New CE3s, nothing but trouble for me

[Ritzo90]

one of mine did the same thing up until and hour ago, then I threw it in the bin

I have a theory though, the plastic is very bendable, and the mouth piece is a hard rubber, maybe its warping the plastic, allowing air in, loosing the vacuum, causing it to flow like a river.

I started a new one, and it's fine. For now anyway. But I suspect that it will leak in a fill or two.

 

[awsum140]

Usually, certainly not always, if they start leaking after being filled it's because the needle puncture no longer seals properly. When I toss one, I take it apart and save the mouthpiece tip, inner seal, air tube and outer barrel assuming that they are good, of course. That lets me replace the inner seal to try to stop leaks, and with the new ones, replace the new, short, air tube with the older, longer, one increasing their capacity back to the original amount. They mouthpiece tip needs to be shaved down to fit flush, but it works like a champ.

Just my opinion, worth what you're paying for it. Your results and mileage may vary. No warranty or guarantee is expressed or implied.

 

[SteveI]

I do the same thing... built up too many spare parts too fast.

I still like the CE3, but really like the T3's... The only imperfection is the need to close holes...
CE3's have too many inconsistencies, in addition to leaking, and premature death of coils, they are really sensitive to burning some juices.

 

[awsum140]

What kinds of liquids do you use, Steve? I'm a tobacco fan and haven't had much of a problem with burning liquids at all and the same is true of no problems with open coils. Heck I still have two going from my original order when they came out.

 

[Tramd]

Mine are fine after they're filled but eventually start to leak, then they stop, then they leak again. These new ones produce bubbles quite a bit more than the old ones. I've also noticed with the one I currently have in rotation that I'm only getting bubbles from one wick hole.

 

[Bimini Twist]

Just so I'm clear (because I know this has been addressed elsewhere on the forum) the nanos aren't having these problems, right?

Wish I'd seen this thread last year before I ordered the CE3s. I ordered 1 pack and had 4 out of 4 fail. 2 of them did fine until the half-fill point, then dumped nearly all of the juice onto the battery. I tried keeping one of them topped off, but it still leaked. The other two lasted until a second fill. I tried cleaning/dry burn, and other tricks I found on YouTube, but they were just a no-go for me.

I have had great luck with the nanos, though. The only failure I've had was my own fault. This and the fact that they're so much easier to fill and maintain has sold me on them. And the X2 T3 I got in December has been going strong with daily use and countless refills.

So at this stage in my vaping journey, it is nanos and T3s for me.

P.S. I also have an X2 clearomizer that performs just as well as it did from the start, but find that I do prefer the bottom coil gizmos.

 

[Tramd]

I'd like the nanos if they didnt have such a god awful taste that wont go away. Vapour production kind of sucks on them compared to the CE3s too

 

[Bimini Twist]

How odd. I don't have any bad taste* with my nanos & they vape up a storm on both my auto and manual batteries. I guess I'll try that last CE3 soon to see if I can taste any difference.

[Edit to add:]Although I must admit that the T3 and clearo both produce more vapor.[/Edit]

* I HAVE had a bad taste if I try to vape it dry. I've learned to refill when the juice gets close to the little holes that feed the coil.

 

[awsum140]

My experience with the Nano was so "good" I renamed it the "Ohno". I just filled ten of the new CE3s, no leaks after filling at least. I started vaping with one and the vapor output and flavor are on a par with the original version. I just wish they hadn't shortened the air tube...that blank space at the top is just wasted capacity. Next time I fill them I'll swap out the short air tubes for the old, longer, ones and get that capacity back up.

 

[Konstantine]

I was tighening the CE3 (wich was leaking as usual) on my battery when i noticed that the plastic part was turning independently from the metal part. Took some force.
So i decided to take it apart. Took the coil out, cleaned it, placed a new fiberglass wick and put it back together. Btw i also reduced the resistance wich was 3.5Ω and i reduced it to 2.9Ω. Then i placed the plastic tube back again with two component plastic epoxy and voila.

Perfect working CE3 without leaks, good resistance and full of vapor without difference in appearance as a new one.
I successfully rebuilt two of them but i'll take apart any useless one i got (not working from the start, or burning taste).

 

[awsum140]

Konstantine, I've taken more than a few apart, completely apart, but putting one back together is a trick I haven't learned just yet. How the heck are you getting the wick wires aligned properly again? That seems to be the biggest headache to me. Re-wicking them is another thing I haven't figured out yet. Maybe I'll fool with a few of my duds and get some wick material if I can get them back together again. Although, thinking about it, they are designed as a throw away. What size wick did you use?

 

[Konstantine]

Wick size?? Have no idea, i have some old wick i purchased way back from https://www.minibulldesign.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=82&idcategory=6 (stoves for mountains etc) and i use 3-4 strands of this.
You have to set the coil with small spacing between each loop(but even if you not you can get it small with tweezers). You also need fine precision tools and something to hold wicks while you work. I did it by hand anyway, advantage of working with micro electronics stuff LOL.
You also have to take care the center metal post not touching the coil. After placing it trimm the excess wick around and seal the plastic tube with a tiny amount of epoxy, this is important because it makes sure the CE3 does not leak.

Oh! And you have to be out of money.

 

[SteveI]

What kinds of liquids do you use, Steve? I'm a tobacco fan and haven't had much of a problem with burning liquids at all and the same is true of no problems with open coils. Heck I still have two going from my original order when they came out.

Sorry, missed your post until now.
I have been searching for better flavors. I've bought multiple sample packs from 5 different vendors now, about 50 in all. I've been leaning toward mellow, fruits, coffees, and sweet. Some of the vendors include, ECB, Vape dudes, TVR, and of course SI & Niquids. I can't put a finge on it, but some vendors mixes seem more sensitive to burn. I'm no too concerned though. Just one more thing.

As soon as I run low, I'm gonna give DIY a shot. At that point, I will start tracking CE3 sensitivity with the DIY flavors. Unfortunately, I really like using the CE3 to sample new juices. Purest flavor and small capacity.

BTW: all five CE3's bit the dust. They were not the original design, holdng only .9ml. I just started using 1 from most recent purchase. It seems the same. I won't be using these much until I get the DIY started. I like and use the new T3's a lot.

 

[awsum140]

Well, I may give rebuilding them a try, I'm not broke but I am so cheap I squeak sitting still, LOL. Being able to "practice" on some that are dead may give me the experience to actually resurrect them into useable CE3s once again. I really hate throwing things away.

Generally the sweeter the liquid the thicker the liquid and it tends to foul the wicks and coils faster and much more heavily. I'm kind of glad I'm happy with tobacco flavors for the most part although a lot of them contain caramel, vanilla and chocolate which does discolor and fouls the wicks a little.

 

[zipflint]

I wonder if this is still something that SI is looking into or if this is such a random QC problem that it's just going to be left alone....I kinda miss these lil' buggers. Gonna give the nanos another shot in a few weeks. But I'll probably end up back at the T3 tank. And that's fine too.

 

[awsum140]

Another comment about the new one. I filled ten of them and the first one I used tasted OK, not quite right, but OK. It was a plain, single flavor tobacco mix that I DIY. The next one was another DIY tobacco mix but much more complex with a total of five flavors in it and it tasted like crap. Now I'm going to empty the remaining eight, throw away the liquid, flush them out and refill them again. I guess there was primer in them even though they looked dry to me. Oh well, at least it was DIY liquid and not some fifty or seventy cent a milliliter commercial stuff. Another lesson learned, never assume anything!

 

[awsum140]

One more note about CE3s in general...I assumed, and you know what that does, that the air tube was a one piece assembly. In fact the thin tube is press fit into the larger base section. All things being equal, not a big deal, but if you over wiggle the air tube trying to get it out to clean the coil or adjust it to improve liquid flow, which can happen if it's really a tight fit, it can become loose. Ergo, another point that can contribute to unexplained leaks!

To summarize sources of leaks -
Cracked outer barrels (Pressure equalization lost)
Defective inner seals (Pressure equalization lost)
The wick itself becoming too porous (Loss of surface tension)
The outer barrel not sealing to the base (Pressure equalization lost)
The air tube becoming loose in its base (Pressure equalization lost)

Just my opinion, worth what you're paying for it. Your results and mileage may vary. No warranty or guarantee is expressed or implied.

 

[Tramd]

You should add another reason for leaks to your list:

Running low on juice


Every one I've used pretty much consistently begins to drop its juice around where you start to hit the wick assembly.

 

[awsum140]

You should add another reason for leaks to your list:

Running low on juice


Every one I've used pretty much consistently begins to drop its juice around where you start to hit the wick assembly.

That's a leak I don't have a reason for yet and have yet to experience myself. Once it happens to me I'll try to figure it out. I have had them lose output when the liquid gets down to the atomizer housing but I think that's because of the wicks being fouled since it disappears if the CE3 is cleaned.

 

[Tramd]

That's a leak I don't have a reason for yet and have yet to experience myself. Once it happens to me I'll try to figure it out. I have had them lose output when the liquid gets down to the atomizer housing but I think that's because of the wicks being fouled since it disappears if the CE3 is cleaned.

My best guess is it just loses pressure and begins to drip through the wicks into the air tube. If you vape through a CE3 in a day I doubt you'll ever notice it leaking. Usually takes me a week to go through a fill and almost every time it gets low on juice it will drop through the air hole. The latest revision seems to be intermittent and I've been trying to suck air through it, like the nano's, while plugging the bottom. It stops it dripping as it brings the juice back inside but its usually gooey down there.