New Owner Of 510 And Having Some Problems With It. Please Help!!!

[Roses]

you can also try one trick to improve throat hit, if you have manual batts... before you actually inhale, burn the atomizer (with cart etc, just like when you're normally using it) for 2 or 3 seconds, then start your inhale... it bypasses the need for a priming puff. Also, do a mouth inhale, and don't pull the smoke into your throat until your mouth is full.

 

[KreeL]

It is also possible that the atty is in fact burning the cart.....Also I hotbox my atty like I would the old swisher sweets holding the button for a straight 12-15 seconds while I take several drags at a time..... I am noticing that every one has become saddle shaped and the edges are wrinkly and distorted along the flat sides. I must have burned every single one

Case in point.

 

[rsngfrce]

A point of concern: The burning plastic taste that I was extremely fearful of, as it really made a bad impression on me, DID disappear after I took the steps that I mentioned above. BUT, sure enough, after 10 or so hits, that nasty taste appeared again. Here's the weird thing though, by adjusting a couple of variables, I was able to make that taste go away again, at least for a brief period of time. Those variables were: taking the cart out of the atty, and then simply twisting it and putting it back into the atty WITHOUT dripping any additional juice.

I've been following your problems and what you are describing now seems different than you were describing before. There can be bad-tasting atomizers, I have experienced this with an M401 atomizer...

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ssues/8135-bad-taste-pilot-m401-atomizer.html

However it seems very unlikely you would have the same problem with five 510 atomizers. Do you know what primer tastes like? It usually takes a while for a new atomizer to loose that taste.

What you are describing now sounds to me like you are letting your cart get too dry. When the atomizer gets dry and gets hot, you WILL get a burning taste. I believe you should be able to get more than 2-3 drops into the cart (depending on how moist it is). If the liquid starts to pool up at the top of the cart, try moving the stuffing to the side a bit with a paperclip to let the fluid move down and then add more fluid. The 510 DOES USE LIQUID FAST! However, you should certainly be able to get more than 10 hits before needing to refill unless you are holding the button far too long?

 

[ditc]

thanks rsngfrce,, i am away from my 510 at the moment, but when i get home, i will try what you suggested,. i would also add that i have now only spent a good amount of time with 1 of my 5 atomizers,,, i have yet to try atomizers 2-5 for an extended period of time. what you say sounds like it makes sense,,, bad taste = dry cart, need to refill... have no idea what primer tastes like, but if it tastes like burnt plastic, then that's what i'm tasting,,, lastly,,, how many drops are you able to get into a cart for the 510? and consequently, how many hits on average are you able to take before you have to refill, or taste the burnt taste? thanks!

 

[rsngfrce]

thanks rsngfrce,, i am away from my 510 at the moment, but when i get home, i will try what you suggested,. i would also add that i have now only spent a good amount of time with 1 of my 5 atomizers,,, i have yet to try atomizers 2-5 for an extended period of time. what you say sounds like it makes sense,,, bad taste = dry cart, need to refill... have no idea what primer tastes like, but if it tastes like burnt plastic, then that's what i'm tasting,,, lastly,,, how many drops are you able to get into a cart for the 510? and consequently, how many hits on average are you able to take before you have to refill, or taste the burnt taste? thanks!

Well, primer to me tastes somewhat like Pina Colada flavored e-liquid, but that's probably just me 8-o! It is a bad taste that atomizers have when they are new that goes away after a certain period of usage. I tend to think that is not what you are describing now.

If you want to test what I consider to be a dry, burnt taste, blow out your atomizer from the battery side onto a tissue until no more juice comes out. When you now use it, it will taste bad because the wick is dry, until the wick becomes juiced up again, which you can accelerate by dropping 2-3 drops onto the metal wick bridge which should clear it up pretty quickly.

A dry 510 cart can take at least 11-12 drops of liquid. How many hits are possible before refilling is hard to say and strangely seems to vary... sometimes I seem to need to add some drops much sooner than other times. Basically, I just do it whenever I start to get a bit of a burnt taste to the liquid (though as I said, it should be considerably more than 10 hits unless you are holding the button down too long). I would say that when you find that the burnt taste comes back, pull off the cart and look at the top of the stuffing... if it is relatively white and dry looking, then it is certainly time to add some drops.

As I referenced regarding my bad-tasting M401 atomizer, I could put a lot of liquid on it which would cover up the burnt taste for a few hits but then the burnt taste would return and nothing I tried could fix this atomizer which was quite new... this sort of thing is certainly possible with an atomizer, but seems to be very rare.

 

[KreeL]

The 510 manual does not have a cutoff. That being said, if anyone holds the button down for extended periods of time, they are asking for burnt plastic taste. Whether they are burning the filler, the juice, or like one bizarre instance, the cart itself, it stands to reason that abusing the instrument is not a good thing.

 

[ditc]

I'm getting better with this thing. While I am still not as warmed up to it as my other PV of a different model, I am starting to like it better. I am indeed getting a throat hit, and I do apologize if the other thread I started seemed to be a little bit alarming. To anyone out there thinking of holding off on purchasing a 510, please do not hesitate due to my initial posting. There was a lot for me to learn going into it that I did not know, and I posted prematurely. Thanks to this great group, especially KreeL, who straightened me out a bit , I am getting the knowledge I need and improving upon my experience to date with the 510. I will keep you updated as I am sure I still have a LOT to learn,, and I want to try and experiment more with the coffee straw method,, sounds like a much more efficient use of the cart....

 

[Surf Monkey]

Yeah, the throat hit with the 510 seems to be a slightly acquired skill. Once you get the method though, it produces a very consistent and pleasant throat hit. I also like the fact that the atomizer makes pretty hot vapor, making the experience feel a lot more like traditional smoking. Gobs of vapor too once the atomizer is broken in.

 

[ditc]

Surf Monkey, that is actually one thing I still have not noticed,,, I don't notice the vapor actually feeling hot or warm when it goes into my mouth or lungs,,, not a big deal, but just an observation,, i have noticed that with the KR808D-1, but then again, the hole in the mouthpiece on that one is like 3 or 4 times the size of the 510's,,,, would it be safe and/or effective to make the mouthpiece hole on the 510 a bit bigger using some sort of tool? or is that a bad idea?

 

[KreeL]

Check out the cart mod section here:

Cartridge Mods - e-cigarette-forum.com • The place for electronic cigarette reviews, news and chat

It's been done with mixed success, but if you have enough spare carts go for it, and let us know how it was for you.

 

[Speedikeys]

To anyone out there thinking of holding off on purchasing a 510, please do not hesitate due to my initial posting...

Ditc, I was considering ordering the 510 and then decided to wait for a couple reasons...

First, to see how/if your situation resolved itself, and it seems to be getting better for you so that's good.

And also to see if lots of other people started chiming in with problems they've been having with the 510. Sometimes when something is popular, like the 510, nobody wants to admit that they're having problems with it until one person does, and then everybody comes out of the woodwork. But that didn't happen.

I followed both your threads on this subject, and I think I WILL go ahead and order a 510. I've been back on 100% analogs for two days now because I'm not satisfied with my current PV so I'll have to start all over again.

It's not that I expect to have zero problems or no learning curve, it's just that I'm having pretty much the same problems with my current PV that you were having with the 510 so I figured why spend more money to get more of the same (no throat hit, no vapor, little taste).

I tried the straw mod on my M402 and didn't notice any difference...still no throat hit....still very tiny amount of dry wispy vapor ....still very little flavor. I've had it for over three weeks so I'm fairly sure my attys are broken in.

I'm gonna try "the poking a small hole in the cart with a pin" mod today and if that doesn't help, then I'll be ordering the 510 and buying some VG to add for better vapor production, just in case, since big warm vapor is my #1, throat hit #2, battery life #3.

I hope your experience with the 510 continues to keep getting better.

 

[need_2quit]

Things I have noticed about the 510 as far as throat hit.

Because it is a great performer, if you DIY your liquid and want more throat hit:

use less VG than you would on other PV's that don't produce as much vapor. Don't need VG for vapor with the 510. It's a vapor machine on it's own.

If you get the cart too soaked, you can lose some throat hit. Don't be overanxious to keep topped up all the time. When it dries out a bit, the vapor is the perfect dry for me. I use the factory filled carts as my guideline, as those are perfect =the cart filler is stuffed to the brim, nice and moist but not pooling, and the atomizer makes a nice little pouch in the filler where it rests.

The factory packed carts are very efficient at drawing the fluid into the atomizer. If the little pouch is missing, it's time to pull the filler and either rework it back into shape and top off, or put it aside and get another cart.

When you get any hint of burnt, it's too dry. I only noticed that the first 48 hours. Now the atomizer is sufficiently moist and I haven't noticed the the dry burn flavor.

I drain my atty every night according to the manuf instructions, by wrapping it in a piece of bounty paper towel so it stays upright/upside down in a small juice glass.

For me, I was continually adding VG to the 401 carts to get some vapor. On the 510, PG is actually better. Good throat hit, great vapor.

....Unless you have a PG allergy and VG is what you're used to.

those are my observations. lovin this 510.

 

[ditc]

Speedikeys, I would say go ahead and order it. A lot of my problems in the beginning were due to me being impatient. I was only used to the 2 piece model, which was literally just twist and go. The 510 DEF requires more maintenance, more attention, and more care. You will find that it gives back in performance what you put into it. I have been very impressed with the 510 WHEN I can get it to perform the right way (which has NOT been consistent yet, but I fully believe that a big part of that is my fault). I certainly get throat hit now, a lot more vapor than my DPV9, but not as much taste from the liquids as I do with my DPV9. If vapor is one of your concerns you will NOT be let down w/ the 510,, it gives off thick clouds of vapor. I am on the go a lot,, and for me, a 2 piece model is less of a headache because i don't have to worry about refilling/dripping all of the time,, but when sitting on my couch watching tv, with my liquid bottle next to me, the 510 is a champ, I still have not completely gotten rid of the burning taste, but this now only appears when the atty is completely dry, which, as soon as I get a hint of that taste, drip some more liquid right on the atty.... let me know what you think!

 

[testerjtester]

I still have not completely gotten rid of the burning taste, but this now only appears when the atty is completely dry, which, as soon as I get a hint of that taste, drip some more liquid right on the atty....

This has been exactly my experience as well - if a given atomizer gets too hot and gives off that horrible burning taste, keep it moist and it should be fine, but if it is allowed to dry out for any reason, it will do it again... but eventually it should go away more or less completely. If you keep your atomizers moist, this should normally never happen - if you did, and it does, I'd call it defective and get it replaced. But this is something that is easy for a new 510 user to do if unaware of the consequences... I know I did, to at least 4 atomizers, all of which eventually recovered.

Looks like as good a place as any to start my novel... I think I shall call it "The 510 Dry Atomizer Manifesto"...

I've found that the normal burnt taste that means it's time to refill or top off is actually very mild compared to the horrible burning plastic/chemical/electircal taste that scalds your throat and lungs means the atomizer has dried out and overheated to the point that it's burning the white wick material under the mesh bridge. With only a little experience, that taste is unmistakable (orders of magnitude worse than a normal "need to top off" taste), and you can easily tell the difference between normal and not.

Just to reiterate (as I'll probably do a lot here) - a mild burning taste is normal when your cartridge is starting to run dry, but a horrible, scalding, chemical fume taste means the atomizer has been allowed to run completely dry and is probably starting to consume itself.

The theory I'm operating under (pieced together from personal experience and numerous forum posts) is that the metal atomizer mesh draws the liquid up out of the cart and passes it to the white inner wick, which holds more liquid than the mesh and passes it to the coil, which of course consumes the lilquid to produce vapor. I'm going to come right out and say that there is a flaw in the 510 (gasp!) in that, when the inner wick dries out and the coil heats up, the inner wick burns, causing the unmistakable electrical/chemical fire taste and smell. Eventually the dried-out part of the wick will burn off completely, or it will soak up enough liquid to stop burning, or something happens at any rate that makes it less likely to happen with a given atomizer. The inner wick should be made from a material that could never burn from the heat of the coil, and this is why I consider it a design flaw. But with a little care, the problem can usually be avoided - I say "usually" because it's possible that a manufacturing deviation could cause the same symptoms.

With the factory cart filler, when it gets too hot/dry for too long, the filler material gets hard and the fibers sort of fuse together. Once it's to that point, you'll find yourself topping off more frequently because the liquid in the cart isn't wicking up to the atomizer, it's just getting whatever is pooled on top of the filler, so it's more like dripping than using a cartridge. The mesh bridge no longer makes a pocket in the filler, it just pushes it deeper into the cartridge, so you get whatever liquid the mesh picked up as it was pushing the filler in, and what very little it can get from its very little contact with the filler. When liquid no longer reaches the coil, it burns the wick instead.

Once the cartridge is in that condition, it's done - get a new one, or restuff/refill it. And once the atomizer is in that condition, as previously mentioned it could take a long time to stop that awful taste from happening every time it gets a little dry.

To sum up:

• First faint burnt taste = don't panic, but it's time to top off, refill, or change cartridges
• Second/third faint burnt taste = no seriously, you really need to top off/refill/replace your cartridge right now, or you're going to regret it
• Horrible electrical fire taste that sears the inside of your lungs and throat with burning chemical fumes = now you've gone and done it, and you're going to pay for it. Probably for days.

If you're careful never to let the atomizer overheat (through topping off the carts, restuffing them with better filler material, not holding the button down too long, etc.), you may never experience the horrible chemical fire with a given atomizer.

Tim

 

[KreeL]

speedikeys...regretfully some people aren't cut out for vaping. Some will never learn that inhaling through a device isn't anything like inhaling through a cigarette. Some will never learn not to hold the cute button in for 12 seconds. Some will never learn how to realize when the cart needs topped up. Like every other product in existance, some people will never learn to follow the directions. This is just life, and unfortunately some people suck at it.

Get a 510, follow the instructions, and don't try to abuse it. It's quite simple, really. Thousands of people are already smart enough to use it and know it's the best out of the box for the money. ditc is learning. He's a bit slow, but if he can get it (and eventually he will because he is trying)- there's hope for you.

 

[mjones]

testerjtester is dead on the money about the wicks, and the fibers wearing out. I tend to overhaul the fuzz in the cart, which I shouldn't hehe. I going to Small Mart tomorrow and pick up some other items and will deff grab a bag of fuzz while I'm there.

 

[KreeL]

I build new carts every other day. Keeping them fresh cuts out half the complaints of bad tasting juices. I just keep reusing the same little straw, clean the cart, replace the fiber (it's the exact same stuff that comes from the factory), pull it out, trim it off to leave the air pocket, insert the straw, and voila! Awesome vaping.

Oh, and I never throw anything away. Keep the old cart fibers in a cup and later extract the left over juice with a syringe.

I am a vaping mad scientist. For real.

 

[Shadowdr]

...regretfully some people aren't cut out for vaping. Some will never learn not to hold the cute button in for 12 seconds. Some will never learn how to realize when the cart needs topped up. Like every other product in existance, some people will never learn to follow the directions. This is just life, and unfortunately some people suck at it.

Kind of a bold statement considering the majority of people don't follow the directions. There is nothing in the directions about holding the cute little button for 12 seconds while inhaling or how to realize when the cart needs topped up. I also doubt that most people wait three minutes after 3-5 drags. I don't see how not following Chinese directions could mean that anyone sucks at life, after all this aint rocket science.

 

[Speedikeys]

Well, I ordered my 510 and it should be here today (or tomorrow, but I'm sitting at the window watching for the USPS truck with my fingers crossed!)

I got 2 manual batts, 1 auto batt, 3 attys, extra carts, and some juice.

I have to admit I'm sooooo nervous about the manual batteries (that's why I ordered the auto one, just in case ). You just don't understand how mechanically inclined I AM NOT!

I keep reading everything that's been written about the 510 and I should have waited until I had the damned thing in my hands, because it's all greek to me at this point, having never seen the 510 carts, attys, etc., so I'll have to re-read everything (or bother you nice folks...yeah, that's more likely what I'll do so I'll apologize now in advance! )

So, I'm nervous about the manual battery, and I'm worried that really the problems I've been having with this 402 are my fault and that I'll have the same experience with the 510 because, obviously, I'm an idiot and here's why...

I haven't been getting much flavor or vapor off the 402 (new carts, charged batts, loads of flavored juices, DRipping, DIpping, etc). So last night I load it up with orange flavored liquid and give it to one of my sons and say, "Try this and tell me what flavor is in here," thinking he won't be able to tell me because I taste nothing...zip...nada...

He hits it, gets this HUGE plume of vapor and says, "Something citrus-y, lemon maybe...orange, I think." I about fall off the couch. My husband takes it, puffs it...again, huge vapor and says, "Yeah, it's orange." I'm dumbfounded. How did they do that??

For half an hour, they both try to "teach" me how to puff on this thing to produce that vapor, and I can't do it. Knowing me, neither were surprised.


So, if I can manage the 510 manual batteries without starting a fire and get a throat hit and taste the flavor and get loads of vapor, a miracle will have happened.

As far as I know, it's been a few centuries since the last miracle, but like any good believer, I have hope. I'll keep you posted.

 

[KreeL]

You'll get the hang of it. Vaping is really different from smoking an analog. Once you get over that hurdle, the rest will be easy. Just take it slow and easy. I recommend watching Terraphon's new 510 video. If you can vape like him, you'll be a pro in no time.