Question about filler

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billtaichi

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I have a question about the filler in carts. I thought I saw something somewhere about a better replacement for the white filler in the plain carts but now I can't find that info. I tried a ego tank but the taste seems off when I use those, I think I can taste the plastic in the tank which is yuck. Oh so you know where I am coming from I have a basic ego battery and standard 510 atty.

Anyway for me so far the best taste seems to come from the standard atty (want to try a LR though) but the filler seems to hold flavors so I would like to just throw out the filler and replace it with something after I have used it for a while. Can anyone tell me what materials or suppliers I should check out?

:confused:
 

Mindfield

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You can also use Fluval, which is also found in the fish section. I used that with good success. It's much more porous and compresses better than the blue foam or standard filler. (This only works on the 510 though; the eGo Mega carts are too large and liquid will leak out no matter how much you compress the Fluval.)

Filler can be washed out though; soak it in either PGA, vodka or rubbing alcohol for about 5 minutes, then rinse well under tap water, squeeze, and let sit for about half an hour or until completely dry. Alcohol is very good at leeching out the liquid -- you can watch it bleed out as soon as you dunk it. The filler will wear out eventually but this method always worked very well for me. Works for the blue foam and Fluval as well.
 

Mindfield

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Thanks for the replies! Fish filters, who woulda thunk it. :)

It does sound weird, but they do work well. They're porous enough to hold enough liquid, and not so tight as to hold on to too much of it and prevent it from getting to the bridge. That said, no filler material is perfect and you'll always still have some liquid trapped at the bottom that just won't wick up to the top, but at least in the 510s these alternatives work better than than polyfill.
 

dormouse

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If they are normal 510 carts and not those bigger EGo/510 mega carts, then you can get precut blue foam stuffing cheap at strictlyejuice.com - just go there and search for foam

On a full fill, remove the foam, fill the juice cup 1/2 way (2/3 if you are daring it to leak), insert the foam tapered end first and press the foam down into the liquid (a unbent small smooth paperclip helps), reposition the foam at the top edge of the juice cup, and top off with 1-3 or more drops - whatever it needs to look just damp on top, not a puddle. While vaping, top off as needed. When topping off doesn't help, do another full fill.

Note - few people actually use atomizer and cartridges aka carts. And you cannot use them on a tank atty - won't wick right. People more often use a drip tip on an atty on a manual battery only to test juices. And use cartomizers for their favorite thinner juices. Cartomizers hold more liquid than a cart, need liquid less often, and in general provide a more consistent and troublefree vaping experience. However they have limited lives - I can usually get a week or more good use out of a Boge with thinner clearer juices (20% or less VG juices, and I avoid ones that leave a lot of flavoring sediment that clogs both cartos and attys)

Boge cartos are most popular but there are many other kinds including reservoir cartos that need a syringe to fill. I use the Boges - they can be filled with the normal dropper bottle. They come in different ohms. Slim batteries cannot use the hotter LR 2.0 ohms (may damage slim batteries). The standard resistance 2.8-3.2 ohm ohms can be used on both slim 510 and Ego. And if you can find them, the 2.5ohm can be used on both and will be warmer but use battery charge faster (not as fast as 2.0's). I use standard resistance and use them on my slim manuals and my Riva 510 (Ego clone).

You can find black standard resistance Boge 510 cartomizers at LiteCigUSA.net and Liberty-Flights.com (though they run out more often). And NiteLiteVapor sells the standard resistance ones in black, tan and white.

---
How I fill a cartomizer (Vapor4Life for KR8 or Boge 510 for 510 which are all soft-cap w/ no inner seals and defined central air channel)

I use thin (20% or less VG) liquid or Vapor4Life WOW liquids, preferably clear liquids w/ no sediment

Filling a blank carto - I pop off the soft cap (unbent paperclip carefully in the mouth hole, not catching any wires or stuffing!). I hold some tissue against the threaded end hole. I tilt the carto and slowly drip 18 drops onto the inner wall of the carto so it slides down into the stuffing while I rotate the carto. Then I wait 15 seconds or so then I drip however many more drops the stuffing wants to soak up. Then I do clean-up. If it is leaking, I clean that up. Then I tilt the open end down into the tissue and puff hard a few times into the threaded end to clear any juice out of the central air channel (I want to see light through there). If it looks too wet above the stuffing, I gently touch a bit of tissue to the stuffing (otherwise that liquid will be gurgling or spitting in my mouth). Then since this was a fresh fill of a blank, I now let it settle. I lay the carto on different sides for 15-20 minutes. Then it should be ready to vape. If you use thicker juices than me, then you may need to let it settle longer.

As I am vaping - if the vapor gets a bit light or a bit dry or tastes bit off or the carto is getting unusually warm, I will take the carto off the battery, open it, add 6-8 drops or whatever it seems to want (I will either hold a bit of tissue against the threaded end hole just in case, or skimp on how many drops I add to make sure I avoid drips if I have no tissue). I check to make sure the threaded end is dry, give it a couple of puffs into the threaded end to make sure the air channel is clear, and continue to vape.

Note - it is easy for me to "open" my main cartos for adding juice because I replace the white end cap with a plastic or delrin drip tip (I get them at LiteCigUSA.net). So I can easily pull that out with my fingers when I add juice and it keeps my lips cool if the carto is hot.
 
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billtaichi

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Wow great info here! Everyone is so helpful, nice change from the crap on a lot of forums. Dormouse thanks for that long post. I definitely want to check out some cartomizers , so far only thing I have tried is regular 510 atty and one of the ego tanks (the cone one). The ego tank will not be used much by me unless they come out with a cartridge that doesn't ruin the flavor of my vapes. But I will def try out some of the cartomizers, I like the idea of being able to put a lot of fluid in, thinking about trying one of the LR CE2 variants I have seen around, maybe instead of buying foam I will try out a couple cartomizers. Gotta have something for my Snickerdoodle cookie vape...hmmmmm
 

dormouse

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First try Boges and I recommend standard resistance to learn on - they won't singe as easily as you learn to keep them damp.

Those clear cartos - do not buy the old style - they crack and fall apart, especially the LR ones. Gotvapes has the new "Deluxe" style which is an early release (probably a beta test release) of the upcoming CE3. And remember to get a blunt syringe or filling kit for filling those!
 

Mindfield

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First try Boges and I recommend standard resistance to learn on - they won't singe as easily as you learn to keep them damp.

Those clear cartos - do not buy the old style - they crack and fall apart, especially the LR ones. Gotvapes has the new "Deluxe" style which is an early release (probably a beta test release) of the upcoming CE3. And remember to get a blunt syringe or filling kit for filling those!

Are those the Fluxomizer Deluxes you're referring to? I thought they were just the next iteration of the CE2? Well, whatever the case, each pack comes with one plastic fill needle (I presume a little fill nipple like the Sapphires) as well as a "mouthpiece" (I presume a basic plastic drip tip). I've got a bunch on order myself, hoping these will work well.
 

dormouse

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We are awaiting the CE3 aka Smokymizer (were supposed to show up a week ago at boxmods.net) that look identical to Gotvapes Deluxe Fluxomizers. They get new revs early. I know for the metal early CE2 ones one vendor got the beta version for testing and then started selling the beta. Could be the same deal - can't call them CE3 yet but that is what CE3 looks like
 

Mindfield

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We are awaiting the CE3 aka Smokymizer (were supposed to show up a week ago at boxmods.net) that look identical to Gotvapes Deluxe Fluxomizers. They get new revs early. I know for the metal early CE2 ones one vendor got the beta version for testing and then started selling the beta. Could be the same deal - can't call them CE3 yet but that is what CE3 looks like

Oh. Well, good to know then. If mine crash frequently I'll know why. :)
 

AttyPops

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I've tried em all (cart mods). Meh. Hope the fluxomizers work for you. I dislike cartos for the reasons you cited for tanks... they mess up the taste, or are a pain in general. I just said "screw it" and drip. Always works, always tastes clean (with working atty).

The sapphire looked interesting to me too. Please follow up and let us know!!!!
 

billtaichi

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Hey I tried the fluxomizers and the Sapphire Buds, I prefer the Sapphire Bud. I saw one review where they thought the taste was not good but that is not my experience at all. The bud is easy to fill, has not leaked on me after using for 3 days so far. The fluxomizers I just could not get a good taste out of even after letting it sit for a while (3 hours in one case) to let the wick do its thing. Maybe with a lot of fiddling but frankly I find the fluxomizer to be a pain. Buds are very easy, to fill and work great and I think the taste is really good. Gonna order more of them when they are in stock.
 

swedishfish

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I got good results from the Fluval foam before i switched to cartos. Cartos do limit the taste a bit, but I prefer that over all the fiddling with carts.

In the mod section, there's a mod for using carts with no foam. You take a drinking straw and cut it just slightly smaller than the cartridge. Get one of the silicone caps and cut it the size of the top of the cartridge. Make an X or a hole in the center. Place it on top of the straw. I'll see if I can find the post later. It's really easy to do and it does work. It's like a little mini tank.
 

carpedebass

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In the mod section, there's a mod for using carts with no foam. You take a drinking straw and cut it just slightly smaller than the cartridge. Get one of the silicone caps and cut it the size of the top of the cartridge. Make an X or a hole in the center. Place it on top of the straw. I'll see if I can find the post later. It's really easy to do and it does work. It's like a little mini tank.

I've seen that. Marked it as something to try for sure!
 
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