Finding the Proper Balance

[Zombolis]

Hi Everyone,

New to the forums and new to vaping in general. I've been having some difficulty striking the right balance in a PV between size, aesthetics and effectiveness.

I started out with the Blu kit which was effective at getting me away from cigarettes, but I became interested in the flavor options that came with a larger unit.

I bought an Ego-C which i really liked the look and size of compared to my friends much larger variable voltage unit. I had some trouble getting the kind of intense flavor that I'd experienced with drip tips.

This led me to where I am now. I have ego batteries (650mAh and 900mAh) with the Smoktech 3.5ml dual coil carto tanks.

I love the look, I love the size, and the liquids taste strong and delicious. The hits however are far more intense. Sharp, dry hits that make it difficult to inhale. Also, I am not getting nearly as much vapor as any of my previous setups, barely any vapor in fact. I have looked into increasing the hole size in the cartomizer but I figured I'd ask for advice first to see if anyone has had success with a similar setup. as it stands now I've gotten a lot of bubbles and pops into the drip tip which makes me think the carto is too saturated as it is. I can't ever seem to get the perfect balance of vapor production, flavor and a hit that doesn't start me coughing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[vsummer1]

I do not use dual coils, so can't comment.

but, WELCOME! Hopefully someone who uses those will be along shortly. FWIW, I prefer the simple and inexpensive CE's that are rebuildable for my eGo's. They have different names (stardust, equinox are 2 I know of).

 

[Zombolis]

I had initially steered away from the wick CEs because I'd read that the wicks didn't deliver the liquid fast enough and were very easy to burn and that the tanks often had leaking problems. Do you not find that to be the case?

 

[ImThatGuy]

What juice are you using? PG? VG? How much nicotine?

 

[Zombolis]

What juice are you using? PG? VG? How much nicotine?

50/50 11-12 mg

 

[ImThatGuy]

Try a slow draw and see what happens. The carto seems to be saturated enough for you to see bubbles on the drip tip. That also shows that the liquid isn't being heated enough to turn into vapor. Is the draw airy or feels clogged? Have you tried another carto? Are the results the same?

 

[Zombolis]

Slow draw is the only way I can get any vapor at all. It's also quite airy in the draw, it doesn't feel clogged.

I bought 2 of the tanks with cartos, both seem about the same. I haven't bought any additional cartos as of yet though. Both the 650 and the 900 batteries seem about the same as well. A tad more vapor and a little more harsh of a hit with the 900.

 

[recidivus]

Sounds to me like you're getting dry hits, or "nohits". How is the draw on the smoketeks? I found them extremely "airy" and was getting the same result as you. After trying 4 different cartos, slotting, punching more holes, etc, I gave up on the smoketechs. I was also vaping high (80 - 100) VG so keeping the carto saturated was a big issue. In the end I got a handful of Boge F16 cartos with a new tank and they performed much better (2 hole, single coil) after thinning the vg down a bit with distilled water.

How is the vape if you fill the carto old fashioned? Put it in tank and put juice into the carto until it's fully saturated, let sit for a few minutes (put it in the tank or juice may leak out the holes...nofunzone). Troubleshoot if it's a carto problem or a saturation one. What resistance are you using?

I also believe that dual coils on egos are known to perform sub-par, don't quote me on that though.

 

[vsummer1]

I had initially steered away from the wick CEs because I'd read that the wicks didn't deliver the liquid fast enough and were very easy to burn and that the tanks often had leaking problems. Do you not find that to be the case?

It's less than $5 for one, it doesn't burn and wicks fine with my 50/50 and my 30/70. Yes, after over a month mine developed an oozing from where the metal and plastic are fused, but I put some good old electrical tape over it until the next $5 one was delivered. I like it well enough that I actually did reorder one, but I also use phiniacs, JB's, bedazzles and vivi's. I like them all but that little cheapo clearo just hits so well I felt fond of it enough to not be without. I take it "to go" all the time! I like the way it fits the eGo, hits on the Ego and is easy to fill and clean without dragging out my tank tool, or a syringe...

ETA: I just looked up the price, it is $6.99 at the first vendor I checked, with the extra head, but I still have a head because they are ALSO easy to clean.

 

[Jfish]

It's all about ohm's the lower resistance the hotter it is! Try throwing a single coil carto in a tank and see what happens! I've heard much better luck with single coils on an ego!

 

[Zombolis]

Sounds to me like you're getting dry hits, or "nohits". How is the draw on the smoketeks? I found them extremely "airy" and was getting the same result as you. After trying 4 different cartos, slotting, punching more holes, etc, I gave up on the smoketechs. I was also vaping high (80 - 100) VG so keeping the carto saturated was a big issue. In the end I got a handful of Boge F16 cartos with a new tank and they performed much better (2 hole, single coil) after thinning the vg down a bit with distilled water.

How is the vape if you fill the carto old fashioned? Put it in tank and put juice into the carto until it's fully saturated, let sit for a few minutes (put it in the tank or juice may leak out the holes...nofunzone). Troubleshoot if it's a carto problem or a saturation one. What resistance are you using?

I also believe that dual coils on egos are known to perform sub-par, don't quote me on that though.

Good advice, I'll try to narrow down what's happening. I do believe the carto is fully saturated. I'm not getting a burning flavor or anything, and the flavor from the juice is very intense and good, just way too harsh. The lack of vapor would presumably be due to too much liquid in the carto? I believe the resistance on these cartos is 1.6 ohms.

 

[Susaz]

I was smittened at first with my carto tank, but it didn't work for me. It doesn't wick well with thick juices, it's either flooded or dry.

First try dilluting your mix with a little distilled water. 10% of your mix should be fine.
If you have a carto to spare, try opening the holes a little with a needle. Be careful, you can flood your carto.
If nothing of this works, try cranking a little your voltage.
When all else fails, get a single coil carto, Boge work great.

 

[Zombolis]

It's less than $5 for one, it doesn't burn and wicks fine with my 50/50 and my 30/70. Yes, after over a month mine developed an oozing from where the metal and plastic are fused, but I put some good old electrical tape over it until the next $5 one was delivered. I like it well enough that I actually did reorder one, but I also use phiniacs, JB's, bedazzles and vivi's. I like them all but that little cheapo clearo just hits so well I felt fond of it enough to not be without. I take it "to go" all the time! I like the way it fits the eGo, hits on the Ego and is easy to fill and clean without dragging out my tank tool, or a syringe...

ETA: I just looked up the price, it is $6.99 at the first vendor I checked, with the extra head, but I still have a head because they are ALSO easy to clean.

For 5 bucks, I will certainly give it a try! Thanks for the advice. Another variable in this complicated equation but if it yeilds the results I want then its well worth it.

 

[Zombolis]

It's all about ohm's the lower resistance the hotter it is! Try throwing a single coil carto in a tank and see what happens! I've heard much better luck with single coils on an ego!

I will try this as well. The ohms/resistance/volts stuff is where I start to lose it since I don't really even have a rudimentary understanding of electronics.

 

[Zombolis]

I was smittened at first with my carto tank, but it didn't work for me. It doesn't wick well with thick juices, it's either flooded or dry.

First try dilluting your mix with a little distilled water. 10% of your mix should be fine.
If you have a carto to spare, try opening the holes a little with a needle. Be careful, you can flood your carto.
If nothing of this works, try cranking a little your voltage.
When all else fails, get a single coil carto, Boge work great.

I think that the single coil may be the way to go. Dilution helped a little bit with the higher voltage, but not enough to fix the problem for me. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

The problem lies with using dual coils. Try some Smok Tech 1.7 or Boge 2.0 single coils. Not enuff power in the eGo to run DC properly BUT seeing as Boge and Smok Tech are having quality control issues I'd stay away from them and purchase a Vivi Nova.

I think that the single coil may be the way to go. Dilution helped a little bit with the higher voltage, but not enough to fix the problem for me. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Baditude]

Single Coil XL Tank Cartomizer for the SmokTank XL

I switched from dual coil Smoktek cartos to the single coils over a month ago, and I like them much better. The XL single coils in the above link can be ordered in the ohm / resistance you need and also with 1 or 2 holes pre-drilled for your carto tank.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Sounds to me like your cartos are dead. Did you say you haven't replaced them? I've encountered the same problem when the coil is all gunked up.

Good luck.

 

[Zombolis]

Sounds to me like your cartos are dead. Did you say you haven't replaced them? I've encountered the same problem when the coil is all gunked up.

Good luck.

I haven't replaced them but I just got them 2 days ago. How long should a carto reasonably be able to last? A couple weeks?

 

[Zombolis]

Single Coil XL Tank Cartomizer for the SmokTank XL

I switched from dual coil Smoktek cartos to the single coils over a month ago, and I like them much better. The XL single coils in the above link can be ordered in the ohm / resistance you need and also with 1 or 2 holes pre-drilled for your carto tank.

Nice, this is handy. Thanks!