Kendo Vape Cotton Gold problems...

[Arctic_Wolf]

2 x packs purchased here.

Hadn't got round to trying until today despite having it a while. It's been properly stored in a cool dark drawer (fully sealed, never opened). Packaged and sealed in exactly the same manner as Cotton Bacon V2, resealable once opened.

Rolled some really nice wicks, easy to tease a strip away and really easy to roll and handle, however...

....Wicked up a dripper very lossely (spaced TC coil, so wicked lighter than average), went to prime wicks and the liquid simply runs off and it just will not absorb, in fact it's repulsing liquids rather than absorbing. Over filled said dripper and let it sit for an hour and it still hadn't wicked up to the coil when I checked back!! Also, tested some in a bowl with the thinnest liquid I could find which is piss thin lol, and it was still struggling to absorb that too.

I'm well experienced with wicking and building, but I've never seen a cotton behave like this before. It's almost as if it's been treated in a hydrophobic solution of some sort, it's really that bad!! It comes advertised as ready for use, no boiling or other measures required and is advertised as extremely high absorbency, but I'm seeing a complete polar opposite . Thankfully, I have tons of alternatives (Cotton Bacon, Shake & Vape and different Muji's) . It didn't cost a fortune if it is a bad batch and has to be written off (not that, that's the point as still unhappy). BUT.... I'd still like to try Kendo out, obviously this particular brand has totally put me off their product though.

Anyone using it or had experience with this specific brand in particular, or Kendo in general please? Have you run into this issue? Where do you source your Kendo please?

Any suggestions of reasonably priced and reliable alternatives please? (Roughly same amount as you get with Cotton Bacon V2 for £6). Happy to pay for similar.

Any help or input appreciated thanks .

 

[Jugg1es]

I've been using it for a while now and not had any of these issues with it. In fact I find it wicks bloody lovely and beds in really quick.

 

[Mr Numpty]

That's exactly what I find with it. The juice just runs off it. If you touch it with a micro screwdriver or similar when the juice is on it, it starts to absorb it and once it finally is saturated, it works very well, but it is such a pita I haven't used it for ages.

 

[WaitFor1t88]

use it all the time, with a fresh wick paint the coils rather than try to drench it straight away
Kendo Gold is one of the best imo

edit = I never roll it up, only at an end to get it through the coil, you don't need much either

 

[stu pid]

I bought 2 packs of Gold several months ago, didn't like it @Arctic_Wolf, I've still got an unopened packet somewhere as I found cotton bacon absorbs liquid so much better so it's not just you finding this problem.

 

[Arctic_Wolf]

I bought 2 packs of Gold several months ago, didn't like it @Arctic_Wolf, I've still got an unopened packet somewhere as I found cotton bacon absorbs liquid so much better so it's not just you finding this problem.

LOL. OK, thanks bud. Thanks for confirming I'm not going mad, that's a start lolol .

use it all the time, with a fresh wick paint the coils rather than try to drench it straight away
Kendo Gold is one of the best imo

edit = I never roll it up, only at an end to get it through the coil, you don't need much either

Noted, thanks .

I gently rolled it like I do Cotton Bacon, could be where I went wrong then !. I also tried Shake and Vape for the first time today and rolled that and it wicked like an absolute monster lol. The Kendo was actually a super fluffy airy strip for a spaced TC coil anyway, so I hadn't used much. It slid through the coil nicely without any resistance as intended.

Perhaps that's the trick I'm missing with this Kendo then. Next time I won't roll it at all. I'll just apply gentle pressure along the length to shape it but keep it all straight in its natural form and just roll an end only as you've suggested . It makes sense I guess, rolling it twists it which makes it tighter and in theory harder to absorb twisted. Most cottons aren't affected by that, but this stuff definitely seems to have much thicker/coarser strands than the other cottons I've used. Hopefully it's just a technique issue and it gives me something else to try with it at least .

@Ment said in a seperate post elsewhere that he sees liquids running off his Kendo as well, but he also noted it absorbs incredibly well from the ends. Same makes sense I guess, no rolly poley and keep it straight and hopefully it'll absorb more effectively .

THANKS EVERONE ELSE AS WELL . Hopefully next attempt will yield better results .

EDIT: Thanks @Mr Numpty , will also try that too .

 

[SirLugg]

Late to the party @Arctic_Wolf but I find that when you first soak it you need to prod it a bit too to get it to take on the juice. But then it does work very well.

Had I got here 57 minutes ago that would've been much more relevant. [emoji16]

 

[nialb79]

Somebody else on here said exactly the same. They had a pic of their juice sitting on top of the cotton that hasn't soaked even after a few minutes.

 

[Ment]

There are still loads more to try - Fuzion, Vapor Royalty, Native Wicks.

I got some of this off FT. I don't know why, it looks like shit and is actually worse. If anyone has used this and knows some secret, please tell:

Link removed

The best I ever had, also from FT, was Miracle Cotton but they've stopped selling it. I can only find it on a FB page which is in Chinese and the guy won't reply to my messages. I'm down to a quarter of a tin and it gets used exclusively in my Kayfuns.

 

[danb]

I got some of this off FT. I don't know why, it looks like shit and is actually worse. If anyone has used this and knows some secret, please tell:

So that's what happens to the the massive buildup of dryer lint in student laundry rooms. The Chinese are so resourceful.