I've been dying to get clearos since I started reading this forum, but just as I'm about to hit that dreaded "complete purchase" button, I find another post telling me not to bother with them for myriad reasons. They break. They leak. They clog. They destroy auto batteries. They're too hard to refill and clean. Etc. etc. etc.
I love the idea of clearomizers, but am not sure I want to turn my house into a chemistry lab every 3 days refilling and dismantling fragile plastic tubes.
Your thoughts and hate mail are appreciated.
Here is my take on the CE2.
I love it for some flavors/liquids! Nothing else on the planet vapes like them.
Flavor is usually superb with these, but throat hit can be a little weaker than other carto/atty types (highly flavor and nic content dependent of course). They are very good on battery life, as it only takes short puffs to get mounds of vape out of one. They are moderately efficient on juice consumption in that very little is wasted, and it doesn't burn through it super fast...about the same as dripping on a similar resistance 510 atty I'd guess.
I love the metal ones myself if dealing with the latest revisions (Rev 5, 6, or later will have fat wicks, cut back black-seal/jacket, and thicker sleeves on the clearos) and use them right out of the box with zero modding. They last forever with much abuse. They are best suited for people who like a very open airy draw and prefer 'short/quick/hot' puffs no longer than 4 seconds all the way into the lungs right off the battery. If you like longer/slower draws with lots of nose and mouth stuff going on in your draw style, go for the cooler (higher resistance) CE2 as some folks report the LR ones get too hot for them and scorch the flavor when chain vaping with longer draws. If you like the short hot puffs, go for the lowest resistance you can find. Definately use your own drip tip on these....the little plugs that come with it are ok, but I think a nice open drip tip is less prone to gurgling. A good habit to remove gurgling with any carto type, is to let the button off a second or two before your drag is done...that sucks out all the vape so it doesn't condensate in the carto and lead to gurgling.
Note, the folks that tend to 'hate' the way a CE2 vapes and claim they taste like 'burnt tires' try to chain vape them at high voltages well in excess of 5v (Really high temperatures) and the wicks just can't keep up. This is not a problem for most folks...and definitely not an issue for stock eGo/Riva batteries.
Clearos...you'll get a few days out of them without problems, so they are not a rip off or anything; however, they can make a mess when they decide to crack/break. You can mod them with your own sleeves (cut down BD 3ml syringes) Not nearly as pocket friendly as the metal ones. Never put a highly acidic liquid in a clearo...I.E. Tasty Vapor Atomic Cinnamon...it'll eat that clear plastic to bits. The plus side is they do come apart and go back together really easily for cleaning or modding them.
All CE2 variants out of the box require a needle tip syringe or bottle to fill. Fast and no mess, but be aware it takes a tool. In terms of time and motion studies...you can fill a handfull of these with a syringe or needle tip bottle faster and easier than any other carto except maybe the Vortex/G4/G5. Many people just can't get past the stigma of needing a tool of any type.
Ages ago I would get the clear ones and go through a ritual of taking them apart to change flavors or try to make them last forever. More recently I've discovered a neat trick. I get the metal ones (or a Giantomizer for some flavors)...and every few days I'll just drip a few drops of Atomic Cinnamon @ 100% PG right on the coils and give it several long burns without drawing air through it. Finally I just shoot a bit of water over the coils with my syringe and it washes the gunk right off!!! I don't even have to empty the tanks to do this. That TV AC flavor has alot of frolic acid in it, and is great at breaking the build up off of atomizer coils/wicks
It didn't take me long to realize these are so inexpensive to operate, that I just use one for a single flavor till it dies or I stop using that flavor...which ever comes first...chunk it, and break out a new one.
The things only cost pennies per day to operate...
Honestly...vaping gear is alot like food. Not everyone likes the same stuff cooked the same way. The only way to know is to try things. While people who hate the CE2 TRULY HATE them...there are tens of thousands of folks who find them to be their preferred vape. Do check out the swap and PIF threads if you'd like to try new things without breaking the bank
Got a box of something you didn't like much? Swap the unused portions for portions of something else to try out
