What am I doing wrong here?

[phalaeo]

Hi folks!

I've had my first ecig for a little less than two weeks now and I've run into a stumbling block. It's an eGo battery, with a cartomizer.

Everything was going ok on my first batch of juice and new equipment, and now that I ordered new cartomizers and juices, things are totally not as enjoyable. The newest batch of juice is from Highbrow (excellent customer service)- I ordered a few flavours, 80/20 mix with "a little extra TH". I know I'm supposed to let them steep for flavour, but I tried a few in the new cartomizers and.... kaput. Very little vapour, and no TH at all.... like an ultra-light. The batteries stay charged, and I'm putting in enough fluid that the top of the carto media looks like a slushy, but with no extra.

The "original" liquid came from a supplier that I haven't heard much about. I hear really good things about Highbrow, so I'm assuming I'm doing something wrong.

 

[Chimney34]

I'm sure someone will come along with better answers but I generally let my juices steep for atleast a week if the company mixes them at the time of order. Ive had a few that were mixed to order that taste ok right away but more often than not mines dont. This helps the flavor to come through better. I've never ordered from that vendor before so I can't speak specifically to them.

 

[Kopfstimmen]

Sounds like it might be the cartomizers. Have you tried the new juice in the old cartomizers?
I might add, just because a vendor is well regarded doesn't mean that you will like their juice. HHV is one of the best of 2012 (I believe), but they didn't really impress me all that much.
What leads me to the cartomizers is the "very little vapor". If you ordered the 80/20 as PG/VG instead of VG/PG though, that could also be the problem. If possible, review the differences between the two juices.

 

[Rocketpunk]

I had a problem recently with cartos. I was told to drip up to 30 drops into the polyfill. Well, with certain juices, you have to fill MORE than 30 drops. I had to drip almost 60 drops into an XL carto with a specific juice before the carto was actually full. And even then, the top of the polyfill looked like slushed ice. That doesn't mean the carto is full, necessarily, it just may need more time to soak in fully. How many drops of juice did you drip into the cartomizer, if you can remember?

 

[PRIMER]

I've had the same problem with cartos, try clearos.

 

[evilkorn]

Cartos are tricky and I can't say I've mastered them at all. I tried one and said no more and stuck with my Vivi Nova. From what I have seen the best way to fill them is from the bottom up condom style so it saturates the lower coil area. There is also the case of tasting the polyfill which to me is a turn off, even though some say they can taste the sylica wicks so I don't know... The most important part of a carto is making sure it's saturated, without that you get nothing but dry hits and probably burnt filler which will never go away.

 

[tmoore]

Did you try blowing any excess juice out of the carto? Just blow into the mouthpiece end with the atomizer end toward a paper towel. Repeat till no juice sprays out. May help.

 

[XfooYen]

What resistance are the cartos? If they're standard resistance (SR) cartos, then the eGo battery doesn't have enough power to give a decent vape. I'm assuming you're not using an eGo Twist variable voltage battery. Use low resistance (LR) cartos in standard eGo batteries and you should be getting a better vape. My

 

[Buggs5347]

What brand and ohm of cartos did you purchase?

 

[phalaeo]

What brand and ohm of cartos did you purchase?

It doesn't tell me what ohm. Nobody said anything about ohms when I asked what I should get for a beginner.

Here's a link to what I got.
Cartos
Battery

Says the kit I got came with "650mAh eGo Batteries"

 

[phalaeo]

Did you try blowing any excess juice out of the carto? Just blow into the mouthpiece end with the atomizer end toward a paper towel. Repeat till no juice sprays out. May help.

Didn't know I could do that. I was sucking the tip without inhaling to see if I could get the gross juice out. Will try that.

 

[phalaeo]

Cartos are tricky and I can't say I've mastered them at all. I tried one and said no more and stuck with my Vivi Nova. From what I have seen the best way to fill them is from the bottom up condom style so it saturates the lower coil area. There is also the case of tasting the polyfill which to me is a turn off, even though some say they can taste the sylica wicks so I don't know... The most important part of a carto is making sure it's saturated, without that you get nothing but dry hits and probably burnt filler which will never go away.

Oh dear... from what I researched, I was told to stay away from clearos because they tend to crack. I'll look into the brand you listed. Thanks!

 

[phalaeo]

I had a problem recently with cartos. I was told to drip up to 30 drops into the polyfill. Well, with certain juices, you have to fill MORE than 30 drops. I had to drip almost 60 drops into an XL carto with a specific juice before the carto was actually full. And even then, the top of the polyfill looked like slushed ice. That doesn't mean the carto is full, necessarily, it just may need more time to soak in fully. How many drops of juice did you drip into the cartomizer, if you can remember?

I've found that I have to drip more in as well. On the instructions to the kit I bought, I was told that 25 drops was enough... it clearly wasn't. I've gone up to 50 on a new carto, and I do try to keep it topped off. I'm also giving it more time to sink in fully.

 

[XfooYen]

I looked at the mega carto you got. It says it's a dual coil carto. I think that's where your problem lies. Without knowing the resistance, even if it is a 1.5ohm dual coil, it is actually comprised of 2x 3ohm coils. Your battery is firing at 3.7 volts on a good day. That's not enough power to give you a good vape. You should be using single coil cartos, preferably LR. In order to get a good vape from an SR carto or a dual coil, you would need a variable voltage battery so you could boost the power.

 

[phalaeo]

Oh dear... from what I researched, I was told to stay away from clearos because they tend to crack. I'll look into the brand you listed. Thanks!

Forgot to mention- I did order two clearos with my last purchase. I'll put the link below. I'm trying to fiddle with them right now- one has that horrible primer fluid taste and I can't get it out no matter how much I blow into the mouthpiece on a paper towel, or try to puff on it without inhaling. That taste.... definitely does not seem to be healthy to inhale...

The second clearo I just filled. I guess I filled it a bit too much, because I tried to smoke it and it was bubbling. I put the end on a piece of paper towel as suggested, blew into it a few times, and now it seems to be working great. I just can't figure out what I did right with the one that I didn't do with the other.

eGo Mega Dual Coil Clear Cartomizer

 

[phalaeo]

I looked at the mega carto you got. It says it's a dual coil carto. I think that's where your problem lies. Without knowing the resistance, even if it is a 1.5ohm dual coil, it is actually comprised of 2x 3ohm coils. Your battery is firing at 3.7 volts on a good day. That's not enough power to give you a good vape. You should be using single coil cartos, preferably LR. In order to get a good vape from an SR carto or a dual coil, you would need a variable voltage battery so you could boost the power.

My spidey sense is telling me that this indeed may be where the problem is. I bought the deal as a kit, so it's really annoying they would put together a package that doesn't really work that well.

So.... you say I need single coil cartos... preferably LR. Does LR mean Low Resistance? If so, what does SR mean in the next sentence?

The website I'm looking at has these. My choice for resistances are 2.0, 2.5, and 3.2 ohms. Which should I get?

(Thank you all for your kind responses!)

 

[xsphat]

I bought those Mega eGo cartos too, and I got the 2.5 ohm version without thinking about it. Very light on vapor and taste. Look for 1.5 ohm next time. And remember, cartos can take up to a day to burn in and start working as they should.

 

[phalaeo]

I looked at the mega carto you got. It says it's a dual coil carto. I think that's where your problem lies. Without knowing the resistance, even if it is a 1.5ohm dual coil, it is actually comprised of 2x 3ohm coils. Your battery is firing at 3.7 volts on a good day. That's not enough power to give you a good vape. You should be using single coil cartos, preferably LR. In order to get a good vape from an SR carto or a dual coil, you would need a variable voltage battery so you could boost the power.

Link posted to variable voltage discussion goes to error page. Will try to find a similar reference.

 

[phalaeo]

I bought those Mega eGo cartos too, and I got the 2.5 ohm version without thinking about it. Very light on vapor and taste. Look for 1.5 ohm next time. And remember, cartos can take up to a day to burn in and start working as they should.

Very helpful. Thank you!

 

[daventura]

Just buy a couple of clearos and be happy.

Unless you're vaping something that will destroy the plastic, you'll be fine.

Filling cartos can be a pain, but try spinning them, or shaking them down.

And definitely blow through them after you're done.