Just like to explain and ask some things! hope you can help!

[Nathan Kapel]

Alright, So I have a few of my own threads out there, and I think its time I made a fresh one because there is much to update. Well, I started out with an eGo-T, then ordered the Kanger Evod with coils online. From there, for some reason I wanted better then what the Kanger could do even with the vision spinner I also got with it. So heres where I made a mistake. I got a polycarbonate tank with a tip that uses cartos with it. With my Spinner and that tank, for some reason I got a bad quality vape. Could have been for a variety of reasons, but I was getting a bit frusterated about spending money for no reason. So I decided to completely change the set up to something more costly and hopefully exactly what I was looking for. So I went ahead and got the ZMAX in a store for 60 bucks, the battery for 13, and a charger for 14. Then I got a 30 dollar glass tank to use with cartos, I figured there is no way to have any problems related to the tank this way. Then of course I needed cartos, so I got those as well, a brand called "Smok" tech.

So anyways theres a little history. Now I'd like to get into why I made a thread, got some questions. So heres a simple question, does anyone know about these cartos? I'm going to update this thread with how long these single hole punched, 2.0 ohms resistance cartos will last me, and how much fluid it takes to go through a carto on average. I'll know the answer when I finish off all my 30 ml bottle of Georga Peach that I picked up today with a 5 pack of those cartos. I also picked up 2 coils for my kanger EVOD because I have other flavors I want to use up and you can't change flavors I was told with the same carto. So I have 3 cartos in separate baggies so when I want that flavor I can do it up. Changing flavors is so easy with this in my opinion. So now with this Zmax I'm able to experiment and find out some answers. Today, I started my day with a brand new carto (my last double hole punched 2.0 resistance one) with bearly enough of my current favorite flavor Georgia Peach to get to the store with. At the store in Lakeville MN here, before a lady there said to run my 2.0 double punched cartos at 5 volts. But today, I came in with some other guys working and they said thats the reason I'm going through the carto so fast because of the volts. They said no higher then 4.3 volts with a 2.0 carto. They also said to go single hole punched to avoid flooding issues if I vape a lot. I was told to get double before so that I wouldn't fry the carto so quick. Meh, I don't know, I'll see how the single hole ones work at 2.0 resistance with 4.3 volts, but thats another big question of mine. Whats a good voltage to go with for the carto I've got right now? Also, if you know, what would be a better route to take (like choosing the right ohms, brand etc) as far as the carto is concerned. because in reality, thats what actually makes the vape itself. I feel that I can get the correct and better advice on this site rather then at the e-cig store.

So I'm going to test how much of my battery I use in an average day over a week or two. With that information with the knowledge of how many cartos I've gone through on average, I can figure out how much use of the actually battery it takes to use up a fresh carto. Its nice with this battery because I can check how much life is left in it. This morning it was fully charged (light was red, morning it was green) and in checking the amount left, it said 4.3 volts. And that was not the voltage I was running. I don't really understand what that means electrically, but I don't really need to. Its just a way to measure how much use it takes to use a carto up. Right now it reads 4.2.

I also have my original eGo-T battery to use with my Kanger. I turned back from leaving the store today, remembering that I wanted those coils so I can use up the good liquid that I only got a little left of with the EVOD.

So really, I'm fairly satisfied with my set up. As always, I love getting peoples comments and feedback about anything I've mentioned here. Like I said, I'll be updating this thread with whatever I discover about these cartos. Because thats really what I want to learn about, whats the best bang/buck carto with the best performance, with an emphasis on performance over cost. I realize there is plenty to read about cartos on the site, and when I have time I'll read up. If you guys have any links that I'd be interested in, please share. I'm also trying to save money, now that I have this great battery, great tank (at least for cartos, I assume nothing else works with it) my only expenses now are the juice and replacement cartomizers. So I'm kinda searching for a good online vendor for that. As far as the fluid goes, I probably won't be purchasing online again, made that mistake once. Obviously it would be a more sure thing that I'll like it to try the flavors before buying. I'm stuck with one bottle of these cheesecake flavor that I imagined would be amazing from highbrowvapor.com, but I ended up really not liking it at all.

Well, I best get going. I don't always get a chance to check out the internet everyday, but I hope to see some people type over some tip/advice/whatever opinions, anything about this I'd appreciate. By the way, at this point, I'm really not looking to spend any more on some like for example a different juice delivery system all together with this high quality battery. At least not at this point I'm not. But whatever you'd like to contribute to the thread, I'll read everything you guys post of course and take it into consideration!

Anyways fellow reader of slightly massive body of text to begin a thread, hope you enjoyed reading! I really just made this thread so I could have something to electonically update as well as get great advice. I feel as if I don't need to make another thread if this one stays on topic. I'm off to get my hair cut and go to work. I'll be checking the thread by this Wednesday at the latest.

 

[DavidOck]

Whew!

Just some brief comments...

With the Evod, T3, Nova, any clearo, you can certainly clean it (rinse thoroughly under hot running water, after taking it all apart, let dry) and put a different juice in. Worst case, yes, a head replacement makes it like new.

Cartos are a different story, and unless going from a light, delicate flavor to a robust one, yep, doesn't work well at all, as you'll never taste the lighter flavor after the heavy one.

One or two hole carto can depend on the juice. A thick juice will probably work better with two hole. Thinner juices likely fine with one.

When getting "advice" on voltage, just take that as a starting point. Adjust the voltage to your taste, not someone's recommendation. Different juices, let alone different resistance heads, taste better at different voltages, so always adjust to taste. If it's tasting burned, turn it down.

As long as you have a handy B&M with a vape bar, I agree, that's the best way to dial in what kinds of flavors you like. But once you've done that, don't be shy of online. There may be a substantial cost savings, many have "sampler" packs. But narrowing the field first does help!

Vape on!

 

[Myrany]

One other note on juices. Over time your tastes will change. I know one man who never ever liked fruit or dessert vapes but likes my DIY banana cream pie liquid. Don't be afraid to revisit flavors that didn't do the trick for you in the past.

I tell newbies to pick up samplers because you can taste a bunch of flavors. I also tell them to hang onto the ones that didn't work for them. Between steeping and palate changes you might just like them in a couple of months.

 

[TheDarthJager]

I agree with Ock, cartos can be a wild animal to deal with. I've been using cartos for the last 2 months and I've been using the single punch Smoktech dual coils and for the last 2 weeks the Bouge F-16's.

As for as brand I know I've not tried every brand out there, far from it as you can see but I've had a pretty good experience with the Smoktech brand. As for as Voltage at 2ohm it depends on the device, juice, and carto. I've been using 60/40 PG VG on a 2ohm, single punch, dual coil, on my SVD at 4.4v. No the SVD uses pulse modulation which means its not pumping voltage to the carto in a constant stream so its easier on the coils. I don't remember if the Zmax uses pulse modulation but if that can mean your carto is under more strain.

Also most of the juices I use a "light" in color. I have been told that darker juices wear down a carto faster though I've yet to find anything to confirm that.

As far as a carto lifespan, that depends. I've had cartos crap out on me in 40 seconds and I've had some that have lasted weeks. Sadly quality control is a big issue right now with a lot of these kinds of products but don't let that deter you, I personally find once I have my carto primed and ready to go with my favorite juice I'm happy as a clam.

All in all just experiment and see what you like. You may find you don't like cartos at all. My sister has a Smoktech 3ml DCT I bought her and she hates it and uses the Evod that I almost threw out because it hates it. Just find what works for you.

 

[Train2]

I'll address two comments of your many!!

1) I don't think your plan to measure "how much battery it takes to use up a carto" will work. The "full" battery reading 4.2 volts isn't a measure of how much time it'll last - that's what the Mah indicates. Your ZMax might be able to give you a reading of what the remaining voltage is as an IDEA of when your batterie's running low - but still, it's not a good way to gauge how long your carto will last for a couple reasons. Specifically, the battery gets drained at different speeds depending on the voltage AND the ohms of your coil - which may change during the week - since you may swap cartos, may change juices, may adjust voltage to your taste, etc.

I think most people can just "tell when a carto is going bad" because it stops producing vapor like it should! If your battery is good, and your juice is there, then the carto should vape - if it starts failing - weak hits - then it may be dying. You'd probably get closer keeping track of "how many tanks of juice" a carto has gone through - but STILL, you'll find some that last 3 and then get one that'll last 12.

2) I agree with the previous post about juice. You SHOULD explore some flavors from online vendors - if you are OK with a credit card online purchase. There's SO much variety, and it can be a LOT less expensive too. So read some recomendations HERE about juices you might want to try, and then order small quantities. If it's bad, you may be out $5. But if it's great, it might SAVE you a lot long term. I'll pay extra for a juice I like - but I tried a really inexpensive juice once on a whim, and now it's an everyday juice for me. I just ordered FIFTY ml. That's a big bottle! Cost me $9. Free shipping.

 

[chellemmm]

N/M in 10 characters

 

[DavidOck]

Regarding battery life between charges... best if you have at least two, use them in rotation, fresh one in while you charge the other. No worries. Ever.

 

[Nathan Kapel]

Well, I don't have a bunch of time this morning here, but thanks for the tip regarding what that means when its fully charged saying 4.3 volts. Thats good info to know. As far as finding the right carto for the Zmax with this glass tank, my next purchase will be online. I would like to also order juice with that same vendor. Any links to a vendor like that? I quickly glanced over some youtube vids and it seems like the boge a lot of people like. I assume that would fit and work just like the Smoktech ones here. I don't know about these. I mean sometimes they hit like a dream. Oh by the way they are duel coil ones, single punched, 2.0 ohms. Well I'm not sure if you ment pulse modulation is bad or good, but I have no idea if my ZMAX is or not. Well, I've got some cartos for now, they are working decent I would say most of the time. I'll be researching what carto may be the best for me to order. So yeah, help me out with a good vendor to go through, that would be excellent you guys!
But yeah, I seem to get a better hit with a high then recommended voltage, but I don't keep it at that, like 5 volts, because I'm afraid it will just fry the carto quicker. Its kinda strange with these cartos, sometimes they hit so perfect I think, wow this is a nice quality unit here. But other times I don't taste as much flavor really. I like to experiance the full flavor of the juice with every hit. I got a feeling there is a brand thats better then this one to try next. And by the way, I spent like 18 bucks on only 30 mls. So where in the world did you get a 50 ml bottle for only 9 bucks??! and did you say free shipping. Do share your vendor please!!! if you dont post it at some point I'mma message you!!!!! lol If nothing else, I'll be wanting to try LR 510 boges next, watched a review on em, he seemed to really like them, and was getting huge hits with a relatively short time taking the draw. Anyways, lets keep this thread rocking!!! thanks for the feedback so far fellow e-cig enthusiasts!!

 

[Train2]

MTBaker has juice galore, and cartos. Not sure if they have the ones you're looking for (I know they have SOME Boge, and some with holes - but I don't use 'em so I really don't know!).
Another possibility is MrELiquid. Same situation - both are more known as juice vendors, but both have cartos...
Maybe someone who uses tanks has better sites to recommend?

 

[Nathan Kapel]

Well, I'll be placing an order somewhere anyways at some point here when I've got 2 fresh cartos left, that should give me enough time to receive the order at my house. Regardless, 9 bucks for 50ml and 0 shipping, I'm sold for 3 bottles ez. Alright, so I've got about 30-35 mins here to research which carto I should try next from an online vendor. I want to get it from someone reputable so I know the product won't be crap, or any of the cartos end up being duds or something. Anyway I'll stop typing and get to researching. I think I'll look for good carto reviews on you tube.

edit: So I'm interested in ordering some prepunched boges to try out, see if they are any better then what I've got now. Thing is, how do I know what I'm looking at online will fit into my tank and battery?? I wanted to find a vendor to order the Boge 510 or 801 "Fusion" cartos. Seems to me that they work pretty well. I would actually rather try the Ikenvape.com's cartos, seems to be a superb carto, but the site is down, so I'm not sure if its even possible to get that specific carto through anyone else. At any rate, I'm looking at what these vendors offer, but I'm not gunna place the order until I know it fits my set up. Thanks in advance for the help, such a simple question yet I manage to type a whole paragraph. lol, if you look at my other posts, I do that quite often.

Anyways, sorry to type so god d*** much, I just am a pretty fast typer and get on a roll with something at times. So it looks like I'll just be on call today for work, so I've got plenty more time to research the dream carto, and even place an order today. I could place an order to get boges, but I just need to know if they fit in with what they called a "Quartz" tank, even though it is actually glass. Quartz I assume is just the name of it. Maybe not, but I was told with certainty that its just glass. Well, it fits the smok tech cartos perfectly, so thats the size I would need. In looking at some sites, they don't really explain size at all. I would def. appriciate the help with these simple questions so I can get an awesome set of cartos that will last and perform "purely" without issues I would hope. Also, some sites don't say if its pre punched or not, I prefer just having them punched already to skip that step. I assume its not punched if they dont mention it though.

I mean, I guess I'm thinking Boge, but the Ikenvape review of that carto, he really seemed to be impressed by it. "Superb, superb" lol

double edit: I just read that the Zmax does use pulse width modification. What does that do for me?

 

[Nathan Kapel]

Okay, I'm just gunna go ahead and just bump it. From now on I'll just get straight to the point, sorry for that excessive wordiness. I believe what I have is the standard size, 35 mm length, but I'll check on that when I get home. I'm going to come back online later tonight sometime, I hope to get some feedback by then, I really only need to know what size boge actually fits this "Quartz" tank, and also what type boge exactly would be ideal with the ZMAX so I can make an order with vaporbeast.com w/ free shipping. Simple as pie for ya! I'll be back to check here after a good chunk of time. I'm also open to any suggestions about what brand and type to go perfectly with the Zmax and this tank, but I'm thinking boge currently. Alright, thats it.

 

[Nathan Kapel]

Well, I'm trying to place an order for 5 BOGE 510 XL Low Resistance PrePunched Cartomizers, but I hesitated when I read: These Punched 510 cartomizers will only work in cartomizer tank like the AGR which uses punched regular cartomizers. These will not work in the Smoktech DCT tanks.
I don't know if my tank is a "Smoktech DCT" tank or if its compatable with these. I would assume they would being the correct length. I really would like to place the order now, but if I need to know if it fits. So if anyones still out there that wants to help at all here, I'd like to know if these cartos will work for my Quartz tank. Now here is the tank I have. Stainless Steel Quartz Glass Tank by the way, my carto got stuck in there today, so I used a pliers to pull it out. Unfortunatly it wouldn't budge and I ended up having to pull the whole bottom metal covering off. Thankfully it still works fine and seals up with no problems, its just a hassle now to change cartos or adding fluid. And heres a link to what I was looking at ordering: BOGE 510 XL LR PrePunched Cartomizers I would prefer to order from somewhere that has more selection with things actually in stock so I could test like 3-4 different brand single cartos along with a 5 pack of boges, if there are that many brands?? Anyways, I hope to hear from somebody, lol no one feels like reading I guess!!?? I just need the go ahead from someone who knows what works and not so I can get this stuff to my door soon.

 

[Nathan Kapel]

Well, I went to my local store and got a couple of their cartos and a new mango flavor. I also have ordered a pineapple flavor 50ml double shot or flavoring with a 80% pg to 20% vg yesterday. I probably should have gotten 50/50, but too late now. got it at .6% nic level. I did order the boge cartos as well, but since my old smok tech's were 510 DCT, I'm not sure that they will even fit. But I guess I'll find out when they come. I also learned that my tank is not broken, the top and bottom is ment to come off, so thats good. I was also taught how to properly prime the cartos by filling the tank with it dry and sucking the fluid into it through the punched hole. The 2 cartos I did get are 2.5 ohms dual coil, I can't remember what brand he said they are, I wish I could share that with yall because they work pretty good, they said they should last a week each. Once I find out ill edit that in here.