Videos Archives - Page 19 of 43

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.

Vaping Diaries #182: 2Puffs Interview (Munstro Mod and More)

Many vapers love 2Puffs pyrex tanks and drip tips. The company is still cranking out those products, but is taking its game to the next level with the Munstro. This mechanical mod comes with three tubes that use three different metals, a tritone drip tip, and a wood stand. At Vapers Exhibit, I caught up with 2Puffs partners Arnel Ang and Charles Tan. The two gave me details on the Munstro, shared some company history, revealed what was behind the 2Puffs name, and told me how a Johnnie Walker Black drinking sessions lead to the name of the Munstro mod.

Vaping Diaries #181: Naughty by Vapor Interview (Vapers Exhibit)

I never thought that I would post an article or video that combined vaping with adult film stars, but Naughty by Vapor took care of that! I’ve been wanting to meet the company for some time, as it’s a Filipino-American crew that has some cleverly named and delicious e-liquids. While the Naughty by Vapor Classic Line has a lot of fans, the new Luxury Line is getting a ton of buzz. The new juices are named after and inspired by actresses in adult films — genius!

In the interview above, CEO Ryan Palma and chief strategist Peter Castaneda talk about how the company got started, the concept behind the Naughty by Vapor brand, and the flavors in the Classic Line. Adult actresses Chloe Amour and Daisy Marie talk about their flavors in the Luxury Line.

This was the most difficult interview for me at Vapers Exhibit. It was really hard to concentrate with Chloe and Daisy around (though it was certainly an enjoyable challenge). Ha!

Vaping Diaries #180: Trabuco Vapors Interview (Vapers Exhibit)

As a huge fan of naturally-extracted tobacco e-liquids and a resident of Southern California, I was excited to meet the Trabuco Vapors crew at Vapers Exhibit. In SoCal, the majority of the e-liquid companies focus on fruit and dessert flavors. As a tobacco guy, I was pleased to hear about a SoCal juice maker that focuses on naturally-extracted tobacco juices.

At Vapers Exhibit, I chatted with Trabuco Vapors co-owner Robert Fairrington and juice master general Chas Trowbridge. The two talk about Trabuco Vapors’ origins, the company’s juices, the tobacco extraction method behind the juices, the company’s sweet mod holders, and more.

Vaping Diaries #179: Tobh Mods Jay-Bo Interview (Vapers Exhibit)

The Tobh Atomizer is the hot atty in the business right now, so I was psyched to catch up with Tobh Mods owner Jay-Bo at Vapers Exhibit. It was fun learning about how the company got started, what the company name means, and his fascinating background. While I’m still trying to figure out how someone with a background in deaf education, a passion for linguistics, and professional barista skills made an incredible atomizer, it was fantastic meeting Jay-Bo and learning more about Tobh Mods.

Check out the interview above to learn more about Tobh Mods, the features of the Tobh Atomizer, and upcoming products.