Electronic cigarette cartridges work by using a “wick” of sorts. Inside the mouthpiece there is a small plastic casing and inside this small plastic cup is material that absorbs the e-liquid. With prefilled cartridges this wick is already saturated with eliquid. With empty cartridges, it is necessary to fill the cartridge yourself. So why would refilling e cigarette cartridges yourself be better?
First, prefilled cartridges must be shipped a long way. In fact most are filled and shipped from China. Although there are rubber plugs in the cartridges, some e-liquid inevitably leaks out into the mouthpiece. Liquid that leaks out is not vaporized and generally ends up in the users mouth. So right from the start, the cartridge may not be 100% full.
Second, you get more vapor with a completely full cartridge. Electronic cigarettes work like this; the atomizer vaporizes the e-liquid closest to it first, i.e. the top of the cartridge. As you vape, the top of the cartridge dries up and the atomizer must work harder to vaporize the e-liquid in the bottom of the cartridge. It is very hard to get a completely dry cartridge without going through many puffs of “off and on” vapor. This can get frustrating to a long time smoker who is use to consistent drags. And although many sellers claim anywhere from 10 to 30 cigarettes per cartridge, we have found this to be exaggerated especially considering the last 60% of the cartridge is poor vapor. To get the best e-smoking experience, keep your cartridge full.
Lastly, refilling your own cartridges is cheaper and more environmentally friendly. We recommend using 5 cartridges for a 15 ml bottle of e-liquid. Using the equivalent in prefilled cartridges would take at least 45 cartridges.
If you have questions or comments about refilling your electronic cigarette cartridges, please comment on this post. Thanks and happy e-smoking!
