M201 & 402: My dream e-cigs!

[ruuku]

still, it tastes a lot like...something burning. i know that's what it is, something burning, lol...but, i don't know...the polyfill isn't burning, maybe it's chemicals still? it's a very harsh taste. or, it's the jc smoke juice. the mint chocolate is tolerable, and the cherry is good if slightly waxy tasting, like cherry chapstick. they all taste like burnt whatever they're supposed to be...vanilla ice cream tastes like if you could somehow burn ice cream, lol. still not bad, and definitely better after i washed in alcohol, but...i dunno. the carts that came with the 402 don't taste quite as bad, leading me to think that maybe it's the juice...anyone else have a similar experience, or advice to offer? oh, nice, i can edit posts. the carts aren't great...still burnt tasting. advice appreciated

Hmmm... My first guess would have been factory primer, but if the factory carts don't have the nasty "burnt" taste, then that's not it... must be the juice. My best advice is to keep vaping the same flavor, and see if there's an improvement. If this isn't an option, then you can try the various cleaning/rinsing methods. Could it be that the strong Marboro flavor of the carts is covering up the burnt taste you're getting (thus it may be factory primer after all)?

Auggg...bmckenna now has an edit button!!!
Yup, now i think im sure that its factory primer. Wait...does it kind of taste like solder? If its that taste then the atomizers dry. If it just tastes nasty overall its factory primer.

Ruuku has mentioned this before, if i recall correctly. The liquid taste will linger in the atomiser for quite some time. You may want to have some spare ones if you intend to experiment on flavors a lot.

Yup, especially with strong flavors like menthol, French Pipe, ect. The best way to clear this either to vape through it (also the "safest" way), run the atomizer through a clean/rinse cycle, or "burn" the excess liquid out.
Remember to clear the atomizer out of fluid before attempting all three, this will flush most of the liquid out of the ceramic cup.

But like Fedor said the best way is to have dedicated atomizers, that way your atomizers will last longer, and flavor changes are a non issue.

BTW: for the usb passthrough I believe that the voltage out of a USB port is 5V DC, compare this to the battery at (at best) 3.7 V DC. I've heard many good things about running higher voltage, but this is AT YOUR OWN RISK...

 

[effy]

after going through every single supplier listed on this forum I finally found a company closer to the US that has 402 atomizers and the e-liquid I want. I went to electronic-cigz.com and they sell johnson creek smoke juice. I ended up getting the sample package bc it comes with empty carts and such. im so excited! im hoping that my liquid will arrive the same week as my 402 (the company I got liquid from is in canada and has 6 to 10 day shipping). I emailed them a question and got a response 10 minutes later! I also got a black snap case for my 402 from them. they seem like a good company so far, and shipping was only $9 for me.

 

[Fedor]

the company I got liquid from is in canada and has 6 to 10 day shipping).

I never knew it took this long to ship from Canada to the US. I thought you guys were just next to each other? Why does it take almost the same time to ship from China?

It seems like you made a good choice purchasing liquid from them. Although the prices are high, but it gives a good variety in a small enough quantity and the sampler pack is quite equipped.

The batteries, atomiser and other accessories however, are way too expensive to be buying from an overseas supplier.

 

[effy]

im not sure why it takes that long, I will definatly let you know when I get it, as well as what I think of the sampler pack.

 

[kaeo773]

I have the DSE401 passthrough, and I vape it all 8 hrs I am at work. I guess I am not all that worried to burn out an atomizer because I have over 20 spares. That being said, I have yet to burn out any M401 atomizers since I started in March. I have been so impressed with the M401 quality over all the others I have tried.

 

[Fedor]

I have the DSE401 passthrough, and I vape it all 8 hrs I am at work. I guess I am not all that worried to burn out an atomizer because I have over 20 spares. That being said, I have yet to burn out any M401 atomizers since I started in March. I have been so impressed with the M401 quality over all the others I have tried.

Thanks for the info. How long have you been using the passthrough? I really want to experience this added power that i am reading about. But i'm really worried about buying something that will significantly reduce atomiser lifespan. Does it get exceptionally hot when you use it with an M401 atomiser? Also, the price of the passthrough is rather high.

I'm really waiting for Absolutely ecigs to introduce their own passthrough. Heck, they can even buy the DSE401 model and resell it to us! I won't mind if its much cheaper.

But come to think of it, i'm still more of a wireless guy. Might change my mind after i try this. Will keep you guys posted.

 

[kaeo773]

I have been using the passtrough since Tuesday for 8hrs a day while at work. It don't notice any really difference in heat from the regular batteries vs the passthrough.

I am more of a wireless guy myself, and only use on my laptop it at work. It reminds me of my vacuum cleaner, I am always trying to get the cord out of my way.

 

[prr2freya]

That is a relief! (that your atomizers have yet to fail.) Right now I still only have one atomizer for my m401, but have ordered an extra 4 from Eastmall. I am planning to keep a few of them separated by flavor and have a backups. next month i will bet a few more. i have a terrible fear of them dying. How have your batteries held up? The passthrough sounds wonderful as i work at/near my computer as well, but will nedd to wait a bit due to the price. I just placed an overseas order from eastmall for 100ml juice and atomizers($8 each). I was going to go through AbsoultelyeCigs as i have heard so much on this thread about them, but their sampler pack is not customizable... and eastmall is. If things go smoothly and the juice is OK (and from a long thread here about eastmall they seem to most of the time, ), I will make them my main supplier of jiuce. They have m401 kits and parts as well, but ....

I then checked out ruyandirect and I think that is where i will go for future parts. They have a usb charger with NO CORD for $3.50 for the m401/2 and their atomizers are only $7. They also offer Registered Airmail(mine came to $3.50) for smaller shipments, so getting 1 atomizer($7), a 401 battery($10), 20 empty carts($1.90 x 2), plus shipping came to $23.80! Pretty good deal so long as it all arrives here. If that gets through no problrm, I will go back for more parts and that cordless usb charger + I want to buy a starter kit for my friend to try out and keep if he likes it and they are good price there and they deal directly through smoores{sp?}

I think I will wait a bit for more feedback on people using the passthrough for the m401 before buying one.

I have the DSE401 passthrough, and I vape it all 8 hrs I am at work. I guess I am not all that worried to burn out an atomizer because I have over 20 spares. That being said, I have yet to burn out any M401 atomizers since I started in March. I have been so impressed with the M401 quality over all the others I have tried.

 

[prr2freya]

oops.! sorry for misspellings... I can't edit yet apparently

 

[kaeo773]

that's what I do, I switch between 4 atomizers. I use two for flavors, and two for tobacco flavors. I am still on my original atomizers going on two months, I have a stockpile of 20 atomizers and 24 batteries. I figured I would have gone through a bunch of them by now.

I just saw ruyandirect last night as well, and they do have great prices.

I recently placed a bulk order at centraltrade for white M401 &402's with blue carts & white carts. I think those color combos will be cool color combo.

 

[kaeo773]

prr2freya - one thing I noticed about ruyandirect is that on their M401 it says 200mah for the battery. I know the original Smoore M401 battery is 220mah, I sent them an email asking if that was an error.

 

[Fedor]

There are many clones available in the market for all models. In this forum alone, you will see the same model but with different codenames such as DSE, RN, JOYE, BE, EM and believe me, there are much more that are available outside this forum, that has not made its way here.

The Mseries are newer models and has not been in the market as long as the 901s, 801s or 103s. This is why we have not seen too many clones of this series yet. However, more clones seems to be in the making lately. Before this, we heard of cheap Health brand knockoffs of the Mseries. Now, we have the DSE401, which is better in some areas but inferior in others according to some. I am sure this is the start of many many more to come.

Its not necessarily a bad thing as this may force all makers to work harder on quality. On the downside, it may erode profits of the original maker and spark a price war, which may effect quality when makers decide to compromise on materials due to cost. It also confuses new users sometimes.

The 901 is a classic example. There are so many versions of the 901 by numerous makers. The most common ones are RN and DSE models. There are dozens more. The original might not even be the best. Some report that the RN is better while some maintain that the original one is the best bet. Recently, suppliers who carry the original DSE901 announced it as a competitive edge and took pride in it.

Many manufacturers, retailers and traders still sell under the DSE901 name, although they are clearly produced by others. This should come by no surprise at all. Its Chinese culture, after all.

Its the same thing as producing fake Gucci bags or Iphones. Ecig manufacturers produce their own ecigs but packaging is outsourced. Therefore, clone makers can get the exact packaging and pass it off as the real thing.

I emailed Absolutely ecigs of Smoore and realised that one of the Chinese retail website on our forums might not be selling their products as advertised. Smoore has NO records of selling their products to this particular website, owner or company. I don't want to mention names as it does not benefit me in any way and i do not wish to be embroiled in any kind of online argument. This piece is written to satisfy my writing needs and as a way of sharing info to the readers of this thread.

It seems that if products are selling well, there will be clones being made sooner or later. I expect the 510 aka Janty Dura to be next in line unless they continue to suffer from quality problems.

Not that authenticity or being genuine is all that important, but i buy from Absolutely ecigs because i am sure i get the latest models all the time. We have seen many evolutions along the way such as 2 hole/ 4 hole, new carts/ old carts, 5 sec/ 7 sec batteries and some have received up to 3 revisions. This, coupled with the many other things i like about this supplier that i will not repeat again. Their prices are still great if you plan to stock up a bit for personal consumption but not up to Central trade type of quantity.

You guys have been great at making this thread a valuable source of info. Thanks.

 

[Vandal996]

Brief introduction.

I was recruited by an inLife sales guy last week. I had heard of the ecig the week before but never seen one. I was given a sample 901 and sent on my way. In my traditional manner, I started doing my home work, primarily on this site. I promptly returned the inLife 901 however, I was hooked.
I am a business man and I like the idea of the ecig. Naturally I registered a couple of domain names and formed a DBA under one of my LLCs. My goal is to find the best products on the market and run these inLife con men out of my town and make some money too while educating my customers on real vaping.
I set myself up with a supplier from this board as a retailer and today I recieved my next two ecigs to demo. I will not get into names or brands but today I recieved a Super Mini and an 801. I spent the entire day at a race track with both charged up and ready to rock. I have to say that the super mini is not getting it for me but the 801 is producing some good analog quality hits.

I spent last night reading this entire thread. I am really interested in this product. I have contacted the manufacturer and am prepared to purchase a large quantity.

Here is my relevant question... Are you guys saying that the 401/402 work better than the 801. I have read that some of you put down the 801 for the 401 but if the 401 works like my super mini I cant see it. Please compare the three directly.

Fedor,
You rock! This thread was absolutely the most informative product review I have ever read. I wish I would have gotten to it sooner but it is important to have something to compare to.

To the moderators... If you have any objection to what I am asking please let me know. Also please contact me. I have a question about forum sponsorship and what sponsors can offer to the members here.

 

[ruuku]

I'm not too sure, but I don't think there was any direct comparison between the 801 and the 401... They are simply two different beasts. It would be along the same lines as comparing a compact car with a semi truck. The 801 is known as a "pen style" well...simply because it looks like a pen. The 401 is styled after an analog cigarette. There are going to be obvious performance differences between the two, because of size. The 801 will have an atomizer coil roughly 2X the size of the 401.
Don't get me wrong, the 401 is a GREAT unit, but comparing the two side-by-side is simply unfair. It would be more proper to compare the 801 to the M201, and the 901 to the 401.

Personally, I just received a 901 about two days ago. Right now i have no complaints with it, HOWEVER there have been numerous complaints about battery life, as well as atomizer life. Like i said i only have two days of use with mine, and that is simply not long enough to decide it longevity. OTOH, I've been vaping HEAVILY (analog replacement) for 1 Month with the 401. Batteries have been consistent, and I'm still on the original atomizers (would like to disclose that I've been cycling through 3 atomizers for the past 2 weeks). Both units (401/901) have been pretty up and up with vapor production and throat hit.

I can't comment on the 801, but its a staple to the vaping community. However the M201 is simply a monster. Battery life is equivalent to my M401 throat hit and vapor production drown the 401 and 901.

 

[Vandal996]

I had read that Fedor, I believe, had put down his 801 in favor of the 402. That is why I was asking for comparos between the three.

 

[Fedor]

I had read that Fedor, I believe, had put down his 801 in favor of the 402. That is why I was asking for comparos between the three.

My dropping of the 801 is quite a long story. Let me try to keep it short.

I was an avid fan of the 801 and had bought many spares as i thought that this would be my staple ecig for a long time.

I then purchased an M402 and M201. I was blown away. I have always thought that it will be impossible for anything that tiny to satisfy my vaping needs but i was proven wrong by the M402. I subsequently ordered the M401 and i now have spares of all models from Absolutely ecigs.

The M401 and M402 is only different in terms of battery length. Everything else is pretty much the same. They share the same parts. The M201 is the best penstyle imo. However, besides having a bigger cart and slightly better thoat hit + vapor production, the M401/402 is equally impressive.

I have stopped using penstyles now because i feel that i can finally derive the same type of satisfaction from a smaller ecig. I still take the M201 out once in a while just for the heck of it and for old times sake. Also when i need an extra punch from vaping.

Hope this helps.

 

[need_2quit]

ruuku - sorry it took me awhile to answer...have a lot going on.

The good news is I am finally getting good vapor. The M402 tends to quit vaping for no reason though and it's a ..... to trouble shoot.

I swap out the battery = nope not that
Add juice = nothing
Perk up the poly with a paper clip to make sure the juice is flowing through it = nope

pull the atomizer off the battery and blow it out through the brass end a few times. Get vapor for few puffs, and it will act up again.

then for absolutely no reason, it will quit again.

I always look for it to be lit on the end when I'm vaping to make sure the battery doesn't flash (I always pull it and charge immediately when it flashes)

Today it scared the crap out of me - I thought there was a fire in the cartridge :

When I pulled it out of my mouth to check if it was lighting up on the end, the actual cart had a red glow in it. 2 bright red glows, about where the atomizer in the cart would be located.

Before that it was doing its funky, 'don't know what it wants' with the batt, juice, etc troubleshooting. Nothing lit on the end and the cart was bright red inside.

Has this happened to anyone with the M402? Is that the cleaning cycle kicking in? Their website says it cleans itself, but we know the manual is limited.

I have a bunch of stuff going on this week, but I will email them and see what's going on with this thing. This on/off crap with zero vap is really getting old. If it wasn't for the nicorette, I'd be screwed and chain smoking analogs to make for the withdrawl. I can't believe how long it took me to get vapor out of this thing to begin with... using their factory carts.

Shouldn't it work well out of the box?

I pulled that cart that glowed bright red and have it upside down draining.

the 3rd cart I bought is just plain, dead as hell. No glow on the e-cig = nothing.

At this point, I don't know what to think. I'm about ready to try another manufacturer. I'll email smoore and see what they want to do. My neighbor wants me to add a 402 kit to my next order, but I see no point in ordering anything more for this 402 with the defects. I'm even afraid to order one for her in case she gets a lemon also.

Sure sounds like a lemon, because you guys have great experiences with it.

I'll let you know what I find out when I email absolutely cigs.

THANK you to the one that recommended the ruyandirect site! I'll definitely be browsing their offerings.

appreciate all the help and tips guys

Try blowing out the atomizer, (clear any remaining fluid out of the atomizer/prevent the atomizer from flooding) then take out the inner cart and dripping on the atomizer (try 1-2 drops first then add drop by drop checking (vaping) in between drops to make sure you don't flood the atomizer). If the draw does not improve, then its most likely the atomizer.



I've never seen three flashes, but if you wait 2 min and try again does it flash? If so the battery is dead. There is still about ~20% charge left, but if you drop below 20%, the battery will be permanently damaged, thus get it to a charger. There is no cleaning cycle on any of the M series, battery flashing is only for the cutoff, and to signal a dead battery.



This COULD be the case, but for me, out of 15 batteries, 4 have problems with an early cutoff. They still work perfectly and hold a charge, but after 2-3 drags i hit the 2min cutoff. This sounds completely different from your problem. Really sounds more like an atomizer problem rather than a battery one.


It depends on if you mind flavor transferring. The only reason i totally clean my atomizers is weekly maintenance. You can just vape the remaining liquid on the wick to get rid of any excess fluid, but this might still leave residual liquid on the coil or wick.


There is no circuitry in the atomizer itself, just wires running from the contacts (threading and post) to the coil. Submerging the atomizer SHOULD not cause any problems. Any cleaning regimen is pretty much at your own risk, but members on the forum have been soaking atomizers for about 24hrs with no damage to the atomizer. That being said, I don't think that you've had enough use to really need any cleaning. The main reason for cleaning is to get rid of any gunk on the coil, built up over time . It hasn't been determined what the gunk actually is, but some speculate its carbon build up.



Its kind of disappointing that you had to resort to buying nicorette... the M402 really should have taken care of any nicotine needs. Try the above and see if it makes any difference, and keep us posted.

 

[prr2freya]

Try blowing out the atomizer, (clear any remaining fluid out of the atomizer/prevent the atomizer from flooding) then take out the inner cart and dripping on the atomizer (try 1-2 drops first then add drop by drop checking (vaping) in between drops to make sure you don't flood the atomizer). If the draw does not improve, then its most likely the atomizer.

I have had many of the same problems as need_2quit in the week I have been vaping with the m401. I LOVE this thing, but it is frustrating to get it to give off good vapor. I have also checked to make sure the wick is wet, or not to saturated.. I have blown out the atomizer and that does work for about 5 puffs. And getting rid of the inner cart and just dripping a few drops at a time between vaping seems to work the best! (I still blow out the atomizer a few sessions). My fear is the damage just dripping and vaping sans cart will do to the life of the atomizer. I am all for making them last as long as possible and still researching the best cleaning method.

I guess my question is... those who vape by just dripping(no inner cart) with the m401/2 or anyo other device; does this seem better for the unit without the stuffing?? Or is this worse for the unit? if I go to just dripping on my m401, I will be dilligent about preventing flooding and also making sure the wick is not dry (an interesting balance!)

believe it or not, there are less problems with the smokingeverywhere unit, but I think it's made for people who have no wish to tinker. The prices are terrible and the cutoff is 3 secs so I will not be buying anything from there again..

well that, and I am a tinkerer by nature and when I discovered this site i had a total geekgasm

 

[rsngfrce]

Today it scared the crap out of me - I thought there was a fire in the cartridge :

When I pulled it out of my mouth to check if it was lighting up on the end, the actual cart had a red glow in it. 2 bright red glows, about where the atomizer in the cart would be located.

Before that it was doing its funky, 'don't know what it wants' with the batt, juice, etc troubleshooting. Nothing lit on the end and the cart was bright red inside.

Has this happened to anyone with the M402? Is that the cleaning cycle kicking in? Their website says it cleans itself, but we know the manual is limited.

That is not something to be concerned about, the red glow is just the coil of the atomizer heating up. Take the cart off, hold the battery so you can see the atomizer in a mirror and then blow on the battery... you should see the atomizer coil turn bright orange. This is normal, but it should not happen by itself... the switch in these batteries have a mind of their own sometimes. (And the M401/M402 does not have a cleaning cycle).

 

[bmckenna]

Hmmm... My first guess would have been factory primer, but if the factory carts don't have the nasty "burnt" taste, then that's not it... must be the juice. My best advice is to keep vaping the same flavor, and see if there's an improvement. If this isn't an option, then you can try the various cleaning/rinsing methods. Could it be that the strong Marboro flavor of the carts is covering up the burnt taste you're getting (thus it may be factory primer after all)?

Auggg...bmckenna now has an edit button!!!
Yup, now i think im sure that its factory primer. Wait...does it kind of taste like solder? If its that taste then the atomizers dry. If it just tastes nasty overall its factory primer.

Yup, especially with strong flavors like menthol, French Pipe, ect. The best way to clear this either to vape through it (also the "safest" way), run the atomizer through a clean/rinse cycle, or "burn" the excess liquid out.
Remember to clear the atomizer out of fluid before attempting all three, this will flush most of the liquid out of the ceramic cup.

But like Fedor said the best way is to have dedicated atomizers, that way your atomizers will last longer, and flavor changes are a non issue.

the factory carts still do have a burnt taste, it's just not as bad. i'm pretty sure it's the primer, as it's getting a lot better, especially with an 8 hour alcohol soak. generally what i do to clean is take the cart apart into the two plastic pieces and the poly fill, blow out the atomizer, and soak everything in rubbing alcohol. i've found that 5 minutes or so generally does the trick...dry everything very well, blow out the atomizer, and then it's good to go with no lingering aftertatse. i just topped off my cart and the taste went away even more...think i just need to keep going. i had about a quarter or half pack of analogs on friday night, since i wasn't confident in my ability to maintain my e-cig while drinking heavily, and the first 5 tasted really nasty, even in comparison to the burnt taste of the e-cig...the rest i was too drunk to care, heh, but the whole experience with my 402 has been positive.