Category: Vaping Diaries

Raina and I checked out three e-liquids from Fuzion Vapor: Magnum PI, Hadouken, and Milli Vanilli. Fuzion is a creative e-juice company that makes some really unique blends and uses creative names (as you can tell). Magnum PI is a tropical fruit medley with hints of cream and menthol. The Street Fighter-inspired Hadouken is a lemon-lime juice with a strong menthol kick (fireball?). Lastly, Milli Vanilli is a watermelon-based juice that tries to make sure that you won’t “blame it on the rain.”

These juices are relatively inexpensive at $13.75 for a 30ml bottle. The e-liquids come in fairly standard packing. The bottles are plastic (I greatly prefer glass) and have really fine tips that allow you to drip with precision. Fuzion uses a house blend of 35/65 PG/VG. Raina and I usually vape 50/50 or 60/40 juices. The vendor does offer custom PG/VG percentages, so I’d probably go that route if I ordered from Fuzion again.

While I really wanted to love this vendor, my first Fuzion experience was only a “like.” The fruit flavors are very “candy” and artificial. Both Raina and I prefer natural fruit flavors. That said, the juices are definitely quality and if you like candy flavors then you’ll love Fuzion Vapor.

Here are the flavor breakdowns:

Magnum PI: This was easily the best of the bunch. Raina and I really enjoyed the complexity of this e-liquid. There’s so much going on — a tropical fruit medley mixed with cream and a subtle menthol finish. It all blended together for a really enjoyable and fascinating vape.

Hadouken: Since Raina and I are both gamers, we really wanted to love this one, but only liked it. The mix of lemon-lime and menthol is definitely interesting, but it reminded us of vaping a cough drop. Raina said that this one was “medicinal,” while it reminded me of a Hall’s Mentho-Lyptus. We enjoyed it as an occasional vape, but definitely not an all-day one.

Milli Vanilli: As fans of “Blame it on the Rain,” and “Girl You Know it’s True,” Raina and I wanted to love this juice too. It really didn’t do much for us. It’s not bad, but it’s kind of forgettable. The watermelon flavor reminded me of a lighter version of watermelon bubblegum. This e-liquid was just kind of…there.

Steeping Notes

Magnum PI
35/65 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: November 3, 2012 5:31PM
Recapped: November 6, 2012 9:45AM
Tested: December 18, 2012

Hadouken
35/65 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: November 3, 2012 5:31PM
Recapped: November 6, 2012 9:45AM
Tested: December 18, 2012

Milli Vanilli
35/65 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: November 3, 2012 5:31PM
Recapped: November 6, 2012 9:45AM
Tested: December 18, 2012

Raina and I checked out three e-liquids from E-Juice Plus: Menthol, Coffee, and Butterscotch. These juices are available for the relatively low price of $20 for 60ml. For an additional $5, you can add the unique option of ganoderma extract. Ganoderma is a mushroom used in Eastern and alternative medicine. It is believed to have many health benefits.

Now, I’m not a doctor (nor do I play one on TV), so I can’t say whether or not vaping ganoderma will improve your health. What I can say is that the extract absolutely does not make e-liquids taste like mushrooms (a common misconception). It adds a background taste, for sure, but Raina and I enjoyed these juices on their own. I liked all three, but Raina really liked them. Now onto the flavors!

Menthol: This is a mild menthol, so if you’re looking for something to clear out your sinuses then this juice isn’t for you. Out of the three juices, this one had the most noticeable background taste, but it didn’t make the juice taste bad by any means. Both of use liked this flavor, but it didn’t blow us away. In general, we both prefer menthols and mints with a little more strength, so we wished this one had more of a kick. If you like your menthols mild then this is a serviceable all-day vape.

Coffee: Both of us liked this one better than Menthol. The coffee taste in this juice is similar to canned ice coffee or coffee mix. It’s a light milk-and-coffee taste that does a good job of masking any background taste that ganoderma infuses. As some of you know, I’m pretty insane with my coffee (burr grinder, Chemex, and freshly roasted beans), but I also enjoy canned coffee and view it as a its own unique flavor — kind of like enjoying Taco Bell, but not considering it real Mexican food. With that in mind, I enjoyed this juice as an approximation of canned coffee as opposed to fresh coffee.

Butterscotch: This was our favorite juice of the three. Trying it blindly, Raina thought it had a nice “vanilla cake” taste. The butterscotch flavor is mild, so if you like e-liquids that are strong and sweet then this isn’t for you. If you want a distinct sweetness that’s good for an all-day vape then this is a good choice. The ganoderma actually complements the butterscotch flavor, giving it a unique twist. While we thought Menthol was okay and Coffee was good, Butterscotch was the flavor we fought over.

Juice Contents
10% Basic juice
15% PG
45% VG
10% Ganoderma
20% Flavor (50/50 VG/PG)

Steeping Notes

Menthol
10mg nicotine
Uncapped: November 19, 2012 6:35PM
Recapped: November 21, 2012 7:00PM
Tested: December 18, 2012

Coffee
10mg nicotine
Uncapped: November 19, 2012 6:35PM
Recapped: November 21, 2012 7:00PM
Tested: December 18, 2012

Butterscotch
50/50 PG/VG ratio 10mg nicotine
Uncapped: November 19, 2012 6:35PM
Recapped: November 21, 2012 7:00PM
Tested: December 18, 2012

The Alt Smoke Silver Bullet is one of the most popular mods on the market and its popularity is totally deserved. It’s a great performer, the build quality is outstanding, it looks great, and it has fantastic flexibility when used with an Evolv Kick. Going into this review, I expected to like the Silver Bullet a lot. I ended up loving it and it has become one of my favorite vaping devices. Here’s the breakdown.

What’s In the Kit: The barebones Silver Bullet kit costs $84.99 and comes with a simple microfiber carrying case. Alt Smoke offers additional configurations that include atomizers, cartomizers, batteries, chargers, and more. If you are an experienced vaper and don’t need the accessories, you’re good to go with just the mod. If you’re new to vaping then Alt Smoke offers everything you need to get started.

Build Quality and Construction: The Silver Bullet is built like a tank. It’s made from aircraft aluminum and feels very sturdy. The finish — available in a wide variety of colors — is also topnotch. This is a beautiful mod that will last most vapers a very, very long time. I was extremely impressed by the quality of the Silver Bullet. It’s a fantastic example of a high-quality vaping device that’s made in the USA. (And yes, I’m partial to made in the USA goods.) The Silver Bullet is backed by a six-month warranty that covers mechanical failure.

Ergonomics and Design: This is as straightforward as it gets. The Silver Bullet is a simple (though extremely well made) mechanical mod. It’s a solid tube with a button that won’t accidentally fire off in your pants or pocketbook. Due to its mechanical construction, you don’t have to worry about any circuits dying or breaking down. Since it’s made from aircraft aluminum, it has a really nice heft. Vapers that prefer lighter devices might be put off by the weight, but I loved the solid feel of the SB.

Operation: There’s a single button. You press it. After that, you just vape and enjoy. The mod uses a standard 510 connection, so you can use it with a wide variety of atomizers, cartomizers, and clearomizers.

Performance (Standalone): As a fixed voltage device, I was surprised by the strong performance of the Silver Bullet. This thing kicks like a mule — easily one of the best fixed voltage mods I’ve ever used. Running on a single 18650 battery, I was able to get a day and half on a charge, sometimes a little bit longer. Performance does go down when the battery hits the 1/4 mark or so.

Performance (With Evolv Kick): Using the Silver Bullet with the Evolv Kick gives this mod incredible versatility. The Kick allows you to adjust the wattage to your liking. You can use the Kick with an 18490 battery or buy the optional $24.95 extension sleeve to use it with an 18650 battery. The Kick gives you consistent output and versatile performance at the expense of battery life. Still, with the extension sleeve and an 18650 battery, I was able to get more than a day of vaping with the device.

Verdict: The Silver Bullet has quickly become one of my favorite vaping devices. The build quality is fantastic and the standalone performance is great. When used with an Evolv Kick, you get the versatility of variable wattage. My favorite setup at the moment is the SB, a Kick, and an 18650 battery. This gives me more than a day of fantastic vaping. Whether you prefer fixed voltage or variable wattage, I highly recommend the Silver Bullet. It’s a wonderful vaping device.

[Special thanks to RPadholic N8R for filming the intro and outro of this review! The ins and outs were done pre-surgery, while the rest of the review was done post-surgery.]