Kickbass Vapor Peppermint IC, Hummingbird, etc...

[Newbz]

In the interests of full disclosure, I received all of these flavors on trade from another poster here at ECF. I have not purchased anything from this vendors at this time.

All flavors vaped on my trusty stock Riva510.

Vapor on all flavors is fine. I’ve never cared one way or the other about throat hit, so I don’t comment on it unless it really knocks my socks off.

Kickbass Vapor is pretty much impossible to place an order with in my experience. As a matter of fact, I just checked their website and they are closed again even as I type. I’ve tried to order with them at least a dozen times and been unable to due to their frequent closures. I’d finally given up trying any of their wares prior to receiving some samples on trade. (And before anyone starts saying how busy they are, how they have a family, that they are overwhelmed, etc… so do a lot of other vendors and yet I can still reliably place an order. I’m not really ragging on KBV, but the truth is, it’s hard to business with them. Maybe I’m just unlucky, but every time I visit their website, they are closed.)

Having said all of that, I can see why people here are so fond of KBV e-liquids. They have rightfully earned a place as a local favorite from what I have sampled. Here we go.
Rice Crispity Treat 40/60 VG/ PG 6mg


I’ve read people going coo-coo for Coco Puffs over this flavor for months now. I gotta give credit where credit is due; this stuff tastes like the real deal. It’s amazingly similar to the dessert of the same name. The only thing missing is the crunchy texture of the cereal. There is not even a hint of artificial sweetener in this one. Good stuff.
Would I purchase? Yes.

Pebble Path 40/60 VG/ PG 6mg


This is a creamy caramel flavor with an extra punch of vanilla type sweetness. Again, no artificial saccharine type flavor here, a fact I greatly appreciate. I believe this is supposed to mimic ice cream. I don’t get that, probably because ice cream is supposed to be cold and vapor is pretty warm. This is a nice flavor, though. I don’t think I would purchase this specific flavor, but it does make me want to try other dessert offerings from KBV. Recommended if you like smooth, creamy, laid back vapes.
Would I purchase? No.

Hummingbird Nectar 40/60 VG/ PG 6 mg Extra flavor shot


I have never tasted Honeysuckle.
There. I said it.
What I get from this e-liquid is an inoffensive and generically sweet inhale (nearly corn syrup like) with a sweet almost floral exhale. Again, no artificial sweetness here. I’ll have to take other poster’s word for it that this is a dead ringer for Honeysuckle. What I can say is that the floral element is very interesting and unexpected. I think the ingredient is used to good effect. While this isn’t a flavor I would purchase, it makes me curious about KBV’s other offerings, and I can’t say enough how much I appreciate that there is no chemically or artificially sweet additives to their product. If you like Honeysuckle, give this a try. Recommended.
Would I purchase? No.



Peppermint IC 40/60 VG/PG 6mg



Pretty nice creamy peppermint. This reminds me of those little green/ white/ pink pillow mints they used to give out at restaurants years ago. The peppermint does not overwhelm, is balanced nicely with the cream element, and shows that KBV is pretty adept at crafting e-liquid recipes that perform nicely and taste good. I could see myself using this liquid when I had a cold, or when other flavors just weren’t satisfying. It’s clean, but not sharp, sweet, but not chemical, and a good flavor to have in your juice arsenal for those days when you just need something clean and inoffensive to vape.
Would I purchase? Yes (or maybe one of their other mint offerings.)



What do you think of these flavors? Have any suggestions of flavors I should try from this vendor? I'd like to hear about it. Thanks for reading.

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[Lisa66]

If you really want to order, just go to KBV's supplier forum thread for updates on when the "store" will be open:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/kick-bass-vapor/212779-kbv-order-information-updated-daily-during-business-days.html

It's pretty straightforward. I've never had any problem; I just check when they'll be open for business. They recently got their own forum as a forum supplier. Prior to that they did their updates in their single thread in the e-Cigarettte Supppliers forum.

 

[Newbz]

I'll check it out. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Skeeter T]

Kickbass Vapor is pretty much impossible to place an order with in my experience. As a matter of fact, I just checked their website and they are closed again even as I type. I’ve tried to order with them at least a dozen times and been unable to due to their frequent closures. I’d finally given up trying any of their wares prior to receiving some samples on trade. (And before anyone starts saying how busy they are, how they have a family, that they are overwhelmed, etc… so do a lot of other vendors and yet I can still reliably place an order. I’m not really ragging on KBV, but the truth is, it’s hard to business with them. Maybe I’m just unlucky, but every time I visit their website, they are closed.)[FONT="][/FONT]

The first time I went to order E-Liquid, I did some reviewing on ECF and saw the raves about KBV, but they were also closed. There were also a LOT of other suppliers that had raves about their products, which I ended up buying from. Since I am a nitch small business owner that puts quality and service above all else ... if someone wants the lowest price, then we will gladly tell them they are barking up the wrong tree. We give our customers what they want, when they want it and ask a fair price.

I find it hard to believe KBV would sacrifice orders in this extraordinary poor economy where there are now many top notch suppliers with a good product that will gladly bend over backwards for our business and if they are overwhelmed with too much business, then they will do what they must, without the slightest glimpse of a hiccup, to meet their customer's needs, which may mean buying more equipment, acquiring a larger facility, hiring more employees and/or working more hours.

If a business can't be directly available to its customers during normal business hours, then either they don't know how to operate their business, it's a hobby (not a business), they shouldn't be in business or all of the above. Every business owner has problems, that comes with the territory and 99.9% stay operating if they can. They don't hang a sign on their door that reads, "Gone Fishing".

Ted

 

[Jewls]

In the interests of full disclosure, I received all of these flavors on trade from another poster here at ECF. I have not purchased anything from this vendors at this time.

All flavors vaped on my trusty stock Riva510.

Vapor on all flavors is fine. I’ve never cared one way or the other about throat hit, so I don’t comment on it unless it really knocks my socks off.

Kickbass Vapor is pretty much impossible to place an order with in my experience. As a matter of fact, I just checked their website and they are closed again even as I type. I’ve tried to order with them at least a dozen times and been unable to due to their frequent closures. I’d finally given up trying any of their wares prior to receiving some samples on trade. (And before anyone starts saying how busy they are, how they have a family, that they are overwhelmed, etc… so do a lot of other vendors and yet I can still reliably place an order. I’m not really ragging on KBV, but the truth is, it’s hard to business with them. Maybe I’m just unlucky, but every time I visit their website, they are closed.)

Having said all of that, I can see why people here are so fond of KBV e-liquids. They have rightfully earned a place as a local favorite from what I have sampled. Here we go.
Rice Crispity Treat 40/60 VG/ PG 6mg


I’ve read people going coo-coo for Coco Puffs over this flavor for months now. I gotta give credit where credit is due; this stuff tastes like the real deal. It’s amazingly similar to the dessert of the same name. The only thing missing is the crunchy texture of the cereal. There is not even a hint of artificial sweetener in this one. Good stuff.
Would I purchase? Yes.

Pebble Path 40/60 VG/ PG 6mg


This is a creamy caramel flavor with an extra punch of vanilla type sweetness. Again, no artificial saccharine type flavor here, a fact I greatly appreciate. I believe this is supposed to mimic ice cream. I don’t get that, probably because ice cream is supposed to be cold and vapor is pretty warm. This is a nice flavor, though. I don’t think I would purchase this specific flavor, but it does make me want to try other dessert offerings from KBV. Recommended if you like smooth, creamy, laid back vapes.
Would I purchase? No.

Hummingbird Nectar 40/60 VG/ PG 6 mg Extra flavor shot


I have never tasted Honeysuckle.
There. I said it.
What I get from this e-liquid is an inoffensive and generically sweet inhale (nearly corn syrup like) with a sweet almost floral exhale. Again, no artificial sweetness here. I’ll have to take other poster’s word for it that this is a dead ringer for Honeysuckle. What I can say is that the floral element is very interesting and unexpected. I think the ingredient is used to good effect. While this isn’t a flavor I would purchase, it makes me curious about KBV’s other offerings, and I can’t say enough how much I appreciate that there is no chemically or artificially sweet additives to their product. If you like Honeysuckle, give this a try. Recommended.
Would I purchase? No.



Peppermint IC 40/60 VG/PG 6mg



Pretty nice creamy peppermint. This reminds me of those little green/ white/ pink pillow mints they used to give out at restaurants years ago. The peppermint does not overwhelm, is balanced nicely with the cream element, and shows that KBV is pretty adept at crafting e-liquid recipes that perform nicely and taste good. I could see myself using this liquid when I had a cold, or when other flavors just weren’t satisfying. It’s clean, but not sharp, sweet, but not chemical, and a good flavor to have in your juice arsenal for those days when you just need something clean and inoffensive to vape.
Would I purchase? Yes (or maybe one of their other mint offerings.)



What do you think of these flavors? Have any suggestions of flavors I should try from this vendor? I'd like to hear about it. Thanks for reading.

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I really like your honest reviews! Keep them coming!

 

[Newbz]

I find it hard to believe KBV would sacrifice orders in this extraordinary poor economy where there are now many top notch suppliers with a good product that will gladly bend over backwards for our business and if they are overwhelmed with too much business, then they will do what they must, without the slightest glimpse of a hiccup, to meet their customer's needs, which may mean buying more equipment, acquiring a larger facility, hiring more employees and/or working more hours.

If a business can't be directly available to its customers during normal business hours, then either they don't know how to operate their business, it's a hobby (not a business), they shouldn't be in business or all of the above. Every business owner has problems, that comes with the territory and 99.9% stay operating if they can. They don't hang a sign on their door that reads, "Gone Fishing".

Ted

Apparently passing on new customers is something that they are willing to do at this time. The first post from the link Lisa66 provided says, in part:

KBV as most of you know has struggled to meet the demand for the joose up until recently, then when we finally did we were wore out and took vacation

We will do our best to keep the store open as much as possible but the possibility does exist that we have to close from time to time to meet demand. Rest assured when we are closed we are putting in more hours than ever trying to meet that demand but KBV's mission statement has been from the beginning and will remain that we will not bring in outside mixers that will not take the same pride and care that we do with each and every bottle and give each and every customer the service we feel they deserve and we feel would like as consumers ourselves.

When we say that what we mean is we are willing to pass up business not to keep customers waiting on turn around times we feel are unreasonable. We also feel that we are beginning to properly gauge the market and through streamlining will be able to meet that demand and be open full time.

Now, I am not criticizing. Business owners have a lot of decisions to make, including what their business hours should be and how they feel they should run their day to day operations. Certainly running an e-commerce website, posting on forums, FB and Twitter eats up a bunch of time every day. And then there is producing, packaging, and sending product.

Were it my business I would do it differently. But it's not, and bottom line is they can do as they please. As you point out, people will vote with their pocket books. If KBV is pleased with the amount of 'votes' they get in the form of sales, good for them. They are then successful by their own definition.

I tend to agree that as a potential consumer this makes it difficult to do business with KBV at this time.
Perhaps in the future they will be more streamlined and easier to place an order with. I did check their website and thread linked above just now. They appear to be closed for business and may or may not be open this week. No specific open for business times have been indicated.

It's fairly likely I'll move on for a few weeks and try other vendors.
As you point out, there is no shortage of new vendors to give a shot to.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[Newbz]

I really like your honest reviews! Keep them coming!

Thanks!

Next up for review is Johnson Creek's entire collection.

 

[Jewls]

Thanks!

Next up for review is Johnson Creek's entire collection.

It wil be interesting to see your results. I never could stand thier liquid due to a weird taste all the flavors had for me. I am very curious to see your response to them.

 

[Newbz]

It wil be interesting to see your results. I never could stand thier liquid due to a weird taste all the flavors had for me. I am very curious to see your response to them.

Here's the review: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/e-liquids/218899-johnson-creek-entire-collection.html

You're right when you observe that there is some 'extra' element in their flavors. Must be part of the signature base.

 

[dberkham]

I think you should cut KBV some slack. The owner has some serious health issues he's dealing with while trying to meet demand. I understand he is training others to take over some of the work. Looks like they will be back on Friday, fully stocked.

 

[melloyello]

i stopped buying from kbv for this very reason. by now i have found 2 vendors that i wont switch from (ave and nlv).
i agree their hummingbird nectar was really good but i am tired of checking their site if "its my lucky day" when i need to order juice.

 

[Newbz]

I think you should cut KBV some slack. The owner has some serious health issues he's dealing with while trying to meet demand. I understand he is training others to take over some of the work. Looks like they will be back on Friday, fully stocked.

It's too bad about his health woes. Hope he gets on the mend.

However, if anything, I was measured and considerate when discussing the frequent closures of KBV. Every time I have checked their website since 8/25, they have been closed and today is the first time since 8/25 that the KBV thread linked above by Lisa66 had any useful info relating to when a reopen might happen. That's 14 days of operating silence from a vendor. 14!!! In addition, I've seen their operation closed at least a dozen other times that I've checked. So, whatever the reason, KBV is nearly impossible to place an order with if you're not willing to basically stalk their website.

I am not willing to go to that much trouble. Luckily I can move on to other vendors that won't require that sort of devotion from me.

As I said earlier, it's their business to do whatever the heck they like with. If they want to have frequent closures, it's their baby. To pretend that those closures don't have an effect on overall sales is silly.

 

[aubergine]

Eh. I wait long for a seat at the best restaurant in town, and that's where I dine. My excellent hairdresser is always booked at least 2 months ahead. Wouldn't go to anyone else.
They don't "require devotion". They earn it.
I have about 300 bottles of juice from other vendors - highly praised ones - gathering dust in a drawer. Used to like 'em. Gonna sell 'em off when I get time. Blegh.
And I have a very large, varied stockpile of KBV juices. Every now and then I dip into something else, in case I've changed my mind or something. All but KBV now tastes awful to me.
So that's my personal priority. Absolute excellence.
Also, Bob and Missy are the sweetest, and the most honest and decent folks I've run into for a long while. I don't mind swinging with the rhythm of their days or working around their personal vicissitudes a bit. I don't get excited about them running a quik-shop thing. It's not that sort of operation. Labor of love and all that.

But that's me. (And you know, I'm not hearing that they're hurting for business. To say the least. Once you order you'll see your package very quickly.)

 

[Newbz]

Eh. I wait long for a seat at the best restaurant in town, and that's where I dine. My excellent hairdresser is always booked at least 2 months ahead. Wouldn't go to anyone else.
They don't "require devotion". They earn it.

You'll get no argument from me on this point. I think the old saying is "price, quality, convenience: pick two." I have businesses that I will schedule ahead of time or wait for because they're really good at what they do.

But they also have someone available to take my reservation when I'm ready to make one. That's step one of earning business.

I'll be honest, I'd rather be able to place my 'reservation' for product and then wait my turn in line than have to constantly check a website or thread or whatever and see that I can't even make a reservation/ purchase at all after weeks of trying. That's just me, though. I understand others feel differently, and that's cool.

You make some valid points about customer loyalty and about the very real people behind KBV. I appreciate your thoughts and I'm glad you've had a good experience. I would also like to have a good experience. Perhaps when they have streamlined their operation a bit I'll be able to try their product to a fuller extent than the sample product I received on trade from another forum member here.

Until then, there are a ton of great vendors out there to try who are also nice, honest and hardworking. That's the great thing about vaping at this time, there are far more good apples out there than bad ones. I wonder if someday we'll all say, 'hey remember when you knew your mixologist by name?'

 

[aubergine]

(Truth is, boB and Missy care a lot more than I do about improving that end of things. I'd keep an eye out - I 'spect that once the health problems boB's been suffering are resolved that'll be more convenient for folks, too. Pleasant conversing with ya, Newbz. ))

 

[Newbz]

Pleasant conversing with ya, Newbz. ))

Likewise. Thanks for popping in and giving your take on things. It's this kind of discussion that helps folks form a more clear picture so they can decide for themselves whether to give a product/ vendor a try. I appreciate your ( and everyone else's) input.

 

[Dalton63841]

Also, it should be pointed out, that at any given time, whether the website is closed for not, you can PM boB with your order, and he will get you an invoice as long as they have the stuff in stock.

 

[Jewls]

Also, it should be pointed out, that at any given time, whether the website is closed for not, you can PM boB with your order, and he will get you an invoice as long as they have the stuff in stock.

Yes they got back to me quick and it works out better for me ordering that way anyway. I dont want to go without RiceKT ... so I ordered a larger amount on my last order. I just love thier joose and I think it is worth the wait! I sure hope boB gets better soon!

 

[StormyMonday]

While the market may decide a business's fate with their pocketbooks, its still bad business to be so inconsistent. Its good to hear that they are training some other people to help out; as they should with the increase in business. I will no longer order front them after my last order of my favorite all day tape, which I had been ordering for months, but this time it was weaker in flavor than it normally was. This showed me that most likely, they were in such a hurry that quality was sacrificed. 30ml of weak juice wasted and on top of that, never being able to order a few of their other signatures because every time they finally opened, they were out of the ones I wanted to try....I'd order my regular and within 2 hours get the "notify me" email....well that doesn't do me any good when I just placed my order.

I'd say to the owners, you might want to trademark your stuff....or else someone is going to replicate them and turn them out faster and even a little cheaper. This is how the free market works.

I could understand a vacation...or a few days off for an illness....But this has become all too normal for you all and its not good business. I would have said, "HIRE SOME HELP or get out of the kitchen"....but as I read above, someone stated that they may just be training people. If Bob wants to not read this thread....because for some reason he thinks he's above it and the negativity isn't justified, I'd just like to remind him that he's running a business and his customers have every right to say it like it is. This isn't just a rare problem like someone's package being delayed because of a Hurricane....This is pretty much every week that regular and loyal customers can not order or are having to wait 96+ hours for it to be shipped. This is unreasonable.

Also, what club do you have to be in to know that you can just PM Bob when they have "GONE FISHING" to get an order placed??? Seriously.....More bad business. I show my disappointment by giving my money to another company.

 

[Newbz]

Thanks again to everyone who has chimed in.

It was just called to my attention that the owner of KickBassVapor has started a thread about this very review. You can read that thread here: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/kick-bass-vapor/221901-kbvs-mission-statement-pov.html

In that thread, you can read a pretty comprehensive statement about how the owner feels about this review, this reviewer, and what his business mission statement is.

I did respond to that thread, not to make him or any of his fans angry, but just to state that I am not a competitor, a friend of a competitor, or in any way affiliated with any e-liquid company. Also to remind everyone that I defended KBV's right to run their business how they darn well see fit.

So, I am not a shill.

What I am is someone who would have really liked to buy their product, and tried repeatedly to do so. So yes, I received KBV on trade, but I said that right up front. I also received Mrs. T's product on trade and reviewed it at the same time. The Mrs. T review didn't even get the slightest bit of attention. No one got offended by that review, or any of the roughly 100 other e-liquid reviews I've posted on these forums, even though some of them were far more critical of product than this one.

So, in short, if you were offended by this review, I offer my sincere apologies. I promise I don't wake in the morning and think, 'gee, wonder who I can p#$$ off today.' I do reviews as a way to give back to this fantastic community who helped me get smoke free.

Thanks for reading.