I suppose I *should* introduce myself.

[DanteMD]

Hi! I'm Dante. A novice vaper from Romania (that is to say I'm a little over a week in) that's hooked. I suppose a bit of a back story is appropriate as well, since it's an introduction, not just a "hi thread".

I started smoking several years ago (I think I'll hit 3 this November); started off with Kent 8 since that's what my folks used to smoke, but I found them to be crap after a while, then switched to Dunhill Black, then to Blue, then lastly to Silver. I always knew smoking was bad (and still do) however one must cope with the exams inherent of the wannabe doctor profession. Still, cigs made me sick eventually, and though I do crave them (sadly like Pavlov's dogs now) when I'm extremely stressed, the smooth, relaxing flavor of vaping - along with my throat and lungs thanking me - have made me rather a quick fan. That and: there's *nothing* like enjoying a nice smoke in the morning, then getting the inexplicable urge to go for a real smoke, only to find out they taste like sandpaper. That in itself is an argument to learn to care for my e-cig.

I have a bit of a bother too with my atomizer burning my cartridges, but I already saw a fix for that. Have more questions, but they'll have to wait after I've read through the forums a bit more, and after a nap.

Thanks for hosting such a helpful community, some of the things I've read here blew my mind.

 

[player30]

Congratulations and welcome to ECF!

 

[LibertariaNate]

Hi, Dante! Glad you are enjoying your experience thus far. What PV are you using?

 

[skyward]

hello and welcome to the forum. i'm sure there is nothing like med schol to stress you out. or are you interning now?

 

[wyojoe]

Hello from me too,Dante. Thats why I switched to cartomizers. When using your cartomizers make sure to fill them OFTEN and KEEP them damp. This also is what you need to do with your carts. It's that cartomizers hold more liquid and last longer than the carts. I love,love naps.

 

[jj2]

Welcome!!!
Just keep on reading and ask questions as you go.
Below is a couple helpful links.

ECF Library
The ECF Library

ECF Library Annex
ECF Library Annex

 

[DanteMD]

Congratulations and welcome to ECF!

Thank you!

Hi, Dante! Glad you are enjoying your experience thus far. What PV are you using?

Hello! Me and a friend got what appears to be a 510 kit (although I'm very unfamiliar with the models, as of yet); it looks quite a lot like what I've seen reffered to as the Riva 510 kit: 2 batteries (1000+ mAh), 2 atomizers, a few cartridges, the usb adapter, wall-socket adapters and so forth. Basic starter kit, I think.

http://www.liberty-flights.com/upload/products/large/1/55.jpg - Exactly this one. Pretty sure it's what I said it is, but if it's not, don't bash the newbie.

hello and welcome to the forum. i'm sure there is nothing like med schol to stress you out. or are you interning now?

Thank you! Interning is a far-off dream atm, still have a ways to go. But I've been reading medical literature since high-school, so thankfully I'm not as ignorant as my colleagues pretend not to be. That may sound pretentious, but there it is. And it's not the college itself, it's the teachers. They're... evil. I think the thin air inside is making them evil.

Hello from me too,Dante. Thats why I switched to cartomizers. When using your cartomizers make sure to fill them OFTEN and KEEP them damp. This also is what you need to do with your carts. It's that cartomizers hold more liquid and last longer than the carts. I love,love naps.

Hello! I couldn't live without naps, that's for sure. I should say I've considered switching to those babies. It just seems like less of a fuss to me - carts not getting burned, or having to always make sure I get the cart aligned with the atomizer. I've burned/singed/melted 3 carts about now, and atm my atomizer has burned through its wick (well, it did in several increments, and I had to remove it); so I feel that it's pretty much useless now. I tried cleaning it with some rubbing alcohol and tap water, but it has a ghastly burning, nostril destroying taste in it. And it's just awful.

So surely - cartomizers seem like a great idea. I mean, to my understanding you need to refill them often, and sometimes clean them, and that's the only TLC they require? Just seems simpler than atomizer + cart. It's not that I'm lazy or anything, but the whole burning cartridge bit has left a sour taste in my mouth, both metaphorically and literally.

But how would you say they compare to atomizer + cart in terms of maintenance, how much they last, and $-wise? Not that I have that much experience, but the guy selling them said the carts would last about a week each (of course heavily influenced by smoking habits), and the atomizers should live for a month, or a month and a half.

Welcome!!!
Just keep on reading and ask questions as you go.
Below is a couple helpful links.

ECF Library
The ECF Library

ECF Library Annex
ECF Library Annex

Thank you! Will read through at earliest convenience.

Am hooked already, and really not willing to give it up. But quite frustrated about the problems I'm encountering, as stated previously.

 

[cactusgirl]

Hi Dante and welcome ECF! Also, a big congratulations to you for making the switch!

 

[mafig]

hi DanteMD ..rest assured e-cig benefit all past/present/future smokers of analog..wish i started earlier when e-cig was 1st invented..spread the wisdom of using e-cig to all smokers whenever i can..was a smoker of analog for over 30 years now only rely on my e-cig for my nicotine fixes..at least pleases my wife i done the switch and others non-smoker..good for U and like U i found this e-cig forums very useful to relate & supportive from members/veterans/admins with their knowledgeable informations,covering all aspect from health to usage of e-cig..i am very happy vaping without analog now for 1 month

 

[wyojoe]

Dante you ask--
But how would you say they compare to atomizer + cart in terms of maintenance, how much they last, and $-wise? Not that I have that much experience, but the guy selling them said the carts would last about a week each (of course heavily influenced by smoking habits), and the atomizers should live for a month, or a month and a half.

Depending on how heavy you vap a cartomizer will last 3 to 10 days unless you clean them. They can't be cleaned very well, or work very good once they go down hill in performance. (my opinion) Look on the ECF for info for cleaning carto's and give it a try, it does help some to clean them. The carts you are using can be cleaned just buy taking out the filler in the cart, and rinsing with hot tap water and dry with a towel and then air dry over night then put back in you cart and refill. Also you can use new material to make your own. Also see this in the ECF.
As far as cost goes the 510 cartomizers cost around $2 Dollars or less, and 510 atomizers cost around $8 Dollars but the atomizer will last longer and can be cleaned and dry burned to get the gunk off of the coil. (you can't dry burn carto's because the filler will burn. I just like the cartomizers better because it holds more E-liquid and so you don't need to fill as often. But you must keep then moist.

 

[JWebb]

ditto reading the ECF library and the technical issues section. Welcome DanteMD to ECF!

 

[Saphirsis]

I have the 510 like you do. I bought the regular kit first and then got the bigger battery soon after. Riva 510 is what you have, also called an eGo. I use the cartomizers now, and I really like them. They last longer and you can tell when they need refilled, long before the filler goes bad.
I'd agree with these nice folks, get yourself some carto's. But don't throw out those atomizers just yet. They're great for trying out new flavors before you go filling a whole carto with something you may not like.

One thing I noticed, you said you cleaned your atty with rubbing alcohol? I've seen a lot of posts about cleaning them, but I always thought they meant drinkable alcohol. I even bought a bottle of vodka, just for the purpose. Some people do specify pure-grain alcohol, but vodka works too.

 

[DanteMD]

Hi Dante and welcome ECF! Also, a big congratulations to you for making the switch!

Hello, and thank you!

hi DanteMD ..rest assured e-cig benefit all past/present/future smokers of analog..wish i started earlier when e-cig was 1st invented..spread the wisdom of using e-cig to all smokers whenever i can..was a smoker of analog for over 30 years now only rely on my e-cig for my nicotine fixes..at least pleases my wife i done the switch and others non-smoker..good for U and like U i found this e-cig forums very useful to relate & supportive from members/veterans/admins with their knowledgeable informations,covering all aspect from health to usage of e-cig..i am very happy vaping without analog now for 1 month

I should say I've had an analog yesterday, to see if the taste becomes worse after a while. It tasted very much like smoking paper. And I suppose that indeed it benefits our significant others, in that it doesn't destroy their health.

Dante you ask--
But how would you say they compare to atomizer + cart in terms of maintenance, how much they last, and $-wise? Not that I have that much experience, but the guy selling them said the carts would last about a week each (of course heavily influenced by smoking habits), and the atomizers should live for a month, or a month and a half.

Depending on how heavy you vap a cartomizer will last 3 to 10 days unless you clean them. They can't be cleaned very well, or work very good once they go down hill in performance. (my opinion) Look on the ECF for info for cleaning carto's and give it a try, it does help some to clean them. The carts you are using can be cleaned just buy taking out the filler in the cart, and rinsing with hot tap water and dry with a towel and then air dry over night then put back in you cart and refill. Also you can use new material to make your own. Also see this in the ECF.
As far as cost goes the 510 cartomizers cost around $2 Dollars or less, and 510 atomizers cost around $8 Dollars but the atomizer will last longer and can be cleaned and dry burned to get the gunk off of the coil. (you can't dry burn carto's because the filler will burn. I just like the cartomizers better because it holds more E-liquid and so you don't need to fill as often. But you must keep then moist.

Well, I've looked for some, and apparently they're around 3$ here, give or take, from what appears to be a reputable merchant; it's amazing that we have a vapers forum here as well, that google just won't find it seems.

ditto reading the ECF library and the technical issues section. Welcome DanteMD to ECF!

Thank you! I'm reading through it as we speak.

I have the 510 like you do. I bought the regular kit first and then got the bigger battery soon after. Riva 510 is what you have, also called an eGo. I use the cartomizers now, and I really like them. They last longer and you can tell when they need refilled, long before the filler goes bad.
I'd agree with these nice folks, get yourself some carto's. But don't throw out those atomizers just yet. They're great for trying out new flavors before you go filling a whole carto with something you may not like.

One thing I noticed, you said you cleaned your atty with rubbing alcohol? I've seen a lot of posts about cleaning them, but I always thought they meant drinkable alcohol. I even bought a bottle of vodka, just for the purpose. Some people do specify pure-grain alcohol, but vodka works too.

Thought - I think some people use Pepsi to clean their attys because the phosphoric acid or citric acid are decent enough cleaners, and easy to get a hold of in that form. Still, off the top of my head - acid good for cleaning debris (although I'm unsure about the chemical contents of that kind of gunk), and the alcohol (strong, as it seems to be the theme here) is also a good disinfectant. Although I can't imagine what kind of bacteria could live at those temperatures.

Oh, I use rubbing alcohol as a mild disinfectant; also it seemed like a good choice since it evaporates quickly, and it would likely get the gunk and smells out. Seemed like a fine choice, when compared to water, since I've melted like 3 carts now, and I thought the atty would smell foul or something.

Right, now, I've aligned the cart properly, but the taste is... incredibly dry and plastic-y and it really "burns" my nostrils. I find that somewhat odd; I've put a few drops of e-liquid on the atty, but to no avail, it's basically unusable right now. Hence - why I'm going to get a few cartos soon enough. I've never really felt the need for nicotine before, but I'm hankering for a bit of banana-cherry right now.

On another note: a friend of mine dropped his battery (from what he describes to be a modest distance, around 30cm or 12"), and the battery capsule(?) broke. At least that's what he said. He got a new one, and the guy offered to try and fix it. Right now I'm a little confused about what kind of shock a battery can take, should I - heaven forbid - bang it on something by being a bit careless.

 

[Saphirsis]

I'm not a bit careless......I'm a whole heck of a LOT careless. You'd be hard pressed to find a bigger clutz than me. I've got 5 510 batteries, the ego, the passthrough, a Blu ( yes, i know, terrible) and had several disposables. I've dropped, kicked, stepped on, and set heavy things on all of these at least once, and most several times ( I think I ran over one of the blu batteries, even).

I've had ONE break. It was a 510 that I'd "bedazzled", I took off the led cover and glued a rhinestone on there. The rhinestone broke off, and took the led and circuit board with it. The battery still works, you just can't tell when it's dying until it's dead.

I hope that will ease your mind some!

 

[DanteMD]

I'm not a bit careless......I'm a whole heck of a LOT careless. You'd be hard pressed to find a bigger clutz than me. I've got 5 510 batteries, the ego, the passthrough, a Blu ( yes, i know, terrible) and had several disposables. I've dropped, kicked, stepped on, and set heavy things on all of these at least once, and most several times ( I think I ran over one of the blu batteries, even).

I've had ONE break. It was a 510 that I'd "bedazzled", I took off the led cover and glued a rhinestone on there. The rhinestone broke off, and took the led and circuit board with it. The battery still works, you just can't tell when it's dying until it's dead.

I hope that will ease your mind some!

It does, to some extent, but I'm quite nigh-on-paranoid when it comes to all this. I don't know why. I'm still having problems with the danged thing, even after switching from normal attys to tank type ones. It is driving me up a wall. I think I'm more than surely not doing something properly.

 

[wyojoe]

Every one goes thru a learning process and I am still learning after a year. Their is a lot of different batteries and cartomizers out their and all are a little different, thats what's nice about the ECF forum you can see what other people are using and having problems with. I like a long lasting battery because I vape a lot. Carto's I like are boge and clearomizers. Boge's have wicking material inside to hold the juice. Clearomizers have none, and you can see inside so you know how much juice is in it, and can be taken apart cleaned and dry burned to get gunk off the coil and put back together they work like new. I personally don't clean the boge's when they quit performing like the should, I just throw then away and get a new one, they cant be taken apart and cleaned and rinsing them out does not clean the coil and get the gunk off so they never work like when they were new, so that's why I throw them out. Boge's are the easiest to use (you need a syringe and 18ga needle to fill them) and much cheaper than cigarettes. Just remember to keep them moist by topping them of often, not flooding just moist. Hope this is of some help.

 

[DaveP]

I vote for the Boge Low Resistance cartomizers and the CE2 clearomizers. When you fill the Boge, use the method in the video below to thoroughly saturate the carto. It takes less than a minute and makes a big difference in the life of a carto. You can top off the carto through the cap end after that, but that first saturation really makes a difference.

 

[DanteMD]

To be perfectly clear: what I have at the moment is one of these, I bought it not 3 days ago. That's the atomizer and the cartridge. The really annoying thing about it is I started getting dry hits from it after a few refills (again 2 or 3, max). I tried pushing the wick down ever-so-slightly (as indicated in a few youtube vids, and from what I've read on the forums), and I've also tried sticking a very thin needle through the wick to create a passage for the juice - but it's made only a slight difference. (please note I did not try the 2 'procedures' at one time, I did a few trials runs in-between)

I don't think I've ruined it, since it tastes slightly better than before, however I only get part of the flavor I got, and not the real deal (that is it tastes a little sweet - using Cola flavor, I know, silly - but not the way it's supposed to).

I'm not entirely sure how to proceed next. I hope the picture is clear enough (if not, I'll just get my big camera out).

 

[Dave12]

Congrats! I'm at about 4 weeks but new to the forum...

 

[wyojoe]

Just to add something for you to look at is, to make or buy a syringe tank that you put you carto inside of and fill with juice and it makes your carto's last and work alot better and you don't have to keep topping it off. I gave up on atty's and carts along time ago because I chain vape and they take to much effort for me. These syringe tanks are big but they really work great. You take your cartomizers of choice and punch a hole in it and stick it into the tank and fill the tank with E-liquid and then enjoy for a long time before you fill the tank again. Their is info. on the ECF on how to built one and also vendors that sell them. Don't pay over 15 dollars for one and you can build one yourself for under 5 dollars. You might also look at a 14650 E-Power because the battery will last a long time and you can carry a extra charged battery in you pocket so you always have power. In the long run I think the E-Power is cost effective because the replacement batteries if you need one is way cheaper that buying a Ego type or 510 type battery. After a year of vaping this is what I use now, and works best for me, 14650 E-power and cartomizers inside of a tank.