Steve K's Vaping World

Vape Dudes has come out with a new line of cartomizer tanks called the Texas Tuff Tank. Cartomizer tanks are hardly a new invention.  I’ve somehow managed to amass enough of the Smoktech tanks to have a different one each week.  Despite having a few tanks already, I thought the Tuff Pro 3 tank with its filler port looked interesting enough to warrant a closer look.

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Design

The model I received is the Tuff Pro 3.  The 3 denotes the tank has a 3ml capacity.  Rather than being thin and tall to accommodate an XL cartomizer like the 3ml Smoktech tanks, the Texas Tuff is short to accommodate a standard length cartomizer.

The tank’s girth sits somewhere between the small and large mass-produced tanks.  It has an appearance like a miniature xl carto tank. Also in contrast to the Smoktech tanks, the Texas Tuff tank indeed is made in Texas.

On the exterior, the tanks most prominent feature is the thumbscrew that plugs the filler hole. The filler valve is just a small hole in the side of the tank toward the top.  It has threading for the little in which the anodized thumbscrew fits. The small knurled knob is available in red or blue.

The knob also serves to hold the cartomizer in place when twisting the tank on or off of your e-cigarette device. The Tuff Tank comes with a punched Boge 3.0 ohm cartomizer pre-installed.

A pair of rubber gaskets on either end of the frosted polycarbonate tank house the cartomizer. Red O-rings fit in the gaskets to keep everything sealed and in place inside the tube.

The tube uses a similar material to syringes, only somewhat thicker. This material holds up very well against acidic liquids and cracking from abuse.  I’m not sure why everything isn’t made from the stuff.

Using the Texas Tuff Pro

I just want to say this straight away.  I’m spoiled by the filler valve.

I’ve grown pretty adept with filling the regular cartomizer tanks.  But, there’s just a lot to be said about the simplicity of undoing a screw, putting the needle through the hole and squeezing until full.

Initially I was concerned that the threading on the filler hole may wear after an amount of use.  I still imagine that will eventually happen.  But so far after many fills, there’s been no signs of that hole stripping out.

The only thing that truly gives me pause about the setup is the gaskets.  Most tanks I’ve used  feature hard metal end caps with edges that extend past the sides of the tube.  This provides a sort of one-way path for the tube to travel.

The Texas tank, however, has simple gaskets that do not extend past the sides of the tube.  This makes the rig more prone to accidental movement of the tube past the end caps.

I found this out the hard way when I filled the tank and then promptly ripped it apart trying to pull the drip tip off the cartomizer.

My fatal mistake was I did this without the tank attached to my ecig. Had I but screwed it onto my Stainless V-Tube first, the cartomizer wouldn’t have moved and everything would be fine.

I guess what I’m saying is make sure it’s bolted down before trying to remove the drip tip. In normal use, the end caps actually hold to the tube better than the rigid versions in other tanks.

Otherwise, there’s not much to say.  Once everything is in place, it does what its supposed to and keeps the e-liquid on the inside instead of the outside.

Too Long; Didn’t Read

The Texas Tuff Tank (Tuff Pro 3) is a 3ml cartomizer tank produced in Texas.  The tank is made from the same type of material as syringes making it resistant to acidic e-liquid.  The tubes end caps are rubber grommets rather than rigid, but with proper care seem to work well.  The best feature is the thumb screw that holds the cartomizer steady and allows for easy refilling of the tank without removing the end caps.

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Details:

Product Name: Texas Tuff Tank – Tuff Pro 3
Available from: the Vape Dudes
Price: $12.99
Capacity: 3ml
Cartomizer: Boge 3.0 ohm included (fits standard length cartomizers)

Disclosure: I received this item at no charge to review and I feature affiliate links for the Vape Dudes