Volt and clearos...i give up!

[imaqt]

I am really frustrated as I have had and continue to have many problems with the Volt X2 and the X2 Clearomizers.

I ordered my first Volt and 2 clearos around May 11th. To make a long story short I had major leakage problems on one clearo then on the other same thing. I spoke to Tom in cs and Imagine on the forums and they gave me all kinds of suggestions but nothing worked.

Tom from cs at SI asked me to send the battery back with the clearos. He thought there was a connection problem.
He then sent me A new Volt and a new clearomizer. Then I noticed with one of the batteries (the one I was sending back) was clearly defective because it would not seal the clearo properly...no matter what I did.

Now with the newest Volt and new clearo I can't seem to get the juice to taste right. It has a muted taste and I am not getting a good vape. I tried to wiggle the center piece so that it was perfectly lined up with the tip to makes better seal.

How I know it's the battery or/and the clearo is that when I vape the same liquid through my 808 passthrough I get a much better flavor...not at all muted.

I have finicked around with both the battery and the clearo, now I am started to hate them.

By the way I have the silver 900 manual.
I have read the reviews on the SI site seeing that I am not alone in my problems with the setup.

I really like the folks at SI. They have been attentive to my problems and Tom is really great in trying to help figure this out along with sending me replacements.
I do not want to leave a negative review on there site. I hate to do that because they are really trying!

So I ask all of you loyal fans of SI what your take on this is. I so wanted to love my Volt.

 

[ThreadKiller]

Only thing I can comment on is the leakage. I used to have a spot of fluid on the battery almost every time I unscrewed a clearomizer.
I read on another thread to try and screw them on "upside down" (turn the mouthpiece to the floor and screw in the battery from the top). I didn't expect it to actually work, but was amazed when it did. Been doing it for a few days now and it works like a charm.

Over-filling the clearo still results in a leak spot on the batt, but that's about it. I've used this on multiple batts with multiple clearos and it seems to be consistent. Oh, and if I leave the unit upright for a long time I get the fluid spot too. If I do get a spot, I make sure to clean the batt and the threading on the clearo.

I also try to make sure that the clearos I'm not using are laying flat on their sides and not upright.

As for flavor, I can't really say. The only time I get a muddy taste is when I have thick liquid in there and it's almost empty. Most of my liquids have been 100% VG, but I'm switching to 80/20 and the taste is clearer and it's less prone to thickening. TH is way better too, which was what I was after.

I'm hoping with all my heart that there will be improvements coming regarding the clearos and that they'll be made with more chemical resistant plastics. I have 4 that are almost two months old. The all have multiple cracks, which I have put superglue on. They're my Franken-Clearos, but they're still working. And I use all of them daily. I'm willing to pay more for better clearos, but they have to be available first.

Well, none of this may have helped you, imaqt, but I sure feel better.

 

[Mroutlaw]

I have 2 x2s, both manual. One is the white 900 and the other is a blue 1300. In addition I have 6 clearos. I lay them in their side all the time with no I'll effects. The only time I get a leak into my mouth is if I Turn it upside down too much.

I did learn that the little silver ring on top where the drip tip screws in sometimes is not seated all the way. If this is the case, the drip tip won't get a good seal and can cause a leak. The way to fix it is this: when you first get it, unscrew the drip tip, place it upside down on a hard surface, take something else hard(I use my remote control) and gently apply hard pressure down. If you feel a click, it wasn't seated and is fixed now.

As far as leaking on the the battery, it took me a while, but if fixed that too. I started to notice that I would get a drop on the battery terminal. Imagine said it could be condensation but I didnt believe that since it was the color of my juice. Then I realized that with the manual, when you let the button go, it stays on for another second. If you stop inhaling at the same time you let go of the button, you leave a lot of vapor in the tube. This vapor then becomes condensation and builds up on the battery terminal. The solution is easy; let go of the button and continue to puff for another second. Once I started doing this, i have never had juice on my battery.

As far as taste, my only complaint about the SI clearos is that with the shorter wick, it doesn't sit in the juice and you have to keep tilting to get it wet. This can get frustrating when you get to the last bit of juice in the clearomizer. Imagine says that they will be getting the longer wick models in, which will solve this problem.

I will say this, I have noticed these same problems with other companies. My friend has an ego with clearomizers and he gets the same leaks unless he follows the above steps. I have used fluxomizers from mad vapes and they do the same thing.

It is logical that the vapor will go back to a fluid, and I did an experiment to see if that's true. I took a small bottle and then blew vapor into the bottle a few times and closed off the opening in between each puff. I did get water drops building up in the bottle after doing this.

I would say this, don't give up on SI. They are eager to fix it, and will try their best to get it right. Many of these problems are not exclusive to SI but SI does the best job at getting ahead of the problems and satisfying the customer. The cracking problem is across the board, so my suggestion would be to stay away from the juices that are known to crack. For the record, I have almost every SI flavor of juice except a couple of tobacco flavors, and none of them have cracked my clearos.






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[Bizzar1]

Out of 9 clearos I had a leaking problem with one. No matter what I tried it continued to leak. Judging by eye my guess was the wick. It just appeared thinner than the others perhaps pulled too taught during coil wrapping when they are made. Either way si promptly replaced it. I have not had any other unusual issues besides an unseated metal ring for the tip as mentioned. You may be screwing the tip in too tight which can "pop" the metal ring loose and cause a poor seal. If you continue to have problems I would hate to say this, but operator error must be the cause ^_-

Edit: correction. I had 2 fail not 1. But the other cause was 100% my fault not knowing certain juice compatibility issues. Yup, put in a rootbeer flavor and it disintegrated in minutes lol. Once (if) better plastic is used these things will never leave my side.

 

[imaqt]

Bizarr

You are exactly right about the tip being to tight! Every one I talked to told me to make sure the tip was really tight and to make sure I screw it on and push it down into the clearo. Not Good!

I then fooled around with the tip and made it fairly loose...I can't tell you how much different it made! It is way better now!
I'm so glad u mentioned this in your post cause it made the world of difference for me!

Thanks for responding and your suggestions

 

[Argemus]

Thanks for the tips, especially about loosening the tip. I too am fairly frustrated because every vaping session is different for me. Sometimes, it is perfect. Other times, either too harsh, burnt tasting, or little flavor.

Also, I get leaking form time to time, sometimes big gulps. Is this from over-filling?

So far, from this forum, I've learned to attach the clearomizer to the battery upside down, and to loosen the tip. Both seem to help. But I still don't know what I'm going to get on that first pull.

Is there a single place with Clearomizer/X2 specific hints, instructions, and common mistakes people make?

Thanks

 

[Bizzar1]

Err umm...dont suck on it too hard. Yeah sounds funny and I left myself open to puns, but if you pull very hard like an analog or even a carto it will leak more. I find myself pulling lightly on a clearo, semi hard on a carto and pull the hardest on a carto tank. It also varies between my manual, auto and manual x2. They all pull different and there is a technique and feel for each combo to avoid leakage and juice on the lips.

 

[Argemus]

Thanks! I think part of the problem is that I can't decide between Automatic and Manual, and they are so different like you said.

I think like the Manuals, but then again, sometimes the Autos taste better???

 

[Mroutlaw]

Personally, I like the manual with the clearo. What's nice about the the manual is the draw isn't as airy. But the autos are nice when driving because you don't have to press the button


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[DedTV]

Like others said, don't tighten things down too much. And they also have a bit of a breaking in period. The first half a tank or so always seems a bit muted in flavor but once you burn it in a bit, the flavor should ramp up.

Also clearos in Black, Clear, Dark green, Purple, & Red have just been restocked with a new version with longer wicks. I haven't tried them yet so I don't know if they perform any better or not though.

 

[imaqt]

Thanks for the tips, especially about loosening the tip. I too am fairly frustrated because every vaping session is different for me. Sometimes, it is perfect. Other times, either too harsh, burnt tasting, or little flavor.

Also, I get leaking form time to time, sometimes big gulps. Is this from over-filling?

So far, from this forum, I've learned to attach the clearomizer to the battery upside down, and to loosen the tip. Both seem to help. But I still don't know what I'm going to get on that first pull.

Is there a single place with Clearomizer/X2 specific hints, instructions, and common mistakes people make?

Thanks

I have had it with this set up! I drove 20 miles without a decent draw and in the car fiddling around with centering the clearo, loosening the tip, to no avail. I could not get a decent draw and NO FLAVOR what so ever. By the time I reached my destination the battery was dead.

I notice about 25 min. Before the battery died I could not get this thing to work no matter what.
Either the draw was tight, no taste or flavor, never mind it was the last of my BWB RY4!

I have broken this in for sure but this is the straw that broke the camels back!!!

I hate this set up with a passion.
So I get home charge it up and it keeps blinking non stop....so I still can't vape it.


Oh ya maybe it stopped blinking for a few seconds....What's up with that?

I'm done with this piece of dodo! Sorry if I have come across so negative but I have been through the ringer with the Volt and the clearos!

NOT ACCEPTABLE

 

[Imagine]

I really don't know what to say... the setup should really be no muss no fuss...

If you have purchased them in the last 30 days you can always return them for a full refund.

 

[cindycated]

Thanks! I think part of the problem is that I can't decide between Automatic and Manual, and they are so different like you said.

I think like the Manuals, but then again, sometimes the Autos taste better???

"sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't..."

I'm a manual girl myself!

 

[Berylanna]

Err umm...dont suck on it too hard. Yeah sounds funny and I left myself open to puns, but if you pull very hard like an analog or even a carto it will leak more. I find myself pulling lightly on a clearo, semi hard on a carto and pull the hardest on a carto tank. It also varies between my manual, auto and manual x2. They all pull different and there is a technique and feel for each combo to avoid leakage and juice on the lips.

AH! So you have done it all! Between carto + tank and clearos, which do you prefer and why? Which is less trouble?
(On an X2)

 

[IndyJones]

I've tried 2 clearos. On both i get a clean flavor and decent vapor to a point. After drawing 4 or 5 seconds the vapor gets very hot on my throat, slighty more so on one clearo than the other and at that point it taste a bit burnt like hitting a dry carto. For the maximum vapor without burning I prefer to fill a clean carto.

I got a couple of 2.0 Ohm cartos that work a bit better on my X2 manual but not at all on my smaller batts. I'll see how long they last. My regular resistance cartos almost always clog before the atomizer burns out. I'm hoping the lower resistance cartos ar a happy medium. Perhaps SI should consider offering a lower resistant carto option I'm still looking for a more perfect vape.

I'll keep the clearos around for a little something different but I do not consider them superior to cartos.

 

[awsum140]

My experience with X2 and clearo is limited to one auto X2 battery and 2 clearos. I used JC Kentucky in the first one and SI RY4 in the second one. Both produced great vapor, good flavor and good throat hit. The X2 lasted through almost three cartos worth of vaping before needing a recharge, more than acceptable. The clearos work fine for me, right out of the box. I have had some liquid on inhale, but I think that is the condensation effect that has been mentioned by MrOutlaw. The seals on the clearos seem to work fine, for me, but I do notice a slight "click" at the beginning and end of each inhale. I assume that is a demand valve opening an closing for air flow. I keep the clearos standing on end when filled and not on the battery and the battery/clearo normally is laying flat on my desk or wherever. If I'm outside, its vertical, charger end down, in a slot on the pouch for my cell phone. I will say that I have noticed markedly reduced output from both 78mm and the X2 batteries as they approach signaling they need a recharge. Sometimes it's hard to decide whether or not the battery is running low or the carto, assuming I'm using a carto, is running low. That, I think, is the result of the battery approaching the low voltage limit and just not being able to supply enough current to heat the atomizer enough. To me that is acceptable given the electronics and physics involved with e-cigs. I know everyone wants a "perfect" system, but there are inherent weaknesses in every system, especially a system that uses batteries of a rather severley limited current (power) capacity. I do like the X2/clearo combination quite a bit, but the 78mm does have a big advantage with reduced size for when my hands are too busy to hold the X2. By the way, while it looks a little strange, a clearo on a 78mm works very well, also.

 

[Mroutlaw]

I've tried 2 clearos. On both i get a clean flavor and decent vapor to a point. After drawing 4 or 5 seconds the vapor gets very hot on my throat, slighty more so on one clearo than the other and at that point it taste a bit burnt like hitting a dry carto. For the maximum vapor without burning I prefer to fill a clean carto.

I got a couple of 2.0 Ohm cartos that work a bit better on my X2 manual but not at all on my smaller batts. I'll see how long they last. My regular resistance cartos almost always clog before the atomizer burns out. I'm hoping the lower resistance cartos ar a happy medium. Perhaps SI should consider offering a lower resistant carto option I'm still looking for a more perfect vape.

I'll keep the clearos around for a little something different but I do not consider them superior to cartos.

Be careful. A low resistance carto will fry your small battery.



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[Mroutlaw]

I will say that I have noticed markedly reduced output from both 78mm and the X2 batteries as they approach signaling they need a recharge. Sometimes it's hard to decide whether or not the battery is running low or the carto, assuming I'm using a carto, is running low. That, I think, is the result of the battery approaching the low voltage limit and just not being able to supply enough current to heat the atomizer enough. .

The last 3 or 4 puffs do provide less vapor. The SI battery is designed to stop vaping when it gets a little below 3.6.. That's what they mean by regulated . This way, it won't drain the battery completely. Other than the last 3 or 4 puffs, you get the same voltage from first hit to the end.

Something like a kgo that isn't regluated will start at 4.2v and drain down so you end up getting different levels of voltage even though most of the time it is at 3.7

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[awsum140]

I conducted a subjective "test" of the X2 with and XL carto yesterday. I had to take a trip from where I live, Exit 5 on the NJ turnpike out to Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island, about 110 miles of high speed New York/New Jersey driving lasting around five hours. I took my freshly charged X2 650 mah and an XL carto filled with RY4 along for vaping while driving. I also took along a 78mm with a stock grape carto for some "stealth" vaping while at the event I was going too. I used the X2 from the minute I left the house until after I got home and it performed flawlessly all the way and is still going strong this morning. It's producing great vapor, flavor and throat hit with no problem at all. My only complaint is that it is too large to hold in my mouth like the 78mm. Other than that, it is a great way to enjoy extended vaping without changing cartos, clearos or batteries. I give the combo a definite and emphatic thumbs up!

 

[Berylanna]

I've tried 2 clearos. On both i get a clean flavor and decent vapor to a point. After drawing 4 or 5 seconds the vapor gets very hot on my throat, slighty more so on one clearo than the other and at that point it taste a bit burnt like hitting a dry carto. For the maximum vapor without burning I prefer to fill a clean carto.

I got a couple of 2.0 Ohm cartos that work a bit better on my X2 manual but not at all on my smaller batts. I'll see how long they last. My regular resistance cartos almost always clog before the atomizer burns out. I'm hoping the lower resistance cartos ar a happy medium. Perhaps SI should consider offering a lower resistant carto option I'm still looking for a more perfect vape.

I'll keep the clearos around for a little something different but I do not consider them superior to cartos.

I wonder if SI sells enough to influence a carto-maker to produce a new product? I *really* think a 2.3-ohm carto would be perfect on SI batteries, it would give 5.6 watts. But I really like the horizontal coils and all the rest of the design of the SI cartos -- nice warm vapor, lots of flavor. I just would like to see a little more vapor.

If needed, mark them as "for the X2", just like the low-end charger is documented as "won't power a pass-through"

I have not tried my second clearo yet but I'm getting some of the issues you are having, and I'm following all the "rules." And I think the clearo vapor is less warm, but maybe that is because I keep having to pause to wipe off the battery.

I'll make sure to give the second clearo the upside-down-press-with-remote treatment before using, but the first one does not feel at all loose.