Most electronic cigarette starter kits come with atomizers. In the past couple of years, electronic cigarette technology has advanced, and cartomizers and clearomizers have become a popular choice for many vapers, because they tend to be less expensive and more convenient to maintain. They don't require cleaning and are generally easy to fill. They also tend to hold more liquid in some cases. There are a lot of differences between cartomizers, clearomizers, and atomizers, and we are finding that many customers are confused when trying to purchase them. This guide will help you understand how they differ and what some of the terminologies mean when trying to read descriptions of these products.

Atomizers, cartomizers, and clearomizers all contain heating coils. The heating coil is the part of each device that vaporizes the liquid so that you can "smoke" it. That's about the only thing that is the same.

Ohms and Resistance explained

I think it may be important to explain this now, since a lot of vapers may not understand what ohms and resistance are, and it is important to understand when talking about differences between cartomizers and clearomizers.

The "ohms" of a clearomizer or cartomizer tells how much resistance that device has to the energy in the battery. The lower the number, the less resistance it has, so more of the energy from the battery is able to be used. For example, a clearomizer with a 1.8 ohm heating coil will use more energy from the battery than a 2.4 ohm. For the vaper, this means that he or she will receive more throat hit from the 1.8 ohm than from the 2.4. The lower the resistance of your device, the faster it will drain the battery. Also, lower resistance items don't tend to last as long, because they are working harder. Most standard atomizers are approximately 2.4 ohm. Most cartomizers and clearomizers have lower resistance.


Cartomizers contain the heating coil (atomizer) and the cartridge in one unit. They do have a filler material inside them similar to the filler that is in a standard atomizer cartridge. When you remove the rubber tip of a cartomizer and look inside, you will see the filler material wrapped around a tube. The heating coils are inside the tube. The E-liquid goes inside the cartomizer where the filler material is.

Different types of cartomizers

Cartomizers can be purchased in standard resistance or low resistance. We offer a standard cartomizer. It has a decent liquid capacity with a standard resistance. We also offer low resistance, dual coil cartomizers. They have larger liquid capacity and have two heating coils instead of one. They are very low resistance and only last about 2 weeks. However, they are inexpensive. Dual coil LR cartomizers are available as a single cartomizer, or in a "tank" form, the DCT V1 and DCT V2. A tank system just means that the cartomizer is enclosed in a body that acts as extra liquid storage. The cartomizers for the tank systems have holes in the side that allow the liquid to be used as needed. You don't have to fill them as often.