Posted November 19, 2010 by Jack Keenan in About e-Cigarettes

What are Cartomizers?

What is an Electronic Cigarette Cartomizer

What are cartomizers?

Electronic cigarette technology is evolving rapidly, and if you are considering purchasing an electronic cigarette for the first time, you have a bit of catching up to do. The cartomizer is a new type of electronic cigarette atomizer design, and some companies are quickly moving their product lines over to this new design.

So far, I have written about the traditional three-part electronic cigarette design, which uses disposable cartridges of flavored e-liquid which fit over a reusable atomizer. I have also written about dripping, which involves placing a hollow tip over the atomizer and dripping electronic cigarette liquid on the atomizer directly. Both of these systems have drawbacks. Disposable cartridges can be inconsistent, and sometimes fail to produce a satisfying amount of vapor, while dripping can be messy if it is done incorrectly. Additionally, some people simply don’t like the work involved with dripping, and it doesn’t work well while driving, which is a huge smoking trigger for some.

Cartomizers are a new approach, and they reduce the complexity of the traditional three-part electronic cigarette design by making the atomizer a permanent part of the disposable flavor cartridge. When the cartomizer runs out of liquid, you simply unscrew it, throw it away, and replace it with a new one. This represents an excellent compromise for the smoker who wants to switch to electronic cigarettes without a lot of work, and most users report that cartomizers produce plenty of vapor. This design also travels better, as cartomizers do not leak as traditional electronic cigarette flavor cartridges can. I think that this design is definitely the right one for some people. Green Smoke was one of the first electronic cigarette companies to use a cartomizer-based design; you can read my Green Smoke Review here.

Like the traditional electronic cigarette design, the cartomizer is not without drawbacks, and one must consider them before purchasing. The first drawback is the price. While Volcano electronic cigarette cartridges start at $3.99 per five-pack, Green Smoke cartomizers start at $14.75 for a pack of five. However, reusable atomizers utilized in the three-part e-cigarette design go bad and must be replaced about once per month or so. In addition, cartomizers contain a greater amount of e-liquid than disposable cartridges. A disposable cartridge contains about the same amount of nicotine as one-half pack of cigarettes. Some of the liquid always fails to wick up to the atomizer, however, and is ultimately wasted. A cartomizer offers nicotine comparable to a full pack of cigarettes.

The second drawback is that while electronic cigarette cartomizers offer variety comparable to disposable flavor cartridges, they do not offer the same variety as dripping or buying and filling empty cartomizers. For example, Green Smoke offers three tobacco flavors and one menthol flavor, along with a few non-cigarette flavors such as apple, chocolate, and vanilla. If you drip, you can use any flavor from any manufacturer. You have literally hundreds of flavors to choose from. On the other hand, some smokers tend to pick one flavor and stick with it, so lack of variety might not be a concern.

So, in conclusion, should you consider buying an electronic cigarette with a cartomizer? Here is the bottom line.

Cartomizer Pros