Review: Coil-master

I'm not really sure if this can be called a review... it might be more like a recommendation. Cause there isn't really that much to say about Coil Master, other than this: It does exactly what it is supposed to do, and it does it very well. If you don't know what it does, have a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJA6Obk3Fbk

Now I've been used to just wrapping my coils around a threaded rod or just a small screwdriver, and I've been happy with that. I've seen different kinds of coil jigs around but I've usually ended up thinking that I don't really see how these would make it that much easier to coil. Because winding some wire around a threaded rod isn't really rocket science. Then I saw the Kuro Concepts Coil Winder and I was thinking that now we're getting somewhere. Very simple design that enables you to make perfect micro-coils in no-time. But one of the first things that hit me was that I'd need 3 of those to be able to make 3 different diameter coils. At around $25 each it's a bit too expensive for me as well ... so I ended up sticking with the threaded rod, wondering why they didn't just make the rod replaceable so you could make different size coils with the same device. I guess that is exactly what the guys behind Coil Master thought as well. The difference is that they did something about it and actually made the device that I bet a lot of people already was thinking about after seeing the Kuro. It's very easy to use, and you'll be able to make perfect micro-coils in no time, and you don't even have to squeeze them together after mounting the coil on your atty. It'l let you make 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3mm coils and at $25.99 it is worth every penny. Simple as that. The only thing I can think of that would have made me even happier with this device is if they've had some kind of carrying case that would also fit some wick, wire and some of those tiny screwdrivers to go with it. In fact a complete coil-builder kit based around this device isn't such a bad idea.



Disclosure:

• All my reviews are my honest opinion even if I am affiliated with the company manufacturing or selling the product. 
• The device was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.
• This review does not contain affiliate links.

Juice Review: Absolute Pin by Five Pawns

Five Pawns is definitely one of the juice-making companies out there that really aims to create gourmet, high-end e-liquid. Reading the descriptions of their liquids tells you that these guys don't just throw together some standard ingredients and hope for the best. A lot of the Five Pawns juices consists of a lot of different flavours, some combinations more unlikely than others, and finding the right balance in such complex juices requires a lot of knowledge and a great deal of testing I imagine. The juices are made in small batches (275 bottles) in California, and only sold in 30ml bottles. To create even more exclusive flavours they also offer some special editions aged in oak barrels. So everything about Five Pawns, even their packaging, gives you the impression that this is quality e-juice, and the price from around £25 a bottle also reflects this.

Absolute Pin
Tested on: Aspire Nautilus (1.6 ohm's, around 15 watts)

Absolute Pin is definitely one of the juices I imagine would have taken quite a lot of testing to develop. I don't think finding the right balance between Cinnamon, Irish Cream, Caramel and Absinthe is something done over night. In fact I have to admit I was kind of a sceptic after reading the description. I was even a bit of a sceptic after tasting it for the first time, as it wasn't one of those juices that hit a home run at the first taste. It's a unique taste, and when first tasting it I was thinking it was somewhere between ok and good. But this is a juice that has been growing fast on me. The cinnamon is definitely the main taste of this juice, but it still keeps throwing surprising hints of the other flavours in there at me all the time and I find myself liking it more and more every time I try it. Kind of like some of the best music records, you know the ones that you don't immediately fall in love with, but there is something there that makes you want to listen to it again and after while you realize that this is some of the best music ever made. And you keep hearing new things in them 10 years after you first heard it. Revolver by the Beatles is such a record for me.

It kind of makes sense that the Five Pawns juices are only sold in 30ml bottles, cause I think you need to go through at least 30ml to get to know it properly, at least if Absolute Pin is representative for the rest of the line. If you're like me and like these juices that keeps on surprising you every time you try them on new equipment or just adjust the wattage a bit on whatever you're using right now, you should try Absolute Pin. If you think the combination of flavours sound, well strange or even horrible, you should try it anyway, and you shouldn't give up on it before you've vaped at least 5ml of it. Cause it might take some time before you realize how good this one actually is.

Big thanks to vapeclub.co.uk for letting me try out this juice :)

UPDATE: Some of the Five Pawns juices contain quite high levels of Acetyl Propionyl. Please have a look here for more information.

Disclosure:

• All my reviews are my honest opinion even if I am affiliated with the company manufacturing or selling the product. 
• The juice was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.
• This review does not contain affiliate links.

Norwegian Union of Vapers demands to be heard! Help needed!

There is a lot of good work going on in the Norwegian Union of Vapers (NDS) at the moment. There are poster designs coming up, business cards being printed, fund raising and a lot of good work towards the media going on. Also an open letter to the Norwegian Minister of Health, Bent Høie, has been written and a petition to sign this letter is available here. NDS is currently working on getting this on print in some of the major Norwegian newspapers, and it will be then be delivered to the Minister of Health.

The Norwegian Health Authorities have said that they will come up with suggested regulations of electronic cigarettes soon (they've said that for a while now I think). This draft will be sent out for consultation to relevant organizations, and one of the main goals of this letter is that NDS will be on the list of organizations that will have their voices heard in this matter. Therefore it's important that as many Norwegian vapers as possible sign this letter, but it is also possible for people from other countries to sign it and support us. I strongly urge everyone (especially Norwegians reading this) to sign the petition. More signatures means it will be more difficult for the authorities to ignore us!

I have translated the letter to English below. If you'd like to sign the petition here's the link again (you can choose not to show your signature in public): http://www.opprop.net/norsk_dampselskap_krever_a_bli_tatt_pa_alvor

The Norwegian Union of Vapers demands to be taken seriously!

The Norwegian Union of Vapers is an organization for users of electronic cigarettes, also known as vapers. Vaping has become our way to a tobacco-free life. We wish to urge the Minister of Health to look at vaping with an unprejudiced gaze. We have a common interest in a health policy based on knowledge, not on prejudice or moralism.

Much of the scepticism towards vaping is based on the visual similarities between vapor from e-cigarettes and tobacco smoke, and that vaping, like smoking, is a way to enjoy nicotine. However, this is the only similarity between vaping and smoking. Available research is unambiguous; the harm potential of vaping is far from that of tobacco smoking. The research is openly available and much of it is conveyed to the Norwegian public through SIRUS reports. We who have switched from tobacco smoking to vaping have felt on our own bodies that the health benefits are substantial. Some have gotten rid of their nicotine dependency, others have not. What we have in common is that we are no longer users of a dangerous product.

Opponents of vaping base their arguments on the "precautionary principle". It is difficult to understand how this can be applied here. Research, recently communicated through a SIRUS report 1/2015, shows that vaping appeals almost exclusively to smokers. Those who vape have either quit smoking completely, or partly replaced cigarettes with vaping. We know the consequences of cigarette smoking. Ten years of experience with vaping has not revealed any health hazards. We also know that it is not only illogical to go from vaping to smoking, but also that such behavior is not known from the real world. Is it plausible that the risk of unknown health consequences in the future is big enough to overshadow this?

We in The Norwegian Union of Vapers have found that vaping is not a drug, nor tobacco, but an alternative stimulant. This is what makes it so effective. A deadly habit replaced by an equally satisfactory, but far less harmful hobby. A future regulatory scheme must facilitate market access for products that appeal to current smokers and vapers. Products must not be regulated as drugs or as tobacco products. Under such circumstances they will meet requirements that can only be fulfilled by financially strong manufacturers like the pharmaceutical and tobacco industries. None of these industries have an interest that all smokers becomes vapers. However, this is the interest of the companies that exclusively manufacture vaping products, but the majority of these are small companies with limited funds. The Norwegian Union of Vapers wishes to be taken seriously by the authorities and be consulted on matters that are important to us. We have experience and expertise on the topic. Our goal is that the smokers who are not able or willing to quit otherwise, shall have a far less damaging alternative.

Juice Review: Bound By The Crown by Kings Crown

The Kings Crown juice line, from the people behind the very successful Suicide Bunny, is a line of 4 high VG gourmet juices. All 4 of them are 70% VG, which means I was expecting huge clouds of thick delicious vapour from this one. I have already tried Fight your fate, which is a great strawberry lemonade juice that I like very much so I was hoping that Bound by the crown would be just as good.

Bound by the crown
Tested on: Kanger Subtank (0.4 ohm's, 20-25 watts)

First of all, when it comes to vapour production, Bound by the crown delivers those huge clouds I said I expected... and then some. Being 70% VG, throat hit is limited but I guess that's not what your are aiming for if you buy a 70% VG juice either.

When it comes to the flavour, I'm not really sure what I think after having vaped like one and a half tank of it by now. Described by the makers as sweet custard, spice and ripened stone fruits... I can't say I disagree. It seems to change on me a bit though. Some times I feel it's a bit dry and not sweet enough (yeah, I'm weird right), but at other times, especially when inside that sweet delicious custard comes more across, without being overpowering and muting the fruits. I imagine a lot of people would love this as an all day juice. It's a pretty complex one with lots of different things going on and it's a bit hard to pinpoint all the different notes, which makes it quite and interesting juice. It does have somewhat of an x-factor that links it to Fight your fate as well, without me being able to tell exactly what it is. But I could have guessed that these two juices were made by the same people, and it has also got something in common with the Mother's Milk by Suicide Bunny. Guess it's kind of the same custard flavours. As I said, I'm not really sure what I feel about the flavour yet, some times I think it's growing on me, some times I feel I'm a bit tired of it already. To be totally honest, right now I'd choose Fight your fate over this one, but I also think trying out this one is worth it if you like the Suicide Bunny range and huge clouds of vapour, cause it's by no means a bad juice. I'm just not sure if it's for me... yet.

Big thanks to vapeclub.co.uk for letting me try out this juice :)

Disclosure:

• All my reviews are my honest opinion even if I am affiliated with the company manufacturing or selling the product. 
• The juice was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.
• This review does not contain affiliate links.

Do you really want a black market for e-cigarettes and e-juice?

A couple of days ago I read this story about a guy getting arrested for selling drugs that people could put in their e-cigarettes. Damn, more fuel to the fire. I'm sure some of the ANTZ will pick up on this and use it to create some kind of scaremongering story blaming e-cigarettes for teen drug abuse, and I'm not sure I can be bothered to write another post about how many household devices that are perfectly capable of doubling as equipment used for taking drugs. Go ahead, ban bottles cause they can be used to smoke pot right?

Anyway, the story also got me thinking about one of the effects of banning or over-regulating e-cigarettes. Do you really think people would stop buying e-liquid or advanced e-cigs? I don't. One thing I'm very sure of is that both bottles of e-juice and the equipment to vape it is here to stay. Millions of users won't quit that over night and I'd be very surprised if we don't continue to see an increase in users even with a ban in place. These devices are just to damn effective as quit smoking aids, and the success stories are just to many for that to happen. On top of that, the stories about people dying or even getting ill or hurt from e-cigarettes are practically non-existent. So where would we get our e-juice and mods if they are banned? You guessed it... a black market will rise and thrive under such circumstances... of course. Have a look at the survey that the Ashtray blog did on the consequences of an e-cig ban: http://goo.gl/Hvahos. 66% say they will buy from the black market!

So what would a black market for illegal e-cigarettes and e-juice look like? It might turn out in different ways, but one thing is certain: It will not be regulated in any way. We might see some of the vendors in today’s legal market moving to places where they won't be bothered by the authorities, but still they might face a lot of problems when trying to send into countries with bans in place. My experience with the market we have today is that most vendors and manufacturers are honest people trying to help others and make a living out of  it while they are at it, so my guess is that most of them will disappear or try adapt to regulations (which might also drive them out of business eventually). The problem is that it is the people that we want to stay that will go away, and the ones that doesn't care to much about the legal stuff, or the safety of their customers, are likely to be the ones operating in the black market. In fact they might even like it better that way, cause now they really don't have to care that much about their reputation either as people will be more reluctant to complain about stuff they have bought illegally.

Another group of people that might be happy with another illegal, yet popular, substance is the people that already sell other illegal substances; the drug dealers. Kind of a scary thought isn't it? That the easiest way to get some e-juice could be buying it from the same guy that would also sell you cocain? We all know that the infamous gateway effect is basically just... well bullshit, but what if we end up with drug dealers selling nicotine e-liquid? Can you think of another kind of gateway effect, that is much more scary than the one Glantz and his disciples have made up? I can think of several...


photo credit: E-Cigarette/Electronic Cigarette/E-Cigs/E-Liquid/Vaping/Cloud Chasing via photopin (license)