Smoktech DCTank Questions

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Hello friends. I just received the Smoktech Pyrex DCTank from MyVaporStore. The thing looks very well built and I am happy with what I am seeing so far. I have not filled it up yet as I am receiving more juice in two days and figured I'd just keep on with my Nova for now so I'm not swapping out flavors after a very small trial run. So that said, I have not used the Smoktech.

My concern comes from the o-rings. When I received the tank, the carto included with the tank was backwards. The cartomizer has a flanged end, and the Smoktech tank has a recessed flange on the one side, so logic suggests that's where it goes. To my surprise, the o-rings were very tight as I pulled out the carto - a good sign. When I flipped the carto around and pushed it in, suddenly the o-ring against the carto felt quite a bit looser. It could very well be more than enough to seal in the liquid, but it was certainly tighter than when it was flipped around the other way (aka the incorrect way). With it installed 'correctly', the loose feeling end is indeed at the bottom, which is an element of concern of mine.

Since these Smoktech's have permanently attached end caps, the big question comes up for future maintenance - how do I replace the o-rings? Well, it doesn't appear as if I can. So, sure, the permanently attached setup sounds logical, but in this case I would think it could work against you in terms of long term maintenance. Unless, somehow, I can dig out the o-rings and buy replacements and shove them into place? I guess that might not be out of the realm of possibility, but at any rate, my curiosity of this topic brought me here. What do you guys think?

As a sidelined question, I'm curious about something else. I am not well versed in the world of cartomizer tanks. I caught onto the Smoktech DCTank because it was pyrex and had a good price point. As a result, I am curious in alternative tanks out there that might be highly recommended by you guys. What other cartomizer tanks out there exist that you have used personally with good results? Due to my above curiosity, I am also wondering if you could include some additional info in any suggestions you have, namely if the o-rings are replaceable or if you've had any leaking issues.

But hey, at the end of the day the likelihood of this gizmo being perfectly fine is very high. It just got me wondering and I wanted to ask instead of wonder about it.

Thanks for any and all insight!

 

[Baditude]

I've used the very original Smoktech DCT's with the polycarbonate and also the polypropylene tubes. I've not used the new pyrex versions, so I can't help you with your questions concerning yours.

My favorite tanks recently are the pyrex . High quality for a reasonable price point ($25 -30 for complete tank kit depending upon the size of the tank). I have 12 of these tanks; 5 22mm diameter and 7 19mm diameter. I did a review of these tanks in my blog: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/3318-3-ibtanked-pyrex-glass-tanks-review.html

I made a cartotank setup guide in the blog, too: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/3710-5-cartomizer-tank-setup.html

If you need a list of online vendors that sell pre-punched cartomizers, I have a data base here: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...nched-single-coil-cartomizers-cartotanks.html

This should help you get started. Good luck with your tanks.

 

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The Pyrex tanks that you like, which brand are they?

 

[cocacola31173]

Best thing is to get you a refilling tool like the "Slap Your Mama" It helps to protect the orings when you put the carto in the tank.

 

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A syringe would do that trick, no? I just picked up a syringe kit with the tank. Glad I didn't let those two bucks scare me off. Figured I'd use it at some point.

 

[Baditude]

The Pyrex tanks that you like, which brand are they?

I guess I forgot to give the name. They are in the link of the tank review I listed above: IBTanked - Get Tanked With Us!

I also strongly recommend the Slap Yo Moma tank accessory tool by Big Daddy Vapor. Indispensible for any cartotank owner.

 

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Thanks for your reply. I heavily considered these IBTanked tanks, but I forget why I didn't pursue them further. I see they have replacement o-rings available, which is downright awesome. I might order one just for the sake of ordering it and having it available. The more I tinker with this Smoktech, the more I think I'll have an issue with it. I have yet to fill it up, but I can hear metal on metal scraping with the bottom o-ring, almost as if the o-ring is recessed in too far to actually make rubber contact with the carto. This, of course, is quite a large concern... Especially given the fact that you cannot replace the o-rings. Derp derp.

The only confusion I have remaining is in regard to what cartomizers to use. I assume these gizmos use the regular 510 boge/whatever cartos that you would use in any other standard tank, no? All it specified was it uses the larger of the two common cartos. I assumed that meant tank cartos versus the cigalike cartos, but I wasn't 100% sure.

I called the local vape shop to get some insight. For 15 bucks they have the original Smoktech. The original Smoktech has removable caps and o-rings, which makes far, FAR more sense than their current version that I got which has permanently attached caps. Why that makes sense, I have no idea. Sure it might be less inclined to leak, at first, but once the o-rings wear out you're literally out of luck and have to just get a new tank. Beautiful.

But anyway, the local vape shop has the original Smoktech. It's not a glass tank, which is pretty okay given the fact that I stick with tamer liquids to begin with, but having glass/pyrex would be a nice future proof bonus. Likewise, the original Smoktech did not have recessed carto mounts to it, meaning it's just a flat base and... that's it... so the carto could spin around. Not something that excites meh, but eh.

I guess my options are to order the IBTanked and wait on shipping (joy) or wander on up to the vape shop to get the original Smoktech tank. Hmm...

EDIT - I know this will come across as a 180, but part of me wants to give the Protank another try. Here's why... I have the Protank, but I was getting consistently bad heads. It enraged me so much I gave up on the Protank. Each head, burnt taste. No matter what. Pull a new head out of the pack, wash thoroughly, let dry overnight, next day saturate the wicks in the bottom plate with liquid, fill tank, stand Protank upright for a day, next morning fire up a vape - BAD, bad bad bad taste. Tried it with 4 heads. No thanks.

Then... I was talking to the local vape shop. The guy there said he uses bottom coil clearomizers almost all of the time now-a-days, with the Protank being his favorite. I asked him about the issues I ran into, and he said Kanger ran into a problem with their heads and the mineral oil they were using, so it was causing a lot of problems for some users similar to what I described. The ironic part? I ordered a 5 pack of Protank heads after I heard the 'new' Protank head (which now doubles as an EVOD head) was slightly altered. They came in today with the SmokTECH DCTank. Hmm... That + his comments about the mineral oil fix = my curiosity has been rejuvenated. I think I'll fire up the Protank tonight. I'm pretty confident the DCTank will be a leaker, largely due to the fact the carto and the tank have metal-on-metal contact when I spin the carto... as if the o-ring isn't there... permanently attached end caps on a device that could benefit from servicing the o-rings is an epic, epic fail.

Anyway, more to come I'm sure. This Protank could strike out terribly or win me over indefinitely. Dum dum dummmmmmm....

EDIT II - I fired up the Protank this evening. Granted, it's only been a few minutes (20 or so) but so far, this thing is working like a dream. I would even go as far to say that the new heads seem slightly less airy. Of course it's still a bit more airy than the Nova, but I don't feel as though there is much of a gap as before. I did the same thing as before in terms of setting the tank up, filling it, saturating the wicks on the head, etc, except this time instead of waiting for a day for it to fully soak, I gave it a matter of 2-3 minutes (of course I applied a few drops of liquid directly to the wicks, but, I did that before too...) That said, it seems better, which almost negates the reason why I wanted to go carto tank in the first place. Another -1 to the carto tank is when I screwed it onto the Vamo and had a draw (empty), there was very little air flow. Unscrew it 1-2 turns, it works better, but it's super wobbly. It's becoming clear to me just how much thought went into the Nova and Protank in terms of device compatibility...

 

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Ignore my Protank rant. I gave it a shot this evening but the flavor just seems off and the airy draw is wearing on me. I'm not sure I'll be revisiting the Protank anymore. It's almost like that crazy ex that everybody has had in their life that just keeps coming back in your life for whatever strange reason.

Anyway, back on topic. So I'm currently using the SmokTECH DCTank (pyrex) and it seems to be pretty okay. I do have some elevated concerns regarding the o-rings and their longevity. After all, if the o-rings wear out (this tank has permanently attached end caps), what am I to do? Replace the tank? No thanks.

As a result, new question (or old?) is on the table. Besides the SmokTECH DCTank, what other tanks out there exist that fit these exact parameters.

- 3.5-6ML
- Clear (or window to see liquid level)
- Removable end caps OR removable o-rings
- Flanged end for carto is a tremendous bonus
- Glass/Pyrex is a bonus, but not needed

IBTanked is on the radar, but before I pull the trigger, I want to make sure I know what's out there. Suggestions? Perhaps I should just pick up a generic clear 510 tank and be done with it?

EDIT AGAIN - Meh. I ordered the IBTanked 22mm. Should be a solid choice me thinks.