Evod cracking

[Jen]

I've posted a couple of times about this, but it's totally doing my head in now! So I thought I'd try and get a few more opinions.

Briefly: I have a lot of Evods. I love 'em, they're brilliant little beasts. This weekend, I filled up a SS one with my Apple Pie & Custard mix (Cap Apple Pie & VC), noticed it was showing hairline cracks at the base of the drip tip, which then graduated into bigger cracks, a mouthful then lapful of juice and Evod death. Filled up a second (green) Evod with the same juice but noticed it and my yellow one also showed hairline cracks in the same place. Green one is now dead:



Hairline cracks on the yellow:



I thought I had bought all 3 off LF, but after having raised a ticket with them and them very kindly offering me store credit whilst warning me about tank cracking juices, it turns out I only bought the yellow and green from them, meaning the SS one was bought elsewhere (can't remember now but probably UK Ecig Cabin). These are highly reputable vendors and I don't mean or want to malign either of them, by the way. But what on earth is going on here?? It's unlikely to be the juice, as I haven't used any known tank crackers in them. They're not all from the same batch or vendor or even the same colour.

So I had a google around and found this thread. I'll quote here:

If I try to insert the tube back into where it should go I have to push really hard to get it to fit back into place with the breaks matching up, meaning that stress is being placed on the plastic by the metal tube, causing it to crack. When I looked more closely at the coil noticed that the central column which holds the wicks in place wasn't fully inserted - it was less than half a mm out, but still wasn't flush, when I pushed it in fully I was able to insert the broken tube back into the tank flush with no problem.

Now here's a picture of the base from the yellow Evod which I have literally just lifted out and photographed:




I can't see anything wrong myself. But before I take LF's hard-earned cash, I want to rule out the possibility of this being my fault in some unintentional way, and hopefully prevent this happening again - like I said, I *love* my Evods, not to mention this is going to get expensive! I've bought all my atty head replacements from UK Ecig Cabin (I think), I can't imagine there'd be anything wrong with them. So what do the experts think is going on here?

[DiscoDes]

I can't see a crack Jen can you put a arrow on the picture?

[Super-Shiny]

I myself still think it is the Apple pie, it could just be a bad batch of it with more Cinnamon than usual or you vanilla custard might be PA vanilla custard just bottled wrong?

[Jen]

On the yellow? Hang on, I'm not that good with images! Will go and see what Paint can do...

It's diagonal where the juice congregates at the top of the base, and around the base of the drip tip, in the meantime.

[googled]

I use Capella VC and Apple(not pie) all the time in my EVODs with no cracking problems, sounds like a manufacturing error, maybe the plastic is too thin and more liable to break vs some flavours - odd that you got them from different vendors and therefore different batches. If it was me I'd just but a ten pack from Fasttech and use your coils in them, waiting 3-4 weeks might not be an option for you though.
Just in case : www.fasttech.com/products/0/10004691/1369401-evod-electronic-cigarette-round-mouth-atomizer-10-

[DiscoDes]

Jul 2, 2013 10:52:09 GMT Super-Shiny said:

I myself still think it is the Apple pie, it could just be a bad batch of it with more Cinnamon than usual or you vanilla custard might be PA vanilla custard just bottled wrong?

I'm using Cinnamon Heavy juices and have not had this problem

[Jen]

There ya go, Des.

Rom, normally I would agree and it's what I originally thought, but I haven't used the AP in the yellow.

I got the VC from Alchemist's Cupboard, can't image Kev would make a mistake like that.

If I'd used them all in the same way, I'd think it was me. If they were all from the same vendor, I'd think it was the vendor. But they're all mixed! Befuddled and confoozled

[Jen]

Jul 2, 2013 10:53:45 GMT googled said:

I use Capella VC and Apple(not pie) all the time in my EVODs with no cracking problems, sounds like a manufacturing error, maybe the plastic is too thin and more liable to break vs some flavours - odd that you got them from different vendors and therefore different batches. If it was me I'd just but a ten pack from Fasttech and use your coils in them, waiting 3-4 weeks might not be an option for you though.
Just in case : www.fasttech.com/products/0/10004691/1369401-evod-electronic-cigarette-round-mouth-atomizer-10-

Ordered a bunch of them on Sunday

[DiscoDes]

Jul 2, 2013 10:58:40 GMT Jen said:

There ya go, Des.

Rom, normally I would agree and it's what I originally thought, but I haven't used the AP in the yellow.

I got the VC from Alchemist's Cupboard, can't image Kev would make a mistake like that.

If I'd used them all in the same way, I'd think it was me. If they were all from the same vendor, I'd think it was the vendor. But they're all mixed! Befuddled and confoozled

Sorry Jen but is that not a bubble of liquid?

Give it a rinse and check again.

[Super-Shiny]

It seems the juice has been ruled out so i would say a manufacturing problem, i used to make cylinders (locks to you) and 1,000's used to be pumped out a day and many times machines used to go out of sync (not noticeable by the naked eye) and would only find out once the cylinders was installed that it would arise that they are faulty.

Could also be that Kanger are sourcing their materials elsewhere for a better price but at the price of a problem arising later on.

There is so many possibilities to name what could be the problem.

[Jen]

Jul 2, 2013 11:08:42 GMT DiscoDes said:

Sorry Jen but is that not a bubble of liquid?

Give it a rinse and check again.

It might look like that but it isn't! Have tried again, but my camera phone isn't the best:





So there are two different cracks in two different directions.

[Jen]

Jul 2, 2013 11:19:50 GMT Super-Shiny said:

It seems the juice has been ruled out so i would say a manufacturing problem, i used to make cylinders (locks to you) and 1,000's used to be pumped out a day and many times machines used to go out of sync (not noticeable by the naked eye) and would only find out once the cylinders was installed that it would arise that they are faulty.

Could also be that Kanger are sourcing their materials elsewhere for a better price but at the price of a problem arising later on.

There is so many possibilities to name what could be the problem.

I think you could be right - if it had been the juice, I would have expected the body to crack as well, but the cracks are all in the same place at the top/drip tip. Does this maybe suggest a twisting-type of pressure? I'm not an engineer, but it could have something to do with it being screwed into the base, as the thread I linked to kind of suggests. I don't overtighten as far as I'm aware, though. Hmm!

[ChillerVapes]

Looks like a stress crack to me.

Juice cracks are much finer and go whitish.

[Super-Shiny]

If it's 100% not the juice i would be inclined to say that the problem lies in the base/head when screwing in it's putting pressure on the center tube pushing it up causing the crack, so the possibilities arise again, is the head a hair thin too long or the rubber bung a hair thin too thick...Or even the plating maybe thicker.....it's endless possibilities

[Jen]

Jul 2, 2013 11:33:09 GMT Super-Shiny said:

If it's 100% not the juice i would be inclined to say that the problem lies in the base/head when screwing in it's putting pressure on the center tube pushing it up causing the crack, so the possibilities arise again, is the head a hair thin too long or the rubber bung a hair thin too thick...Or even the plating maybe thicker.....it's endless possibilities

Whatever the cause, would you say I'd be justified in getting the store credit from LF? I'm uncomfortable claiming it if I'm at fault, but I genuinely don't think I am (yet). It's a toughie!