Screwdriver Problems

[Chrissie]

Quite a few of you that recently bought Screwdrivers (SD's) have been experiencing problems. I thought it would be best to have a separate thread, so I'm C&Ping all the relevant posts from Lolli's thread into here.

Lolli
on 17 Apr, 2010, 12:39pm

Morning luverly people
Cleaning, priming, charging complete ! Can't find a rubber ring to discard on my (black) SD though.
Got one 901 & one 510 up 'n running - both performing well - think the other atties are done for
BTW - what kind of life length do the 901, 510 batties normally give ???
The SD is going but it's pretty feeble - needs lots of suck (wears me out!) & doesn't last long before needing change of battery!
THANK YOU ALL for your replies x x x

Foxy
on 17 Apr, 2010, 1:56pm

Battery life depends on how much you vape Loll so it's very hard to give an accurate estimate but I haven't lost one yet although some are now pretty short lived when in use. The 510s have a ludicrously short vape time between charges anyway - even the new, slighter longer ones aren't much better which is why I always use a PCC. I've never used a battery 'exclusively' as I have loads of different models and switch between them all the time.

Pleased to hear you've got something to vape away your frustrations on - enjoy!

Fox



Chrissie
on 17 Apr, 2010, 2:03pm

Lolli, I've had some 901 atties last a couple of months or more, others only a week or so & a couple from my last pack from TW, for even less time. One of them died after only a couple of puffs another after only a few hours

The black SD's don't have the rubber ring on them. Wondering if it's the button that might need adjusting as Keef mentioned?

Keef
17 Apr, 2010, 9:28pm

Hmm .... I just mentioned the button as we don't want it to work its way loose and fall off while we fiddle

Take the 901 atty that works - remove the cart and screw it on to the SD .
Press the button and what do you see happen inside ?.

Did you also try cleaning the threads as ragjoy mentioned ?
The ones that hold the body together not the ones that screw in to the atomiser.

Also the 510 is a thirsty toy - not only in liquid terms but it also eats up batteries much faster than a 901 will.
So 2 people who vape in identical ways one with a 901 and one with a 510.
The 510 user will have to charge their batteries more often.
That goes for the large battery mods too - it simply draws more power and drains them faster.


ragjoy
17 Apr, 2010, 10:50pm

at worst you should get 3 hours from a newish battery.
i would gamble on the threads,mine needs cleaning every few days or i get a bad connection,you have too suck harder because the connection is not 100%.
i dont use my mk1 as much as my mk2 so it is probably a running in issue with the threads.
its just as easy to wipe the threads every battery change it certainly wont harm anything.
ragjoy...........


Lilac
on 17 Apr, 2010, 11:25pm

Glad to hear you're on the mend Lolli

As you know, i've been having probs with my SD too (silver one)

I read the thread Raggy was talking about, cleaned the threads.....all of them...lol...and i mean really cleaned them, nails in there and everything...

Result....maybe marginally better but i'm still not impressed...if i have a 901 manual battery that gives me effortless clouds of vapour & great throat hit freshly charged and prob for at least an hour, then thats the benchmark i would expect from my SD...but i'm not getting it...

I got the yellow 1000 mAh batteries from Kaidomain and they're maybe slightly better, but not by much

I dunno....one thing i did read on that thread is that a 10 second push of the button should result in a red glowing atty....not on mine, it doesn't...in fact i have to keep it depressed for like 20 secs to get a few good puffs out of it....

It's maybe not the SD, but the batteries....do you think it's worth buying the batts from Trog (can i get them on their own, or just in the pack thats £35?)

Or just give up on the SD and buy more manual 901 batts.....i don't know....

Starting to understand your quest for a decent vape, Scylla....lol

[Chrissie]

Scylla

I can't think that it's the SD that's at fault (provided it's not got dirty connections). It sounds like weak batteries - you say the atties work fine with your manual 901 battery, so...

I was on the point of buying the Kaidomans just to try, and also a mains adapter for a radio and a netbook battery - but must hold off now cos of the volcano dust



lynwlt
I'm having precisely the same problems.
I suspect it is the batteries and thought about buying some from Trog. He does sell them seperately from the charger.
On the other hand, maybe there's something dodgy about my charger, the name of which escapes me right now but is one that charges various sizes of batteries.

Keef
I am doubting it is the batteries.

Reason: you have 2 different kinds from different suppliers & I presume that means at least 2 of each type.

For them all to be dud would have to be seriously bad luck.

The charger
I only use the little Nano its slow but steady and I have never had any problems with them.
The battery prefers a trickle charge.

The larger chargers are faster and turn green before the battery hits 4.2v but that will not effect vapour or throat hit just the length of time it goes before needing a re-charge.
If its going red when you put them on and taking at least 2-3 hours to go green it should be working correctly.

Have you played with the atomiser screw it out a tiny bit as it may be a bad connection it is making if screwed too tight.

lolli says it is really hard to draw on .....
Check that you can still see the air hole on the atomiser when it is screwed in .

Chrissie
Keef, I know that lilac's problem isn't with the charger as I sent her my working Nano charger. I also agree that it's doubtful the problem is with the all of the batteries.

Keef, could it be the button that's not making a good contact?

Bucko
I had a lot of problems with my SD's, very similar to the ones mentioned on this thread...my regular 510mini batts were giving me better performance using the same atties than they were on the SD.

After multiple emails with Trog, I ended up sending them back for repair. They were returned to me working A1, so I'd suggest doing the same with an under performing SD.

The only thing I'm puzzled with was Trog's resistance/lack of a concrete answer to my many times asked question to him...which part of my SD was faulty...which part did he fix...I still don't know.

Ragjoy
have you tried different types of carts,some carts dont seem to wick with some attys.
unfortunately i dont know what go with which.
i believe the combo i have at the minute is the attys with the browny/purple plug end with a trog supplied with the mk1 atty.
its not great,but most of the time its fine.
ive re-stuffed the cart with white fluval and i leave it very slightly high,this seems to help but its not perfect.
for some reason my mk2 does the job better,but im not sure why.
i realise that the above dont give the answer,but i do think finding the right cart is relevant.
ragjoy

[Chrissie]

Lilac

Hi guys...thanks for all the suggestions...

Keef, i'm using Chrissie's nano to charge the batts, i've played with the attie and it doesn't make a difference, i can see the airhole when it's screwed in...

one thing strikes me.....the ones having problems are the ones who bought SD's during Trogs 2 for 1....i'm wondering if he wasn't making them with the same care in an attempt to keep up with demand?

I've put the battery in the other way round, just to see if it makes a difference, and it seems a bit better, funnily enough...would there be a reason for that, or am i imagining it?

If that is true that the attie should be glowing red with a 10 sec push of the button, then there's defo something not working correctly...does yours, Keef or Scylla?

How long did Trog take to fix urs and return it, Bucko?

Just put my manual 901 battery on and did a 10 sec button push, the attie still doesn't appear to glow red, hard to see tho, for the smoke in the tube, but the attie defo gets hotter, whereas in my SD, it only gets that hot if i push for a lot longer than 10 secs...

I think i'll order a couple more manual 901's from Vapourstation, then send the SD back for Trog to have a look...

Bucko
Lilac,

My SD took just a couple of days, no complaints there. I did have to send mine back twice though. It stopped working altogether both times. Wish i knew the cause, guess its a trade secret lol.

SD's have been ok since, though they do drop off from time to time. Every time this happens, i swap out to the tornado using same atties/carts, and guess what...Always ok.

I stick with the SD's as they are more economical to run, but in a Tornado vs. SD head to head, there's a clear winner and its not the SD.

I'm not sure if you already have a Tornado/Ego, but for my money, it's the only device I've had which has not caused me problems...not a single one, which in the world of E-cigs, makes it a pretty remarkable device.

Lolli
Whew! I've fiddled & faffed & fumbled & fiddled more
Read all the tips ( you are all sooooooooooo good )
Kitchen looks like I've got some kind of weird, dodgy hobby going on! Honestly, if anyone saw it Been changing dressings - yuk! - amongst e cig stuff, all of it out, everywhere! Batteries charged & charging. Pills & choc marshmallows. Two cups of tea, that I let go cold, so intent was I on all the messy stuff!!! Definitely all over the place today (& I blimmin well hurt!) & normally so organised ........ end of rant!
Not sure if I've got a mark 1 or 2 but whichever; those threads are so clean now - probably more sterile than my dressings - all cleaned as instructed
Put the attie in SD (no cart) & pressed for 10 secs, then 20 - result some intermittent sizzling & it went white (def not red tho')
BTW have got the black carts with the brown end bit on, lots of 'em! Don't like them as much as the all-in-one black ones, of which I only have 5. Find the brown ends not a great fit into the attie. - In fact I've used pliers before now to pull 'em out, where they're so stiff
Think maybe the spider batts are iffy - charging with my euro thingy. Will try take a pic later & pop it on here - it's a 2 pin light fitting one end (you just pop into a table lamp) & two little slots (perfect fit) the other end. Struggle to charge with the other adapter I bought tho' did make several attempts!
Gosh What a lot of waffle - please make allowances for weakened state

Lynwlt
You said what I was too scared to say, Lilac....
I wonder if Chrissie has had any problems with her gold one?
Thing is, we did all get our batteries at the same time, so it might have been a duff batch....
Whatever, it seems to be beyond coincidence that we are all having similar problems.

Lilac
I got some 1000 mAh batts from Kaidomain which don't improve it tho, Lynda looking less like it's the batteries at fault

[Chrissie]

Ragjoy

right,ive started completely fresh.
1 new trog atty,using the empty cart (filled with fluval) that was with initially with it.
at first it was rubbish on the mk1 and average on the mk2 (fresh batts in both).
after an hour i trimmed (length and width)the fluval and slightly tapered it (thin end towards the mouth) it now works a treat.
i know the atty needs to burn in a bit but i still think the carts are an issue (i dont know why)i also think that if the cart is packed to tight it affects the wicking,it seems when its tight and wet it dont wick as it should.
if you trim it width ways (i see no reason why you cant do this with the normal filler as well)(but do it after 1 hours use) it wicks better.
also if you have filled carts just wip out the filler and stick it the blank cart that came with the atty.
i know im a newbie to this stuff but i do mess about with the filler and ive found that in the case of cart filler a looser fit is better for wicking.
it may pop out a few times initially but once it swells and is soaked in it will stay in all the time.

Lynwlt
Hmmm...
I don't know quite what to make of this.
One thing, I wonder if we were expecting too much of the SD? (remember reading all that rubbish about one 'cart' being the equivalent of 15-20 analogues?)
The thing is, it looks and feels as if it has been made with great care and precision.
That being said, I took it apart today and cleaned every bit that was reachable. It's the cleanest thing in my house!
I don't know if I should share this next bit of information with you.....
The belt of my micro-fleece dressing gown reaches the parts that other cloths doesn't!!
It was astonishing how much unseen muck it attracted!
(It was a whimsical choice of cloth..)
Anyway, the result of that marathon clean, freshly charged battery, check on the button, and nice clean attie (glowed red on a 901 battery ) was not as good as the vape from a normal 901.
I've tried it with a 510 adapter...nada.
I sort of think that I can't exactly return it because it does vape, just not as well as I was expecting it to..
Sigh..

Lilac
I think we should be able to expect the SD to perform as well as the 901, but for longer on each battery Lynda...

I'm sure the Prof said that the big battery devices lasted longer at peak performance, before dropping off near the end of the charge...

i don't think so many people would speak so highly of them if they were all like ours...

Ragjoy
are the old mk1s threads aluminium (or seem like aluminium)?they seem much softer than the mk2 threads,just wondering if the older mk1s have a different thread to our mk1s.
when working at full power it works fine but there does seem to be a connection issue with mine and my wifes,i constantly clean the threads.
ive put the rubber ring back on,tightened down fairly tight and you get a hiss from the atty (no cart on).
if the thread is not in exactly the right place there is no hiss the atty will get hot and eventually glow,but nowhere near as quickly,the vaper is then low and you have to suck much harder.
im wondering if the threads have been changed,there really seems to be a connection issue.
maybe keef could speak to trog about this,i thought it was just me with this intermittent problem,but it seems there are a few even here with a problem.
i still believe you need the correct cart with a certain atty.
this has to be something simple,but really trog is the man maybe (sorry to put pressure on you keef) keef could speak to trog and he can take a sample of our problems and maybe even a few SDs from this forums users and test them if it cant be rectified via text.
i know i can go direct to trog,and yes they are more than helpful on the forum,but i believe they think its a user problem,which maybe it is.
but i dont have the same problems with my mk2 when i swap the atty over onto that.
if i get the thread in a particular spot it works as well if not better than the mk2,but sometimes the power just seems really low.
when you change the battery just check for the hiss,if theres no hiss then the vape power will be low,a slight turn more or less seems to change what power or connection you get.
if trog reads this please dont think im making out to be an expert as im far from that,and yes i could/should have posted on your forum,but this thread was/is live so thats where ive posted,it is not a criticism of you or your product which when right is brilliant,but something just dont seem right,and yes it is probably is something we are or are not doing.

Chrissie
(((Lolli)))) at the moment, this is the last thing you need on top of everything you have been going through

You are right Lilac, the SD should perform at least as well as the 901. I know I had a few problems with misfires with my first SD & I put this down to the old style wobbly button. I've still hardly used my new SD as I so much prefer my GG Grant & Garry Dibley passthru. But I'll make a concerted effort to put it through it's paces & let you all know.

From everything you are all saying, I wonder if something could be causing a higher resistance in your SD's ? However, I've no idea how or what could cause that to happen.

If everyone's atties/carts are performing OK on other devices, then the problem has to be elsewhere.

Such a shame that Trog wouldn't let Bucko know what the problem was with his SD's. That info may have helped everyone else.

Chrissie
Lol, I crossed posts with you Raggy?

Bucko
I wonder if you may have hit the nail on the head? Again, I'm not an expert on this sort of field, but if their is a difference in the threads, if that is what is causing the resistance to be higher.

I don't think it was a case of purposefully not letting me know, it sounded more like he couldn't remember which SD he fixed. I just thought he woulda put a note in the return stating what the fault was. Or kept a log of it his end in case the same problem happened again.
I've just got an SD2 with a 901 atty today, so far it's pretty fantastic. There's no doubt about it, when the SD is firing on all cylinders, it's a better vape than the Tornado, it's just for whatever unknown reason, it's hitty/missy in the consistency department. ... I shall persevere lol.

[Chrissie]

Ragjoy
ve been swapping between the ml1 and mk2 all last night and all day today,i have put on a ready filled cart (one with the brown end) and the mk2 out strips the mk1 90% of the time,im using the same atty on both SDs.
in the past 2 hrs ive just give up with the mk1.
my wife has complained about hers from day one,she consistently states it gives no more than the cig like 901 but she has to go out with a bloody screwdriver now instead of a pink cig like gadget,
i clean hers and sort out her carts,but within no time its back to a slow vape again.
im now using a new trog 901 atty and on neither the the mk1 or mk2 it dont go red within 10 seconds(im weary of doing it longer) it does however hiss and work ok on the mk2 and sometimes on the mk1.
they dont actually look like an atty ive used before,but i did read on the trog forum that these are the best for the sd mk1.

Ragjoy
the thing is here we know this is a great product tried and tested by i assume thousands,so we know its sound.
the issue is we have around 5 SDs on here that do not perform as we know they should,its too much of a coincidence that the people here are not getting out of there SD what they know they should.
i didnt really bother with mine as i already had the mk2,but the wife wanted one and the bogoff deal came up so i went halves,i had problems from the start but put it down to a new atty etc then went back to the mk2,tried it again a week or so later just to run the batts and make sure all was fine,it wasnt and i went through the cleaning process via the trog forum and all was fine,now it works intermittently and this seems to be everyone's problem here.
i dont know if anyone knows trog here, so other than keef being a mod on the forum i dont really know how to approach it without it seeming like a complaint,i know it is a complaint,but not one like you have with a shop which generally i have no problem taking them to task,i would just like it to be a non complaint thing as we are possibly all doing something wrong,i dont know what else to try though.

Chrissie
Raggy, Trog can be a rather difficult person to deal with as he doesn't take any sort of "complaint" well.

OK, I used my SD for most of yesterday with the following results : -

Firstly, a true DSE901 does not turn red on the SD but one of my few still working RN4075's from TW did turn red.

For half the day I used the 901 attie & for the other half the 4075. Most of the time, I got good vape with both. However, I found that if I didn't push the button down hard & straight on, vape production dropped. Trouble is that due to the button position, after a while my fingers start to hurt (I do have arthritis in my hands so this so others will not have the same problem).

I'm off out this morning so will be taking my GG with me (prefer to have a device in my handbag that has a locking button). But will resume putting the SD through it's paces later today.

Keef
Now to the SD .....

Lolli
Lilac
Ragjoy

I am totally lost - the only time I experience what you are describing is when I have carts that dont fit the atties properly and it is not getting enough liquid

I was thinking somehow may be the atomisers were not 100% compatable with the brass head in the SD but Ragjoy posted they tried one from Trog and it has not helped.

I think the best thing you could do is contact Trog or Foggy
[e-mail]
and ask them for a return address so they can take a look and see if they can find a problem.
Explain you have tried cleaning - new batteries - atomisers etc and nothing is helping.
Ask if they want you to send the atomiser and the batteries you are using along with the device for testing.
Mention you were talking to me on Chrissies forum and I advised you to contact them.

You are all in the UK , turnaround is fast, they tend to deal with tests/repairs as soon as they arrive and post back the same or next day.

Lynda - You can return it and ask for a refund .
Trog has said in the past its not the device for everyone and if you are not satisfied , even if it is working and you simply dont like it he will refund .

Chrissie
I do know that badly fitting carts can cause the atties not to wick properly, but I can't see this being the problem in most cases here as some have tried the same cart/attie combo on other devices & they have been fine.

Lilac
Chrissie, i was reading that you were getting a decent vape from your SD and started thinking that i did find it good when i first got it, the progress to weak vape seemed to happen gradually....

i then decided to use an RN4075 from TW instead of the one i got from Vape88 which i presume is a 901 altho it works terrifically well on my 901 ecig...

hey presto...the SD works much better....but if the 901 attie isn't really compatible with the SD, that is very restrictive, and not good news in view of the 20 new atties i just got from Amy which are 901's

Chrissie
Lilac, the RN4075's certainly do burn a bit hotter than the 901's. But they both should work on your SD.

Yes, Amy's are true 901's - I've found that they last a heck of a lot longer than the 4075's. You could try selling them on here if you prefer to stick to the 4075's - if no one else wanted them, I'd be happy to buy them off you.

When you were getting a decent vape to begin with, was that with a 4075 or 901 attie?

Lilac
think it was one of my original TW atties Chrissie, but don't remember 100%

Chrissie
Hmmm...

Another thought. Lilac have you (or any others having problems with your SD mk1's) got a 901 to 510 adapter & tried the SD with a 510 attie?

[Chrissie]

Lolli
Raggy, did all the cleaning really well. SD, with only attie in, hisses a bit & goes white (not red) when button pressed for 10, even 20secs.

Thanks to everyone, loads, for your efforts

Think I'm going to forget the SD as have tried everything suggested &, frankly, it's a "hard work", weak vape for me. Probably my own lack of skill is to blame, I suspect

Think I'll stick to my 901 & 510 but only have 1.5 (lol) of each!! - so am always charging! Wondering how many more I should buy? - complete kits, or just atties?
I'm self employed & have lost a lot of time, thro' illness etc, from work so don't want to buy what I don't need, but with the impending ban > - don't want to run out of vape either

Lynwlt
Oh Lolli,
I think this thread somehow got diverted from it's origins..
How are you doing??? Are you recovering, are you feeling stronger, are you feeling better??
I do hope so!
I completely agree wqith you about the SD.
I've done everything that has been suggested and it sucks, but not in a good way..
Honestly, my best vapes come from pass-throughs and for portability, the Tornado.
The Tornado battery has really good power and endurance. You don't need to buy a whole kit.
You could just invest in the Tornado battery and use it with your 510 atties. You might need to buy a 'cheap as chips' adapter for the charger. Mine cost a few pounds from LF.
It's a nice thing..

Scylla
{{{Lolli}}} just for a short-term solution, I would choose whichever of the models you currently prefer and top it up.

How many chargers do you have? Whether 901 or 510, you can get USB chargers to dangle off your PC, I'd recommend them for convenience but I believe they can take a bit longer to charge - not a problem if you have plenty of...

Batteries! Have at least 4 for your favourite ecig. I know that someone here is very happy with their manual 901 battery - we'd need to find out where they got it from. (Computer-head Chrissie probably knows )

10 or 20 atties is not extravagant - they can last months or days (or less, as Chrissie and I have found with some batches). But if you just want to get by while you take stock of "where next?", then a pack of 5 would do

The carts that come with the atties should keep you going for ages if you have Fluval or blue or black stuff. Only thing is, I found that the carts that come with the "true" 901s don't fit for very long, they get loose, but then you can do the red-hot needle treatment, which I've never tried but it works.

Bucko
I'd recommend the Tornado over standard batts and SD for a long-lasting hassle free vape.

I have an adapter on order to use 901 atties on the Tornado, I'll post the outcome when I've tried it.

Lolli
Evening Lynda & Scylla
I'm chirpy-ish most of the time Linda - just had one mend too many! & hate all the pills (mandatory 37 daily at mo )
Few weeks from now it'll all have stopped hurting (PLEEEEEZ) & be do-able again tho' It will all be cool
I'm gonna look into the Tornado in a couple of weeks; sounds good. Like you, I have filed the SD away in the "tried & failed" file
Think I need to get a few more batteries, like you said Scylla, & 20 atties, at least, for the 510 & 901. (Got lots of carts & white fluval already). Need to do some homework on the cheapest available tho Might be cheaper to get some starter kits, if any are on offer.
Think Raggy has a real point about the carts - even on the basic e cigs the filler size IMHO, can affect the vape.
Wish you all a happy evening chewing the ?fat?

Ragjoy
gave it another go tonight and i put the batts in nipple to button and its been perfect since 6pm.im not saying this is a fix but its working better than ever for the time being,i done the wifes as well with the same result.

[Chrissie]

Chrissie
Another hug from me ((((Lolli)))) So very sorry to hear it will take so long before you stop hurting & that you are having to take so many tablets

I feel awful that you (& others) have been let down so badly with the SD, it's the last thing you need at the moment - apart from the wasted expense that you could well do without

I don't know why, but I thought the newer versions of the SD MK1 where now fully mechanical, but apparently not. There is a circuit board underneath the spring & the black grommet inside the attie end. So I'm wondering that as the SD isn't sealed, juice could be getting into the circuit board & causing problems?

i gave it another go tonight and i put the batts in nipple to button and its been perfect since 6pm.im not saying this is a fix but its working better than ever for the time being,i done the wifes as well with the same result.
ragjoy...........


Very interesting Raggy, I've just tried that with what I thought was a battery that needed recharging & suddenly it seems to have sprung back into life.

Lilac
I tried that too Raggy, the other day (think i posed it in here somewhere) it did help, but like everything else i've tried, it was only temporary...

Chrissie...I'm constantly having to wipe threads and inside the attie half of the shell as there is some juice in there, so i think you might have hit the nail on the head there...

I'm not sure whether to send it back or not, can't remember if Bucko is now happy with his since it being repaired?

Chrissie
Lilac, I really don't know enough about electric circuits so I may be talking nonsense (I'm sure Trog would say I am doing so). But as the circuit board is now sort of sealed with the black grommet, I'm wondering if juice is collecting underneath it?

Bucko
Lilac, Definitely send them back to Trog so he can take a look, they did come back much improved... He didn't charge me anything, though obviously had to pay for postage to get them to him.

They do drop off occasionally, when they do I immediately think, right, they're going back lol, but I always seem to figure out the problem. I think in my case it's crap batteries or a crap charger, they last nowhere near the time they're supposed to - maybe 3 hours tops.

That's my issue with SD's, I thought they'd take away the hassle of E-cigs, but mine don't... (is it the atty, is it the battery, is it the cart, is it crap juice lol).

whereas, the Tornado vapes consistently right down to the battery light blinking. With the SD, it's guesswork as there's no indicator to tell you if the battery is flat.

The SD2 I've just got is still on its 1st charge, 4 hours in.
Here's hoping on that one...

Keef
Now that is interesting -

The batteries work better upside down !!.

Physics was never my strong point so afraid I can only guess .... the spring is in contact with more of the metal plate so more current is flowing through .....
Tbh my theory sounds like twaddle even to me

Chrissie my 1st SD original one was getting liquid in the head never caused it any problems and it is still going strong over a year on so I cannot imagine it would make any difference in this one.

The Brass head in the SD is definitely from RN (First Union).

I wonder if the new DSE atomisers with the ceramic cup are somehow not connecting well with it.

The DSE atty has never given as good hit as the RN one and if you have been using the RN ones and then go use a DSE one I think you will notice a big difference in heat and hit.

RN sellers that I know of.... (RN atomisers have no code inscribed on them ) unless multi pack and they have NXXXXX on them.

TotallyWicked
e-cigs.co.uk
LibertyFlights

DSE Sellers ..... DSE atomisers have SLxxxxxx inscribed on them.
You can no longer see this atty glow red as the washer hides the coil.

Amy HealthCabin
George OK Smokey


Re my internet problems continue.......
Same nonsense last night .....
Apparently the atmospherics in my home are causing a problem with the wireless ???
Strange how this just started and appears to be 10 times worse in the evening .
All seems ok right now and of course I am heading out for work, by the time I get home I just know the connection will be pants again >

Scylla

[Chrissie]

Ragjoy
ive got 6 of these now,one from george,4 from trog and one left from the trog supplied sd.
they certainly dont help with the sd,in fact i bought a batt and atty from george a good while back just to have as a back up and i tested it to make sure it worked,i thought at the time this aint the same as the others ive had.
i dont know if its me but they flood so easy and wont just burn off as easy as the others ive used,this could also be why the SDs are performing differently.
i doubt anyone will admit this as there sitting on hundreds if not thousands of them.maybe these companies should be telling people exactly what they are selling,instead of waiting for complaints that they dismiss,yeah they work,but they dont work as they bloody well should.
and then they have the balls to say there are no returns.
as you might gather from this rant,mine is not performing AGAIN.

Lilac
Are you talking about your SD Raggy?

If so, i'm not gonna bother sending mine back, i'm just gonna chalk it up to experience.....fortunately it was only £20 on the deal...

sucks tho...

Foxy
So sorry you're having probs with your SDs, I've never really got on with mine at all. Firstly the carts that came with the kit didn't fit the atties (RN type) and once I'd sorted that out I found it didn't produce as much vapour as a regular 901 anyway.

I like my GG Slim but I only get decent vapour using cartomizers and the battery life is pants.

The best unit for me by far is the Tornado - great battery life, ergonomically terrific and superb vapour right to the end of the battery charge.

I had a major trauma yesterday; I was cycling in the Lee Valley Park when I stopped for a quick vape only to find my Tornado was missing from my saddlebag - it must have been bounced out somewhere along the miles of towpath I'd just cycled. I returned the same way and, lo and behold there it was with it's diamondlike button glinting in the sunshine - I've never been more relieved - it works perfectly which goes to show what a tough cookie the Tornado is.

Regarding changes in batteries and atties, just recently I've bought both from George at OKS and from Vapor Station (510s) - in both cases the batteries are now slightly longer that previously and don't fit the original PCCs which is a darn nuisance; they can be made to work in the PCC with a stratigically placed elastic band to keep the lid down but it's less than satisfactory! The first two batteries from George were 'live' but I couldn't get a draw from the atomizer - George kindly replaced both batteries and the new ones are fine - I ordered two spare atties, one of which has a most peculiar and very hard draw. I'm tempted to give up on all units other than the Tornado as it seems to be the only reliable one out there. There are new PCCs for the 510 that take the longer batteries by the way; I don't think they're the same as the 'Mega' ones but I can't be certain as everything seems to be changing from one order to the next!

[Chrissie]

Ragjoy
lilac,
its these new attys ive got that im talking about.
foxy seems to be another having a vape problem with them.
maybe thats what the sd problem is,these new attys.

Lilac
ah....atties...i must have been lucky on that score, altho i can tell they're different, it hasn't really caused me a problem, i've tried both types on the SD and the TW ones are better, but the vapour tails off with them too, when it does perform, it does it well....but when it doesn't....

Ragjoy
ive messed around all tonight (again) and im coming to the conclusion that these shielded by ceramic disc attys are imo are the problem.
sometimes there fine then there dead then there fine.
tonight (6 batts,4 attys old and new) swapped between the 2 mk1s and a mk2.
the old attys (some really old) perform 10 times better than these shielded attys.
they do work,but then they just stop, why i dont know,but im convinced its the attys that are the issue,as well as maybe a dirty thread problem,but the main problem is these NEWISH attys.
no one dealer can tell me they dont know as they use them themselves so for crying out loud be honest and say its a problem,rather than us guinea pigs going bloody mad trying to find out what the problem is and PAYING for it.
CONTINUING RANT OFFLINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chrissie]

Scylla
I'm with you all the way {{{Raggy}}} ... I can't abide these "shielded" atties.

I'll be interested to hear how Chrissie gets on with them - however, it may be different with voltage higher than our 3.6-3.7, as Chrissie has mentioned re the 5v GD passthru.

Of course I haven't sent back my GDP to Garry, grrr (at myself) - you'd have had your cream juice if I'd managed to get out further than the chemist once every couple of months for my scrip

I have dozens of old atties that I go thru and usually eventually find one that's come to life again, fortunately

However, I insist that there's nothing wrong with the Screwdriver MkI - any problems are atty and/or battery related. When I first got mine it had the smaller button and I found it awkward, but now it's second nature.

Chrissie
So far, I'm not really having any problems with the shielded DSE901's. They are getting nice & hot on all my devices & producing good vapour & throat hit. However, they haven't got as tight a draw as the RN4075's & I'm not so keen on the shape of the mouthpieces.

Raggy, I thought Trog only supplied RN4075's with his kits?

Lilac
What are 'shielded' 901's ??? Is this a recent change to them?

Profbeard
hey have a metal washer that covers up the bit that glows. I still prefer 4075s

Ragjoy
Yesterday at 11:07am, Chrissie wrote:
So far, I'm not really having any problems with the shielded DSE901's. They are getting nice & hot on all my devices & producing good vapour & throat hit. However, they haven't got as tight a draw as the RN4075's & I'm not so keen on the shape of the mouthpieces.

Raggy, I thought Trog only supplied RN4075's with his kits?

i have no idea of what they are called,i mixed up the initial 4 i bought with the mk1 and the 2 that came with the mk2.
im now on a new 4 from trog i also have 1 from george that also seems to be the same,with trogs you see no red glow and the hiss dies off after 2 or 3 seconds.
they seem to flood very easy,if you do a 5 second burn off then it seems to work again.
im not dripping nothing in the atty now.

Lilac
I've been playing too...

I dug out my original atties from TW, which i got way back in the beginning of Dec when i started vaping and which are now very weak...

On my SD i can see them glowing, and i'm getting throat hit

with my usual atties, i still get some vapour, but not clouds and virtually no throat hit, so end up gasping on the damn thing constantly...

might add, i can't see my recent ones from TW glowing, even tho they basically look the same as my old ones........strange

Foxy
Just to be contrary I thought I would mention that I'm sitting vaping away on my SD, battery round t'other way, TW 901 SD specific atty in place (with thick whistle-tip), filled with Intellicig Ecopure Rich Tobacco flavour (VG) and am producing enough vapour to ground airlines! Odd innit?

Fox

PS: The battery I'm using is one of the two that came in the original kit, so is knocking on a bit!

[Chrissie]

Ragjoy
ive found exactly the same foxy an old mk2 tw supplied atty out performing the the shielded atty by a massive margin.
if i have a newly charged batt on the shielded atty its ok for 1/2 hour then the vape drops of,its then like sucking a golf ball up a hose pipe.

i emailed trog last night and got a reply from foggy.
I AM NOT SAYING YOU SHOULD DO THIS.
foggy suggested that my connection issues might be help by unscrewing the SD and using emery paper (fine i used) on the ends of the 2 parts of the sd body and just inside the rim,this is to take of any of the paint that might be disrupting the connection,my connection as been fine since.
the attys however are a different story.
if you try vaping the shielded atty without the cart its fine (watch you dont burn your lips though).
lets be honest here these new attys are either dodgy (i doubt it) or there not wicking right,what we really need is someone to tell us the secret (which seems better kept than the holy grail).
as anyone noticed that the cart seems to get forced inwards,giving a concave effect to the filler,do these attys have a higher point (dont know what its called) that absorbs the juice.
could it be that the POINT pushes too hard against the filler causing everything to be too compact (and maybe a bit of flooding).
these attys seem to flood easily,and then you have to burn off.
could using a slightly shorter filler help with this.
someone out there must have got round this problem,they surely wouldnt keep making them if people cant use them (i wont buy them again,thats for certain).
it is very aggravating,especially for those having only just stopped the ciggies,which for many is the whole point of these gadgets.
im going to ask on trogs forum if anyone has a method of getting these attys right as there must be a way.

Chrissie
Yesterday at 12:40pm, ragjoy wrote:

i have no idea of what they are called,i mixed up the initial 4 i bought with the mk1 and the 2 that came with the mk2.
im now on a new 4 from trog i also have 1 from george that also seems to be the same,with trogs you see no red glow and the hiss dies off after 2 or 3 seconds.
they seem to flood very easy,if you do a 5 second burn off then it seems to work again.
im not dripping nothing in the atty now.
ragjoy...

Again, I'm a bit puzzled Raggy as I thought both Trog & TW (plus TECC) only supplied RN4075's & they aren't shielded.

Ragjoy
chrissie,
maybe that was the case,but now it seems trogs are shielded as are georges.
but i may be wrong,one things for certain they dont glow red,hence my assumption there shielded.

Foxy

I've recently bought two new 901 atties from Vapor Station and George and two 510s from George (plus batteries) - of the six, five are fine but one is, as you say Raggy, like sucking a golf ball up a straw. The 901 batteries are the same length as always but the 510s are a fraction longer and seem more weighty.

It seems to me someone down the line has decided to introduce 'new, improved' versions that have c*cked everything up right royally but no answers seem to be forthcoming.

The new 901 atties all seem to have the RN-type bridge that doesn't wick with the old DSE901 carts or the RN ones - at least not properly - neither do the thick whistle type mouthpieces fit properly. One of my 901 atties had the protective cart stuck on so tight I had to take a pair of pliers to it and crack it off!!

I prefer the round type mouthpieces but the ones I have don't fit my new atties - too loose for the 510s and too tight for the 901s.

George's filled carts used to be interchangeable but now they are the thicker style 901 and won't fit the 510s. (The flavour too has changed - much too sweet and cloying; the old ones were my favourite tobacco flavour. ).

Bucko
Just to throw a spanner in the works Lilac...

I've been trying out my adapter on the Tornado to see what the 901 atties are like and...its not very good.

The same atty in my SD2 has a mild throat hit and lots of vapour, on the tornado it's a zero throat hit and half as much vapour.

One up for the SD lol.

Mind, for 4 days now, all of my SD's have been working well, I think I'll get some extra lottery numbers this week.

Ragjoy
i just had this reply from trog on his forum,i dont think he will mind me using it.

i think as a general rule people are flooding atomizers..

one drop too many ether straight into the atomizer or a puddled cart top up can flood them.. once flooded they wimp along and then get flooded again with the next top up..

the ones with what appears to be a steel washer in them are DSE 901 types.. these do push the filler up more but this should not matter unless the cart is then used in an RN atomizer with a flatter bridge.. the flatter bridge then dosnt touch the pushed up wool..

basically all the cart does is keep the wire wool around the atomizer wet-ish..

i am hearing a few comments like this one and it just has to be too much liquid in the system..

basically good results should be obtained without a cart.. all the cart should do is keep the good results going longer before the next "attention"..

one drop too many will flood the system.. the natural tendency for people to think add some more liquid if things are not going well makes things worse..

get it all working without the cart.. then simply add the not overly wet cart and it should all keep going.. do not add more fluid..

all that should need doing is.. keep the cart topped up after so many puffs.. we are talking say twenty to thirty puffs before this should need doing.. fluval is hit and miss... its nearly all holes and the fluid runs out too easily and floods the atomizer..

people think this is a wicking problem.. it isnt its a too much fluid flooded atomizer problem..

take one correctly primed atomizer.. insert one pre-filled cart.. puff away and get vapour..

chuck a few extra drops in to make sure and it wont work... i am pretty sure this is exactly what some folks are doing..


trog

which does all make sense,if im having problem and i do burn off things do improve a fair bit.
maybe these are just that bit more susceptible to flooding.
well its not cured the problem but at least i now know why its happening.
i have reduced the height of the filler in my cart by about 4mm,ive used it all afternoon and its been good,not bringing down planes (great line that foxy) but its good.

Foxy
Thanks for posting that Raggy and here's hoping your elation remains! Do please let us know. I don't 'direct drip' at all but do prime a cleaned atty with just one or sometimes two drops. TW's customer services advised me that 'they don't recommend direct dripping' so I've avoided doing that. I do sometimes overfill my carts so I shall take care in future.

When using cartomizers I do often overfill them to the extent that the juice bubbles out of the atty end (not a problem according to one You Tube video on the subject). It's curious that these, presumably, cheap, throw-away atomizers don't mind being drowned.

[Chrissie]

Lilac
I've not thought about trying 510 atties on the SD Foxy, i've ordered a Tornado this afternoon, so i'll see how i like that first....my head is buzzing with all the diff types of atty, shielded and not...etc...lol

bit disappointing the news from Bucko that 901 atties aren't so good on the Tornado tho that would've been a good fix for all the 901's i have....

On a happy note, i got a visit this afternoon from a very nice man bearing sample bottles of juice.....yes, none other than our James

I'm not sure the Bavarian Cream is to my taste, altho it certainly improved the taste of a tobacco flavour that previously tasted disgusting... but the menthol is just heaven on a vapourcloud...i looooove it...

thank you James, and sorry for forgetting your name :-[ my mind goes blank at times when i'm surprised

on another happy note, my screwdriver has behaved itself for an hour now not sure why, altho i have been very careful to only top up with 3 drops a a time, altho i usually use a few more, after reading Raggy's post....so the SD doesn't like too much juice? it's not a prob for my 901 battery tho, when i've swopped over to that when the SD plays up, but if thats gonna improve the SD's performance, then i'll stick with it...

Chrissie
LOL, I'm now starting to lose the plot a bit here

I may be wrong but it looks to me like folks have had problems with their SD's whether they are using 901's, 4075's or as in Bucko's case 510's? So it does look like it's not the atties at fault? From my experience, more or less as Trog says the SD does not take being dripped/flooded atties. Over the last few days, I've found that even if the tiniest smidgen of juice gets on the the SD attie connector, performance drops off. So you do really need to wipe that connection on a regular basis.

Going back to some other points in this thread. here is a pic (camera not that good on macro mode) showing the difference between the 4075 & the new 901 attie. Out of interest Raggie, which ones have you got?



Lilac
Mine barely works with a 901 atty, Chrissie, the one on the right of your pic

works much better with the type on the left...

but, i've noticed the airhole and the hole on the batt end of the 901 atty is much bigger than on the RN4075, so if i partially cover the airhole with my finger, it's better.

Ragjoy
the ones on the right are what i got from trog,the ones on the left look the same as those from TW.

Chrissie
That's interesting Raggy as according to Trog : -

"there are two types the DSE 901 and the RN4075 different factory versions of the same style atomizer..

we ship the RN so does TW/TECC even tho they get called the 901 mini... the ones that come on your MK11 SD will be an RN4075.. both types will fit.. we still like the RN but there isnt much difference in how they work..

trog"

The one on the left of my photo is the RN4075 & the one on the right, the DSE901.

Lilac
They're fine on my 901 ecig Chrissie, just the SD doesn't seem to like them i still mainly use my wee ecig for work, as it slips neatly into my uniform pocket.

[Chrissie]

Chrissie
So relieved to hear that they are OK on your 901 Lilac

Sorry everyone if I'm coming across as being pedantic (not sure if that's the right word) but just really trying to pin the problem down so we can work out what is going wrong.

Ragjoy
chrissie,
have a read of this thread
www.cavecom.com/screwdriver/forum/showthread.php?t=14719
the 4 i received a week or so back have a pointy look to the wick.
ive been trying to get a decent photo but cant,i will do one tomorrow.
are you saying that maybe the stock he has is not what he thinks it is?


edit: the one that came with the mk1 from tw look the same as the left ones,the spares pack from trog i bought with the bogof deal are the ones on the left,or some were,i then bought 4 from trog and these or the one ive opened and im trying to use look the same as the one on the right as does the one from GEORGE,that said georges looks slightly different again.
tomorrow i will take pics and post them.

on reading the trog thread again it seems trog thinks the rn4075 may have been modified.
that would mean that its not the same as georges dse901,but also different to the rn4075 in your photo,but look more like the dse901 than the old rn4075.
if that makes sense.

[Chrissie]

Chrissie
"are you saying that maybe the stock he has is not what he thinks it is?"

PMSL Raggy, this is Trog we are talking about I wouldn't dare comment on whether his stock is what he thinks it is or not However,I would find it very hard to believe that he doesn't know if he selling 4075's or 901's. He can be an awkward b**gar but he does know a lot about e-cig accessories & batteries.

Lilac
Think i know what you mean Raggy, i have atties which look like 3 diff types...

The RN ones from TW, the DSE ones that look like a circular blob in the middle, and the ones i got from Amy which i haven't tried yet, are like the blob ones, but the bridge bit is pointy ???

Ragjoy
what meant was are the now 4075s not the the same as the old 4075s in both looks and use,i didnt know really until a few days ago that there was even any different 901 atties.
i think trog has realised something is not quite right with these atties,that dont mean there is anything wrong with them.
as i posted there its no value to the SD or to trog if he is shipping weak attys,he has forgot more than we know about this stuff.
ive got 1 atty from george unused,2 from either trog or tw tested only and 4 new ones from trog,one used for a few days.
i will get a magnifying glass on them tomorrow and also get some decent pics to post here.

one other thing about the new ones from trog,they definitely push on the cart filler creating a concave effect,this from what im reading indicates that there similar to the dse901 as they do the same.
the plot thickens lol.

Keef
BANG there goes my comfort zone -
I bought lots of atomisers last year and have been slowly working my way through my stock pile.

I am like you not too pleased to hear of these developments.

I am or was about to order 40 RN atomisers - NO way in Hell am I buying that many till I have a test run .

Now can I assume the RN one on the left is from a multi pack ??.

ragjoy
The RN used to have a low bridge I think that is what made it run hotter than the DSE .

Looks like DSE changed their design - most likely cos RN was out selling them.

First union who make the RN type copied them because well cos thats what they do and even though they manufactured a copy cat product that worked better .

This is the Chinese way - they don't neciserraly use or understand what they produce but they are darned good at copying stuff and churning it out at a good price.

Chrissie
Yes Keef, the one on the left is a RN from a TW multi pack that I bought a few months ago.

[profbeard]

One thing I've noticed is that those having problems have "new" Mk1 SDs with the Mk2 style "screw-on" button - one thing that can be an issue here is the point where the screw that holds the button on makes contact with the battery - I'd urge giving the top of that screw a really good cleaning.

I've never had a single problem with my "old" Mk1 - I make sure I give a regular clean, but thats only once a week. When you DO clean - get a strip off a business card or similar an stick it down between where the atty screws on and the SD body - its surprising how grubby it gets down there.

An SD should, with an RN4075 atty, vape like a regular 901 e-cig on top form for hours - if it isn't, something isn't right...

I've noticed - tired old batteries - give a wimpy vape
Bad atty to SD contact does the same but this shouldn't be a problem with every atty unless the SD is filthy
Tired or duffish attys can do the same.
Using 901 carts with RN4075 attys causes some people problems - filler is "short"