Help! No vapor with M402!

[Speedikeys]

Ok, grab your coffee and your PV, this is a long one.

Some background...

Ordered the SSElite (I'm told this is a Smoore 402). Received it about a week ago. Love the feel/look of it and battery life is good. But right from the start, draw was HARD, and I wasn't getting much throat hit and very very little vapor. I'd describe the amount of vapor as comparable to the amount of smoke you see when you light a match.

I really couldn't stand the taste of the carts that came with it, and I thought maybe they were a little dry and that's why I wasn't getting any vapor. So I waited (not very patiently, I might add) for my juice order to arrive. Got an email that they would be here today. YEAH!!!

So, this morning (in preparation for the arrival of my juice) I washed all my old carts, dried them, fluffed the stuffing, etc., replaced the stuffing, and waited for my juice. Got my package, tore it open, smelled all the little bottles (Ohhh, heaven...they smell so good! ). Decided to try the Wild Cherry first. Filled a newly cleaned cart, dripped a few drops on my atomizer (thank you all for teaching me how to do all these things beforehand! ), let it sit LED end down for 10 minutes like I've been told to do when I change to a new cart. By now, I'm beside myself...I can't wait any longer. I just know this is gonna be great and I'm gonna get such a big hit that I'll be choking and coughing....

The first draw...starting to get a hint of the flavor...pretty nice, I think to myself. Second draw...I'm thinking, I could really fall in love with this if I could get some good vapor. Third draw, nothing. A pitiful amount of vapor, in fact less than I was getting with the prefilled carts.

The LED lights up so the battery is working. I know the cart is freshly filled. Double checked that I have everything together right, everything is making contact. Tried my other batt and spare atty. Same thing.

If I do like 2 or 3 primer puffs and don't try to inhale (kinda like when you're lighting a cigar), I can get some vapor, but still not much. But by the time I do those puffs and then try to inhale, the battery cuts off (I know...I should get a manual switch PV, but I don't have one and I want this one to work!!)

I let it sit for awhile while I smoke an analog because I'm so devastated. I think maybe I overwhelmed the thing so I leave it alone to get itself together. Try again. Still just a puny amount of vapor, sometimes none at all. Just that damned whistling sound that drives me nuts! It sounds and feels like I'm just sucking air through the stupid thing!

If it helps to know, I have a 4-hole atomizer and my cartridges have those 3 little wings on the inner cart. My juice is medium strength nicotine from JC whose customer service, I have to say, goes above and beyond what anybody could ever expect.

I've read almost every post on the M401/M402 review board and watched countless videos. Everybody seems to get great hits with loads of vapor off their 402s. Why not me?

What on earth am I doing wrong? 8-o I figure it must be me since it's the same with both batteries and both atomizers. I mean, what are the chances of me getting four pieces of equipment that are bad? Slim to none I would say.

For now, I guess I'll just sit here and smell my new juices. They sure do smell like they would taste good!

 

[Angela]

401/2 user here!

During my first couple of weeks, I was often getting an 'airy' (whistle-y draw), but not all the time, other times I was getting a particularly hard draw, but gradually I developed my 'technique'. Couple of questions / suggestions:-

1. I found that how I was seating the inner cart did play a part in the draw. After you have poked the inner cart up to fill, use the rubber stopper to re-insert in the outer cart. That places it at just the right point.

2. Make sure the battery and atomiser are properly screwed together: just a tiny bit undone and it creates too much air.

3. Also check your cart has 'clicked' on properly (Some are tight and need an extra 'push')

4. Most importantly, HOW are you taking a draw? (The M401/2 are generally regarded as not needing a 'primer' puff), but you MUST take a long, firm, even draw (ie - from what you have said, you may not be drawing hard enough.)

Just a combination of getting used to everything should sort out any problems you are having (IMO).

 

[Speedikeys]

Thanks for the suggestions, Angela. Will check to make sure my inner cart is seated properly. Already made sure atty was screwed on tight and my cart is pushed on all the way.

I did read that the 402 does not need a primer puff and I only tried that to see if I could get any vapor that way, thinking that maybe the way I was trying to draw on it was the problem. Like I said, I can get a little more vapor with that method, but not much. I would think that "primer puffing", for lack of a better phrase , as a test, should produce a good amount of vapor, if everything else is working properly.

I do think I'm a bit of a "dainty puffer," because with analogs I don't tend to inhale very deeply or very long. When I try to inhale deep, slow and long on the 402, it either cuts off or I still get very little vapor.

At the risk of flooding the atty and/or getting a mouthful of liquid, I'm gonna try adding more liquid to the cart (although I actually overfilled it at first and then had to take some back out and clean all that up!) and drip a few more drops on the atty. I didn't actually clean the atty before using the juice, but I did blow through it to get that awful old taste out so maybe it's exceptionally dry.

Thanks again for your help! I'm determined if nothing else....

 

[wegster]

If you're dripping, I'm not sure I'd leave the 401 LED side down for 10 minutes..if you drip too much, you're begging for the auto battery to flood. Dipping is much easier and 'safer' IMHO, with the 401...get a clean plastic bottle cap, or similar, and put just a few drops into it of your favorite juice (more than a couple is fine, but leave the 'level' low spanning the bottle cap. Remove cart from the 401. Just hold the exposed atty wick (the metal braid) into the juice (this is why you want a low level, you just want enough for the braid to wick it up, not to submerge the atty) for 5 seconds or so, the wick will draw up what it can hold. Insert empty or filled with same liquid cart, and enjoy.

Are you saying you tried *both* atty's, though, and on different batteries?

 

[Kate51]

OK, try this..take your atty off, blow hard through the hole in the botton, you may have residual water in there. Top side down tap it gently on a folded paper towel, GENTLY, then blow it out again, tap again...see if you get anything out..this should get out anything that doesn't belong in there. Put the cartidge in, make sure there is a little of the wick sticking out, and then put the cart back on and reattach the battery. BE sure when you put on the cart that you go straight on and straight off, because if you twist it slightly it will make that little metal bridge in there push the wick up too far in the cart. The wick HAS to make contact with that bridge in order to draw the fluid..
If your battery is sufficiently charged, take a long draw, pull hard enough just to light the LED, don't try to suck too hard. This actually pulls out too much fluid, and drowns your atty again. Keep drawing as long as you can, this makes sure the atty heats enough to vaporize. This is what I kept doing wrong at first, not a long enough draw, I got liquid build up in the atty, and I actually make a BAD mistake of BLOWING INTO THE CART....DO NOT DO THAT TO CLEAR OUT THE ATTY. You will then ruin your battery.

LOOOOONG draws

 

[ggmac2]

Same thing happend to me with the SSelite to all my atomizers If you have at any time screwed the atomizer onto the battery to tight it will push the inner contact into the atomizer just enough so that there is not a good connection. Hence very little or no vapor. I tried to pry mine up a little but did no good. I just received new atomizers so I am back in business but am very carefull not to twist them to tightly on.

 

[wegster]

Woops, thanks Kate, I meant to add that at end of last post...as it definitely sounds like a flooded atty.

Also, I usually fill my 401 carts, push them back in place, then push them up slightly from the bottom (mouth end) to let the atty 'put the cart where it wants it', and making sure the cart wick is level at the top of the cart.

I'd do as Kate said to clear out any excess liquid, then just try the dipping method I described above, it can't flood as you're not 'dumping' fluid on it...if cleaning then dipping doesn't work (give it a few vapes, long and slow), you've got issues in your atty or battery (try all combos of atty/bats you may have to narrow down).

 

[Kate51]

Woops, thanks Kate, I meant to add that at end of last post...as it definitely sounds like a flooded atty.

Also, I usually fill my 401 carts, push them back in place, then push them up slightly from the bottom (mouth end) to let the atty 'put the cart where it wants it', and making sure the cart wick is level at the top of the cart.

I'd do as Kate said to clear out any excess liquid, then just try the dipping method I described above, it can't flood as you're not 'dumping' fluid on it...if cleaning then dipping doesn't work (give it a few vapes, long and slow), you've got issues in your atty or battery (try all combos of atty/bats you may have to narrow down).

All good! BUT..some of this dripping onto the atty I guess I don't get why people do that, I do it only with a NEW atty and then draw that out before I put the cart on withouth twisting. Some people do it all the time but I don't want to ruin my attys, this is getting expensive!

 

[Speedikeys]

Wegster... I actually forgot about *dipping* as opposed to *dripping.* Will try that after I try a few of the other suggestions as you brought up another good point which is I might have flooded my atty.

And yes, problem persists with both batteries (both fully charged) and both attys.

Kate...I didn't actually rinse the attys when I cleaned them, I just blew through them (while disconnected from everything) and blotted them on a paper towel, BUT as you and Wegster pointed out, I probably flooded in any number of ways in my over excitement to try that Wild Cherry! I'll follow your instructions to blow it out again and reattach carefully which brings me to...

Ggmac2...I definitely did this. Hearing that damned whistling noise which just sets my hair on end, I was thinking that I must not have it screwed on tight enough so I've been super-tightening my attys to the batts. Ooops!

 

[Kate51]

Something ELSE I was just reminded of, I bought an SS-118 from SafeSmokes.com (don't know what model that is, but it's called a mini), but anyway, the CHARGER was not working right, actually ruined the batteries by not charging them right
That's something to always wonder, too, if your battery has power enough to make the atty work right.

They replaced the charger, now that little thing works just great. I got it for my daughter, so REALLY glad I tried it out before I give it to her.

Hope this all helps!

 

[Kate51]

Ahhh, excuse me, but DON'T tighten too tight, you can dislodge the screw-top very easily, then the wires twist and snap. Dead Batt. Just finger tight, as they say.


YAHGH, there's a LOT to learn, isn't there!!

 

[wegster]

All good! BUT..some of this dripping onto the atty I guess I don't get why people do that, I do it only with a NEW atty and then draw that out before I put the cart on withouth twisting. Some people do it all the time but I don't want to ruin my attys, this is getting expensive!

Ya, I don't get the dRipping, either. I do it for a prime after atty cleaning, only. The rest, model specific for me...my 510 holds enough in the cart, that besides after a drop after atty cleaning, carts (and refills) work fine.

The 401 is *perfect* for dipping (not dRipping ), though, with it's exposed atomizer wick/bridge/braid - while dripping with an auto bat seems a sure way to kill batteries, as well as flooding the atty, dipping just sucks up 'what it needs.' Even then, I still use a cart (filled), to not take a chance of dry-burning the atty either.

And yeah, with the price of 'consumables,' why take a chance? (I still want a manual switch/sealed passthrough for the 401, though!)

 

[CJsKee]

Speedikeys...I had the same problem with I got my 401. There is a definite break in period with these models, and a learning curve. Mine finally started producing good vapor after about 3 days. It sounds like you are doing the right things and I know it's hard to be patient...but it should get better over time. If not, I would suggest contacting your supplier. You should still be under warranty.

 

[Myshkin]

Try putting some sort of small straw in the cart. The cart is very small so i cut in half a coffee straw and then rolled it into a smaller straw and put it in my cart. The draw is much easier and the hit seems better

 

[Speedikeys]

Thanks everybody for trying to help. I blew through both attys and let them sit overnight on napkins. I didn't give them a bath. Just didn't have time to look up the procedure for doing that yet. I think I read something about boiling them or putting them in boiling water? I might do that when I have time to research and see how to do it.

Anyway, after I let the attys drip/drain over night, I DIPPED (not dRripped) this a.m. and still not much in the way of vapor, throat hit, or taste. With the coffee flavor, I did get a little more taste/throat hit for two draws, then back to just air. Tried it with a full cart and with just a blank cart.

I've been in touch with Kevin at Sharpsmoker who has been really great. He's tried to help me figure out whats going on and actually suggested asking you all if anyone had any bright ideas!

I really hate to send them back to him as defective because I truly believe the problem is me. I mean, the batteries charge well, they both hold a charge for a decent length of time, the LED lights when I draw on it, sometimes I can hear the atty sizzle (not always) and usually it gets a little warm so I think the hardware is working properly.

There is a big learning curve with these things, and I don't think I've rounded the bend yet. I'm just disappointed because on those rare occasions when I do managed to get a decent hit from it, I can see how people would really like this, and if I could get consistent performance from it, I think I could give up analogs. We'll see...maybe once I get this first round of stuff paid for I'll consider trying a different model of PV.

And to think part of the reason I started this adventure was to save money....8-o

Thanks again for your help!

ETA: Myshkin, thanks for reminding me about the straw in the cart idea. I do remember reading about that. Will have to have DH bring me some coffee stirs from work. I'll give it a try...can't hurt!