How long does a carto last you with your maintenance routine?

[DawnsDone]

Hi, I'm a recent convert into the cartomizer world. I was previously using a 510 and dripping and an ego with a tank setup. So I'm trying to read as much info on cartridges and the kr8 model as I can.

If you could take just a moment please, to tell me:

1) how many refills you average before throwing a carto?

2) What is your maintenance routine? .... No need for a detailed how to but more of a "vodka soak, flush with water" or "no cleaning, just rinsing"

3) How often do you clean it? after 5 refills? or til it stops working well?

I've read a thousand cleaning method threads but it's extremely hard to compare them when they are posted so many different ways and not many are specific as to how many refills they get before cleaning/lifetime or how often they clean it.

This would really help me decide if and how to clean mine while I'm trying to figure out what will work best for me. Thanks for your time!

 

[Conard]

A lot depends on the kind of juice you are using. Some of it will clog a carto in 5 fills or less and I have filled blanks as many as 18 times before they could be cleaned.
I went through the whole cleaning thing once and once only.
I pay on average $1.40 for a blank carto. If I re-fill it 10 times that amounts to 14 cents a use.
The amount of time to clean a $1.40 carto is worth way more to me than the money involved.

 

[SnowDragon]

Click on the Video a couple of posts down and you can see for yourself.

 

[DawnsDone]

A lot depends on the kind of juice you are using. Some of it will clog a carto in 5 fills or less and I have filled blanks as many as 18 times before they could be cleaned.
I went through the whole cleaning thing once and once only.
I pay on average $1.40 for a blank carto. If I re-fill it 10 times that amounts to 14 cents a use.
The amount of time to clean a $1.40 carto is worth way more to me than the money involved.

I use 80pg/20 ratio. Some dark, some clear, some sweet, some not.
I see your point though!

 

[aubergine]

40 drops in a blank, 20 at a time, top drip and taryn spin to start (I use the Leaford lanyard to spin, perfect fit, remember to leave the bottom condom on). Most people think that's too many drops but works for me. Quick refills ongoing depending on how much I'm vaping, top-drip or condo, whatever, very careful not to let it burn - 'bout every hour when I'm hitting it hard, and until the innards get juicy looking. Usually I get lazy or bored w/the flavor after 2 days (I CHAIN vape) and start up a new one. Longest I've ever kept one going is 3 days.
Used to just use pre-filled and toss 'em, still a lot cheaper than analogs. Then I started topping 'em. Then I went to blanks.
I don't like cleaning/flushing cartos, it's a hassle, and they're really SO cheap if you refill....
Spent the past week using syringe method - it works very well, about the same amount of juice etc., but I just don't love it; maybe just that I've got my own method down to a very fast, totally unmessy and easy science - takes me less than a minute to fill a blank tight.

 

[wader2k]

I never bother cleaning. I will use the same coolcart for 5 days or so refilling it 4-5 times a day. I never let it get dry.
Then I toss it.

 

[Gravity]

I don't clean... I'll refill the same carto for about a week and pitch it when performance drops. Sometimes more, sometimes less... really depends on the carto and the juice being used. Darker juices clog them faster, lighter juices go on longer.

 

[phishtraveler]

good idea for a thread!
I agree with Conard. I don't clean them OR rinse them. I just keep refilling with the same flavor of juice thats in the prefilled. I buy blanks when I want to fill one with juice for the first time....(didn't buy a prefilled of that flavor).

I wipe the threads with 99% alcohol every two weeks and also run a safety pin around the post to get the gunk out and open up the airholes. that's pretty much it.

The unexpected maintenance is what really surprises new vapor users. I had no idea when I started!

 

[SnowDragon]

I've always looked at recognized cost per Carto as being $3.18. Sales are icing on the cake but I just straight line them out to $8.95 + $6.95 divided by 5. Like the good folks above I used to top off and I would get about 5 days of use. But the one thing I noticed was that by day 3 or 4 the performance would start to drop off. I discovered that if I rinsed them out I could gain back the performance level and extend their use. I can generally put a Carto through 4 cycles and they last 12-16 days before they finally burn out. So that's a cost per Carto use of $.27 to .$20, less if I can get in on a good sale. I should mention that I am lucky in the fact that the flavors I like are generally thinner juices which may attribute to my experience with Carto longevity.

Money savings? Yes and No. If there is any money savings it goes to buying juice or batteries or something. It takes me about 2 minutes (not counting soaking time) to restore a Carto. If I had to boil Cartos in a pot for 15 minutes, blow them out and wait 1 to 2 days before refilling....I wouldn't bother, that's just too much hassle.

When it comes to money savings I don't even include it in my banner.

When it comes to vaping methodology there is no right way or wrong way, it all comes down to what works best for you.

 

[keelalagirl55]

Okay guys...I am trying to figure out how people are using syringes with the V4L cartos? Are you going from batt end? I was afraid of ruining the fill with my syringe needle from mouth end??? Just not seein it??

 

[SnowDragon]

Syringe filling is always from the mouth end, a 1ml shot with the needle straight down between the fill and the Carto housing to the base of the carto, then a little added on the way up. There is really is no way to damage the polyfill.

Ya know it's funny Kee, a syringe is how they do it at the factory and probably the best way to go. But my wife already refers to my pv's as c....k pipes, I can only imagine what she would say if I got syringe.

 

[keelalagirl55]

Ya know it's funny Kee, a syringe is how they do it at the factory and probably the best way to go. But my wife already refers to my pv's as c....k pipes, I can only imagine what she would say if I got syringe.

I guess it just kinda got me cause on the 510 cartos, there is a nice little hole to follow with the syringe....the V4L is just 1 plug and then I see the filling.....I was too afraid of either packing it down with the syringe, or who knows what....lol

 

[Gravity]

But my wife already refers to my pv's as c....k pipes, I can only imagine what she would say if I got syringe.

We have a drawer (previously a junk drawer in the kitchen) that houses all of our vaping supplies, lovingly referred to as "The M**h Lab"

 

[phishtraveler]

Its a tip from SallyEM and wade. If you pull off the white rubber cap with the hole in the center and then pull 2ML of juice from the bottle to fill 2 carts, then fill from the bottom UP by placing the blunt needle tip against the wall of the carto and along the polyfill. Once it covers the polyfill, pull the plunger back *slightly* to pull back the excess juice, and then put it BACK in the bottle!

Very neat and efficient. The best way I have found to fill. IMO

Okay guys...I am trying to figure out how people are using syringes with the V4L cartos? Are you going from batt end? I was afraid of ruining the fill with my syringe needle from mouth end??? Just not seein it??

 

[keelalagirl55]

Thanks guys... Guess I'll give it a go then...but I have sharp needles.....keeps everyone away from me when I'm in my "lab" hehehehe...

Did the spin thing only with a sock...well, it gets my dogs all worked up, so it was kinda....well, let's just say...old west stampede....lol

 

[wader2k]

Hey Keelala!

Just slide the syringe down in-between the filler and the outer wall of the carto. The sharp needles should go in very easily.
A larger blunt needle will still go down but not quite as easily. I use an 18guage blunt myself so I know it works.

 

[antok]

I tend to alternate between 2 cartos during the day. I chain vape so it seems to work better for me to let them "rest" a bit after a half-dozen hits or so to let the juice redistribute through the polyfill.

I often get 2+ weeks use out of my cartos, dripping 2-4 drops or so every 5-10 hits sitting at my computer so they stay pretty topped up.

For blanks, I leave the battery side condom on and drip 30-40 drops and let them sit for a bit with a spin in between and go from there.

When production noticeably drops off or the draw gets stiffer, I use the Taryn spin to get the remaining juice out, rinse them until the water runs clear and soak them in steaming water for 5-10 minutes, rinse again and repeat. Just started using the turkey baster method mentioned in the above video and it seems to do a bit more thorough job of getting the gunk out.

They don't seem to last quite as long (5-7 days usually) after the first washing but I haven't done enough to give a full opinion on that one.

Last note, you used the 510's and dripped, and I've found that the drip-tips I had left over from my dead 510 Riva fit perfectly and make frequent top-ups much easier!

I say I'm cheap, but my lady calls me economical. To each his/her own I suppose. Good luck!

 

[antok]

Forgot to mention, especially if you use a drip-tip, make sure to tilt it sideways immediately after and turn it around a bit to make sure the juice gets to the polyfill and not straight down the hole to the battery end. Saves frequent wipe-downs of the manual battery and is probably better for the auto one as well.

 

[keelalagirl55]

Hey Wader...thanks....gonna have to see if I have 18 ga....I know I have 16 ga that I use for DIY.....and they are a bit big for the 510 cartos holes too. haha....if I don't have them....hehe gives me a good excuse to go to Tractor supply

 

[lambolover808]

I use no spinning, no needles, no condoms. I'll add two or three drops with the drip tip removed every ten or fifteen puffs. lasts about a week before a significant drop in performance. Then I just grab a new one.