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If I answered that I'd need to cite an example. And if I did that I'd be breaking a forum rule.
I'm on to all your little tricks.
i would say that taking anyone's reviews as gospel is just not smart... EVERYTHING about vaping is just personal preference.
the only thing i look for in reviews of a mod or a delivery system is really just how durable it is. if i read all the time that a mod is flimsy and not well constructed, i will shy away from purchase. there have been a few mods that i was excited about but after reading many reviews that it broke easily and was flimsy.
now on juice, there is NO way to take reviews as truth that it will work for you. i have had juices with horrible reviews that i liked because they are more my flavor... then ive had juices that EVERYONE raves about (pluid) that i cant vape... its just not my flavor.
my advice on reviews is to look at the objective aspects but try for yourself for the subjective aspects.
the only thing i look for in reviews of a mod or a delivery system is really just how durable it is. if i read all the time that a mod is flimsy and not well constructed, i will shy away from purchase. there have been a few mods that i was excited about but after reading many reviews that it broke easily and was flimsy.
now on juice, there is NO way to take reviews as truth that it will work for you. i have had juices with horrible reviews that i liked because they are more my flavor... then ive had juices that EVERYONE raves about (pluid) that i cant vape... its just not my flavor.
my advice on reviews is to look at the objective aspects but try for yourself for the subjective aspects.
I stay away from any mod vs. mod threads (as a source for unbiased reviews), I focus on ease of use, durability, customer service and cost, in that order. I use the argument that as an ex-smoker, there isn't a mod or setup that isn't affordable. $3,000+ a year on smokes left me with a wheeze and a pile of cigarette butts. $500-$1,000 a year on vaping leaves me with a pile of mods and eliquids.
Following that strategy, I found ProVari. It was easy to use, durable, ProVape's customer service is top notch, and for the cost, it holds it's resale value remarkably well.
Not knowing if I would like RBA's, I bought the AGA-T. It was sturdy, performed well, was cheap and let me try RBA's. At some point I will buy a "top shelf" RBA, because again, like the ProVari, it will hold it's resale value, should I decide to get rid of it.
Before I start sounding like a boutique pusher, I will also say that I enjoy using eGo style batteries and cheap Kanger MT3's. I do consider these to be essentially disposable and the Scot in me really doesn't like to go that route.
In the end, my criteria is this: Will it last longer than a cigarette, and will it provide more enjoyment than a cigarette? If yes is the answer to both those questions, then I will have no regrets on any purchase I make.
Following that strategy, I found ProVari. It was easy to use, durable, ProVape's customer service is top notch, and for the cost, it holds it's resale value remarkably well.
Not knowing if I would like RBA's, I bought the AGA-T. It was sturdy, performed well, was cheap and let me try RBA's. At some point I will buy a "top shelf" RBA, because again, like the ProVari, it will hold it's resale value, should I decide to get rid of it.
Before I start sounding like a boutique pusher, I will also say that I enjoy using eGo style batteries and cheap Kanger MT3's. I do consider these to be essentially disposable and the Scot in me really doesn't like to go that route.
In the end, my criteria is this: Will it last longer than a cigarette, and will it provide more enjoyment than a cigarette? If yes is the answer to both those questions, then I will have no regrets on any purchase I make.
with reviews on a product the ECF search bos is simple. Type your product in the search box and get results. Then sort through the results and read reviews. If you get a general good or bad sense about a product then act accordingly. One thing i will say is fairly constant is people like variable voltage. It allows taste to be adjusted according to the user. Variable wattage is just new version of variable voltage with some added bells and whistles. Overall you must make the final decision. Reviewers that say "this is the best product for you and this will work best for you" are misleading. The ones that give an honest opinion on the product and make little or no attempt to sell you something are the better ones(in my opinion). If someone describes a juice as good or bad, remember taste is subjective(to a point). Strawberry generally tastes like strawberry and not like apple, unless it has apple in it.
Like with anything on the internet - you have to vet your sources. If I am interested in a product or juice or something, I will check out reviews from as many sources as possible. And then, for some of those reviewers, I will check out thier opinion on *other* items . .especially ones I already have. That way I can guage how much thier opinion is worth. Over time, I have started to notice that there are certain reviewers and posters who I can generally rely on . .maybe because they are honest reviewers . .or maybe just because thier tastes and preferences are aligned with my own.
PBusardo is great, btw, because he goes into so much detail that you can form your own opinion. I feel the same way about Grimm Green . .I don't really watch his videos for his opinion . .which seems to differ from my own in many cases .. but I can get a good idea of what the product is all about from watching his review.
PBusardo is great, btw, because he goes into so much detail that you can form your own opinion. I feel the same way about Grimm Green . .I don't really watch his videos for his opinion . .which seems to differ from my own in many cases .. but I can get a good idea of what the product is all about from watching his review.
I don't so much listen to the reviews as their stated reason behind the review. The nitty-gritty is more important to me than the thumbs up or thumbs down at the end.
It's important to remember that everything you read on the internet is 100% true, all the time. 
As a relative newcomer to the forums, I've learned to trust a few opinions from the veterans. Over time, you'll find which people have similar tastes/experiences, and go to them with questions.
As a relative newcomer to the forums, I've learned to trust a few opinions from the veterans. Over time, you'll find which people have similar tastes/experiences, and go to them with questions.
Well said, different tastes are a real thing. For instance I'm a filler based carto/tank person, they just do what I like, yet know others who enjoy the clearo family. Ask me about a filler carto, I've got an opinion, but on a clearo I'm dumb as a sack of rocks. Same with PVs, eliquids, atties, ...
I think the biggest mistake newbies make is to listen to people with recent join dates.
With so many random suggestions flying around, it can get beyond confusing and eventually become overwhelming.
Completely ignoring anyone with a recent join date cuts out a whole lot of the white noise and clatter.
Yes, I know there are many people with a lot of experience who join the forum late in the game.
Unfortunately, sometimes the good has to be thrown out with the bad.
As for what makes for a successful vaper?
Knowing what you are looking for and what you want out of the vaping experience.
I think that is the most important thing in making one a successful vaper.
The main problem that newbies face is that they don't really even know what they want yet.
And chances are they aren't going to until they get something in their hands and just get started.
With so many random suggestions flying around, it can get beyond confusing and eventually become overwhelming.
Completely ignoring anyone with a recent join date cuts out a whole lot of the white noise and clatter.
Yes, I know there are many people with a lot of experience who join the forum late in the game.
Unfortunately, sometimes the good has to be thrown out with the bad.
As for what makes for a successful vaper?
Knowing what you are looking for and what you want out of the vaping experience.
I think that is the most important thing in making one a successful vaper.
The main problem that newbies face is that they don't really even know what they want yet.
And chances are they aren't going to until they get something in their hands and just get started.
Reviewers don't test stuff long-term, and that's where a lot of problems show up. I've bought plenty of equipment that got great reviews, only to find that the experience is much different if you spend a week or two with the equipment, versus pulling it out of the mail and spending enough time with it to write a review. I mean, I've bought a ton of stuff to which my initial reaction was "this is great!" only to do a complete 180 about it down the road.
Personally, if I'm interested in a piece of equipment, I'll buy one. If I don't hate it, I might buy another one. Gear's generally relatively cheap, and the parts that aren't can always be sold on the classifieds.
Personally, if I'm interested in a piece of equipment, I'll buy one. If I don't hate it, I might buy another one. Gear's generally relatively cheap, and the parts that aren't can always be sold on the classifieds.
I think the biggest mistake newbies make is to listen to people with recent join dates.
With so many random suggestions flying around, it can get beyond confusing and eventually become overwhelming.
Completely ignoring anyone with a recent join date cuts out a whole lot of the white noise and clatter.
Yes, I know there are many people with a lot of experience who join the forum late in the game.
Unfortunately, sometimes the good has to be thrown out with the bad.
As for what makes for a successful vaper?
Knowing what you are looking for and what you want out of the vaping experience.
I think that is the most important thing in making one a successful vaper.
The main problem that newbies face is that they don't really even know what they want yet.
And chances are they aren't going to until they get something in their hands and just get started.
At the same time - I joined six months ago. TECHNICALLY I joined two years ago back when I first started vaping, but I picked up the stinkies until six months ago, and my original email address is no longer active, so there was no way for me to figure out ... my password was - anyway, my join date is six months ago. In the last six months I've tried... carto tanks, four types of dripping atomizer, five types of clearomizer, eleven juice vendors, three different PV/battery types, gone to two vape meets, begun an ....-retentive spreadsheeting habit, figured out what batteries go with what mods, and become active in several vaping communities.
I'm not an expert on anything, and I don't know more than anyone. But I think judging people by their join dates is kind of terrible.
(I totally agree with that second part, and it's kind of the reason I feel like, "Hey, I'm a newbie too, I'm going through that, this is what is working for me, now, and this is what my friends who have been vaping for longer like," from me is just as effective as it is from someone with a 2010 join date.)
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I'd really have to agree. I got some horrible advice when I started from people with join dates of over a year or two ago, and though my join date is only a couple months ago, I like to think I have a pretty good idea what I'm talking about most of the time, at least as far as my sphere of knowledge goes -- but I wouldn't ever recommend anything I haven't tried myself (and I've tried a lot of stuff over the last couple months).
And, when you get down to it, vaping technology changes pretty fast. There's a good chance anything you know from a couple years ago isn't really going to apply now, anyway.
I just never trust anyone who acts like they know everything.
I have tried a lot for the relative noob I am, but I TRY to preface/end with "but this is just what I prefer/ymmv/this is my opinion" because ... vaping is SO subjective! If I don't know something and someone directly asks me, I'm like, "Dude... ask your vendor/this guy who loves RBAs/someone who owns a Provari/etc. Sorry "and that's the big thing. Right?
I'm lucky i found pbusardo early on. I consider him trustworthy, for always differentiating between the product and the vendor, and being unafraid to declare something crap even if it was sent to him for free.
There's a few other people I take a peek at, nitrobex is great for juice and thereal cmac is good for some obscure products, but when it comes to hardware reviews phil's the man whose opinion i trust.
There's a few other people I take a peek at, nitrobex is great for juice and thereal cmac is good for some obscure products, but when it comes to hardware reviews phil's the man whose opinion i trust.
The best piece of advice I can give...
Try Everything.
Go to vape meets, make some vaping friends AFK, and find out what suits you. Then, depending on your level of commitment to your hobby, your personal vape preferences, and your budget, go about trying things for yourself.
As a reviewer, I have to say that in my opinion-with a few exceptions- reviews are really more important for the more expensive devices and pieces of gear- the kind of things that might cost as much as a car payment or the like, and could be a big investment on your part. It always pays to research everything before making a big financial outlay for a device! This is one reason, among many, that I have switched formats a bit and started reviewing high-end gear (by the way, good reviewers spend a good deal of time using devices before reviewing them- occasionally, I'll do a first look/update on something I've already used, etc.).
The cheaper stuff is generally recognized as being somewhat (or completely) disposable, or at the very least, CHEAP and easy to acquire, so going blind and testing little bits and pieces here and there won't kill your wallet (or ruin your day/week/month) the way that buying, say, a horribly-performing, hand-made device will.
For instance, I will always remember the first time I got bit by a mod that I bought: The Zen Mini. I had such high hopes for the device before I got it, and the lesson I learned was that you absolutely *can't* trust the hearsay or the rumors. It's all about the facts- the numbers, the science behind making a quality device...that's what makes for a good, educated buy, AND also makes for a good review/reviewer. Never again will I make the mistake of ignoring the facts in the face of sometimes-overly-zealous fans.
Try Everything.
Go to vape meets, make some vaping friends AFK, and find out what suits you. Then, depending on your level of commitment to your hobby, your personal vape preferences, and your budget, go about trying things for yourself.
As a reviewer, I have to say that in my opinion-with a few exceptions- reviews are really more important for the more expensive devices and pieces of gear- the kind of things that might cost as much as a car payment or the like, and could be a big investment on your part. It always pays to research everything before making a big financial outlay for a device! This is one reason, among many, that I have switched formats a bit and started reviewing high-end gear (by the way, good reviewers spend a good deal of time using devices before reviewing them- occasionally, I'll do a first look/update on something I've already used, etc.).
The cheaper stuff is generally recognized as being somewhat (or completely) disposable, or at the very least, CHEAP and easy to acquire, so going blind and testing little bits and pieces here and there won't kill your wallet (or ruin your day/week/month) the way that buying, say, a horribly-performing, hand-made device will.
For instance, I will always remember the first time I got bit by a mod that I bought: The Zen Mini. I had such high hopes for the device before I got it, and the lesson I learned was that you absolutely *can't* trust the hearsay or the rumors. It's all about the facts- the numbers, the science behind making a quality device...that's what makes for a good, educated buy, AND also makes for a good review/reviewer. Never again will I make the mistake of ignoring the facts in the face of sometimes-overly-zealous fans.
I wasn't trying to trick you, I honestly don't understand what that meant. But if you think your response would break a forum rule, probably best not to post it.
My criticism with some reviews (not talking about you) is that sometimes they're done as soon as a mod or pv comes out and they review it out of the box.
I think it would be more helpful if the reviewer used only this pv/mod for "X" amount of months, saw what some of the issues are and then review it.
Best way to be safe is to not buy the latest gadget. Wait until it's been out in circulation awhile. Ignore the reviewers. They are paid shills who will get you banned from ECF. Get the community consensus, let somebody else be the guinea pig.
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