Why do I not like Cartos? or: How I learned to Quit Worring and Love the Bomb

[Leithan]

Soooooo my new 22m standard length IB tank was in the vaipmail waiting for me today. I must say this thing looks spectacular on my Provari, if I do say so myself. Of course it's pretty hard to look bad attached to a Provari. So I slotted a carto, filled the tank and yup still don't like cartos. My last experience with cartos was a AGR locking tank and it was nothing but trouble. I don't know what possessed me to think that a different tank would somehow taste better but there you go. I mean their not bad....just not all that great. I love my Protanks, especially with rebuilt heads and when I don’t have to fiddle with it, I love my RBA. Cartos just don't do it for me, for me they vape too hot and just not enough vape production. All of my drip tips wiggle all over the place in the few brands I have used. At this point I'm starting to ask my self whats the point. I keep trying because they have a great size to liquid volume ratio. It's hard to beat a 22mm single coil tank for compactness and large juice volume. So far I have only used Boges and Joys but not sure if it's even worth trying others. I don't know, either I'm spoiled, weird or mentally difficiant......probably all three. Am I alone in this?.....the not liking cartos all that much I mean.

 

[Chikenbok]

I don't LOVE cartos but they're still my primary means of juice delivery. Gimme an IBtanked 22ml with some purdy colors, a fancy nice drip tip and a nice LR carto and I'm a happy happy camper. Gennies bored me after a few months... Protanks are garbage... Clearos are miserable.

GP Spheroid and Killer 705 however, mad love.

 

[Leithan]

I'm thinking of getting a Diver and mabbee that's going to be the best compromise.

 

[tbx59]

I grab my cowboy hat and ride a carto tank

 

[eratikmind]

I'm thinking of getting a Diver and mabbee that's going to be the best compromise.

Leithan, for the pass 2-1/2 weeks the Diver has been an eye opener for me. I love my ikenvape cartos. They are the very best tank cartomizers and I mean the BEST, which I have used. However, they cannot hold up against the Diver in flavor. That said, I still run 2 cartotanks with the IKVs in my daily rotation, as I wait upon additional Divers to arrive.

If you are into fiddling with your vaping gear, the Diver will suit you fine. Be prepared to fabricate coils utilizing both resistance and non-resistance wire, which is quite simple, once you make a couple.

- Andy

 

[Leithan]

I think I might give the ikenvapes a shot, I never heard of them till now......apparently I didn't do all the research I should of before throughing my hands up in surrender

 

[Chikenbok]

(buy a killer)

 

[Baditude]

I think I might give the ikenvapes a shot, I never heard of them till now......apparently I didn't do all the research I should of before throughing my hands up in surrender

I'll second the nomination of Ikenvape cartos. Heck, I'm probably the reason a dozen members here have even tried them. I use both the 510 Fusion and Platinums. Just be aware that these are a high demand/low availability item and frequently out of stock. Get placed on the "notify me" list when they come back in stock and don't delay even a minute to make your order. Supplies typically sell out within hours.

There's also Smoktech cartomizers. They differ in the filler material and just might be what you are looking for if you don't like Boges. The Smoktek 3.0 ohm single coil carts are my backup for when I don't have Ikenvapes.

I was primarily a cartotank user for several months until I figured out my RBA's (somewhat, they can still be fiddly). I still use them a lot when out of the house, and they likely will always be my dependable backup vaping delivery device.

I don't know what method you have been using to set up your tanks, but I suggest you give mine a shot. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/3710-5-cartomizer-tank-setup.html

 

[Leithan]

Thanks Bad, I secretly stalk your posts your Provari porn is what most likely pushed me over the edge and had me mining for the plastic vein in my wallet. I slot my cartos with a dremal, just one small slot. So far this has got me the most satisfactory results. I guess my biggest problem is the muted flavor I get. A friend gave me a bottle of some blue cooler flavored juice he said "the flavor was too sudle". I put it in my pimped out Protank and it was great, blue cooler all the way, let my friend try it and he wanted the bottle of juice back. Today I tried it in a carto.....same muted flavor he was getting. I guess I just need to experiment with some different cartos.....the Boge is king thing isn't working for me.

 

[eratikmind]

The IKV cartos afford excellent flavor and longevity. It was one Bad's posts, which caught my attention about the IKVs.

- Andy

 

[Baditude]

I have found some flavors are better in particular delivery devices than others, both in flavor and/or vapor production. Some are better dripped on an atty or a bottom feeder, some in a cartotank, some in a bottom-coiled clearo, some in an RBA, etc., etc. It's just nice to have several types available at your disposal and experiment.

 

[VpnDrgn]

I've played with just about everything out there except bottom coil clearomizers, and I
have always come back to cartomisers. Gennys are one of the best for flavor and I have to
compare the same flavor, side by side in a genny and a carto, to tell the carto is slightly
muted. Now for the obligatory caveat;

Cartos always taste best when they have just been filled. Besides capacity, that is one of
the main points of a carto tank, it is supposed to keep the carto at that just filled level of
juicy goodness. But tanks add one more variable on top of all the other variables of juice
and equipment, when it comes to performance, the weather and/or environment.

I use smoktech, SC, 3ohm, 2 or 3 hole cartos, and I make 2 of the holes slightly larger.
When the flavor starts to be muted, I do a few "dry pulls" until I get a hint of moist flavor.
That hint of flavor from a dry pull tells me the carto is moist again, and full flavor is back
when I vape. Obviously, too many dry pulls and the carto floods.

Now, for those who are not familiar with the mechanics of a carto tank, a carto tank works
because of a fine balance between the vapor lock inside the tank and the juice trying to wick
out through the filler via surface tension. Not enough vapor lock and the juice floods out through
the carto, too much vapor lock and you have to repeatedly do dry pulls to keep the carto wet.
I have a couple tanks that are loose on the carto and I have seen bubbles come up from
the bottom o-ring instead of through the punched holes in the carto. These tanks are more prone
to flooding if I do too many dry pulls.

I strongly believe that the environment ( altitude and barometric pressure ) strongly effects how
well the balance in a carto tank works, and this is why some people get so frustrated with carto
tanks flooding or the carto not staying wet enough to taste good and produce vapor. Their
environment makes it more difficult to come up with a working setup.

I don't know what variables you could change to combat lower pressures causing more flooding.
I know my problem is high pressures. I live at sea level and have atypically high barometric
pressures because of weather fronts moving back and forth across the coast. I keep my tanks
mostly full, and when I am out and about or working, and the levels start to get low, I will slide
the tank up and break the vapor lock ( equalizes pressure inside the tank ). Otherwise, I notice
I have to do more dry pulls to keep the carto wet. It seems like that may be part of your problem
as well. You might want to back off your voltage as well.

All this being said, no matter what juice delivery system you want to name, I guarantee you'll
find one person that says it is the greatest thing since sliced bread and another that will say it isn't
worth a plug nickel. Just remember, Experiment Experiment Experiment.

FWIW- I tend to use only the factory punched ( laser cut ) cartos, slots will tear up o-rings before
their time, and hand punched will deform the carto and compress the filler around the dimple.
Though, IKV cartos do seem to get a lot of good reviews.

 

[chadsmo]

I vaped a carto tank for about weeks 2-5 of vaping. At week 5 I got my eBaron Dripper Pro and discovered the world of silica rebuildables. I tried my friends carto pipe the other night, which has a 1.8 ohm Smokteck in it and while it tasted OK, it was no where near a silica RBA in my opinion. My three all day devices are a Killer 705, an eBaron Dripper Pro and an IGO-L. I will have a Nimbus in a few weeks and I'm gonna try to buy a Terminator-c V2 soon. I have a genny as well, but I still just go back to silica rebuildables over and over. I love them and pretty much won't vape anything else.

 

[mostapha]

I've been on carto tanks for a while (along with other things). And, while I agree the ikenvape fusions are probably the best, I think I've given up.

I haven't topped off my tanks since I got a couple RBAs. The vape just isn't comparable. And after a while dripping isn't a PITA unless you're driving, at which point it's probably a terrible idea.

 

[EvilOne]

Another recommendation for the IKVs. I tried the smoktechs, boges etc they were all garbage. Half of my purchase would be DOA. Out of my initial purchase of 10 IKVs nearly 3 months ago I still have 6. Depending on juices they last anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 if I only run clear juices through them. Also seems to have the best flavor/vapor of all the cartos I tried. Good luck