KR808DM-1 ClearoCartos – Impressions

The latest addition to the next generation clear, fillerless e-cigarette cartomizer (clearomizer) category recently hit the market with little fanfare.  The KR808DM-1 ClearoCart from Nhaler just showed up on the site recently.  I wasn’t really aware of this new product until I happened upon a random thread on the e-cigarette forum mentioning the KR808 Cartomizer.  Let’s walk through a KR808DM-1 ClearoCart review and see where this cartomizer fits in the filler-free world of clearomizers.

Cartomizer Design
One of the first things that struck me about this clearomizer’s design is its overall shape.  The KR808 cartomizer is tapered towards the top of its body.  The drip tip assembly has straight sides.  The overall impression I get of the shape is that of a beer bottle. The carto is also slightly wider than a standard cartomizer at the base.

Aside from the unusual shape of the body’s exterior, the inside of the unit is also striking in the way it differs from other cartomizers.  While the ClearoCarto clearly has roots in the G4 cartomizer line, the steeply tapered interior chamber on the Clearo is radically different from the G4’s barrel on a stem design.

Disassembly is fun

The cartomizer’s chamber is conical with an end that tapers to an air tube at the end closest to the mouth piece. It appears that the cone shape of the internal chamber is designed to allow condensed e-liquid to flow down to the atomizer coils rather than remain trapped in the air tube like other designs.

Adding credence to this little theory of mine is the mouthpiece design of this cartomizer.  Much like the newly redesigned vortex, the mouthpiece on the ClearoCarto features tapers and slopes.  These shapes are designed to let condensation flow back into the air passage rather than your mouth.

The design seems to work as I neither experienced a disgusting mouthful of reconstituted e-liquid nor did I hear any gurgling coming from liquid trapped in the air tube.  Nhaler tells me the design is the result of a close working relationship they have with the Chinese engineers and factories.  They also mentioned that while this model shares some design elements with the G4/G5 line it is made by a different company. [edit: After speaking with Nhaler again, it appears that the company that produces the ClearoCartos also does produce G4 cartomizers – s.k.]

I was prompted to ask the company about the origin of the devices because there are definite design cues pointing towards taking inspiration from the G4 line. Aside from the conical inner chamber, the ClearoCarto features a horizontal coil at the bottom that is fed via two short wicks protruding through notches in the sides of the inner chamber.

Using the KR808 Cartomizer
Unlike the G4 models, the ClearoCarto’s unusually shaped exterior also boasts much thicker plastic.  This should result in a much more durable cartomizer.  The material appears to be the same as the G4, which means it is likely susceptible to cracking from juices with high acidic content (citrus, mint and cinnamon are notorious clearomizer killers).

Curvy

Just like the G4, filling is an extraordinarily simple affair.  Just remove the cap and drip your liquid into the cartomizer, no syringes required.  You should avoid dripping liquid down the air tube, so a steady hand or maybe a pipette might be helpful to simplify filling.

The cartomizer appears to be very well put together.  After a pretty traumatic experience with the G4 cartomizers leaking their contents out the battery connector in a short timespan, I’ve made it a practice to test these types of devices for leaks.  I fill the cartos and then place them upright on the battery connector and watch for leaks.  I’m happy to report I did not detect any leaks on these cartomizers.

The thicker tube, combined with appears to be a fair amount of adhesive makes for a clearomizer that may actually last in a pocket without pulling apart.  This also means it could preclude the ability to clean these devices.  When attempting to disassemble one of my ClearCartos, the exterior cracked before I could free the tube from the base.

Cartomizer Performance
Much like the unusual design of the ClearoCarto, I found the actual performance of the devices to be a little but unconventional.  The cartomizers are rated at 2.8Ω and mine measured around 3.2.  At this resistance I assumed that they would perform well at higher voltages.

Shiny!

While they didn’t outright burn like some devices do at higher voltages, the cartos produced a somewhat harsh vape at voltages above 4v. This indicates slow wicking, which has been my experience with most clearomizers.

I ended up using the cartos on an 808 threaded eGo battery I’m testing for a future review.  The interesting thing was that there wasn’t much of a drop in performance at this level.  The vapor was a little cooler, but vapor production was quite good. The throat hit naturally mellowed and lost the rough edge I got at higher voltages.

I could pretty much back-to-back vape on the eGo style battery without noticing much in the way of dry hits.  Flavor reproduction while a little bit muted, was still pretty good, especially for a clearomizer. Part of that flavor production could be due to the slightly airy draw which I attribute to the cartomizer being wider than the battery connection.

Too Long; Didn’t Read
The KR808DM-1 ClearoCarto is a stylishly contoured addition to the next-generation lineup of fillerless clear cartomizers.  The extra-thick tubes are durable at the expense of being able to easily disassemble the devices.  While much like the G4 that inspired them, the ClearoCartos don’t handle higher voltages well, they provide surprisingly good experience on lower voltage devices. If you’re looking for a no-fuss clearomizer and have KR808D-1 gear (or an adapter) visit Nhaler to pick some up.

Performance:
Vapor production: very good
Vapor temperature: moderate to slightly cool
Draw: slightly airy
Throat hit: good
Flavor reproduction: fair to good

Pros:

• Attractive design
• Easy to fill
• No juice in mouth
• No leaking
• Good performance at lower voltages