Subohm #17

#17

Modders Block Ric ModMaker speaks to YouTube legend Scott Bonner.

Mech Stop

An insight into the mysterious world of mechanical madness.

Vape Jam

Vape Jam UK returns and we bring you the ultimate show guide inside.

Editors notes

Contents

Another month and, in this issue of Subohm, our main focus is on the fth installment of London’s highly anticipated Vape Jam. I’m sure we’re all excited to see what happens at this show.

Isaac Merriman, Managing Director of RMW, chats to us about his new product.

We’ve been working away, testing some of the industry’s nest liquids and hardware to bring you update on what’s hot in the market at this time of year… and you’re going to love what we have for you.

Jessica Boyle reviews Vornagain’s latest release.

We’ve got two special modder features: Ric Grove’s regular modder’s block, where you can learn all about Scott Bonner, a talented modder with some lovely products, and our new feature, the Mech Stop with Daniel Jenkins.

4-5 Zeal

6 Vornagain 11 Tyro

Rachel Cook tries the Vaptio Tyro pen-style vape.

12-13 Ric Modmaker Ric meets the Godfather of YouTube vape reviews.

You may have noticed our cover this month is not a coil!

Well, with the massive uptake of pod systems across the market from vapers, we thought it was about time we featured one on our cover, and this one is a doozy!

Check out page 4-5 to read our chat with the guy who brought the Zeal to the UK market and believe me, this is a revolutionary device. More to come on this one in our next issue.

17-18 One Pro

If you’re reading this at the show, you’ll nd a handy map in the centerfold and a list of everyone here who you can follow up after the show.

Our complete guide to the upcoming Vape Jam.

Be sure not to miss the awards ceremony on Saturday, which we’re hosting, and we’ll be announcing the winners in our next issue.

We sat down with Tony, the founder of TD Distro.

For now, keep your head in the clouds, and enjoy.

Aidan Ward tries Supergood’s Cocktail Collection.

Contacts

Charlie Kent - Publishing Editor Kent@sub-ohm.co.uk 01923 882 103 Milo Phillips - Publisher Milo@kentphillips.co.uk 01923 882 103 Address: 42-44 Clarendon Rd, Watford WD17 1JJ Follow us on social media: @subohm_magazine Subscribe for free at www.sub-ohm.co.uk Subohm magazine is published 6 times per year by Kent Phillips 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 e ort 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 Ltd and their Agents. © Kent Phillips Ltd. 2019

Roy McPeake reviews the Artery Pal One Pro.

20-21 Bord02

Alex Flynn tries ve French juices.

24-29 Vape Jam 30-31 TD Distro

32-33 Supergood

39-40 Mech Spotlight

The rst edition of Mech Stop, your monthly column for everything mech related.

45-46 Vaping View

Neil Cozens reviews the Gear RTA.

48 Horoscopes

What does your sign tell you this month?

50 Compliance Corner Lee Bryan keeps us informed with the latest in Compliance Corner.

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interview

CoLaboratory EFFORTS RMW Laboratories is a Somerset-based manufacturing company that’s run by long-time vapers with ten years’ industry experience between them.

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hey’re also the sole distributor of Zeal pod systems – Isaac Merriman, Managing Director of RMW, chatted to us about his new product.

Isaac, what is zeal?

Zeal is dedication or enthusiasm for something. If you have zeal, you’re willing, energized, and motivated.

Zeal has one purpose: to end adult smoking And what sets ZEAL apart from other pod systems on the market?

Zeal has many new patented features including ‘ avour boost’ wireless charging and no downtime! Some of the features will be unveiled at the Shenzhen eCig Expo (IECIE) 2019; and in the UK at November’s Vaper Expo in Birmingham

Does Zeal have pre- lled pod or are they re llable?

Both are available.

manufacturers in the UK. If you think your brand has what it takes to be a part of Zeal - get in touch.

So, what juice options do we have with your prells?

What challenges have you faced bringing this product to market?

We have four major brand collaborations and we are looking to form juice partnerships with some of the largest e-liquid

The Industry is at a turning point: the regulations and testing procedures for the pre- lled pod system are much clearer than that of 10ml products and Aroma/ short ll. So, although the testing process is longer, and far stricter, we believe this allows us to o er the consumer the cleanest, safest, vapour device.

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review

SUCK IT AND SEE Review by Jessica Boyle

Dulled taste buds? Vape losing its avour? You’re not alone. Read on to nd out how you can reboot your taste buds…

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ave you heard of vaper’s tongue?

Well, even if you haven’t heard of it, you’ve probably experienced it at some point.

For the rst minute or so, it seems like any normal sweet your mum might give to you before a ight but give it another minute and a tingling sensation starts to kick in… and intensify.

As a regular vaper, you may have noticed a temporary loss, or at least a lessening, of your taste buds at some point. This is what’s known as vaper’s tongue and, while it’s not in any way damaging to your health, it’s pretty annoying, especially when you’ve got a great-tasting juice you want to use.

The best way I can describe it is it’s like those ‘lip plumping’ glosses that were all the rage in the early Noughties, or something akin to those early experiments with gel-based products from Ann Summers. Bottom line – it’s not an unpleasant sensation.

Never fear! The clever people at Vornagain have come up with a solution.

About ten minutes after nishing my Head Candy sweet, I can honestly say that my taste buds had been rebooted. Please note the website says 15 minutes – so it may take a little longer.

Head Candy is a plant-based sweet, dreamed up in the Vornagain labs to reset your taste buds in just 15 minutes. There are plenty of di erent colours, although they’re all the same avour.

This doesn’t mean they’re one-note though, as most users experience a change in avour as they eat the sweet.

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I’d also like to note that these sweets are handy for more than just vaper’s tongue – I’m con dent they could clear the taste of the blackest co ee from your

most dire hangover, or even the after taste of a family bag of a supermarket’s ownbrand onion rings.

Vornagain say they’ve had feedback from people in the gaming community and courier drivers who report Head Candy works surprisingly well as a natural lift, keeping them energized over long sessions in front of the screen or behind the wheel.

It’s interesting to see such a unique product on the market, and I’m excited to see what other innovations we can look forward to as the vaping community grows.

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hardware review

Vaptio Tyro Review by Rachel Cook

Having looked at the market, Vaptio and ecigwizard have created a pen-style vape in an e ort to create the perfect all-rounder.

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he Vaptio Tyro has a no-mess, twist- ll top with a concealed hole to prevent any leaking; an adjustable air ow at the bottom and, the biggest plus for me, it’s compatible with Nautilus coils. If you’ve run out of coils and don’t have time to wait on shipping, you can pick up a nautilus coil in most vape shops for £12.99 to keep you going.

The responsive COSMO C2 0.7Ω coil that comes with the kit holds up well, even when vaping particularly sweet liquids – something that can’t be said for my favourite (up until now) the Aspire Pckex.

In fact, all my main issues with the Pockex, which are primarily caused by me being clumsy, have been solved with this kit. I can replace the drip tip from anywhere as it has the generic 510 if it gets scu ed,

as well as glass replacement when I break it (it’s inevitable and has already happened...).

For the MTL vapers, if you prefer a tighter hit, Vaptio also provides a COSMO C1 1.6Ω coil in the kit and they’re releasing a 1.2Ω Ceramic Coil soon.

Delving deeper into the tech specs, the Tyro has some well thought out, vital safety features; short-circuit protection, low-voltage protection, over-vaping protection and overcharging protection. For someone who is still uneasy about charging 1500mAh lithium batteries, this puts my mind at ease.

The Tyro comes in six colours: black, stainless steel, red, blue, purple and, of course, rainbow. The blue, purple and red have a gradient nish to stainless steel which is a nice touch.

The only downside is that the paint does wear o or chip eventually but this is true of any vape and the Tyro seems hard wearing.

I’m a die hard fan of the Aspire Pockex, but I’d have to say the Vaptio Typo is converting me – I think I may buy myself another.

The top- ll clicks as you twist it shut, preventing air bubbles and ooding. As a side note, I really squeezed the bottle when I was lling up the tank and it didn’t back up and leak out.

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interview

Ric ModMaker’s MODDERS BLOCK

Modmaker supplies high-end modders with the parts they need to make the best custom mods in the world. My name is Ric Groves and my task is to interview these modders and give you a behindthe-scenes look at the people who make the fancy stu .

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or this month’s issue, I met a man who needs little introduction to the experienced vaper. He’s the Godfather of YouTube vape reviews with the longest-running review channel. Now he’s turning his hand to modding and is making some incredibly beautiful hand-crafted mods.

Let’s meet him…

What’s your name?

Scott Bonner What’s your company name?

TurnWoodFX (Also known as TFX MODS) What, and how, do you like to vape?

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These days I only ever use squonk mods. My most used setup is a TFX-75C, combined with the Pro le RDA, and for juice, I like to vape my version of Krispy Treats. The Pro le RDA is dead cheap but it’s a brilliant vape that produces a ton of avour and I love how the ramp up time of the mesh coil is pretty much instant!

How long have you been making mods?

I started just over a year ago now.

What made you start?

I never intended to become a modmaker, it was something that just kind of happened. During my ten years as a reviewer (igetcha69 on YouTube), I had the good fortune to

come into contact with lots of amazing devices but I was always drawn towards the hand-made mods that were created from stabilised wood and resin.

I wondered how the actual stab wood and hybrid blocks were made so, I decided to do a bit of searching on YouTube, for information on the subject. Very quickly I became xated with the idea of making my own, as the process looked so enjoyable and I thought it would make an excellent hobby.

I bought some basic equipment and began making my own stabilised wood and hybrid blocks and posted some pictures on my Instagram and Facebook pages. Surprisingly, people asked if they could purchase them and within a few weeks, I started to supply my blocks to established modmakers.

From there I guess the natural progression was to try my hand at making a mod for myself and, within a few months, I was selling my mods to the public.

Now I sell three models: the TFX-Ohm - which is an 18650 ClickFet mod, the TFX-Kera (my most popular) - which is a ClickFet Squonker and, most recently, I’ve added the TFX-75C - which is a regulated squonker and uses the DNA75C... that one still needs a decent name though!

What equipment and materials do you use to make your mods?

By far the most used pieces of equipment are my manual milling machine, manual lathe and hand router. In addition to those three essentials are my table saw, band saw, countless hand tools and stabilising and casting equipment. I’ve also built a 3-axis CNC router, which is brilliant for making things such as custom faceplates and engraving work. The materials I work

with are mainly exotic burls which I purchase from places as far away as Australia and Russia and I stabilise all the wood myself and cast the blocks in-house.

What are the biggest changes on the modding scene?

Sadly, the most noticeable change I’ve seen recently is modmakers shutting up shop due to lack of interest.

Over the past six months I’ve witnessed some amazing modmakers having to down tools and walk away. I know I will really miss seeing those guys post their stunning work. These days the quality from Chinese manufacturers has improved greatly and you can now get a massproduced setup that will provide an excellent vape without breaking the bank. So, I can certainly understand why consumers now struggle to see the bene t of spending so much more on a bespoke mod made by a modmaker.

However, for me there will always be something very special about owning a hand-made mod that is original and unique.

What’s new and what’s happening in the near future with your mods?

The latest mod I’ve added to my line-up is a DNA75C regulated squonker which is currently known as the TFX-75C... I really need to come up with a better name for it though! I’m currently designing a regular DNA75C mod and, in the future, I will be looking to add a dualbattery mod and 21700 versions of my current models Where can people see your work and buy your mods?

You can nd my website at: www.TurnWoodFX.com My Facebook page at: Facebook.com/TurnWoodFX And my Instagram at: Instagram.com/TurnWoodFX 13

hardware review

Artery Pal One Pro FRIEND OR FOE? Review by Roy McPeake

A very neat and small package awaits you, with a picture of the device barely visible on the front alongside the nonsense warning.

CONTENTS One Pro

• 2x cotton coils (1x0.7ohm & 1x1.2ohm) • spares • USB cable • small blue screwdriver • branded coin (more on this later) • warranty card • Quality control cert • instruction guide

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he device itself is made of zinc alloy which feels sturdy in the hand, but not heavy. It has the look of the billet box but is much smaller. The inbuilt battery is 1200mAh which lasts a full day of vaping.

At the top of the device is the 510 ultem drip tip; on the side is the USB charge port and also the air inlet.

On front is the re button ( ve clicks on/o ) and the LED indication light (nice feature as it glows purple when battery is getting low).

Take o the back panel and you nd the inbuilt 2ml tank.

Simply slide the glass down to show the ll port, which has a little rubber ap to stop the juice coming back out. Just below the tank you’ll see a very small screw which, when turned, adjusts the air ow. The air ow can go from very restricted to very airy.

The front panel can also be removed to reveal a blank plate, which leads me to assume that artery is bringing out replacement panels sometime.

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hardware review

The coils that come with the device are artery branded but there are other popular coils that t so you won’t be stuck nding replacements.

I spent four weeks getting to know this device and vaping on it every day and found it very easy to ll on the go, comfortable to use and the battery life was way better than expected (up to two days).

Using the mouth-tolung (MTL) coil, you get a restricted, yet avoursome, vape. I was using 20mg Nic salts and, compared with other MTL devices, the vape was very smooth. The avour started to mute after two weeks of use.

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With the SubOhm coil, I felt it was trying to be something it wasn’t, - a cloud chucker without the clouds. The avour started to mute after about eight days’ use.

To replace the coil, you remove the 510 drip tip and unscrew the 510 housing using the coin mentioned above. You can then slide the tank out and remove the glass, which gives you access to the coil. Remove the chimney tting and drop out the coil. To t, you just do the reverse, which can be slightly ddly.

All in all, this is a great alternative to the traditional stick device for those who are looking for a sturdy allin-one system that’s small

and easy to carry for their rst venture into vaping.

IN BRIEF One Pro Pros • Good battery life • Easy to ll • Nice to hold • Good avour Cons • Airhole is easily covered when vaping • Awkward to replace coils

juice review

Bord02

AN EXCELLENT VINTAGE Review by Alex Flynn

Bord02 are a French e-liquid company, born in the Bordeaux region which gave them the inspiration for the name. Their packaging is instantly recognizable and, for this range – Les Déglignos (which Google tells me means ‘trickery’) - the imagery on each bottle is so morbidly wonderful, that I’ve included a little description of each one.

All of the following vapes have 0mg of nicotine.

[An unsuspecting surfer is literally split in two in a jet skiing accident]

[I’m not 100% sure – and I hope I’m wrong - but it looks like someone wearing a koala bear as a shoe - and I’m not convinced the koala’s dead]

The inspiration for this avour is pineapple cake. The creators have stayed faithful to their source material and the pineapple is unmistakeable. The cake avour is de nitely there, but it has none of the buttery biscuit base undertones that so many dessert juices seem to have.

This avour is based on red apples and pear. The taste of pear is perfect – with exactly the same sensation on inhaling as you get about a minute into sucking a pear drop.

The thick pear avour is then undercut by the crispness of a bright red apple. Absolutely perfect as an all-day vape as it’s juicy, but not too sweet.

Point Break

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Angry Feet

Hell’s Kitchen

Best Friends

Free Hug

[A blender with a baby in it – mid pulse. Even with the excellent comedic touch of the baby’s severed arm turning the blender on, this image is so gross it almost put me o trying it.]

[A baby which looks like its mum lactates Red Bull with an arm cut o sitting next to a Doberman with an ear ripped o and the baby’s arm somehow threaded through his neck]

[A man-eating plant chows down on a tween’s head.

Pretty tame by Bord02’s standards]

Having never tried red guava fruit jam – which is the inspiration for this avour – I’m not fully quali ed to vouch for its authenticity.

What I can say, for sure, is that it’s an excellent alternative for people who love red berry avours but want to try something new.

It’s very sweet, so maybe not ideal for all day vaping, but de nitely one to try.

Based on a traditional French raspberry and almond cake, Best Friends has a heavy biscuit base which really brings out the sweetness of the almond avour. The raspberry is layered over the top, making it a pretty delicate taste considering the bottle has a picture of the kid who bullied Damien in the Omen on it.

You know those Refresher chewy sweets you get in newsagents? The yellow ones in the blue wrappers?

This vape tastes like they liqui ed the sherbert lemon stu in the middle of those. I had never heard of lemon verbena before trying this avour, but I want to plant some ASAP. In the meantime, I can keep vaping Free Hug.

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We’re Jammin The long-awaited Vape Jam is back for its fth instalment.

This show has been a huge part of Subohm and, as a special thanks to the organisers for all the hard work and e ort they put in, we’ve prepared this little homage.

In the spirit of all things Vape Jam, we thought we would revisit some of our best shots from previous shows to get you all rmly in the mood.

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juice review

The Supergood COCKTAIL COLLECTION

Plenty of taste, zero hangover Review by Aidan Ward Supergood are a self-described ‘small business with a big ambition’.

They’ve created a range of cocktail-inspired juices that arouse ‘poolside vibes wherever you are’. They’ll have a hard job as it’s currently pelting down outside, but let’s give them a try.

All of the following vapes have 0mg of nicotine.

Pear zz: champagne, pear and lime.

This is a deliciously refreshing and genuinely

unique avour. Even though I know a vape can’t actually zz (at least, I’d be worried if it did), the lightness of the pear mixed with the zing of the lime really does emulate a light zz. With the addition of the faintest hint of apple,

Pear zz is unlike any cocktail I’ve ever had, but after trying it, I’ve decided to make my own at the next available opportunity.

Strawberry daquiri: strawberry, sugar, citrus and ice.

I have to begin by saying that while this avour is lovely, and de nitely a great all-day vape, fans of the classic cocktail may not get exactly what they’re expecting. The most prominent avour in this liquid is de nitely the citrus, with quite an overwhelming taste of orange on the rst hit. This citrus tang soon gives way to the sugar and the ice cool hit cuts a path

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through the summery sweetness, preventing it from being sickly.

Pornstar martini: passion fruit, orange and vanilla.

I found this avour to be the closest of Supergood’s cocktail collection to its inspiration. The passion fruit is unmistakeable and quite unique as e-liquid avours go. I was surprised by the delicious vanilla after taste, which I wouldn’t have associated with a pornstar martini, but if anything, it’s better. To give some balance, my boyfriend walked in when I was trying this avour. He insisted on trying it and said that it ‘tastes like the shot you regret having at 3am’. So, there’s no accounting for taste, I guess.

Rum Ting: Pineapple, banana, cherry.

By far my favourite of these avours. The best way I can think of describing it is if Hubba-Bubba made a Lilt avoured gum. It’s that good. My initial impression is that’s it’s pure tropical. I can de nitely pick out the cherry and the mellowness of the banana acts as a smoothing undercurrent.

And, just as Rum Ting is my favourite avour, it also has my favourite packaging - looking like an Absynthefuelled postcard from the Caribbean.

it was perhaps a bit too ambitious. I’m happy to report that I couldn’t have been more wrong. All the avours work together perfectly to recreate the fanciest cocktail you’ve ever had at the fanciest person you know’s fancy garden party. The smooth red-fruit avours are lifted by the lime and after just one pull, you’re left with a lingering minty freshness.

Blue pom mojito: Blueberries, pomegranate, lime, mint, sugar.

This is the most elaborate of Supergood’s avours and, before trying it, I thought 33

interview

In conversation with…

TD Distro

TD Distro launched in 2016 with some of the most well-loved, artisan e-liquid brands; such as Teardrip Juice, Hi Drip and Salty Dawg. We sat down with Tony, the founder of the company, to nd out what rst attracted him to vaping, why he’s enticed by the UK market and his favourite products…

Tony, tell me about your company TD Distro was founded in 2016, initially launched with Teardrip Juice Co. We’ve added a few brands since then and it’s really taken o .

We o er perfectly blended avours that go through many hundreds of hours of R&D before we launch them.

What brands do you have?

Brands include: Teardrip, Hi Drip, Hi Drip ICED, Salty Dawg and CA Pops.

What rst got you into vaping?

It started in 2014 when I owned a brick and mortar store in Newport Beach, California. Initially it was just 34

another way to get nicotine that was trendy and tasted amazing but, before I knew it, I was no longer smoking cigarettes. It really just happened by accident.

What inspired someone from the US to focus on the UK market?

The UK market has always been something I wanted to be involved with because of my passion to get people to experience what I did when I quit cigarettes. Ultimately, I wanted to change people’s lives for the better.

What are the main di erences between the US and UK markets?

The biggest di erence is the already established regulations in the UK. So,

it’s nice to see how a market can really ourish while abiding by the government already being involved.

And nally, what do you think is your best product and why?

I can’t choose just one product, but I could narrow it down to three.

I’d de nitely recommend Pearamel (Teardrip), Honeydew Strawberry (Hi Drip), and Revenge of the Geeks (Teardrip).

editorial

Your monthly PITSTOP FOR EVERYTHING MECH RELATED

by Daniel Jenkins Welcome to the rst edition of Mech Stop, your monthly column for everything mech related. It won’t be a review of mech mods as such, although we will feature a di erent mech mod each month, but more of an insight into the mysterious world of mechanical madness - old and new.

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his month I’m looking at the Thunder v2 by Italian modders Delta Vape Mods, circa 2017. With its super-highnish polish, this mech is a sexy edition to your co ee table collection produced in limited runs of just 85 pieces.

The one I’m looking at today is the aluminium version which is also available in copper and brass. Safety is

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editorial key with this mech for the dummies out there who don’t keep an eye on their battery wraps. The delrin sleeve will keep you out of a pickle and prevent your ngers from being stored in a jar.

The switch is a combination of both a spring and a magnet with the latter holding the battery in place and preventing arcing.

There’s hybrid connection for maximum conductivity;

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this does cause a little arcing on the battery when the connection is made but a little silvo clears that up.

With my Alpha rda (vulkan bros) on top, and fresh battery at 4.20 volts, the voltage drop, when tested with my uke multi meter, was pretty non-existent. It’s very hard to nd a matching rda for this number though as it’s aluminium not stainless - the alpha is the best match in my collection.

In the rda I have dual coils coming in at .15 (rngvapes).

It’s a lovely, hot, saturated vape which is my favourite kind of vape.

It’s safe to say the delta has been in my rotation for a solid year now.

So, that’s a wrap for the rst edition of Mech Stop.

More mech madness next month and tutorials to follow…

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hardware review

A Vaping View OF THE GEAR RTA BY OFRF Review by Neil Cozens

It’s no secret that most of my previous attempts at building on RTA’s has usually ended in disaster but, with the Gear RTA, I’m now able to take a step back and work with a much simpler deck. What can go wrong?

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his is the shortest and stubbiest RTA I’ve purchased, at 24mm wide and 24mm high (minus drip tip). This is an instant indicator as to what you can expect from the avour output.

was continually spinning.

Removing the air ow ring, I discovered a notch that needs to be clicked into place to trap those air ow controls

and, by doing so, I was then able to unscrew the deck.

This is something you may need to take into account should you decide to partake.

You get two 510 drip tips provided, one in black for a tighter pull and the clear one that I’m currently using for a restrictive lung hit.

The threading on the top cap is hyper thin – and I mean THIN! It doesn’t need many turns but, on occasion over the last week of testing, it felt like I was going to cross thread and strip it. You really have to ensure it sits down ush before screwing into place.

Initially, I was unable to remove the deck as it 45

hardware review I have purchased. I know new tech is appearing on a regular basis but, like most folk, I am not in a position to invest in something that may have superseded the Gear.

The deck itself has a centred air ow on the base and there are four at headed screws provided to ensure extra torque when tightening the coil legs down. Coil con guration is very easy, although you will have to either add half a turn or remove half a turn to install said coil.

The posts have a slight lip on them which allows you to trap the legs instead of their natural urge to slip out when tightening so that’s a good design feature.

I would suggest using 3mm diameter coils over ve to six wraps as this seems to gives optimal bottom air ow coverage or draw during the vape.

Wicking is super easy and very forgiving as long as you snip up against the sides of the deck barrel. Tuck the bottom of the cotton into the juice ports rst and ensure they are not compacted and 46

you’re ready to go.

It’s about three months since the initial release of this little puppy but good design quality always stands the test of time.

The avour experienced on the Gear is as good as a dual coil. Having drawn comparisons with the Dead Rabbit RTA there is absolutely zero di erence. You’ll experience all the depth and richness from your favorite juices without any sacri ce.

This should be expected as the coil placement is so near the upper portion of the chimney. It almost screams “spit back”! but no. Nothing is left to chance with this e ective conical design.

You will obviously su er to a degree with cloud production but it still satis es in this arena.

Final thoughts on this device.

It’s the best single coil RTA

The threading on the top cap is nicky and you have to get that right.

Unscrewing the base for the rst time may nd you having to ensure the air ow control ring is set correctly.

Using lower resistance wire WILL drain the tank and the supplied 3.5ml polycarbonate extension is far from inspiring and will no doubt crack under more citric conditions. The inner chimney gets incredibly gunked up with juice detritus so you will nd yourself cleaning the Gear on a regular basis.

The raised cog design is a brilliant touch and the Gear font on the outer chimney is not overplayed. (You hardly even notice the OFRF logo).

There have been a few teething issues with regards to leaking but I feel that was down to user error, having oversaturated the coil and cotton before screwing everything back into place.

Air pressure no doubt forced excessive liquid out of the air ow ports.

As vapers, we are always learning.

Highly recommended product by OFRF

HOROSCOPES Aries

Libra

With Brexit rising, you can retain your zen with berry-based liquids.

A one-legged crone will attempt to steal your vape – stay vigilant.

Taurus

Scorpio

Virgo’s moon recedes this month. You know what that means…

A close personal friend will ask you for help. Say no.

Gemini

Sagittarius

A beautiful stranger will o er you a pu of her vape… go with it.

Adopt a cat. For reasons.

Cancer You will be o ered bad advice in the coming weeks. Take it anyway.

A careless comment will upset a close relative. Say it again.

Leo

Aquarius

An error at work will make you fear for your job. Take more vape breaks to calm down.

Beware o ers that seem too good to be true – the mod is probs hooky.

Virgo You can expect a windfall this month – get yourself a new mod!

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Capricorn

Pisces Ward o evil spirits by lining all your windows in biscuit-based e-liquid.

editorial

Compliance Corner A step change in attitude?

By Lee J Bryan - Managing Director Arcus Compliance Ltd After two years of an “anti-compliance” sentiment within the industry, we are now seeing many of the larger brands invest heavily in product stewardship.

T

he aftermath that followed TPD’s implementation, saw the industry detour regulatory compliance almost entirely. Choosing to manufacture zero-nicotine “short ll” products rather than handle the complexities of TPD. Obviously not realising the impact of GPSD (GPSR) and how it almost mirrors the requirements of TPD in its approach to consumer safety.

Thankfully, two years on, we are witnessing a much more proactive approach to regulatory compliance and product stewardship - from the major players in the industry, at least. It’s true that increased enforcement activity may have prompted some but, in the main, 50

there is a realisation that, if we are to maintain the growth in the industry, we must collectively improve its image and that it must begin at the manufacturing stage.

A structured product stewardship system, with appropriate risk analysis and a subsequent due diligence process, is essential for any brand which has designs on being around in ve years’ time. There are free programmes in the marketplace that can be implemented in-house, rather than paying a consultant to do it.

It is an absolute certainty that claiming “ignorance” will be no defence when the enforcement bodies come knocking but, doing something will show favourably even if you

haven’t ticked all of the boxes. There are also free compliance health check products out there that will assist with benchmarking your current status if you are unsure of what regulations will impact your products, as well as nuances across European member states.

If you have any questions, you can contact me through the Subohm team.