Whoa, I can taste it!

[IntelligentDesigner]

This begins with tragedy. I knocked my LavaTube off the window sill today and the ViVi Nova broke off the top. The threads snapped off inside the 510 connection on top of the LavaTube. Fortunately I never over tighten the devices on the batteries and was fairly easily able to get the broken threads out of the LavaTube with some tweezers (that's a funny word by the way - tweezers). Unfortunately the Nova is Nomore.

My Kangers don't do well above 3.7 V; and 3.7 V doesn't produce the vapor I bought the LavaTube for in the first place. So oh no what do I do? I guess it's time to learn to properly prime my neglected cartomizer tank, something I never could seem to get right. Well, I've got it right for now at least and what a difference it makes in the flavor! I've always been disappointed that after a couple tanks of a new juice, I seemed to lose the flavor for anything except for some reason pear. Not with this carto tank. I can actually taste the mango flavor I'm vaping now.

Think I'll stick with cartos now if I can make this one work consistently. Just need a carto punch to put about 5 or 6 holes in them to keep up with my vaping.

 

[VapnWitch]

Sorry about the Vivi, but at least you got the threads out of your LavaTube. I've been thinking of getting a tank for my Twists, but I'm waiting until I've tried cartos alone, first, so I don't waste money if I don't like them. I hope the tank works out for you

 

[scuzzy]

Wouldnt you consider a rebuildable atty? Some of the vapor out put is amazing, i.e. Spheriod etc etc...

Its not really that hard to do, theres plenty of vids on youtube on how to set them up

I use ego heads . vivi Nova for work

then when am home I get my Zen atty out, I would dream of vaping the ego at home, I only take the ego to work because if I pulled out the Zen on my provari I would get some strange looks...lol

 

[SilentScreams]

At least you got the threads out of your lavatube. Sucks your nova broke. I find using a needle tip helps when filling carto's. I don't like the condom method and if you use flanged cartos they dont come with condoms. So yeah worth the investment to get the needle tip.

Sorry about the Vivi, but at least you got the threads out of your LavaTube. I've been thinking of getting a tank for my Twists, but I'm waiting until I've tried cartos alone, first, so I don't waste money if I don't like them. I hope the tank works out for you

Carto's aren't that bad. I personally find that they can slightly mute the flavor. I use carto/tanks when I go out, mainly for the no fuss use. No tipping like with my vivi nova's. You can get some cheap tanks from VapeDudes. Their T3 Texas Tough Tank sells for 5-7 dollars. It's grommet based but also has a full screw. I haven't had any issues with leaking just the normal muted flavor.

 

[IntelligentDesigner]

Wouldnt you consider a rebuildable atty? Some of the vapor out put is amazing, i.e. Spheriod etc etc...

Its not really that hard to do, theres plenty of vids on youtube on how to set them up

I would love to have an RBA like an AC9 or Zen. But I'm unemployed and the money to buy one is not easy to come by. I do plan to make that my next "big" vaping purchase though.

I got great help from Joe at my local Volcano store on filling cartos and I've watched several YouTube videos but I could just never seem to get it right no matter how precisely I follow directions. They either flood or run dry.

At least you got the threads out of your lavatube. Sucks your nova broke. I find using a needle tip helps when filling carto's. I don't like the condom method and if you use flanged cartos they dont come with condoms. So yeah worth the investment to get the needle tip.

Carto's aren't that bad. I personally find that they can slightly mute the flavor. I use carto/tanks when I go out, mainly for the no fuss use. No tipping like with my vivi nova's. You can get some cheap tanks from VapeDudes. Their T3 Texas Tough Tank sells for 5-7 dollars. It's grommet based but also has a full screw. I haven't had any issues with leaking just the normal muted flavor.

I've got a needle tip now. I didn't have one when I first got my kit and perhaps that was one of the problems I was having. But the carto I filled today was done using the needle. I haven't tried the condom method since I use flanged cartos, but even if they were straight tubes, the condom thing looks to me like something somebody came up with just to be messing around and not the best way to fill a carto.

I've heard the exact same muted flavor thing about ViVi Novas. I definitely notice more of the mango flavor through this carto, but the pear flavor for some reason always came through in the ViVi. Different strokes for different folks I guess? Maybe some flavors work better with carto fill material and others better through a cotton wick? Both juices were from Volcano. I dunno.

 

[fourthrok]

If you get the hang of how to work with carto tanks...they are GREAT! I love them! I've used the clearomizer type (wick) tanks and found that they just didn't do it for me. Muted flavor and way too fiddly and "accident prone". I may get a dud or burnt carto out of the box once in awhile, but mostly it's smooth sailing with them, and I can get a lot of mileage out of one using a carto tank...for days and days! Lots more vapor and flavor than with a wick type or other clearomizer. Believe me, I vape a lot. Upwards of 10ml. a day and I use 6ml. tanks. I don't understand why people say cartos impart a "flavor". There IS no flavor to cartomizers (other than what you put in 'em), and they don't mute a thing. But everyone has different opinions, I guess.

Congrats on getting your carto tank going! Hope you stick with it. There is a learning curve, but once you get there it's economical, easy, no fuss and soooooo good!!

 

[*crapgame*]

just got some ry4 mixed some menthol ice 50/50 fn yum. been vapin for 3 days with lambo and carto tank. vaps so good wonder why i didnt do this sooner

 

[albcig]

i use carto tanks when i go outside. my vivi is picking up dust since i got 2 genesis about 2 months ago. very nice vape with the genesis but for home only. cartos are very very good imo and i always enjoyed them since my first syringe mod long long time ago

 

[UncleChuck]

I'm not sure where the idea that cartos muted flavor from. If that is the case for anybody, more power to them, do what works.

I've read several times where people said that cartos mute flavor because the vapor has to pass through all the filler material in the carto. Evidently these people don't know how a carto is constructed because the vapor obviously doesn't pass through the filler, it goes straight up the center of the carto tube, no different than vapor passing up through an atty tube, or a drip tip for that matter.

Some have actually said cartos give more flavor, because even though you aren't passing your vapor THROUGH the filler, it passes through a juice soaked tube, which would impart additional flavor to the vapor. Just dry hitting a carto without firing it up produces a good amount of flavored air, it would make sense this increases the amount of flavor.

Bottom filling cartos makes sense, the coil is generally at the bottom of the carto, that's where you need to make absolutely sure everything is 100% soaked. But the condom method is just too messy and slow for me. I can top fill a carto to full capacity is less than a minute. With condom filling it takes forever, then I have to blow out the carto, blow juice out of the 510 connection, clean off the whole carto, etc. It's just a mess.

The best trick for top filling cartos that I've found is to put the carto between your index and middle finger, with the connection end faced down. Then flick the carto in a downward motion with as much force as you can give it. Kind of like how you would flick a packet of sugar to get all the granules to one end of the packet. It forces all the juice into the filler extremely quickly. No more waiting for juice to soak in.

I've seen many many posts where people switched from clearos or novas to cartos or carto tanks and were very happy with the increase in performance. I've seen far, far fewer posts where people switched from cartotanks TO clearos and were actually happy about it. Take from that what you will

Also, if you use smoktech cartos, their filler is quite loosely packed in there. I noticed this works well with very very thick juices, but anything else and they are prone to flooding. I've had some where the entire tank would literally, in real time, just dump the entire load of juice through the carto. It wouldn't stop feeding juice into the carto. It wasn't a pressure issue either, the carto just didn't have enough filler, or filler in the proper areas, to stop the flooding.

Boges have been working flawlessly for me as far as flooding goes, not a single one has flooded. They take a bit more effort to fill because of their tighter packing, but it's well worth it in my opinion.

 

[Unforeseen]

Moved to Variable Voltage APV Discussion

 

[IntelligentDesigner]

The best trick for top filling cartos that I've found is to put the carto between your index and middle finger, with the connection end faced down. Then flick the carto in a downward motion with as much force as you can give it. Kind of like how you would flick a packet of sugar to get all the granules to one end of the packet. It forces all the juice into the filler extremely quickly. No more waiting for juice to soak in.

Ah cool! Like getting mustard to the nozzle on the bottle...with the cap closed of course. I'll give that a shot.

Update: So far seems to be working well. However, I've always been told to make sure the fill is filled to the point where the juice shows on the top, assuming the juice has some color to it. The top of my carto keeps drying out. It's no big deal to pull out the drip tip and squeeze a couple drops of fluid on it, but that kinda defeats the purpose of having the tank. I'm using all Volcano stuff from the juice to the cartos to the tank so shouldn't it be wicking properly? I have no idea what the PG/VG ratio is but I would assume Volcano can get everything wicking. Why not me?

Moved to Variable Voltage APV Discussion

Just out of curiosity, why? My thing is about switching from clearo to carto, regardless of the battery type. The APV part was only about it being dropped and breaking the Nova.

 

[UncleChuck]

There have been some highly bizarre moving of threads lately, no idea what that's about. Njoy king threads in the 808D section. If several threads I've participated in have been moved to odd locations I'd imagine there are several more that I haven't seen. Who knows!

Anyway, back to your question. When initially filling the carto it's good practice to completely fill it up to capacity. Assuming the juice is flowing properly you won't need to drip any additional juice into the carto. The coil in most all cartos is at the bottom of the carto, dual coils obviously extend higher, but the coil is generally where you punch the holes. As long as that small area is wet, there is no issue. You can't really see that area, so you have to rely on your taste buds to tell you if the carto is too dry.

My smoktech cartos would always stay wet on top, they have loose filler and seem to spread the juice around better. My boges are almost always dry on top, but have never burned on me while in a tank. If you are worried about it, a few sharp inhales without firing the carto will feed some juice into the carto. Ideally this shouldn't be required but depending on juice thickness, air pressure, hole size, location, and number it's possible.

When you are dripping into the top of the carto, how many drops does it take before it stops soaking in more juice? I used to get paranoid about dry tops, but then realized when topping off the carto I was only fitting 3-4 drops in at most. If the carto is full, except for only 3-4 drops, it's plenty full for vaping on.

Also, an alternative method for filling a carto and making sure the bottom is well soaked, is to put the unfilled carto into the tank, with holes punched, and place your finger over the hole in the 510 connection. Then take some sharp inhales on the tank, this will feed a lot of juice in, since you closed off the 510 connection. Then release the hole and take a draw to see if the airway is clear or flooded. If it's flooded obviously it's full. Once you get used to doing in this way, you can get to a point where the carto is just barely starting to flood, a quick vape will use up all that extra juice and you'll be good to go.

This method takes longer, and you'll have to refill the tank once the carto gets full, but it's not as messy as condom filling, but still ensures that the bottom of the carto, where the coil is, is completely soaked in juice.

 

[Jonny5000]

Cartos are awesome but it somewhat annoys me when I have to get a new carto/tank for a new flavor.

 

[IntelligentDesigner]

There have been some highly bizarre moving of threads lately, no idea what that's about. Njoy king threads in the 808D section. If several threads I've participated in have been moved to odd locations I'd imagine there are several more that I haven't seen. Who knows!

I dunno. I don't wanna question or start an argument with the mods. I was just wondering. Anyhoo, moving on...

Anyway, back to your question. When initially filling the carto it's good practice to completely fill it up to capacity. Assuming the juice is flowing properly you won't need to drip any additional juice into the carto. The coil in most all cartos is at the bottom of the carto, dual coils obviously extend higher, but the coil is generally where you punch the holes. As long as that small area is wet, there is no issue. You can't really see that area, so you have to rely on your taste buds to tell you if the carto is too dry.

Right now, I'm using 1.5 ohm dual coil since Volcano specified they were fine below 4.2V. Might as well not let the two I had go to waste. When I get more, I'll get the 3 ohm. But I do notice a difference in the amount of sizzle I hear when firing the PV and the amount of vapor I get when I make sure the top is wet.

My smoktech cartos would always stay wet on top, they have loose filler and seem to spread the juice around better. My boges are almost always dry on top, but have never burned on me while in a tank. If you are worried about it, a few sharp inhales without firing the carto will feed some juice into the carto. Ideally this shouldn't be required but depending on juice thickness, air pressure, hole size, location, and number it's possible.

Maybe I'll try a different brand of carto. I'm also considering getting a carto punch next time I visit the vape shop. Then I'll just punch enough holes to make the carto look like Swiss cheese. It should wick then. The ones I use now only have 1 small hole at the bottom. But I'm a chain vaper. I think I need something that's going to wick fast.

When you are dripping into the top of the carto, how many drops does it take before it stops soaking in more juice? I used to get paranoid about dry tops, but then realized when topping off the carto I was only fitting 3-4 drops in at most. If the carto is full, except for only 3-4 drops, it's plenty full for vaping on.

Usually 4 or 5, depending on how long I go before dripping the top again. I imagine the bottom is wet because it stops soaking up the fluid with that much, but as I said, I do notice a difference in vapor production and quality when the top is wettened with those few drops.

Also, an alternative method for filling a carto and making sure the bottom is well soaked, is to put the unfilled carto into the tank, with holes punched, and place your finger over the hole in the 510 connection. Then take some sharp inhales on the tank, this will feed a lot of juice in, since you closed off the 510 connection. Then release the hole and take a draw to see if the airway is clear or flooded. If it's flooded obviously it's full. Once you get used to doing in this way, you can get to a point where the carto is just barely starting to flood, a quick vape will use up all that extra juice and you'll be good to go.

That's how they initially taught me to prime it when I bought it, and I was the one who did it. It worked wonderfully for the first few days I had my PV. Then I tried switching flavors with a new carto and haven't been able to get it quite right since. The first ones always flooded. And the sharp draws to suck in fluid when it dried also flooded them again. Last one I did with a needle tip bottle. That's the one I'm having the issues with now. I filled until flooded, blew out the extra and started vaping. I just can't keep the top wet.

You think maybe I should just let it be and as long as it's producing vapor, assume it's working properly?

 

[Keyboard Fool]

Broke your Vivi? Best thing that ever happened! Get a Vapeonly tank from GotVapes! They rock!