Hot Cartos

[wotsit]

Helo
Still dead new to all this so Im learning day by day but there is so much stuff.
Could anyone tell me if cartos (not carts) are meant to get warm/hot when being used?
I got a Tornado kit and 5 prefilled cartos the other day and everything was bliss but now have noticed that the cartos are getting a bit warm. Not hot ouch hot but defo warm when Im using them. I cant remember if they did before now or if its a new thing. I have refilled two of them and tried with a brand new one and the same thing.
Also is there any tips about knowing when I need to refill or change the batteries. I am so new to it all that I am not getting totally consistant results to be able to tell about proformance drop off etc.
And one last thing, is it ok to end up having mouthfuls of the liquid or will my tounge fall off? Ive had a good few yuk spit blurgh sessions while I perfect filling and sucking.
Thanks :0)

[Scylla]

Cartos do get rather hot because the atomiser is inside and so close to your lips instead of separated by a cartridge/mouthpiece - some cartos are "worse" than others. Now I never vape a carto directly, I use a Delrin (nylon/plastic sorta material) drip-tip, which is my favourite mouthpiece. They cost about £2 each, here's an example from Cloud9 (Lisa), they have nice coloured ones. They don't have exactly the same design as I'm using:

www.cloud9vaping.co.uk/epages/yxve46fvrnud.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=2913406&ViewAction=View&PageSize=20

You prise off the cap/s, say by levering with pointy tweezers thru the hole and replace with the drip-tip, easy peasy.

Refilling: I presume you are using 510 cartos, in which case the screw fitting makes it less efficient to fill by the "condom" method, which is when you half-fill one of the silicone caps they come with and slowly push the carto down into it - I do it gradually, tipping the carto this way and that to spread the juice.

Otherwise, remove the plastic cap from the mouth end (single or double caps, depending what model you have) and drip around the inside of the rim so it hits the stuffing - you'll see.

If you search on YouTube you'll find cartomizer (with a Z, UK spelling) refilling videos.

Don't worry that juice will poison you but it's not pleasant - if you use a drip-tip you should be able to avoid that unless you madly madly overfill

Please let me know of any gaps in info that need to be filled

Keep up the good work, wotsit, and don't worry about little setbacks - a little bit of practice and a laid back attitude will sort you out (I should be telling myself that!).

scylla

[wotsit]

Brill thanks again :0)
I know I will get the hang of it soon. Im not doing too badly I think but there is soooo much to learn and figure out what works well for me.
The place where I work is starting a smoking ban on the 2nd of Jan and although Im not office boud Ive been a bit smug because I know I have this magic to use.
I like the cartos as they seem dead easy to use but one of the reasons Im trying to switch is money so I want an ecconomical way of (not)smoking. Two pounds each at TW is not going to do that if I cant refill them.
I tried using an atty and a cart yesterday for the first time and I was a bit unsure. It didnt seem like it was working as well as the cartos and I think it dried up really quickly, defo not the 5-7 cigs worth I was expecting. Im sure it was me doing something daft though.
Ive got 30mls of liquid. How many carts/cartos would that normally fill?
I hope to order some new flavours soon and am looking at Paradise vapes. I'd love a really really minty liquid if anyoneknows of one :0)

[Scylla]

I haven't tried it but I know that James Paradise does at least one lovely minty one cos I've seen it praised here.

When James gets back from his US working holiday he will have fresh stocks of everything including, I think, his "blue foam" - this is the best stuffing I've found (not having found Lipton's pyramid tea bags, and they're too labour intensive for me and I'd hate to waste the tea ) - so wait until you get some and then we'll talk. I never got on with refilling the standard stuffing in carts, but you do need to keep it wettish - push the stuffing down into the cart with the trusty pointy tweezers, drip juice on top so it's nearly full, then pull up the stuffing and maybe squidge it up and down a bit.

If you run out of cartos and simply cannot refill a cart to your satisfaction, you can try "direct dripping" - ie, don't use any stuffing in the cart, simply drip juice directly into the open end of the atty - only 2 drops at first, maybe 3, careful not to flood. It gives a good vape but of course you have to do it rather frequently.

But the cartos should be fairly economical if you get a drip-tip and suss out a methodology that suits you.

scylla

[Perpetua]

I'm not a huge user of carto's Wot, although when I do, it's always with a drip tip so filling is quite straightforward.

Exaggerated claims are made by some ecig suppliers on equivalent cigarettes v ejuice I think . . . tend to gauge my own usage by the week which is about 10-15mls.

As Scylla says, keep the filler material moist but not drenched . . . o and Tornado batteries just cut out completely when they need a re-charge as opposed to a drop off in performance.

[Scylla]

Thanks for that Perpy - I forgot to say that I've no idea whatsoever about how long juice lasts or how many carts it will fill

I think that wotsit should get another order in fairly soon though, depending on whether she is a chain vaper or not

scylla

[Perpetua]

Agreed Scylla, always wise to have at least a month's supply of juice in stock.

[Chrissie]

Wotsit, I also can't help much with cartos as just never really got on with them.

As for a minty flavour, the best I've had was Spearmint from paradise vapes.

[wotsit]

Thanks all again :0)
I defo will be getting more liquid in very soon. Dont know what a months supply is though, 60mls or there about????
I am really wanting to try some flavours and keep looking at James site and picking out many differint ones. I think I will order in the next few days, just get christmas over with first.
Will try the spearmint one too Chrissie.

Perpy- Thats really intresting about the tornado batteries. Thanks. So if its not working at full flavour/vaper it needs more juice then? Brill that makes it eaiser to work out.

I dont know if Im a chain vaper or not :0) Im trying to use it like a regular cigarette as in a put it down after about 3 minutes of using it and pick it up again after about 20-30 minutes. Is that a chain vaper or do you mean having it on the go at all times??? Sp much tolearn :0)

[Perpetua]

60mls sounds good Wot, although James is on holiday shortly, so it would be wise not to hesitate for too long before you order ( don't let a little thing like Christmas stop you doing the important stuff )

Vaping isn't like having a ciggie is it, in as much there isn't a set beginning and an end so it's not so easy to gauge whether you're a chain vaper . . . I could and did chain smoked . . . and I do pretty much the same, when possible, with vaping.

[Scylla]

I would put a message in James's Paradise thread in the Suppliers section - he might be short on some flavours at the mo but may get something off to you before he goes on hols.

scylla