Technical issues

[k lady]

First, let me thank those "experts" that took the initiative in the beginning to create this website. If it weren't for reading the posts here for a few weeks before deciding to take the plunge, I'd have never tried vaping let alone stuck with it for this long.

That said, I confess to being really, really frustrated with the whole process at times. There are full days when I reach for my PV with hesitation - first cutting sideways, distrustful glances at it while dreading the "issues" it might present this time - before finally giving in to the need for a vape. Failing, clogged up or flooded atty? Burnt or "dirty sock" taste? Leak? A weak batt causing all of the above? And that's before taking on the inconsistencies in liquids on the market and how that affects the vaping experience as much as the hardware used to deliver it.

I read with envy posts from fellow newbies expressing how they enjoy the experimentation and delve into new mods with gusto. Yeah, I used to be like that. Now I'm one of the cranky, over 50 crowd who will admit little patience and wishes the better mousetrap had already been built. Selfishly, I just want my PV to be as reliable as that pack of stinkies I inhaled daily for over 30 years.

Having moved on from atty problems (I have mastered the one I'm using) and in the spirit of trying to be part of the solution, I joined the ranks of those in the mod section (guinea pigs, really) in their quest to find the perfect cart filler or plug. Knowing each and every person who has delved into vaping has experience with this issue, I would like to know what the experts (who use carts, please - you may need to expand beyond 4 to broaden the range, SJ) are currently doing about it. I realize dripping or dipping eliminates the problem, but for those of us that spend most of our lives at work or away from home, it's not very practical. Are there manufacturers out there that are working on this commercially? Do you know of any companies or websites that I could explore? Do any of them welcome input from individuals and/or do they read this forum? (If so, you'd think they'd pop in from time to time to leave a post, reassuring us they are working on it.)

Anyway, thanks in advance if you decide to respond.

 

[Kent C]

First, let me thank those "experts" that took the initiative in the beginning to create this website. If it weren't for reading the posts here for a few weeks before deciding to take the plunge, I'd have never tried vaping let alone stuck with it for this long.

That said, I confess to being really, really frustrated with the whole process at times. There are full days when I reach for my PV with hesitation - first cutting sideways, distrustful glances at it while dreading the "issues" it might present this time - before finally giving in to the need for a vape. Failing, clogged up or flooded atty? Burnt or "dirty sock" taste? Leak? A weak batt causing all of the above? And that's before taking on the inconsistencies in liquids on the market and how that affects the vaping experience as much as the hardware used to deliver it.

I read with envy posts from fellow newbies expressing how they enjoy the experimentation and delve into new mods with gusto. Yeah, I used to be like that. Now I'm one of the cranky, over 50 crowd who will admit little patience and wishes the better mousetrap had already been built. Selfishly, I just want my PV to be as reliable as that pack of stinkies I inhaled daily for over 30 years.

Having moved on from atty problems (I have mastered the one I'm using) and in the spirit of trying to be part of the solution, I joined the ranks of those in the mod section (guinea pigs, really) in their quest to find the perfect cart filler or plug. Knowing each and every person who has delved into vaping has experience with this issue, I would like to know what the experts (who use carts, please - you may need to expand beyond 4 to broaden the range, SJ) are currently doing about it. I realize dripping or dipping eliminates the problem, but for those of us that spend most of our lives at work or away from home, it's not very practical. Are there manufacturers out there that are working on this commercially? Do you know of any companies or websites that I could explore? Do any of them welcome input from individuals and/or do they read this forum? (If so, you'd think they'd pop in from time to time to leave a post, reassuring us they are working on it.)

Anyway, thanks in advance if you decide to respond.

Re: "let me thank those "experts" that took the initiative in the beginning to create this website."

Let me take the opportunity to clarify this with regards to me only - I don't know about the others. While I saw the original thread by SJ, I did not participate in it nor did I submit my name. I had forgotten about the idea until I got an email saying I was nominated. But I did decide to give it a try and see how it went. I think there are many here that are more informed than I am. And frankly I rely on their posts (and newbies too) for much of the info that I pass along to others. And of course I relay my own experience since that's the only thing anyone can really do.

To answer your question as to what cart mods I use. I have a few going. I originally used the original straw mod - using a Johnson & Johnson safety swab shaft as the straw - I tried the coffee stirrer with less success. I put it along the rounded part of an "0" type cart for the 510 or 901 (I mainly use the 901 on my 510) and I cut it 11/16 so it's a 1/16th from the top of the cart edge and I cut a diagonal on both ends - lesser angle on the top one and that's just to keep it off the bridge if the bridge is off center and I haven't taken the time to get a toothpick and coax it back to the center - a good idea to do, btw. And I used the oem filler.

I tried the first 'big v fold' for PTB and found that it leaked badly and that the PTB got hard and caramelized (thanks Kristin for that word) and so I abandoned it. Later, I saw this verison - 2nd video down:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/cartridge-mods/34401-ptb-plug-full-510-cart.html#post527318

And having tried a bunch of others - the single roll, the shredded roll, shredded end, shredded with a fold, etc. this 'top fold' does work for me and I have it in two ecigs now. I do the fold outwards - so the 'hole' that the bridge will go into has a smooth inside. And I do 'two folds out'. I wrap it around a J&J swab to roll it up tight to insert and then use a toothpick to form the hole where the bridge goes. It doesn't leak unless I happen to really overfill it.

What I'm using mostly as of a few weeks back is the foam plug with the original straw mod. I cut the foam 1.5 x wider and longer and about 1/4 inch deep - squeeze it to fit the top of the cart insert the straw and let the bridge push the plug into where it will be. I find that because it's oversized on width and length that there's enough 'spring' in it to hold it's place and haven't had one drop yet. But again, 2 weeks and going on those but they work well, the space under the plug except for the straw is all juice and again, this doesn't leak nor does the bridge grab the foam like it can the oem filler or fluval for that matter.

I don't use any mod for the Janty Stick 801. (I've tried the straw mod and ptb). I use the needle top squeeze bottle to fill from the bottom up to keep fresh juice flowing from bottom to top. If you just top off an 801 you can leave juice in the bottom of the giant cart to where it can get rank - esp. with tobacco flavors.

That's how I do it up to this point. Hopefully the other people will tell theirs and we all can learn.

 

[TropicalBob]

KLady, I share your frustration.

The bottom line is that our practice is a hobby at this point, barely in its infancy, cute and desirable but with plenty of flaws. Just wait until it grows up.

Was the car fully realized with Henry Ford's Model A? I bet there were lots of backyard mechanics making mods and telling friends about their discoveries. If a forum had existed, there would be threads on boosting gasoline octane for improved performance.

Evolution occurred. Some mods were adopted for assembly line production. Multiple improvements were made. And today's car is a far cry from a Model A. Evolution continues.

E-cigs today are Model A's. They require as much "futzing" as those cranky old cars that replaced the horse and buggy. But they're the future. They'll get better and better -- if the baby is allowed to grow up.

The biggest job e-smokers face is not finding "good stuff", but promoting the passage of enabling regulatory legislation that promotes harm reduction for the nation's 40-million cigarette smokers. Finding a healthier solution for those addicts would benefit every single person in the U.S.

We consider e-cigs to be reduced-risk products. Now we have to convince the world at large that that is true.