UPDATE **REVIEW** EC Blend (for vaping) & Liquid Barn

WARNING: This post has to do with vaping. If you are under age, please know that I do NOT encourage smoking or vaping for minors and this post is not intended for you.  I don't encourage nicotine use of any kind for anyone. This post has to do with my personal substitution of vaping for smoking cigarettes.

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UPDATE

This update is to mention my experience with Liquid Barn. I learned about them via a Redditor when I asked about a cheaper way to DIY juice. 

Where I have gotten ebase from EC Blend in smaller amounts (because of the pricing), I found larger and cheaper bottles of it on Liquid Barn. I will be doing a full L.B. review soon. For now, though, the prices for a 500ml bottle of base was  $9.50  and EC Blend has the same amount for a sliver over $26.00 Big diff. Huge diff. I still love ECB for their flavor concentrates from the Flavor Artists line but, unless the taste is awful, it makes all the sense in the world to use the L.B. base.

As I said, a full review is coming soon/

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I just had to take a break from the cosmetics posts for a minute. I have some more of those scheduled but... ugh! I am makeup'd out at the moment! I thought I would pop in and do this one for my vape buddies. Here we go...

Finding vape juice is not difficult. Finding affordable and good juice is. For myself, I have to like the prices, trust the vendor, and be in love with the juice.

EC Blend hits the trifecta and is my all-time favorite place to get vape juice. ECB juice is priced cheap but made well. No matter what kind of vape device you have, the juice is the key. And you tell right away when an ejuice is crap. Am I right, vapers? We know.

Gahhhh!!!!

Let's get right down to the Pros and Cons of ordering from EC Blends.

PROS:

1. Price. This is a HUGE pro. The base price for most (if not all) liquid is $2.50 at the moment. That's not the finished price but that's where you start. Keep reading...

2. Every bottle of juice is, at the least, customized to a point. You will soon see just how far you can go, but just say that for a 15ml bottle of a "Soda Fountain" creation, you can add up to 3 flavor shots, choose a soda flavor, add cream to make it a "float", add sweetener, make it a menthol, choose the nic strength 0 to 36mg), add extra flavor, then name your creation. For all that, the finished price is currently $4.75. I kid you not. And that is only if you choose all those customizations. If you just choose a soda (4 types available) and your nic strength, the price drops down to $3.95.

3. When I say that you can customize, I'm so serious. Depending on the type of base flavor that you start with, the customizations change. For instance, with the Soda Fountain (Soda/Malt Shop), you choose a type of soda, but there are so many other categories of flavors to start with: Coffee & Tea, Floral, Fruit, Holiday, Sweets & Desserts, etc. They even have a novelty section with weird and goofy stuff like licorice, popcorn and the like. These seem run for a while and eventually discontinue.

There are sooo many flavors, I think you should just check out their Flavor Menu (in PDF)

4. As if the basic flavors don't have enough room for customizing, EC Blend has a Create Your Own Wizard. Yeah, they do. And that CYO Wizard is so much fun to use that you might get carried away. I know I did.  ECB suggests that you should get only the smallest bottle of your Wizard creations until you know if you will like what you came up with. Thank goodness I paid heed or I would have ended up with a huge bottle of my Honey/Rose/Melon/Apple juice. I couldn't wait to scrub my tongue free of that insane nastiness.

5. You earn points for dollars spent. When you first sign up for an account, you can even earn up to 1520 points if you do all the initial super-short checkmark surveys on the points page. With points, you can get up to 35% off storewide or free shipping with no minimum. After that, you earn all your points from spending on the site and sharing your referral code ~hint hint~

6. The site features a ton of helpful articles about vaping, current laws, mixing/DIY, etc.

7. There is a Live Chat feature to contact customer service.

8. ECB has helpful and responsive customer service reps. They also have a Facebook page where you can chat with them. By the way, instead of just having a basic FAQ section, ECB features a "Knowledgebase" of information about ECB and vaping in general. (Later in this post, I will be sharing a handy vape hack I found there.)

9. Most vendor sites have a basic "About Us" page. EC Blend goes farther and is the most transparent vendor of all I've seen online so far. They provide info about their ingredients and their vendor certifications and operating standards (FDA, cGMP, OSHA, Environment, etc). They even have a page showing the current processing times (and that was important even before this COVID situation).  Also, they explain how and why they age-verify.

10. Samples are highly requested but it's luck-of-the-draw. However, I have always, always, always gotten a small sample of liquid thrown in with my orders. This is how I discovered that, although I normally avoid tobacco-flavored juice, I now love the Honey Dipped and RY4. (FYI There are various RY blends. The "RY" stands for Ruyan, the originator of the electronic cigarette, and the number - 4, 555, 7, etc - stands for a blend or version.)

CONS:

1. The site can be a little overwhelming. For once thing, the pages are all densely packed and the banners and menus can be confusing. I've been using ECB since the beginning of last year and I still get lost. This is why I am providing direct links for most of the features I'm pointing out. If you really end up loving ECB (and I think that you will), instead of saving the main page of the site, use my hack of bookmarking every page you want to refer back to.

You can also request a paper flavor menu/catalog to be sent with your order. That's the best way to keep track of what you like, don't like, want to try, and so on.

2. They process vape juice from scratch when you order (remember that customization?) so you won't get your orders lickety-split. Even back before COVID slowed down the speed of the planet, I learned to order ahead of needing vape juice. Times vary, but usually when I order the status sits at "in production" or "processing" for at least 3-4 days before it ships. Lately, it's been maybe a day slower than that. Once it ships, it is all up to the USPS or whichever shipping method you choose.


3. Because they make the juice from scratch (all fresh!), you will need to steep it before it hits its best flavor. I can never vape mine right away. (Or can I??? Keep reading.)

4. Prices on vape devices - unless they're on sale or being discontinued/going vintage - aren't very price-competitive with other sites. ECB is mostly about the juices, and they don't really even carry many devices. I did buy my brother a pen device for a gift when it was dirt cheap, but ECB is not the first place I look for mods/pods, etc. On the other hand, you can find good deals on accessories (drip tips, tank bands, etc).

That's it. Just a few negatives that I can deal with because of all the positives. Now, about that last item on the negative side...

STEEPING HACK

Here is the hack I mentioned about quick steeping or speed steeping your vape juice. It comes straight from ECB:

Seal the bottle tightly and air free in a zip lock bag, then seal it in another (tightly sealed and air free also).   

Place the bottle in hot tap water for 10-15 minutes. This will allow for better mixing when shaking.  This process can be repeated as much as needed to completely blend your e-liquid.

Listen. I tried this with the most recent order and, oh happy day! My juice was even better than it is when I slow steep it for a couple of weeks. My juice was already sealed in the ECB delivery bag so I left it in that. I wasn't sure if the tap water in the apartment would be hot enough so I ran some through the coffee pot and it worked perfectly. And I understand that you don't want to use boiling hot water.

MY SUMMARY

I want to mention something that I just now remembered. ECB has brick and mortar stores in some U.S. states. (See what I mean about being able to get lost on the site? So much info!)

Now that I have been vaping for a while and have tried various sites, I really only patronize a few shops for vape items. There are so many shops that are not consistent with service and quality. For the past few months, ECB is where I go first for my juice.

(By the way, for vape devices, I go to Electronic Tobacconist - free shipping over $20; Breazy -when ET doesn't have what I want; or in a pinch, Element Vape. I've never had problems with products from those places.)

Here is my favorite ECB flavor. It's Dragon's Joy from a category of "creamy" flavors called the Dragon Series:

It's slightly sweet and very "creamy"/mellow.

I have only recently decided to try the Flavor Artists concentrates and got the Fruity Cereal and Dragon Fruit. Because of the COVID lockdown and wanting to be a little more frugal, I got the concentrates. These bottles will last forever since it only takes a couple of drops to add flavor. I have some cheap flavorless/base eliquid to use them with or I can add to existing flavors. The concentrates can be added to beverages and used in baking and cooking recipes as well.

DISCLAIMER: I am not being compensated in any way for this post, but... If you do go over to ECB, it would be great if you credited me by using my referral code (GR87HA6SWC) when you create an account. That way, I will earn some points.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** The Dollar E-Juice Club

STOP: this post is ONLY for those of legal age for nicotine use.

See the guide for state-by-state regulations

state-by-state regulations

Although I now know of more than a few places to get vape juice, I have gotten used to the juice from  Vapewild. The VW brand is generally $6.99 for 30ml and I have favorite VW flavors but I'm not a flavor fanatic, as long as it vapes well enough. However, I am always on the lookout for new juices and great prices. Naturally, as soon as I heard about The Dollar E-Juice Club, my eyes lit up.

I also like the Dollar Store and Dollar Tree but I know that not all their stuff is worth even a dollar. Just to be safe about The Dollar E-Juice Club (DEC), I made my first order up of the smallest size bottles (5ml).

The label print was miniscule but so is the price

You can't really go wrong with $0.99 bottles of juice. That's one of the things I really like so far about DEC. I can try a lot of different flavors without going broke or ending up with large quantities of juice I don't like. So far, Vapewild's smallest juice comes in the 30ml bottle (for around $7). 30ml of DEC juice would be under $6. But, like I said, trying small quantities first is always nice.

By the way, 5 of the bottles came encased in the cardboard box you see above. The other 2 were nicely bubble-wrapped and the whole set of bottles was mailed in a thick bubbled-envelope. The bottles are plastic so there was no issue of breakage, but if any had leaked, the packaging was great protection against spills.

It's tough to see the bottle labels in the photos, so I'll tell you what I got:

1) Mango (described as "fresh ripe mangoes). OMG. This was so flavorful that I felt like I was eating a fresh piece of fruit and the smell was mouthwatering. This is the best Mango flavored juice, hands down, since the Juul. For the last few weeks, I thought that my tastebuds were getting dulled because I haven't been getting as much flavor from my usual juice. I like this Mango so much that I have already put the 30ml bottle in my cart to order next time. SO glad that I ordered 2 in this first sample pack. (NOTE: There is also a menthol version of this.) 

2) Glazed Donut ("sweet, freshly baked, glazed donut"). This one was just okay. On the first couple of hits, there was not as much flavor as with the Mango and what I did get was not "sweet" enough for me. On the next few hits, I realized that this is a juice where the flavor is so muted overall that I don't get a sense of "donut" at all. I don't mind it but I won't order it again. I think that the flavors are just not strong enough in this one.

3) Sugar Cookie ("freshly baked butter cookies topped with sugar crystals"). Like with the Mango, I could smell this so much better than I could the Glazed Donut. Once again, the flavor really came through but I'm not a fan of that flavor. That was a little bit of a surprise because I generally like juices with the flavor of baked goods. I got a slightly (very slight) taste of cinnamon. This isn't bad but I won't order more.

4) Creamy Yellow Cake ("golden sponge cake filled with whipped cream" - so basically, a Twinkie!) This is another "Yes!" I liked that it wasn't overpowering but still let the flavor come through. In fact, it's pretty mild. The smell is more like baked yellow cake with the tiniest hint of... lemon?. Maybe, but the taste is not as vanilla-ey as expected. I have to say that this one - also with the Mango - is one I tasted on my tastebuds and in my nose if that makes sense. This one was nice, mellow, and really yummy. Anyone who likes a very mild custard or baked goods taste would probably enjoy this one. A larger size is going into my cart the next time.

5) Strawberry Cheesecake ("creamy smooth cheesecake filling in a soft graham cracker crust topped with candied strawberries") Once I got this open  (I hate opening tiny juice bottles!) I was a little put off by the scent. Keep in mind that, while I love cheesecake, I can do without the strawberry topping. However, this was not bad at all. It's another nice rich flavor, very lush and tasty. Surprised me and I might even have to order more.

6) Cotton Candy ("thin spun cotton candy") I chose this one more as a "novelty" because I wanted to try some flavors out of my norm. I really couldn't smell this one, but I did get the flavor. The taste of this one was mild on the exhale but came through stronger a moment later. Weird. It's not bad and I am surprised that I like it enough to probably order more.

So I guess it won't surprise you to know that the Mango is what's in my device right now. I can't get enough of that one. If you want to know something, I often vape to curb my appetite. Does anyone else do that? I mean, if I can just get a good scent of fruit or baked goods, I can just sip my coffee and keep it moving past the fridge.

Bottom line, DEC is going to be one of my go-to places. I like that I can sample in small quantities for under a buck and the flavors are true to the descriptions. My order arrived really fast and the shipping was basically USPS First Class or Priority. I used the cheaper First Class option and got my order in 3 business (week) days. Not bad at all. Orders over $35 score free shipping. In addition, I want to mention that, no matter what (if any) other codes you use, the Honey extension might give a better discount. I'm not recommending you do use Honey, but it gave me a better discount than the Welcome code I tried first.

I'm happy that I heard about The Dollar E-Juice Club because it's definitely one that I am adding to my regular sites to use.

Peace
--Free

**VAPING** Voopoo Caliber Vape Pen

DISCLAIMER: Nicotine is an addictive substance. Using E-cigarettes (vaping) is to be used by adults only. All forms of nicotine use is habit-forming and may be hazardous to one's health. This post is regarding my personal experiences and is not meant to encourage anyone to begin smoking.

♫ It's been 7 hours and 13 days...♫

Actually, it's been 4 months, and 28 days.

August 15, 2018 was my quit smoking date.  That was when I kicked tobacco and started vaping. I won't get into any arguments with people who think vaping is as bad as smoking. I can just tell you that my body knows the difference and my body is feeling better than it did on cigarettes. Now, let's get to this vape pen I love so much.

This is my Voopoo Caliber.

I first got this in November 2018 when I found the Smok Veneno too large for using anywhere but at home. Don't get me wrong, I do love my Veneno, but it was even bulky for packing into my backpack for a trip to see the fam. But what I loved about it was the cloud output, the battery life and the way the flavor came through from the eliquid. I wanted all that stuff in a smaller, more portable device. Enter the Caliber.

Since this was a pen that I was going to have to buy for myself, I had to consider the pricing. It was $40 when I got around to buying it and I used the money from my "Stop Smoking" jar. That is the jar where I try to put money that I would be spending on tobacco if I still smoked. I try to use it for things like healthy food and other necessities, but I also use it for my vape supplies. Believe me, vaping is way cheaper than smoking. According to the quit smoke tracker I use, at about $5 per pack of cigarettes, I have saved around $750. I have no idea where that windfall is since I had only about $172 in the SS jar...

***By the way, I will soon be doing a post on my personal experience with the cost of vaping vs the cost of smoking***

Anyway, I got the Caliber and some juice called Watermelon Madness that I kind of regret because it's like vaping those jaw-clenching sour candies. I do not regret the Caliber though. I actually use it more than I use the Veneno and only switch over when I have to recharge the battery.

 Here are the ups and downs of the Caliber from my experience.

PROS:

• Easy to hold and grip. 
• It's lightweight enough that I don't feel I'm going to drop it but hefty enough to feel sturdy.
• Pretty. I got the Rainbow colored one. This is not a big deal since I don't vape around anyone but family. I do want to be courteous.
• Battery lasts a long time with moderate to heavy use. It will last more than a couple of day with just occasional use (vaping for a few minutes every few hours).
• Has an airflow adjustment.
• Came with extra pieces (including a non-bubble glass tube - see below)
• Flavor of juices comes through nicely.
• Has not spit or leaked at all.

CONS:

• No wattage adjustment (which I never really use, so far, on Veneno)
• No low-battery warning that I can see. It does have an LED light for on/off indication.
• I didn't love the bubble tube it came with (see above)

Actually, I don't really hate anything about the Caliber. Whenever anyone asks me what my favorite vape device it, this is at the top. (I used to love the Juul but that thing is just too expensive to use!)

I got the Caliber from the Electric Tobacconist, which is where I go for anything I can't find on VapeWild. Both those places have terrific customer service and fast shipping, but VapeWild is more price-friendly, in my opinion. VapeWild also throws in lots of extras and goodies into each order and they have sampler packs if you're trying to find your flavor groove. Also, I have to mention that if you're looking to buy something, check with VapeWild first because... prices.

Peace
--Free


NOTE: I don't get reimbursements of any kind - monetary or in product - from any of the companies, items, or websites I featured in this post.