Help please - brought loads of kit - it all tastes nasty. WTF am I doing wrong

[kev-k]

Hi All
Have been tinkering with vaping for a while now and in all honesty getting hacked off with it.
Mates have cheap no brand "starter" kits with plastic tanks and get on fine with them. I started off on those, upgraded batteries, upgraded tanks. Tried Aspire Aspire ET-S GLASS Clearomiser's, kangatech genitanks, protanks, single coil, double coils and goodness knows what else with absolutely rubbish results.
I now have a collection as per photo. After a week or so they all taste. Not exactly burnt but just plasticky & meh.
I have single batteries, variable batteries (whats the point of those. turn them up and they taste burnt)
Ive cleaned everything overnight in hot water, in vodka, put in new coils, changed juice, changed juice brands. Cleaned battery terminals with vodka/spit/water on q-tips. Pulling my effing hair out now
Went into local (not overly helpfull) shop with three main rigs and while they agree my stuff tastes "weird" they could offer no advice other than "buy sub ohm"
So I have just ordered a Innokin Coolfire IV GOLD with iSub G Atomizer Tank mainly because it has half decent reviews and its next day on amazon and the people in the shop were no help at all.
Obviously I am doing something wrong. I don't believe for one second people buy this kit and it tastes rubbish for them too given the reviews they have. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG. and can I use my nice shiny tanks with this new battery ?

I've read sooo much & the consensus is normally change the coil, turn down the battery or clean your rig.
I do still smoke but looking for a rig I can use instead of ciggies. The tech side of vaping leave me a bit cold if Im honest. I just want something I can fill with liquid and smoke without any faffing about

 

[Whiskey]

Hi Kev,Welcome to VU.. the pen type batteries in the picture you posted seem a bit older compared to the different styles out now, have you looked yet into what is available now? There are so many better choices for the $$.The newer subtanks are getting good reviews as well, if not those the regular tank/clearomisers and coils are what I use and do fine with them. I have protanks and aspire nautilus mini's

 

[PuffPuffPass]

You've mentioned changing juice. What type of juice Flavors are you using? Give us a couple of examples.

Some juices are known as tank crackers. Some have your coils resembling a used barbecue grill after just a day. While others will have your cotton looking like a grease pit filter, within hours.

And all the while, it taste great today. And like dirty dish water tomorrow.

 

[kev-k]

Thanks for the replies
The pens are all less than 6 months old (the GS EGO II & the Kanga EVOD V V being roughly a month old) all purchased off amazon as I have no trust of the guys on the local market (swap meets?? I think you call them in the US)
Liquids have been purchased from local shop(s) and bloke on market type setups. Same place(s) my mates who vape buy them from.
Flavours are normally apple/pineapple/cherry/bakewell tart fruit/sweet types
Didn't mention that I do still smoke ciggies too in varying amounts depending on how stressed I am at work from 5 to 25 a day
These are the sort of coils (attached) that go in the tank (also attached) - so can I use these coils and tank on the new battery (image attached)

 

[Whiskey]

Yes you can use those

 

[PuffPuffPass]

Those Flavors, for the most part are going to reek havoc on your coils. I'd try swapping coils daily (if you're a chain vaper) for a few days. See if you notice a difference.

You should notice it right away. If that's the case. Then soak the used coils in alcohol, then rinse with hot water. You may get a couple more days use from them. Remember to soak and repeat.

"If" you see an improvement. I'd recommend learning to build your own coils. I have one flavor, it's pointless using the same coil for a second day. Unless I change the wick.

 

[Huckleberried]

I'm sorry to hear you're having so much trouble with these set ups. I started out with pretty much the same thing and always had good flavor until a coil was going bad or gunked up. Sounds like you're doing everything you can. I hope your new gear works out better for you.

 

[kev-k]

Those Flavors, for the most part are going to reek havoc on your coils. I'd try swapping coils daily (if you're a chain vaper) for a few days. See if you notice a difference.

You should notice it right away. If that's the case. Then soak the used coils in alcohol, then rinse with hot water. You may get a couple more days use from them. Remember to soak and repeat.

"If" you see an improvement. I'd recommend learning to build your own coils. I have one flavor, it's pointless using the same coil for a second day. Unless I change the wick.

One coil a day?. Thats redic, how is no-one else moaning about a new coil a day?
Guess I need to learn to build my own coils - which is not something I am terribly keen on or buy (another) new tank. This vaping lark is meant to be easy.
Thanks for all your help

 

[eruptedvapor]

Before you go changing your coils, what is the VG to PG ratio of your juice? Some juices, specifically the higher PG juices, can give you a plastic or artificial flavor. Juice quality is a HUGE part of vaping. Is it listed on the side of the bottles you bought?

 

[eruptedvapor]

One coil a day?. Thats redic, how is no-one else moaning about a new coil a day?
Guess I need to learn to build my own coils - which is not something I am terribly keen on or buy (another) new tank. This vaping lark is meant to be easy.
Thanks for all your help

I should have clicked the reply button. *sigh* What a scrub I am.

 

[PuffPuffPass]

One coil a day?. Thats redic, how is no-one else moaning about a new coil a day?
Guess I need to learn to build my own coils - which is not something I am terribly keen on or buy (another) new tank. This vaping lark is meant to be easy.
Thanks for all your help

The vast majority get way more than one day

I'm just saying, give it a try. To see if your issue lies in that area. You should know almost immediately. IE the second coil.

When you're dealing with taste issues. It can cost the hell out of you, in juices. Start simple, move forward one step at a time.

I vape a lot of juices that are hard on coils. Hence my having to learn to build my own. $$$$

There are several things that could be causing your problem. But there's no need to try them all at once.

 

[kev-k]

Before you go changing your coils, what is the VG to PG ratio of your juice? Some juices, specifically the higher PG juices, can give you a plastic or artificial flavor. Juice quality is a HUGE part of vaping. Is it listed on the side of the bottles you bought?

70PG / 30VG on the ones I can read (eyes getting old )

 

[eruptedvapor]

70PG / 30VG on the ones I can read (eyes getting old )

I know the feeling!

I would try to look at a higher VG juice, maybe a 50/50 or even a 70/30 (VG/PG). Also, try to find a store where you can taste test the flavors and mixtures they have. Guessing and checking is terrible, because you never know what you are going to get and if you've wasted your money or not.

Good luck!

Justin with Erupted Vapor

 

[kev-k]

The vast majority get way more than one day

I'm just saying, give it a try. To see if your issue lies in that area. You should know almost immediately. IE the second coil.

When you're dealing with taste issues. It can cost the hell out of you, in juices. Start simple, move forward one step at a time.

I vape a lot of juices that are hard on coils. Hence my having to learn to build my own. $$$$

There are several things that could be causing your problem. But there's no need to try them all at once.

Sorry - Finding the whole thing quite frustrating. I think a lot of it is the local shops, they all seem to have very much "you're a newb so we'll just look down our nose at you and try and stick you for new kit" plus there's the feeling that I am doing something fundamentally wrong as I seem to be the only one in any of my peer groups having issues (or maybe I have unrealistic expectations)

 

[kev-k]

I know the feeling!

I would try to look at a higher VG juice, maybe a 50/50 or even a 70/30 (VG/PG). Also, try to find a store where you can taste test the flavors and mixtures they have. Guessing and checking is terrible, because you never know what you are going to get and if you've wasted your money or not.

Good luck!

Justin with Erupted Vapor

Again this makes me feel like I am doing something very, very basic wrong - as when I taste/test them in the shop they taste fine. Its just when I put them in my rigs they taste insipid/bland

 

[eruptedvapor]

Sorry - Finding the whole thing quite frustrating. I think a lot of it is the local shops, they all seem to have very much "you're a newb so we'll just look down our nose at you and try and stick you for new kit" plus there's the feeling that I am doing something fundamentally wrong as I seem to be the only one in any of my peer groups having issues (or maybe I have unrealistic expectations)

Vaping is entirely an individual experience. Each person will have a different feeling from vaping, including cloud, taste, throat hit and so on. Don't get down that you don't like what your peer group likes; you're simply more discerning with your tastes. I know the feeling, I despise higher PG juices, I think they taste gross.

Justin with Erupted Vapor

 

[PuffPuffPass]

Sorry - Finding the whole thing quite frustrating. I think a lot of it is the local shops, they all seem to have very much "you're a newb so we'll just look down our nose at you and try and stick you for new kit" plus there's the feeling that I am doing something fundamentally wrong as I seem to be the only one in any of my peer groups having issues (or maybe I have unrealistic expectations)

Kev it is frustrating when you start. And that's why you're here now.

I "tried" vaping since it was introduced. I've desperately wanted to quit smoking for a long time. And if it hadn't been for a co-worker showing me some of the new tech. I'd still be where you are.

My point, don't give up. There are some great people here, with solid advise. Just move slowly until you discover what the actual issue is. And you'll save a lot of money.

 

[kev-k]

I don't mind spending the money if it works (married. my return on investment on shoes/handbags is not as great as when we were younger so Im used to chasing dreams)
I'll order some different ratio vg/pg juices - any recommendations for quick delivery UK suppliers ? and maybe going sub ohm with the new battery will help. Glad I can use the tanks I have (I just don't like the idea of plastic tanks - however you dress them up there's just the feeling they are not "right" like drinking beer out of plastic glasses **shudder**) though I guess I will be hunting for different coils as I think mine are all 1.5 & 1.8. Thanks again for all the help. Its quite late/early in the UK now so I will bail and get some sleep.
Nice to meet you guys

Kev

 

[georgemeadal]

I have been reading and have a feeling that I have been through exactly the same thing as you @kev-k . A lot of good advice so far but one thing I thought I would mention is that IF you are still smoking analog cigarettes then your taste buds are not really going to be able to do any e-liquid justice.
I am not great at telling people what to do so I will list what has worked for me.
1) (2009) started vaping because I could not breathe- used ego battery and old style atomizer/cartridge style setup using 70% PG at 36 mg nic. Really did not taste good or satisfy me but I cut down on cigs to 10-15/day.
2) (2010) switched to ego battery and vivi nova style tank or protank and kept having flavor issues and the vape was not satisfying enough to keep me from smoking 10 or so cigs a day...this was at 24mg nic and the juice was 70% PG
3) (2011-2013ish) I added using 1.2 ohm bogue style cartomizer tank and vamo / vision spinner battery and suddenly I was getting a much more satisfying vape and flavor with 50/50 vg/pg 18mg nic, at the time I was smoking under 5 cigs a day
4) (2014) then the aspire nautilus was born and the vaping world rejoiced ! 1.6 ohm BDC coil on an Innokin MPV that went to 11 watts is what made me stop buying cigarettes and big tobacco had finally lost it's grip on me. I was using 60/40 VG/PG DIY juice at this point at about 15mg nic. I still cheated and had a cig every now and again like maybe 5/week.
5) Aspire does it again and the Atlantis was born ! Using a .5 ohm BVC coil on a iStick 30 watt. I was able to lower my nic level to 6-9 mg and DIY juice to 70-75 VG and was getting the best flavor and vape I had ever experienced. Not smoking at all and never plan on going back.

IMO just skip to #5 and save yourself some pain and experimentation. Clear juice that is not over flavored or too sweet tends to let your coils last longer in between needing to be replaced. I get 2-3 weeks from a .5 Atlantis v2 coil at 25-30 watts for example. Sweet custards and bakery flavors or juice that is over flavored (for lack of a better term) tend to gunk up coils rather quickly and you may not even get a week out of a coil before it starts to taste funky.
GOOD LUCK and remember...VAPE ON !

 

[PuffPuffPass]

I want to expand on this a little more.
And show you a direct example of why I say coil check.

This coil (please ignore the crappy build) has had ONE tank ran across it. I'm already re wicking and cleaning, as you can see.

Your juice selection can have a direct effect on coil life, and day to day taste.

 

[Mattp169]

@kev-k lets see what i can do to help you
now the cool fire is a decent battery. nothing wrong with it, just not as powerful as other things.

DOES THAT MATTER? NOPE NOT AT ALL

YOu would need mor epower if you tried using a smok tfv4 tank with it. WHY? cuz that tank uses coils that instead of just having one coil they have 2,3,4,or 6 coils in them.

Why would you need that? well more surface area of the coil and the hotter you get it = more vapor produced at one time which = more flavor

However the isub you got can porduce a great amount of flavor becuase it is what is called a SUB OHM tank

MEANING the resistance of teh coil, which in this case is 0.5 OHMS is below 1 ohm

Now sub ohmming as it is called is DIFFERENT then the tanks you have been using. IT MAKES A SHIT TON MORE VAPOR AT ONCE.
and it will take some getting use to.

FIRST OFF you need juice that is no more then 6mg of nicotine... THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!!! WHY? glad you asked.

Because that coil is going to produce double to triple the vapor you are used to at one time which means double to triple the nicotine hitting your mouth at one time.

I used 24-30mg nicotine when i switched to sub ohming and had to drop to 6 IMMEDIATELY

SO make sure you do this.

NOw when you get your new tank
make sure you read how to fill it and all that good jazz.

Before you fill it

find the coil itself and there will be holes in it where you can see white cotton. dri your juice on this first. wait a few moments as teh juice is absorbed through the cotton and drip moire juice on it. make sure you do this a few times until the cotton looks good and wet

THIS PROCESS IS CALLED PRIMING YOUR COILS

THIS IS IMPORTANT


otherwise you get very dry or burnt hits when you first start

Then assemble and fill your tank
now once you have the cool fire powered up and the coil primed, and tank filled and installed

step 1
set the cool fire to about 5watts
step 2
find the air control ring near the bottom of the tank. set it to the least open position - not completely closed

put your finger over the opening and take a few draws on the tank without firing the cool fire.

this will help pull more juice into the wick to prevent the dry hits.

Once thats done go and vape

you probably wont get much vapor or flavor on teh first couple hits.

thats good. cuz ou need to start slow and work your way up on these things.

after a couple pulls and NO BAD TASTES
set teh cool fire to 6 watts or 7 or even 8
and do this again
keep repeating till you feel like your getting SOMETHING and no bad tastes

if you have never sub ohmmed in the past
be prepared to cough and gag on the amount of vapor you will eventually get.

You want to play around with both the watts and the air ring

if its to hard for you to suck on open the ring, but be prepared for more air.
also if the vapor is just too hot for you opening the air ring will cool it down.

you want to slowly raise watts till you find your sweet spot

whats YOU sweet spot?? I have no clue
its where your getting enough vapor to taste it, and its not too hot or nasty tasting and hopefully not too much vapor your gagging on it.

Your sweet spot can change.

for me when I first got a sub ohm tank
i was only vaping a .5 coil at about 12 watts or so the first day within about a week i was about to 20 watts.

usually on a coil and tank like the i sub G you will probably find similar results. But you may even like it higher. BUt dont push it much past 25 watts

Take your time on this new setup and start low and work your way up

you should hopefully get it to work well for you


now in terms of coils

BULLSHIT to all who say you need to change coils or rewick every day or so

Many people who say things like that vape 20,30,40,50 mls a day

I vape about 10mls a day
my coils last me 2-4 weeks depending on the tank.

but i generally use 1 flavor per tank
or if i change flavors i use a complementary flavor in the tank, BUT NOT ALWAYS

if your coil tastes burnt its probably because you vaped the tank too dry.

you got to keep liquid in the tank, when you see it getting low- refill it. if you want to change flavor pour the excess back in the bottle.
every tank is different in how low you can let the juice get before refilling.

my crown can get to the point it looks bone dry, my kanger STM needs refilled when you can still see about 1/2 a mil in it.

Ive never used the isub g, so I cant tell you much on that.

Another reason for your flavor issues is the coils your using. They can work great but can taste nasty too.

you should really enjoy the i sub, it is a good quality tank at a great price. Its design coupled with the cotton it uses for wicking combined with the fact its a sub ohm tank should open a new world up to you.

I would guess you MTL which means Mouth to lung. SO you take a drag then a breath to inhale
with subohm tanks
that is still possible with the air flow closed off somewhat. but eventually you may want to try DL or Direct Lung hits where you just inhale and let the vapor go right to your throat and down like your taking a breath.

Take your time and experiment.

 

[joshyo2]

bro your isub and coolfire will fix your problems and get you off cigs, when you get it make sure you fill the juice up and let it set for 30 mins to ensure the coil is fully saturated and it will taste weird as you break in the new coil. you also wanna drop nicotine to anywhere from 3-6 mg/ml, and you dont wanna take cigarette draws from it, instead of sucking the vape in your mouth and then inhale to the lungs, just inhale like your breathing and go straight to the lungs. and i would order good juice on line as well to insure your getting quality juice. get rid of all your current vapes and stick to the isub g and your coolfire box. you made a wise decision to order them. these are not by any means top level vape hardware but they are perfect for an upgrade and i wouldnt mind vaping them as i am an advanced vaper. also make sure you dont go too high on the wattage settings on your coolfire as you will get burnt hits. start out low and increase wattage as needed and that isub will blow clouds and has great vapor production.

 

[PuffPuffPass]

I'm laughing here. Cuz my pic says different, with only 7ml ran across it. I wish I'd took a pic of the wick as well.

Juice will affect coil performance, period.
One "bought" coil = $4
One bottle of liquid = ????

He only has to remove ONE. Don't throw it away, just set it aside. If a new one fixes the issue. He knows it's the coil. If not, vape until that one is toast. And put the other back in when needed. And it didn't cost a dime. Move on to the next step.

 

[Mattp169]

your pick if of a DIY coil not a prebuilt coil. to me theres a difference in terms of how they last, regardless of juice

there are other factors on a DIY coil tat effect it"
build quality
experience of teh builder
wicking
the deck itself
how much you messed with it after it was built
etc etc

my comment was about prebuilt coils.

you either have a good one or not. most of these prebuilt coils can run 150-250mls a juice through them on average form my experience

for some people that can be 2 weeks, 1 week, 3 days jest depending on how much they vape.

Sorry wasnt really trying to piss in anyone's wheaties with my comment

but i think its often bett rto use mls used when speaking about coil life versus days

 

[CaptNutz]

well he said he had a isub g tank and the coils suck. it burns out so quickly and it made in china so inspection is not the greatest so in other word buy and new tank cause i have a isub g tank and it sucks.

 

[TheRenegadeBiker]

Idk how it is on other tanks but with the herkles im refilling about 2-3 tines a day with the 3ml tank ccause sub ohm tanks drink juice like i drink soda (and that's quite a bit haha) i can get 3-4 days from a 30 ml bottke

And whoever said dark juices burn coiks faster is right cause my first one lasted a week vs the new one using mostly light juice i still vape the darker stuff i bought but not every tank is it since i started DIY and have 4 bottles of white juice it last much longer