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Last Updated on March 29, 2016 by
GothicVaping Cartomizer Tank
Say you really like using carto-tanks and you’ve gone down the list of available tanks, which vary in quality just like anything else, and you decide you’d like something that speaks to the individual in you… something custom, but not so expensive that it becomes unaffordable, out of reach. What do you do?
The GothicVaping Cartomizer Tank
I was recently sent a 4ML carto-tank from Vash, owner of GothicVaping, and a host of a Vaping show on “Questvaping” . I’ve been using it off and on for a few weeks now. It took a while to review because while I really like it, and enjoy using it, I was bothered by the price. Forty Dollars for an acrylic and polycarbonate tank…no drip tip and no cartomizer included…just the tank. So I thought to myself; “Isn’t this a lot of money for what looks to be a simple plastic carto-tank?”
The bottom line at the time was, “Okay, this is a nice tank. It works great and doesn’t leak. Terrific. We need more tanks like this. But $40? I don’t know.” So I tended to other business, both in my photography and for Spinfuel and decided to hold off reviewing it until I figured it out for myself, or at least got back from my honeymoon. (Priorities people!)
The Others
Over the past several weeks we’ve reviewed a couple of carto-tanks, including the $13 SMOK DCTank, with a Pyrex glass tube. It’s a nice tank, works fine, and with the Pyrex glass it’s something I can use with any eLiquid I want and not have to worry about it. After our March review of the Big Daddy tanks at $47 I figured these Chinese-made tanks were the way to go. For myself they still are, I have to be honest with you, right?
Not really knowing where I wanted to go with this review after more than 3 weeks I began asking other Vapers what they thought of it. A few scoffed at the price, but more than a few “took” to it. They loved the color and the swirls in the acrylic, and one of them mentioned to me that the end caps were originals, that the end caps could never be identical. Even the two end caps on this particular tank were different from each other. Sure, they had the same ‘color’, but the swirls in the design were different from one another. That was something I never noticed. I asked if that mattered and was a bit surprised to learn that it did, in fact, matter… to quite a few people.
“One of a Kind”
I do understand this “one of a kind” mentality. I have it for some things, like jewelry or original photographs and paintings. I will spend a lot of money for something that I like, if it’s an original piece that can never be duplicated. So I started applying that mindset to this tank.
In the end, when I felt I couldn’t go on thinking about how best to portray the tank to our readers I reached out to Vash himself. I was blunt with him. I wanted to know where the value was, why would people buy his tank. Just because I couldn’t see myself spending $40 for a custom-made USA carto-based tank doesn’t mean that there isn’t a large customer base for GothicVaping tanks. The fact of the matter is there is a large audience for these tanks, and they sell extraordinarily well. Vash was very open about the tank, and the hard work that goes into each and every one. After interviewing him about it I felt a whole lot better. High quality materials, superior craftsmanship, and a dedication to getting it right every time means something. I understand the tank, and Vash, much better now, and I think you will too after you read the interview.
Below is the interview I did with Vash the other day. Before I present it to you, here is my final determination on the GothicVaping carto-based tank.
- The tank delivers a true, authentic taste from every eLiquid I used.
- The tank hasn’t leaked a drop.
- Inserting and removing the cartomizer is easy after just a tiny but of practice.
- Love, love, love the color of the tank.
- The fact that Vash stands behind every tank is definitely a positive
- If the polycarbonate tank cracks, he will replace it.
The $40 price tag, while higher than I’d like, and his ‘backing’ of the tank, makes each tank a ‘one time’ expense. Try getting a new Pyrex glass tank for free if yours breaks.
The Takeaway
The GothicVaping tank is a premium quality cartomizer tank that is backed up by the company and each one is a ‘one of a kind’ tank. For Vapers interested in owning something that is an original, that is hand made here in the USA, this is a great choice. My final determination, above everything else, is that the eLiquids I use in the tank taste the way they are supposed to taste, and that metallic taste you sometimes get with factory assembled Chinese tanks are a thing of the past if using these tanks, and that is vital when deciding on how to spend your money.
Interview:
SPINFUEL: First, what is your name and do you run GothicVaping as a full time gig or is it more of a sideline?
Vash: My name is Tyler but I go by GothicVash or just Vash more often then my actual name. Currently GothicVaping is the only thing I am doing. Prior to starting my shop I was working at a sculpture foundry casting bronze sculptures.
SPINFUEL: How long have you been a Vaper?
Vash: -I started vaping march 5 2011 with a volcano magma (510) kit. So a bit over 2 years now. And I’m glad a lot of the changes have happened that have.
SPINFUEL: You sell a really tough looking mechanical mod, can we assume that this is the mod you use on a regular basis?
Vash: -I have one of my own that I do use. Overall I tend to use a wide variety of mods from VV to mechanical and everything in between.
SPINFUEL: Why did you decide to build your own tanks?
Vash: – I started marketing tanks mostly because I wanted a tank to match my steampunk mod and my blue lightning (acrylic mod from madvapes) at the time the options were black delrin or chrome plated/steel and that was pretty much it.
SPINFUEL: Did you build a tank for yourself and then begin selling them to others or did you see an area of the market that needed to be filled with a quality product and decide to fill it?
Vash: -When I started I had no plans to sell them at all but so many people contacted me wanting one I eventually started making them full time.
SPINFUEL: All your tanks are hand made. Why is this a better way to make a tank?
Vash: -Now this is a tough one to answer I wouldn’t say its better or worse to make it by hand rather then by CNC machines. I do them by hand currently more because I could not a CNC machine to start off with. If I do eventually change to CNC it would lose some of that hand made character and slight variances that they do have. But in general I can’t say it’s a better or worse way to make them. It’s just the way I chose to do it and continue to do.
SPINFUEL: The first time I inserted a cartomizer into the tank I had a small struggle with getting the XL cartomizer lined up properly and pushed through, but after 2 or 3 times it became an easier task. Do you have any hints to share that might make it easier for our readers who will buy one of your tanks?
Vash: -The absolute most helpful thing to get cartomizers into tanks is either a tank tool, or a simple old 510-drip tip that’s the same diameter of the carto. Usually the ones that come with something china made. It also helps save the O-rings from getting torn up.
SPINFUEL: Your tank sells for $40, and doesn’t come with a drip tip or a cartomizer. Why is your tank better than, say, a $13 SMOKTech Pyrex DCTank?
Vash: -Well I make my tanks and I fully back them. But reasons why I prefer mine over say a SMOKTech would be that each one is one of a kind no matter how many times I try to make another out of the same material the colors will never be the same, or blend the same. It’s really an individual. I also will do customs or try to find colors that suit people better then what I have on my site currently. A lot of what I do is through E-mails and a color I don’t have up yet also a tank takes me 2 hours to make + materials and overhead on my machines. So it’s pretty much impossible for me to compete with anything coming from china or on the mass-produced market.
SPINFUEL: The end-caps are made of acrylic and the tube is a polycarbonate material. Do these materials stand up over time? Can you use high citrus or cinnamon juice in your tanks without the flavors being absorbed in the plastic?
Vash: -I personally use high citrus’s in some of mine from time to time. Some of the harsher juices can crack the polycarbonate tube. That being said if I used glass tubing and acrylic caps the acrylic would eventually melt if the polycarbonate does crack it tends to be much faster then the acrylic so its kind of a fail safe if you will.
And of course I do replace the tubes if it cracks. Sadly no other materials have the same kind of color patterns or look to them as the acrylic and the whole point is something that really stands out and looks great and is a bit more personal then the standard 13 dollar SMOK tanks
SPINFUEL: How should the owner of one of your tanks clean them? Are there any special ways to keep them in tip-top shape?
Vash: -To clean them just take the caps out and rinse it in warm water. Not hot or boiling just some warm water and then either use a paper towel or let it air dry. A residual smell of the last liquid used tends to stay on the tanks just like when they are new they still smell like acrylic until that first juice goes in it.
SPINFUEL: You make a single size tank that requires a 510-thread XL cartomizer. Why just one size and what brand of cartomizer works best in your tank?
Vash: -I make tanks for both regular and XL sized cartomizers I can do custom sizes for pretty much anything though. No one has really asked or wanted anything else. Personally I use Boge XL cartomizers and punch them myself using a bullet-piercing valve.
SPINFUEL: You also make drip tips from acrylic and sell them for $10 each. You admit on your website that your tanks and drip tips my vary slightly due to being hand made. With regards to the drip tips, are there some cartomizer brands that fit better than others?
Vash: -There probably are some cartomizers that are to tight or to loose to fit some of my drip tips at the part that holds the cartomizer. I have not tried every cartomizer out so I honestly don’t know if any have issues. I use 2 machines to make the drip tips one to cut the shape and one to cut the O-ring and part that sits inside the cartomizer.
The second machine is entirely for cutting that so that it fits well rather then using guesswork to get it close. There is some math involved.
SPINFUEL: Do you do a lot of custom work? Can someone come to you with a special color request, or some other aspect of a tank or drip tip?
Vash: – I do mostly custom work a lot of special colors. There are probably around 200 different colors I have used so far I do also make custom drip tips for other devices that ones that don’t fit. The custom work really is nice because it gives me a break from making the same parts all the time a little change of pace is always nice.
SPINFUEL: Lastly, please tell our reader why they should spend $40 on a GothicVaping tank rather than purchase 3 SMOKTech Pyrex DCTanks for the same amount?
Vash: – Well if you know you like tanks and want something with a whole bunch of effort put into it. And is a bit more suited to match your personality and things you like it’s a great option. If you’re brand new (to vaping) or just looking to try a tank for the first time definitely go on the cheap find out if you like it first.
There are a lot of options for things to use and I kinda like the variety of everything out there. It’s much nicer to see people using different devices and things that are more personalized then just a VAMO with a DCT on it. It would be like if everyone drove a blue Honda. And I hope what I make is what your looking for.
SPINFUEL: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. I have to say, the tank you sent over for review is simply gorgeous and in all the times I’ve used it there hasn’t been a single leak, not a drop, so that is a huge plus with me. I am definitely enjoying it.
Vash: – Thank you. I enjoyed it.
