazy girl
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Yep, save the condoms and recover them...they'll last several weeks. Back when my wife and I used cartos, I would fill 20-30 each weekend.
Actually, filling enough for a month or even months at a time would be fine as long as they stay airtight and in a dark, cool, place. Good luck and have fun!
Filling, or Priming, the Cartomizer - "Drip & Flip" Method:
This is the method that I have used successfully. To keep juice out of the center air hole when filling the carto I plug it with half of a wood tooth pick.
Next, I hold the carto at a slight angle, and rotate it around as I drip liquid onto the polyfill. When the fibers look like a slushy drink, I shake the carto down like a thermometer. This produces the same effect as a centrifuge, forcing the juice down into the carto bottom.
I return to adding more drops, and shake it down again. Repeat this process until the polyfill will absorb no more liquid. It is then ready to be vaped. The entire process takes no more than 4 minutes.
This is the method that I have used successfully. To keep juice out of the center air hole when filling the carto I plug it with half of a wood tooth pick.
Next, I hold the carto at a slight angle, and rotate it around as I drip liquid onto the polyfill. When the fibers look like a slushy drink, I shake the carto down like a thermometer. This produces the same effect as a centrifuge, forcing the juice down into the carto bottom.
I return to adding more drops, and shake it down again. Repeat this process until the polyfill will absorb no more liquid. It is then ready to be vaped. The entire process takes no more than 4 minutes.
I've filled hundreds of them, and re used them 4 or 5 times each. They last for months, but after several fillings the polyfil packs down and no longer holds much liquid.
Yes, you can and I used to when I used them. If I filled more than I would use in a week, I did put them in the fridge but don't think it was necessary... just me.
Honestly, listen to Baditude. He knows cartomizers inside and out. Changed my vape completely. Since I use tanks, I use the plug and suck method (take that where you will). Good luck and have fun!
Batch-filling, and then letting them sit for a while, is probably a common (and reasonable) practice. It avoids the "rush to vape" that can come from filling a carto, thinking that you've got it saturated, and then in your eagerness to vape it, you connect it, press fire and the taste of smoldering polyfill tells you that you've just paid for your impatience with a ruined carto. Not that I have EVER done that! 
Letting a filled carto "settle" is usually (I am hesitant to say "always") a good idea. And if you've got a number of them filled, that gives you the ability to let your newly filled batch take their time and settle.
But it is also not a bad idea to have a few clean ones on standby either. Me? I've got a collection of old Blu cartos that I've cleaned, rinsed, dried, and sealed that I use for the times when I get small sample e-liquids either ordered to try or that a vendor was kind enough to add to my order as a test-sample. They're perfect for that. As long as I am not in that previously mentioned "rush to vape".
Letting a filled carto "settle" is usually (I am hesitant to say "always") a good idea. And if you've got a number of them filled, that gives you the ability to let your newly filled batch take their time and settle.
But it is also not a bad idea to have a few clean ones on standby either. Me? I've got a collection of old Blu cartos that I've cleaned, rinsed, dried, and sealed that I use for the times when I get small sample e-liquids either ordered to try or that a vendor was kind enough to add to my order as a test-sample. They're perfect for that. As long as I am not in that previously mentioned "rush to vape".
To be honest with you I don't know if I'm even doing it right. I put 20 drops making sure not to get it into the middle then I let it sit for 10 min. I'm not really liking it. I've only used prefilled ones. I'm trying to venture out and try different liquids with blank cartos, are the clearomizers a better option? I almost felt like going out and getting a pack of cigs today, just take one out and light it. Lols but I didn't
Clearomizers/tanks are definitely better in my opinion. Juice tastes better and you can generally hold more liquid in them. Also maintenance/cleaning is much easier. Thats not to say a few cartos are nice to keep around for backup/portability. But clearos/tanks are the way to go!
20 drops is not near enough. You are probably burning the filler material (not enough juice in the carto) and getting a burnt taste. Don't judge by "drops". Fill until the filler material looks slushy, and stays that way. It should have a liquid haze to the filler.
Counting drops is inaccurate. Different droppers make different size drops, hence different amounts of liquid is used.
There is admittedly a learning curve involved with cartomizers; mainly with properly filling them initially and keeping them topped off to prevent burning the filler.
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And I could easily make the argument that cartotanks are definitely better than clearomizers/clearotanks. Juice tastes better and you hold more liquid in them. Also maintenance is much easier. Cartotanks are the way to go.
Another fan of XL cartos and carto tanks, here. I usually run about 18ml through an XL carto before replacing it.
First off, good for you for resisting THAT temptation!
What was the taste like? Burnt? Muted? Just plain bad? What size carto was it that you put the 20 drops into?
There are a lot of different atty/head options available to you, and clearos are one of them. Some folks swear by them, others swear at them. The same is true of cartos, carto-tanks, and so on. The truth is that there ARE options, but finding the best one for your needs and preferences is a matter of (as you are doing) asking for advice and personal experiences of others and then making an informed decision and trying something new to see if it works well for YOU.
However, based on your answers to the questions I asked on your recent refill, it may (or may not) be due to either the carto (they do have limited lifespans and will die) or a matter of how you filled it.
To the OP: Yes, you can fill your cartomizers ahead of time--just put those silicone caps back on to keep everything clean.
The best way to fill cartomizers is with a syringe and a blunt (18g is good) needle. This is also practical if you're filling a lot of cartos at one sitting. Makes the job easy and worth the hassle. Most standard cartomizers hold approximately 1 ml of eliquid and it's easy to measure with a syringe. Stick the needle into the filler and slowly depress the plunger. Take the syringe out when you're half way done and repeat on the other side of your carto. Done. No shaking, no waiting, no plugging the center hole required. BTW, be careful if you stick anything into that center hole--you may damage the heating coil which is suspended there.
If you don't want to use a syringe, you may just drip into the filler directly from the bottle. Or use the plunger method. The advantage of this method is that it also primes the coil which is a good thing.
The best way to fill cartomizers is with a syringe and a blunt (18g is good) needle. This is also practical if you're filling a lot of cartos at one sitting. Makes the job easy and worth the hassle. Most standard cartomizers hold approximately 1 ml of eliquid and it's easy to measure with a syringe. Stick the needle into the filler and slowly depress the plunger. Take the syringe out when you're half way done and repeat on the other side of your carto. Done. No shaking, no waiting, no plugging the center hole required. BTW, be careful if you stick anything into that center hole--you may damage the heating coil which is suspended there.
If you don't want to use a syringe, you may just drip into the filler directly from the bottle. Or use the plunger method. The advantage of this method is that it also primes the coil which is a good thing.
There really is no better or worse option. Different people like different things. I recommend you try all of them; you don't have to spend a ton of money; get a box of good cartomizers (I like LR Boge and Smoktech, single coil) and a couple of clearomizers--Kanger eVod (for bottom coil design) and T2 (top coil). Experiment a bit and you'll soon know what YOUR preference is. The trick is to learn how to use each device properly--they all work if you know what you're doing.
I use them all and like them all--for different reasons. One size doesn't fit all--in real life and in vaping.
Ok the taste was muted not burnt. I don't remember where I got the 20 drops idea from,as I have been researching this for days now lols. Not sure what size carto, ordered it from v2 or halo I thought just an average blank carto. I guess I need to do more homework but thanks for the advice. I'll get the hang of this
Yes you will. 20 drops is about 1 ml--depending on the size of your drops, of course. Just look at the top of the filler and make sure it looks wet. That said, Boge cartos have a very tightly woven filler inside and your carto may look wet on top but still be bone dry inside. That's why I like the syringe or the plunger methods for Boge cartos--it ensures that the juice penetrates that filler from the bottom up. You have to make sure that at least 1 ml actually went inside.
All it takes is a little practice.
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