There’s really nothing worst than when you’ve bought some new e-liquid and you find that the tip of the lid has snapped off, became damaged to the point where no liquid will come out, or a manufacturing error has sealed the plastic at the tip of the bottle itself. This can be a real pain, and short of popping the lid off entirely with your fingers – which can often cause a real spill of your valuable liquid – you’ll find it tricky to figure out how to keep the handy tip of your lid intact.
The reason why these plastic problems happen is basically down to manufacturing; if you ever get a chance to look at these tips you’ll see they have a very small hole so you don’t accidentally tip too much liquid into your tank, or make your desired concoction too strong. When these tips are made in the factory, some issues can arise when they are broken from the mould and unfortunately, because these tips are sealed in a sanitary fashion, the only person who would ever know it was broken, is the consumer.
How to fix a broken tip
All is not lost though! You have a few options when you’re stuck in this predicament.
You could first try cutting the broken part of the tip with some scissors; it’s always a good idea to go as close to the broken part of the tip as you can. Cutting close to the bottom of the tip will cause the liquid to flow from the bottle more vapidly so it’s in your best interest to keep things as precise as possible. The second option you have is to pop the cap off the bottle, but before you do it’s a great idea to follow some of these steps before you do. Firstly, go somewhere and cover your clothes with some protective layers so the scent/colour of your e-liquid does not stain your valuable garments. Secondly, try to pop the cap off without using your teeth; drinking e-liquid straight can be extremely bad for you, even in small quantities. Try to leverage the tip from the bottle with your fingers and hold it away from things you wouldn’t want potentially stained. If you find this isn’t possible try going around the rim with a flat-head screwdriver pushing up as you go. Make sure you watch your fingers though! Sometimes you can use your thumbnail but this can leave your nails looking less than perfect so we advise against this. You can also choose to hold the bottle between your knees with one hand and then pull upwards with a pair of pliers as you grip the nozzle. This is a last resort as sometimes the nozzle gets pulled off. If you do a quick search online, you’ll possibly find tools which help you do this too. But, if you handle the process with care, it should work out fine.
An important thing to remember though is that you should replace the broken tip of the bottle with one that functions fine. This will not only restore the luxury of having the ability to control how much liquid you’re using, but it’ll also stop any spills that may happen when you tilt the bottle.
