A few tips on cartomizer use:
KNOWING WHEN TO REFILL
Early and often. You have to get it out of your head that you should vape it dry before refilling. Keeping it wet is the key to a long carto life and good performance. I actually tend to leave the top off and drip it full after awhile of vaping, if it is taking more than 10 drops to refill I think I’ve waited too long. Whatever you do, learn a method that works for you to drip and keep the carto wet. This, along with good batteries, is the key to a happy KR808D-1 experience.
REFILLING TECHNIQUE
As others have said, don’t refill blind (i.e. dripping the battery end or using a syringe without removing the cap). Pop the cap off and drip onto the filler. When liquid starts to pool at the top, give it a Tayrn Spin (search Tayrn Spin for many methods to do this), an easy way, if you don’t have shoulder problems, is just to hold it in your hand, battery end down, and swing your arm around so the centrifugal force pulls the juice into the filler. By this method you can put 30 drops into a blank carto.
DRAINING TECHNIQUE
For when you want a different flavor or to get out old juice. Put a condom on the mouth end, loosely so there is room in the condom for juice, and reverse Tayrn spin. It also works well to just put a rolled tissue in the tip, pressed against the filler, and let it sit and drain upside down for an hour or so (this is a common method for draining most attys).
REMOVING THE CAP
A screw works great. Just a regular drywall tip screw. Screw it into the hole in the tip and pull. The even force at the center of the cap pulls the cap off quite nicely. You will occasionally mangle a stuck cap to get it off, but you will likely have extra caps around from used cartos. I actually don’t even put the cap back very often, I just vape it open to make it easier to drip. Another good cap replacement is a KR condom with a hole poked in the top.
KEEP AN EYE ON VAPOR4LIFE
Vapor4Life is/are the masters of cartomizers. They are actively involved with their manufacturers and actively trying various options and redesigns to improve their cartomizers. Sooner or later they will settle down on an ultimate cartomizer design. All cartos are not created equal. V4L also has superior quality control so you are less likely to get a dud carto or one that is not properly filled as is so common with run-of-the-mill carto suppliers. A lot of people don’t like “V4L Fanboys”…but there are very good reasons that so many people are V4L fans. I have not seen another supplier out there with a fan base like V4L has. There are models with a big fan base, but it is rare to see a vendor with devoted customers. It comes from top notch service and innovation.
ORDER BLANKS
There are a lot of good juices out there that don’t come in cartomizers. Don’t pass up a good juice, buy blank cartos and fill them with your favorite.
TRY A MOD
More vapor and better performance at higher voltage. Check out a Chuck or a Prodigy with a 510 connection and get a 510 to cartomizer adapter. Another option is a 5 volt USB pass-thru. Sooner or later V4L will come out with a cartomizer specific high voltage mod. Just be aware that the increased performance means juice is being used up faster so you will have to refill more often. This is why I vape with the cap off.
USE GOOD JUICE
No e-cig model will fix bad juice. Nobacco from V4L is the best Dekang stuff available (Dekang is not nomally highly rated, Nobacco is). Ms. T’s is amazing juice. A lot of people recommend Tasty Vapor, N-Haler, Halo, Totally Wicked & Decadent, ECOpure, and others. One tip for cartomizers: thicker is not better. Cartomizer design means you can’t bypass the filler and thick juice can clot and clog filler or at best it is slower to move through the filler and vaporize on the atty coil.
BATTERIES
Try around. Eventually V4L will get their battery design nailed down, but it isn’t there yet. Design changes impact air flow, loudness, etc. Longer batteries last longer, shorter batteries feel more convenient, portable and similar to analog. Manuals give you greater control, Autos tend to better air flow, hands free use, and a more “analog” feel. My favorite batteries are old-style V4L auto shorties, but you can’t get them anymore for now. That is okay by me since I tend to prefer a higher voltage mod anyway so I can wait for them to get their battery design nailed down.