E-Cigs Archives - Page 7 of 32

Vaping Diaries #233: Innokin Paul Aaron Hare Interview (ECC 2014)

One of the most interesting booths I visited at ECC 2014 was Innokin’s. The company had a wide variety of vaping products geared towards all sorts of vapers. Thankfully, Innokin chief marketing officer Paul Aaron Hare was on hand to walk me through them. The venerable iTaste SVD is getting updated through a partnership with the excellent Evolv Vapor. The iTaste SVD 2 uses a custom chip called the DNA Experience. One of my favorite things about Innokin is that the company isn’t afraid to take design risks, as seen in the iTaste 134 and iTaste VTR. That tradition continues with the Arachnid and Clockwork mods (both prototypes) displayed at the show. RPadholic N8R and I were both smitten with Innokin’s copper mod, codenamed Torch. This beauty features a Statue of Liberty engraving, which totally appealed to the New Yorker in me. The 134 series is going mechanical, with the 134 MX-M and 134 MX-Z models. Lastly, Innokin had a new rebuildable atomizer called the Exthermal, which resembles a beehive or a ray gun, depending on your point of view.

Innokin has long been my favorite vaping company out of China and it’s continuing to broaden its reach. The company has always excelled with beginner and intermediate devices. Its variable-voltage and variable-wattage devices have been strong too. It’s great to see the company branching out with mechanical mods and rebuildable atomizers, both of which should appeal to advanced vapers. Throughout the entire product line, Innokin offers relatively low prices and solid build quality. While so many Chinese vaping companies pump out clones, it’s great to see a company like Innokin working on original products that are great for all sorts of vapers. Be sure to check out the video above to see Innokin’s latest and greatest, as described by the company’s chief marketing officer, Paul Aaron Hare.

Vaping Diaries #232: D2 E-Liquid Dillon Dygert Interview (ECC 2014)

As a fan of complex dessert e-liquids, I was happy to meet D2 E-Liquid (pronounced D-Squared) president Dillon Dygert at a recent United Vapers event. The company currently specializes in bakery and dessert juices with a lot of layers. After chatting with Dillon at ECC 2014, I was even more impressed by D2 E-Liquid. I love how the company emphasizes safety; throughout the D2 E-Liquid juice-making process, all the ingredients touch glass. It’s more expensive to produce e-liquid this way, but ensuring that all the ingredients stay in contact with glass (and never touch plastic) prevents contaminants from seeping into the juice. This pricey process delivers purity of flavor and a higher level of safety.

As for the juices themselves, D2 E-Liquid started with two flavors and released one shortly thereafter. At ECC 2014, the company launched a new flavor. Watch the video above to learn all about D2 E-Liquid’s four flavors, how the company got started, how it produces its juice, and more.

Vaping Diaries #231: Hot Import Nights and Surefire Vapor at ECC 2014

Out of the 30+ interviews the RPadTV crew filmed at ECC 2014, my chat with Surefire Vapor co-founder Mike McNeely and Hot Import Nights CEO Michael Munar was the only one that was crashed by several beautiful models. That, my friend, is a lovely thing. If you’ve been paying attention to Surefire’s marketing efforts then you know that the company is branching out like no other vaping company by pursuing crossover relationships. Mike and Michael talk about the collaboration between Hot Import Nights and Surefire Vapor, how the two communities intersect, and more. At ECC 2014, Surefire showed off the 26650 King Kong Mod. At the next Hot Import Nights event in San Pedro, CA, the company will debut the dual-26650 Suicide King Mod.

I’m a fan of Surefire Vapor on several levels and one of the reasons I appreciate the company is that it’s helping advanced vaping become mainstream. While you can see products like Blu and Njoy in several mainstream settings, the same can’t be said for vast majority of advanced vaping devices. Yes, getting exposure through Hot Import Nights is fantastic for Surefire Vapor, but it’s also healthy for the vaping business as a whole. Getting more and more people exposed to high-end mechanical mods, rebuildable atomizers, etc. is a great thing for the entire vaping industry.

Anyway, I’m sure that many of you will be watching the video just to see Lilly Evans, Mis Morning Star, Victorya Van Tran, Sally Mia Kior, Diamy Att, Kairi Dreme, Gwendolynne Gee, and the the other ladies. Oh yeah, there may or may not be a couple of cameos by a certain Calivapers personality and a certain Surefire exec too!

Vaping Diaries #230: Cuttwood Austin Hopper Interview (ECC 2014)

Cuttwood is one of the fastest-growing e-liquid companies in vaping. Earlier in the year, it had a hugely popular hit in Unicorn Milk, but there was also some controversy about titanium dioxide found in the juice’s coloring. At ECC 2014, I caught up with Cuttwood president Austin Hopper to learn how the company got started, how he dealt with the Unicorn Milk situation, the company’s current lineup, and the upcoming Boss Reserve line. Despite the titanium dioxide issue, Cuttwood has become wildly successful, according to some numbers I was given from a third party (seriously impressive).

In addition to Unicorn Milk, Cuttwood currently has Monster Melons and Sugar Bear in its lineup. The former is obviously a fruit flavor, while the latter is a milky cinnamon e-liquid that’s reminiscent of sweet cereal. Austin didn’t reveal all the details on Boss Reserve, but noted that it has hazelnut flavor and a smokey taste.

The Cuttwood booth was really hopping at ECC 2014. The company drew thousands of fans with free juice, caps, t-shirts, and more. While I’ve met hundreds of friendly people in the vaping business, Austin is one of the most gregarious I’ve encountered. It was fun chatting with him as I learned more about his company. While I’ve enjoyed Unicorn Milk and Sugar Bear, I’m really looking forward to Boss Reserve. From the way Austin described it, the flavor profile seems right up my alley.

Check out the ECC 2014 clip above to get to know Cuttwood and Austin Hopper.

Vaping Diaries #229: The Stash Box DNA 30 Donny Sirivisut Interview (ECC 2014)

Evolv DNA 30 box mods are all the rage in 2014 and the coolest one I’ve seen — by far — is The Stash Box. Made from aircraft aluminum and utilizing a design that houses an atomizer within the mod’s body, The Stash Box is rugged yet light. Its novel design makes it stand out, while also making the mod extremely functional. While there are several box mods that allow vapers to enjoy the benefits of the excellent DNA 30 chip, I haven’t seen one as unique and stylish as The Stash Box. At ECC 2014, I caught up with the mod’s creator, Donny Sirivisut, to learn more about the mod and its design. Donny also teases some details on his next project — The Smash Box. This collaboration with Mankos Mods will have similar features to The Stash Box, but with a wood body.

Now please excuse me, as I go dream about a custom Stash Box with an RPadTV logo engraved on it….

Vaping Diaries 228: Five Pawns Black Flag Fallen Interview (ECC 2014)

Five Pawns is one of my favorite e-liquid companies in vaping. I enjoy the complexity and layers of many Five Pawns juices and really appreciate how the company pushes the envelope on the juice side of the vaping business. Coming in December 2014 is the company’s Black Flag Fallen. At ECC 2014, Five Pawns founder & president Rodney Jerabek told me about this exciting e-liquid. While he wouldn’t reveal all the details of the ingredients at this time, Rodney spoke about some of the core flavors of Black Flag Fallen, such as espresso and black truffle cream. He also spoke about the black-and-chrome box and bottle design, which retains the Five Pawns style while also standing out. Lastly, Rodney talked about a contest-like bottling program for the first run of Black Flag Fallen. Similar to the phenomenal Castle Long Reserve, a single barrel of Black Flag Fallen produces 134 bottles of e-liquid. In a single batch, 133 bottles of Black Flag Fallen will come in clear glass bottles, while one comes in a frosted black glass bottle. If you happen to snag the black bottle then you’ll get a special treat from Five Pawns. It’s like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but with vaping!

Watch my chat with Rodney to learn more about Black Flag Fallen’s flavor, packaging design, and more.

Vaping Diaries #227: Return From ECC 2014

I just got back from the 2014 Electronic Cigarette Convention (ECC 2014) and am still on a high from the show. The ECC crew really impressed me with its professionalism at last year’s convention and I was really looking forward to seeing what kind of progress the organizers have made in one year’s time. In a word — wow! ECC 2014 was a fantastic blend of fun and productivity. The show organizers maintained the professionalism and media-friendly practices that I appreciated (immensely) from last year’s show, but grew the event exponentially. ECC 2014 was at least five times bigger than last year’s event (and that’s a really conservative estimate). There was much more of everything — exhibitors, attendees, hardware, juices, raffles, booth babes, and more. A lot of business was conducted during the B2B hours early on Friday and Saturday, while consumers had a blast the entire weekend. Loads of great companies were promoting products and several launched news ones at the show. Vapers got to try lots of great vaping gear and e-liquids, with many walking away with oodles of freebies. This was easily the best vaping convention I’ve ever attended.

As for the content, the RPadTV crew shot more than 30 interviews at ECC 2014. Expect a bunch of chats with mod makers, juice makers, accessory manufacturers, and more. I had lots of fun catching up with old friends (in vaping years) at Five Pawns, Surefire Vapor, Innokin, Poet and more. It was a pleasure making new friends at Boilermaker, Convict Vapor, Witchers Brew, and other great vaping companies. There may or may not be several models thrown in for good measure. The gang worked hard all weekend and I hope you enjoy the interviews from ECC 2014.

Huge thanks to RPadholics Nate and Lawrence for working long hours and beating up their legs in order to get these interviews filmed. Special thanks to ECC’s Dulce Mac for taking care of the crew and me going into the show.

Vaping Diaries #226: Beyond Vape Neptune Review

Vapers looking for a relatively inexpensive all-in-one solution should take a look at the Beyond Vape Neptune. This hybrid dripper offers sharp looks and strong performance at a relatively low price (for an original product that’s not a clone). Available in a variety of colors, there’s bound to be a shade that’s right for you. While this hybrid dripper brings a lot to the table, there’s one aspect of the device that could make it a poor choice for certain types of vapers. Read on for more details on the Beyond Vape Neptune.

Design and Ergonomics: The Beyond Vape Neptune’s body features a modular design. Pieces of the main body can be mixed and matched, allowing the device to accept batteries as small as 18350 and as large as 18650.

Since it uses a hybrid setup, the device is relatively short no matter what type of battery you use. It’s made primarily from 6061 T6 aircraft-grade aluminum, which is lighter than the brass, copper, and stainless steel used in most mods. Fans of short and light vaping devices will definitely enjoy the way the Beyond Vape Neptune feels in hand.

The atomizer portion of the Beyond Vape Neptune is fairly basic. It features three posts, for easy dual-coil setup, and a decent juice well. Airflow is totally basic, with two fixed holes on the top cap. Vapers that prefer adjustable airflow for different builds or different juices will find the atomizer rather spartan.

Lastly, the button on the Beyond Vape Neptune uses a medium-to-stiff spring with a relatively short throw. While I enjoyed the device’s throw, I wish it had a lighter spring. My preference is for feather-light buttons with extremely short throws. While I wasn’t unhappy with the device’s button, it didn’t impress me either. Button feel is, of course, totally subjective and I’m sure that many vapers will be pleased with firing mechanism on this device.

Build Quality and Construction: For the most part, I was pleased with the Beyond Vape Neptune’s build quality, but there’s one major caveat, which I’ll get to at the end of this section. Out of the box, the threads on the device are heavily lubricated. After a thorough washing, I was happy to see that the threads are fairly smooth.

The atomizer portion of the device is also well made. I’ve heard second-hand that some Beyond Vape Neptune units have inconsistent post holes, but I didn’t encounter that issue. The post holes on the device I’ve been using were accurately placed.

One possible issue with the Beyond Vape Neptune is its use of aluminum. While it’s a strong and light metal, it’s also relatively soft. The device uses a thin cut of aluminum tubing. This makes it a poor choice for clumsy vapers or those that tend to beat up their gear. If you drop it on concrete then you’ll have a nasty dent on your mod. If you’re not mindful when screwing and unscrewing the mod then there’s a good chance that you’ll wear out the threads. While there certainly are some advantages to its light and thin aluminum body, the Beyond Vape Neptune requires a little more care than a brass, copper, or stainless steel mod.

Performance: Thanks to its hybrid design and aluminum construction, the Beyond Vape Neptune is a very strong performer. Going off of raw materials, aluminum is more conductive than brass and stainless steel, though not as conductive as copper. The device uses silver-plated brass contacts for additional performance gains (and easy care). Of course design and workmanship also factor into performance, and the device does well in those departments. Vapers looking for a high-performance setup at a relatively low price will be happy with what the Beyond Vape Neptune offers.

Verdict: The Beyond Vape Neptune brings a lot to the table for only $150. It’s an original product that offers quality construction and great performance. It comes in a variety of colors, making it a nice choice for vapers that want a device that stands out. While it’s possible to buy a clone mod and clone atomizer for less money, there aren’t many combinations out there that offer this level of performance and construction. One mistake I often see with the Beyond Vape Neptune is vapers dismissing the device because they forget that it’s a hybrid. For $150, you get a very good mod and a decent dripper. As long as you can adequately care for its thin aluminum body, the Beyond Vape Neptune is a great choice for a first mechanical device and for vapers that want to add a splash of color to their collection.

Vaping Diaries #225: Ahlusion Review X

For my tenth Ahlusion review, I’ve chosen a trio of coffee and tea e-liquids. These aren’t straight-up, run-of-the-mill coffee and tea juices. Two of them add complementary flavors to coffee, making for unique and complex vapes. The other is the most striking tea e-liquid I’ve ever tried. All three are high-quality juices that you should take a look at if you’re into coffee or tea flavors. Read on for more details on Ahlusion’s JG Blend, Masala Chai, and Boba Tea with Coffee.

JG Blend: Ahlusion makes some of the best tobacco e-liquids on the market. It also makes some great coffee e-liquids. With that in mind, I had high expectations for this coffee-tobacco blend…and my expectations were absolutely met. Like Ahlusion’s other non-aromatic juices, the tobacco in JG Blend is light, but flavorful. The coffee flavor is one of the best I’ve tried (keep in mind that I’m a huge coffee nerd). There are a lot of coffee-tobacco juices on the market and if you’re looking for one in the light to medium range, JG Blend is one of the best you can buy. Like many of my favorite Ahlusion e-liquids, it’s a flavorful mix that’s not overpowering and something I’ll definitely order again.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Masala Chai: “Adult” is a great word for this Ahlusion e-liquid. It doesn’t taste like an overly sweet chai latte that you’d order at Starbucks or Coffee Bean. This is an authentic and complex chai tea. I can’t stress that enough; the popularity of chai lattes at places like Starbucks has given people a “dessert” image of chai. Ahlusion’s Masala Chai is absolutely not a dessert vape.

Having said that, the flavor is remarkable, but divisive. I very much enjoyed its combination of earthiness, spiciness, and sweetness, but if you’re used to artificial or candied juices then Masala Chai might be too much for you. It’s definitely one of the most unique e-liquids I’ve tried, but it’s certainly not for everyone. It’s rich and complex, but doesn’t assault your tastebuds. Depending on your palette, you’ll either find this juice to be delicious or you’ll find it too foreign. At the very least, Masala Chai stands out from other tea e-liquids with a truly distinct flavor.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG

Boba Tea with Coffee: Raina and I reviewed Ahlusion’s plain Boba Tea early last year. Both of us enjoyed the e-liquid, but felt there was something missing. To my tastebuds, Boba Tea with Coffee is tastier than the plain version. The different flavors come together for a delicious dessert vape. You get the sweet and creamy milk tea complemented by a tasty and pleasantly bitter (slightly) coffee. I order milk tea with coffee at boba shops and this e-liquid does a good job of approximating that flavor, but is really delicious if you think of it as its own thing. While I enjoyed Ahlusion’s plain Boba Tea, adding coffee to the mix cuts down on the sweetness of boba (a bit much for what I enjoy) with some earthiness and bitterness. The complex combination of flavors totally worked for me and this is a juice that I will order again in the future.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, 50/50 PG/VG\

Steeping and Review Notes (Updated December 29, 2013)
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method as of 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.

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 a bottom-coil silica atomizer (The Russian and Aqua), various rebuildable dripping atomizers, and a clearomizer.

Vaping Diaries #224: NeoVapeTek E-Liquid Interview (Chris Chapman)

Following up on my chat on the unique NeoVapeTek Venturi RDA, here’s an interview on the company’s upcoming vaping e-liquids. At E-Cig City 4 in Riverside, I hung out with NeoVapeTek head of e-liquid research Christopher Chapman. He told me about his background as a vaper and how he got into juice making, as well as three of the company’s launch flavors and what’s coming next.

I’ve tried two NeoVapeTek e-liquids and been pleasantly surprised by the flavors. As a former clove cigarette smoker, I was curious about NeoVapeTek’s Dejarum blend. There aren’t too many clove juices out there and most of the ones I’ve tried were a little bit off (or more). Dejarum is on point. In the interview, Chris talks about exploring the culinary uses of clove and adding complementary ingredients in order to achieve an accurate approximation of clove cigarettes. The other NeoVapeTek juice I’ve been enjoying is Are Why’s Mallow. This is a unique twist on the RY4 formula — arguably the most duplicated and imitated flavor in vaping. Wanting to stand out from the crowd, Chris experimented with numerous complementary flavors until finding toasted marshmallow. As a huge RY4 fan, I’ve found this unique take on the flavor quite compelling. Lastly, Chris talks about Orango Tango, which is his partner’s favorite e-liquid in the NeoVapeTek launch lineup.

In addition to talking about the company’s six launch flavors, Chris discusses what he’s working on and what flavors you can expect next from NeoVapeTek. I’ll be giving his juices a full review in the near future. For now, kindly check out the interview above to learn more about the company’s efforts in the e-liquid space. If you have a chance, please let me know which of the company’s launch flavors you’re most interested in (leave your pick in the comments section…please!).

Special thanks to Handsome Vapers Club for introducing me to the NeoVapeTek crew!