E-Cigs Archives - Page 18 of 32

Vaping Diaries #133: Quick Thoughts on Vapetoberfest 2013

Rpadholic N8R and I wrapped up a fun and successful Vapetoberfest 2013. It was a good show, but very different from last month’s Electronic Cigarette Convention. I have a bunch of video interviews and some goofy video features to edit, and you’ll see those posted throughout the week. Before I get to that, I just wanted to jot down some random thoughts on my Vapetoberfest 2013 experience.

– As I mentioned in the intro, Vapetoberfest 2013 was very different from ECC 2013. That’s not meant in a positive or negative way; both shows were good, but felt very different. Professionally, Vapetoberfest wasn’t as productive for my purposes; ECC had more companies to interview, the conditions were much better for filming, the show was bigger, and the hotel costs were much lower. That said, I was going for work. As an attendee, Vapetoberfest had a more social vibe. There were lots of contests, product unveilings, DJ sets, giveaways, and more. ECC was more professional, while Vapetoberfest seemed like more fun. I’m happy that both shows did well and also happy that they’re different.

– It was fun catching up with people I interviewed at ECC 2013 and seeing what was new with them. Stay tuned for my second interview with the Dr. Mike’s Rad Vapors crew. Those guys are cool and they make some really tasty e-liquids.

– It was excellent catching up with Brandon from Ovale USA. He was one of the first people to give me vaping coverage opportunities for RPad.TV and it has been fun getting to know him. As multifaceted nerds, we just clicked. It was also cool meeting Ovale USA Katie. She’s a very cool lady that’s also a little scary. You see, Katie has a vicious hammer-fist (true story). You don’t want to piss her off. Nate and I spent a lot of time hanging with Brandon and Katie during and after Vapetoberfest 2013. I’m sure they’re anxious to fly back to Florida to get away from those two California weirdos.

– My buddy Marie was mad at me for forgetting her Pumpkin Cream Kit Kats. See, I brought them for her on Friday, but didn’t know that she was only working for Surefire Vapor on Saturday. Her mom even scolded me for forgetting them. Ha! I maintain that it wasn’t my fault. Despite this misunderstanding, my clip with Marie was my favorite spot from Vapetoberfest. It reminded me of “working” with Zoe and Ruby back in my Yahoo! days, with working being defined as goofing off while the camera is rolling. Here’s a sneak peak. Also, follow Marie on Instagram!

– Interviewing Rob and Jason from Envision Vapor was really fun for me. I’ve been Internet friends with Rob for a long time because of our love of e-liquids made with naturally-extracted tobacco (we’re both marks for Ahlusion and Goodejuice). Earlier this year, he started a company that makes handblown glass tips and glass tanks. His company has been blowing up and I’m thrilled for his success.

– It was lovely meeting Claudia Alan at Vapetoberfest 2013. She was working for Vape Los Angeles at Vapetoberfest 2013. In addition to modeling for vaping nerds, she has also modeled for videogame nerds (for Namco) and comic-book nerds (Comic-Con 2013). Don’t confuse her for just a pretty face though. She studied broadcast journalism and is modeling for the fun of it before embarking on her BroJo career. Naturally, as a longtime journalist I inspired her. Oh wait, I haven’t been a journalist for years. I’m a verbal entertainer…and I’m not the least bit inspiring.

– Harry from IBTanked is always awesome to chat with and I enjoyed catching up with him at Vapetoberfest 2013. He’s a hilarious and interesting man. IBTanked is a family-operated business based in California. Many people know Harry as OCD, his wife as Mrs. OCD, and his daughter as Offspring. They make some beautiful glass tanks for vaping and have had a lot of success in a very short time. As a fellow Californian, I’m rooting for IBTanked’s success to continue.

– Another local company that I’m psyched for is Bay City Vapor (no affiliation with the Bay City Rollers). The company is working on some beautiful mods that offer high performance at fair prices. Plus, they’re offering copper mods! I love the way copper mods look and perform. It was cool meeting the owners, James and Stephanie at Vapetoberfest 2013.

– I could go on and on, but I better get cracking on those videos. In short, I had a lovely time at Vapetoberfest, met some cool people, caught up with some cool people I already know, got to hang out with Nate (always excellent), and lost my voice because it’s really, really difficult conducting interviews when a DJ’s speaker is blasting beside you. Congrats to the people at Vapor Craze for organizing a successful Vapetoberfest 2013!

Vaping Diaries #132: Majestic Vapors Review

As a comic-book fanboy and Star Wars nerd, I was really looking forward to trying some of Majestic Vapors’ “Geek Line” of e-liquids. I recently vaped Majestic Vapors’ Vader’s Vengeance, Fant4stic Four, and Lantern’s Light. Before I get to the flavor breakdowns, let’s chat about the company for a bit.

Majestic Vapors is a retail shop in the Niagara Falls area. The company offers a wide variety of juices — some straightforward blends and some interesting mixes. The Geek Line uses playful references to comics, movies, videogames, and more. The 30ml bottles come in plastic and have a very reasonable price of $14.99. The company has a weekly buy-two-get-one-free “Tremendous Tuesday” promo on 15ml bottles. All three of these juices vape cleanly and are suitable for any type of juice delivery system. They’re good straight out of the mail, though I’d suggest a week or two of steeping for Vader’s Vengeance.

The three Majestic Vapors Geek Line juices I tried were good. The one I wanted to like the most ended up being my least favorite, while the other two were more enjoyable. Here are the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes.

Vader’s Vengeance: This juice gets bonus points for a multifaceted nerd name. Darth Vader is a bad ass, the name is alliterative, and the name is also a play on the popular Boba’s Bounty e-liquid. Think of Vader’s Vengeance as Boba’s Bounty light. It’s a nice blend of a light tobacco, honey, and graham. I found it to be an enjoyable dessert vape. While I expect some Boba’s Bounty fans to scoff at this juice (it’s certainly not as distinct as the original and Boba’s Bounty fans can be…irrational), I recommend giving it a shot if you want a dessert vape with a touch of tobacco. Majestic Vapors did a solid job on this juice and it was my favorite of the bunch.

Fant4stic Four: Of course Fant4stic Four is an RY4, but it’s not a traditional one. Along with the typical ingredients of light tobacco, caramel, and vanilla, Majestic Vapors added some chocolate to the mix. In some ways, this juice reminded me of Black Cloud Vapor’s take on RY4, which didn’t quite work for me. I actually enjoyed this juice more than Black Cloud’s chocolatey RY4s, but more as a dessert vape than as an RY4. If you’re a fan of traditional Asian RY4s or sweeter Western RY4s, the chocolate might throw you off. If you approach this juice as a dessert vape then there’s a good chance that you’ll like it. Also, it’s hard not to vape this juice and not shout, “Flame on!!!”

Lantern’s Light: As a huge, huge mark for Green Lantern (the comics, not the extremely unfortunate Ryan Reynolds movie), I wanted to love this juice. Even though it’s awesomely green, it wasn’t really my thing. Lantern’s Light is a candy lime flavor, with some earthiness in the background. The end result is something like lime Skittles candy. I know a lot of vapers that would love this juice (candy flavors are hugely popular in SoCal), but I’m usually not into candy vapes. Still, I was intrigued by the idea of this juice, but wish it had a natural flavor instead of a candy one; a natural lime flavor with tobacco in the background sounds like something I’d enjoy. Lantern’s Light isn’t bad by any means. It’s simply not my thing.

(On a totally nerdy note, I mentioned to the juice maker that it’s too bad the company wasn’t around during the Blackest Night crossover. Majestic Vapors could’ve had all the spectrums covered. In my head, I’m whipping up recipes for the Blue Lantern Corps, Indigo Tribe, etc. Don’t judge me. I prefaced this tangent by saying it was a totally nerdy note.)

Steeping Notes
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method starting December 27, 2012. When the e-liquids arrive, I leave them uncapped for five minutes. Previously, I left them uncapped for about two days. After the liquids are given a few minutes to oxidize, the caps are put back on. The bottles are shaken every day for at least two weeks before vaping.

Vader’s Vengeance (Majestic Vapors)
House PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: September 3, 2013 6:20PM
Vaped: October 9-16, 2013

Fant4stic Four (Majestic Vapors)
House PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: September 3, 2013 6:20PM
Vaped: October 9-16, 2013

Lantern’s Light (Majestic Vapors)
House PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: September 3, 2013 6:20PM
Vaped: October 9-16, 2013

Review Process (Updated February 17, 2013)
RPad.TV e-liquid reviews focus on the flavor of the e-liquids, since throat hit and vapor production can be altered by the PG/VG ratio and nicotine level selected. Each juice is vaped over a period of days in an atomizer, a cartomizer/tank setup, and a clearomizer. The exception is naturally-extracted tobacco (NET) juice; since those are known to clog up cartomizers quickly, those are vaped in atomizers and clearomizers.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

RPadholic N8R and I are heading down to Long Beach later today to ~~sip some gin and juice with Snoop Dogg~~ cover Vapetoberfest. We had a great time at last month’s Electronic Cigarette Convention in Anaheim and snagged 18 video interviews. Hopefully Vapetoberfest will be similarly fun and productive.

While I’m at the show, I’ll be playing one of the secret games that I was consulting on. There are a few aspects of secret game that annoy the hell out of me, but I’m very much addicted. My excellent friend Paul (please read his web site!) gave me his copy of Beyond: Two Souls and I’m really looking forward to giving that game a whirl when I get back. Of course if Nate and I get some solid content from Vapetoberfest then I’ll be editing videos for at least a week, so I’ll just have to be content with staring at Beyond’s box. Ha!

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Vaping Diaries #131: The Vape Tree Review

The Vape Tree is a relatively new e-liquid company that focuses on complex juices that use several ingredients. I recently vaped three of the company’s e-liquids: Pinoy Punch, Banyan Tree, and Royal Tobacco. I liked one of them and loved two. The two Vape Tree e-liquids I loved were unique and complex — very distinct blends that stand out. The one I loved the most featured one of my favorite fruits — a fruit that’s very uncommon in the vaping world. I definitely recommend giving the two juices I loved a shot. You’ll see why in the tasting notes below, but first, a few more details.

As I mentioned in Vaping Diaries #87, The Vape Tree pre-steeps its e-liquids using an ultrasonic cleaner. The juices spend around three hours in an ultrasonic cleaner before being shipped. This is the rough equivalent of three weeks of steeping. With that in mind, it was no surprise that the juices were great to vape out of the mail. Additional steeping helps the flavors unify, but many vapers will find that these e-liquids are good to go straight away. As far as vapeability goes, these three Vape Tree juices are very clean and suitable for all types of juice delivery systems. Banyan Tree was slightly heavier than the others, but still quite clean.

The Vape Tree has an October promotion for Banyan Tree and Pinoy Punch. Using the coupon code “FightCancer” will give you 30 percent off of those juices, with The Vape Tree making a 10 percent donation to the Susan B. Komen foundation.

Now onto to the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes!

Pinoy Punch: As a Filipino-American, I’m a sucker for any juice that has the word “Pinoy” in it. Yes, it has a name that I love, but I also genuinely love this juice. It’s a tasty blend of tropical fruits. There are many, many juices out there that mix tropical fruit flavors, but there were two things that made this one stand out. First, it has a thick texture that I really enjoyed. Secondly, it has…mangosteen! This is one of my favorite fruits in the world and there aren’t many e-liquids that use it. The mangosteen flavor made this Vape Tree juice a total winner in my book.

Banyan Tree: To be completely honest, I probably enjoyed Banyan Tree as much as I did Pinoy Punch, but this juice doesn’t have the word “Pinoy” in it so it got the silver medal. This is another complex blend with several different flavors that mix together nicely. The end result is a moderately sweet juice with a bakery-type flavor that has an earthy tobacco undertone. It’s pleasantly unusual. In some ways, it reminded me of a Heather’s Heavenly Vapes NET e-liquid, but was still very distinct in its own right. Some vapers view Banyan Tree as The Vape Tree’s signature juice and it’s easy to understand why. It’s well done and stands out.

Royal Tobacco: This one I didn’t enjoy as much as the others. It’s a medium-bodied tobacco with mild-to-moderate sweetness. It wasn’t bad, by any means. It’s just that this category has a ton of competition. For medium-bodied tobacco e-liquids, Ahlusion’s non-aromatic juices and Goodejuice’s House Brewed Line are fantastic choices. This is “only” a good one.

Pinoy Punch (The Vape Tree)
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: July 31, 2013 2:12PM
Vaped: September 24-30, 2013

Banyan Tree (The Vape Tree)
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: July 31, 2013 2:12PM
Vaped: September 24-30, 2013

Royal Tobacco (The Vape Tree)
60/40 PG/VG ratio, 10mg nicotine
Uncapped: August 3, 2013 4:32PM
Vaped: September 24-30, 2013

Vaping Diaries #130: Kebo Russian Atomizer Review

The Kebo Russian is a bottom-coil silica atomizer that offers fantastic flavor and high capacity. It’s a 1:1 copy of the Svoe Mesto Kayfun 3.1, which many vapers love for its strong performance. While other companies have tried to mimic the Kayfun 3.1, they’ve mostly offered an inferior experience. The Kebo Russian offers the same outstanding performance as the product it’s based on, but for a much lower price.

What’s in the Kit: The Kebo Russian comes with the atomizer, a clear tank, a stainless steel tank, a 510 drip-tip adapter, a plastic needle-tip e-liquid bottle, a screwdriver keychain, wick, wire, extra screws, and extra O-rings. Kebo calls the extra O-rings and screws “spear parts,” but they don’t fit on any of the spears I have at home.

The extra parts are certainly useful, but I wasn’t a fan of the refill bottle and screwdriver. Using the included bottle makes refilling a slow process and I don’t like metal-on-metal contact. I highly recommend going with syringes and plastic tips; using that combo makes refilling fast and you don’t have to worry about metal scraping on metal. The screwdriver is small and difficult to generate torque with. It’s okay for making on-the-go adjustments or for people that don’t have a set of computer tools. It’s nice that Kebo included these items in the kit, but I recommend replacing them straight away.

Build Quality: The build quality of Chinese clones is all over the place. Some products are well made and others are hot garbage. Then there’s the Kebo Russian. This is, without a doubt, the best vaping product from China that I’ve ever used. It’s primarily made from stainless steel, including a stainless steel valve from the USA (China outsourcing to America?!? That’s crazy!). The materials used for the Kebo Russian are top notch.

The Kebo Russian is shockingly well made and on par with the Kayfun 3.1. Some longtime Kayfun users will be able to spot small differences in build quality, but many vapers will find them identical. Given how complex this atomizer is and how many parts it uses, the excellent build quality is even more impressive.

Design: The Kebo Russian is a complex atomizer that holds roughly 4.5ml of e-liquid. With its numerous parts and high capacity, it’s quite large. It’s 60mm long, with a 22mm diameter. For many vapers, the combination of performance and capacity is totally worth it. Some vapers will find it cumbersome.

Aesthetically, the Kebo Russian is a handsome device. The stainless steel has a sandblasted finish that’s slightly darker than the one Svoe Mesto uses for the Kayfun 3.1 Beta model. As someone that greatly prefers brushed, matte, and sandblasted steel over polished steel, I was quite pleased with The Russian’s finish.

Performance: Thousands of vapers have been enamored with the performance of the Kayfun 3.1. The Keebo Russian offers the same great flavor, a satisfying draw, and decent vapor production. Airflow can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of vapers. The range is very good and should satisfy everyone, save for those that like extremely tight draws. As someone that prefers a firm draw, I enjoyed using the Kebo Russian.

While it’s not the best choice for cloud chasers, the Kebo Russian offers stellar flavor. Between the small air chamber and the tight drip tip, you get a deliciously concentrated vape. Naturally, a lot depends on your setup. My personal preference is flat ribbon and Twik Ekowool. In the Kebo Russian, this combo offers outstanding flavor that’s on par or better than any Genesis-style atomizers I’ve used.

Ease of Use: For such a complicated atomizer, the Kebo Russian is relatively easy to set up. It’s slightly more involved than using a rebuildable dripping atomizer and much easier than setting up a Genesis-style atomizer. Most vapers that can build a coil for an RDA will have no problem using the Kebo Russian. Building space is small, but still quite manageable. My rebuilding skills are average and I found the Kebo Russian easy to work with using a variety of wire and wick materials.

Maintenance is straightforward, though clumsy vapers will have to use extra care when washing the Kebo Russian. There are a lot of small parts that can be lost or washed down the drain.

Verdict: The Kebo Russian delivers everything that I love about the Kayfun 3.1, but is much easier to get and significantly cheaper to buy. It’s available for around $115, while the lowest I’ve seen the Kayfun 3.1 is $175. For juice delivery systems with high capacity, this type of atomizer is my favorite. It holds a lot of e-liquid and offers great flavor. While I’ve enjoyed products like the AMP Tank and GP Spheroid, I prefer the Kebo Russian over both of those high-capacity atomizers.

For some vapers, there is an ethical dilemma when it comes to the Kebo Russian. It’s pretty much an exact copy of Svoe Moesto’s work and some vapers have issues with companies making money by lifting another company’s design. Some vapers don’t care about that and are only concerned about their vaping budget. Both sides are understandable. I’m not judging — just throwing it out there for people to decide.

For vapers that have always wanted a Kayfun 3.1, but have been unable to nab one because of price or availability, the Kebo Russian is a fantastic alternative. It’s cheaper and easier to find, while delivering the same awesome performance. While I still enjoy using a good RDA, the Kebo Russian has become my top choice for when I need a juice delivery system with high capacity. It’s a well-built atomizer that offers high capacity and flavor on par with Genesis-style atomizers, but without the leaking issues inherent to Gennies. If you don’t have a problem with the copying issue then I highly, highly recommend picking one up.

Vaping Diaries #129: Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com Review

Earlier this year, Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com opened for business. As a huge fan of NET e-liquids, I was really excited to see what this vendor brought to the table (or atomizer, more accurately). When I learned about the company’s different extraction and bottling options (detailed in Vaping Diaries #96), I was even more excited. After vaping the company’s Bombay, Chris’ Blend, and Coventry e-liquids, I’m pleased to say that Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com is a very good choice for tobacco fans, with the potential to be a great one.

In broad terms, Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com’s e-liquids are on the strong side, though not quite as heavy as many of the Ahlusion aromatic and Want2Vape Signature Blend juices I’ve had. The three juices covered in this review are complex and feature a blend of different tobaccos. I noticed a significant difference between the heat-extracted and cold-maceration versions of each juice. With one exception, I preferred the cold-maceration version of the e-liquids, as they brought out the complexities of the tobacco mixes. However, for clearomizer users, I recommend heat extraction, because the subtleties I enjoyed with the cold macerations were mostly lost on clearos.

While these Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com juices aren’t quite as harsh on coils as Want2Vape’s notorious brews, they’re definitely on the heavy side (as pictured in the video review). As far as steeping goes, I enjoyed these straight out of the mail and only experienced slight changes with steeping. I’d classify these as “vape ’em if you got ’em” juices.

Now for the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes of these Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com e-liquids.

Bombay: This is the boldest blend of the bunch and my favorite Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com juice so far. It’s a mix of Georgian Virginia, black cavendish, Mexican burley, and smoked Cyprian latakia tobaccos. The latakia gives it a spicy kick, while the cavendish adds some sweetness on the backend. Mixed with the other tobaccos and you have a flavorful, rich, and layered vape. There’s a lot going on with this juice and I definitely recommend it to fans of complex pipe-tobacco vapes. One minor criticism I had with Bombay is that I wish it had more latakia and less cavendish. The thing I enjoyed most about this juice was its latakia kick and the cavendish overshadowed it a bit. Still, I very much enjoyed this one.

Chris’ Blend: I’ve made up plenty of stories in my head about this Chris person and how he came up with this blend of black Cavendish, golden Virginias, and Turkish tobaccos for Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com. I’d share them with you, but my tobacco fan-fiction sucks. Instead, I’ll tell you about this sweet and nutty tobacco blend. This was definitely the sweetest e-liquid of the bunch and almost fits into that “dessert tobacco” category. It’s not like a Heather’s Heavenly Vape juice where the tobacco is a supporting player; the tobacco is medium-strong here, but the sweetness is quite high. Unlike the other two juices in this review, I preferred the heat-extracted version of Chris’ Blend, as the sweetness was toned down compared to the cold-maceration version. It’s good choice if you’re a fan of dessert-tobacco vapes and want something with more of a tobacco kick, but it’s not quite what I enjoy for this style of e-liquid.

Coventry: This was the first Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com e-liquid to catch my eye, as I’m a big fan of burley tobacco. Also in this blend are cavendish and vanilla. The end result is a tasty melange where the tobaccos take center stage and the vanilla plays a complementary role. The cavendish also adds some sweetness, though it’s more subtle than the sweetness in Chris’ Blend. While I enjoyed this juice, I couldn’t help but think of Ahlusion’s Vurley, which is a mix of burley tobacco and vanilla. For this style of tobacco e-liquid, I think Vurley is phenomenal, while Coventry is very good. That said, I can see why someone would feel the opposite way. As my buddy ECF y cherry y likes to point out (gotcha buddy!), taste is subjective.

Bombay (Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com)
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: August 21, 2013 6:10PM
Vaped: October 1-8, 2013

Chris’ Blend (Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com)
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: August 21, 2013 6:10PM
Vaped: October 1-8, 2013

Coventry (Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com)
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: August 21, 2013 6:10PM
Vaped: October 1-8, 2013

Vaping Diaries #128: El Kapitan 1.5 Review

The El Kapitan 1.5 is an updated version of a beautiful mechanical mod from the Philippines. Made by Wu Tang House of Mods, the El Kapitan 1.5 features distinct looks and great performance. For those of you not familiar with Wu Tang House of Mods, it’s highly regarded by enthusiast vapers, but isn’t as well known (to American vapers, anyway) as other Filipino vaping companies like Grand Vapor and VapeHead Origins. With products like the El Kapitan 1.5, Wu Tang’s reputation will burgeon. It’s an attractive vaping device that’s among my favorite Filipino mods.

Build Quality and Construction: The El Kapitan 1.5 is available with a stainless steel body with brass caps or a brass body with stainless steel caps. For the last few weeks, I’ve been using the former version. The materials are quality and the craftsmanship is mostly impressive. The stainless steel body is cut well and the threads are totally smooth. While the brass caps screwed on smoothly, you can see burrs on the threads. Some vapers won’t care about this since the caps attach just fine, but it will bother those that enjoy the collectibility aspect of mods.

Ergonomics and Design: Using the El Kapitan 1.5 is just like using other mechanical mods. It comes with 18650 and 18350 tubes, both of which are inline with similarly sized vaping devices. The mod is comfortable to hold and is relatively light. Its 22mm diameter makes it a great match for several Genesis-style and bottom-coil silica atomizers.

One unique feature of the El Kapitan 1.5 is its reverse-telescoping pin. The pin slides up and down, similar to how self-adjusting pins work. However, it also has a smaller section on the top that can be adjusted. For vapers that use different types of atomizers and different brands of batteries, the pin isn’t the simplest solution. It’s not that it’s difficult to use, but it’s not as mindless as floating pins or self-adjusting pins. For anal-retentive vapers that insist on zero battery rattle, a minute or two of pin adjustment is require when changing to a different atomizer or battery.

The firing button on the El Kapitan 1.5 has a short throw and a medium feel. The spring is firm enough that the device can be placed down while unlocked. The throw is short enough that a relatively soft press is needed to fire the mod. Since the firing mechanism uses a somewhat narrow spring, off-center hits can give the mod a clicky feel. Overall, I enjoyed the feel of the El Kapitan 1.5’s firing button; I love that I can place it on a table without having to worry about it firing, while also enjoying a relatively light button press.

Lastly, the design of the El Kapitan 1.5 is just lovely. Several of the more popular Filipino mods have numerous bold lines and/or stylized knurling. The El Kapitan eschews those aggressive designs for something that’s distinctly elegant. It has two engraved swirls going up the body, an anchor logo at the base, and the Wu Tang logo on the firing cap. Put it all together and you have a mod that stands out, but isn’t as hyper-aggressive as some of its competitors. Naturally, looks are subjective. Personally, I think the El Kapitan is one of the most distinctly beautiful mods from the Philippines.

Performance: The contact points on the El Kapitan 1.5 are gold-plated brass. Gold is an excellent electricity conductor that isn’t affected by air, moisture, and most corrosive agents. One thing to keep in mind is that gold is a relatively soft metal, so care should be used when cleaning the contact points. The gold-and-brass combination offers a nice blend of power and relatively low maintenance. The mod’s design combined with its materials help it delivery performance that will satisfy most vapers. Voltage drop isn’t as low as some competing high-end mods, but it’s certainly acceptable.

Verdict: Since Wu Tang House of Mods is a relatively small company, vapers can take advantage of direct sales. Wu Tang, along with some trusted Facebook group-buy runners, routinely makes his products available for a relatively low price. People that follow Wu Tang on Facebook were able to get the El Kapitan 1.5 for around $172 shipped. At retail, I’ve seen it for $220 to $250. For $172, this mod is a sweet deal. Even $220 is a reasonable price for a unique mod with high performance.

The issues I have with the El Kapitan 1.5 are minor ones. The caps thread smoothly, but don’t have the smoothest appearance. The reverse-telescoping pin is mildly annoying to use. Those issues are easy to sweep under the rug when you look at everything else the El Kapitan 1.5 brings to the table. The mod is made from quality materials, the workmanship is impressive, the performance is very strong, and it’s simply a gorgeous device. Whenever I meet up with vapers, the El Kapitan 1.5 gets attention for its looks and keeps attention with its performance. If you want a mod that’s beautiful and hits hard, the El Kapitan 1.5 is a fine choice.

Vaping Diaries #127: Vapor Stands Max-E Review

The Vapor Stands Max-E is the latest handmade product from the excellent people at Vapor Stands. In the past, I reviewed Vapor Stands’ Pie Slice and Trek-E v2 products, both of which I loved. Those two stands are finely crafted (made in the USA!) products that blend beauty and functionality. The Vapor Stands Max-E is cut from the same cloth, but is the company’s largest product yet. It has 27 felt-covered holes that hold a variety of products — large mods, eGo-style e-cigs, 30ml juice bottles, atomizers, clearomizers, and drip tips.

Like the company’s other products, the Vapor Stands Max-E features impressive workmanship. It’s made from oak and walnut that’s sanded to a silky smooth finish. The wood is then covered with three layers of polyurethane for a glossy appearance and to protect the wood. The Vapor Stands Max-E looks great on your office desk, in your living room, in the den, etc.

As far as functionality goes, I was mostly happy with the Vapor Stands Max-E, but had one criticism. It held a variety of my gear just fine — 22mm mechanical mods, various eGo devices, rebuildable dripping atomizers, bottom-coil silica atomizers, clearomizers, and 30ml plastic juice bottles. Unfortunately, the holes for the juice bottles are too small for 30ml glass bottles. Several of my favorite juice vendors (Ahlusion, Five Pawns, Indigo Vapor, etc.) use glass bottles and it’s a bummer that they can’t be cradled by the Vapor Stands Max-E.

That issue aside, I was pleased by everything else the Vapor Stands Max-E brought offered. Like its sister products, it’s superbly crafted and looks marvelous. It’s a great choice for vaping enthusiasts that have a lot of gear. It’s currently priced at $60, which is absolutely fair for a quality made-in-the-USA product that featured topnotch workmanship. If you’re looking for a handsome stand that holds a lot of vaping gear then you should definitely consider the Vapor Stands Max-E.

Vaping Diaries #126: Innokin iTaste VTR Preview

Arguably the most-wanted Innokin product of 2013, the iTaste VTR is a box mod positioned as a premium product. Out of the box, I was surprised by its heft. The iTaste VTR is a weighty vaping device that looks bolder and feels more luxurious than its sister product, the iTaste MVP 2. My initial impression is that a strong argument can be made that this is the best product Innokin has released, but some vapers will be put off by its weight. However, I definitely need to spend more time with the iTaste VTR before passing judgement.

The iTaste VTR comes in a decorative box, just like the iTaste 134. The kit includes the mod, an Innokin iClear 30s clearomizer, and an adapter tube. The unit was made with the iClear 30 and iClear 30s in mind. However, it can hold any clearomizer with similar dimensions (diameter less than 19mm, height around 78mm). For atomizers that won’t fit into the clearomizer cutout, the include adapter ensures that any 510-threaded part will work with the iTaste VTR.

Using the iTaste VTR is relatively easy. While it’s not quite as simple as using the iTaste MVP 2’s various functions, it’s still relatively straightforward. There’s a power button, a function button, and a scroll wheel. The power button turns the device on or off and fires the device. The function button pulls up atomizer resistance, voltage, wattage, and battery life. Voltage and wattage are adjusted using the scroll wheel. The voltage range is 3.0 to 6.0 volts adjustable in 0.1-volt increments, while the wattage range is 3.0 to 15.0 volts adjustable in 0.5-watt increments

So far I’ve used the iTaste VTR with an iClear 30 clearomizer and a Vapage dripping atomizer. The output has been consistent, but I haven’t tried many different settings yet. Most of the Innokin devices I’ve used have consistent output and I expect the same from the iTaste VTR.

Check out the video preview above to see different looks of the iTaste VTR, the iClear 30s, and the optional holster accessory. I’m going to use the device for at least 10 days before reviewing it. Stay tuned for the full review in the near future.

Vaping Diaries #125: Win an Innokin iTaste MVP 2

This month I’m giving away an Innokin iTaste MVP 2, courtesy of my friends at Innokin. I reviewed the MVP 2 last month and was very impressed by its features and battery life. Now’s your chance to win one! All you have to do is:

Subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Leave a comment with your YouTube username (so I can verify your subscription) and your favorite feature of the iTaste MVP 2.

That’s all you have to do! As an added bonus, if I reach 1,000 subscribers by the end of the contest then I’ll have another October giveaway (probably a mechanical mod). Now here are the boring contest rules. Continue reading “Vaping Diaries #125: Win an Innokin iTaste MVP 2”