Question about the life of a refillable carto

[SharonW]

I've only been vaping for about 3 months now and recently tried Vapor4Life's premium refillable cartos. Wow, was I blown away by the difference from standard refillables. In any case, the thrill is almost gone. Most of them are just not putting out the same vapor and kick anymore. Could it be that they've reached their end? I bought one pack in January and the other in mid February. I had one that stopped working today completely when I was only half way through the liquid. One minute it was vaping perfectly and the next...nothing at all.

I'm just trying to get a handle on how often I'll need to order new ones.

 

[StormFinch]

The one that quit working is probably burned out so definitely chunk it.

Cartomizers are technically disposable and really only meant for one use. However, we have all used them multiple times, which as you've seen works pretty well. You can try to wash them out and resurrect them that way, there are several methods listed across the forums. Just make sure you dry them completely in the oven on a low setting, as water standing in cartos is a breeding ground for bacteria, as apposed to nicotine and PG. As time has gone on, I personally have given up on cleaning them and just use them until the vapor and flavor production drops off. Cleaning cartos can be time consuming and I do well to get the things I have to do done! If you want to do it this way, keep several packs on hand and split that in half. When the first batch starts dying on you, break out the second batch and then re-order the amount you just tossed.

 

[AmyB66]

I love using cartomizers, easy to use and no fuddling required!
I use a 510 type, using the same liquid and using the carto regularly instead of leaving it sit, I get two weeks of good vaping, week three, the taste seems to change. I will admit, I've gone four weeks easy on the same carto, though I do try to just toss and replace around 2-3 weeks.
I push the limits, two weeks is probably a good rule of thumb and just clean your drip tip on occassion. Every now and then I do get a bad carto, I just toss it. If you have troubles with them on a regular basis, try a different vendor.

My trick for longevity: I fill the carto up good thru the top, I throw away the little white stopper and use a drip tip, I top it off very much like those who drip with attys do, I never counted the inhales, sometimes I add a drop or two after a half dozen hits, lately I've been going a bit longer, I am guessing about 12 strong hits but adding about five-six drops. Note, this varies depending on what type of battery you use, I use 6V so you could easily double that if you are using a lower voltage battery.

Basically the very second you feel it getting just a fuzz dry, add some juice-just drip it in thru the tip. When I first started doing this I always overfilled and had to remove and blow out the excess into a paper towel, use a bit more juice but one eventually gets it down to a science.
If I let a used carto sit and kind of dry out for days at a time they just don't seem to last as long.

The type/flavor of liquid you use will definitely come into play, some just don't seem to taste so great after about a week while others seem to be pretty consistant for weeks on end. I know I push the limits with these but for me, it works.

Also, figure a carto cost you 1.40-1.75 so even if you go a week, that is still pretty cheap compared to a daily cup of coffee or worse, a pack of cigs!

 

[Papa Lazarou]

With a Boge type carto I find I can get about 4-5 days of continuous use (which would be at a guess, 20 or so partial refills). Obviously much longer if the usage is not as heavy. That's about the amount of time I prefer to use them for. If they haven't burned out then they can be used for longer but it gets to a point of diminishing returns, the filler can start to clog and the taste and vapour production tails off. At the price I'm pretty happy with that.