Five Pawns might just be the most expensive juice vendor in existence

[Roselie]

And I really don't understand people who say, "Simply put.....it just isn't worth the price. And you know what? I've never had the juice, and never will....I don't have to try it to tell you that it isn't worth the price." That's as annoying as the people on Amazon who review books and movies but have never read or seen them, and just downvote them on principle. If you haven't tried it, YOU HAVE NO VALID INPUT. Sorry to be so blunt, but it's true. If you have not tried something, you can't put forth your opinion on its value and think anyone's going to take it seriously - because no one should.

People are entitled to their own opinions. Period. Some people started vaping to quit smoking AND save money in the process. If saving money was on your list of reasons to quit smoking, well then the price isn't going to be worth it no matter HOW good it is.

You also have people who are perfectly happy with what they have and have been enjoying specific vendors/juices for quite some time now. I mean is there a point in spending a lot of money on something, even if it got rave reviews from everyone who tried it, if your happy with what you have?

To me, personally, both are valid reasons to think it's not worth the price even if you haven't tried it.

And I'm sorry but the opposite is completely true as well. At $27.50 it is, simply put, going to attract snobs, people who chase the latest and greatest and also people who like to judge others who's palate is not as "delicate" as theirs is. I don't care if something is genuinely good, these people don't always give their complete honest opinion either, even though they have tried it.

What interested me about Five Pawns was the fact that they age their juice in oak barrels. Does this make a difference in taste like with wine? Most wine's aged in oak barrels develop and earthy flavor while those aged in stainless steel vats usually are a little fruitier. This is what interested me with this vendor. The price itself I personally can take or leave, some of the juice on my re-order list is $8.99 while some of it runs around $22. I've tried and bought juices that ran $27, $28 for a 30ml. I liked some but didn't find anything in that price range I would re-order. I think I heard my wallet breath a sigh of relief lol. I recently paid $29 from a vendor that I personally enjoy that is currently steeping so not sure yet if it will get thrown on my re-order list.

Vape what you like and like what you vape. If Five Pawns does it for you and doesn't break the bank, go for it. I thoroughly enjoy reading peoples' opinions so long as they are honest. It's just rough because it's not always easy to tell.

 

[bones1274]

And I'm sorry but the opposite is completely true as well. At $27.50 it is, simply put, going to attract snobs, people who chase the latest and greatest and also people who like to judge others who's palate is not as "delicate" as theirs is. I don't care if something is genuinely good, these people don't always give their complete honest opinion either, even though they have tried it.

What interested me about Five Pawns was the fact that they age their juice in oak barrels. Does this make a difference in taste like with wine? Most wine's aged in oak barrels develop and earthy flavor while those aged in stainless steel vats usually are a little fruitier. This is what interested me with this vendor. The price itself I personally can take or leave, some of the juice on my re-order list is $8.99 while some of it runs around $22. I've tried and bought juices that ran $27, $28 for a 30ml. I liked some but didn't find anything in that price range I would re-order. I think I heard my wallet breath a sigh of relief lol. I recently paid $29 from a vendor that I personally enjoy that is currently steeping so not sure yet if it will get thrown on my re-order list.

It's not just going to attract snobs. It also attracts normal folks who like a complex consistent delicious juice. But then again, taste is subjective.

The Castle Long Reserve is the only flavor they steep in oak barrels. None of the other flavors are made in barrels.

People get hung up on the price, but they also offer FREE priority shipping with every order. It has been said many times that subtracting the price of shipping, will save you $5.50, bringing the cost down to about $22 per bottle, on par with many many big online vendors out there. If $22 is still too much to pay, so be it. I can always refer you to an online vendor that charges $60 for 10ml of crap juice.

For the folks that just can't get over the price, try the sampler or a bottle, or find a B&M that carries it so you can taste it for free. Then you can say that you truly don't like Five Pawns without using only the price to justify not liking it.

For the record, I am not a Five Pawns fan boy, but I do enjoy their juice. Between the wife and I, we crush 100ml a week of juice. Even at Five Pawns prices, it is still far less than what we both spent on cigarettes.

 

[ambientech]

I was actually reading a different thread the other day and 5 Pawns came up a few times. This was before I saw this thread. I was intrigued so I bumped on their website, when I looked at their prices I did a little double take. So far out of all the *online* vendors I have looked at this has been the priciest. Juice sold in vape shops is a different story.

I was still interested but when I read the flavor profiles of each e juice they offered, none of them appealed to me at all. Each one had at least one ingredient that just didn't do much for me. I didn't see the point of ordering something I knew I would never re-order so I skipped it. I think I heard my credit card breath a sigh of relief lol.

Someone suggested another "gourmet" type e liquid that advertises "for the vaping connoisseur". I bumped on their website to take a look and literally found the same thing. And they even had a wider variety than 5 pawns. I would start reading the profiles of each juice and there was always a flavor in it that totally lost me.

I guess I just don't have gourmet tastes in liquid because it seemed to me the more complex these vendors get they seem to lose sight of flavors that actually compliment each other. This is my own personal opinion though. This and I guess those with very discerning palates also have a sweet tooth a mile wide because they all sounded so sweet and rich to me lol.

Thank you Don that post made me smile. I'll join your yacht crashing party any day .

Many of the gourmet juice vendors won't even list the flavors because many times the combinations sound like they wouldn't go together well, or some may not like a certain flavor. When combined they can create much different notes. I used to only order juice that I thought I would like only to be disappointed almost every time. My favorite juices have turned out to be the ones I wasn't sure about, especially the weird combinations.

 

[KurrptSenate]

Exactly. I vape 5P because it's the best juice I've vaped. If I could find a clone of this e-juice and pay less money, I would do just that. Until then, I'll be more than happy to purchase 5P because I like their juice that much.

It's still insanely cheaper than a carton of cigs in PA

 

[BillyWJ]

If you order the sample kit, you get 5 4ml bottles for 23.50. That's $4 and change for a bottle, about a $1 per ml.

That's pretty reasonable if you just want to try them. Over at eliquidsamples.com, 1ml samples are going for $1.50 per on average, and that's perfectly reasonable, too.

If you consider the really nice glass bottles and pricey packaging that the 5 Pawns sample comes in, it's a pretty good deal.

 

[Ay Dee Jay]

I've been vaping since 2009 and I'm shocked at all of this pearl-clutching at $25 an ounce juice. Have ya'll ever heard of ECOpure now "ECOcig" or whatever? Yes there are premium brands, and guess what -- value is subjective and established by the willingness of the market to pay for it. So yes you can make something that maybe "objectively" is 10% higher quality than something else and get people to spend 25% more for the "subjective" experience of buying that "better product." That's how all luxury item pricing works and while many of us think our e-cigs are an essential part of our lives, they are a luxury and you simply choose to spend less for your habit than others choose. Value is not a magical linear progression, but the killer brands we all fall in love with usually are the ones that are head and shoulders above the rest, but not priced astronomically out.

For example I've found that I almost never need to spend more than $30 a bottle for good bourbon. "Good" is subjective but there are a TON of great bourbons for under $30 a bottle. And you'll have people in the whole $10-30 price range quibbling over who is a bigger "snob" and how "I could get a whole 1.75L bottle of Old Granddad for $18 and be happy with it!" Fine, do that. I'm the guy with the handle of OGD, various fifths from Old Crow Reserve to Evan Willians Single Barrel to Dickel 8 Year...all for less than $30 but there's bound to be a snob who will look down on them, and a down-home yokel who will insist that all you need is Rebel Yell and a coffee mug or whatever (note: I love drinking bourbon from a coffee mug ). To each his own -- I want a little of everything, without the BS. And things are priced on a curve, with diminishing returns, so if 99% of whiskey is "this good" and the other 1% is "this good plus 1% smoother and tastier than the rest and has a fancy bottle" you still might spend 200% of the value for the 1% just like a business that gets 90% positive survey results from their customers is still in the first percentile compared to other businesses if every other business in the study ends up with 91%+ positive results. Premiums are not linear.

 

[bones1274]

And things are priced on a curve, with diminishing returns, so if 99% of whiskey is "this good" and the other 1% is "this good plus 1% smoother and tastier than the rest and has a fancy bottle" you still might spend 200% of the value for the 1% just like a business that gets 90% positive survey results from their customers is still in the first percentile compared to other businesses if every other business in the study ends up with 91%+ positive results.

I had to read that four times just to understand what you were saying.....

 

[Ay Dee Jay]

Of the flavors I tried, I see myself buying Bowden's Mate again and again.

It has a little something extra in it that 4 years of vaping and some DIY skills can't replicate... a flavor twist that makes the liquid rather exceptional to me... and the performance of it on my hardware is awesome.
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My one criticism at this point would be that the marketing they employ does almost paint them as offering something that no one else could... and that's a bit troublesome for me, but not quite a deal breaker.

In other words you're a super-skilled DIY guy who can pick up just about everything, but you agree with their expertise level being pretty well established, and actually found a juice that you you can't replicate...so while that doesn't mean "no one else" can replicate it, we do know that a long-established respected vaper has given it the nod

This was a very even-handed comment that has sold me on trying a sampler! I mean this thread was interesting from start to finish, from "who do these guys think they are" to ... [time passes] ... "oh, they actually back up what they say." The Richard Sherman of Juices! Sign me up, I love the guy.

 

[Muggs]

Exactly. I vape 5P because it's the best juice I've vaped. If I could find a clone of this e-juice and pay less money, I would do just that. Until then, I'll be more than happy to purchase 5P because I like their juice that much.

It's still insanely cheaper than a carton of cigs in PA

As my friend Kurrpt has seen you can make your own oak barrel reserve pretty darn cheap. Here is the thread of my experiment which is still going on until February 14th which marks 3 weeks steeping in a white oak barrel. I'm going to do a quick very easy generic how to with costs so you guys can enjoy these unique juices much cheaper.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...own-oak-barrel-reserve-need-help-1st-try.html

 

[Coelli]

As my friend Kurrpt has seen you can make your own oak barrel reserve pretty darn cheap. Here is the thread of my experiment which is still going on until February 14th which marks 3 weeks steeping in a white oak barrel. I'm going to do a quick very easy generic how to with costs so you guys can enjoy these unique juices much cheaper.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...own-oak-barrel-reserve-need-help-1st-try.html

I've been watching that thread as Castle Long Reserve is far and away my favorite vape. I have two bottles of Gentlemen's Reserve from The Steam Co. on the way and am crossing my fingers that it's comparable to CLR. With a discount code and added shipping the cost was about 50% of the CLR. But just in case, I picked up another bottle of CLR as it was one of the last ones available anywhere, it seemed, and it was in 6mg which is what I vape.

I'm just now getting into DIY and so far have been very disappointed with everything I've tried, even recipes that are raved about, and I'm steeping in an ultrasonic cleaner which has helped but not enough. I'm a little leery of investing in even more equipment (like the barrel) only to be disappointed. Looking forward to hearing the results of the experiment.

 

[planes]

Just ordered the sampler last night. I understand the point of price. I smoked cigars for about ten years and there were some cigars which most couldn't afford on a regular basis, like one a day. You'd have attorneys and such come into the store I hung out at and just start grabbing the real good cigars. I'm talking Padron Anniversarios at $20 a pop. Hell, I smoked those maybe once a month. So one had to find good quality in less expensive brands which, thank god, cigar manufacturing was and still is really putting out stellar cigars at low cost. Not saying I didn't indulge. Whenever I got the chance I would happily put out $25 for a Cuban Partigas series 4 which were heaven.

OK enough about my past life of tobacco. I would never go back now. But if I find a keeper in this sampler and in comparison, for me, $27.50 is not a deal breaker. I will happily spend it. At this point, I'm looking for high quality taste tingling epicness. I've found some good vendors like Ahlusion which has given me at least 5 keepers and more probably to come. Boba tea, caramel pear BT and DD to name a few and hopefully some of the other NETs Ive purchased will be keepers.

I've stayed away from the $2 bottles and have found some decent ones at $5,6.


Final note: I think, and I may be wrong, that many people vape with nicotine as the main reason and taste is secondary which is valid. Some of us, probably are doing this for the combination. I like a little buzz with my vape. Not a lot. 6mg worth but I like it.

 

[Kollin6618]

Most of us are former smokers and use to pay ridiculous amounts of money to keep our addictions going. I figure since I paid such a premium to keep smoking cigs, paying for premium e-juice isn't that bad at all. I'm only 2 months in but I figure I'll grab a little from each place, figure out at least a few ADV along with some great change of pace Vapes and I'll be good to go. I'm not worried on cost because I figure I'll be way below my smoking budget anyways.

 

[Rin13]

I bought a sampler pack from them. Why? Because I wanted to. It's just one of those things that I'd like to try. It may be over-hyped because of the price or people may show resentment because some let that stuff go to their head but either way, I'm going to try it and see for myself. Will I buy a full bottle? Probably not but if I like it that much... I will. I don't vape a ton of juice (by amount) anyway so even if it were an all day vape, in my standards, it'd still probably last me a while.
I am very cheap. There are few things that I will splurge for but some things are worth the money... Like makeup for example. No offense to people that love drugstore and can make it work for them but it does not work for me. I'd rather pay for a higher end item and know that it's good quality and I am more likely to like it and have it work for me than buy 5 different drugstore products that suck and end up paying the same price I would have had I just went for the nicer item.

 

[jrenae4]

I bought a sampler pack from them. Why? Because I wanted to. It's just one of those things that I'd like to try. It may be over-hyped because of the price or people may show resentment because some let that stuff go to their head but either way, I'm going to try it and see for myself. Will I buy a full bottle? Probably not but if I like it that much... I will. I don't vape a ton of juice (by amount) anyway so even if it were an all day vape, in my standards, it'd still probably last me a while.
I am very cheap. There are few things that I will splurge for but some things are worth the money... Like makeup for example. No offense to people that love drugstore and can make it work for them but it does not work for me. I'd rather pay for a higher end item and know that it's good quality and I am more likely to like it and have it work for me than buy 5 different drugstore products that suck and end up paying the same price I would have had I just went for the nicer item.

Sounds like my sister! I love my wet n wild 2.99 eyeliner, works better than Lancomes 28$ eyeliner, IMO But everyone has things that are important to them that they splurge on. Personally, mine is groceries. I know that may sound weird, I'm just investigative as to what I put in my and my child's body, it's really important to me. So rather than buying cheap stuff, I go to the farmers market and splurge. I just really enjoy doing that. If someone wants to buy $28 dollar juice, by all means have at it! It's not my business, again IMO. I've heard great things about another vendor with similar juices so I'm going to try them for the time being. I'm an eternal cheapskate as well

 

[VapinSweetZ]

I received my sample pack yesterday, the only reason I ordered a pre-defined pack (flavors and PG/VG ratio that the store pick for me) is to check what is this hype and overprice is all about.
Until now I tried 3 out of the 5 flavors, Bowden's Mate, Absolute Pin & Queenside, but honestly I do not get the hype... :/ the flavor is really mellow and not too impressive IMHO. I had a much cheaper liquids that felt and tasted much much better.

Hopefully the Gambit and the Grandmaster would be better, I'll try them some time this week.

 

[Dunkel]

Hopefully the Gambit and the Grandmaster would be better, I'll try them some time this week.

Funny you should say that. I have had 3 Five Pawns flavors so far, LCR, Gambit and Grandmaster. LCR is very good, but Gambit and Grandmaster are pretty blah. Grandmaster to my tastes has an artificial PB taste and nothing else going on. Gambit is a very muddled flavor, I cannot pick out any particular flavor and the muddled taste isn't very pleasant. Everyone's tastes are different though, you might like them. I'm just glad I got these as part of a package deal and didn't pay what they ask for them.

 

[Mr.Mann]

Funny you should say that. I have had 3 Five Pawns flavors so far, LCR, Gambit and Grandmaster. LCR is very good, but Gambit and Grandmaster are pretty blah. Grandmaster to my tastes has an artificial PB taste and nothing else going on. Gambit is a very muddled flavor, I cannot pick out any particular flavor and the muddled taste isn't very pleasant. Everyone's tastes are different though, you might like them. I'm just glad I got these as part of a package deal and didn't pay what they ask for them.

Man, I wish you were verified! LOL

 

[Dunkel]

Man, I wish you were verified! LOL

Been waiting for several days now. Hopefully I will be soon.

 

[Mr.Mann]

Been waiting for several days now. Hopefully I will be soon.

I'll be keeping my eyes open.

 

[Rin13]

I use some drugstore makeup.. like mascara. I can't justify paying $20 or more for mascara and the cheap stuff works for me. Eyeshadow, primer and skincare is moreso where I splurge.
Anyway, I totally understand spending money on good quality food. You are what you eat. Farmer's markets are great. That's where living somewhere warmer would benefit. Ohio farmer's market can be pretty scarce in selection.

Sounds like my sister! I love my wet n wild 2.99 eyeliner, works better than Lancomes 28$ eyeliner, IMO But everyone has things that are important to them that they splurge on. Personally, mine is groceries. I know that may sound weird, I'm just investigative as to what I put in my and my child's body, it's really important to me. So rather than buying cheap stuff, I go to the farmers market and splurge. I just really enjoy doing that. If someone wants to buy $28 dollar juice, by all means have at it! It's not my business, again IMO. I've heard great things about another vendor with similar juices so I'm going to try them for the time being. I'm an eternal cheapskate as well