Steve K's Vaping World

The Vortex by GotVapes, later known as the G4 (and sometimes the G5) when it hit other vendor’s shelves has recently been remixed in a visible way.  The new version promises to make good on some of the potential shown by the original version.  Does the new version deliver? Read the rest of the review to find out more!

Note the KR808D-1 connection

Design
As some have noted, the Vortex and G4 line seem to share quite a bit of design cues with the CE3 Smokymizers.  While they do feature a similar design with an inner chamber that isolates the heating coils from the liquid inside the cartomizer, the wicking methods are considerably different.  Unlike the CE3 which is a radical redesign over the CE2, the V2 version of the Vortex is more of an attempt at refinement.

Updated tip, will fit most 510 cartos

One part of the new Vortex cartomizer that stands out from its predecessor is the new tip the thing is sporting.  Gone is that little silicon deal that jumped off the end of the cartomizer at every possible opportunity.  In its place is a new space-age looking contraption that features the same sort of silicon gasket and is tipped with a sleek chrome ring at the far end.

Just like the previous incarnation, filling these guys up is about as simple as it gets.  Pop the top off, tilt it and drip juice directly in (don’t pour it down the center tube).  No syringes, no tweezers, just your bottle and a tiny amount of hand-eye coordination.

Beyond being very effective at not falling off, the new tip has another useful feature.  The whole piece was designed to prevent vapor condensation reforming and going into the user’s mouth as reconstituted eliquid.  Instead the juice will pool up and run back down into the air tube inside the cartomizer.

Very familiar design, now with more glue

If you’re at all familiar with clearomizers, especially the bottom coil type, this may seem more like a flaw and not a feature.  After all if there’s liquid in the tube air and vapor is supposed to travel to get to you, won’t it, you know, not?  For the most part, it’s fine.  After prolonged use, the liquid buildup gets to be a bit much, so removing the cartomizer and blowing into it will clear the excess juice.

The second issue with the original, and by far the biggest problem for me was the fact the G4s flat out leaked.  If you set the old version upright on the battery connector and left for a few minutes to an hour, you’d come back to an empty carto and a puddle on the desk.  That issue I can happily say is no more in the V2 version of the Vortex.

Apparently a couple of design changes are responsible for my desk now remaining dry.  The first was to produce this version with KR808D-1 threads only.  Apparently the 510 versions were much more leak prone.  Also the anti-leak filler that was present in the original Vortex (but not the G4) was moved from the outside of the coil chamber to the inside.  A little bit of glue appears to also have been added to the equation to help make things stay put.

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Shiny!

Quality Control
On paper, it seems like the factory has crossed most of the major complaints from the original versions off the list.  The Vortex is even available in two different resistances (as opposed to the original’s higher resistance only).  However, there have been a number of people who have mentioned on forums that their Vortex cartomizers deviate considerably from the stated resistance.

Some variation is natural, with most cartomizers and things deviating around .2Ω however even in the pack I purchased I noticed swings as high as .5.  This along with what I theorize to be some glue getting into the wicks during assembly has led to some reports of a burnt taste with some of these cartomizers.

Not all users report these issues, and I saw some variation within my pack as well.  While 3 of my cartomizers turned out to have significant dry burn issues, the other two were ok.  Hopefully, the manufacturer will be able to work out some of these kinks to provide a more consistant product.

If George Jetson Smoked…

Performance
The cartomizers that didn’t exhibit issues performed fairly well.  I did most of my test driving on a Revolution Vapor 808 auto battery with a little bit of time on the ProVari.  Probably the first thing I picked up on was that the vapor was quite a bit warmer than I expected.

Traditionally bottom coil cartomizers have a cooler vapor since there is some distance for the vapor to travel.  These produced vapor that was about on par with something like the CE2s which feature a top coil.  Vapor production was pretty decent, flavor was solid and throat hit was quite decent.

Too Long; Didn’t Read
The Vortex Version 2 is a nice upgrade to the original Vortex and G4 line of bottom coil cartomizers.  The new version fixes the major issues of leakage and easily lost tips while adding a stylish and functional new tip.  Performance-wise these cartomizers are quite competent.  If the quality control could be more consistant, these would be viable contenders in the increasingly crowded clearomizer space.

Pros:

• Cool design with the new drip tips
• No inadvertent e-juice ingestion
• No more lost caps (and spilled eliquid)
• No more leaking from battery connector
• Good performance

Details:
Product: Vortex Version 2.0
Buy it at: GotVapes
Price: $11.95 (5-pack)
Threading:KR808D-1
Resistance: 2.1 or 2.7Ω
Capacity: 1.2ml