#1
8 page picture special on Vape Jam 2016
Ohm Brew
Learn how to make your own juice
Reviews Juice, tank and mod reviews inside
2
Editor Notes
W
elcome to the first issue of Subohm, a new magazine for the rapidly expanding community of experienced vapers. We’re going to be hitting your doors every month with informative articles, interviews and authentic reviews written by real vapers who share our passion for these products.
Contents 4-5 Crius V3
Stephen Nichols reviews the OBS CriusV3.
7 Pure Evil Devine
Allan Braddock blind taste tests three e liquids.
8-9 Herakles
Joe Craven puts the Herakles Plus through its paces.
10-11 One Hit Wonder Matt Lockyer reviews One Hit Wonder’s juices.
12 Black Bamboo HQ
Someone asked us here at Subohm what vaping means to us – is it a habit or is it a hobby? We believe it’s neither. From cloud chasing to coil building, we consider vaping an artform.
This month we were invited to check out Black Bamboo HQ.
If you were with us at Vape Jam or any of the other recent vaping events, we’re sure you will agree our community is phenomenal. We all love to share our views and opinions on what’s good. Here at Subohm we will provide you with reviews, tips and articles from fellow genuine enthusiasts.
19-26 Vape Jam
Part of our quest is to hunt down and highlight the best products in terms of performance, flavour and design. We both enjoy the extensive range of products available and personally ensure only the highest standard of content will be inside this publication. In this first issue we pick our way through a selection of juices, tanks and mods which our reviewers have tried and tested. We also look back at the recent Vape Jam with eight pages of epic photography. We visited the Black Bamboo clean room and also have just what you need to get started making your own juices. Keep your head in the clouds and enjoy, Charlie and Milo
14-15 X Cube
Charlii Morgan reviews the X Cube II. 8 page picture special from Vape Jam 2016.
28-30 Ohm Brew
An introduction on how to make your own juices.
Contacts
Charlie Kent Kent@sub-ohm.co.uk +44 (0) 7900 353 611 Milo Phillips Phillips@sub-ohm.co.uk +44 (0)1923 400450 Address: 4 Una Way Kings Langley HS Hertfordshire WD4 8BH
Subohm Magazine is published 12 times per year by Subohm Publishing. 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 Subohm Publishing and their Agents. © Subohm Publishing 2016.
3
review
I don’t do tanks…
OBS CriusV3 review by Stephen Nichols
I don’t do tanks. So why am I reviewing a tank? Well...
I
was in my local vape shop recently picking up a Kbox for the Mrs. I was just about ready to check out when the store attendant redirected my attention to the new CriusV3 from OBS. Needless to say, I bought one. Here is why... It is a well constructed and very well thought out unit. Made of stainless steel and glass with a 2ml capacity, it has a massive airflow, top side fill, juice flow control and a gold plated 510 pin. By turning the top cap you can adjust the coil’s flow of juice, opening and closing the holes to your cotton. This feature allows you to fully optimise your coil for any pg/vg ratio. Filling this tank is supremely easy. Simply twist the flow control holes to ‘closed’ and pull the top of the unit up to expose the juice port. Unscrewing the base reveals a two post velocity style build deck with four 1-1.2mm post holes. The air holes sit
4
directly beneath the coils to ensure maximum air flow. The OBS CriusV3 comes with two pre-wound coils and wicking cotton. Once you have installed your coils the fun begins…Wicking! The challenge is getting the cotton the right legnth to sit in the juice reservoir. Too long and it’s going to leak - too short and you’ll be entering the world of ‘dry hits.’ The placement of the juice reservoir makes this deck a lot easier to wick than a lot of my drippers. Now for the all-important question, is it any good? I’ve said it before, I don’t do tanks, it’s all about the drips. I’ve had this flavour machine on top of my Sigelei all day and that’s where it is staying! Massive airflow, massive flavour and serious clouds. 5
6
juice review
Pure Evil Divine Review by Allan Braddock Today I had the pleasure of reviewing three e liquids by Pure Evil Divine Liquids: Sloth, Jam Nation and Black Crack. This was a blind taste test and my reviews are solely based on taste and smell alone.
Jam Nation - max vg, 3mg
Black Crack - max vg, 3mg
Sloth - max vg, 3mg
Method: dripped
Method: dripped
Method: dripped
Smell: raspberry jam
Smell: blackcurrant
Smell: tropical fruit
Inhale: subtle flavour
Inhale: blackcurrant menthol
Inhale: minimal fruit
Exhale: raspberry
Exhale: eucalyptus
Comments: This flavour mimics a raspberry jam doughnut with a throaty hit. This max vg juice really does produce dense clouds. It has a strong bakery flavour with a creamy after taste. In my opinion this is a well balanced e juice. The fresh, sweet raspberry jam taste is not overshadowed by the doughnut flavour, however, the throaty hit takes away the flavour on the inhale a bit, but it’s still a great taste.
Comments: From the smell alone, I wasn’t expecting menthol as there is no hint of mint or menthol at all. On the exhale, I get a strong taste of eucalyptus. This is a light and refreshing flavour and I would vape this juice as a palate cleanser, because this type of flavour is not my preference. However, it is not a bad taste and I quite enjoy this compared with other menthol juices I have tasted. Nice to vape in between flavours to refresh your taste buds.
Exhale: too many flavours going on Comments: This has a strong fruity scent. The smell makes my tastebuds water. To vape, the fruity flavour is overwhelming, which at first confuses the taste buds as there is a lot going on. The flavours come through sweeter and slightly less dense after a few vapes. My guess at this is that it is tropical fruits, but which ones I cannot decipher! For a vaper who enjoys fruit flavours, this is a great choice. 7
tank review
Bow Down to the New Top Dog:
HERAKLES PLUS by Joe Craven
8
I
recently put the Herakles Plus through its paces and it’s a cracker!
Sense are well known for their flagship tank called the Herakles. It sits in many people’s top 10 list for its ease of use and great cloud and flavour production. The Herakles Plus looks similar to the Sense Hydra and comes with a top fill function, top airflow system like the Atlantis V2 and a juice flow control feature. The tank capacity is about 3.5ml, which is a hefty amount for the everyday vaper, but still a middle of the road capacity for heavy tank users. The Herakles Plus comes in black or stainless and will look good attached to any mod. At first use I found the filling system and juice control fiddly and prone to dry hits and leaks. After a few days it’s like second nature to me. The Herakles Plus comes with a 0.4 and a 0.2 ohm nickel temperature control coils. This tank produces massive amounts of cloud and pronounces every flavour perfectly. I have run it side by side with my other tanks and it smokes them (pardon the pun)! This is my new favourite tank and should be taken seriously by any tank user as their next purchase.
9
juice review
10
Three to look out for One Hit Wonder - Review by Matt Lockyer Milkman, My Man and Rocketman
Milkman
My Man
First off, the presentation of the liquid itself is awesome. It comes in a big 180ml bottle with two 15ml squeezie tubes. When I first opened it, I was instantly hit with the nostalgic smell of strawberries and cream. It was almost overpowering, but the taste was much more subtle when I vaped it.
My Man is one of my favourite juices. I can’t get enough! Again, it comes in the same big 180ml bottle with your two 15ml squeezers. For purpose of this review, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a nicotine free bottle. My Man is a Neapolitan ice cream flavour and when I first dripped it on my RDA, I was blown away by the intensity.
The taste was lovely, a delicate blend of strawberry and milk. Milkman has a nice sweet hit while maintaining its creaminess. It is definitely an all day vape for me. This is a truly awesome vape: although I found some bottles occasionally required additional steeping, apart from that I can’t fault it. Always a safe buy for me.
On inhale you get a lovely thick strawberry and vanilla creaminess with a bold chocolate exhale. It is a nice thick juice so it hangs around for a while before it needs re-dripping. These flavours compliment each other ever so well, it genuinely tastes like Neapolitan ice cream. I will definitely be purchasing more ‘My Man.’ I haven’t yet found a juice like it! Rocketman Rocketman tastes like blueberry parfait. I’m not as keen on this as other juices in the range, but it sure is creamy! This one has an especially creamy inhale and then you are instantly punched in the mouth by the blueberry exhale! It is mouth-wateringly good. Not my favourite blueberry flavour, but it’s very nice. There was no need for me to steep it at all and it was full of flavour. I would really recommend the ‘One Hit Wonder’ range as top quality e liquid.
11
Black Bamboo
Straight Outta Dudley This month we were invited to check out Black Bamboo HQ.
B
lack Bamboo create e liquids made from ingredients sourced in the UK, EU and USA.
Their modest clean room in Dudley can produce and package up to 5,000 bottles per day. Lee and Jay started
12
Black Bamboo only one year ago, but are already catering for the international market. After mixing bulk amounts of flavours ranging form strawberry milkshake to champagne, it is surprising how simple the process is.
All they need from there is a bottle filler, capping machine and a labelling machine for the juice to be ready for shipping around the world. Here are some behind the scenes photos...
13
Stainless
Night Black
Matt White
A Classic Box Mod:
X Cube II review by Charlii Morgan
T
he X Cube 2 by Smok was the first box mod I owned, but not the first I had used. My first was the Aspire Pegasus - but that’s another tale entirely.
Back to the X Cube. It is a high drain and requires batteries that can handle this. It uses two 18650 batteries, which gives it quite a weighty feel. It comes in three colours - Stainless Steel, Black Night and Matte White. It is essentially a 160W mod but there is an upgrade available to push this to 180w. A bit hot for me! The upgrade also sorts out connectivity issues with the trigger. The fire button is a trigger that is the full length of the mod and it has a customisable LED light that runs down each side. The large OLED screen is on the top of the mod and can be rotated. This is a great feature for when you are mid vape. The screen is bright but can also be put into stealth mode. My favourite feature about this mod is the LED. It is unique and I am forever changing the colours and fades! A close second is the memory mode when using Watts. This means you can save certain Watts to a memory number and skips up watts in certain set increments, which saves time. The X Cube II features an accurate and consistent temperature control. It is in the top of its range and is an outstanding competitor to other mods. 14
This is a classic box mod, which will be around for a long time to come. That brings me to a personal ‘con’ - it is common. Everyone and their grandma has one, or so it seems. This could be perceived as a pro however, as it proves that they are reliable and quality. I have this mod in black and stainless steel and can honestly say they are a great addition to my collection and are my most reliable mods. The functions installed into this mod are vast. Smok have included Bluetooth for using the Smok app, Watt mode, Temp mode and Memory mode (For watts), Customisable LED, which you can change from a solid light to fading between colour to a disco (this can be fun in the dark!) Puff count- this is not displayed on the screen but can easily be found on the mode option and inside the app, and a setting option with which screen controls and ohms can be adjusted. These extra options make usage and operation of the X Cube II easy and personal. PROS:
CONS:
• Changeable LED
• Common
• Trigger firing ‘button’
• Price if buying a full set up
• Bluetooth/Smok app
• Weight
• Colour options
• Size
• USB upgrade
• Connectivity (trigger)
• Price • Appearance • Spring-loaded 510 thread • Temp control
15
16
18
Vape Jam 2016
what a weekend!
19
On the first weekend of April London Excel hosted Vape Jam 2016. A cloudy congregation of vape enthusiasts from all over the world. The show was a maze of different Vape related companies showing off their newest and most exciting products. Highlights included multiple shows from the VGOD trick team, a performance from Lethal Bizzle and of course giveaways galore! We sent our photographer to capture the 2nd annual Vape Jam and he said the buzz was incredible. Here is what he got...
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
ohm brew
AN INTRODUCTION TO HOME BREWING So you’ve been vaping for a while and enjoying the assortment of e liquids out there. From the creamy custards to the fruity menthols, there is a wide range of choice available. The Tobacco Products Directive is approaching fast and this could change the variety of e liquids available. What can we do about this? Could the answer be home brewing? by Martin Norton.
F
or the past six months I have been home brewing my own max VG e liquids. I decided to do this because as a sub-ohmer/cloud chaser, I can get through 15ml per day, or even sometimes more! I have made some great juices and some questionable juices, but I have had real fun experimenting. The world is your vaping oyster when it comes to blending your own juices. In this article, I will introduce you to making your own juice and using all in
28
one concentrates or, as they are known in the homebrew community, ‘one shot‘ concentrates. Here’s what you will need to get started: • Syringes (1ml, 5ml, 10ml • Bottles • Child proof caps • Labels (optional, but handy) • Vegetable Glycerine (VG) • Propylene Glycol (PG) • Concentrates • Nicotine solution (optional)
• Latex gloves – (for nicotine solution): this is for handling the nicotine, which can be absorbed through the skin. These items are best bought in kits and are available in both single units and wholesale from decadentvapours. com, juicecabin.com, hodgeshomebrew.co.uk, and makemyvape.co.uk. The kit I’m using for this mix is from MakeMyVape, they have some great recipes as well as everything you will need to get started. One shot concentrates can be found on chefsvapour.co.uk, darkstarvapour.co.uk, decadentvapours.com (whose Purpello is great at 1518% mix,) and vampirevape. co.uk. There are more out there, you just have to use your trusty search engine. So, once you have all your equipment, you have your one shot concentrate, your VG and your PG. what do you do next? The one-shot mix I am currently vaping tastes like Cherry Tunes.
INGREDIENTS: • Vampire Vapes – Attraction 15%, Menthol – 5% • Nicotine (72mg/ml, PG) - 4.17% (optional) • VG – 70%. PG – 5.83% This is a VG/PG mix of 70/30, although you may notice the PG is only 5.83%. This is because the flavours and nicotine are suspended in PG, which accounts for the rest. If you use a tank you may want a higher PG content, especially if you ‘plus ohm.’ If you drip you will want maximum VG, but be aware the flavour will take a little longer to develop because of the VG’s viscosity. WHAT TO DO 1. Get your bottle cleaned and ready for mixing. 2. Measure each ingredient into the bottle - I normally start with VG, PG then concentrates. If you would like to add nicotine to your juice you would add that last. 3. Give it a good long shake - VG is very thick and
takes longer to mix in with the other ingredients. 4. Remove the lid and rest in a cool dark place for a couple of hours - This allows the liquid to breathe and evaporates any alcohol which is sometimes found in flavours. 5. Screw on the lid and leave to the cool dark place - This is known as steeping, which is when the flavours slowly mingle, developing into the finished product. Giving your juice a shake every other day can help with the mixing process. Some flavours need more time too steep than others, fruity menthol flavours tend to take a week or so, creamy custard recipes can take four to six weeks. This process allows the flavours to balance out and the juice will lose some of its bitter harshness. The liquid will change colour, which is normal. Every now and again give it a blast and and see if you like it. Everyone’s taste is different, only you know when it’s ready.
29
ohm brew When you make your e liquid remember to write down your recipe. Keep a note of the date and steep time. This way you can replicate it or tweak it if it’s not to your liking. Search for home brew communities online. There are lots of groups that will help with questions and finding good vendors. As long as you’re polite and respectful, people will share their secrets, recipes and any good deals on supplies. If you need to work out your own mix, you can use
30
an e liquid calculator, I use www.e-liquid-recipes. com. Just fill in all the details on your desired VG/PG percentage, nicotine strength and how much juice you want to make and it will tell you exactly how much of each ingredient you need. E-LiquidRecipes.com is a great resource, as well as the liquid calculator, it has thousands of recipes that have been made, tested and rated. You can even search concentrate names for recipes containing a particular flavour.
Once you’re comfortable mixing, try some recipes that involve more than one concentrate and adapt them. There are clone recipes for some of your favourite flavours. Fancy a pound cake with orange instead of lemon? Make some yourself! The vaping community is growing and there are loads of great people out there who love sharing their mixing experience. Ask questions, create recipes and most importantly, enjoy home brewing.
31
32