It takes time to learn who you can trust… and I don't think there are a lot of people out there pushing crap. I think there's more self-deception out there and diplomatic reviewers than there are charlatans.
In 4 years, the list of people I know I can trust is quite small… and that's because I have particular or unique taste - and we all do… and the trick is finding someone who shares your preferences…
My favorite was David Dorn… in the UK… mostly because he's entertaining.
One of the biggest problems I see here… with this kind of post is that people tend to think that harsh or negative posts are somehow more honest than positive reviews…
This is neither true or untrue…
It's a lot easier to post a positive review.
There's little backlash or criticism… life is easier avoiding posting bad reviews…
…and people tend to be more enthusiastic about posting poisitive reviews…
I tend to only post positive reviews… I find something, I like it… I want to share it ----
Recently I bought some juice from a popular vendors that a lot of people like and I HATED the juice.
I don't share the same motivation to post a negative review… because I didn't like it.
I don't like nicoticket's cls or creme brulee… not a fan of any goodlife vapor… not a fan of "The Standard" or grenada… not a fan of 5 pawn's, mr. eliquid, Roar, or alice in vapeland...
Do I really need to post a negative review? All these vendors were top notch… and they make great juice… just not my cup of tea...
I love Innevape lately… mmm great stuff! it really tickles my taste buds… I have enjoyed GEJ, Halo, BWB and others for several years...
Point is… I am not going to zap clark at nicoticket because his custard is too sweet for me… in fact, I think I will be trying more of his juices as soon as he does a menthol… if he can putthe same quality and passion into menthol as he does desserts, then I am biting.
My lack of writing a positive review is my only protest.
I'll only write a negative review of a juice if I feel that the vendor somehow lied… like if they say their tobacco is made from the finest ingredients and it's just some flavoring squirted in… or if they use really inferior nic and base...
I dunno… you just need to realize that reviews are only as good as you connect with the reviewer….
and what's the point of a video juice review anyway? those are just stupid in my opinion… if the person is entertaining or attractive, I'll watch ;-)
I like Busardo… he does a nice review… I was on the fence about one of those Innokin MVP Itaste mods a while back… and he gave it a pretty good review… so I bit - I figured… if he likes it, I might...
I hated it… I think it's such a hunk of crap… I thought… how could busardo like this? the button is terrible… it had an incredibly poor fit and finish… it never kicked out the 5v that it promised… but hey… the guy has bigger hands and different taste…
I watched his review again and realized that he really wasn't pushing it - reading between the lines, he was being diplomatic… he wasn't saying it was crap… he was saying… for the money, it ain't bad… and I wanted to like it… so… no harm, no foul…
anyway… to anyone reading this… I think you need to figure out what you like and not rely on other people to make you feel good about buying something… because it is truly hard to find stuff that you like… we are finicky - and our tastes change a lot.
here's what I am talking about - with a MOD… I like lightweight… a button with some action and a great fit and finish… if any one of these three things are lacking, I'll hate the mod… even if it's one of those gorgeous super-T mods.
and with juice, you need to be even more careful… I know more about what I don't like than what I do like.
I look at all the vendor's offerings and I determine (based on my experience) if they are doing anything unique.
I look at WHO likes this juice… is it mostly people who have been vaping a couple months… or people who have been vaping years?
Frequently I email them… and I avoid them when they are secretive or flakey… I ask questions…
It's hard for me to find a new juice vendor I like.
It's ejuice… that's all it is… and as far as I am concerned… at this point in the game… there's no such thing as TOP SHELF… there's just horrible, vapable and really good… only so many ways you can create these flavors… no one is doing anything that unique… there are thousands of people out there making juice now and just a small handful of flavoring companies and nic companies… and chances are, if someone is smart enough to figure something revolutionary out - others will too.