Subohm Issue 3

#3

Dexter

Exclusive interview with Dexter Mowatt MD of Vape Importers UK Ltd

Vaping with Vic

Subohm catches up with YouTuber Vaping with Vic

Full Steam Ahead We take a look at Decadent Vapours’ Grade 5 ISO Lab

Editor Notes

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Contents 4-5 Intensive Cloud Unit

The Vaping Pogonophile reviews the ICU Premium Eliquid juice.

7-9 Vaping With Vic

elcome to issue #3 of Subohm Magazine. We hope you’ve enjoyed our first couple - we’ve certainly had a lot of fun producing them!

After starting Subohm through a love of vaping, we’re grateful, and excited, to have the opportunity to turn this project into a career.

We would like to give a huge shout-out to all reviewers who have supported us and to the companies that have made our idea for a magazine into a viable business.

YouTube reviewer Vaping With Vic speaks to Subohm.

10 The Vapers Patisserie Allan Braddock tastes juices from The Vapers Patisserie.

12-13 Steepologist

Kes Khan takes The Steepologist e-liquids for a taste.

14-15 The Devil Vaper

The Devil Vaper tests the Kangertech Dripbox 160 tank.

As our community grows we hope to grow with it, bringing you honest reviews and top quality articles on the latest products to hit the market.

17 Big Foot Decoded

We’d also like to say a sincere thank you to everybody who has picked up a copy of Subohm - this whole thing would never have been possible without the epic community of vapers.

20-23 Dexter Mowatt

This month we take a look at the Decadent Vapors steam room, we have an interview with vaping mogul Dexter Mowatt and established YouTube reviewer Vaping with Vic. And, as usual, there are plenty or juice, tank and mod reviews to help you keep your head in the clouds.

Joe Craven reviews the Rig V2 and the RoughNeck V2 RDA.

Contacts Charlie Kent Kent@sub-ohm.co.uk +44 (0)7900 353 611

Milo Phillips Phillips@sub-ohm.co.uk +44 (0)7557 121733

Address: 4 Una Way, Kings Langley HS, Herts WD4 8BH Subohm magazine is published 12 times per year by Kent Phillips Publishing Ltd. Subohm Magazine is distributed exclusively to professionals in the e cigarette trade and is not intended to be viewed by consumers. We make every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material we publish, and accept no responsibility for claims made by contributors, manufacturers or advertisers.

Copyright for all material in this journal rests with Kent Phillips Publishing Ltd and their Agents. © Kent Phillips Publishing Ltd. 2016

Josh Payne tastes the Big Foot Decoded ejuice.

Subohm caught up with Dexter Mowatt, MD at Vape Importer.

24-25 American Made 27-28 Griffin

Steve Vapes keeps returning to The Top Air Flow Griffin 25mm.

30-32 Decadent Vapours Decadent Vapours let us in behind their laboratory doors.

34-35 Vape Snacks

Matt Lockyer reviews the Vape Snacks Toasty eliquids.

37-38 Ohm Brew

Martin Norton is back again and he wants you to brew!

Follow us on social media: @subohm_magazine

Subscribe for free at www.sub-ohm.co.uk 3

juice review

Intensive Cloud Unit

Premium Eliquid Juice Review by Vaping Pogonophile

Today I bring you Intensive Cloud Unit, ICU Premium Eliquid - an American company with a three juice line – Pulse, Red Vein and Flatline.

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n receiving these juices I was really impressed with the packaging, a 30ml bottle comes in, what I would call, a plastic vitamin tub with child safety cap; you also get a sticker and a ball of cotton. The 5ml samples come in syringes, this is not only extremely cool, but very clever packaging - something I’ve not seen before.

Pulse Scent: sweet apples, like the aroma from a glass of apple juice.

Flavour: with pursed lips and squinted eyes, this juice delivers a sour apple on the inhale which is then taken over by an outburst of luscious sweet apples on the exhale, very much like a glass of cloudy apple juice.

This juice is outstanding, I believe that there are a couple of different apple notes to create this heavenly vape. The cross over from sour to sweet makes this sensationally addictive and I just want more. Is this an all-day vape?

Most certainly it is, I can’t keep my hands off it!

Red Vein Scent: liquorice Flavour: I was a little concerned after smelling this juice as I am not a fan of liquorice in any form. But, amazingly, this juice gives me something I’ve obviously been craving, because once I dripped it I loved it.

I do enjoy moments when something

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comes along that changes your perceptions.

On the inhale you get a wonderful fresh strawberry that coats the mouth and then it is joined by liquorice, soft and smooth on the exhale leaving your mouth sweet. Very much like the sweet red liquorice laces you can get. Liquorice can leave a lasting taste in the mouth, this juice does not. I find this a delightfully balanced juice and not too overpowering in any department, making it a superb all-day vape.

Flatline Scent: chocolate with mint tones Flavour: this juice put a smile on my face,

reminding me of an old favourite chocolate biscuit I used to have as a child – the Lyon’s Viscount.

A biscuit base with a mint cream topping covered in chocolate. I had to go and find out if they still produce these - and they do!

On the inhale you get a rich chocolate biscuit which is then joined by a lovely creamy mint on the exhale, finishing off by leaving a very pleasant chocolate taste on the palate. It gives the sensation that the biscuit and minty cream are encapsulated within the chocolate. This very clever juice is not quite an all-day vape for me, but undoubtedly is very moreish.

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interview

Vaping With Vic About Victor Mullin aka Vaping With Vic: I’m a YouTube reviewer, and one of the few still doing e-liquid reviews after two and a half years of reviewing, although its mostly hardware reviews that the channel is doing now. I’m also a member of an ever shrinking type of vaper, the mouth to lung style of vaping, although I do like airy draws sometimes. The weekly “Watts Up?!” vlogs on a Sunday have sometimes got a reputation of getting a bit…ranty.

How long have you been reviewing vaping products on youtube?

I started at the end of March in 2014. The very first video on my channel (which is still there) is me on my first day of vaping with a little cig-a-like. It kinda grew from there. Started with E-Liquids (which most ecig reviewers start on) and branched out into hardware a few months later.

the UK reviewers was a lot more sparsely populated.

The original intention was for me to do weekly vlogs updating folks on how I was doing with ecigs. I then realised that most of the

reviewers in the UK (apart from Worm and Proton and Martyn Parker) had stopped or cut back on the e-liquid reviews. So I started doing reviews for e-liquids, it snowballed from there.

Who or what inspired you to start your youtube channel?

Back in 2014 the ‘review scene’ for the UK was completely different to the way it is now. Now we have a good broad selection of reviewers, from the new faces like Devil Vaper and London Vaper, to the big names like Todd and Scott IGetchya69. In 2014 however 7

interview Who do you look up to in the vape community?

Almost everyone, I’m a bit on the short side.

Being serious though… Phil Busardo. That man goes into so much technical detail on a level that no one else can match.

Some people have tried to emulate what he does, but they just can’t beat the way Phil does it. Dave Dorn from VapourTrails UK (on Youtube) the work he has done for advocacy on a UK level is second to none, I have a lot of time and respect for Dave.

IGetchya69 is an obvious one, he’s been reviewing for years now and you can go back to his early vids and see how much the industry has changed.

What’s your everyday vape setup?

For the past 4ish months it’s been the SXK Corolla (mouth to lung loosely based genesis style tank) on the SXK Zero Mini. If I’m in the mood to chuck clouds and set off the fire alarm I drag out the Aromamiser Supreme on the SBody Nuke DNA 200.

How has the industry changed in your time?

It has changed drastically, especially since December 2014/January 2015.

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Back in 2014 the highest mainstream wattage device that was readily available at a cost that wouldn’t break the bank was the older range from Innokin. When Pioneer4U released the short lived IPV 1 which went to 35 watts, it opened the floodgates to the ‘wattage race’. I was one of the few who bought the original IPV 1, not a lot of folks own one of those and Pioneer4U only released a small selection of them cause they brought out the V2 at 50watts a day

later and recalled the old V1.

The dawn of the sub-ohm clearo tank arrived with the Atlantis, which in my eyes has ruined the vape industry for the mouth to lung style vapers, it’s nothing but sub ohm tank after subohm tank now. The one good thing about where the industry went is prices, affordable high wattage devices, drippers and tanks are now out there for everyone to buy. It was a lot harder back in 2014 to pick up a decent vaping kit for a low price.

Who or what makes you laugh?

Morecambe and Wise, Steptoe and Son… heck, any of the classic comedy acts. Also, vape reviewers who espouse the whole “community” thing… but then return to their clique to look down on other sections of the same community they claim to “support”. Pointing and laughing at them cheers me up immensely.

If you won the Lottery, what would you do?

What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you on camera?

Hell, too many to list. I do live shows every week on YouTube (on VULive and VUKN) and stuff goes wrong on the live shows all the time. The Aqua FX for instance. Tried to coil and wick one of those damn things on a live show. It took almost an hour. I hate that tank.

Invest in Google and Facebook, buy a house, throw the rest in the bank and then live off the interest.

Heck who am I kidding, I’d probably drink myself to death and gamble it all away, or invest all of it in an ecig company, take the company over and then run that company into the ground cause I don’t have a clue about how to actually run an ecig company… but it’s the thought that counts, right?

What’s your favourite pastime?

I don’t have a pastime anymore, I spend most of my day recording, most of the evening editing and uploading. My videos look like uncontrolled trainwrecks but it takes time to make the trainwreck look good. I do enjoy a few songs at the local pub now and again though.

What would be your advice to someone thinking about coming into this industry (apart from “don’t do it”)?

Depends on what side of the industry.

E-Liquid side… PLEASE… PLEASE launch with at least two flavours that are unusual or are rare. Every e-liquid company has a strawberry milkshake, yours isn’t gonna blow my mind compared to the other two dozen strawberry milkshakes I’ve tried.

On the ecig shop side of things… hire staff that know what they are talking about.

On the reviewing side… start small and work your way up. The worst thing you can do as a reviewer is jump right into the latest and greatest hardware because you are gonna have to buy it in for at least a year until manufacturers start to notice you and send you samples, at even a video a week… that’s gonna cost you. Start off with a base of e-liquid reviews and work up. Also, be yourself, even if it means you got to rant and piss some people off in the process. Reviewing should be about the personality of the reviewer along with the device they are reviewing. Also, avoid the cliques… if you don’t, you will eventually lose touch with vast segments of your potential audience.

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juice review

The Vapers Patisserie ‘I am mightily impressed. These juices have Flavour for days.’ By Allan Braddock

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have been given The Vapers Patisserie e-liquids to review, much to my taste buds joy. The company is UK based, which is great to see. Time for the UK to take on the premium juices from overseas with one of our own.

Try them for yourself, you will not be disappointed.

Dopenut, Bluffin and Sleeze Cake. I’m curious to say the least.

Dopenut: A delicious blend of doughnut, vanilla custard and peanut butter. It smells like a donut, with peanut butter glaze. This ejuice has a good flavour but is not harsh on the throat. It’s the perfect balance of sweet, sugary donut and earthy peanut butter. I would say it is on par with other premium donut liquids. Tastes exactly what it says in the flavour profile. Very impressed.

Sleeze cake: The amazing

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flavour and smell is exactly like eating a lemon cheesecake, with none of the calories. There is no harsh throat hit, just hit after hit of incredible flavour. This will definitely be a new all day vape for me. The sweet cheesecake element balances out the lemon and lime, making it a perfectly balanced sweet and sour eliquid.

Bluffin: My personal favourite.

It smells like a freshly baked blueberry muffin is in front of me, still warm from the oven.

Just from firing it on my RDA before tasting I could smell the subtle cinnamon and sweet, ripe Blueberries. This smooth vape has a subtle cinnamon on the inhale and a sweet muffin and blueberry on the exhale. Cinnamon in an ejuice can be a strong flavour but

this is at all not overpowering.

Perfectly balanced, this ejuice leaves your mouth watering in its wake.

The Packaging of these liquids is also an eye grabber.

Labelling is simple but stylish and intriguing. The samples I was given were in unicorn bottles which is a plus, especially for dripping. The e-Juices are 70/30, but this does not take away from the quality of the juice. These look and act exactly like a premium juice and taste like it too.

I personally recommend this company to any shops or individuals looking for flavourful, fruity cake-based liquids. Even those of you who do not usually vape cake based flavours will be pleasantly surprised.

juice review

E-liquid Review

THE STEEPOLOGIST

by Kes Khan

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teepologist has given the world four fantastic flavours, with something fitting everyone’s preference, be your taste for fruit, desserts or creams.

First up is Master Baker, a cinnamon bun liquid. The initial flavour is that of a rich brown sugar, partnered by a delicate bakery. On the exhale you’re left with a perfectly subtle cinnamon, just enough to

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enjoy, but not so much that it’s harsh or bitter as cinnamon liquids can be. Overall I enjoyed this hugely.

Next I tried Blackbeard’s Curse which is a blueberry cheesecake. The most prominent notes I picked out were dark berries throughout the vape, a light cream base and a cheesecake crust to support.

Although this is a common flavour profile, I felt this one does it very well as it didn’t

come across as sickly or overly sweet, and was more refined than others I have tried.

Pink lady: to me this flavour screams one thing; Juicy Fruit chewing gum. Growing up in England this is a taste that throws me way back to my childhood. Described as a strawberry kiwi bubblegum vape, it definitely lives up to this label. It starts off with a sweet strawberry which remains throughout the inhale and exhale, backed up by a bubblegum undertone and a generally nice candied fruit flavour.

Possibly my favourite thing about this liquid is that it leaves a delectable coating of the flavour in your mouth, so it’s perfect for anyone who enjoys that ‘sugarlips’ feeling.

My final endeavour into the Steepologist’s line up was Mistress Gelato. Reading the

description of this flavour I thought I would enjoy it, and I was right. This is a raspberry and white chocolate ice cream with toffee sauce, just as described, with a perfect balance of all the notes mentioned. The raspberry floats throughout the whole vape, while the white chocolate adds body, as well to the overall ice cream flavour through the creaminess. On the exhale the toffee is present, but never overpowering.

I was delighted to vape a liquid with white chocolate done so well, as I have found chocolate vapes very hit or miss.

My overall opinion on the line - it’s great. I’d happily recommend these liquids to anyone due to the range of flavours. Every flavour is well balanced, rich and smooth while not being sickly or overpowering. If you see this in a shop near you, grab a bottle. You won’t be disappointed !

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tank review

Kangertech

Dripbox 160 Tank Review

by The Devil Vaper So, here is the latest addition to the Dripbox family - the Kangertech Dripbox 160 - kindly supplied by the team at Vape Distribution Limited.

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t comes as an all-in-one starter kit. You get the mod, the RDA and some prebuilt coils and decks to put into the RDA, plus a bag of bits. All you need to do is put a pair of 18650s into the base, fill the reservoir with your favourite juice, and you’re good to go! ... Or are you?

The Dripbox 160 offers 160w of variable wattage power from two 18650 batteries, various temperature control options and an extremely convenient squonker design. This

comes in the form of a 7ml on-board reservoir which you squeeze to push juice up into the RDA. Overall, I think it’s a great idea!

So, let’s get down to the device. After removing the Dripbox from its packaging, I removed the top cap from the RDA and found two extremely poor excuses for Clapton coils, unevenly spaced and bent along with cotton that looks like it was rammed in there with some force. It won’t do! I removed the original wick and straightened out the coils so they would heat up evenly and I wicked it up with some Texas Tuff Cotton.

I removed the 7ml juice reservoir, stored conveniently behind a magnetised door on the base of the device, and topped it up with my favourite juice at the time, Lemon Lush by The Demon Vaper. As always, I pre-dripped on the cotton and coils to speed up the wicking process, squeezed the squonk bottle on the device a few times to flood the deck of the RDA and that’s it. Put in two batteries and job’s done!

I set the device to 60w, it wasn’t enough, 80w... still not enough… 100w seemed to be a reasonable figure to vape at. Cloud production was good as was the flavour - nothing mind blowing, but it was acceptable. The airflow

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is adjustable by turning the top cap/drip tip assembly, and also allows you to select a highly restricted mouth to lung airflow option.

Not something for me, but it may suit others.

One thing though, the power seemed to lack a bit of punch. The 100w didn’t seem like a true 100w -more like an 80-85w - so I transferred the RDA onto another device, fired it at 100w and it was so much better. This made me question the true power output of the device The Clapton coils seem to spit and pop at whatever wattage you set them to, and rather inconveniently, due to the orientation of the air holes, the spits either went up my nose or on my chin. Because of this, I swapped the original coils for a pair of stainless steel coils coming out at 0.15ohm. This improved the flavour and reduced the spitback to near on nothing. Kangertech also provide you with a

spitback protection insert which I use from time to time, but it does tend to mute the flavour slightly.

The temperature control modes seem to be a bit sketchy at times. The stainless steel mode sometimes fails to fire, as if it has sensed a dry wick, even when it’s fully saturated. I rarely use temperature control, so this doesn’t bother me, but to regular users of TC, it may be a big downfall of the device.

To conclude, it’s a great looking and feeling device. On paper, it sounds great too. But it lacks a vital, powerful punch in wattage mode. The temperature control modes are a bit hit and miss and the included coils are an absolute state. Because of this, I wouldn’t recommend it to absolute beginners. It’s better suited to people who are more experienced in coil building. It’s a nice, budget device to get intermediate vapers into squonking, but don’t expect to be blown away.

juice review

BIG FOOT DECODED Review by Josh Payne

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he device I used for this review was a 75W Sigelei TC with a Triton 2 tank, 0.3 Ohm coil, firing at 50W. This was not a blind taste-test however a pleasant surprise still followed. Every year my

local area puts on a fair, the prize snack of choice being mini-donuts. Big Foot delivers just that, on the inhale, a smooth dough taste, the exhale presents a slight sugar hit to the aforementioned flavour.

The importance is the sugar, it takes care of any hint of blandness which is associated with similar juices, but it is not overpowering. A definite entry into the ADV category - best vaped after dinner, or on a long walk on a summers’ day.

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interview

DEXTER Subohm caught up with Dexter Mowatt, Managing Director at Vape Importers Ltd this month.

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How long have you been involved with the industry and what got you started?

What’s the most exciting thing about your job?

In 2009 I was Series Editor for a live Psychic TV show for Living TV. I spent hours in a windowless edit suite clucking for a cigarette when a sound engineer walked in puffing away on a disposable! One puff later and I was totally hooked and mesmerised by what I truly thought was the most gamechanging product ever created. The next day I had ordered a 510 PCC case from TECC and a week later I had contacted the few cigarette companies that existed in an attempt to secure an exclusive affiliate marketing deal. By 2010 I had become the face of a new cigarette brand called Jasper and Jasper online, if you search ‘Jasper and Jasper review’ on YouTubeyou can still find the videos!

The most exciting thing I do is try to forecast future trends, which is how I would answer the question if this was an interview with the bank or Alan Sugar. In reality I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world, fortunate enough to travel the world visiting vape exhibitions to test out everything new on the market. Last month I found myself drinking a magnum of DomPerignon champagne on a boat in Miami with David and his team at Element Eliquid, Jacob Johnson and Cam Winans from Buckshot, Marco from Robilio, Lee and the gang from UK Vaper Expo and, of course, some lovely ladies. It’s always nice to hang out and party with the people you do business with.

What was being sold back then?

Who’s inspired you most in your career?

The only ecigarette in the shops were Gamucci disposables and you could buy cartomizers online from Totally Wicked, but eliquid hadn’t yet hit the scene. Nowadays you see vapers everywhere you go, back then I literally didn’t see another person vaping in public for over a year! I once got thrown flat on my face outside a London bar because the bouncers thought I was smoking inside. It was a very strange time to be a vaper, I felt like a Hon Lik disciple spreading the good word of vaping everywhere I went.

An ex-girlfriend’s dad is a legend called Adam Curry who became best known for inventing the Podcast and being a US MTV presenter.

Probably the coolest and smartest guy I know.

I couldn’t believe he had made a career doing the opposite of what I’d always been told as a kid. This guy smoked pot in his underpants most of the day and recorded a few podcasts while remotely running a multimillion pound online media company from his Surrey based man-cave. He was also married to the Guinness Book of Records holder for oldest

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interview ever playboy cover girl. I was very inspired by him.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do different?

I would have set up Vape Importers Ltd two years sooner.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

Over 4 years ago I signed my life away to Monkey Kingdom, the reality TV producers behind Made in Chelsea. I sold my soul to Channel 4 and Blackberry…. thankfully the show flopped and I regained the rights to all my income along with the ability to speak freely!

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

My mother always told me to ‘regret the things you do do, not the things you don’t do’.

I have spent most of my life failing to achieve what has often seemed the impossible, but I’ve never feared failure. Fearing failure is what holds most people back from reaching their full potential.

What are your top 5 eliquids of all time?

As uncool as it sounds I have to acknowledge that my first ADV was Hangseng tobacco which I vaped exclusively for around 4 years. Since then I’ve become addicted to la Belle Epoque from BordO2, Banana Nut from Element, Ugly butter by Bad Drip and I can’t currently get 22

enough of Blue Waffle from Sub Ohm Juice!

Do you have any hidden talents?

I am honestly a man of very few talents, however, I love to pretend I’m in the VGOD trick team when no one is watching. It’s only taken a couple of years but when the conditions are right and the air is almost nonexistent… I can pull off a mean Jelly fish that even Danny Lolo would be proud of!

If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why?

I’d have to be a shaven chimpanzee, I’d just wear normal clothes and vape 24/7 so no-one could see my face!

If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play you?

Well, I’d obviously try to pull a “Sylvester Stallone” and put myself forward for the role by agreeing to a nonexistent pay cheque. Failing that it would be someone a lot better looking and talented… or perhaps a talented female actress with a well-defined chin.

If you found yourself shipwrecked on a deserted island, what three items would you want to have with you?

Kangertech Dropbox 160, 1,000ml of Blue Waffle and a boat.

You can keep up with Dexter’s antics on Snapchat - Dextereo.

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mod review

MADE IN AMERICA

by Joe Craven

Joe Craven reviews the Rig V2 and the matching RoughNeck V2 RDA from American Made – and at over £200 these are certainly at the highest end of the market - but well worth every penny.

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s we all know, regulated mods dominate the vaping market from your basic Cool Fire IVs all the way

to premium devices like the Tuglyfe DNA200 Box Mod or any DNA 200 chipped device. With these devices, whether they be powered

by an internal rechargeable battery or you need to stick in a couple of 18650s, you know exactly what you’re getting both Wattage and Voltage wise, and in some of the more expensive and newer mods temperature as well.

You are in control, you know how to make each vape you take perfect.

Regulated Mods were a revelation to the industry when they burst onto the scene as they allowed Vapers to tailor the vape to their needs, want and desires.

They were a much needed upgrade from the normal pen style batteries that we all started on, but now I see more and more long term vapers switching back to unregulated devices. I’m not talking about going back the CE4 Clearamizors or eGo batteries that last a couple

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of hours if you only take 3 tokes at a time, I’m talking big heavy Mech Mods. So why are people turning back the clock and Vaping on an unregulated device you may ask? Well, it’s all about flavour and clouds.

Having attended many Vape meet ups and seen countless Cloud Comps, I was intrigued how these guys were producing a fog that Victorian London would be proud of, and how I could do the same. After asking around, and generally lurking next to anyone who had entered these Comps, I was shown the world of Mech Mods and how the single 18650 devices would kick out more power and take lower ohms than some of the more expensive mods.

If you do a quick google search on Mech Mods you will find a plethora of different devices ranging in price and a whole load of information about safety when using such a device but no real answers on which to get. Having tried different Mech Mods, and asking regular users which to get, the answer was always the same - spend big or not at all.

The more money you spend the better quality you will receive. The higher the price the better the quality of the materials that have gone into building your device, which in turn will give you a much better power output to help you produce those big clouds and that awesome flavour.

I opted to buy the Rig V2 and the matching RoughNeck V2

RDA from American Made – and at over £200 retail price. these are certainly at the highest end of the market but well worth every penny.

A basic mechanical mod is a tube of metal, such as stainless steel or brass.

Along with the tube, there’s a firing pin that allows for the current in the battery to reach the attached RDA, they’re extremely durable and modifiable meaning you can drop these in water and then pull them out dry them off and be up and running again in no time. They are basic, simple, but potentially harmful.

And yes, you read that correctly, potentially harmful, but so are regulated mods so don’t get too worried. The major danger comes from the battery - as it does with

all mods – so, as long as you practise good battery safety you’ll be fine.

Another problem with Mech Mods is defects - buying a Mech Mod is like buy a car, just because your mate’s Fiat Punto isn’t a banger doesn’t mean the one you’ve seen on Autotrader isn’t either. Never buy a Mech Mod without getting your hands on it first; the last thing you need is to buy a Mech Mod with a deformed battery chamber effectively turning it into a time-bomb waiting to go off.

If you are looking for stronger flavour, and increased vapor production, have a solid understanding of ohm’s law and battery amperes limits, then go for it! If you don’t, but still want a Mech Mod, make sure you do your research and stay safe.

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tank review

THE TOP AIR FLOW

Griffin 25mm

Review by Steve Vapes

After a year of RTAs spilling onto the market, some good - some completely horrendous, I keep coming back to the top air flow Griffin 25’.

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his tank has impressed me so much for so many reasons I can’t leave it alone. After trialing and reviewing a lot of others I always seem to return to my trusty Griffin.

The Griffin gives you the option of using either a dual or single coil velocity style build deck. This is 17mm wide and has a clicking air flow ring that is easy to adjust and firm enough to stay in place

and not slip without the user knowing.

to be fair, is more than an adequate for most vapers.

The innovative top air flow design takes in air from the top of the tank, just underneath the driptip and then takes the added airflow through the double barreled chimney right down to the coils. These features enhance the flavor rather than muffle it. Geek Vape claim it has 6ml liquid capacity, but after measuring this myself, I found it to only holds 5.2ml which,

The tank itself stands 54mm tall with a 9mm wide chimney; the tank is 25mm wide (the hints in the name) but it bevels at the base to only 23.5mm so the tank sits nicely on almost any mod.

The build deck is huge for an RTA and any hobbyist vaper will have the time of their lives building this deck.

I found wicking takes a small amount of practice, but, in my opinion, less is more when it comes to the cotton used for the wick. The flavour and vapour production of this tank is second to none. Filling the tank is almost a pleasure because of the over-sized kidney bean shaped fill ports.

You can pretty much tip the liquid straight from the bottle 27

tank review

with no need for drippers.

The tank is designed very well. It has internal logos imprinted on the chimney within the tank which really shows how important the details are to Geek Vape. This tank stands out a mile for me because of its nice wide airflow.

Although I love my wide flows, vapers at the other end of the spectrum can restrict the air flow for mouth to lung hits.

The Griffin 25mm comes packaged with a two replaceable glasses, one clear and the other frosted and plenty of spare o-rings in a range of colours. This means the flavor production, the vaper production and appearance are all down to the user’s preference.

To get the cons out of the way won’t take long as I have only found two. First, the juice flow

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must be shut off every time you refill the tank, as this creates a vacuum and it will leak like crazy if you leave it open.

The second is the small amount of juice that builds up around the airflow. However, this is down to the way I vape. I tend to breath into the tank before I inhale and this is what I believe causes this.

Now for the pros: a 5ml capacity, a massive build deck, an incredible airflow, flavour and vaper production is outstanding. Of course, the ability to customise how my tank looks is also another great feature.

Let’s just say I’m in love!

clean room

FULL STEAM AHEAD

2

016 looks set to be the biggest year yet for vaping, despite the introduction of the dreaded TPD, which came into force in May.

While a considerable number of the Directive’s requirements are seen as completely unnecessary by many in the vaping world, every cloud has a silver lining and some aspects have been welcomed in certain quarters.

Companies which have been around since vaping started here in the UK have seen thousands of brands flood the market from overseas and closer to home, selling liquids at vastly reduced prices - in some cases using inferior ingredients and somewhat questionable production techniques.

Manufacturers are now required to produce all e liquid sold in the UK in an ISO graded lab, and all ingredients need to be certified safe by expert toxicologists. Gone will be the days when your liquids could have potentially been mixed in someone’s bathtub.

Archie Powell MD of Decadent Vapours commented: “A well-regulated industry means that the quality of a product and stringency of manufacturing process are now the rule and no longer optional extras or corners to be cut.”

2015 saw an industry growth of 24% on the previous year, with over two million adults switching to vaping. The number of vapers is expected to rise even further this year, sensible regulation was long overdue.

The issues that many people have with the

30

Directive is its seemingly sledgehammer approach. Its effects on legitimate UK companies remain to be seen.

Vaping sales continue to grow, with a vape shop now a regular sight on our high street and cigalikes becoming one of the fastest growing supermarket products - over 17 million units were sold last year. Vaping is here to stay and, in recognition of this fact, we thought you might like to see Decadent Vapours’ very shiny TPD-compliant production line.

Based in Swansea, Decadent Vapours have been manufacturing e liquids from scratch since 2009. They let us in behind the usually sealed laboratory doors to snap a few pics.

DV make all their own flavourings and, before they even mix, they test scores of ingredients, searching far and wide for the perfect raw materials that will combine to create the right flavour profile.

Prototypes of flavours are created, tested, altered and refined over and over again.

It is only after repeated internal sampling and surveying that test flavours go out to external reviewers.

31

E-liquid reviewers are a passionate and exacting bunch, and it takes a lot to impress them. Following their feedback, any necessary tweaks are made, given a final public test and then they’re ready.

The e-liquids are manufactured in an ISO 7 lab with clean rooms, to ensure that there is no contamination and there is batch consistency. Every single product has a Certificate of Analysis to confirm it is Diacetyl, DEG and AP free.

To get a flavour right can take many months. If DV’s mixmeisters aren’t happy with a flavour they go back to the drawing board and reformulate the whole thing. DV’s award-winning ‘Crème Anglaise’ flavour went 32 through 22 versions before the mixing team found what they knew to be the right balance.

juice review

VAPE SNACKS ‘Toasty’ Review by Matt Lockyer

T

his is a top quality e liquid. No expense has been spared to perfect this blend. After seeing it on all the top social media apps I just had to get my hands on a bottle!

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The juice arrives in a lovely sign written box which instantly tells me time and effort have been put into this product. It comes in a big 120ml bottle with a nice

30ml gorilla drip tube, which is much preferred for the daily grind as the bottle is way to big to lug around and the tube sits nicely in the pocket taking up minimal room.

As for the juice, strawberry toasty! This flavour is divine, the taste grows the further you go down the bottle. It starts with a lovely of waffley, toasty but strawberry inhale that immediately sends the taste buds wild. On the exhale you are hit with a massive burst of oh so awesome cream and sprinkles. It’s so sweet and sugary your mouth is watering, and it really does get in between your teeth, almost feel the vapor sticking to the inside of your mouth.

So massive flavour is definitely delivered, you can also

produce a huge amount of fog off of this juice as its max vg if I remember rightly. I’m chugging on this through my new limitless RDTA (which is absolutely unreal!) at .22 ohms and it’s delightful. Generally one my favourite all day vapes, the flavour just doesn’t get boring. There are a lot of flavours out there like this but this is the daddy! I Haven’t found this in a shop yet, only online as far as I know.

Overall this is a brilliant e liquid. I would recommend this to anyone who is into their strawberry vapes. Definitely a 10/10 from me!

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ohm brew

TIME FOR YOU TO BREW!

by Martin Norton

Dear vapers, You may have read a couple of articles I have written on home brewing in the Sub-Ohm magazine. But the question is - have you tried to brew any yourselves?

I

currently have approximately 2000ml in various stages of steeping, and I am considering what to make next - as variety is the spice of life! I’m also looking into more bottles and other storage containers.

I will start with a prospective recipe I have found on e-liquid-recipes.com: Mother’s Unicorn Milk by a mix master with the user name apwroblewski.

I believe this is a clone of a main stream juice, but the recipe has received 256 reviews giving it 4.5 stars out of 5. The recipe is as follows: Ingredients: • Bavarian Cream 4% • Cheesecake (Graham Crust) 5% • Strawberry (ripe) 10%

• Sweet Cream 4% • Vanilla Custard 3%

transfer well to a sub-ohm juice.

These flavours are from ‘The flavour/Perfumer’s Apprentice’ brand I suggest making this in 100ml batches as it makes measuring easier to begin with. This was based on a plus ohm recipe, but it would 37

ohm brew I advise a 3-4 week steep as it has cream and custard flavours.

Another point to note - the breath time on this mix should be no more than 12 hours, as strawberry is one of the few flavours that suffers from a diminished taste with a lengthy breath.

So, what are you waiting for?

Go out and buy some concs and start mixing, explore the e-liquid recipe websites to see what you can mix in and look at the different types of bottles out there.

Firstly, mixing on the cheap!

You can use any container with a lid basically. I know people who use glass jars, soda bottles, and glass bottles with the caps attached with wire - basically any container with a secure lid.

I find glass jars are an easy way to mix because they have wide openings so you can put them on

a scale and pour in your ingredients at the desired measurements, they are also easy to siphon out using syringes up to 100ml capacity. You can easily sterilise them in the dishwasher.

The only concern with using jars is that children can easily open them and, as e-liquid tends to have a sweet aroma it could be dangerous with the added nicotine.

Remember - you don’t have to add

nicotine until your liquid is ready to vape if this helps with the kiddy danger, 38

however, I would consider bottles with child proof caps.

It’s not worth your littles ones being ill from playing with your juice.

I like to use HDPE bottles with a spout - like you find on sauce bottles in a greasy spoon. They are easy to fill and decant into small bottles or even your tank, they are also squeezable. Some plastic bottles are very stiff and make it hard to squeeze out the liquid.

Smaller bottles I like are the unicorn bottles which are slim and easily fit into a pocket.

They can be a pain to fill, but are easier to carry as they are not bulky.

Use the internet to search, research and create. You’ll be amazed at how much you save on your sauce!