Sorry....noob question here: How do you know when the cartridge is empty?

[hon143]

I just started using the V2cig and I was wondering how do you know when the cartridge is empty. I'm still on my first cartridge and noticed just now that there's a slight burnt taste. However, there's still vapor. With the burnt taste, does that indicate that the cartridge is empty? Or, is it still good until there's zero or little vapor?

By the way, after taking the advice here with the inhalation method, my throat no longer hurts when I vape....thanks for the advice!

 

[NicLiq]

It's the burnt/dry taste. I wouldn't vape after I felt/tasted that until it's refilled or replaced.

 

[ethnobot]

Yeah it doesn't get completely empty of juice in the filler before the filling starts to dry and singe. There'll be bits of juice still in the atty too. As soon as you get any slight sngey/burny taste then fill or change the cartridge. If you vape it like that too long the filler material can get too singed and stay manky. If that happens you can either change the "stuffing" (look in the cartridge mods forum for some great alternative materials) or just chuck the cart depending on your frugality and liking for fiddling with stuff

You will begin to notice with some experience the vapour level dropping off just before you get the singing occurrence. I've learned to notice this on my systems and top-up or change before it happens

 

[Saintscruiser]

I use an empty tip and refill and refill until my heart's content! The only time I get a singy, throat burn is sometimes first thing in the morning when I reach over to the night stand and e-toke. I might have e-toked a lot in my sleep or something. So I crawl out of bed and come into the living room and refill with X amount of drops and I'm good to go back to bed. I should keep supplies by the bed. DUH!

 

[renstyle]

I too started with V2 cartos, and I ran into the exact same question. The tough part is that V2 doesn't sell liquid for the flavors they put in their carts, so if you really like a particular flavor, you have to keep buying more carts...<sigh> Took me a while to find a Congress juice that I liked (V4L has it).

The carto you are using right now is prolly done-for. Once you taste the "singe" it will always be there, even if you put more liquid in the carto.

I finally stopped buying cartos prefilled and now only buy empty ones and get the juice separate (plus I DIY stuff too). I can use a single carto (now a 510 Boge running on a Riva SE battery) for at least 2 weeks straight. The key is topping off. I fill a carto at nite, give it a few hours to soak in while I sleep, then it's ready for the day.

Take a bottle of juice with me and give it a few drops every 1-2 hours. The carto will usually clog/get hard to draw before the filler burns out (in my experience).

 

[hon143]

Is it better to use the unfilled, empty cartridges that they sell on the V2cig website? Or, is using the old prefilled cartridges okay?

 

[renstyle]

Is it better to use the unfilled, empty cartridges that they sell on the V2cig website? Or, is using the old prefilled cartridges okay?

It is always better to use new empty carts when compared to refilling the prefilled ones. Refilling the prefilleds WILL work (I got thru my first month that way), but other than the menthol cartos could never find a juice from another vendor that matched as well as the original flavor.

When I first started, I had little money (blew over $100 on the V2 and accessories). So I started small, getting a few cheap juices here and there (watch the "Deals and Steals" thread in the PIF section, good coupon codes there daily).

Used those juices to keep my V2 cartos going until they were all hozed (happened sooner than I would have liked, because in my quest to "use" all of the stock juice in the cartos, most of them singed).

In the meantime I was saving my can money (5 cent deposit in Iowa still) for some empty cartos and the Riva SE kit I needed for the battery life (was quite happy with this purchase). Got 10 Boge cartos at the same time, all empty, and started filling those with my first bit of liquids.

To your specific question about the empty V2 cartos, they should be fairly similar to other KR808 cartos (more or less). Many swear by the 808 cartos at V4L, some really love the Bloog. I personally like Boge cartos, since you can get a range of resistance (2.0, 2.5, 2.8, and 3.0 for certain). The Riva I picked up has a 510 connection, rather than the 808 threads on the V2, that's why I went with 510 cartos.

Boge does make 808 cartos, but usually only the 2.8/3.0 models can be used on the 280mAh batteries that come with the V2 (current draw too strong on the lower rez cartos, another reason a fat batt like a Riva/Ego is handy).

The $8.95 for empty V2 cartos isn't really a bad price (shipping is a bit high though), so sticking with these should be fine, plus it will keep your battery warranty current (if that is important to you).

Last time I picked up some juice on a super sale, had 5mL bottle samplers for $0.98 each in the Deals thread. A few vendors will give you free shipping after just $15-$20. You can do all of this and still periodically buy some cartos from V2, ah the joys of flexibility!

 

[Rosa]

It depends on your vaping goals, really. Ideally, you'll top off your carto as soon as the flavor drops off (assuming you use a freshly charged battery, you'll notice this pretty easily).

Lately, I've been very lazy and very busy so I'm using all pre-filled cartos ATM. I usually use mine until I can't stand the flavor any more, but one thing I've noticed is that the carto will lose it's flavor (still the same flavor, mind you, just weakened) but if I change to a fresh battery I will experience a burned taste on the new battery (! the carto burned and on the weakened battery I didn't even notice!).. also, there will often be a much, much greater output of visible vapor when the carto is just about empty.

So if you plan to top off your cartos, you should do so at the first sign on any drop off in flavor or you'll burn the filler. If you don't plan to top off your cartos, but throw them out as they are used, then change your batteries more often.

 

[Rottwyler]

It depends on your vaping goals, really. Ideally, you'll top off your carto as soon as the flavor drops off (assuming you use a freshly charged battery, you'll notice this pretty easily).

Lately, I've been very lazy and very busy so I'm using all pre-filled cartos ATM. I usually use mine until I can't stand the flavor any more, but one thing I've noticed is that the carto will lose it's flavor (still the same flavor, mind you, just weakened) but if I change to a fresh battery I will experience a burned taste on the new battery (! the carto burned and on the weakened battery I didn't even notice!).. also, there will often be a much, much greater output of visible vapor when the carto is just about empty.

So if you plan to top off your cartos, you should do so at the first sign on any drop off in flavor or you'll burn the filler. If you don't plan to top off your cartos, but throw them out as they are used, then change your batteries more often.

Great advice. Thanks !!

 

[dormouse]

V2 does not use cartridges. It uses cartomizers. I never want a cartomizer to be empty. Empty = the way to singe and ruin a carto. I keep my cartos damp. When the vapor gets light or a bit dry or the carto starts getting too warm, I take the carto off the battery, add a bit of liquid, clean it up well, make sure it is not going to drip, and continue to vape.

You probably have auto batteries so you would have to be super careful not to get drips - drips can easily damage or kill auto batteries. It's harder to kill manuals with a carto leak. You can get KR808D-1 manuals as low as $10 (LiteCigUSA.net)

 

[MDethCKR]

Good thing to think about. Thanks for the tip!

I went through 10 regular carts on my 808, now have been using CE2s. So far used only 5. But I typically seem to have 4-5 flavors at a time, so I don't typically have an 'all-day' vape.