NEWB to e-smoking, I want an e-cigar but I'm overwhelmed at all the words and devices!! Someone help!

[jb0nez]

I'm getting pretty sparse amount of smoke -- is this normal? It seems like my lungs absorb a lot, if I just mouth it and let it come out it's quite a bit, if I inhale and blow out it's almost nothing.
Also with the e-power what's the correct timing of pressing the button and inhaling? I notice after about 3 seconds of holding, the button will flash 5 times then go dark. What does that mean? I'm finding I like to hold the button down, give two quick puffs, then a nice big long inhale, but by then it's often blinking or off.

 

[jb0nez]

Just an addendum: if I put an atomizer on, and drop my liquid right onto it, then put my drip tip on as a mouthpiece, I get lovely large tasty hits.
How do I do that from the cartomizer? The cartomizers are rather anemic in outpout -- even when fill so much that liquid is leaking into my mouth as I inhale.

 

[sailorman]

I'm getting pretty sparse amount of smoke -- is this normal? It seems like my lungs absorb a lot, if I just mouth it and let it come out it's quite a bit, if I inhale and blow out it's almost nothing.
It's normal to get less vapor, the longer you hold it in your lungs, but it shouldn't be "almost nothing".

Also with the e-power what's the correct timing of pressing the button and inhaling? I notice after about 3 seconds of holding, the button will flash 5 times then go dark. What does that mean? I'm finding I like to hold the button down, give two quick puffs, then a nice big long inhale, but by then it's often blinking or off.

You press the button either when, or up to a couple seconds before, you begin your draw. Your inhale should last 5-10 seconds.

juice shouldn't be getting in your mouth. Blow your carto out. It sounds flooded. Or, it could be defective, which could account for the blinking light.

The flashing thing is not normal. It's what the e-cig should be doing if the battery is about to die or if the cartomizer is shorting or too low a resistance.

Try another cartomizer. Does it flash like that with the atomizer? If it does, make sure your battery is full and that your connections are tight and dry. Swap batteries. If none of that works, you could have gotten a bad switch or something. Call Andrew and ask him how to troubleshoot it. If it's a bad switch, he can send another one.

Since it's sounds to be working with the atomizer, my first suspicion is that you have a bum cartomizer.

 

[jb0nez]

The light/switch displays the same behavior wit cartomizer or atty. I just get better hits with the fluid right on the atty. I get about same amount of a hit (meager) when using either cartidges or cartomizers. And I've loaded them cartomizers up so much it does spill into the middle and I have to blow through to clear the whole and no change.

 

[jb0nez]

I think I've got it all working! I just had to let the cartomizers saturate fully before using them, now I'm billowing big dragon like puffs of tasty cool smoke with ease.

I've used fully charged batteries and multiple cartomizers. I think the light thing on the switch is a failsafe to keep the switch from being pushed down by something. After 3 seconds of being on, it blinks 5 times then turns off. This is plenty of time for one to three draws. I can press it again at any time to turn it back on. This way I know if it's in my cigar box and get pressed against something it will turn itself off shortly. So it's my suspicion this is correct behavior for an e-power switch -- am I wrong?

 

[sailorman]

The switch should have a "5 click shutoff" so it doesn't go off in your pocket of something. Five quick presses in rapid succession should give you some blinks then it goes off. That's the failsafe. Now, if you hit the button as normal, nothing happens. If you push it 5 more times in rapid succession, it powers back on and works as normal.

Once it is powered back on, you should be able to press the button continuously for at least 10 seconds. That's the other failsafe in case you forgot to power it off and it presses against something. If it is going off after 3 seconds of a continuous button press, something is wrong. A good draw should last 5-10 seconds.

I'd call the vendor and explain this behavior. It's definitely not right. A new switch is only about $9 retail. He'll send you another one, I'm sure.

I'm glad you figured out the cartomizers though.

 

[jb0nez]

Ok, I confirmed the 5-press failsafe works. That's a nice feature. I timed it better too...I'd say when held down it stays on for 6 seconds continuously, blinks about 3 times, then stops. It's long enough for a long draw, but not as long as I'd like. Should I call the vendor?

 

[sailorman]

Most batteries with an auto cutoff, and some don't have one, have it timed from between 10-15 seconds.
It might vary by the resistance of the atty or carto. I'm not sure about that, but it might make sense if it's detecting current draw as well as just on/off time. IOW, it might stay on for 6 seconds with a 2ohm atty and 10 seconds with a 3ohm atty.

Try it with a higher resistance atty or carto. IIRC, it should blink if it's being overdischarged and 6 seconds with a normal atty shouldn't be enough to do that.

I'm just speculating here so, yeah, I'd call the vendor. Ask them if a 6 second cutoff is normal. I've never heard of one that short, even in a mini-cig auto battery.

 

[FsckCigs]

Sounds to me as if your unit has over-discharge protection circuitry which is being triggered. This is a pretty common protection in PVs, I don't know if the latest version e-power has it or not, but it's likely. To confuse the issue even more, such protection isalso implemented in protected batteries themselves so it could be kicking in on your ICRs too. When the circuit detects that the carto is drawing more power than the battery can safely handle it does the ol' blink routine and shuts down momentarily. This is a good thing, because over-discharging Li-ion batteries can damage the battery, or worse*. If the e-power routinely kick in such a circuit with resurrctors at six seconds, it means the combination is running at the edge of the either the PV's or the battery's capability, or both. This may be the case (hopefully someone who owns one and has used the ressurectors running those particular ICRs with it can comment)...it may be that "that's just how they run" (in which case you'd want to go to perhaps a 2ohm carto if you want longer draw time) but it's also possible that you have a defective switch which doesn't perform as it should (strong possibility as the e-power is supposed to be 1.25ohm-stable). Andrew should be able to tell you what's going on there. It's also possible that you happened to get a carto or even several which are a tad too low in resistance. They can vary quite a bit (especially Smoktechs, ime )..any given carto's resistance rating is actually an average, or target rating and individual units can be a bit higher or lower. I've had some which deviated a *lot* from their supposed value. Hopefully answers and a solution will soon be at hand!

Ahh, and Congrats on successfully "dripping" (wherein you directly drip juice onto the atty)! Many people feel that dripping is the best way to vape, and for a long time it was the only way I vaped (until cartos evolved into something which vaped sufficiently enough to be a viable option). I still think dripping is best personally (Ikenvape Cannons are my atty of choice) and i still do it at home when the mood strikes me, but nowadays I use cartos most of the time for convenience.




*Which reminds me...if you're new to Li-ions you might want to read up on them a bit, as they can be dangerous under some circumstances. A good overview can be found here: Lithium-ion Safety Concerns – Battery University. There are many threads here at ECF as well, which provide more PV-specific info...and also threads detailing incidents of Li-ion failures...it ain't pretty. A few brief suggestions: don't charge them unattended or while sleeping, don't leave them on the charger once they're fully charged (Li-ions cannot be trickle-charged, they will continue to accept power until they basically meltdown and burn...unfortunately some of the cheaper chargers go into a trickle mode after the batt is "full"), and consider getting a "charging bag" aka lipo sack (many vendors are starting to carry these) and using it when you charge. Actually, Li-ion best safety practices dictate monitoring their voltage with a multimeter both when discharged and when fully charged in order to detect the early warning signs (deviations from expected voltage readings) of battery and/or charger failure.

 

[jb0nez]

I lost the cone to my e-power! The black metal thing that screws onto the switch and goes around the cartomizer. Somehow I dropped it sitting at my desk while fiddling with cartomizers and the damn thing VANISHED into another dimension. I emailed Andrew and he said he doesn't sell them.. The one irreplaceable part, the one that makes it look like a cigar, disappeared on em. Anyone know a place to get them by any chance?
He did say he'd send me a new switch at least.

Tropicalvapors sells cones, but I don't know if this is an 14650 or 18650 e-power; doesn't say anywhere on CCV's page or mty receipt or the box. Anyone know?

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

http://www.hoosierecig.com/E-Power-replacement-cones_p_37.html
or
http://www.discountvapers.com/e-power-cone-black-rubberized/
Here's a vid on filling cartos. Note when pushing carto into condom of juice do it VERY SLOWLY.

I lost the cone to my e-power! The black metal thing that screws onto the switch and goes around the cartomizer. Somehow I dropped it sitting at my desk while fiddling with cartomizers and the damn thing VANISHED into another dimension. I emailed Andrew and he said he doesn't sell them.. The one irreplaceable part, the one that makes it look like a cigar, disappeared on em. Anyone know a place to get them by any chance?
He did say he'd send me a new switch at least.

 

[jb0nez]

Ah ...... I just ordered the 14650 cone from tropicalvapors, reason being the e-power kit on CCV has the replacement swtiches right next to it - and those are 14650 switches, making me think it's a 14650 e-power. The 18650 switches look a bit different. tropicalvapors sells both but doesn't really make clear the distinction.

Edit: Tom from Tropicalvapors called (I put a note in the checkout asking if this is the right cone) and told me to pull my battery out and look -- it says on the battery, 14650 How cool is that?

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Yes you do have the 14650 if you ordered from CCV. Also Hoosier sells the 14650. Here's the correct link for e-Power Cone - Black Rubberized for 14650 - DiscountVapers.com

Edit: have edited the previous post with the right link- sorry.

Ah ...... I just ordered the 14650 cone from tropicalvapors, reason being the e-power kit on CCV has the replacement swtiches right next to it - and those are 14650 switches, making me think it's a 14650 e-power. The 18650 switches look a bit different. tropicalvapors sells both but doesn't really make clear the distinction.

 

[jb0nez]

And I just found the damn cone! It had somehow moved feet across the room!
Oh well an extra cone, switch, and more cartomizers can't hurt.

I have another question, maybe I should make a separate thread -- I have to travel for two days next week. Can I take my e-power in the carryon? Since it's so large I could see them being suspicious. If it were smaller I wouldn't worry, but it's pretty big and could easily, you know, be "something else".

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Pretty well all of them don't allow vaping on the plane but have no problem if it's in your carry on. Here's a link:
Travel and E-Cig
You have to remember, in the U.S., it's NOT illegal to own/ possess a PV and/ or Ejuice.
Cheers.

And I just found the damn cone! It had somehow moved feet across the room!
Oh well an extra cone, switch, and more cartomizers can't hurt.

I have another question, maybe I should make a separate thread -- I have to travel for two days next week. Can I take my e-power in the carryon? Since it's so large I could see them being suspicious. If it were smaller I wouldn't worry, but it's pretty big and could easily, you know, be "something else".

 

[jb0nez]

Yeah that makes sense -- if I can travel with my Philips Sonicare toothbrush, why not my much smaller e-power? I have no intention to vape on the plan of course, I just have 3 flights totalling about 15 hours to get to my destination (all in the US) and would like a vape in between flights. I'll go to the smoking lounge (or do they still have those in airports?), won't vape in places where people would think I'm smoking...this e-power makes pretty big clouds of vape!

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

I'll go to the smoking lounge

"Some" airports have no problem with vaping in the building itself. You could always mix a low VG juice and stealth vape without the clouds of vapor.

 

[tfazio]

Scott has done some reviews on many devices on youtube igetcha69 - YouTube

I remember him noting you can even get e-juice that has a vapor that smells like cigar also.

Good luck, and dont be so overwhelmed, once you go throught his videos you will be in good shape. While I do not know Scott, his videos make you feel like an old time buddy of his.

Tony

 

[sailorman]

Many airports have no problem with vaping. If you want to remain discreet, use high PG juice that doesn't smell like tobacco and hold it in longer to minimize the clouds. It beats hanging out in the smoking lounge. You can probably even hang out in the airport bar, a much better atmosphere.

 

[jb0nez]

I'm having cartomizer issues...hope someone can help. The e-power came with 5 1.7 ohm "resurrector" cartomizers. I filled the first one using the included 30ml bottle of "Black and Mild" fluid using the drip technique. That cartomizer has been a CHAMP. I've refilled it at least 6 times, gone through about 3 battery charges, and it still makes voluminous smooth vapor.
The problem is with every other cart I've opened -- 3 of them now. I filled them the same way, or using the condom method, but not matter WHAT I do, they taste "burnt" when I vape. These are brand new carts, from the same box of 5 as my first one, I filled 'em the same way, made sure they were filled (looked slushy) let them rest etc but they still taste like something burning when I vape. The wierd part is, like I said, the first one I opened is still working and going great. I'm not doing anything different with these others! (I'm traveling soon so wanted to fill them and have them ready to pop in).

No, I've not yet watched all those youtube vids, haven't had a chance, perhaps my problems with be solved then. But it just seems odd that I'm doing the exact same thing and getting terrible results.

One thing to consider -- I emailed Andrew at CCV about my switch turning off at 6 seconds, he said it's not normal and is sending me a new switch. I wonder if that has anything to do with it. But still -- why would carto 1 work but 2-4 not? I'm afraid to try 5 lest I ruin it as I have some other flavors on the way (plus 5 new cartos at least).

Edit: Wanted to add, not only a slight burnt taste, but almost NO vapor from any of those cartomizers. But I pop the first one on and it's fine :/

Edit2: One more point of reference. When I use one of the 2 included atty's with the included pre-filled cartridges, it vapes just fine.