Wick-style tank vs. Carto-style tank

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hello everyone, I was just wondering ... based on individuals experience with both styles of tank setups, what the pros and cons are on each style of tank system. which one is best for flavor? which one produces the best heat? which one requires the least amount of tinkering and less headaches? I am interested to see how the rebuildables fair and perform.... but I have found various differences to be really hard to make up my mind. Bottom coils, top coils, wicks and wickless with ss mesh center-tube.. So many things to wade through .. I need a little more input than just advertised specs and I don't want to waste too much money figuring out the right thing to get!! I have the Odyssey with a carto-style tank system and I think it is pretty nice... Now, I am looking at getting a VV set-up and would like to get a good tank system with whatever I can find that works for me. Been looking at Box MODS too but not sure. I want to get something in the range of an 18650 / 1200-2200 mah range.... VV and/or VW , MECH or PC style(either is fine for me ) ................Any input would be helpful and appreciated, I just need to have a clearer picture of how these tank style are different from each other and the values of their performance based on flavor, heat characteristics, potential lifespan, etc. Thanks in advance..... Tom:evil:
 

alcarl

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 18, 2013
289
143
Niagara Falls, NY
I have used both carto tanks and botton coil (kanger protank)/top coil (vivi nova) wick tanks.

I personally really disliked the carto tank. No matter what I tried, the juice tasted burnt. The top coil style tanks suck as vivi nova and iclear 30, will produce a warmer vape as the heating coil is closer to your mouth. I am using the botton coil protank right now, but I have to say I miss the warm vape of my vivi nova a bit. Also, the taste of my juice in the protank does seem a bit muted.
 

Whosback

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Mar 23, 2013
653
2,613
44
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
I like that there are some BIG carto tanks out there that I only have to fill every other day or so. Filling is not as easy as a clearo style tank and once that carto goes it's gone not rebuilding it. Plus flavor swapping can be a pain if you don't have a fresh carto to use. But you really don't have to worry about tilting or anything like that with the carto tanks either. I just don't like the flavor as much as other systems I have tried.

Now clearos tanks on the other hand wiht the wicks I love. You can have top or bottom coil for warmth control, you get a fast and easy way to flavor swap, you can rebuild many of the coils if you need to and replacement heads are cheap and easy to get. The draw back is if you like top coils you usually have to tilt and all that once the tank gets low. They are usually between 1.5 to 3 ml in size so you have to refill more often, and I find them to leak easier then the carto tanks.

Me personally I love clearo style tanks with the wicks. I like the protank it's one of the best systems I have used to date. However I have not fully explored the world of carto tanks so I might be off on them.

I recommend visiting a place like fast tech that has really cheap gear and exploring a bit of the options to get an idea of what you like the most. There is no wrong way to vape.
 

Baditude

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Apr 8, 2012
30,394
73,076
71
Ridgeway, Ohio
As alcarl stated, much will depend upon your personal preferences. We are fortunate to have multiple choices in tank delivery devices, and it will be up to you to decide which best suits your personal expectations by trying different types out on your own battery device setup.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/index2.html

A fixed or single voltage battery device might need to have a variety of different resistances of delivery devices to adjust the vape. As stated, lower resistance will provide a warmer vape, but some vapors will find it to be too harsh or to burn some fragile flavors. A standard or higher resistance will provide a cooler vape, which I prefer. I don't need to replicate the heat of an analog to enjoy my vape. I find the cooler vape to be smoother and to allow for more flavor production. Other vapors' experience will be different from mine, thus a period of experimentation is in store for you to decide which you prefer.

Variable voltage/variable wattage battery devices in general benefit from using a higher resistance of at least 3.o ohm to take best advantage of their capability, as seen in the below chart. Being able to adjust your battery device's voltage to each flavor that you use is a huge advantage in enjoying your vaping experience in my opinion. Each flavor may have it's own "sweet spot" in voltage.

Guide to Safe Vaping - E-Cigarette Safety | Ecig Advanced Community Blog


I put priority on flavor production, not so much on throat hit or vapor production. In my own experience, I have found cartotanks to provide better flavor production than clearotanks. I've never cared for clearomizers or top coiled clearotanks. The bottom coiled clearotanks allow for more flavor, but still not to the level of cartotanks. Again, this is based on my own experience.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/

The resistance (ohms) used will greatly affect your vaping experience. Using too low resistance may cause juices to taste burnt. Dual coils might produce the same effect. Again, others will have a different experience.



___

After using cartotanks almost exclusively for nearly a year, I have recently experimented with RBA's and bottom feed mods. Both seem to have the potential for better flavor. A drip atomizer has no filler or string wick to alter a juice's flavor, but this lack of wicking material means it can only use a few drops of juice at any time. This can be considered an inconvenience in most vaping situations, especially when mobile. It also requires carrying a bottle of juice with you.

A bottom feeder mod used with an atomizer offers the pure flavor of using a drip atomizer with the convenience of a tank. The mod has a built in juice tank. The user "squonks" or taps the juice bottle through a window in the mod to bring juice to a drip well where the atomizer is attached. The user sucks on the atomizer like a primer puff on a cartotank to bring juice to the atomizer and then vapes. Need more juice? Just perform another squonk and primer puff. Bottom feeder mods are available in both single and variable voltage.



RBA's offer the upper rung of delivery devices, but they must be considered to be more complicated with a higher learning curve than the other juice delivery devices. They require a certain level of expertise and knowledge and the user must be willing to "tinker" to perfect their device, as you are building your own wicks and coils. This is not for the "average vapor". Those wishing to get into the ultra low ohm vaping also need to especially understand battery and mod safety and know how to use a multimeter. I recommend a lot of research and self education prior to using an RBA for the first time.

AGA T2 on Provari's.jpgRBA-wick&coils.jpgAGA-TiamatPlus-topview.JPG
 
Last edited:
Really great feedback ..... I am up on all the safety issues and have indebt knowledge on voltage / Wattage / Resistance... No Muss No Fuss is really what I am into now days but I think I would enjoy a vv MOD with a trustworthy wicked glass tank system ..... Looks like I will have to try the top and bottom coil systems to get a grip on which is better for my preference. I have been vaping since 2008 and just here lately have been looking for a change from fooling around with the cig-a-likes.... for goodness sakes, I don't even bother with tobacco flavors anymore and I often trade off between low nic levels ( 0,12,18) because I would rather have better flavor as the nicotine doesn't really play into the pleasure of vaping to me. What I really want to find now is a good balance between flavor and heat vs. TH because that to me is the pleasure of vapor production... I really love to have monster cloud production!!!!!! I think that is what I am addicted to after-all. I want to thank you guys for all the info so far and If there is any more input ... Please feel free because I really like to be as informed as possible on available Tech..... been a long time since I have shopped around and things have changed a lot since I started. That's one thing you find hard going back in after so long when you've found a comfortable niche in vaping. Like I said, I just got tired of cig-a-likes..... They have their place but the constant battery issues and poor vape production over half the time really get old.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread