Kanger T3 Observations & Tips

The Kanger T3s made waves when they first hit the stores towards the end of summer 2012, and for good reason.   Who wouldn’t want  2.4 ml standard res clearos with replacement “heads” (with a low res replacement option) that produced clouds of vapor and generally allowed for awesome flavor from your nic-quid?  I sure did, and nabbed a bunch of ‘em.  Generally, I’ve  been more than happy with them and have noticed a few things regarding these beasts.  So if you’re an insomniac, here’s something to help put you to sleep.

Now, while top-coil designs must rely upon wicks to work against gravity to send enough juice to the coil rapidly and consistently (which few, if any, accomplish), the T3, like Kanger’s b.c. cartomisers and the GotVapes Phoenix b.c. clearo, takes the reverse tack. Gravity is allowed to do what gravity does best…pull stuff down.  This requires, of course, some degree of control so that the juice doesn’t just run straight out the bottom.

With the T3s, this is accomplished by using a partial vacuum.  When the tank is filled properly and attached to the coil assembly and you begin tooting, a vacuum is created at the top of the juice in the tank.  This is a weak vacuum, granted, but in conjunction with the wicks used by Kanger to close the gap in the coil-cup cutouts the wicks pass through, it’s enough to do the trick.  Think of the vacuum it employs like a syringe filled with liquid; it doesn’t run out the end of the needle when held point side down for much the same reason. It’s really an elegant use of simple physics.

For all this to work properly, however, there are some caveats. Here are a few tips to help you get the best use out of these things:

1. Try to avoid filling above the 2.4ml marking.  That marking is there for a reason.  Too much liquid in the tank removes space at the top when held upright for the vacuum to work properly.
2. Avoid allowing the liquid level to fall below the 0.8 ml line. Once the liquid in the tank is below this level and you hold the e-cig at a 45 degree angle or so to take a blast, you’ll see the liquid’s top line angles too much, allowing the vacuum to be broken. This is why these tend to leak and flood at that level or below. If you can’t refill, keep the e-cig standing straight up and hold it fairly straight up and down when tooting to help prevent this.
3. Try to avoid running very thick juices.  These things were designed with 80/20 – 70/30 pg/vg mixes in mind.  I know that not all 100% VG is the same viscosity, because some vendors cut the VG with PVA or distilled water, but generally any juice that is obviously thick will have a hard time wicking properly.  I’ve vaped up to 60/40 pg/vg with no issues at all.  You can attempt to get around the thick juice issue by removing one of the filler wicks (often improperly called “flavor wicks”), but you run the risk of flooding the coil and leakage by doing so.  But feel free to give it a try if you must….
4.  Remember these are consumable devices…. They won’t last everyone the same length of time and they won’t last forever.  But with some maintenance you can get very long life out of these things.  Regular cleaning and dry-burning of the coil will get you three or four weeks out of a coil assembly.  Also, when doing this, inspect the cut-outs when replacing the filler wicks.  If these cut-outs aren’t completely filled with wick, you run the risk of leaking.  If the original filler wicks are shot, replace them.
5.  Be careful with the mouthpiece.  The tank airtube is made to have an airtight seal in the mouthpiece AND to the tank itself to maintain vacuum AND to allow your draw to suck fluid through the wick onto the coil.  If a leak develops inside at the mouthpiece airtube, you’ll have dry hits and juice in the mouth because the suction isn’t 100% through the airtube (and therefor the wicks aren’t transferring juice to the coil fast enough).  If you get a leak at the mouthpiece assembly/tank (the top silver band) you will also lose vacuum.  Also remember…gentle, longer toots.

Just like everything, there is a proper tool for the job at hand.  If you routinely vape extremely thick juice and/or chain vape thicker juicers, this isn’t the proper tool for the job.  But for typical, everyday vaping or as a replacement for cartomizers, these things are really awesome.  Vape on, fellow babies!