Before you get up in arms about the title of this article, let me say that I am a huge fan of using refillable tanks and a variety of e-liquids, but if you cut to the chase, they are simply very high maintenance and not always as cost effective as one would imagine. First time users are often confronted with indecision between starting with pre-filled disposable cartridges or e-liquid bottles and mini tanks to refill on their own. We have already covered the pros and cons of each and determined that both methods had their own advantages and demographic, but after years of experience and witnessing the development of these products, for users who really don’t want to have to learn or put any effort into their habit, pre-filled cartridges are the way to go.
As a tank and e-liquid user myself, I have first-hand experienced all the mishaps and frustrations that come with filling up your own tanks. The first concern that comes to mind is danger awareness. Nicotine e-liquid is nothing to be playing around with. Mere contact with the skin is very toxic and could cause severe reactions, but when in contact with children or animals, the results can be fatal. Ingestion becomes a state of emergency and therefore, properly storing away all e-liquid bottles and tanks in the same manner as any other drugs or cleaning products is an absolute must. Responsible use is all that is needed to avoid this problem, but if you are the forgetful type, you may want to be safe rather than sorry.
Maintenance, maintenance and more maintenance. Okay, it is not that bad, but when I first started using refillable tanks, I had no idea how intensive it was to wash and re-use them when changing flavors. You see, washing them under running hot water is not sufficient to completely remove previous flavor hints from the wick. You can wash it several times, soak it overnight, let it dry and so on, but the only way I found to effectively remove most of remaining scent of flavor, was to dip the tanks and wicks in boiling water for short bursts of time. Unfortunately, the first time I did this, I quickly dipped in plastic pieces for a second but the metal spoon was hot enough to warp the pieces. Overtime, I grew lazy when it came to washing tanks and now use about 6 different tanks simultaneously to enjoy my favorite flavors without having to constantly wash them out. An easier way to do all this, is to replace the tank’s wick completely, it does not cost much, and you eventually have to do it anyways. I usually use my wick for no longer than 3 weeks to a month.
Wicks are not the only things to replace, on larger atomizer tanks, the atomizer itself will eventually die out and need replacement, while mini tanks are completely replaced. Eventually, you will have to spend more money on new tanks again. The small ones usually go for a couple of dollars but some high-end tanks could cost a pretty penny. There is a fair amount of money to be saved with e-liquids, but it comes with a fair amount of work. Additionally, you have to make sure you stick to reputable e-liquid makers and never buy cheaper unknown alternatives.
Filling up your own tanks is also far from being convenient. Ever run out of juice while in the car or at work, or simply out doing something? How convenient is it to carry an e-liquid bottle around with you at all times. Travelling with bottles and tanks on long trips is not a ideal solution. Single use cartridges are easy in any situation. Screw a new one on and you’re set, no worrying about spilling anything, and when a spill does happen, it’s not so easy to clean. The smell can be very strong and the syrupy liquid sticks to everything. You can’t touch it with your bare hands, so you also have to be careful and wear gloves or use copious amounts of paper towels. Dropping it on your carpet and having a pet at home means you need to find a way to shampoo that stuff out right away or create a barrier to stop them from getting close, sound like a fun time yet?
I could already hear all the advanced vaporizer users yelling and throwing stones at me from behind their screens while reading this, and fine this article does go to the extreme, plus there’s plenty of reasons to love refillable tanks and bottled e-liquid. After all, it does provide some clear advantages on pricing and selection, but in the end the price of disposable single use e-cig cartridges cost very little nowadays. Most of the best selling brands are offering constant discounts and loyalty perks and you can also use our exclusive coupons to purchase cartridges at very affordable prices. If you already have bottled e-liquid, you should know that many brands like V2 Cigs also offer you blank cartridges that you can fill with a few drops yourself, giving you the best of both worlds. This way you can still benefit from getting more juice for your money, while being able to fill up and prepare your cartridges beforehand and taking advantage of the convenience of single use cartridges.
In the end, there will always be a market for eGos, advance personal vaporizers and all refillable tank systems, but for those who don’t want to have to put time and effort into maintenance, and want a simple, care-free electronic cigarette, prefilled cartridges are the way to go. You can always charge your battery in the car and even screw on a replacement cartridge, the convenience is just unmatched. The preference is personal but the everyday person will almost always benefit from using prefilled cartridges versus e-liquid bottles, while advanced users, hardcore vapers and aficionados all carry an arsenal of vaporizers, tanks and flavored e-juice bottles.