To Carto or not to Carto that is the question...

[suspectK]

At least get a syringe. If/when you get lazy, don't have a tool of some sort, and are filling your tank in a dark area, you're going to push that cartomizer up, and it is going to be filled to the brim with liquid. If you didn't have to empty out the tank, it wouldn't be such a long ordeal. Just keep your syringe with you if you're dealing with your tanks..

 

[u4ia]

A minority prefer dual coil carts. The majority prefer single coil. Dual coils were a good idea on paper which didn't work out to be practical in real life. There's a story behind this, but I won't go into it here.

Please do

You guys are awesome in here, a wealth of information.

 

[belsenj]

I use both cartos (tank) and I build my own coils. In a pinch and in a hurry, I always have my trusty cartos. They work good, are reliable and are quick to refill and use. When I want a more flavorful vape and I'm not in a hurry (like at home), I use my RBA.

Use both...

 

[ItTechy]

Bass,

I have used cartos forever, tried clearo', and they do not heat up as much as the metal DC cartos.

Yes there is quality and there is cheapo'. The Boge and Joye are some of the best cartos out there if you are going to use a carto.

Tanks:

I have cartomizer tanks and most are polycarbonate which can disintegrate with certain juices, like Cinamons and others. There is also the MAJOR issue of refilling.

With a carto tank you have to remove one or the other ends on most or remove the carto, now this being said, it is virtually impossible not to eventually nick the O ring...now there are guide tips available now, but you still have a sharp edge that is going across the O ring, so they eventually leak despite your care.

I for the leaking reason have about 6 tanks in a bag as trophys so to speak of past vaping ventures, I may even have one , perhaps two unused tanks!

It seems that one hole or two, the size are a personal preference thingy...

Personally I have fallen in love with the Kanger ProTank II' BCC tanks.

I still use a carto now again, but because I vape so much, and use flavors like Red Hots, and Coke, the glass tanks are the key!

I have two tanks, one clear , one Blue, and I will probably get a Red one next..they are awesome!

They don't leak, even at angles, fill easy and give great flavor and vapor; they are available (the BCC) in varied resistance for your vaping pleasure.

IMHO one cannot beat the ProTank II'

I even have a Z-Atty Pro 2.1 which is a RBA, but that's a different animal completely...

Vape on!

 

[ItTechy]

If you buy quality DC cartos like Boge or Joye they are great, but you have to look for places that sell them.

The DC cartos get hotter quicker and are longer to accommodate the extra coil, so good ones hold more juice!

You also need to have a mod that will properly power a DC carto.

Either way, you get what you pay for.

If you have a BF like a Reo you can get a high tech HH.357 atty built by hand in the good ole' USA for about $25.00 a piece!

They outperform any of the Chinese imports, but now we are talking regular atty.

My worth.

Please do

You guys are awesome in here, a wealth of information.

Originally Posted by Baditude
A minority prefer dual coil carts. The majority prefer single coil. Dual coils were a good idea on paper which didn't work out to be practical in real life. There's a story behind this, but I won't go into it here.

BTW: Bad on your post here

 

[Baditude]

With a carto tank you have to remove one or the other ends on most or remove the carto, now this being said, it is virtually impossible not to eventually nick the O ring...now there are guide tips available now, but you still have a sharp edge that is going across the O ring, so they eventually leak despite your care.

You practiced very poor cartotank technique. No wonder your tanks leaked.

There is never a reason to remove the a tank's endcaps. In fact, doing so to fill the tank likely will flood the carto when you replace the endcap due to the sudden increased pressure in the tank. This causes cartos to leak. Proper technique is to pull the carto half way out of the tank with a tank tool on top of the carto (keeps juice from getting into the air hole).

Tank tools like the Slap Yo Moma removes the risk of the sharp edge of the carto as it passes over the o-rings.

I'm not gloating, but in 1.5 years, using a variety of tanks totalling at least 25 in count, I've never had a leaking tank because I use the proper tools to protect my o-rings and I use sound cartotank setup techniques.

 

[suspectK]

I'm not gloating, but in 1.5 years, using a variety of tanks totalling at least 25 in count, I've never had a leaking tank because I use the proper tools to protect my o-rings and I use sound cartotank setup techniques.

I'll toot your horn for you..."toot, toot." I kid. I kid.

 

[Baditude]

A minority prefer dual coil carts. The majority prefer single coil. Dual coils were a good idea on paper which didn't work out to be practical in real life. There's a story behind this, but I won't go into it here.

Please do

Vaporescence came out with the first commercially available cartotank, called the Liquinator Tank. This tank used a standard size carto, and quality was poor. These tanks were very slippery on the carto. But at that time that was all that was available, unless you made your own, which many people were doing with cutdown medical syringes.

Soon after, Smoktech came out with their DCT tank (Dual Coil Tank). These tanks were an improvement in quality to the Liquinator Tank because Smoktech added a flange onto the carto to keep the tank from sliding on the carto (at least in one direction). In addition, Smoktech had just come out with the first dual coil cartomizers and included one in each new tank that they sold. These tanks and cartos were of the XL length, and offered increased liquid capacity over the Liquinator and standard length cartos. A rather great marketing idea by Smoktech.

Many who purchased this tank assumed that only Smoktech's dual coils carts would work with this tank because of the flange on the carto. To this day, many people assume that you can't put an XL single coil carto in a Dual Coil Tank, or that these tanks require a carto that has a flange - nothing could be further from the truth. Smoktech has sold a lot of dual coil cartos for this reason.

DCT became synonamous with any XL length carto tank. Pretty similar to how Bandaids are to adhesive bandages, Q-Tips are to cotton tip applicators, and Kleenex to facial tissue. Even other manufacturers would specify their tanks as a variety of DCT tanks.

 

[u4ia]

...

Thanks, I find your posts quite interesting.

 

[xan13x]

As someone who went with cartos prior to clearos... I'd recommend skipping cartos and move straight to RBAs lol. There are a plethora of tank style RBAs now, and some are fairly cheap.

I mostly vape higher VG juice, and can get a week out of a carto, assuming it isn't doa. With plenty of available prewound coils with wicks available, for about the price of a carto, there's really not a great reason to use cartos anymore. Especially if you haven't already invested in lots of tanks and such.

The only reason I use cartos anymore is because I like to have like 5 flavors available at once, have like 20 cartos left to go through, and I haven't built up enough tank style RBAs to replace my carto tanks yet.

Sent with Tapytaptap or some such...

 

[xan13x]

Also, if clearos rate, say, a 5/10 on flavor, cartos are maybe a 6/10 and RBAs 9-10/10 depending on build quality.

Sent with Tapytaptap or some such...

 

[vjdossey]

Paging Baditude!! Paging Baditude!!

Cartos take a little trial and error before you get them down. No where NEAR as insane as far as research goes like rebuildables. But once you get it down, the flavor and the vapor production and the consistency of the hit are phenomenal.

My favorite tanks are the cheap, piddly, affordable polypropylene Smok DCT tanks. I have a few glass Smok tanks, but I dislike the aluminium shell and you almost HAVE to have a Slap Yo Mama or Tank Refilling Drip Tip Tool with those (but even so, if you're dabbling into carto tanks, a tank refilling tool is one of the best investments you could possibly make). I have an IBTanked on the way. Pumped. But those piddly cheap ones will suffice. I have almost twenty of them, both the slim and the fat versions.

Most "dct cartos" will come with either a single or double-hole, laser punched. The holes are small. I prefer the single hole. I've found that they are just fine with any pg/vg ratio up to 50/50. Anything over that, I suggest either two holes or punching a second hole yourself. There are many tools out there that will do this for you. All are relatively cheap. NOTE: The more holes, the likelier it is to "flood". Especially if you're using low-vg juice (a popular example would be MBV -- they automatically do 80/20 pg/vg unless you select otherwise, and it WILL flood a carto with more than one hole. 60/40 pg/vg is a pretty good ratio as far as "flavor" and "vapor production" goes.)

I prefer single coil. If you're using a fixed battery (one that only fires at 3.7 volts -- i.e., anything NOT variable voltage) you might want to choose single coil. Dual coils will allow you to up the voltage on your VV device, but it will most definitely drain your battery faster and could possibly consume more of your juice than you're used to. Otherwise, there aren't many other differences between the two.

There is a difference in carto brands. Boge and Ikenvapes seem to have a much more tightly-wrapped polyfill than, say, Smoktech cartos. The tighter the wrap, the more difficult it is to use with thicker juices, such as Boba's Bounty, which is 100% vg. I've found Smok cartos have a "looser" polyfill wrap than Boge and Ikenvape. They allow quicker and more thorough saturation with thick, viscous juices. But choosing a brand of cartos is PURELY preferential. No one can definitively say, "[X] brand is superior to [Y] brand" as far as cartos go.

Yes, 199% carto over clearo. You can chain vape a carto like a mad man, and if it's submerged in a tank, the hit will be consistent almost 100% of the time. I can vape faster than clearo wicks can wick, and this leads to many burnt or dry hits. I'm over those. No longer have the patience for most of them. I ditched clearos the moment I figured out carto tanks (however, the new iClear series of clearos has changed my opinion on clearomizers).

The biggest issue you will encounter will be properly priming the carto first. There are all sorts of ways to prime a carto, but the easiest and least hassle free (to me) is the drip/flick method. Hold the carto at an angle and drip about ten to fifteen drops into the polyfill, avoiding the center hole, and rotating the carto N E S W with each drop. DON'T rush the process. Give each drop a second or two to soak in. When it starts to pool up a little bit, flick it hard like a thermometer. I mean HARD. Then continue dripping ten to fifteen drops. Flick hard. When you finally see juice come out of the little hole on the side of the carto (if it is a flanged replacement carto with a hole), then the carto is sufficiently primed.

If you encounter flooding, there is a way to fix this. Take the carto completely out of the tank (if the tank is full with juice, pour the juice out of the tank and back into the bottle.) Take the flooded carto, cover the hole with your finger, stick the connector end into a paper towel, and BLOW through the top of the carto. This will force out excess juice. Hold the carto up to a light like a telescope. If you can see clearly through the air-channel, it's not flooded anymore. If you hold it up to a light like a telescope and the air-channel is clear, but becomes dark and you can't see through it anymore, continue blowing into the paper towel. You should always be able to hold a carto up to the light and see directly through it (until it's toast and dead).

Hope this helps, but I understand if it confuses you even more.

Baditude, peer review this. If I got anything wrong, please correct it.

You rock. Thanks for your input. I saved it for the future. When I venture out into carto world I'll have this to use as a reference!

 

[Bassnorma]

I use both cartos (tank) and I build my own coils. In a pinch and in a hurry, I always have my trusty cartos. They work good, are reliable and are quick to refill and use. When I want a more flavorful vape and I'm not in a hurry (like at home), I use my RBA.

Use both...

Hey belsenj....thanks for that. I am still a bit on the noob side and not much of a fiddler so I am not ready for RBA ...yet. Heck, I am just dipping my toe in the carto ocean...and my Provari mini arrives TODAY!!!!!! *snoopy dance*...stalking mailman!

 

[mostapha]

1) What is your favorite tank? Why is it a favorite?

Vaperfexion Cartomator...works well & looks good. If I bought another, it'd be the one from Loki Labs because I think Craig is a good guy and can't imagine it being bad.

2) So, prepunched or punched? Is it merely a point of getting the holes just the right size or where you want them?

I punched my own.

3) Only two holes? What happens if you punch more?

I regularly punched 4 big holes for my high/all-VG juice. You have to tune it to how thick your juice is, which is why I punched my own. The pre-punched ones were pretty much always wrong for my juice and cost more.

4) Is there such a thing as carto quality or are they all pretty much the same vape experience?

The good ones were good, but I never found one that was consistent enough for my taste. Ikenvape 801 Fusions were probably the best, but I hate the collar thing...it looks bad on everything.

5) Carto over clearo? I realize this is subjective and subject to personal taste and preference. But why would you choose one over the other?

Different fiddling; slightly differenet experience. You'll never know 'till you try, but for me...I don't use either at this point and don't plan to. Neither can handle the power levels I like, and I can build a better coil than I've seen in anything pre-made.

6) Single or dual coil. Huh? Why would two be better or worse? Isn't only one coil doing the heating?

Single unless you like a cool vape or have a DNA-20 mod. Most regulated mods don't run dual coils correctly. But, that's kind of a mixed blessing since cartos can't feed juice to the coils fast enough to keep up with running a DC Carto at real power levels anyway. YMMV depending on the kind of vape you like. They're worth trying.

7) Do I have to preload if the punched carto is in a tank? Can I just let it sit and soak up juice or is that a bad idea?

I always did, but that was to deal with the inconsistency. My normal routine for starting a new carto was:

1. Fill a new carto.
2. Vape it for a few minutes.
3. If it's good, punch it, put it in a tank, and fill the tank.
4. If it's not good, toss it and start over (this happned 2/3 of the time with my last 50-pack).

If you're remotely happy with your clearos, I say skip cartos...start rebuilding them and see if you like that experience. But if you're curious, they're probably worth trying. I just hated the feeling of throwing so much money away and wasting so much time...and I finally got sick of trying different cartos looking for consistency. I'd rather drip or bottom-feed into a rebuildable.

 

[gmoney$]

I use Ibtanked 19 mm tanks and Smok DCT glass/aluminum cover tanks on my 18650 and 18350 tubes w/ evic easy or EgoT heads. Smok 1.7 ("resurrector") or 2.0 single coils. Here's the thing, despite using high PG juice (DIY i think it's nearly 80% pg once all is said and mixed), I take the carto, usually pre-punched two hole) and slash a large slot in it with a dremmel cutting disc on my drill. Always. It gives me a nice saturated vape, and never floods unless I really swonk it (no-fire priming draw) it overly hard. It's often said that thin juice doesn't need more than 2 prepunched holes, that it'll flood with more, but still I run fine, better, with my large slot applied. Dunno, it works for me, where two or even three tiny prepunched holes does not give me enough juice flow.

I used evods and davides -- the BCC clearos -- for a while, got involved with rewicking, cotton wicks, the whole thing, got all hobbyist with it an liked it, and one day, after juicing my lap trying to remove an evod from battery when driving, came inside, put my carto tanks back in action and I'm not going back. Carto tanks -- a little more time/effort in setting up, then perfect consistent vape that tastes as good and the vapor is denser and overall better.

I prime by dripping. 10 drops, wait, then five, wait. repeat till maybe 40 drops

 

[Bassnorma]

As someone who went with cartos prior to clearos... I'd recommend skipping cartos and move straight to RBAs lol. There are a plethora of tank style RBAs now, and some are fairly cheap.

I mostly vape higher VG juice, and can get a week out of a carto, assuming it isn't doa. With plenty of available prewound coils with wicks available, for about the price of a carto, there's really not a great reason to use cartos anymore. Especially if you haven't already invested in lots of tanks and such.

The only reason I use cartos anymore is because I like to have like 5 flavors available at once, have like 20 cartos left to go through, and I haven't built up enough tank style RBAs to replace my carto tanks yet.

Sent with Tapytaptap or some such...

Are you saying that I won't have to fiddle with wicks and such?

I appear to be following the steady nub progression from clearo to carto to RBA. Did order a couple of IBs as I am a mutlijuice person.

 

[Bassnorma]

I use Ibtanked 19 mm tanks and Smok DCT glass/aluminum cover tanks on my 18650 and 18350 tubes w/ evic easy or EgoT heads. Smok 1.7 ("resurrector") or 2.0 single coils. Here's the thing, despite using high PG juice (DIY i think it's nearly 80% pg once all is said and mixed), I take the carto, usually pre-punched two hole) and slash a large slot in it with a dremmel cutting disc on my drill. Always. It gives me a nice saturated vape, and never floods unless I really swonk it (no-fire priming draw) it overly hard. It's often said that thin juice doesn't need more than 2 prepunched holes, that it'll flood with more, but still I run fine, better, with my large slot applied. Dunno, it works for me, where two or even three tiny prepunched holes does not give me enough juice flow.

I used evods and davides -- the BCC clearos -- for a while, got involved with rewicking, cotton wicks, the whole thing, got all hobbyist with it an liked it, and one day, after juicing my lap trying to remove an evod from battery when driving, came inside, put my carto tanks back in action and I'm not going back. Carto tanks -- a little more time/effort in setting up, then perfect consistent vape that tastes as good and the vapor is denser and overall better.

I prime by dripping. 10 drops, wait, then five, wait. repeat till maybe 40 drops

LOL @ "Swonk" Seriously though, thanks for your input!

I swonk
He/she/it swonks
You swonk
We swonk
They swonk



Swonk not lest ye be swonked!

 

[The Ocelot]

OK Cool!

Shortly after I posted this I found Bad's Blog.

Based on the above, when I get some cha ching. I will be ordering a couple of IBTanked beauties (because I also am a multi flavor person and swap two to three times a day). I agree with the old adage, "Variety is the spice of life"

I will prime, still trying to figure out the thingy method but I have seen PBusardo's condom method. Suffice to say, I will prime and order pre-punched cartos. I want to thank you all for your opinions and advice.

I will say my T3S clearo is not at all fussy and I haven't had to do Clearo Gymnastics to get it moving. It is a bit tricky to fill without getting a little in the center tube, so juice mouth?...yeah that has happened....pittoo blech. I have Protank 2 clearos coming with the Provari. But beauty, functionality and a rich vape are hard to turn away.

Oh, so IBtanked has a fill tool, should I go with that or is SlapYoMama infinitely better?


(((hugs))) and thanks to the never disappointing E-Cig community!

If Bad and Pbusardo's methods don't click with you, I have one: The Ocelot Method of Carto Filling (aka The Upside-Down Condom)

 

[xan13x]

Are you saying that I won't have to fiddle with wicks and such?

I appear to be following the steady nub progression from clearo to carto to RBA. Did order a couple of IBs as I am a mutlijuice person.

That is correct. Avid vapor, fasttech, and a few more I can't name off the top of my head have pre-made coils with wick. I can only attest to the quality of the avid vapor premades, but they are very consistent and can be had in a nr/r setup for 7 bucks per 5 pack.

I think it's already started, but I see cartos going the way of the dinosaurs soon enough. They are better than clearo taste-wise, but are less convenient and die much faster.
Another consideration is that they waste quite a bit of juice. Every time you replace one, a ml or so of juice is lost, which makes them even less economical in the long run.

I'd say save yourself the trouble of "progression" as that deal is kinda outdated with where the market has gone. Also, with people stopping selling them, it can be a pain to find the cartos you want many times.

Sent with Tapytaptap or some such...

 

[Baditude]

... I see cartos going the way of the dinosaurs soon enough.

They are better than clearo taste-wise, but are less convenient and die much faster.

Another consideration is that they waste quite a bit of juice. Every time you replace one, a ml or so of juice is lost, which makes them even less economical in the long run.

I'd say save yourself the trouble of "progression" as that deal is kinda outdated with where the market has gone.

Also, with people stopping selling them, it can be a pain to find the cartos you want many times.

Whoa, whoa, whoa there Johnny Boy.........

You're stepping on a LOT of people's toes with those statements. Cartotanks are the preferred juice attachment of MANY, MANY vapors. There are WAY more people using clearos or cartos (tanks) than Rebuildables.

ECF is a e-cigarette forum and attracts more of the hobbyists and extreme vapors in the community so they tend to post more on forums than the average Jane or John Vapor does. Therefore, e-cigarette forums makes it appear like more vapors are using Rebuildables than there really are across the entire community of vapors. The percentage of vapors across the entire community using Rebuildables is only in the single digits. As the product description for Rebuildables states, these are advanced devices and not meant for the vast majority of vapors.

Clearos and cartotanks are WAY more common than RBAs/RDAs. The vast majority of vapors want juice attachments that will work right out of the box; not something that they have to build and tinker with. Most do not want to have to oxidize wick/coils with a butane minitorch, wrap a wick from steel mesh, wrap a wire around a wick, measure resistance with a digital multimeter, pulse fire and test for hot spots and shorts, and finally prime the wick/coil before even getting around to vaping it. There's a lot involved with Rebuildables that most vapors don't wish to get involved in. Advice & Tips for Vapors Looking to try their First RBA

Some vapors get into that DIY hobbyist mindset and love tinkering with their RBAs. I'm saying that the majority of vapors are not into that. Are they missing out? Maybe, maybe not. I've tried nearly everything currently available on the market. Clearos, cartotanks, and RBAs. They all have their pros and cons. My preferance are the cartotanks. They provide me with excellent flavor and consistancy. Clearos are great for easy filling and on the go use. RBAs have given me the best vape I've had, but for me they have been inconsistant, fussy, and require a lot of time and tinkering. Have I mentioned yet I don't like tinkering?

I rationalize spending $2 per carto and it lasting 2 - 4 weeks to be way less expensive than the $6 a day I was spending on smokes. You didn't mention how Rebuildables consume WAY more juice than clearos or cartotanks, so it becomes a matter of where & what you chose to spend your money on.

My two AGA's have been sitting unused for a month because they need a new coil, maybe new wicks. I've been lazy, I admit. But I know from experience that I will need to devote 30 - 45 minutes to get them up and running again. I can fill a clearomizer in 30 seconds. It takes me 5 minutes to completely setup a cartotank. Which one do you think I'll gravitate to more?

Anyone who's having trouble finding cartomizers, which I can't imagine they are, here's a link to at least 20 vendors that sell them: List of vendors selling pre-punched cartomizers.