Lavatube help needed!

[matt-attack]

Don't know for sure if this thread is placed in the correct sub-form, mods, feel free to move this appropriately.

Now.. I am no noobie. I have been vaping since 2009, I know my way around an e-cig. About a week or so ago, I received my first lavatube along with my first DCT mod. They came with 3.0 ohm cartos if that helps. During that first week, I was quite impressed, the mod hit great and at a couple of times, I actually had to reduce my voltage from 5v to 4.5v. At some point between then and now, this thing has been a dud. I noticed I was no longer getting that crisp throat hit and the "sizzle" had been sub-par. Unfamiliar with DCTs, I changed my carto.. nothing. Tossed it, tried another... nada. Holding down the trigger, it takes about 4-5 secs until that sizzle actually gets going, by then, I have a few secs to drag before the 10 sec cut off initiates. Cranked it to 5.5v, same result. What gives? The hit is described as the last couple hits before a battery dies. You all know what I'm referring to. So I ordered another battery.. again nothing. I slapped on a LR DC smoketech carto, JUST to see if I got anything; same result. I'm using IMR 18650 1600 mAH's.

My question(s), could the charger Im using have a negative effect on the battery? Its a trustfire multifunctional charger. The one I received does not work. The battery does seem to be fully juiced. By pressing the red on/off switch 7 times, the battery seems to be charged normally.

Can anyone help me on this or should I just drop the damn 200 bucks on a provari already? Thanks!

 

[Hottody]

Im not sure, but I would contact your vendor if you do not get the answer you need on the Forum! The Lava Tube is a decent device, I have one from VaporBeast called the Vector Variable Volt! The VMax seems to be the best clone to the Provari and I like that device from Vaporbeast very much as well! That being said, I would recommend anyone that is serious about vapping to eventually get a Provari! To me...this is the best device around, you can just feel the quality!

 

[HawkeyeCS]

If you own a multimeter I'd test out the voltage at the connection, if not you can always pick one up from harbor frieght for like $10 (they have a bunch of stores in ohio, not sure where in ohio you are it...). You can also get some for a little bit more @ a home depot or lowes... With a fresh carto you should be getting some crackle noise. But if I had to guess it sounds like you might have gotten a dud, contact your vendor, see if they will exchange it out for you, or work with you to figure it out. Most vendors are pretty cool about that stuff... If they aren't, then I'd recommend finding a new vendor.

 

[kitkat13]

I have a lavatube and it is good for what it is but i have since moved on to the vmax more power and more satisfying IMHO

 

[supergerbil]

I've heard the V1 tubes dont have the amps (2.5 amp cutoff) to properly handle dual coils. Not sure if its true but I know from personal experience that DCTs on my VTube are "Meh" at best.

Have you tried switching to a 2.8+ ohm single coil? Thats my go-to on the tube and it works like a champ.

Of course you could just have a lemon...

 

[Fraser Soderstrom]

the lavatube has one year warranty i do not know about what the clones have that's the reason i got the one branded lavatube because customer service is great with all their products especially if you buy from a good local vendor usually you can just run to the store and swap it right out my first one had a sticky button and they swapped it right there no fuss. The dual coils do not work worth a darn on it though the cutoff limits you to about 3.5 ta 3.7 but even if you crank the voltage it lowers without telling you on the screen. So try a 3ohm single coil if your running duals and you should be fine. they also seem to like the clearos a little more than the cartos just the way they feed seems to work better imo. If all else fails try direct dripping on a 3ohm atty that you know is good. best way to trouble shoot the device since its just the coil no filler or wick to cause possible issues.

 

[betsyj121]

I am in need as well. I'm not very tech savvy and I'm terrible confused. I bought a LT mini. I bought dual coil Cartos for a Phiniac tank I bought for it. The batts that came with it pretty much died so I bought the correct size but 1200 mAh...instead of 700 mAh's that came with it.

I filled my tank with my favorite go to juice..mocha java...from the first hit I got a very strong tobacco flavor, it's. It not a tobacco juice that I read. I pulled the juice out and began again. This time I used a dual coil tank with a dual coil carto and put some other juice in. This time I could barely get a good draw on it...no flavor or throat hit but some vapor. I tried all different voltages on both tanks.

I'm so frustrated because I've researched a lot but obviously not the right things. It's all so confusing...ohms, mAh, low/high resistance, single/dual coil.

Thank goodness I have a Rough Stack and a bunch of cartomizers because I'm pretty new to this so I'm trying a ton of flavors.

Would someone be so kind as to tell me what battery to use, Cartos to use with my Phiniac tank and would you recommend another type of tank to use with my LT?

Any help would be very appreciated! Betsy

 

[Greykin]

Betsyj121,

Is the power button on your LT red, or is it the same color as the body? If it's red, then you have a version 1 that has a lower amp limit and will drop your voltage down to 3.6 on a dual coil carto. The V1's just can deal with dual coils very well at all. The V1.5 and V2 can fire up dual coils though.

 

[betsyj121]

The power button is the same color as the body. Thank you for your help

 

[betsyj121]

NO! It's RED! My friend just pointed that out to me...I am so not a morning person. Thanks Tan!

 

[billherbst]

betsy,

Ah! Red power button. You have an L-Rider Lavatube, meaning that it has a 2.5 amp limit. Your Lavatube is not "technically" malfunctioning, so no need to contact the vendor from whom you purchased it.

That device, whether in the black or silver v1.0 version or the chrome v2.0 lambo version, simply will not provide satisfaction for any experienced vaper (who is accustomed to a more powerful vape) when using a low-resistance (meaning 1.5 ohm) dual coil carto. The device maxes out with those DCs at around 3.8 volts and cannot provide any more oomph, no matter what voltage you set. Set it to 6 volts and you'll still get 3.8 volts, which---for you---is like the proverbial "kissin' your brother." No passion. That's the reason I don't own one.

Not that it matters to me, however, because I don't use dual coils anymore.

The Young-June Vtubes have higher amp limits plus PWM, so they handle dual coils very well. L-Rider Lavatubes don't. They just can't.

Here's an easy workaround to restore your happiness: Look inside the tube of a 1.5 ohm dual-coil carto. See the wire coming out of the tube in the middle that snakes back down into the filler? Take a pair of cuticle scissors and snip that wire. That will take out one of the two coils and convert the carto from a 1.5 ohm dual coil into a 3.0 ohm single coil. Then it will work fine with your L-Rider v1.0 Lavatube---lots of sizzle and a good vape without going over the 2.5 amp limit.