Yesterday I experienced something that has made me question my standard cotton balls stance.
I rewicked my rda with a 'fresh' cotton ball and took my first hit, I nearly vomited, I got a disgusting chemical taste with a sort of dryness (despite the wick being saturated). It was awful and showed no signs of decreasing in potency as I continued to vape. I finally understand the cotton taste that people have mentioned, this is the first time in 3 years of rebuilding using cotton ball wicks that I have experienced this dreadful taste. It really put me off wanting to vape.
I went back and smelt (smelled Am.) the rest of the batch of cotton balls and they absolutely stank of the same chemical note. So, I am guessing that previously I had been very lucky to not get smelly balls or whatever, but it has taught me to give my balls a good sniff before putting them to use.
I do boil them prior to use, the last time I did this I failed to squeeze the balls adequately before leaving to dry, so I guess that the lingering moisture might have had something to do with the residual chemical taste. I will put that to the test later this week when I boil some more.
I smelled my balls this morning and they were kinda stinky. So I tried to boil them and it hurt like hell and I had to go to the hospital for treatment of the burns. I'll be sending you my medical bills for suggesting it.