In many parts of the world, cigarette-shaped electronic cigarettes called “cigalikes” are still some of the most popular vaping devices on the market. With all of the different types of vaping devices that have appeared over the years, cigalikes still have so much going for them. A cigalike is the only type of vaping device that you can hold between two fingers like a cigarette. Nothing on the market is easier to use or more user friendly for a long-term smoker, and the best part is that the refill cartridges for cigalikes are usually very inexpensive.
As affordable as cigalikes are, though, wouldn’t it be great if you could save even more money? It’s possible, in fact, to make vaping even cheaper with many cigalikes. The trick is to find a seller like V2 Cigs UK that earns money selling both e-cigarette cartridges and bottled e-liquids. If a merchant sells both types of products, they have no reason to prevent users from filling their own cartridges.
This article will explain how to determine whether it is possible to refill the cartridges for your e-cigarette and how to perform the refilling. First, though, we’ll discuss an alternative that’s even easier to use.
Consider Buying Blank E-Cigarette Cartridges Instead
The company mentioned above – V2 Cigs UK – doesn’t only sell bottled e-liquids and pre-filled e-cigarette cartridges. They’re also one of the few e-cigarette companies who sell empty e-cigarette cartridges that are specifically designed to be filled and refilled multiple times. If you’re looking for a less expensive way to vape and would like to start refilling your own cartridges with bottled e-liquid, you’ll likely find that using blank cartridges works much better than refilling e-cigarette cartridges that aren’t designed for more than one use.
As an additional perk, V2 Cigs UK also carries adapters that can make their blank cartridges work with just about any non-proprietary e-cigarette battery.
Along with the fact that they’re much easier to fill and refill than standard e-cigarette cartridges, blank cartridges also have a few other significant benefits. While a standard e-cigarette cartridge has a gauze-like filler material on the inside, a blank cartridge is hollow and can hold more e-liquid. Blank cartridges also have superior airflow and can therefore produce bigger vapor clouds.
While you consider whether blank e-cigarette cartridges are right for you, let’s learn how to refill the cartridges you already have.
How to Identify an E-Cigarette Cartridge That Supports Refilling
Before you can start refilling your e-cigarette cartridges, you need to know whether your cartridges actually support refilling. In general, twist-on e-cigarette cartridges are refillable, and push-in cartridges are not. E-cigarettes with push-in cartridges are usually proprietary and are often made by tobacco companies. The Vuse e-cigarette from R.J. Reynolds is an example of this type. Vuse is a proprietary product that isn’t compatible with anything else on the market. The cartridges are completely sealed, and you can’t refill them without breaking them. In addition, a Vuse e-cigarette cartridge has a microprocessor that disables the cartridge after you’ve reached a certain number of puffs.
If your e-cigarette has refillable cartridges, you’ll see a round plastic or rubber cap when you look at the top of a cartridge. If a cartridge has a cap, then it is possible to remove the cap and access the filler material underneath. That’s all you need.
How to Refill an E-Cigarette Cartridge
To refill an e-cigarette cartridge, you’ll need a bottle of e-liquid. Depending on the cartridge’s design, a strong and narrow object such as a thin nail may also be helpful.
The first thing that you need to do is remove the cartridge’s cap. If the cartridge has a rubber cap, you can simply pry it off with your fingernail. If the cartridge has a plastic cap, you may find it difficult to remove by hand, and that’s where the nail will come in handy. Place the tip of the nail in the cartridge’s center hole and pry up until the cartridge is open.
Under the cartridge’s cap, you’ll see a roll of gauze wrapped around a narrow plastic tube. Use a bottle of e-liquid to wet the gauze. Add only a few drops of e-liquid at a time and wait for the gauze to absorb it before you add more. When the gauze still looks very wet after you’ve waited several seconds, the cartridge is full. It won’t take a lot of e-liquid to saturate the gauze; a typical e-cigarette cartridge holds less than a milliliter of e-liquid.
When you refill an e-cigarette cartridge, make sure that you’re holding the tip of your e-liquid bottle directly over the gauze. Don’t get e-liquid in the cartridge’s center air tube; that’ll cause the cartridge to gurgle and leak.
How Many Times Can You Refill an E-Cigarette Cartridge?
If you’ve never refilled an e-cigarette cartridge or used a refillable e-cigarette tank before, it might surprise you to learn that you can’t use the same cartridge forever. As you use the cartridge, residue from your e-liquid leaves a coating on the cartridge’s heating coil. You can usually refill an e-cigarette cartridge dozens of times before you’ll need to worry about replacing it. When the residue on the heating coil becomes too thick, though, you’ll notice a change in flavor when you vape. Some people liken the taste of atomizer coil residue to that of burned sugar.
If you no longer enjoy the flavor that your e-cigarette cartridge produces when you vape, it’s time to discard the cartridge. At this point, you’ll probably notice that the gauze wrapped around the cartridge’s center air tube has begun to discolor as well. Simply throw the cartridge away and start using a new one.
Do you find that your e-cigarette cartridges don’t last as long as you’d like them to? Try a different e-liquid. If your vape juice tastes sweet like candy, it probably contains the common sweetener sucralose. Sucralose shortens the life of vaping coils, and you’ll find that your cartridges last much longer if you use an unsweetened e-liquid instead.