Some vendors dishonest on ratings?

Many vendors have product rating systems included on their websites. They can be a useful guide especially when it comes to e-liquids, simply because of the vast amount of products available to vapers.

I myself have written many reviews on products ranging from liquids to batteries and complete kits. I would say about 95% of my reviews have been highly positive, but I have written what I would describe as a couple negative reviews when a product did not live up to it's promises, or in a few cases... it was simply bad.

One of those negative reviews was that of a XL 810 model battery. The battery itself worked with one caveat, a Dyson Vacuum would not be able to suck start this sucker. Instead of the easier microphone switches, it used a more mechanical vacuum pressure switch to turn the battery on. Problem is it required so much suction just to turn the battery on you're jaw would be tired before you got your first bit of vapor.

After having my girlfriend test it and come to the same conclusion I wrote a review on the vendors website stating this, as a warning to potential buyers. The review was taken down the same day... hmmm, well may it's just that vendor.

On to the next! Surely most Vendors would want honest reviews of their products on their websites, right..... right? My next negative review came with a small bottle of e-liquid that I purchased from what some would argue is the largest vendor on ECF.

The offending liquid was 'supposed' to be flavored Eggnog. I must admit I am a eggnog fiend. Come Christmas time you can find me huddled in the corner with a glass of eggnog, much like a hobo protecting his last bottle of booze... what can I say, this man loves his eggnog.

Unfortunately this liquid tasted nothing like the delicious white ambrosia that is known as eggnog. Nope, this liquid tasted more like milk that had been hiding out in the back of your refrigerator for the last five months. Again, wanting to verify my results I handed a filled cartomizer to my unsuspecting girlfriend. She could not take one puff without gagging and from that day she refuses to test anything I give her without before asking "what the hell is it".

I wrote a negative review for the offending liquid, which was on the site for nearly a month before, you guessed it, being removed. At this point I started to see a pattern. So I searched the sites many products looking for other less then stellar reviews and not to my surprise, I could not find a single negative review.

I have come to believe that most vendors have decided that if you have a bad opinion, you should apparently keep it to yourself. Has anyone else had this experience?

Peaches And Cream Recipe

I was poking around on www.onestopdiyshop.com last night and seen a recipe I thought I would try.

Vanilla Caramel - 0mg
1.7ml PG
0.7ml VG
0.3ml Lorann Bavarian Creme
0.3ml Lorann Caramel

I mainly use Perfumer's Apprentice flavors so I substituted PA Bavarian Cream and Caramel in instead of Lorann's. It has a nice mellow cream flavor like you would find in a cream-horn style doughnut. And then I had an epiphany! What if I tossed in some peach flavor to the mix, I added roughly 6-7 drops of PA peach and a tasty new flavor was born, Peaches & Cream!

Peaches & Cream
1.7ml PG
0.7ml VG
0.3ml PA Bavarian Creme
0.3ml PA Caramel
6-7 drops PA Peach
1 drop Ethyl Maltol
1 drop Sweetener liquid

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Joye eGo Review

I started my vaping experience with a KR808 model, but after some time decided to try other models and brands. Pure Smoker ran a special closeout deal with full Joye eGo kits for $50.00, a price that just can't be beat. Apparently Joye demands that suppliers sell the kits inside a certain price range in the US, so I would not expect to see this deal again anytime soon.

My kit came in a nice presentation box that slides out from one side. My kit included two batteries, two cones a wall charger and a usb 'quick' charger. Also included was two atomizers, one low resistance one standard.

The eGo itself is much heavier then a standard 808 battery. The battery has a smooth almost rubberized finish that feels good in your hand, almost what I would call a no slip grip. The threading on the battery is a standard 510 connection. So those who have cartomizers or atomizers from 510's can use them on this product. Note though that standard 510 batteries CAN NOT be charged on the eGo charger.

For anyone who has never used anything but cartomizers using the included atomizers may lead to disappointment. I myself never could get the hang of using them, they vape great but they seem to burn through e-liquid to quickly. I tried numerous tips from ECF but nope, just could not make atomizers work for me.

But that's ok as I never intended to use atomizers with it! The eGo works fantastic with any standard 3.7 volt cartomizer. 510 carto's will work right out of the box, other sizes such as 808's will work with a thread adapter available at many suppliers websites.

So how does it perform? Well it performs like a KR808 or any other 3.7 volt device. Now you may be asking, whats that point then? And it's a simple answer of battery life! I vape heavily and tend to burn through four sometimes five 808 batteries each day. With the eGo I only need two and for many people one battery will last them day.

Charging the eGo is also painless with the included rapid charger. From my experience you can charge a completely drained eGo battery in about one hour on the rapid charger, that's very quick when compared to the slower charging and shorter chargers of the KR808 battery.

The battery life on the eGo makes it a fantastic choice when going out and not wanting the hassle of having to change batteries during the night. If fact for many people you will not even need to carry a spare with you.

With the availability of adapters for most popular e-cigs, the ability to use both cartomizers and atomizers and for it's incredible battery life and quick charge ability I would rank the Joye eGo as a must have.

One last note, if you are interested in purchasing a eGo, be aware that many sites are selling cheaper knock off brands of eGo's. Be sure to verify that what they sell is a genuine Joye product and not a cheap replica.

DIY Mixing Tip

Here is a little tip that can save you a lot of time when making your own e-liquids. Find a liquid balance that is right for you, for example I prefer a 24mg mix with 20% VG. So when I buy my liquids I premix a large batch of my base liquid in a 4oz sealed bottle.

Now when you want to mix up a flavor you simply fill a smaller bottle with your mix and add your desired flavoring. I have found this to be a much more efficient way of mixing my liquids and if you run out you can mix some up quickly, no more having to drag out all your measuring equipment every time you mix a bottle.

Ethyl Maltol

Ethyl Maltol for anyone who does not know is a white, sweet smelling powder, Which is used to soften and sweeten DIY mixes. Wikipedia describes it as, an organic compound that is common flavoring in some confectioneries. It is related to the more common flavoring maltol by replacement of the methyl group by an ethyl group.

I personally use Ethyl Maltol in some of my mixes that need a bit of sweetness or that have sharp flavors that need to be toned down. I recommend Ethyl Maltol be used by placing 1/4 teaspoon of Ethyl Maltol into a 15ml bottle, then add 10ml of Propylene Glycol, then cap and shake vigorously to combine the mixture.

Ethyl Maltol is very strong and only needs to be added at roughly a 1% mix. For a full 10ml bottle of e-liquid I use 3-4 drops to flavor the entire bottle. So a premixed 10ml bottle of 'EM' should last you a very long time.

Ethyl Maltol can best be described as a pure sugar and to my knowledge metabolizes as such into the body. Care should be taken if you are diabetic as it has the possibility to fluctuate blood sugar levels, especially when used in higher then recommended doses.