Ordered my first PV. A few more questions to get started

[FLGator]

Hi everyone, first I want to say thanks for all of the help you guys provide. It's really invaluable to new people like myself.

I ordered a T-Rex carto setup from Liberty Flights. I think I waited too long to get it by the weekend, but oh well. Hopefully it'll be here Tuesday. I also ordered some sampler juice packs from want2vape, Vapor Station and Honeyville Vapor (check out their sale if you haven't seen it already). I also plan on ordering from Gourmet Vapor during their sale, too.

I have found (what seems to be) a good technique for filling the cartos - just put the juice in the plastic condom and press the carto in. But I'm still curious....how do you know when the carto needs to be refilled? How do you know when its time to trash the carto? What's the best way to change juice flavors in a carto?

I've also seen references to the e-liquid being pretty toxic. Do any of you wear gloves, or are you just careful. If it gets on your hands, is there anything to do besides wash it off quickly?

Also, the T-Rex comes with a USB charger, but not a wall charger. I have a bunch of wall chargers that take a USB connection for my phones. Is this wall charger ok to use or will it hurt the battery?

Also, about e-liquid strengths. I ordered a mixture of 12-24mg, but went with mostly 18mg (like 95% of them - I hope that was ok). I'd prefer, I think, to end up using the lowest strength juice I can. Once I get used to the e-liquids in the samplers, will it be pretty evident as to what strength juice I'll want to order more of?

Thanks! I'm sure I'll have more questions later, but that's all I can think of for now. Any other comments or suggestions you have for a new vapor just getting their first setup would be much appreciated.

 

[jj2]

When I DIY I wear gloves. Since the end product is very low nic, I don't when I'm filling clearos but have gotten real good with a syringe and very rarely get any on me. It's sort of a given that when I drip, I don't.

Here's some links that might help you.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...e-cartomizers-clearomizers-what-they-how.html

 

[Stosh]

I have found (what seems to be) a good technique for filling the cartos - just put the juice in the plastic condom and press the carto in. But I'm still curious....how do you know when the carto needs to be refilled? How do you know when its time to trash the carto? What's the best way to change juice flavors in a carto?

Condom method was a little too messy for me, rather just drip it slowly in the top, or use a syringe. When the vapor or flavor drops at all, top it up. Trash is when it tastes like crap. Changing flavor, just add in a similar flavor, if the flavors are very different, use a different carto.

I've also seen references to the e-liquid being pretty toxic. Do any of you wear gloves, or are you just careful. If it gets on your hands, is there anything to do besides wash it off quickly?

At 18-24mg gloves are not necessary, the toxic references you may see mostly refer to 100mg DIY juice. Washing up and trying to be neat is still a good thing.

Also, the T-Rex comes with a USB charger, but not a wall charger. I have a bunch of wall chargers that take a USB connection for my phones. Is this wall charger ok to use or will it hurt the battery?

Any USB wall wart should be fine, using a wall wart for a PT needs more amperage.

Also, about e-liquid strengths. I ordered a mixture of 12-24mg, but went with mostly 18mg (like 95% of them - I hope that was ok).

Find the strength that allows you to beat the cig craving, worry about lowering the nic later, if at all. My failed quits prior to vaping always involved dropping the nicotine. Once the nic level dropped I was back to smoking.... YMMV

 

[swedishfish]

Sound like you did great. Don't worry about the nicotine strength when you start. You need enough to get off cigs. You can always slowly drop down in nicotine level after that point.

If you aren't completely satisfied by the ecig, there's more of a chance that you'll want to smoke. You don't want that.

 

[FLGator]

Got the T-Rex and a sample pack from want2vape in the mail today. I put about 15 drops in the carto and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Gave it a try and thought it was pretty harsh. TH was rough and the taste was kinda nasty. Not sure how to describe. I tried it another 15 times over the next hour and not sure what I think. I think I was getting some burnt taste, so I topped it off again with 5-6 more drops, just to make sure it was wet.

I guess using these (knowing how much and when to put in e-liquid) is a learning experience? Will give it another go tomorrow and see if it gets any better. I also got a little bit of a headache. I hope that subsides, too. Hopefully that's just a coincidence.

 

[swedishfish]

Got the T-Rex and a sample pack from want2vape in the mail today. I put about 15 drops in the carto and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Gave it a try and thought it was pretty harsh. TH was rough and the taste was kinda nasty. Not sure how to describe. I tried it another 15 times over the next hour and not sure what I think. I think I was getting some burnt taste, so I topped it off again with 5-6 more drops, just to make sure it was wet.

I guess using these (knowing how much and when to put in e-liquid) is a learning experience? Will give it another go tomorrow and see if it gets any better.

The cartomizer holds about a ml or a little under. I'd say close to 30 drops. Possibly you don't have enough juice in the carto. That burnt taste usually means not enough juice and the carto is burnt. You could try turning the carto over and dripping directly into the battery end. Sometimes that helps. If it still tastes burnt, I would toss it.

When flavor drops off, it's time to add a few drops. It's always better to add just in case (but not too much) so they don't burn.

You can do the condom method, or put in about 10 drops, shake like a thermometer, 5 more drops, shake, repeat until you get a couple drops from the battery end. Just dab it off and it should be OK.

What kind of juice did you get?

 

[Boodle]

Hang in there! That burnt taste you're experiencing is not ok. How to fill a cartomizer: YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Or you can drop 3-5 drops on the sides of the carto, thermometer shake and repeat. That's the easiest way I'm aware of. Leave the condom on the bottom (threaded end) if you do it this way so you don't shake juice everywhere. I have the best luck with cartos when I let them sit for a few hours after filling.

 

[Stosh]

Another learning curve is how to puff, take slow long easy drags, not like a cigarette.
That way the juice has time to wick onto the coil.

 

[MattZuke]

I ordered a T-Rex carto setup from Liberty Flights.

Delightful, I have a T-rex myself. I love the light ring and it's not .....ed about anything 3.5ohm down to 1ohm, though 1ohm was a faulty carto. Mine was 3.4v, but later units meter at 3.7.

I've also seen references to the e-liquid being pretty toxic. Do any of you wear gloves, or are you just careful. If it gets on your hands, is there anything to do besides wash it off quickly?

Half your weight in KG is considered to be lethal, so think 90mg for an adult. High fluids are 24mg/ml, and takes ~20drops/ml. Thus one drop = 1.2mg at this level, or 1.3% of lethal. Drop size is variable depending on the size of the dropper. The half life in your body is about 1hr.

I don't use gloves.

Also, the T-Rex comes with a USB charger, but not a wall charger. I have a bunch of wall chargers that take a USB connection for my phones. Is this wall charger ok to use or will it hurt the battery?

If the wall charger is rated for at least 400ma, you're groovy. 500ma is the usb spec, though some wall chargers go 1000 to 2000ma.

I'd opt for a charger with a light indicating you made contact. I find those chargers to be a tad fickle. I "think" it's because juice drips down to the battery tip, and that tip makes contact with the charger. But I think you can manage without one, I believe it goes

1) Blue ring blink
2) Charger turns red
3) Charger blinks red (trickle charge)

 

[PlagaDeRock]

I actually just got my own TRex set up in the mail this last week and had the same issue with my first carto i filled tasting burnt and not being very satisfied. Since then I've experimented filling and found a groove that seems to work better for me. I've also found a site I prefer for ejuice. However I ordered the same nic levels as you and they did not hold me over from cigs. Sadly I still smoke analogs but I do have a bottle of 36mg nic juice on the way from kickbassvapor so that will be the real test. My highest nic level juice that I actually enjoyed was 18mg and that was not enough to satisfy me. Hope that helps a little. Oh also as a side note I think by accident I took a dry puff or two off a couple of my first set of cartos looking for one i filled and put back with the rest, that was a bad idea I think it might have been the reason a couple of my cartos have burnt flavor from them.

 

[swedishfish]

I actually just got my own TRex set up in the mail this last week and had the same issue with my first carto i filled tasting burnt and not being very satisfied. Since then I've experimented filling and found a groove that seems to work better for me. I've also found a site I prefer for ejuice. However I ordered the same nic levels as you and they did not hold me over from cigs. Sadly I still smoke analogs but I do have a bottle of 36mg nic juice on the way from kickbassvapor so that will be the real test. My highest nic level juice that I actually enjoyed was 18mg and that was not enough to satisfy me. Hope that helps a little. Oh also as a side note I think by accident I took a dry puff or two off a couple of my first set of cartos looking for one i filled and put back with the rest, that was a bad idea I think it might have been the reason a couple of my cartos have burnt flavor from them.

A week isn't very long at all. Don't pressure yourself so much at first. The 36 might do the trick, even for a few weeks to get you off the cigs.

I've done that before, accidently vaped a dry carto thinking it was a full one. Try what I mentioned, add a few drops to the battery end. Even do the carto method from the battery end with a small amount of juice. See if that helps. If it still tastes burnt, definitely toss it.

 

[MattZuke]

I actually just got my own TRex set up in the mail this last week and had the same issue with my first carto i filled tasting burnt and not being very satisfied.

I remember the transitional period in Feb. Blu didn't do it for me, went with a KR808 which "kind of" did it for me, then the T-rex. I was smoking Camel Turkish Gold, which are a medium.

 

[FLGator]

Well, day 2 seems to be going a little better. I have been working to keep the carto wet and that seems to have helped. The new cartos (well, the 2 I've tried) seem to have a break in period where they get a little less harsh the more you use them. I'm not sure 18mg juice is strong enough, either, but I need more time to get used to everything.

Anyway, I'm starting to get a good amount of sampler juices, and I think I just read that an atty may be better for frequently changing juices. Is that correct? Is a 510 atty the only thing I need and it will screw into the 510 battery just like the carto's I'm using now?

 

[swedishfish]

You can test juice or drip juice with just an atomizer. You can get atomizers and cartridges. The cartridge fits on the atomizer and contains some filling. fill with some juice and place on the atomizer then on the battery. Some people prefer this but it doesn't hold as much juice as the cartomizer. Dripping or using a cart/atty is a good way to test out juice without filling a whole cartomizer.

Edit: atty gets cleaned and reused, and you can also reuse the carts. So it's a good way to test.

 

[Iffy]

Well, with me being an half azz Indian, FSU Semi-hole, you're not gonna take my advice...

But regardless, welcome aboard!