Ego-C or DCT or ?? Opinions? Suggestions?

[rosetta]

I've been vaping for about a year and a half now.  Started out with the Tornado then got the Tank as soon as it was available.  That's all I've used since.  I'm still using the batteries I bought to start with, along with those I've purchased since.  I think I have about 8 batteries all together.  They're getting old though and now the AC charger isn't working (only the USB charger) so.... since I have to buy a bunch of stuff anyway, I'm considering a new set up instead of just new batteries and charger.  I'm hoping you all can give me some info and suggestions.

From what I can tell, the Ego-C is the same as the Ego-T except that the atty is in 2 pieces so you don't have to replace the cone every time.  Is that the only difference?

I've been considering switching to a DCT and a larger battery, but I'm not sure which pieces go together.

I am at home 99% of the time so a bulky battery isn't a big deal.  I just want one that lasts longer!  I've got one of the long Tornado batteries, and it did last a while when I first got it, but now it doesn't last as long as the shorter batteries..

I mix my own juice using Platinum Ice & diluent so it's a combination of PEG, VG, Menthol Flavoring from DV, and some Spearmint PG thrown in.  I fill my tanks from a bottle w/syringe top. 
--- And I vape a LOT, all day, every day.

One of the problems I'm having that's making me consider switching from the Tank is that a new atty is awesome for a day or two, then it's like trying to draw through a pinched straw, even with a freshly charged battery.  I use canned air to blow out the atty's but although dark juice comes out, it doesn't seem to help the atty perform any better.  I don't know if that's because of my juice or old batteries or what the problem is, but I'm tired of it and ready for something better!   I've been told that PEG works best in a new atty, but I certainly don't intend to replace them daily (even at the cheaper -C price) so am look for a better way.

Would those with more experience please chime in?  I'm thinking of going with something like a DCT and Silver Bullet/ Omega type set up, but am not sure if those will even go together. 

Or if you think it's my juice that's doing this can someone can suggest a way to mix it that won't cause the clogging issue?  Could I be using too much PEG in the mix?  Or too much VG?  Would that cause this?
If it's just a matter of changing the juice mixture I'll gladly stick with my Tank, but if not, I need to try something new.

Suggestions?  Advice?

Thanks all!
~ Marie ~

 
       
May God bless all our valiant troops
Wherever they may roam
And bless us too, their families,
Waiting anxiously at home....
 
 

[danwldr]

have you looked at the torpedo, its fairly big but the dct is great on them, i have the C and thats great out and about and the dct goes onto that as well, but i use my torpedo vvv when i am at home, the battery would last you all day if your an average vaper.

[rosetta]

Thanks for the reply.  I thought the Torpedo was just for those who like using different voltages - which I know nothing about. lol  I'm afraid I'd fry my atty or something.  I will go research it more though. 
Do you think the different voltage help to solve the problems I'm having? 

[danwldr]

Thanks for the reply.  I thought the Torpedo was just for those who like using different voltages - which I know nothing about. lol  I'm afraid I'd fry my atty or something.  I will go research it more though. 
Do you think the different voltage help to solve the problems I'm having? 

it just changes the vape, lower the voltage to make it a wee bit smoother and higher the voltage to give better throat hit and warmer vapour,tw will be stocking 3ohm carts for it soon so then you could pump it right up to 6 volts if you wanted but as it stands they only do the 1.5ohm carts so you shouldn't go above 4.3/.4 but it regulates the voltage to what cart you have in so you can't really give it too much power.

[rosetta]

Gosh, it seems so complicated.. lol    Would a higher voltage solve the problem I'm having with the atty's feeling like they're stuffed with cotton? 
I wonder if my poor old batteries just aren't strong enough to burn properly and that's what is doing it, but don't want to invest in a bunch of new ones and find it didn't solve the problem...

[danwldr]

Gosh, it seems so complicated.. lol    Would a higher voltage solve the problem I'm having with the atty's feeling like they're stuffed with cotton? 
I wonder if my poor old batteries just aren't strong enough to burn properly and that's what is doing it, but don't want to invest in a bunch of new ones and find it didn't solve the problem...

yes, a higher voltage would extend the working of your atty to some extent but i would think about getting some new attys as well 

[rosetta]

I just got 3 new atty's, one is still in the box.  The one I'm trying to use now is only 4 days old.  I hear the sizzle, but it acts like it's full of cotton and there's virtually no vapor at all.  Very disappointing...

[danwldr]

I just got 3 new atty's, one is still in the box.  The one I'm trying to use now is only 4 days old.  I hear the sizzle, but it acts like it's full of cotton and there's virtually no vapor at all.  Very disappointing...

was it always like that?
I mean,has it performed properly up until now?

[rosetta]

It was great the first day, but has gone down hill since then.  Acted like it started gumming up from the first use and just kept getting worse.
Do you think cleaning the atty a different way would help? 
The only cleaning I do is with canned air.  I've not used boiling water because I'm afraid it will peel the color coating off the outside.

[danwldr]

It was great the first day, but has gone down hill since then.  Acted like it started gumming up from the first use and just kept getting worse.
Do you think cleaning the atty a different way would help? 
The only cleaning I do is with canned air.  I've not used boiling water because I'm afraid it will peel the color coating off the outside.

i have never cleaned an atty,so couldn't really tell you,never blown one through or anything,i've seen posts on youtube about boiling them but don't know how well it works, maybe you should get in touch with Tw and explain to them, they could probably help you better.

[rosetta]

I really think the problem I'm having is caused more by these old batteries than the atty's.  Like maybe, even though they have been charged, the batteries just aren't strong enough anymore.
Because often times I see that the juice in the tank, which was clear, turns dark colored and the juice that blows out of the atty is dark also.  Would a weak battery do that?
And you're supposed to take long draws with this but even a fully charged battery will start blinking during a long draw, as though it's nearly dead.
As I've mentioned, the wall charger has crapped out too so before I spend money for a new charger and new batteries I wanted to get advice on whether I should upgrade to something different.
I wonder if the DCT isn't the next step for me, but I'm not sure what kind of battery is best with something like that.  This is why I've considered the larger batteries. 
Or maybe I should just get new Tornado batteries and some C Atty's to save money on replacements.
Either way it's going to be another good sized investment, so I want to be sure I choose the right thing.  Can you tell me what the difference is in using a DCT vs the Tank & Atty? 
Is it only the amount of juice it holds or are there other benefits?

[danwldr]

to be honest, i like them both, i get better throat hit from my DCT and the flavours a lot better, the tank system can be quite plastic tasting but much simpler to run, DCTs need priming properly and can be hard work at first but once you get the hang of it they are really brilliant.
you should research the DCT on you tube and links on this forum before you indulge.
maybe get input from other members too.

[Astrecks]

Hi rosetta,

Old batteries should not become less powerful, it's the charge they hold which reduces over time, have you checked the obvious such as are all the contacts clean on the battery atomizer and charger?

You can have a go at cleaning your atomizers by removing the tank, and removing the atomizer from the battery and  holding the atomizer tank side up gripped with a clothes peg (clothes pin USA?) then pour very hot water into the tank end allowing the water to drain through the threaded end into a bowl, repeat this until the water runs clean.

There is a huge steel "sponge" reservoir in the Tornado tanks and this is where all the dark brown eliquid is coming from, as it can sometimes "back-wash" into the tank cartridge, the above method of cleaning should reduce, if not clear the problem.

After cleaning, let the atomizer cool, then blow out as much water as possible and then leave for an hour or two to dry completely. Once the atomizer is dry, drop 4 or 5 drops of eliquid straight into the atomizer or just plan PG or AG to reprime the atomizer prior to fitting  a refilled tank back onto the atomizer, it should be ready to go again

DCT's are great, but you need to have a lot of patience when filling a new internal cartomizer, and if you get it wrong it could be messy! But they are great value and are worth the effort in the long run 

[rosetta]

Thank you both for replying and helping me with this! 

I'm interested in better flavor from the DCT as I noticed a drop in flavor just going from the old Tornado to the Tank. But I dealt with it as I've gotten lazy in my old age so am much happier being able to pop off the tank and quickly fill it from the syringe bottle. lol  I'm thinking that priming the DCT would be similar to the way I filled the old Tornado that had the little wad of fiber in it, right?  And that the only difficult part of filling the DCT is for it's first use when you must prime it, then you just keep filling the tank, is that right?

As for cleaning the atomizer with hot water, is it all right to use tap water?  I've read that minerals in the water can ruin an atty so I've been afraid to try it.  Is that false or should I buy distilled?

Generally when I blow out the atomizer I take a q-tip and wipe the part that connects to the battery, plus wipe out the end the tank goes into as it's covered in juice after blowing it out.  Is that good enough to clean the contact for the battery or is there something else I should be doing?

If the battery light blinks during a long draw does that mean it's pretty much shot?  I just can't bring myself to throw them away as long as they still charge and work at all.  lol 

And if I do try the DCT should I get larger batteries or will regular Tornado batteries power them all right?

I really am sorry for asking so many questions and truly appreciate all your help!

[Astrecks]

Thank you both for replying and helping me with this! 

I'm interested in better flavor from the DCT as I noticed a drop in flavor just going from the old Tornado to the Tank. But I dealt with it as I've gotten lazy in my old age so am much happier being able to pop off the tank and quickly fill it from the syringe bottle. lol  I'm thinking that priming the DCT would be similar to the way I filled the old Tornado that had the little wad of fiber in it, right?  And that the only difficult part of filling the DCT is for it's first use when you must prime it, then you just keep filling the tank, is that right?

Yes, that would be correct.

As for cleaning the atomizer with hot water, is it all right to use tap water?  I've read that minerals in the water can ruin an atty so I've been afraid to try it.  Is that false or should I buy distilled?

Tap water within your eliquid mix is not good, and yes if it was affordable/practical then it would be better to flush out with distilled water

Generally when I blow out the atomizer I take a q-tip and wipe the part that connects to the battery, plus wipe out the end the tank goes into as it's covered in juice after blowing it out.  Is that good enough to clean the contact for the battery or is there something else I should be doing?

It should be yes, but you need to make sure the battery and charger connectors are clean as well

If the battery light blinks during a long draw does that mean it's pretty much shot?  I just can't bring myself to throw them away as long as they still charge and work at all.  lol 

No! the battery blinks at somewhere around 8 to 16 seconds, and cuts the power as a safety feature to save over heating the coil.

And if I do try the DCT should I get larger batteries or will regular Tornado batteries power them all right?

The cartomizer in the DCT is are low resistance coils, they will run hotter, and as a consequence, they will deplete you battery faster, so I would recommend you try the 1000mah battery

[Kenneth131]

Just my 2cent worth. If your at home 99% of the time you could consider a pass through battery they can be charged from the bottom with a USB cable. So you can use it while its charging

I would say the 1000mah Ego C pass through.

Then if you need yo take it anywhere you just use it like a regular ego/tornado battery best of both worlds and all I use

[rosetta]

Thanks for the replies, Guys!

I will try cleaning all the connectors & charger with alcohol on a q-tip to see if that helps.  Could be that it's just not getting a good connection so when I draw on it I keep puffing and puffing, trying to get something to come through the "stuffed with cotton" feel, and that is why the battery 'times out' and starts blinking.  How foolish I will feel if all these problems are caused by oil on the connections! 

Will also have hubby pick up some distilled water so I can flush the atty's.  Heaven knows I have plenty here to experiment on that aren't dead but feel clogged so I've set them aside for emergency use.   If they are gummed up from not getting enough power (due to dirty connections) will the hot water cut through and clean that off?   I've seen every idea from Dish Soap to Cola to Baking Soda & Vinegar, so have to wonder if hot water is enough to cut through gunk built up on the coil.  Guess I'll find out when I try it, huh!  lol

The 1000mah batteries are the long Tornado batteries, right?  I could have an Ego C set up with pass through battery to keep at my desk and one with a DCT to run around with.  Even though I don't often leave the house, I still carry my ecig with me from room to room like a security blanket!  lol  Always have to have pockets or I'll set it down to do something and not be able to find it.  Oh boy, then the panic sets in!  My grandkids all know the world stops until we find "Grammie's stick"!  lmao   Perhaps I can finally get a lanyard too.  I've been going to, but every time I place an order they're sold out.  The lanyard with a clip will still fit if I'm using a DCT right?

[Kenneth131]

yep it will indeed. It becomes a bit of a pendulum mind you. thats my only gripe with the lanyard,

Other than that, for a lanyard, its a pretty nice design. The clip goes on before your DCT and Plinth. The metal is shaped to fit the button although its maybe slightly harder to find the button with the lanyard ring on but not much.

Then it has a small clip that means you can unclip your tornado without taking off the lanyard.

Honestly I really like the design of it.

And yes you are correct the 1000mah batteries are longer than the regular ego/tornado ones. The reason I like the passthrough batteries is because pretty much everywhere there are usb chargers now. So its easy enough to give it a quick charge when required.

Even used a tomtom charger one night when I was out working and forgot to charge my battery. I wouldn't recommend it for saftey reasons and all that. But it worked fine and saved me that night from a dead e cig 

[Lettie22]

I "qauickly" read through this thread, so I apologize if some one else suggested this, but have you tried dry burning your atties?   I know the hot water wash helps, but I find the dry burning is the best way to get all that gunk off.

[rosetta]

Well it looks like I'll have to buy somewhere other than TW since they don't have the 1000mah pass thru batteries OR the lanyard in stock. 

One more question; should I go for low resistance or regular atomizers with the larger batteries?  Obviously, I don't understand how this all works. lol
I just want to get the best use out of these that I can and thought maybe the low res atty's would help me avoid the problems I've been having.
Advice, anyone?

Lettie, no, I have never tried dry-burning my atomizers.  I thought that ruined them?  If not, I'd love to hear your directions so I can do it properly!

Thanks again for your help with this, you folks are awesome!

[Astrecks]

The eGo-C 1000mah USB passthroughs are in stock here  They have a button lock feature and a remaining charge indication.

LR atomizer vaporise at a higher temperature, so they can affect the taste, and they drain the battery faster, having said that, because they do operate at a higher temperature you will not need to take as long a hit with them.

[Kenneth131]

Nice one Jeff yep the black has two in stock and the steel over 30

Iv never understood why the black kits sell better online yet steel seems to sell better in stores have you found this?

[rosetta]

Thanks Astrecks!  I had done a search for "pass through" and found this one which is sold out:  http://www.totallywicked-eliquid.com/products/tornado-tank-ecig/tornado-manual-passthrough-black-2-product.html

But the one I saw says it's for Tornado-T and the one you showed me says it's for Tornado-C.  Is there a difference other than price??
 Won't the batteries I have now also fit the -C set up?  I thought they were the same batteries, just a different atty & tip. 
And if they are the same, why would the -T battery be cheaper than the -C?
Sorry, but this has me confused now and I just need to make sure before I buy all this stuff....

[rosetta]

I'm still researching the DCT set ups and just read this:

"NOTE:  Please don't use the 2.0Ω or 2.5Ω on 3.7v PV's (not enough power), they work best on 5 - 7 volt devices!
The 1.5Ω "may" not work with all eGo, 510, 901 or other mosfet driven batteries. Low resistance Dual Coil cartomizers should be used with 3.7 volt mods with a switch capable of handling 2 or more amps. Some people report that these work great on 5 and 6 volt devices, (I like them best at around 4.2 volts under load)."

Okay, so are these 1000mah batteries strong enough to handle a DCT?  TW page says they have "constant output of 3.3V" so that sounds to me like they can't handle a DCT.  Or do I just need to make sure I buy the 1.25 ohm cartomizers?   

Volts, ohms, mah, amps, man this is confusing!!

[Lettie22]

Thanks Astrecks!  I had done a search for "pass through" and found this one which is sold out:  http://www.totallywicked-eliquid.com/products/tornado-tank-ecig/tornado-manual-passthrough-black-2-product.html

But the one I saw says it's for Tornado-T and the one you showed me says it's for Tornado-C.  Is there a difference other than price??
 Won't the batteries I have now also fit the -C set up?  I thought they were the same batteries, just a different atty & tip. 
And if they are the same, why would the -T battery be cheaper than the -C?
Sorry, but this has me confused now and I just need to make sure before I buy all this stuff....

Rosetta, I can answer this post but not the one about the batteries and the DCT.    There is a difference between the T and the C batteries.   You can use either of them on either the Tornado or the the C, but the C battery has some added features.    First, it has a 5-click function where you can actually turn the battery off (which is good for when you throw them in your purse); and the battery indicator light will turn first a light blue when the battery charge is between 50 and 10%; and then a dark blue when it is less than 10%.   

And yes, the batteries you have now for the Tornado will fit the C.

[Astrecks]

"NOTE:  Please don't use the 2.0Ω or 2.5Ω on 3.7v PV's (not enough power), they work best on 5 - 7 volt devices!
The 1.5Ω "may" not work with all eGo, 510, 901 or other mosfet driven batteries. Low resistance Dual Coil cartomizers should be used with 3.7 volt mods with a switch capable of handling 2 or more amps. Some people report that these work great on 5 and 6 volt devices, (I like them best at around 4.2 volts under load)."

Rosetta, I do not know where you found this information, but in my opinion, and I expect in many other peoples opinion too, that most of this information is incorrect.

1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 ohm atomizers are designed for fixed voltage devices (like the Tornado/eGo batteries), and for people that look for flavour above throat hit they prefer to use 3.0ohm atomizer on a 3.7 volt device.

The idea behind variable voltage devices is you can use any atomizer you like on it and get the best out of  any atomizer by having control of the output voltage.
But because 1.5ohm atomizers were designed to give the "experience" of high voltage vaping on a fixed voltage device, it is therefore only correct to use them on a variable voltage device at a nominal fixed voltage setting (3,3 to 4.2v). Just because a device can output 6v, doesn't mean you need to run it at that.

1000mah batteries are no more powerful than a 650mah battery, the mah rating is to to with capacity not the power, so the bigger the mah the longer the battery will last before a recharge is necessary.

Tornado/eGo batteries have technology in them that regulates the power output to a constant 3.3 voltage output throughout it's discharge cycle.
A none regulated batteries output would slowly decay over its discharge cycle, starting off at around 4.0volts and dropping eventually to around 3.2volts.
Anyone who owns a ScrewDriver MKII will know this effect 
If you think of it like old flash-lights, the light output got dimmer as the batteries run down, they used unregulated batteries.

Variable voltage devices also use a 3.7volt battery with a "chip" that boosts the voltage up to as much a 6.0 volts, the penalty for that is reduced battery cycle and is the reason that many of the large V V device batteries have 2000+ mah rating for the capacity.

All generations of the Tornado/eGo batteries will fit all generations of Tornado/eGo atomizers and standard 510 threaded atomizers.

[Kenneth131]

+1 jeff.

The only part i could take as being true to an extent was that the LR attys would wear the battries ever so slightly quicker, since they draw more on the battery the battery will last a shorter time before it needs recharging. Not a huge amount by any means its not like it will drop your battery down to 3 hours of use so dont think that you still get a full day on the most part.

But if the atty is drawing more on the battery it will shorten its over all life expectancy. I mean its not something to worry about at all. I have a 1000mah and 650mah ego c passthrough and both have only EVER been used with Low resistance attys. After about 6 months I could possibly say the 650mah one has started now to last about 7-8 hours until its completely flat. Where as i think I got more out it from new.

Although I might also vape more now than I did before so not a scientific comparison.

The ego batteries are one of the best on the market. They Just work and are extremely robust and safe. Even using the Low resistance attys you wont notice any detrimental effect on your battery any time soon so I certainly wouldn't worry about that side of things. 

[rosetta]

I believe I got that quote from smoktek.com..  I know I was looking at items on their site. 

Anyway, since I'm not going to have any batteries stronger than the 1000mah tornado/ego, I don't see much advantage to using LR atomizers.  Seems all it does is drain the battery faster and you don't get added flavor or whatever unless you use higher ohm atty on higher volt battery.  Or am I missing something?

Rather than continuing to ask more dumb questions, I'm going to do it this way.  I would like to try the -C as well as the DCT and need to make sure what I'm picking out will actually work together and are the best possible choices for what I want.  I just need someone with more expertise to double check my shopping list and make sure I'm not screwing this up! lol   

Please tell me if these will all work well together or if you have any better suggestions:

1000mah Tornado/Ego pass-thru batteries
3.5 & 6ml Dual Coil Cartomizer Tanks
Dual Coil XL Tank Cartomizers
EGo-C atomizer Kit  (eGo-C Atomizer body, base, regular resistant atomizer head and Type A eGo-T Cartridge)
EGo-C atomizer heads (2.2ohm)  set of 5

Is that everything I will need to get started?  Am I missing anything? 

I really do appreciate y'all helping me with this.  Vaping has allowed me to stay away from tobacco cigarettes for nearly a year and a half, and as long as I can put together an ecig I like, that works well, I know I will never go back!

[Kenneth131]

hey that should get yo ustarted with the dct and ego c nicely the only bit i would query was the cartos you have listed. If its for use with the DCT then you need http://www.totallywicked-eliquid.com/products/dual-coil-tanks/dual-coil-tank-replacement-cartomizer-2-product.html

If you did mean to get a different carto just to try then ignore me.

Apart from that the rest is great.

As for low resistance attys. Yes it drains battery every so slightly however the purpose of these is to give you a similar vape as using a reguar atty on a higher voltage.

So you whack on a lr atty on a reg battery it heats up hotter quicker and gives a nicer vape. Well it id for me. I like menthol and it really brings out the coolness even more.

[rosetta]

Oh dear, I guess I didn't realize there were differences in the cartomizers besides ohms.... 
What's different from the one I listed and the one you linked me to? 
What does the XL mean?  And something I forgot to ask;  Which ohm should I be looking for???

This really is getting to be more difficult than I'd anticipated. 

I vape menthol too, since I smoked KOOL's for many years.  The only menthol juice I've found that doesn't taste like vaporub or eucalyptus is DV Menthol.  I was VERY disappointed when TW stopped carrying it.  Had to order it from DV directly and pay overseas shipping.  But it's worth it to me to get a real menthol taste.  Maybe I should get one LR atty to try, just so I can tell the difference. 

My atty's already get so hot though, I'm wondering if a LR atty that "heats up hotter quicker" would be a good thing or not!  lol