Top of the Vapes - April 2017

After previously coming up with a list of my favourite vaping related products, I decided to try and write a (shorter and more concise) list each month. So, let's hope I stick to it!!!

ELIQUID
Big Cheap Bottle Co. - Strawberry

Pink Asmodus Minikin V2, paired with a bright pink
Goon RDA (and matching drip tip

MECHANICAL MOD
Rig V3

REGULATED MOD
Asmodus Minikin V2 (again! but it is truly a great device!!!)

RDAs

Goon 24mm by 528 Custom Vapes (again, I have since bought a couple more, one of which is a clone, but hits wonderfully!)

Wire

Flapton, I have a really nice, reliable build for my regulated mods, using this wire.

Vaper Star *ELIQUID REVIEW*

After a chance meeting, I was provided with a selection of some truly delicious eliquids from a company based in Dorchester, Dorset. You can check out their website at www.vaperstar.co.uk
I have chosen my 4 favourites to do some reviews for, although they were all very palatable and I'm glad I was given the opportunity to try them. All liquids were 80/20 VG/PG and 3mg nicotine.
So, let's get going!

Lemon Cheesecake
Over my time as a reviewer, I have tried quite a few lemon based dessert flavours, ranging from super sour citrus all the way to smooth almost unrecognisable hints of lemon.
This juice was easily one of the best Lemons I have tried. You get a creamy, sweet lemon, to the point that it is very more-ish and true to the cheesecake profile. On exhaling, I got a crumbly, warm sensation from a biscuit-base taste and then it all mixed up with one another to create an ecstatic overall flavour.
Definitely my favourite out of this line, due to it's similarity to the real deal!

French Kiss
French Kiss is a fantastic blend of mild sweet tones, including wholesome vanilla bean, deep and realistic caramel toffee. You may assume that French Kiss could be too sweet and overwhelming, however, the set of chosen flavours is actually not too potent, and I could vape on this flavour all day.
What I particularly liked about this juice, is that all the components were expertly blended to the point that it was a little difficult to discern each separate flavour, but I thought it was a nice touch.
Vapour production was stellar, and you get a very pleasant taste on the exhale.
Great Stuff!

Sinner 

This one is hands down the best cinnamon based eLiquid i have tried in recent times. Described as being a cinnamon danish with hints of sugar cookie, you certainly get the cinnamon straight away. It is a sweet and not at all artificial. Then, as you finish inhaling, you get a mild almost savoury touch of the danish pastry. At the point of exhaling, the sugar cookie flavour jumps out and perfectly rounds up the other elements.
Again, I could vape on this all day and not get sick of it. I really liked the Sugar Cookie touch at the end.

Shags Custard
Shags Custard , in my opinion, fights for the top spot in terms of the liquids I have tried in this line. Also, like with the Lemon Cheesecake, I have tried a lot of custard juices. The fact that this one is more complex and whole tasting, makes it the clear champion of custards. 
In the past, I found certain custards to have funny aftertastes, but Shags' aftertaste is wonderfully unique and very palatable. 
You get the vanilla-like sensation on the inhale, and just before you exhale, when you hold the vapour in your mouth, a plethora of delicious caramel and sweetness mingles in you mouth.
As you exhale, the flavours continue to blend together to create a one of a kind ball of deliciousness that develops into a smooth and creamy aftertaste.
I thoroughly enjoyed Shags Custard, the only thing I would change (but can't - thanks TPD!!!) would be to have bigger bottles, because 10ml is just not enough of this beautiful brew!


Overall, the Vaper Star liquids were a very pleasant surprise indeed. It was difficult to pick out which one was best because of all of their great qualities. Again, I know it is not feasible thanks to new TPD regulations, but the only thing I would change would be to have bigger sized bottles because 10ml of each of these magical elixirs just isn't enough, especially if you want to make it an all day vape!
But, kudos to Vaper Star for their great quality liquids, 5*. Stay posted folks!

Director's Cut by VapeMate UK

The guys over at VapeMate have set me up with some of their absolutely smashing juices from the 'Director's Cut' premium range.
I was sent four of them for the purpose of review and you can get them over at www.vapemate.co.uk. They come in 10ml TPD compliant bottles, and are available in 0mg, 3mg and 6mg nicotine strengths. The whole Director's Cut line are max V
G and this is mirrored in the fact that billows of clouds emanate when vaping.
So, let's have a look at them...

Froot Joose
This eliquid is quite simply a super zesty, fruity and invigorating blend of flavours, including  a smooth apricot, sharp pineapple and a punchy peach. This one literally made my mouth water with its impressively juicy repertoire. I have never tried an apricot flavoured vape before but this was a pleasant surprise and could be a new favourite of mine.

Sour Blue Raspberry
Whenever I hear about a Blue Raspberry vape, I simply have to try it. It's astounding the amount of diversity within the Blue Raspberry flavours, and some were nice, some were okay, and others were down right terrible! However, VapeMate has defineatly brought something special to the table with this one. You get the sourness, without it becoming over the top or sickly but the blue raspberry is sweet and candy like, making it very appealing to sweet tooth's everywhere!
There is a definite element of sharpness upon exhale, which is quite a nice touch.


Cog Two
If Cog One was anything to go by, Cog Two is truly stellar. Contrasting the creaminess from the first installation, the new one is almost tart. You get a fantastic blast of several fruity elements, including ripe watermelon, sweet strawberries and a sharp twist of kiwi. I really enjoyed this juice and would go as far as to say it's even better than Cog One!!!

Beach Party
A revitalising blend of zingy citrus and some of the most fresh and unique tropical fruits in the vaping world. This was my favourite out of the four, based on the delectable and one of a kind flavourings. It was a pleasure to try, and I could definitely use this juice as an all day vape (but unfortunately, thanks to the TPD, we can't have big-all-day-lasting-sized bottles!!!)
VapeMate have absolutely smashed it with this one, so kudos!



It was lovely to try these eLiquids, it gave me a whole new look on fruity juices that, to be honest, had started to become a tad repetitive. They were all similar enough to enjoy each and every one, but different enough that they didn't blend in to monotony.
Big thanks to VapeMate for sending them over, and I look forward to trying out the rest of this fantastic range.  Don't forget to go check them out at vapemate.co.uk and I can't emphasise enough the fantastic selection of flavours and the craftsmanship behind them.

Blackberry Grape Spritz by Pocket Fuel/Vapouriz *JUICE REVIEW*

The folks over at Vapouriz were kind enough to send me a sample of their newest addition to the Pocket Fuel range, a truly delicious blend of the ripest of berries and an added zing of fresh grape.
The juice comes in 10ml, TPD compliant and child-proof bottles. Unfortunately, the TPD is trying it's utmost to quash vaping as an industry, and subsequently, the companies that help so many people quit or cut down on smoking carcinogenic cigarettes. The warnings that are on the bottle are somewhat benign and although they are 'required', eLiquids are (in my opinion) much less harmful than traditional tobacco products like cigars, pipes, cigarettes and even chewing tobacco.

Anyways! Back to this fantastic juice from Pocket Fuel! I decided to use a dripping setup to try out this liquid, for optimum flavour and cloud production.
On opening the bottle, a wave of super fresh fruitiness hit my nostrils, and soon caused my mouth to water.
I then soaked my cotton and coils with this heavenly elixir, and took a long, calculated inhale.
one of the first things i noticed was the fact that this juice is not too sweet - perfect for an all day vape, nor is it too plain. This, in itself, is a huge bonus because you get a satisfying taste without getting sick of it.
After this, I could pick up on a unique and tropical blend of berries that hit you like a flavour train!
On exhaling, there was a definite touch of realistic grape (not that nasty, cheap taste of artificial grape) that lingers on the tongue, in a pleasant way.
 This juice is a massive 80% VG, meaning it is designed for sub-ohm vaping, and has an extremely impressive cloud production.
Once again, Vapouriz has smashed it with their consistently delicious eLiquids. I would definitely recommend it to those of you who enjoy a refreshing, summery vape! I look forward to reviewing more liquids from the awesome Vapouriz team!

CHECK IT OUT HERE >>>> www.vapouriz.co.uk  for £4.99 per 10ml.

Top of the Vapes, November 2016 - January 2017

After a very long and wet start of the year, I have compiled a short list of my favourites from the past 4 months:
- eLiquids
- Mods
- RDAs
- Other

So, onto the categories!

ELIQUIDS
Screw-It by The Lolly Vape Co.

Can't get enough of this stuff!

Banoffee Pie by DIY eLiquids
Literally went and bought 500ml 

Scorpus by Vapour Freaks
Tastes just like Vimto

Pink Me by MoMo
Cheap and Cheerful

Leprechaun Milk by Tugboat
An acquired taste but got through 60ml in no time flat

Magik by Goblin Juice
Top fruity cereal & custard vape

MECHANICAL MODS
HexOhm v3
The Demigod of box mods, now with an 'on-off' switch for all you safety geeks

VGOD Pro Mech Mod
Quality tube mod that has a well designed fire button

Rig v2
Fantastic, renowned mod that looks great too

SMPL
Simply great

REGULATED MODS
Aspire Archon
Can come across as unsubstantial, but well worth it's price

SMOK Alien
Love it or hate it. I love it

Asmodus Minikin v2
The Minikin just gets better and better, v2 is no different

Dovpo Guardian v1.5





Durable and weighty

RDAs
Goon 24mm by 528 Custom Vapes
Great Airflow adjustability

Grimm Green x Ohm Boy Recoil Performance RDA

Nice build deck with well thought out post layout

Buddha v3 25mm

Shiny and Airy

The We Out Here Doe RDA

Nice warm vape

OTHER

Chubby Gorilla Bottles

CoilMaster 521 Tab

Efest LUC Blu6 LCD Intelligent Charger

Caterpillar Wire by GeekVape

Digby's Juices - Part I

The folks over at Digby's kindly provided me with their new line of TPD compliant eLiquids, for the purpose of this review. So, first and foremost – Thank you for the oppurtunity!

All the bottles were 10ml, 60%VG 40%PG and 3mg of nicotine.

Now, on to the products. Obviously TPD compliancy limits the aesthetical creativity and other issues surrounding the design and colouring of the product, not to mention the limits on the volume of the bottles, and child safety features (both physical safety caps and essential warnings regarding nicotine content etc). However, Digby's have tastefully adhered to the TPD, whilst retaining a stylish yet unassuming overall design.

The 10ml unicorn bottles (the new maximum size) arrived in small boxes that were simply black and white but with calligraphic writing and the Digby's logo, it also featured a bold and attention-grabbing warning on nicotine being a highly addictive substance.

I really like the way that Digby's have not lost any of their bespoke personality due to the new legislations, and they have made sure that every aspect of compliancy has been abided by, whilst still having a fantastic sense of unique and sophisticated design features.

Digby's is well know for their carefully created eJuices, from the heart of deepest Dorset, and their liquids are being enjoyed across the globe.

Jester

Jester is a refreshing cornucopia of juicy fruits, with a touch of sweetness and rounded off with a mild cooling effect. The flavour is smooth, and the slightest hint of menthol is very mild and not at all overpowering. I found that the fruity notes were more noticeable on the inhale, and then, on the exhale, a cool menthol becomes apparent. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable eLiquid, I really liked the careful blending between the coolness of the menthol and the ripeness of the exotic fruit.

Ayen

On inhaling, you can pick up on a smooth and nutty tobacco, then, an almost bitter dark chocolate when you are just about to exhale.

When vaping on this fantastic elixir, you get an aftertaste of sweet and wholesome caramel. The notes (particularly the caramel) are not just 'mixed' together haphazardly, but can be appreciated in stages. What that means, is that each flavour presents itself separately, and evolves into the next main component. I really liked the caramel/tobacco essences, and although I'm not a huge fan of chocolate flavoured eLiquids, it certainly tasted true to life.

To summarise, I found the different accents of this eLiquid to be quite a unique overall flavour. I would suggest it to vapers who like either sweet flavours and/or tobacco ones.

Definitely a treat!

Rheum

Rheum does not taste 'Like' rhubarb, but rather 'of' rhubarb. What I mean is that I found it tasted almost identical to a real, earthy rhubarb, rather than tasting like an imitation or artificial flavour like a rhubarb and custard sweet.

The vanilla is great because it perfectly accentuates the more prominent flavours, it is rather difficult to notice at first, but is very smooth and leaves a soft touch on the exhale.

Despite being indifferent to rhubarb eLiquids, I felt drawn to Rheum because of its natural and distinctive flavour elements. I can say, hands down, that Rheum is, by far the best rhubarb vape you can get, and certainly the most realistic!

I would suggest this eJuice to those of you who enjoy an 'Off the beaten track' flavour, in fact I think it could appeal to any vaper, due to it's realistic nature.

My favourite in this line!

Stay tuned for more reviews of Digby's Juices SOON!!!

*JUICE REVIEW* Scorpus by Vapour Freaks

After coming upon Scorpus by pure chance, I was delighted to try it out. It came in 100ml bottles, and 70% VG. The liquid itself was rather gloopy – perfect for dripping! It was also a purple tinted hue, true to the drink Vimto, of which it aims to imitate in terms of flavour. I can tell you from the first puff, the similarities between Scorpus and Vimto were uncanny. I was lucky enough to get the last bottle in the shop!

I have tried other juices that proclaim that they are blackcurrant squash/Vimto/Ribena, but none have come as close as Vapour Freaks have.

It was not too sweet, but neither was it bland. There was enough flavour to make it mouth wateringly delicious, but not enough for it to become sickly.

It terms of flavour, it wasn't a mishmash of complicated blends, but rather a straight up hit of blackcurrant, no unnecessary hints of this and touches of that – something I found to be extremely effective. There is no need to ruin a perfectly good eLiquid by adding useless and often pointless flavour elements.

On inhalation, the in-between stage of holding the vapour in and on exhalation, you get a juicy hit of ripe blackcurrant that is very satisfying and more-ish.

Vapour production at 70% VG is what you'd expect, big plumes of cloud, whilst retaining flavour.

Vapour Freaks have smashed it with Scorpus, and I would be eager to try out the pineapple or mentholated version, and if they are half as good as Scorpus, then I would be truly delighted!