E-Cigs Archives - Page 9 of 32

Vaping Diaries #216: River Bottom Fog Sauce Review I

Vapers that love authentic tobacco are in for a real treat with River Bottom Fog Sauce. This relatively new e-liquid company specializes in juices made with naturally-extracted tobaccos (NETs). While River Bottom Fog Sauce is one of the newest NET e-liquid companies in the business, it has already established itself as a top-tier juice maker, as far as NETs go. I’ve been vaping three of the company’s juices for the last few months: Fabulous & Burley, St. James Parish, and Poet & Scholar. I was very, very impressed by these juices and surprised by the quality.

River Bottom Fog Sauce juices are available through VapingWatch for $22 for a 30ml bottle. While the price is more expensive than competing online NET vendors, the prices are inline with retail offerings. The juices come in glass bottles, but don’t have a dripper. If you’re into NET juices or are looking for an authentic tobacco taste then I highly recommend checking out River Bottom Fog Sauce’s offerings and giving the company a shot. As for the three flavors I’ve vaped, here are my tasting notes.

Fabulous & Burley: This is a mix of burley tobacco and a light vanilla flavor. Burley is one of my favorite tobaccos for vaping e-liquids and I really enjoyed River Bottom Fog Sauce’s burley extraction. It’s flavorful and smooth — a great tobacco choice for an all-day vape. The vanilla was good for me too, but not great. There are some fantastic burley and vanilla blends on the market, such as Vurley from Ahlusion and Vita Bella from Goodejuice. While I really enjoyed Fabulous & Burley, I like the two aforementioned juices a bit more. That said, this juice is certainly in the same league and I would totally understand someone that prefers Fabulous & Burley over Vurley and Vita Bella.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, Custom PG/VG

St. James Parish: This is River Bottom Fog Sauce’s perique offering and my favorite juice covered in this review. I love perique tobacco, but juices made with it can have a certain “funk” that turns off some vapers. (Some equate the funk to a wet sock…but in a good way.) Even as a perique lover, most perique e-liquids aren’t something I can enjoy as an all-day vape. St. James Parish surprised me with its approachability. It has the rich, strong, and distinct flavor of perique, without the funk. That’s pretty remarkable. If I met someone that was interested in the type of flavor that perique offers, St. James Parish would be my first recommendation. It’s wonderfully flavorful, but much more approachable than other perique e-liquids on the market and, unlike many of its competitors, it’s a juice I can vape all day.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, Custom PG/VG

Poet & Scholar: Out of the three juices in this review, this is the one that needed the most steeping. Initially, I wasn’t high on this honey-cigar blend; out of the mail, it had a floral quality about it that I didn’t enjoy. After a month of steeping, the floral taste backs off and the earthy cigar comes to the forefront. From that point on, the juice was much tastier to me and became something I enjoyed quite a bit. It’s a nice blend of earthiness and light sweetness. While I didn’t enjoy it as much as the other two juices in this review (I prefer pipe tobaccos over cigar tobaccos), it’s very well done and certainly a juice I’d recommend to vapers looking for an authentic, high-quality cigar e-liquid.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, Custom 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 #215: 4Kast Vapor Drip Tip Interview

Several weeks ago I met Justin Kelley, co-owner of 4Kast Vapor, and was surprised by his drip tips. 4Kast Vapor has launched with drip tips made from bullet shells, with a pressed delrin core. Drip tips made from 9mm and Smith & Wesson 40 caliber bullet shells are obviously cool, but the pressed delrin core makes these drip tips unique. 4Kast Vapor drip tips are fantastic for sub-ohm vapers; the delrin core is great at dissipating heat and also features wide bores for maximum airflow.

4Kast Vapor drip tips are currently available in brass and nickel finishes. In the interview above, Justin details an upcoming drip tip called The Gambler. It also features a pressed delrin core, but has a copper shell. The outside features the four suits of playing cards, as opposed to a laser etching of Kenny Rogers’ face.

Check out the interview above to learn how 4Kast Vapor got started, the labor-intensive process of making the company’s drip tips, and other details. 4Kast Vapor drip tips are currently available at Vape Citi and other fine stores. Special thanks to Vape Star Koreatown for letting Justin and me film at the shop!

Vaping Diaries #214: Vapour Art GP Paps X Lux Preview

Vapour Art is one of my favorite mod makers in the world. The company uses top-quality metals like 316 stainless steel and aluminum bronze. Vapour Art’s craftsmanship is some of the finest in all of vaping; the threads on its mods are exceptionally smooth and the overall workmanship is brilliant. The Vapour Art GP Paps X was my favorite mod of 2013. As you can imagine, I was incredibly psyched to receive the GP Paps X Lux. This mod has everything I love about the GP Paps X, but with heavy use of aluminum bronze.

While many vapers are familiar with brass and copper mechanical mods, some are unfamiliar with aluminum bronze. According to Vapour Art, aluminum bronze is “four times more expensive than the 316 SS with high percentage of copper, ” and, “Admiralty brass has 71% Cu and naval brass has 60% Cu, while the aluminium bronze goes to 91% Cu plus 7% Al.” Some vapers I know love aluminum bronze because it offers higher performance, while others love it because it’s uncommon. Whatever the case, the aluminum bronze GP Paps X is a more luxurious and, on paper, a harder hitting version of it stainless steel counterpart.

To see why I was so impressed by the 316 stainless steel GP Paps X, be sure to check out my review. I have a strong feeling that the GP Paps X Lux will be one of my favorite mods of 2014, with a great chance of being my favorite mod released all year. Of course I’m going to have to spend more time with it before writing and filming a full review. For now, please check out the preview video above and the packing list below to see everything that comes with the Vapour Art GP Paps X Lux.

1x Main body OD 23 mm with two male threads made from Aluminium bronze in polished finish.
1x Long eXtension OD 23 mm with one male and one female thread made from Aluminium bronze in polished finish.
1x Short eXtension OD 23 mm with one male and one female thread made from Aluminium bronze in polished finish.
1x X ring made from Aluminium bronze in polished finish.
1x AFC ring made from Aluminium bronze in polished finish.
1x button made from EU certified 316 SS in polished finish.
1x top cap made from EU certified 316 SS in polished finish.
1x locking square nut made from EU certified 316 SS.
3x brass springs of different hardness.
2x food grade plastic insulators.
1x silver plated brass negative post screw with 15+ micron silver coating.
1x silver plated brass GPin with 15+ micron silver coating.
2x food grade O-ring 19×1,2mm for the AFC ring.
1 GP® Fork
1x short silver plated brass pin with 15+ micron silver coating for 18650 IMR batteries with 64,48 mm length (out of specs).
1x 15+ micron thickness silver plated spring.
1x double GP® Holster from cordura fabric 1000 den manufactured in EU by a company specialised in weapon holsters, made exclusively for Vapourart.

Vaping Diaries #213: Beyond Vape/Aria Interview

Last week I dropped by Beyond Vape to chat with company co-founder Billy Chen. In addition to running several successful stores around the country, the company has a number of products under the Beyond Vape and Aria brands. In the interview above, Billy talks about some of the company’s upcoming vaping devices and accessories. From mechanical mods, DNA 30 devices, and protective cases, Beyond Vape has a ton going on. Prototypes of the upcoming Oros, Hyperion, Sage, and Luna vaping devices are discussed and shown in the video. Here are some of the highlights:

Neptune (Beyond Vape) — This hybrid dripper features strong performance and solid build quality at a relatively inexpensive price.
Sage (Beyond Vape) — This mechanical mod retails for $85 and is aimed towards vapers that want high performance without a high price.
Luna (Beyond Vape) — A sleek DNA30 vaping device, the Luna should retail under $200, making it less expensive than competing DNA30 devices. One cool and practical features is its MicroUSB port, which lights up to let you know when the battery is being charged.
Oros (Aria) — This copper mechanical mod is made-in-the-USA and offers killer performance. A well-known gentleman from the popular CaliVapers forums tested the Oros and found that it had extremely low voltage drop.
Hyperion (Aria) — A hybrid dripper, the Hyperion is like the Neptune’s more luxurious cousin. If the Neptune is a great Honda then the Hyperion is a slick Acura. The Hyperion’s tube, atomizer cap, and drip tip are plated in 24-karat gold.

Beyond Vape and Aria have a wide range of products in its 2014 lineup, aimed towards novice and veteran vapers alike. Whether you’re looking for the most bang for your buck, a mod with unmatched performance, or a hybrid the screams luxury, the company has you covered. Be sure to check out the interview above and when you have a chance, please let me know which Beyond Vape/Aria product you’re most excited for.

Vaping Diaries #212: VLS Crest Cap Review (IGO-W5)

The IGO-W5 by Youde is a nice rebuildable dripping atomizer for vapers on a budget. It’s arguably Youde’s best dripper to date — very well built for a mass-market atomizer. That said, it’s a spartan offering and lacks some of the features today’s vapers want in an atomizer. That’s where the VLS Crest Cap comes in. This third-party accessory is made for the IGO-W5 and adds features that many vapers expect from a dripper in 2014. The VLS Crest Cap elevates the IGO-W5 from a good budget atomizer to a great one.

The VLS Crest Cap is made primarily from 304 stainless steel. It’s a two-piece top-cap that’s reminiscent of the one featured on the popular TOBH atomizer, as well as Cap-it-All Vapes’ Halo top cap for the IGO-W3 and Patriot atomizers. The heat fins aren’t as long as the ones on the TOBH, so it doesn’t dissipate heat as quickly, but still does a good job. Compared to the Halo, the VLS Crest Cap has better build quality.

In addition to the heat fins, the VLS Crest Cap features cyclops-style airflow controls. I was able to achieve a wide variety of airflow options by playing around with the positioning of the top portion of the cap. It can be closed off enough to satisfy vapers that prefer a firm draw and more intense flavor. It can also be opened up wide enough to satisfy vapers that prefer big clouds and an airier draw. Naturally, extreme cloud chasers — you know, people that appear to have bullet holes in their drippers — will want even bigger holes. That said, the airflow options on the VLS Crest Cap are broad enough to satisfy the majority of vapers.

The two-piece design of the VLS Crest Cap allows for easy and convenient dripping. With conventional drippers, you have to be mindful of realigning the air holes every time you remove the cap. While some vapers don’t mind dripping through the drip-tip hole, many prefer dripping juice directly onto the wick and coils. Since you don’t have to take off the bottom portion of the VLS Crest Cap, you don’t have to worry about lining up the cyclops-style slots.

To my eyes, the VLS Crest Cap looks better than the stock cap on the IGO-W5. I’m not a fan of the stock cap’s looks, especially the way it thins out towards the top. The VLS Crest Cap is 22mm most of the way, with a slight flare to 23mm at the top. The logo is generally handsome, though personally I would have preferred a blank model. Looks are, of course, subjective; most of my vaping friends preferred the VLS Crest Cap’s design over the stock cap’s, but a few liked the stock cap better.

The VLS Crest Cap is available for around $20 online and at retail. I’ve seen the IGO-W5 available for around $20 online and $30 at retail. When you put these products together, you have a great dripping setup for the money. For $50 or less, you get a nice and versatile dripper that’s not a clone. If you’re looking for a great dripping setup that’s reasonably priced then I highly recommend the combination of the IGO-W5 and VLS Crest Cap.

Vaping Diaries #211: Ahlusion Review IX

It’s Ahlusion review time, once again. This time around, I vaped a trio of juices from this outstanding e-liquid company. Two of them were naturally-extracted tobacco e-liquids rounded out by sweet flavors. The other featured extracted tea accompanied by vanilla. One of the juices floored me after a month of steeping, while I enjoyed the others, but didn’t love them as much as other Ahlusion juices I’ve had in the past. Here are my tasting notes on Shipwreck, Caramel Wild Wood, and Vanilla Black Tea.

Shipwreck: This is one of the most unique naturally-extracted tobacco juices I’ve tried, but it’s not among my favorites from Ahlusion. That said, it’s unique flavor is something I crave every now and then. Shipwreck features a light tobacco base accompanied by coconut and lime. In some ways, the tobacco and coconut combine for a richness that reminds me a bit of Five Pawns’ Castle Long. Of course Castle Long doesn’t feature tobacco, so they’re distinctly different juices. The lime rounds out the blend nicely, giving Shipwreck a citrus top note. The juice is lightly sweet (my personal preference) and the tobacco is, of course, great. Compared to the tobacco e-liquids I see at most retail shops, Shipwreck is a superior juice. Compared to the many outstanding tobacco juices Ahlusion offers, Shipwreck is really enjoyable, but not among my favorites.

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

Caramel Wild Wood: My favorite e-liquid in this Ahlusion review, Caramel Wild Wood features a medium tobacco base accompanied by a rich caramel flavor. Out of the mail, the caramel was too strong for me; it’s a great flavor that reminded me of Ahlusion’s Gold Member, but I wanted more tobacco out of the juice. After a month of steeping…wow. The tobacco becomes more prominent and the blend is outstanding. There are a lot of caramel tobacco e-liquids on the market, but few of them are in the same league as Caramel Wild Wood. The tobacco is fantastic — more distinct (to my palette) than Ahlusion’s House Blend and Tree River Blend tobaccos — and the caramel is marvelous. This is a juice that I will definitely order again in the future and only in big bottles. If you’re a tobacco fan with a sweet tooth then you’ll love Caramel Wild Wood.

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

Vanilla Black Tea: This Ahlusion juice is a mix of extracted black tea flavor and the company’s excellent vanilla. On paper, it seemed like a juice I would love. In real life, it’s something I merely liked. Initially, the vanilla was much stronger than what I was hoping for. After a month of steeping, the sweetness backed off and the tea was more pronounced, but still not as much as I’d like. The black tea flavor is excellent — rich and slightly bitter (in that pleasant way). I wanted much more of the black tea flavor out of this juice. Vanilla Black Tea is certainly a very good juice and much better than most of the tea e-liquids on the market, but the balance didn’t quite work for me. I would order this juice again, but make a request to go heavy on the black tea and light on the vanilla.

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

Vaping Diaries #210: Surefire Vapor Garry Rivera & Mike McNeely Interview

Earlier this week I caught up with Surefire Vapor chief executive officer Garry Rivera and chief marketing officer Mike McNeely. The two covered a variety of topics, including the newest King Mods, updates to the Onyx Mod, the company’s upcoming atomizer, the company’s upcoming $140 mod, collaborating with Hot Import Nights, and an exciting mod design contest. While I’m a fan of the company’s Brass Knurled King Mod, I was quite envious of the dark brass Hot Import Nights King Mod and stainless-steel jewelry-finish King Mod. Be sure to check out the video for closeups of these hot mechanical mods.

When I first met the Surefire Vapor, it was one of a handful of American companies competing in the high-end mod space. These days, its seems like there’s a new American high-end mod company debuting every week. While it’s always fun to hear about new products, it was interesting to get Surefire Vapor’s view on how the market has evolved and how the company has evolved with it. McNeely also addressed the always-fun-to-chat-about issue of Chinese clones and the impact clones have had on Surefire Vapor.

Lastly, the company talked about its social media strategy. Surefire Vapor is one of the most popular vaping companies on Facebook and Instagram. While that’s always a boon to marketing efforts, many vapers feel more connected to Surefire Vapor because of the company’s social media efforts. I’ve always admired how the company has handled grassroots outreach (and wanted to make sure Nielson from Surefire Vapor got a shoutout).

When you have a chance, check out the clip above, peruse the new King Mods, get details on the mod design competition, and learn about what’s new with Surefire Vapor. After you’ve done that, kindly leave a comment below and let me know which Surefire Vapor product you’re most excited for.

Vaping Diaries #209: Angelcigs Aqua Clone Review

The Aqua by Footoon from UVO System is one of my favorite atomizers on the market. It’s something I vape on every day and it’s normal for me to have two Aquas at the ready. Since I was mostly impressed with Angelcigs’ Kayfun 3.1 clone, I was curious to see how the Angelcigs’ Aqua clone would compare to the real deal. While it does offer a comparable vape, the Angelcigs Aqua clone’s build quality is rough and it’s prone to leaking.

What’s in the Kit: The Angelcigs Aqua clone comes with the atomizer, a matching drip dip, spare o-rings, and two pre-made coils. The kit is complete and gives newcomers everything they need to start vaping. Experienced vapers will , of course, trash the pre-made coils in favor of their own. The box notes that the product comes with two drip tips and a hybrid adapter for the Origin mod; only one drip tip was included and there wasn’t a hybrid adapter in the box I received. This looks like a case of the company copying the text from the original manufacturer without checking.

Design: Like the original, the Angelcigs Aqua clone is a bottom-coil silica atomizer that’s great for dual-coil setups. It’s not a 1:1 replica, but it’s close. The o-ring positioning is a bit off. The differences in design and workmanship impact performance (more on that later). Aesthetically, the Angelcigs Aqua clone can pass for the authentic model when viewed from afar, but when you see it up close it’s fairly easy to tell that it’s a copy.

Build Quality: While I was generally impressed with the build quality of the Angelcigs Kayfun 3.1 clone (for the price), I found the Angelcigs Aqua clone to be poorly made. The threads on this atomizer are very, very rough. You hear and feel the metal-on-metal grinding whenever you unscrew the atomizer. The tolerances are relatively low too, giving the atomizer a loose feel. Compare that to the authentic model, where everything fits together perfectly and the threads are smooth.

The o-ring material is different and the placement is slightly off. When you combine that with the poor threading, the Angelcigs Aqua clone doesn’t feel nearly as secure as the original. For a complex atomizer like the Aqua, precision workmanship is vital for a great vaping experience. I rarely have leaking issues with the real Aqua and when I do, it’s almost always my fault. With the Angelcigs Aqua clone, I experienced a lot more leaking due to the atomizer’s inferior workmanship and manufacturing shortcuts.

Performance: On a more positive note, the Angelcigs Aqua clone produces a vape that’s similar to what the real deal offers. That wasn’t surprising, since the design is straight-up copied. That being said, it’s not a precision copy. This replica can be a bit more finicky than the authentic model. You have to be more careful with your builds and how you screw the atomizer together in order to compensate for the inferior workmanship. Getting a great vape out of a real Aqua is fairly mindless, while a bit more care is required to get the same experience out of the Angelcigs Aqua clone.

Verdict: Considering the positive experience I had with the Angelcigs Kayfun 3.1 clone, my experience with the Angelcigs Aqua clone was disappointing. The build quality and construction aren’t very good, the unit is prone to leaking, and it just feels cheap. The good news is that it only costs $22, while an authentic Aqua costs around $175 and the well-regarded Hcigar Aqua clone costs around $40.

If you’re curious about what the Aqua offers then the Angelcigs Aqua clone is an inexpensive way to dip your toe in the water and see what all the fuss is about. If you dig it, then you can either buy an authentic model or a superior clone. If you’re looking for an identical experience to the Aqua for a fraction of the price then you’ll want to look elsewhere. While the Angelcigs Aqua clone is very cheap, its build quality and workmanship are also cheap.

Vaping Diaries #208: Vapor Jam Review

Vapor Jam is an e-liquid company that was started by a gentleman that worked as an executive chef for two luxury hotels. Prior to his career as a chef, the owner was a touring rock-and-roll musician. He combined his passions and expertise to form Vapor Jam. The company’s line of “Rockin’ Flavors” features e-liquids with names like Stairway to Vapin, Beatle Juice, and Bohemian Raspberry. As a fan of rock and puns, these flavors caught my attention.

Several months ago, I vaped three Vapor Jam e-liquids: Comfortably Plum, One Louder, and Stairway to Vapin. I appreciated the distinctness of these flavors and it was apparent from the juices’ layers that they were made by someone with a culinary background. The juices vaped cleanly and are suitable for all kinds of atomizers.

Unusually, these juices are available at nicotine levels of 0mg, 12mg, 18mg, and 24mg. For sub-ohm vapers that are used to vaping 3mg and 6mg e-liquids (i.e. SoCal vapers), these Vapor Jam juices might pack too much of a nicotine punch. That’s unfortunate, because vapers that prefer lower nicotine levels will miss out on some unique juice. On a positive note, Vapor Jam e-liquids are inexpensive at $3.99 for 10ml bottle and $9.99 for a 30ml bottle. As for the flavors themselves, here are my tasting notes.

Comfortably Plum: As you’ve probably figured out from this juice’s name, plum is the primary flavor of this e-liquid. The fruit is complemented by honey and vanilla notes. The flavors come together marvelously, especially for vapers that appreciate subtle background notes. Plum is a fairly uncommon flavor and I think Vapor Jam rocked (get it?!?) this juice. It’s a great blend of sweet, sour, and tangy. While the plum makes this juice stand out, the layered taste made it my favorite of the three juices covered in this review.

Juice Specs: 12mg nicotine, 0/100 PG/VG

One Louder: There are a ton of coffee juices on the market, but I haven’t come across too many Irish coffee e-liquids. That’s exactly what One Louder is — a unique concoction of coffee and whiskey, with a touch of nuttiness. I found the coffee flavor to be very good, but just shy of great (though to be fair, I’m a total coffee nerd and what I think of as coffee flavor is different from what most people expect). Although the whiskey and nut notes are background players, they really make this juice stand out; these flavors give One Louder layers and a nice kick. If you’re a fan of Irish coffee then you should definitely give this Vapor Jam juice a shot. Although I liked Comfortably Plum a little bit better, I would certainly pick up One Louder again.

Juice Specs: 12mg nicotine, 0/100 PG/VG

Stairway to Vapin: While I really enjoyed the first two Vapor Jam e-liquids covered in this review, I wasn’t as impressed with Stairway to Vapin. It’s certainly a unique tobacco juice, with a touch of walnut that helps it stand out from most other e-liquids made with tobacco absolute. The tobacco absolute used in this juice is an original blend, not the common Bulgarian mix many tobacco juices use. It’s definitely one of the better ones I’ve tried, but it’s still tobacco absolute. As a huge fan of juices made with naturally-extracted tobacco, the tobacco flavor of this juice just doesn’t compare. While I appreciate that Vapor Jam did something original with this juice and it’s not bad by any means, I greatly prefer tobacco e-liquids made with naturally-extracted tobacco.

Juice Specs: 12mg nicotine, 0/100 PG/VG

Vaping Diaries #207: Bay City Vapor James Livingston Interview II

Last week at Evaporate LA, I caught up with Bay City Vapor founder James Livingston. He gave update on the company’s move from direct sales to retail, as well as an update on the SurfRider and XXIX mods. Fans of Bay City Vapor are already aware of the company’s next mod, the BFM, but just in case this surprisingly small 26650 mod is new to you, James covers it on our chat too. Moving away from product, James chatted about Bay City Vapor’s customer service philosophy, why his company uses high-quality metals, China clones, the recent FDA ruling, and more. James is a great guy that runs a great company. If you watch the clip above then I’m certain that you’ll walk away a Bay City Vapor fan.

Special thanks to Evaporate LA for letting us film there and to The Vape Summit for the t-shirt!