Okay, this is embarrassing (CO2 inflation)

I'm all for old school, but only when I know how to use the new tech and it's a choice. :mad::o

I put the unthreaded cartridge in my inflater (Genuine Innovations Ultraflate Plus). I screw in the base until the cartridge makes contact. Then I turn the base with more force.

Then the cartridge starts going crosswise in the nozzle and will not contact the puncture pin.

Tried it four times with three different cartridges and hope I didn't damage the nozzle by cross-threading it.

I know the inflater works (worked?) because the last time I had a flat and some other guy helped me with it, he used my inflater. (Although that was with the OEM cartridge.)

The inflater is supposed to work with both threaded and unthreaded cartridges. The one it came with was unthreaded according to their website although I don't completely recall.

Good thing I had a pump for backup.

What am I doing wrong???

That sounds to me like how you're supposed to use unthreaded cartridges. I have an Innovations CO2/mini pump that gives those instructions. I haven't tried a non-threaded cartridge yet, so I haven't figured out if there's some special trick that you're missing. What size are the non-threaded cartridges you're using? My pump says that it works with whatever threaded ones, but unthreaded ones must only be 12g. Maybe you have the wrong size?

It sounds like maybe the threads were messed up from the start. See if you can get a replacement.