Noob carto questions.

[MrLyle]

I've been using attys exclusively ever since I started vaping about 2 months ago. I just got a variable voltage device and I'm planning on buying a tank mod for it in the future. For now though, I'm gonna use cartos. I picked up a 5 pack of Kanger cartos. I just had a few questions since I've never used cartos before.

How many drops actually go into these cartos? How do you know when you put in enough? I don't wanna end up flooding the thing.

How do you know when it's time to refill? I mean, I realize this varies from person to person depending on usage, but I know that if you take a hit once the thing is dry, it's all over. But how do you know when it's about to go dry? Is there a change in taste or do you look inside, or just count the hits? This one is important, because while I don't mind refilling a couple of times a day, I don't intend on using something if I'll have to go around refilling it every 15 minutes.

How long do one of these things last before you have to throw it out and use a new one? I've heard people say anywhere from 5 days to 2 or 3 weeks. What exactly happens? Do they stop working or is it just a matter of them starting to taste bad?

I think that's about it. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Stormiefury]

I have no idea. I have a tank sitting here ready and waiting for my new provari. I have a silver bullet and I've been going through a carto a day. I think it's because my juice is too thick or it's not the ohm for a 6v, either way it's too expensive to keep paying for all these cartos. I put some water in it like someone suggested but now the flavor is kinda odd. I found a place called dragonfly and they seem to have some pretty reasonable tanks with cartos that go with it. Going to pick up a few and try them out. Then I'm going to see about getting my juice thinned out. Good luck with your new device.

Keep on Vaping!!!
Stormie

 

[spicyed]

Well it depends on the size of the carto you are using. The standard ones fit about 1ml of juice or about 20-25 drops. I am a bit paranoid about burning my carto's so I end up filling them up when they are about half full. You can tell they are getting low because yes you do lose some flavor. I tend to take a peek inside every 2-3 hours and if the filling on top is white I fill it up again until the top has that wet slushie look to it.

As for how long they last, if they burn out you will not get a good hit from them. If you burn the filler by hitting it dry it will taste bad. If you take good care of them, making sure they are topped off and don't overdo it on the voltage for your carto they should last at least 2 weeks but anything could happen. It's always good to have backups.

 

[mamabearcoffey]

Does vapor production drop as the liquid is used, maybe? And if the cart goes dry it's toast? Hmm. Good info to have.

 

[Stormiefury]

Yeah and burnt carto is very nasty in your mouf LOL.

 

[spicyed]

Really once you're using them you will get a feel for how much you use it. I'd say fill it up and use it for a couple hours and then refill it counting the drops. Then you can base your usage on that.

 

[Traver]

Really once you're using them you will get a feel for how much you use it. I'd say fill it up and use it for a couple hours and then refill it counting the drops. Then you can base your usage on that.

That's the way it is. It takes some experience to tell when to refill expect to burn at least a few cartos before you get it right. Any time it does't taste right to you refill. Eventually you will get the hang of it.
As for how long they last, well it depends on what kind of carto it is. Darker juices tend to gum up the coil quicker than lighter juices. If you refill before it goes dry it also last longer.

I have stainless steel ce2s that I have been using for over a year without doing anything to them, but that is with very clear juice. I bought ten more in july and I am still using them. I usually lose them before they wear out. With Kanger cartos I was lucky to get a week out of one, Usually it was a day to a few days. But that was a year ago and they may be better now. If they don't work for you try some bloog cartos. I haven't tried them but people I trust rave about them. If you try the ce2 whether stainless or the clear plastic plastic types be aware that they have their own problems and it's a learning experience.

 

[Huffelpuff]

I don't measure the drops that I put into my carto rather I just look to see that it looks like a slushy on top - no bubbles but good and saturated. I use a syringe to fill now and will occasionally drip on top to top them off.

Highly recommend that you look at some of the videos on the condom method for filling cartos and using the taryn spin. This method worked better for me than dripping before I bought a syringe.

Anyway, welcome to the ECF!! Pleasure to have you here.

 

[swedishfish]

That's the way it is. It takes some experience to tell when to refill expect to burn at least a few cartos before you get it right. Any time it does't taste right to you refill. Eventually you will get the hang of it.
As for how long they last, well it depends on what kind of carto it is. Darker juices tend to gum up the coil quicker than lighter juices. If you refill before it goes dry it also last longer.

I have stainless steel ce2s that I have been using for over a year without doing anything to them, but that is with very clear juice. I bought ten more in july and I am still using them. I usually lose them before they wear out. With Kanger cartos I was lucky to get a week out of one, Usually it was a day to a few days. But that was a year ago and they may be better now. If they don't work for you try some booge cartos. I haven't tried them but people I trust rave about them. If you try the ce2 whether stainless or the clear plastic plastic types be aware that they have their own problems and it's a learning experience.

If you don't like to top off carto's, ce2's are the way to go. A wouldn't recommend them for a new person though. But all you have to do is rinse them out.

Depending on your juice- dark/light, pg/vg ratio, cartomizers can last a few days to a week or two. But they are disposable. They aren't manufactured to last forever. But they only cost around $1.30 each, so it's about 20 cents a day if they last a week.

If you don't want to top off, have a few cartos filled and change them out. They seem to last longer (to me) if you aren't hitting and refilling the same carto over and over.

 

[dormouse]

When you buy the cartos it should say what their capacity is. Standard size cartos like Boge (about 9.2mm diameter and about 1.25 to 1.5 inches long) are generally 1 ml. Attached is how I fill standard size cartos. Any extremely large cartos may need a combination of methods (like syringe or carto condom push to fill bottom then drip to fill top). And NOTE - with variable voltage you should be very careful about setting the voltage any higher than 2.2 more than the ohms of the carto (which would be very hot). So you could take a 2ohm carto up to 4.2v, a 3 ohm carto up to 5.2 etc. And you have to keep them damp. (suggestions at the end of my instructions)

---
How I fill V4L/Bloog/Volt KR8 cartos and Boge 510 cartos

With the carto off the battery... Pop out the soft cap with an unbent paperclip in the mouth hole, very careful not to catch stuffing or the wire loop.
Shake and open the eliquid

Fill
Hold a bit of tissue on the threaded end hole (or use a carto condom spike to block hole), tilt the carto, and add 18 drops per ml of capacity into the stuffing (Boges and most KR8 cartos are about 1ml).
Wait 15 seconds or so then see how many more drops the carto stuffing will soak in easily.

Cleanup
Clean up the threaded end, tilt open end down into tissue, puff into threaded end to clear air channel (Boges and the KR8 cartos I use have a defined center air channel and I want to see light through that) While the carto is still open end down, touch a soft bunch of tissue to the top of the stuffing to get the loose juice - this will help prevent leaks.

Settle (first fill only)
Cap and let it settle - I lay it on different sides for 15-20 minutes to make sure every bit of stuffing gets damp so I won't singe the carto. if you use thicker juice than me (I use 20% Vg or less) then you may need to wait much longer.

While vaping
While vaping, if the vapor gets a bit light or a bit dry or the carto is getting hotter than normal, I take the carto off the battery and add eliquid. Also, I use such light sediment-free juices, I can look at the stuffing and see if it needs juice because the stuffing goes back to near-white.

I often use a plastic or delrin drip tip as a mouthpiece on Boge and KR8 cartos (not to drip into since the juice would head for the central air channel). Easy to pop out to add juice.

 

[Traver]

If you don't like to top off carto's, ce2's are the way to go. A wouldn't recommend them for a new person though. But all you have to do is rinse them out.

swedishfish, I don't usually recommend ce2s to beginners either. On the other hand they can be a really inexpensive way to vape for people who don't have much money. Because once you get the hang of filling and using them they do last a really long time and are just about as good as dripping. So I usually do mention them but with a caveat of one sort or another.

If I am not mistaken Kanger was the first or at least one of the first to use cartomizers. Originally they came pre filled and were meant to be thrown away after one use. Of course vapors seeing no reason to throw them away after one use immediately began demanding longer lasting and easier to fill cartomizers.

A correction - In my last post I said booge instead go bloog

 

[hairball]

How many drops actually go into these cartos?

About 30ish drops.

How do you know when you put in enough?

It will look slushy on top.

How do you know when it's time to refill?

The vapor and/or flavor will drop off. Once you detect either, stop using and refill.

How long do one of these things last before you have to throw it out and use a new one?

I've had some Boge cartomizers last me for 2 months. Mostly about a week or 2 is average. It really depends on the juice you're using.

Do they stop working or is it just a matter of them starting to taste bad?

Some will die while others start to get a hard draw. Think of sucking a milkshake threw a straw.

 

[MrLyle]

I wanted to thank everyone for the replies. This thread has been really helpful. Since I'm starting with the Kangers before getting a tank, it was important to get some answers so I don't screw them up due to misuse.

I'm pretty sure they test at around 2.2ohm and I was planning on vaping at anywhere between 4.2 and 4.5 volts. I'm pretty sure the math works out. Either way, I realize that it'll suck the juice faster than normal 3.7 so I'll make sure to top it off accordingly.

Btw, Smoktech is coming out with replacement cartos for their tanks. 2.0ohm and 2.5ohm pre-punched cartos. The original tanks come with 1.5ohm which is too LR for variable voltage. Anyone has any experience with these? They sound great and the price is right, I haven't heard anyone complain. Like I said, I've been using attys so I hardly have any experience with cartos. If anyone's got personal experience with Smoktech's cartos, feel free to share. And again, thank you all so much for the replies.

 

[hairball]

Heads up on the Kangers. If you don't like them, don't reject using cartomizers because there are all kinds out there to use and not all taste the same. I didn't like the Kangers but mine metered at 1.7ohms. The flavor was completely different than the Boge which is the normal cartomizers I use. Also, there have been many complaints of burnt tastes coming from the Kangers. Hopefully, you won't encounter this.

As for Smoktech, the dual coil cartomizers are good at any voltage. I generally vape at 5-6V and they really produce nice warm flavorful vapor. As for the different ohms that I've tried, you won't go wrong using them. Hint: They're better than Kanger by a mile IMO.

 

[Balthezar]

I got clear smoktech dual coils for my first cartos, and they gave me feel for when they were low. I could look at them and know when they were low, and judge the taste/vapor/draw from that. I just got some black ones, so now no more plastic, but they did help me to learn when to refill before they burned out. Just my

Balth