Posts Tagged ‘nicotine liquid’

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Topping off Cartomizers: Advanced Techniques Part II

Friday, September 7th, 2012

As promised, here is the second installment regarding advanced techniques for topping off your e-cig cartomizer. This lesson is all about knowing when to stop so you can avoid overfilling. The more precise you can be with refilling and topping off your cartomizers, the less time you spend tending to them and – more importantly – the less you waste your e-liquid.

Of course, it would take a ridiculous amount of e-liquid waste to make electronic cigarettes cost anywhere near what you used to spend on analogs, but it’s the principle. So many people start vaping specifically for the financial savings that there’s just no reason to be wasteful afterward.

At any rate, there are two methods you can use as a new vaper to help you know when your cartomizer is full, at least until you develop your own intuition.

Is Your Cartomizer Noticeably Heavier?

This one sounds a bit difficult to pin down because, of course, cartomizers are very small and lightweight. Still, though, you can tell when one is heavier than another.

Since cartomizers come in packs, you should have an empty one to compare to, which is all you will really need at the beginning. Cartomizers don’t hold a weighty amount of liquid either, meaning that if there is enough e-liquid in the cartomizer to create a noticeable difference in weight, there is enough for a good amount of vaping time.

How Slowly is the E-liquid Being Absorbed?

This method is a bit more tangible than the weight method, but it does require some practice.  It all goes back to remembering that the filler inside your e-cig cartomizer is essentially a sponge.

Think about how sponges behave when used for other things. An empty sponge will drink up liquid rapidly, but as the sponge becomes saturated, the rate of absorption slows. The filler inside your electronic cigarette cartomizer behaves in the exact same manner.

As you top of your cartomizer, watch the liquid. If you are adding e-liquid because the top of the filler appears dry, then as you add those first drops you’ll see the filler drink up the liquid nicotine very quickly.

However, as you continue to add drops and saturate, you will eventually add a drop that doesn’t disappear into the filler immediately the way the others did, but instead sits up around the edge absorbing very, very slowly. This is your last drop.

You can help this last drop absorb by twirling the e-cig cartomizer between your fingers slowly until all of the liquid has disappeared. When you are new to this method, make sure to perform steps nine and ten detailed here after you top off to keep from leaking onto your battery. As you become more comfortable you will eventually be able to skip this step.

Got any different techniques you’d like to share with the electronic cigarette community? Tell us about them in the comments!

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Topping off Cartomizers: Advanced Techniques

Friday, August 31st, 2012

A few weeks back, we talked about one method for refilling cartomizers. We mentioned in that post that for many, it’s easier to simply keep the cartomizer topped off every few hours than to go through the entire process of filling at longer intervals.

Now we’re going to get into some advanced techniques that will help you top off your cartomizer with just the right amount of e-liquid without wasting your liquid by overfilling.  This week we’ll discuss what clues you can find in the shading of your cartomizer’s filler.

First, an important warning:

Do not top off your cartomizer while it is attached to your e-cig battery. Because of the way batteries are manufactured to allow air flow – specifically in automatic batteries where the battery needs to be exposed to the air to sense inhaling – any leaking from your cartomizer into your battery could be disastrous. It isn’t dangerous, but it could very easily cause your battery to stop functioning.

While leaks on manual batteries aren’t quite as dire, they can get messy. It’s usually easier to just avoid the potential hassle and remove the cartomizer from the battery before topping off.

Look at the Fiber Inside Your Cartomizer

The presence of liquid makes the cloth fiber inside your cartomizer darken, so looking at the fibers under a strong light can often tell you if topping off would be worthwhile.

You may look inside your cartomizer and find the filler stark white and completely dry. If so, you are safe to add at least 5-6 drops of liquid. As you add your liquid, slowly turn your cartomizer to ensure that the entire visible portion of the filler becomes saturated and darkens.

If your cartomizer filler looks patchy, or is darker on the inside than at the edges (or vice versa), then you can probably stand to add about 3-4 drops of liquid. Again, turn the cartomizer slowly to keep absorption even.

If you can still see that your filler is saturated – you will either recognize the darker appearance or be able to see light glinting off the liquid as you spin the cartomizer – then your best bet is to wait to top off.

More Tips Next Week

Sometimes your e-cigarette cartomizer may have room for more than just a few drops of liquid, and there are methods for recognizing that, as well. Keep an eye out for our next post on advanced techniques for topping off cartomizers.

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How to Refill Your E-Cig Cartomizer

Monday, August 6th, 2012

There are several methods for refilling e-cigarette cartomizers, but a number of these are more suited to experienced vapers. After vaping for a while and learning your equipment, chances are you will develop your own variations on whatever method you choose.

If you are new, however, and just learning about the nuances of electronic cigarettes and e-liquid, you need a straightforward, step-by-step process to get you started.

Refilling E-Cigarette Cartomizers

Things you’ll need:

An electronic cigarette cartomizer
A bottle of e-juice
Paper towels
A toothpick or unbent paper clip
A well-lit area

1. Lay down one or two layers of paper towel on a flat, well-lit surface. A small amount of e-liquid may drip through the bottom of your cartomizer, so be sure to work above the covered surface.

2. Take your toothpick or paper clip and slide it through the hole in the rubber end of your cartomizer, then use it to gently remove the rubber plug. Set the plug aside.

3. Hold the cartomizer with the open side up and toward the light, so you can easily see the filler and inside edges.

4. Gently drip 2-3 drops of eliquid around the edge of the cartomizer. Be careful to keep all liquid at the edge and avoid allowing it to drip down the center hole of the cartomizer.

5. Hold the cartomizer at a slight angle and spin it rapidly from side to side between your fingers, still keeping the open side facing up. Spin until the e-liquid has absorbed into the filler.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5, turning the cartomizer slightly each time you add more e-liquid to ensure full and even saturation. Continue doing this either until a small amount of e-liquid drips through the metal end of the cartomizer onto the paper towel, or until the top of the filler takes on a slushy appearance and absorption slows down noticeably.

7. Re-insert the rubber plug and place the cartomizer on the paper towel with the metal end down.

8. Allow the cartomizer to sit this way for at least ½ hour while the e-liquid absorbs evenly throughout the filler. This is to allow the e-liquid plenty of time to settle and saturate the area nearest the heating element, which prevents the possibility of burning the filler and using up your cartomizer prematurely. The extended wait time is only necessary for the first fill. When refilling, you’ll only need to wait about 10 minutes.

9. When the waiting period has completed, hold your cartomizer up to your mouth with a paper towel covering the metal end, and blow through the rubber end. This step removes any excess liquid, preventing it from making its way into the center of the cartomizer.

10. With a paper towel, blot and wipe the metal end of the cartomizer until it is thoroughly free of liquid.

Although the multi-step process outlined here may seem confusing, it should become second nature to you after just a few sessions. Be patient, follow the steps above, and soon you’ll be refilling your e-cigarette cartomizers like a pro.

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E-Cig Cartomizers: When to Fill and When to Toss

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

Electronic cigarettes tend to follow one of the undeniable truths of the universe: the best way to save money is to do it yourself. In other words, e-cigs are cheaper than traditional smoking, but the trade off is that they require maintenance.

Still, the savings are significant enough to make it worthwhile for a growing number of vapers each day. The ones who are most successful at making the switch, though, are the ones who understand and know how to maintain the hardware.

How do you know when your e-cig cartomizer needs filling?

The fact that these devices require maintenance is one aspect, but the other is that they require practice. Don’t feel bad. There is every chance you will burn out at least one e-cig cartomizer prematurely before you get adept at knowing when a refill is needed.

The filler inside most standard electronic cigarette cartomizers behaves like a sponge, so you are not dealing with a chamber that will become empty. Instead, the liquid in your cartomizer will usually spread to cover the available area.

This is quite helpful when it comes to understanding when you need a refill for your e-cig cartomizer. As the liquid thins out, you’ll begin to notice loss of flavor and vapor production, which is usually your best early sign that you are starting to run low.

Of course, loss of vapor production can also be a sign that your battery is losing charge, at least with some e-cig models. If you’re unsure, try swapping out your e-cig battery for one that has a fresh charge.

The second sign you’ll notice is a slight burning taste. Some describe it as scorched, while others think it has a bit of a chemical flavor. As you spend some time vaping, you’ll get better at identifying this flavor, both through practice and because your taste buds may begin to reawaken after years of smoking.

Once you get to the point where the flavor changes, though, you have very little time to refill. Add more e-liquid as soon as you notice a burning taste to your electronic cigarette vapor, or you risk burning out your cartomizer prematurely. Most vapers combat this by topping off their e-liquid every few hours, or more often when they are vaping heavily.

When is it time to toss out an old e-cig cartomizer?

Usage is subjective, of course, but most vapers report that a cartomizer lasts 3-4 weeks when properly maintained. An internet search will find you methods that a few swear by to clean their cartomizers, but they are disposable for a reason.

Two things will tell you it is time to toss that old e-cig cartomizer.  The first is clogging, which will result in thin or no vapor production. Again, though, the first check to make when your vapor production is thin is to confirm that your battery charge isn’t low. If thin vapor is not caused by a low e-cig battery or the need for more e-liquid, chances are it’s time to get a fresh cartomizer.

The second sign of an e-cig cartomizer that needs replacing is that aforementioned burning smell. If it is consistent even though you have confirmed that you don’t need an e-liquid refill, your cartomizer is probably toast.

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Propylene Glycol – Is it Safe?

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

I’ll admit, when I first heard of e-cigarettes a few years back, I was naturally intrigued, yet skeptical too. One of main sources of my skepticism had to do with the fact that one of the main ingredients of the nicotine e-liquid was propylene glycol, or PG.

My initial reaction was of alarm and bemusement at how inhaling a substance containing PG could not be harmful.

Part of the negative conception regarding propylene glycol is yes, it is an ingredient found in antifreeze (…more background on that later). PG though is found in many things we use every day. I could list literally hundreds of them – from prepared foods to cosmetics to fog machines to inhalers for people with asthma, COPD, lung disease and other respiratory ailments. The substance is also found in IV meds among other things.

In short, PG is safe for humans to inhale.

Personally, I was convinced of this since many with asthma use an inhaler daily. Propylene glycol itself is a relatively simple chemical substance containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen – C3H8O2 or HO-CH2-CHOH-CH3

Discovered in 1942 and approved for use around 1950, many studies have been commissioned to study the effects of PG. One study commissioned by Time Magazine used monkeys to determine the impacts of the substance. No negative effects were discovered except for one group of monkeys who gained weight after inhaling heavy concentrations of PG.

Another study took place over a 3-year period in a pediatric hospital. Rather than using tri-ethylene glycol in the facility’s air filters, PG was used. Concurrently, respiratory infections in the hospital dropped from 132 cases to 13.

The U.S. Centers for Disease classifies PG as ‘GRAS’ – or “generally recognized as safe” as a food additive.

Why do so many think PG is harmful?

It’s hard to say. Some people, including myself, were confused between propylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which is most definitely a toxic substance.

Up until recent decades, all antifreeze contained EG rather than PG. EG was known to be very dangerous to pets and small children since it made antifreeze smell real sweet. Pets and unsupervised kids could smell it and ingest the substance. Needless to say, the outcome most of the time was really tragic.

Today though, antifreeze contains PG and doesn’t give off the inviting smell.

In the end, unawareness is what drives much of the negative perception of propylene glycol. Countless studies though have shown that only in very large quantities does it make any noticeable impact in people.

Take a look at this video courtesy of VapeTalk on the safety of propylene glycol. If someone ask you about the safety of your Sidesho or Lux e-cigarette and has concern over PG specifically, be sure to direct them here or kindly explain it’s a common substance in numerous everyday items.

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Direct Dripping – A Quicker Way to Fill your E-Cig with Juice

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Once you’ve been vaping for a while, you’re sure to discover it takes a little work (…or money) to keep vaping. By this, we mean the maintaining a steady supply of nicotine liquid that’s necessary to enjoying your electric cigarette.

Two of the most common options include pre-filled cartridges or ones you fill yourself using a bottle of liquid you purchase from an e-cigarette retailer.

Both of these options have their drawbacks. Either they’re expensive (pre-filled cartridges) or they’re time consuming (fill your own cartridges). If you vape often enough, filling your own cartridges may seem like a part-time job you’re not getting paid for.

What’s a vaper to do? Do you try and adjust your habit so you’re not spending so much time re-filling cartridges?

Fortunately you don’t have to…

Direct dripping, or simply ‘dripping,’ presents a viable solution to this dilemma. In a basic sense, direct dripping is where you drip nicotine juice directly onto the bridge of your atomizer rather than rely on your cartridge’s filler to ‘wick’ the juice to the atomizer.

Before you start dripping though, you need to be sure your personal vaporizer unit has a sealed battery (…which you find on manual e-cigarette models, not automatic ones). The reason why you should have a sealed battery is because liquid can leak through the hole and into the battery, which destroys it.

(Batteries that are ruined this way will NOT be covered by any warranty).

If you have sealed battery, you can take the following 3 steps to direct drip nicotine juice into your atomizer.

1.     Take your cartridge and remove the filler, which looks like cotton

2.    Take your bottle of juice and drip a couple of drops on the bridge of your atomizer. If the bridge is dry, prime by placing an additional 3-4 drops

3.    Replace the empty cartridge and vape on dude!!

Once you’re vaping, if you hear a gurgling sound and don’t get any vapor, your atomizer is flooded. Take the cartridge off and blow on the other end to dry the excess liquid out. Conversely, if you experience a burnt taste, then your atomizer is too dry and needs more liquid.

Direct dripping is, generally speaking, a quick way to get nicotine e-juice to your atomizer so it can be heated into vapor. Drip tips (see picture) like the ones available on our main site can help you put nicotine liquid into your atomizer without any mess.

If you’re getting frustrated with buying pre-filled cartridges or trying to fill your own e-cigarette cartridges, consider direct dripping today. Many veteran vapers choose this method because it’s both cost AND time effective.

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E-Cigarette Throat Hit – Getting that First Feeling Right

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

When we’re referring to throat hit, we’re referring to feeling in the back of your throat that you get when first inhaling vapor or smoke.

Regular, or analog smokers largely base their cigarette choices on the throat hit – is it too strong or not strong enough?

When I used to smoke, I didn’t like Marlboro Reds because the first hit off one would be too much for me – the throat hit on Lights on the other hand was just right.

Throat hit is important for vapers too, especially if you’re trying e-cigarettes as an alternative to traditional smokes. This is because by their very nature, e-cigarettes have a lighter throat hit (…no combustion of tobacco is taking place). If you’re trying to mimic your old cigarettes, you may require a stronger flavor to get the same feeling when first puffing.

What determines throat hit in an e-cigarette?

First off, the quality of e-liquid and its nicotine content will play an important role in the throat hit – higher doses of nicotine will yield a stronger throat hit. Also, if your e-liquid is of poor quality, you may experience a harsher throat hit.

Next, how you use your vaping device plays an integral role in the throat hit. Heating the liquid up more for instance will produce more vapors and give you a stronger throat hit. In fact, the amount of vapor you produce strongly correlates to the strength of your throat hit.

Conversely, if you take quick puffs, you may not get a throat hit that’s satisfactory. To get a better throat hit, a drag should be long and slow, around 3-5 seconds.

One more factor that determines the quality of your throat hit is the condition of your device. Clogged atomizers and weak batteries can have a dramatic impact on throat hit. Keep your device clean and charged to maintain optimal throat hit.

Aside from flavor and vapor production, throat hit is one of the most critical things vapers consider. Too much throat hit though can be painful, even damaging to your throat…not to mention changing the taste of the cartridge. Too light of a throat hit on the other hand will make for an unsatisfying vaping experience.

The feeling from that first drag hitting the throat, for some, is the most critical part of the vaping, or smoking experience. Like traditional cigarettes, some experimentation with e-juice is required to find the right throat hit for you.

When looking at nicotine juices, see if they have any reviews that discuss the degree of the first throat hit.

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Pre-Filled Cartridges vs. Do-it-Yourself – Pros and Cons

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

Once you discover vaping and electric cigarettes, you’re sure soon to discover the diversity of nicotine e-liquid available on the market. All kinds of flavors and strengths…from coffee to chocolate, from high to very light…offer tantalizing tastes for your vaping enjoyment.

This nicotine infused liquid is one of the central components of using an electric cigarette.

Besides flavor and strength, you will also discover differences in how you replenish your ‘e-juice’ supply, something you will be doing kind of often.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both options – pre-filled cartridges, which as the name implies are cartridges that already have nicotine liquid in them, or fill your own methods where you purchase a bottle of e-liquid and fill the cartridge yourself.

These ‘cartridges’ basically consist of a mouthpiece and a filler material that contains the e-juice

There’s certainly one advantage to pre-filled cartridges – all you’ve got to do is put one in and vape on!!

That’s why they’re great if you’re on the go a lot. You can basically twist the old cartridge off and put a new one on, very simple.

A couple of disadvantages – it can get expensive depending on how much you vape. Although you can get a pack of 5 cartridges for anywhere from $5 to $10, it can really add up – especially if you’re using your device in one place a lot, like your home.

The other disadvantage is your flavor options are bit more limited.

Of course, you can fill your own cartridges, which offers a bit more cost effective option. A 10-milliliter bottle of e-liquid costs just a few bucks and there are dozens of flavors to choose from. There are also different mixtures of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin available.

Filling the cartridge though will take a little time and requires patience. A syringe injection method is the least messy. Cartridges do eventually wear out and need to be changed…but that’s not terribly expensive.

So it’s a trade-off – convenience of just twist and go, or more options for mixture and flavor that, per cartridge, is much cheaper.

Modern Vapor carries a wide-variety of both types of cartridges – both pre-filled and fill your own e-liquid varieties. Try out a little of each and see which one best fits your routine. But remember, each option has its unique advantages and disadvantages to consider.

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Getting your Electronic Cigarette Starter Kit and Accessories Lightning Fast

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Just what happens when you place an order with Modern Vapor? After you click that ‘order’ or ‘buy’ button, the fun is just beginning for us, and you!

Anytime we see someone new trying electronic cigarettes, we do our absolute best (…and not just for first-timers but for everyone) to get the order out as fast as possible. Depending on the time of day you place your order, purchases are shipped either the same day or early the next day.

Once your payment clears, then we’re ready to ship.

We send all of our e-cigarette orders through the United States Postal Service. Costs are as follows (all order amounts are subtotals):

  • Orders under $30 – $3.20
  • Orders from $30.01 to $54.99 – $5.95
  • Orders from $55 to $98.99 – $7.95
  • Orders $99 and above – FREE

All of these shipping costs are for orders within the United States. We do ship out of the country but considering the variety of rates, we ask customers contact us directly before placing an order to get an idea on shipping costs.

All of our shipments too are securely packaged to ensure your e-cigarette supplies make it to you in one piece. But if you’re not satisfied for any reason, Modern Vapor does accept returns within 14 days of your purchase.

And if you’re e-cigarette starter kit or accessories are damaged in shipment or defective, you have 30 days to return your purchases for either a replacement or full refund.

So to experience fast shipping, great customer service and above all, a revolutionary way to enjoy smoking, check out our wide variety of e-cigarette starter kits and accessories today.

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Who Should NOT Use Electronic Cigarettes?

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Besides informing you about electronic cigarettes – how they work, what they cost and current events affecting vapers – we also plug our brand hoping you will choose us to experience this new and revolutionary form of smoking.

While we welcome anyone who wishes to do this, there are a few people we think shouldn’t use our products.

Nicotine is a powerful substance, one that’s very addicting. Anyone who had smoked or chewed tobacco knows this. That’s why first off, we don’t suggest non-smokers use our products, or any nicotine products for that matter.

Take it from me – once you start, it’s very hard to quit – as difficult as quitting heroin some say.

Therefore, if you’ve never smoked before, we urge you not to start by purchasing our product. While cigarettes are much more obtrusive and even dangerous in some ways, they still contain the very addictive substance smokers crave and that’s nicotine.

Other folks who shouldn’t use electronic cigarettes include:

  • Women who are pregnant and breast feeding
  • Anyone allergic to nicotine or any other ingredients you inhale
  • Anyone in poor health or has a family history of poor health should seek approval from a doctor
  • Anyone using stop-smoking aids like patches and gums
  • Anyone under the age of 18

The final one is important too – not only from a legal perspective – but from a responsible one as well.

Anyone who smokes or has smoked knows they don’t want their children becoming addicted to nicotine. Therefore, any sales of electronic cigarettes to minors are expressly prohibited by us here at Modern Vapor.

If you don’t fall into any of these categories, we of course welcome you to check out our wide selection of e-cigarette starter kits, accessories and nicotine liquids.

But if you do fall into the any above describes categories, please do not purchase our products since it could put your health at risk.

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