Posts Tagged ‘e9’
The E9, AKA New Mini-cig, AKA LTv9.
Last Updated on Thursday, 6 August 2009 02:11 Written by leaford Thursday, 6 August 2009 02:11
I originally wrote this intending to use it as a vid-blog post, but I have a badly infected wisdom tooth which swelled up last night, so I’m in still pain and a bit woozy from the vicodin. So a written post will have to do, and I’ll try to write up something else tomorrow, too.
Viewer Clownmaster writes:
So, i checked ecigarettemall (eastmall), epuffer, and litecigusa (happened to be under maintenance atm), and I couldn’t find any resourceful location for a dealer selling the Loong Totem V1.
In January, you said e-cig.com had it as their “new mini cig”, but flash forward 7 months and I can’t even find it on the site. :/
So I have a few questions for you.
1. Are the cartridges for the Loong Totem V1 refillable by liquid, or are they combination carts?
1a. If they happen to be combination carts, is there any viable way I could purchase an atomizer from another e-cig to attach to it that way I could refill it via liquid? (and what would you suggest)
2. Where would I find a link to buy this particular ecigarette?
And thank you for having an “Ask Leaford” section.
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Clownmaster,
Thanks for bringing this up, as the E9s have gone through some changes since I last posted videos on them, as I mentioned in my New(est) 5 Faves vid-blog post, and I’d already intended to cover this in more detail.
It was actually called the LTv9, not v1, which likely caused some of the confusion. And E-cig.com renamed it from New Mini-Cig to the E9, which is the model name I now use for all compatible clone models, for brevity and simplicity’s sake. Also, of those three retailers you tried, only ePuffer carried it (with the brand name Magnum), and theirs was a clone model, not an actual LTv9, just identical. But that’s water under the bridge, since ePuffer changed over from that LTv9 clone to a different but similar model, the KR808D/D1, or possibly a clone of that, too.
(BTW, see my recent vid-blog post, New(est) 5 Faves I BRIEFLY cover the quality of the latest cartomizers and batteries I’ve received. This will also be getting more detailed video treatment soon, as soon as I can buy new example batteries from Smoke 51, Greensmoke, and ePuffer to demo.)
Anyway, moving on to your questions:
1. Although they are combination atomizer/cartridges (which I call “Cartomizers”) and aren’t designed to be refilled, they can be. They have a soft rubber cap which can be pried off, then you drip liquid onto the coil of fabric inside. You never get as much vapor as with a fresh cartomizer, however, and the vapor dwindles the more often you refill it. And there’s a learning curve involved; I ruined a LOT of cartridges before I started to get it to work consistently.
1a. No, and it would be cheaper to just get a battery for the other type of atomizer, anyway. For some reason the batteries for cartomizer e-cigs are always twice or even three times more expensive than basically identical 3-piece e-cig batteries.
2. Before saying where TO get them, first let me warn you that Smoke 51, ePuffer, and Bloog, three of my former recommended retailers for E9 cartomizers, NO LONGER CARRY the E9 cartomizers. They carry Kanger KR808D/D1 cartomizers made with E9 compatible threads. Smoke 51 and Bloog batteries still seem to be the same manufacturers as before, but as I said before, they’ve gotten much better quality wise. EPuffer’s batteries are now Kanger KR808D/D1, but they and their cartomizers are still E9 compatibly threaded.
My top recommendation for E9 cartomizers off the top of my head is Greensmoke. With my 30% discount code (leaford30-204 [30% off on orders over $99])carts are about $2 each. http://greensmoke.com/204.html.
Red Dragon, Vapure, and Esmoke.net are a bit more expensive, even figuring discounts (which you can find on my discount code page).
And Nhaler.com is about the same price as Greensmoke, but I have never received exactly what I’ve ordered; once with a note to explain, once without. And, substituting one strength or flavor for another is bad enough, but this last time they substituted E9 cartomizers for E8. Worst, and the deal breaker, was that 10 boxes out of 15 on the second order, were bad, only giving about 50 or so good puffs before developing that nasty burnt taste (just like a bad bunch of ePuffer carts I had once). I think they have some bad old stock, probably unloaded on them by their supplier. I’ll try them again after a few months, see if their stock has improved by then.
They do ship same day, though, and always include a decorative box with your order, and an assortment of cute, although sometimes bewildering, extras (Tweezers make sense; but a dental pick??). This, too, nearly deserves a vid-blog post of it’s own.
In the past the E9 type’s battery and switch performance had been the E9’s major flaw, but performance has seemed to improve significantly across the board the past several times I’ve ordered them, and they are now just as good as any other e-cig batteries. The E9 has long and short batteries, but only Smoke51 and eSmoke.net seem to have the long ones, the rest only carry the short batteries.
A heavily caveatted half-hearted recommendation also goes ePuffer’s kanger made E9 threaded batteries. They performed terrifically, and the longer size is penstyle length and duration, which means about 80, or even up to 100 5-second puffs. A nice boost over even the long E9 batteries, let alone the short ones.
But I can’t really recommend ePuffer without warning you that they do have a long record of numerous customer service complaints on the forums, many allegedly never resolved.
And, I don’t have working models to display currently, anyway, because I wore them out. But I will be getting to reordering and demonstrating them soon.
I’ll come back to this post when I’m feeling up to it and add all my links and discount codes, for your convenience. In the meantime, just check my discount codes page for discount codes and links to nearly all the above referenced retailers.
Tags: bloog, cartomizer, Disposable Atomizer, e-cig.com, e9, ePuffer, esmoke.net, green smoke, greensmoke, loong totem v9, LTv9, red dragon, Smoke 51, vapure | Posted under Ask Leaford, Comparisons, E9/LTv9, Featured, Leaford's Reviews and Demos | 2 Comments
My New(est) Five Favorites!
Last Updated on Tuesday, 4 August 2009 02:23 Written by leaford Tuesday, 4 August 2009 02:23
Sorry it’s been awhile since I’ve made new videos or updated this blog. I am recommiting myself to doing them more often, and am going to try to establish a habit of doing daily posts from now on. Well, daily meaning weekdays, anyway.
I decided to begin again with a new 5 Favorites countdown. Those have always been among my most popular videos, and people start asking for an update almost as soon as one goes up. But as I started to think through my choices, I decided there are so many good e-cigs out there I could almost go up to ten. But that would have been stretching the definition of “favorites”, so today I’m going to do my 5 personal favorites, and tomorrow I will do runners-up and honorable mentions.
#5) The Dura (510, Titan, etc.): This is another great beginner’s e-cig, and many people may choose it for their regular e-cig. It delivers good vapor, up to a 4 on my one to five scale, fairly good battery life for the mini category, and with the manual switch performance is always reliable. It’s available in a variety of colors, and from a variety of retailers.
#4) The Janty Stick: This is a great vest pocket e-cigarette. It is basically a battery box with a manual switch and mini-USB power plug. It fits an 801 atomizer, but there is an optional 901 adaptor as well. The battery is a 3.7V, AAA size rechargeable battery, the same as used in e-cigars, so it is relatively cheap and easy to replace. Unfortunately, it doesn’t function as a true USB passthrough; the USB plug charges the battery, and the battery powers the atomizer, so you can’t use it with a drained battery even if it’s plugged in. Vapor depends on the atomizer you use, with perhaps a small performance boost over regular 801 batteries.
#3) The Vapor King (KR808D/D1): This is my second favorite of the disposable cartomizer models, but is better than my number one, the E9 type, in a couple of ways, so many of you may like it better. The vapor and cartridge life are better than penstyles, but not as good as the E9, and battery life is about equal to a penstyle. Where they really shine, though, is in the flavor and throat kick, which are, IMO, the strongest out there, and certainly stronger than any other retailer’s KR808D/D1 cartomizers. And I’ve tried several. And another bonus, the batteries are 901 compatible. So if you’re low on cartomizers, pop on a 901 atomizer for a while instead.
#2) The Prodigy: These Made-in-the-USA beauties have really captured my heart, more than I thought it would due to its size. It is an ungodly huge monstrosity, but the performance, battery duration, and versatility, along with the promise of long-term reliability, quickly won me over. Like the Janty stick, and the Screwdriver and GG that preceded it, it is basically a battery box with a manual switch. It holds two approximately C-sized rechargeables, and where it goes its predecessors one better is in upping the voltage from the typical 3.7V to 5V, resulting in clearly higher vapor performance from all atomizers. The other terrific innovation was making the atomizer connector a removable adaptor, so the same body can accommodate any of the 801, 901, 510, or 401 atomizers. Despite my misgivings, I find myself using it very nearly as much as my number one pick:
#1) The E9 (aka LTv9, aka “old style”) cartomizers: There are actually several manufacturers of this model, beginning with the original, Loong Totem, followed by Kanger and E-Cig.com, and probably one more at least. I use the model E9 for them all, it’s easiest. I love this one the most because it is the biggest vapor maker out there, bar none. With a fresh cartridge and fresh battery, nothing else even comes close. I used to complain about the batteries being the worst part of this model, but they have improved. The last few compatable batteries I’ve tried, from GreenSmoke.com, from Bloog, and from Smoke 51 were all nearly perfect. Medium draw, responsive switch, full 5-second draws, etc. And e-Puffer has an E9 compatible battery (actually a KR808D/D1 battery with E9 threading) which is penstyle length and duration. The remaining flaw are the weak flavors, and lack of throat kick. Many people, myself for one, like smooth vapor, but I don’t think anyone really wants less flavor. So that’s a weakness. But still, I’m a vapor hog, and nothing else out there delivers the vapor like this can.
Watch tomorrow for my 5 Runners-Up (Runner-Ups?) and homorable mentions!
Tags: 510, battery bodies, Disposable Atomizer, dura, e9, Favorites, Janty, janty stick, kr808d/d1, prodigy, PureSmoker, titan, vapor 4 life, vapor king | Posted under Comparisons, Featured, Headline, Leaford's Reviews and Demos | No Comments
New retailers' discount codes, and the E8.
Last Updated on Thursday, 16 April 2009 09:28 Written by leaford Thursday, 16 April 2009 09:28
Hi everyone!
A couple of new retailers have written me to offer LEAFORD codes!
First up is 5% off at The Kick It Stick. They offer generic 801’s and 901’s priced at $50.
The eSmoker Shop is offering 5%. They carry 901’s and 401’s for $45.95. And for the ladies out there (or whoever, I will not judge you), they have the elusive PINK 901s!
And eSmoke, who I will be talking more about below, is offering 10% off.
I’ve tested two more of the LTv9/E9 disposable atomizer brands, GreenSmoke and Vapure. These are both good examples of that model. Battery performance is as good as this model comes. Moderate draw, no problems with the responsiveness of the switch, just the usual cutoff after 2-3 seconds.
GreenSmoke sells 2-battery starter kits for $140, and cartomizers for $15, and offers 15% off with Discount Code leaford-204 OR 30% on orders over $99 with leaford30-204. Vapure’s 2 batery kits are $110 and cartomizers are $13. No LEAFORD discount for Vapure, yet, but check back.
I have also been testing the E8 from E-Cig.com. For those who haven’t seen it, the E8 is E-cig.com’s newest 2-piece disposable cartomizer supermini. It’s exactly the same as the E9 (which I reviewed under its old name, the New Minicig), but even smaller, around 84mm.
I rather like it, except for the short cartridge and battery life.
The vapor is nearly as impressive as larger 2-piece models, but the cartridge life is maybe a third as long, if that. 5-7 cigarettes worth at best. Still, that’s 3 times as long as any other 84-89mm model.
Battery life is also supermini. You’ll need two batteries per cartridge. One of my two batteries died within the first couple of days, but the survivor at least performs well. No switch issues except for the usual 2-3 second cutoff.
And, I found a local retailer carrying them, eSmoke. eSmoke also carries the E9 type. Prices run $145 for the E9 starter kit, called the Sensation, and $175 for the E8, called the Micro. And cartomizers are $18.5 per box of 5. They’re offering a LEAFORD code for 10% off, though.
Tags: e-cig.com, e8, e9, green smoke, loong totem v9 | Posted under Announcements, Disposable Reviews, Leaford's Reviews and Demos, Uncategorized | No Comments

