Steve K's Vaping World

Individually wrapped for your protection

The G4 cartomizer is an interesting addition to the “clearomizer” world.  The G4 a clear, fillerless cartomizer that features the heating element located at the bottom part of the tube where the battery connector is.  This configuration makes the G4 much more similar to a traditional atomizer and cartridge or tank setup.  Additionally, the G4 features super simple filling as there is no gasket at the top of the tube requiring a syringe to fill the tube with eliquid.  

[update: the new version of the G4, the Vortex 2.0 is out.  Read my review of the Vortex 2.0 here – Steve K.]

History

The G4 appears to have been originally released under the Vortex brand and sold exclusively by GotVapes.  The Vortex was available only with an 808 connector and required an adapter to use with 510 equipment.  The Vortex cartomizers I purchased from got Vapes performed fairly well except for issues with the tips easily slipping off and leakage through the battery connector when a drip tip was attached in place of the soft rubber cap.

New G4 (top), “de-ALFed” Vortex (bottom)

The G4 is now available at a multitude of vendors and it appears to be a revised version of the Vortex cartos.  It no longer has the “ALF” anti-leak foam around the coil assembly, the unit is held together with a much stronger glue and the soft tip appears to be slightly longer and better fitting. 

Leak Experiment

The biggest issue to me was the leaking through the battery connector on the Vortex version.  So, the first test of the new G4 model was to replicate my original leak experiments.  I unwrapped a new piece, filled it with a nice, red juice for maximum contrast and popped a drip tip on it.  I set it on the battery end and waited. Unfortunately, it was a pretty short wait before I saw the telltale ring of moisture on the paper under the G4. Within half an hour the thing was pretty much empty.

See it weep with sadness

As a control, I refilled the carto and put the stock silicone rubber tip on and repeated my steps.  The Vortex never leaked with just the stock cap or no cap on it.  The G4, however, are more consistant.  No matter what I did, leakage.  I tried the same experiment on three different G4s from both boxes and the result was sadly the same every single time.  The good news is, like the older model, these only leak in the upright position, inverted on the cap side or laying horizontal is not an issue.

Performance
Being the trooper that I am, I decided to forge on with the review process and loaded a G4 up with a bit under 1ml of my daily vape, Cherry Tobacco from Blue Mist.  I popped it on a 3.7v box mod and fired it up for some taste testing.

These cartomizers take a little while to break in, so the first tank full didn’t really kick in until about halfway through.  Once it was going, it offered respectable taste, fair throat hit and good vapor production.  Fair performance, but not earth shattering. Because of the placement of the atomizer in the G4, the vapor is noticeably cooler than a top coil carto like the CE2.  This isn’t a particularly bad sensation, just a little bit different.

I really like the concept of the G4, but I think it may take another revision or two before it really hits its stride.  I’ll be really interested to see if the Vortex brand comes out with further improvements over the G4, but I may sit on the sidelines until a few others try it out first.  Yeah, who am I kidding I have no self control when it comes to new vaping gear!

Too long, didn’t read:
The G4 is a bottom coil clearomizer that can be filled without a syringe.  It’s like the GotVapes Vortex but without the mysterious “ALF” and really tough glue.  While the G4 produces serviceable results with a lot of convenience, the cap is still prone to falling off and the carto will leak through the battery connector when placed upright.  Promsing, but the unit still has a way to go before it’s my go to tackle.

Purchased from: Liberty Flights
Other vendors: commonly available
Purchase Price: $9.59 (with running 20% discount)
Rating: 2 somethings out of 5 somethings