Is it a given?

[Discord]

I've only been using ecigs now for 3-4 weeks, haven't been interested in analogs since the first puff on vapor after 12 years of smoking 2 packs a day. I'm happy to be off of the burning things, and have already noticed the change in breathing, sleep quality, fatigue, and sense of smell/taste... but I have some questions!

I have been reading the forums for a while and was curious about the disposability of things.

I can understand that no battery will be endlessly reusable. It's a fact of how most batteries work. At some point maybe we'll have capacitors that hold a charge comparable to batteries (look up graphene if you want to see where that idea may come from, lets hear it for 30 second charge times!)....

BUT...

It seems to be taken as normal / acceptable that pretty much every other component should be disposable and temporary. I think long term that's reasonable, but for things like heating elements to have a 1-3 week life expectancy seems like a strange thing to consider normal / acceptable. When's the last time you replaced your toaster? How about the heating coil on electric stoves? Space heaters? Maybe if you spend $5 on a toaster it won't last more than a year or two, but imagine if that was only 1-3 weeks? People would pitch a fit! These tiny heating elements may be small, more fragile, in contact with more complex things than a piece of bread or the bottom of a pot/pan, but I don't think that's a great excuse considering the relative temperatures involved are nowhere near a stove or toaster, generally.

Can someone tell me why, other than "that's the way it is" that this should be normal/acceptable? One of the major factors that I like about vaping is the cost difference (other than having already spent more on ejuice than I have on all the hardware, just because I want to try so many ><), but having things like cartors/clearos/attys/etc also being disposable, it does add a bit to the longterm cost that doesn't seem should be necessary.

 

[Leal]

I accept that the coil in my atomizer is temporary. But also didn't like the whole idea of throwing away the entire thing when the coil got bad. So I switched to rebuildable atomizers. More tinkering but problem solved.

 

[Baditude]

The current heating coils used in our devices come into direct contact with the e-liquids, unlike your anology of a toaster or oven. What doesn't get vaporized becomes a burnt gunk on these coils and reduces their effectiveness. Frying your food in the same skillet for 1 - 3 weeks without washing it would be a better anology.

Some delivery devices such as clearomizers allow you to do a "dry burn", meaning that you can fire the heating coil without juice to burn off the gunk, but you couldn't try that with a cartomizer because dry burning will burn the sock that the coil is surrounded by and possibly the filler, too.

Quite a few manufacturers are offering replacement heads (heating element and string wicks) for their clearomizers or clearotanks, which allows you to continue to use the main device for much longer periods. This can be a cost efficient route to take for vapors on a budget.

Until a better method of vaporizing our e-liquids is invented and marketed I'm afraid that we are stuck using what's currently available. The e-cig field is wide open for entrepenuers to create their own niche in the market.

 

[Discord]

I'm still very newb, I started with v2 (ugh... but I got a good coupon for it and it got my foot in the door) ... I've switched over to V4L, partly in a maybe pointless attempt to be able to keep using some of the parts I got for the 808 stuff from v2, and other than a few QC issues, I'm mostly happy with it. I haven't progressed at all towards the more "advanced" uses, such as rebuilding parts, highly custom mods, etc (hell, I can't even settle on a drip tip style to order or find a tank I like the look of ><)...

I think it's great to have the option, of all the options out there, to get the most reuse out of these parts... but I don't really understand why a heating element has to die so easily... even lightbulbs (another commonly disposable glowing coil product) last a lot longer.

 

[wv2win]

I'm still very newb, I started with v2 (ugh... but I got a good coupon for it and it got my foot in the door) ... I've switched over to V4L, partly in a maybe pointless attempt to be able to keep using some of the parts I got for the 808 stuff from v2, and other than a few QC issues, I'm mostly happy with it. I haven't progressed at all towards the more "advanced" uses, such as rebuilding parts, highly custom mods, etc (hell, I can't even settle on a drip tip style to order or find a tank I like the look of ><)...

I think it's great to have the option, of all the options out there, to get the most reuse out of these parts... but I don't really understand why a heating element has to die so easily... even lightbulbs (another commonly disposable glowing coil product) last a lot longer.

Did you read Baditude's explanation? I think he cleared it up pretty good. Open a light bulb, put it in liquid and turn it on and off and see how long it lasts.

 

[Leal]

Like Bad said the e liquid is the variable that gunks up the system. It is possible to extend the life of your attys by regular cleaning. However, they still have a finite lifespan.

 

[Discord]

Did you read Baditude's explanation? I think he cleared it up pretty good. Open a light bulb, put it in liquid and turn it on and off and see how long it lasts.

sure, but lightbulbs aren't designed for that kind of use. I understand there's more strain on an element that's going on and off (thermal dynamics), but it seems like there should be a better way or better materials used. There are many many examples of things used to prepare food and beverages that have heating elements that go off and on, some of which comes in close (but usually sealed from) contact with liquids. <ost of these don't instantly heat up to a point that vaporizes liquids, though. baditudes example of that filthy frying pan is definitely a good example (unless you consider that NOT washing a Wok is considered a technique called "seasoning" and done intentionally), but I see people perfectly satisfied to get 1-2 extra weeks out of a cartomizer that is cleaned regularly.

not trying to argue about why these things break down, there are a lot of technical reasons... thermal stress on small, thin materials being the primary one... but I think there's also a lot of financial incentive to it... the markup on these things are MASSIVE if you compare it to what they cost to make and ship (there are a bunch of wholesale places that carry these things in bulk for a very small fraction of the price).

Would it be a hard sell to get people to pay a "premium" price for a cart that lasts a year with moderate maintenance vs just spending the $0.50 to get a 2 week disposable cart? I think, in perspective, considering what most of us have spent on the analogs over the years, we're more than happy for these small expenses.

 

[Sheila Michele 1971]

Heres my thought (and yes, Ive boiled cartos on occasion)

No matter how disposable a carto is -- and on a bad week may only last about that long -- they are still WAYYYY cheaper than ciggies.

Pretty much justifies the cost.
(you can always buy cartos or attys in bulk alot cheaper than one or two at a time too)

 

[enuun]

does that mean that even for something like the vpor-T from vapage, those crystal cartridges are limited life as well?

 

[jfango]

A lot of the problem is because mfgs. want to keep the weight of the battery needed to a minimum, and to use a coil large and heavy enough to last weeks and weeks on end before failing, would reguire so much power to operate that you might need an APV about the size and weight of a brick. That's because our coils must operate in atmosphere and not in a vacuum or in an inert gas like most bulbs do. Oxygen coupled with heat will destroy small coils very quickly. Try running your toaster with nothing but battery's for power and then tell us how big the battery was that was needed to do the job!

 

[Discord]

just took a look at that and it seems to be a pretty standard clearomizer / mini tank, so yeah

 

[Baditude]

does that mean that even for something like the vpor-T from vapage, those crystal cartridges are limited life as well?

If this is what you are referring to Titan Crystal Cartridge 2.0ohm (2-pack) , yes. That is only a clearomizer. Expect one to have 2 - 4 weeks life expectancy before the heating coil goes bad.

 

[chellemmm]

Looks like any other clearo: " Poor Design April 23, 2013
Reviewer: Andrew XXXXXX from Leander, TX United States
I have now tried 4 separate Titan Crystal Cartridge's. I ordered 2 not realizing that they come 2 per package. So far all 4 have lasted for about a week. At first they are great but they shortly start to loose the seal where the mouth piece meets the plastic ring that holds the wicks and you loose suction making it hard to get any vapor. Also if you lay it on its side for to long the liquid leaks into the mouth piece and its not pleasant having that in your mouth."