It's amazing how much misinformation is out there concerning cartos. What most people view as "burnt poly-fill" is just a staining of the polyfill from their juices.
Starting a daunting first time task: Cleaning of Carto's
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It's amazing how much misinformation is out there concerning cartos. What most people view as "burnt poly-fill" is just a staining of the polyfill from their juices.
I'm talking about charring and singed holes. The cool carts can last awhile, but not the wows. A passthru will murder them. A heating coil in direct contact with polyfill is going to burn, it's just a matter of time.
I've had better luck with my wow cartos than the 5 refills you've mentioned, but I do have to admit that my cool carts do have a much better life-span. With topping off and being careful not to vape them too empty, I do still think you'd be surprised how long you can stretch both types though.
Use wow cartos pretty much exclusively Cryx (?), haven't burned one in 4 months. Use them on my batts, 5v pt, and other devices with higher output.
If you get a chance sometime with a dead carto, take the polyfill out, wash it, then take a flame to it. You'll notice that it doesn't char, it melts.
But, if you hold it about a foot above a match that you just lit, you'll notice it turns darker. The reason for that is because of the impurities from the match is staining it, but not burning it. The "char" will just be soot deposits, not burn marks.
Juice doesn't completely vaporize away. There are some things left behind in the process, and this is what darkens your polyfill. If you use clear CE2 or tanks, you'll notice that the juice in there also becomes darker the more you use it. This is because of the same reason, leftovers.
But, if you hold it about a foot above a match that you just lit, you'll notice it turns darker. The reason for that is because of the impurities from the match is staining it, but not burning it. The "char" will just be soot deposits, not burn marks.
Juice doesn't completely vaporize away. There are some things left behind in the process, and this is what darkens your polyfill. If you use clear CE2 or tanks, you'll notice that the juice in there also becomes darker the more you use it. This is because of the same reason, leftovers.
i refill alot or drip ,i carto last me forever and i have never vaped to the point of " burning " if I lose the slightest taste ,i know its time to drip or refill ! They last me forever ,whether blanks or refilled .
Agreed... I stop using the carto as soon as I lose the flavor... Just lastnight at work in a 12 hour period with maybe 2 or 3 puffs an hour "whenever I had time to stealth a drag" I went through two cartos... when I get home I immediately fill to saturation which isn't much liquid at all... and let them sit for when I leave
Could you please send me a cutting from your money-tree, so I can plant one in my yard, too?
Could you please send me a cutting from your money-tree, so I can plant one in my yard, too?
Have to say though, I throw my Wow carts out when they start getting hot or just look suspect. I'm still saving way more than when I used prefills exclusively.
After over 2 months of Vaping I have 3 Cartos that I am going to throw away! One of them is still good, but I messed up the groove of the center post by using to small of a screw driver while I was playing with the adjustments of the carto (my fault...not the Cartos ).
The other two cartos are wasted. They don't vape good, they have a definite Burnt taste, even after 3 good cleanings... boiling and then the Vodka Cleaning in an ultra-sonic cleaner. I might add that they are my 3 original cartos that have been used daily ever since I started; so they deserve a decent burial!
GPR
One of them is still good, but I messed up the groove of the center post by using to small of a screw driver while I was playing with the adjustments of the carto (my fault...not the Cartos ).The other two cartos are wasted. They don't vape good, they have a definite Burnt taste, even after 3 good cleanings... boiling and then the Vodka Cleaning in an ultra-sonic cleaner. I might add that they are my 3 original cartos that have been used daily ever since I started; so they deserve a decent burial!
GPR
We are gathered here today to say goodbye to GPR sir's loyal cartos. In their lives they brought great joy, wondrous amounts of vapor, and an always delicious taste. They go into the great beyond knowing that they had a long life filled of unbridled happiness. May it always be said, in strength they burned...
Maybe they changed the construction. I haven't dissected one since the beginning of the year, so I forget if it had a fabric-like wrapping around the center or I'm remembering a different carto (tried so many...), but I distinctly remembering it being burned up when I unwrapped it. I often take 10s+ drags so that is probably part of the problem.
I buy everything, sans cartos, from V4L so I wish they'd come out with a CE2v4-like carto (but NOT plastic!!). I've gotten well over 200+ refills out of many of them. I buy more when I lose them or pop the coil during a dry burn. I think the recent variations are to make them break faster since a vendor can't make as much $$$ off a durable carto...
I buy everything, sans cartos, from V4L so I wish they'd come out with a CE2v4-like carto (but NOT plastic!!). I've gotten well over 200+ refills out of many of them. I buy more when I lose them or pop the coil during a dry burn. I think the recent variations are to make them break faster since a vendor can't make as much $$$ off a durable carto...
i just tore two apart and there is a Woven like fiber wrap around the element and straw..... Then the non woven material around that.....
One of them is still good, but I messed up the groove of the center post by using to small of a screw driver while I was playing with the adjustments of the carto (my fault...not the Cartos
I've never understood how turning the Carto post adjusts the airflow. Not saying it doesn't, as many have reported that it works for them....just don't understand how or why it does. Nor have I ever found anybody that could explain why or how it achieves this. I have attempted this on countless occasions experimenting with cartos without any notable results.
Here is a dissected Carto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeBwmVejNkk (3:40 mark)
When you look at the carto base it has an Air/Wick Tube, so if you turn the post, you in essence turn the air wick tube...which does what exactly? It doesn't enlarge the circumference of the tube nor does it decrease it, it only turns it. If I take a piece of pipe and simply turn it....what changed to allow it either carry more volume or decrease the amount of volume it carries?
The Carto base is a pressed fitting so turning the post neither lifts it nor does it lower it.
Again, if folks say it works....I believe them...I just don't understand how and haven't had any of their shared results.
Sorry for your loss GPR, I feel the same way everytime I break off a leader
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Back in the day when kr808d-1 cartos were new to the scene, there was a lot of problems with cartos not being built with very good quality control. Because of this, the center post would sometimes be recessed further back into the carto and when people screwed them on their battery, it completely covered the air holes and the draw was almost non-existent. Back then, information was being spread around saying that the air channel slit was actually for a flathead screwdriver to 'adjust' the height of the center post by loosening or tightening by turning it. People thought that by turning it counter-clockwise, it would pull the center post closer to the battery, and thus the electrical connection could be made without the carto screwing flush onto the battery and covering the airholes.
The information was of course proved wrong once people started taking their cartos apart, but because nobody goes back and fixes all the incorrect information, there are still some references of it here and there in older posts & blogs and spread by word of mouth.
One possible reason that turning the post might be effective for some is if the wire to the post is crossing over the air hole. I wouldn't expect it to impede airflow that much, but who knows.
Another way to improve airflow is to check the tape on the battery. On older batteries that developed a stiff draw, the tape had often expanded (ie. became unstuck) from the battery. I would replace the tape or put a dab of hot glue on the soldered connection it is intended to protect.
Another way to improve airflow is to check the tape on the battery. On older batteries that developed a stiff draw, the tape had often expanded (ie. became unstuck) from the battery. I would replace the tape or put a dab of hot glue on the soldered connection it is intended to protect.
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