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Vaping Diaries #192: Lost Art Liquids Interview at Majestic Vapes

Earlier this week I was hanging out at Majestic Vapes for the Lost Art Liquids launch event. Company founders Ryan Thomas and Brian Worthy chatted with me about how this e-liquid venture got started, their approach to making juices, the four Lost Art Liquids launch flavors, and upcoming flavors. I’ve known Brian for quite some time and he currently owns one of the best vape shops in Beverly Hills, offering a chill atmosphere and some of the best prices in Los Angeles. Ryan, an awesome personal trainer by day, I know from hanging out at various Los Angeles vape shops. It’s cool watching two people I like start a new vape company and hopefully Lost Art Liquids is a success.

I’m currently vaping Lost Art Liquids’ Chivalry and Solitude. Check out the clip above to learn more about the company and the flavors it offers.

Vaping Diaries #191: Vape Panda Victoria You Interview

Following up on my hard-hitting interview with a real-life panda, here’s an interview with Vape Panda logistics manager Victoria You. She talks about how the company got started from a conversation at a Riverside vape shop, the completely sweet Vape Panda clothing line, and the new Bamboo Elixir line of e-liquid.

If you’re not familiar with Vape Panda clothing, the company makes vaping-related t-shirts, hoodies, and more. The threads feature the adorable Ohmie the Panda. If you don’t find these clothes irresistibly cute, then you have no heart. Vaping is cool. Pandas are cool. Vape Panda makes total sense, don’t you agree? Anyway, check out my chat with Victoria to learn more about the company and its clothes.

Vaping Diaries #190: Vape Brewery CEO Ramon Pascua Interview

It was fun meeting Vape Brewery CEO Ramon Pascua at Vapers Exhibit. I tried some of his juices at Vape Star Koreatown and enjoyed them. Then I learned a little bit about him and his family on the company web site. As a Filipino-American vaper that has been transplanted from New York to Los Angeles, I empathize with Ramon. Anyway, it was cool learning about Vape Brewery, its juices, and the upcoming Private Stock line (oak-barrel aged) at the show. Check out the clip above and let me know if any Vape Brewery e-liquids tickle your fancy.

Vaping Diaries #189: What is Vapers Exhibit?

I’ve posted a bunch of interviews from the first Vapers Exhibit trade show in Ontario, California. Now it’s time to learn more about the show itself. I chatted with LNG Investments (the company Vapers Exhibit) CEO Lino Geaga to learn how the show got started. Originally, it was going to be a fairly standard vape meet that took place at a store. Things grew so quickly that LNG had to rent space at the Ontario Convention Center. One aspect of Vapers Exhibit that makes it stand out is that some proceeds from the show are donated to charity. In the case of the Ontario show, a donation to the American Cancer Society was made.

Coming up in June is Vapers Exhibit Las Vegas, which should be three times bigger than the Ontario show. Lino hopes to hit up different regions of America on a quarterly basis and eventually take the show to other countries. I pitched him on the idea of Vapers Exhibit Phuket. A vaping convention in Thailand would completely rule.

Anyway, check out the clip above to learn more about Vapers Exhibit and LNG’s plans for the show. And be sure to bug LNG on social media to make Vapers Exhibit Phuket a reality!

Vaping Diaries #188: Vape Maps Interview

A couple of weeks ago, I met up with the Vape Maps founders at Vape Star Koreatown. If you’re not familiar with Vape Maps, it’s a new service that’s kind of like Yelp, but specifically for vapers. Right now, Vapes Maps helps you find vape shops, read reviews on shops, get store info, and see photos of shops. It’s currently accessible through the Vape Maps web site, as well as mobile apps for Android and iOS devices. In the interview above, founders Alex Pessah and Michael Cardoza talk about the service and some of its upcoming features.

One of the newer features that’s currently available on the Vape Maps web site and coming soon to the app is 3D panoramic views. These short clips give you a detailed view — sometimes multiple views — of the inside of a vape shop. While still photos can be gussied up and sometimes give an inaccurate portrayal of a store’s size, the 3D view paints a more meaningful picture.

In the near future, Vape Maps will allow you to search for specific products. You’ll be able to look up a certain juice, mod, atomizer, etc. and find out which stores have it in stock. This feature has tremendous potential. Instead of wasting time visiting numerous stores or calling them up, a quick search will let you see which stores have the product that’s currently your (vaping) heart’s desire. The concern here is having stores update their stock in a timely and honest manner. There’s a lot of potential convenience with this feature, but there’s also some potential for bait-and-switch tactics.

While I was chatting with some vaping friends about Vape Maps, a few of them asked, “Why should I use this over Yelp?” There are a few reasons why. This service was made by vapers for vapers. It’s specific and focused. You don’t have to deal with all the other noise Yelp brings to your quest for a nearby vape shop. And let’s face it, many reviews on Yelp were written by people that have no idea what makes a great vape shop. Don’t get me wrong; I’m a fan and frequent user of Yelp, but for vaping-specific searches, Vape Maps has the potential to offer so much more.

When you get a chance, check out the Vape Maps web site and apps. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the service in the comments section.

Special thanks to Vape Star for letting me film there and to Vaping Utopia Ron for introducing me to the Vape Maps crew.

Vaping Diaries #187: Cartel Mods Gino Litonjua Interview (Vapers Exhibit)

It’s always excellent catching up with Gino Litonjua from Cartel Mods. He’s a cool guy that makes some beautiful vaping products. Our last (filmed) chat was at ECC 2013 and it was one of my favorite clips from the show. At Vapers Exhibit, I chatted with Gino about some of Cartel Mods’ upcoming products. He talked about the limited edition Copper Cartel Mod, the 26650 Cartel Boss, the Stillare v2i atomizer, and the Stillare Plus (mode to match the boss). He also teased the Stillare v3, which is being prototyped now and will be out later this year. Watch the interview to learn details about these exciting vaping products from a great American mod and atomizer maker.

Vaping Diaries #186: RPadTV vs. the Vape Panda (Vapers Exhibit)

There are times when you’re conducting an interview and you can’t help but think, “Damn. This is gold!” That was precisely the case at Vapers Exhibit when I interviewed the Vape Panda from Vape Panda. As I was editing this piece, one word kept ringing in my head — journalism. It reminded of that scene from Coach Carter, when Samuel Jackson is pensively standing in the center of a gymnasium with one foot on a basketball. You can’t help but think of one word while watching that scene — acting.

Anyway, this hard-hitting interview with the Vape Panda covers all sorts of topics — the political situation in the Ukraine, the missing Malaysian airplane, solar panel incentives in California, March Madness, and more. Check out the interview and be prepared to have some heavy knowledge dropped on you. Stay tuned for another Vape Panda interview about the company, its sweet apparel, and new juices.

Vaping Diaries #185: Epic Juice Sammie Saing Interview (Vapers Exhibit)

When I chatted with Epic Juice CEO Arthur Han at ECC 2013, he mentioned that the company had some tobacco e-liquids in the works. The new flavors have arrived. First up is Yosi, which is Epic Juice’s take on the popular RY4 blend (tobacco, caramel, and vanilla as invented by Janty). As a huge mark for RY4s and a fan of Epic Juice, I’m looking forward to vaping this e-liquid. The other new flavor is Fraho, which is a blend of tobacco and crisp apple. I also dig Apple-baccos, so I’m looking forward to this one as well.

Looking at the big picture, I’m excited to see another Southern California e-liquid company tackling tobacco juices — especially a company as established and respected as Epic Juice. The SoCal market is dominated by fruit e-liquids, with creamy juices becoming the rage in 2014. Tobacco juices get a bad rap in SoCal vape shops, partially because some shop owners are ignorant regarding good tobacco e-liquids and partially because not a lot of local companies make this type of juice. Hopefully with juice makers like Epic Juice, SoCal will become a region that’s known for making great tobacco e-liquids.

Anyway, please check out the clip above and listen to Epic Juice sales director Sammy Saing talk about Yosi and Fraho.

Vaping Diaries #184: Angelcigs Preview

Angelcigs is a relatively new player in the vaping space. It’s an online retailer based in China. As you’d expect from a Chinese vaping retailer, the company offers rockbottom prices. However, there are a few things that Angelcigs is doing differently that make it stand out.

First up, the company has a very generous replacement and warranty policy. The standard policy is, “Return for refund within: 45 days. Return for replacement within: 6 months. No restocking fee. Shipping charges may apply if returns are not results of Angelcigs’s error.” On paper, Angelcigs appears to offer superior service.

The really exciting aspect of Angelcigs (for American vapers, anyway) is that the company utilizes a Los Angeles warehouse. Currently, three popular products are being shipped from Angelcigs’ Los Angeles warehouse — replicas of the Aqua, Kayfun 3.1, and Kayfun Lite atomizers. Items shipped from this facility are typically received within two to seven business days.

Many vapers purchase replicas and clones from the popular Fasttech web site. While the company has great prices and strong customer service, shipping often takes several weeks, as the products are coming from China. Angelcigs offers low prices and generous customer service policies, but with much faster shipping, thanks to its Los Angeles warehouse. On paper, Angelcigs appears to be a great alternative to Fasttech.

That being said, great customer service and fast shipping are meaningless if the products aren’t any good. I have the three aforementioned Angelcigs atomizers and will be reviewing them in the near future. At a glance, two of them appear to be solid clones, while I have some concerns about the other product. Having said that, I need to spend more time with these atomizers before making any meaningful judgements.

Stay tuned for reviews of the Aqua, Kayfun 3.1, and Kayfun Lite atomizer clones being sold by Angelcigs. For now, check out the company’s web site and let me know what you think.

Vaping Diaries #183: Drip Club Review

E-liquid subscription services are the rage right now. They offer vapers a convenient way to try a variety of juices from a number of vendors. The latest juice subscription service I tried was Drip Club. This company aims to bring the experience of a high-end Southern California vape shop right to your door.

If you’re not familiar with the Southern California vape scene, the region has the highest concentration of vape shops in the world and a large number of e-liquid companies. As a SoCal resident, I feel fortunate to have easy access to great vape shops that let me sample e-liquids from loads of quality juice makers. Drip Club offers a similar sampling experience and lets you pick up larger quantities of the juices you enjoy.

Like competing e-liquid subscription services, Drip Club has you start by setting up a flavor profile. From there, the company sends you a selection of more than 45ml of juice. Current plans range from $27.99 to $29.99, depending on the number of months you commit to.

My Drip Club subscription box came with e-liquids from Fearless Vapor, Gemini Vapors, Potion Vape, The Mitsu, Trabuco Vapors, and Vape Craving. All of the flavors fit with the flavor profile I set up on the Drip Club web site. I enjoyed all of the juice selected and would buy larger bottles of three of them — that’s a pretty good percentage. I’ve gone to vape shops and sampled dozens of juices, only to like two or three. I was impressed that Drip Club sent me some several juices I liked and some that I loved.

In addition to the e-liquid brands from my sample box, Drip Club has a number of quality juice makers in its roster. Alpha Vape, Vape Chemist, Dr. Mike’s Rad Vapors, Cyber E-Liquids, Long Beach Juice Supply, Organliq, and E-Juice 2 Die 4 are some of the vendors you can sample. Since the e-liquid market changes so fast, the owners are constantly considering new vendors and adding new juices to the roster.

In the past, I’ve covered the Craft Vapery subscription service. The Craft Vapery approach is very hands on — like having an e-liquid personal shopper. As I mentioned earlier, Drip Club is like having a great vape shop’s juice section brought to your door; you can try a number of great juices and buy the ones you love. While Craft Vapery and Drip Club are similar, the approaches are a bit different. I don’t think one is better than the other — it really depends on which approach works better for you.

Overall, I was happy with my Drip Club experience. The juices fit into my flavor profile and were from top companies. I enjoyed all of the e-liquids that were selected for me and love that the company makes it easy to buy the three that I found especially tasty. The owners of Drip Club want everyone in America to experience the juice section of a top notch SoCal vape shop and they’ve succeeded with this e-liquid subscription service.