Is it just me? Kanger T3...

[AdamJ]

Sorry for the title feeling a bit poetic....

Ok, here's the deal. I've been a carto/genny guy for a while now. I use ego/ego twists for my at work vape. It's getting toward summer time and I don't want to have to carry a bottle of juice with my ego, so I figured i would use a tank. After looking into it and deciding on the Kanger T3, matches ego in size and I heard won't leak. I bought two to give them a try...didn't get replacement heads because the low res ones were out of stock.

I filled up a tank and went to work. I was happy for 2 days, 2ml or so through. I then got a very heavy chemical taste and lost all taste of the juice. I figured it was the juice as it was a new flavor I was trying. I opened the other and filled it and took it with me the next day. I got 1/2 a day on that one before the same heavy chemical taste overwhelmed the juice and I lost all flavor from the juice. I thought it must me something about the tanks just needing a good cleaning from manufacture. I cleaned the two heads and two tanks. I waited a week or so before I got it up to try again and filled a tank to go. I'm currently at work pretty cranky because I can't vape due to my T3 tasting of nothing but chemical. It's producing plenty of vapor but tastes like dirty sock...third flavor of juice just to let you know. Also brought a backup carto that tastes fine...same juice.

My question is has anyone else experienced this? Am I doing something wrong? Did I get from a bad batch of heads? Is this just how clearos are?....I've never vaped off a silica wick like this before by the way, close as it has come is attys.

Help.

 

[RT88]

you didnt mention gurgling, that's the first stage, then juice in the mouth. i've retired mine until i can re-wick. the wicks are too small from the factory i think because in the re-wicking threads, they seem to have solved the leaking...if done correctly

my solution is two or three batts and 3 or 4 Vision V3s or CE4s in a small ziplock. thats 5 or 6mL total if full, more than enough for my day. They haven't leaked. also learned to store them upright even in the car by being in my backpack thats upright. in my pockets also tip up upright and no leaks or gurgling.

 

[NamVet68]

Yeah, I'm mainly an RBA user, but I don't like to carry them around for various reasons. I tried a T3 & even one of the new EVODs and got basically the same phenomenon- after a little while, they tasted like I was vaping silicon or old condoms or something....not pleasant at all. I thought the concept of a bottom-feeder sounded like the winning ticket, but I'm not impressed.

Though I'm not a big fan of cartos, when I'm out & about now I just use carto-tanks with a punched-out LR carto. Works for me....

 

[JeremyR]

Yes I know What you mean your not the only one

The coil is too tight..the factory coils are crap. Too small too tight, choking the wick. You getting what's know as a dry
Hit. Lots of vapor but gross taste. . Best bet Is Learn to rebuild it. I have never used the factory coil after the first. What you need in the t3 is a nice fat coil that can fit 4. 1 mm wicks into. It's should be loose enough that you can slide wicks side to side.

 

[mgmrick]

I wonder where your getting them. I see mostly great reviews about these

 

[Scott_Simpson]

If you're a genny vaper, you're no stranger to rebuilding wicks and coils, so my advice is: clean the units thoroughly (I do a hot water ultrasonic bath), and then rebuild the T3 heads. I use cotton cheesecloth myself (60 threads; no extra top wick), but rebuilding with silica should work as well. I have found that almost without exception, the replaceable coils from China—whether for Kanger, Vivi Nova, Vision, Evod, etc.—are wound way too tight and choke the wick, leading to coil overheating and scorching of the rubber grommet, which gives that plastic-y burnt taste. You should also use either NR/R/NR coil wires, or twisted leg coil wires; this is also to prevent scorching/burning the rubber grommet.

 

[zyglrox]

Oh T3, why is that people either love you or hate you? I think the divide there is between people who are willing to mess with them and people who aren't.

The design and framework for the heads is genius. The problem is not with the bottom-wick design. That is indeed awesome and superior imo. It's the manufacturing standards that are CRAP. It's well-engineered but poorly built.

I agree, the coils are too tight. Those packed-in silica wicks have a tendency to dry out and burn easily. I've noticed that a lot of the coils have hot spots right out of the package, too. I remember dry burning a newer one for the first time to find that only half of the coil was turning red. I was just like "No WONDER this thing is gurgling and tasting awful!" I wound up pulling the then unevenly burnt wicks out, carefully rounding the coils out with a screw (some were kind of oblonged,) re-positioning the coils while pulsing the power to em, and installing cheesecloth wick. It blew me away how much of a difference that made. It was like I was seeing its true potential for the first time.

Since then, I've been pulling the wicks out of new heads and test firing them before use. 3 out of 5 have had major hot spots. And I have been very gentle in pulling the wicks out. The coil positioning was as it was out of the factory.

I've also been reading accounts of the wire burning the insulator grommet inside of the head. I wouldn't be surprised if this was happening, though I haven't seen that yet. Even with my heads that I have rebuilt using only kanthal resistance wire, there have been no burnt spots. I don't know what some of these manufacturers are using or if it's something to do with the way they place the coils, but that is also a problem that has nothing to do with the design of it. It's a problem you can easily correct through proper re-coiling, possibly with the inclusion of non-resistance wire at the base.

In my experience, they are excellent if you get into re-coiling and wicking them. The performance on them is truly superb and they tend to last forever. You just have to have the patience to tame the gurgling, fuming beast. If you want something that just works, the T3 isn't it. I will say that once you get them up and running properly, they do tend to "just work" but you work for them, not the other way around.

These things should be good fresh from the manufacturer, but unfortunately they aren't. Now, are they worth it if you tinker with them? I'd have to say that they are, or at least they have been ime.

 

[RT88]

i have not noticed a burnt taste in my T3 or mini-T3, but they both leaked. Also made good vapor, altho taste muted vs. my (authentic) V3 or CE4+ top coils...so wicks not too tight

If the wick is too tight and not too loose, that implies the leaking is coming from another part, and not the wick. But when people rebuild the wicks, they don't leak. Therefore, logic suggests the problem is the wick alone.

 

[AdamJ]

Wow, thanks all for the input. I personally have bad no issues with guring, just the bad taste....from the plastic I take it. I've never rebuilt a head in this kind of setup. Can anyone direct me to a video on the subject? I'm not a self proclaimed expert though I have had experence with drip attys and gennys, ive got silica and wire as needed, but an not a self tinkerer. I kinda want something that just works....any suggestions in an ego compTBme clearo? Still though I'm going to $@&/ with this t3 before I throw it in the trash, so any a picnic suggestions on how.....step by step.....would be great!!

So much know how here, thAnk you.

 

[AdamJ]

Wow, spell Check much?

 

[AdamJ]

Oh T3, why is that people either love you or hate you? I think the divide there is between people who are willing to mess with them and people who aren't.

The design and framework for the heads is genius. The problem is not with the bottom-wick design. That is indeed awesome and superior imo. It's the manufacturing standards that are CRAP. It's well-engineered but poorly built.

I agree, the coils are too tight. Those packed-in silica wicks have a tendency to dry out and burn easily. I've noticed that a lot of the coils have hot spots right out of the package, too. I remember dry burning a newer one for the first time to find that only half of the coil was turning red. I was just like "No WONDER this thing is gurgling and tasting awful!" I wound up pulling the then unevenly burnt wicks out, carefully rounding the coils out with a screw (some were kind of oblonged,) re-positioning the coils while pulsing the power to em, and installing cheesecloth wick. It blew me away how much of a difference that made. It was like I was seeing its true potential for the first time.

Since then, I've been pulling the wicks out of new heads and test firing them before use. 3 out of 5 have had major hot spots. And I have been very gentle in pulling the wicks out. The coil positioning was as it was out of the factory.

I've also been reading accounts of the wire burning the insulator grommet inside of the head. I wouldn't be surprised if this was happening, though I haven't seen that yet. Even with my heads that I have rebuilt using only kanthal resistance wire, there have been no burnt spots. I don't know what some of these manufacturers are using or if it's something to do with the way they place the coils, but that is also a problem that has nothing to do with the design of it. It's a problem you can easily correct through proper re-coiling, possibly with the inclusion of non-resistance wire at the base.

In my experience, they are excellent if you get into re-coiling and wicking them. The performance on them is truly superb and they tend to last forever. You just have to have the patience to tame the gurgling, fuming beast. If you want something that just works, the T3 isn't it. I will say that once you get them up and running properly, they do tend to "just work" but you work for them, not the other way around.

These things should be good fresh from the manufacturer, but unfortunately they aren't. Now, are they worth it if you tinker with them? I'd have to say that they are, or at least they have been ime.

Crazy good info. Thank u!!!!

 

[zyglrox]

Glad it helped, and as far as rebuilding, the video below is how I learned. I think he covers it pretty well. It shouldn't be anything too new to someone familiar with RBA's. It's not made to be rebuilt, but the construction of the head is simple enough that it is quite feasible. And fortunately, the new coils last quite a while.

As a side note, I'd be interested to see what your insulator grommet comes out looking like, should you get around to doing this...

Kanger T3 rebuild tutorial - YouTube

I wind my coil around a 4/40 machine screw instead of the actual wick because I use cheesecloth:

Machine screw coil wrap for Vivi Nova / Kanger T3 - YouTube

There's also a thread here on using cheesecloth if you're interested. It's pretty easy to install.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...how-i-re-wick-my-t3s-cheesecloth-pictues.html

The tradeoff with using cheesecloth is that you can't dry burn, but I personally prefer it because it seems to wick a little better than silica. A lot of people have said that it helps greatly with both gurgling and funky tastes/dry hits and I happen to agree. You have to keep them wet or they will burn, but they do seem to retain juice more effectively than silica, so it's not really an issue. They're also easier to replace without changing coils.

It could be that your problem is with the wicking material. The flavor wicks that sit on top have caused dry hits for people using higher VG juice. You might try just playing with the wicks. You should probably take one of the top flavor wicks out or replace the wicks entirely before you rebuild and see if that doesn't help.

Also, it just occurred to me that you are using the LR head. What is the voltage of the device you are using it on? It could just be an issue of too much wattage. IF that's not the issue, then bear in mind that you're going to want to use lower resistance wire than the 32 gauge so you can still have the 5-6 wraps.

 

[JeremyR]

I've never had good Luck with a Coil below 2 ohms in the t3 the
Wicking can't keep up in my experience. I run mine with The notched cup seal also, more of a Half moon shape notch over the wicks, you can always turn it if It is too much.

 

[JeremyR]

Double post forum servers running slow.

 

[AdamJ]

Just an update......

I took the posts out of the heads I have and found the factory coils to be really bad. The 6 wraps looked like they were 3 on one side and 3 on the other seperated by the grand canyon. I fixed the coils and removed one of the flavor wicks and after an hour its good so far. Noticed it gurgles a bit without the second flavor wick, but as long as I dont pull too hard its ok. Flavor is spot on though.....have to keep using them and see....

 

[AdamJ]

Had to put the flavor wick back in due to excessive juice flow that led to gurgling and leaking. I use high pg juice though. With the respaced coil though it seems to be doing well as long as I give it a few seconds between vapes to resaturate. Thanks again all!!

 

[yotasavg]

I know cheese cloth was already suggested, but I've had excellent luck many times now with cotton balls as they are nice and fluffy. I have set up friends like this too when they were about to give up. Cotton has solved all T3 issues for me, EVOD too.

 

[vernhall]

Oh T3, why is that people either love you or hate you? I think the divide there is between people who are willing to mess with them and people who aren't...The design and framework for the heads is genius. The problem is not with the bottom-wick design. That is indeed awesome and superior imo. It's the manufacturing standards that are CRAP. It's well-engineered but poorly built.

Hit it right square on the head!! Well-engineered, but poorly built! Half my replacement heads for them came DOA straight out of the factory wrapper! If you want to take the time to rebuild them they 'may' perform well..or..may not... Very finicky little buggers they are...

Am in the process of rebuilding 10 (that's right 10, count'em 10) heads that either died after a few hours use (gurgling, spitting, juice in the mouth, flooding, etc) or were DOA out of the packaging... Using 2mm silca with 32ga kanthal 4/3 wraps with replacement bottom grommets (AGA Series Positive Post Insulators - 10 pack - Kidney Puncher) that seem to work much better than the factory ones and 4 strands of silca for flavor wicks... They test out at around 1.8 ohms on average...

This, the standard T3 problems, seem to extend, in varying degrees, to all Kanger products -- from T3s right up thru the ProTank -- from what I've seen on the forums so it's kind of a crap shoot... If you get a good one, you're Golden; if you don't, you're SOL...

 

[NamVet68]

I know cheese cloth was already suggested, but I've had excellent luck many times now with cotton balls as they are nice and fluffy. I have set up friends like this too when they were about to give up. Cotton has solved all T3 issues for me, EVOD too.

Yeah, I've tried rebuilding them with cotton also. It does work quite well, but I don't particularly like the taste of cotton (yes, you can taste it, even after its been boiled). Some people don't mind that flavor, but to me it makes my juices just taste "off".

I'm playing around with a small piece of ceramic wick and ribbon Kanthal wire right now which is showing promising results (I use them for all my RBA wicks), however the biggest issue at the moment is sealing it off properly so it doesn't leak/gurgle while still wicking properly.

 

[AdamJ]

Let me know how that works. I'm just starting to tinker with mine and have found my biggest issue is with hemming just the right amount of material to wick but not leak.