xladybugx

I already posted your response. The re-post was not necessary. Usually when someone starts complaining about "drama" in these types of situations where there's no drama besides the drama they've created by producing unverifiable claims, it's because they're being mendacious. I'm trying to get down to the bottom of who copied who. You both have some of the same flavors... I'm just trying to verify who came up with what first. Excuse me for not simply believing whatever random people tell me on the internet... but I do have some common sense and critical thinking skills... which has kept me safe from situations like sending my money overseas just because someone tells me in an email that they're a Nigerian prince.

From Vape Dudes: Hi there, I am the co-owner and founder of Vape Dudes. We began our company in 2010 locally in the Dallas area. My husband and the other owner, Chris, developed all of our juices without any ideas from any online companies. What you don't see when you do a Whois search is our local business and the registration of our LLC company, CLS Trading. I really don't understand the point of your query. We hadn't heard of MBV until the middle of 2012. We actually used Johnson Creek and Pink Spot Vapors as our model for business and our website. Those two companies are the only 2 of which we were aware until 2012. We have been on ECF since 2012 and on Facebook much longer. I can assure you that our flavors are ours and that we did not use any ideas from MBV. Thank you, Jennifer The rabbit hole gets deeper... as I mentioned, there's no signs of their business being operated locally in that area. As for Facebook, the page wasn't created until the website was (Apr. 2011) and the first post is late Oct. 2011. https://www.facebook.com/VapeDudes The oldest post I can find about them on ECF is April of 2012. Their join date is Jan. 2012. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/e-cigarette-suppliers-forum/286322-howdy-vape-dudes-come-say-hi.html

I'm on an all out investigation now, LOL. Now I'm trying to locate this Chris Snuffer guy... and oddly enough, he doesn't exist on search engines. Not even a phone book entry for him. This is really odd for a live person... usually, they have at least a little bit of a trail... if nothing else, those high school allumni searches will pop them up. Something interesting I did find out is that he's one of the top searches in PeekYou, which is a popular people search. So evidently a lot of people are looking for evidence of his existence outside of Vape Dudes.... His company CLS Trading LLC WAS started in May of 2010... so the website is *somewhat* truthful... but still not being truthful about how long the business has been active, because outside of the website and the fact the business was originally registered with the state of TX in 2010, there is absolutely no indication this company has had ANY existence outside of the website created in 2011. I.E., the business was more than likely non-operational until the website was started. No phone numbers, addresses, or anything. Way skeevy... :-/ And sorry for all the posts but... when these questions start popping up in my mind, I like to get down to the bottom of things and thoroughly research... plus other than offering my opinion, I like to provide my findings to others so they can make up their own minds and not just have my opinion to go by.

Some more research.... Vape Dudes claims they have been in business since 2010. I found this interesting considering Mt Baker Vapor started their business in 2011. While Mt Baker Vapor's business start date is clearly visible on the BBB's website, Vape Dudes has no entry for their business on the BBB website. So I did a Whois.... Mt Baker Vapor (from BBB): Business started: 03/01/2011 Vape Dudes (from Whois): Creation Date: 24-apr-2011 That's almost exactly A MONTH after Mt Baker Vapor started their business. I wrote Vape Dudes about all of this. Let's see what their reply is... if I even get one....

Everyone... when buying from a vendor that claims their flavors are unique, especially if they offer these flavors at a price markup, do your research! There are some vendors that DO create TONS of unique flavors that have been in the market a very long time... some that don't even markup their prices just because of how unique their flavors are (like MBV)... they do this because they really care their customers and they have a genuine love for mixing juice! We want to ENCOURAGE these unique vendors by buying from them... not their competition that rips off their ideas and marks up their prices in an attempt to profit off them! MBV has an affiliate program... if you want to profit off their juice, there's a way to do that while still giving them their dues.... We need to PROTECT our emerging culture from those that would just seek to make a quick buck. Otherwise things will go very downhill very fast. Part of what makes this industry so unique is the PASSION, CARING, and CREATIVITY of the vendors. Let's keep the vendors that hold true to these values at the top of our "to buy lists".

Just a note... Mt. Baker Vapor and Vapor Chef also offer those options when you buy (nic content, ratios, and extra flavor). No offense, but after looking over the site a lot... this vendor is a direct rip of MBV. This became blatantly obvious in their flavors... because they had the balls to rip MBV's signature flavors that you're not supposed to be able to buy anywhere else, and didn't even bother to rename some of them (like Vanilla Ice). The only genuinely unique idea I see on the site is the customized labels. OUR eJUICES ARE UNIQUE. You will not find any other company using our exclusive recipies; our flavors are truly one of a kind! THAT is a blatant lie right there. Many of the flavors are renamed but they're still the same as MBV's. These guys have got me pretty angry. I'm about to write them and ask them how they explain that statement considering I can find most of the flavors on MBV... and a list of some of the flavors I know they're ripping. This is what MBV has to say about it: Me 14:41 i am wondering about another vendor actually... vapedudes.com... a lot of their flavors seem to be direct rips of mt baker vapor... or vice versa... 14:42 and i guess i'm pretty confused now heh and i don't mean the regular flavors but they've got sigs like vanilla ice Josh 14:42 Not sure, we dont sell to them and they are competition. Boss says they copied our ice line

Hi Andy, and welcome. I'm a little confused by your post... are you still a smoker, or are you a vaper? If you're still smoking, there's a lot more that you're addicted to besides nicotine.

There's a few vendors I know of that offer free shipping. http://efestbattery.com and http://vaporbeast.com are two of them. Just in case anyone ever needs to make an order outside of the group. There's some more I know of that do free shipping/low cost ($3) shipping... if you're interested I'll send you a list.

Oh, also... to get more vapor, use a blend that has more VG in it. VG is what creates the vapor and since you went up in PG content with your juice it may have also been contributing to less vapor. PG provides more flavor and throat hit... VG creates more vapor and a smoother vape (less throat hit). You can always expect a decrease in vapor production when you bump up the PG in your juice.

Just a note... make sure once the head is dry from rinsing that you put it back in one of those silicone caps. Helps protect the coil from the corrosion that happens normally over time from humidity in the air, which if left unused for too long will cause the ohm rating to drop and eventually render it unusable. LOL... if only I had $1 for every time I've ended up covered in juice... especially when I was getting used to my carto tank, which spills its contents every time it slides up.

MBV, which I mentioned earlier, as well as other vendors like Vapor Chef, allows you to add extra flavor shots for 25 cents each. Their PG heavy juice though never tastes bland to me and tastes like my 50% VG juice with an extra flavor shot. As for my 50% VG juice, it seems the VG does make the flavor more bland, so I always get an extra shot of flavor added to it to bring it up to the PG heavy juice's level. But yeah... how bland your juice is really depends on the vendor. For me, I would never shop with a vendor that doesn't give me the extra flavor shot option, as I have found a lot of flavors that are naturally lighter tasting often require an extra shot or two to really match up with the others. Thanks for the tip on where to find 100% VG Dekang. I have yet to try a 100% VG blend. MBV offers 100% VG but I haven't bought any yet because I worry about not getting enough shots of flavor or the juice being too thick for my Vivi Nova tank to vape it properly. I keep hoping to get a sample from them that is 100% VG but they always seem to pick PG heavy blends for their sample flavors (I don't blame them for this, a heavier VG blend would require more flavor just to make it taste as good as the PG kind).

First of all, does the juice you got contain more or less VG than the juice you normally buy? What is the ohm rating of the head you're using? The voltage the Vivi Novas can stand depends on the ohm rating of the head you're using in them.

My issue with Dekang isn't that it's cheap. It's that there aren't any VG heavy blends (I'm slightly PG sensitive, can't handle it in ratios over 50%), they use artificial flavors (some artificial flavors give me massive migraines, and I don't need that considering I'm already on prescription meds for migraine prevention), they just don't taste authentic (to me, I've seen other vapers claim their flavors are spot on so *shrug*), and to a lesser degree... they're from China (I'm not really opposed to Chinese products, but I figure I can at the very least buy USA juices and help support some American family out there). Anyway, my point is some people don't like Dekang for a lot more reasons than just that they're cheap. I buy cheap juice... just not Dekang (Mt. Baker Vapor to be specific).

Indeed... which is why I felt the urge to give that info out. I'm very glad you found it useful!

This one doesn't happen to me, probably because I live in FL... I'm not sure. However, TY for adding this to the thread. I knew I couldn't think of them all nor have experienced them all! Hehe

Check Yellow Pages, they have a section exclusively for e-cig stores.

There are LOTS of reasons the CE4s may be dying on you... most of them don't require a new delivery system. That being said, CE4s are a lot more fussy about your vaping habits in my experience than the Vision Vivi Nova/STV Nova tank systems. And I should probably also add you shouldn't bargain bin on CE4s because those China no name knockoffs that are like $1.30 a pop have VERY inconsistent resistances in my experience and usually sport lower ohms than they are actually listed as having (blame this on poor quality control). I've also found the Vivi Nova heads last me much longer than any clearomizer ever dreamed... usually about 4wks minimum. The best help you can have on making sure you get the real Vision Vivi Nova tank system is to know what the packaging and heads look like, since any posted links we give you may be sold out by the time you want to buy (the Vision Vivi Novas are probably the most popular tank systems at this time). The imitations look similar, but not similar enough to be exactly the same. www.rookwinkel.nl/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/640x640/331cb11b4a95548e0a36f66d768b110c/v/i/vision-mini-vivi-nova_1.jpg www.stevevape.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/vivi-nova-title.jpg www.flavour-liquids.de/bilder/produkte/gross/VISION-Vivi-Nova-V3.jpg Fake Visions: image.made-in-china.com/4f0j00pefEBWgUOkcv/High-Quality-Vaporizer-Vision-Vivi-Nova.jpg www.cig.co.il/images/watermarked/detailed/0/Mini-vivi-nova-.jpg i01.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/017/217/473/473217017_742.JPG Pay close attention to what the heads look like in the images. This will be your BIGGEST tip off on whether or not a Vivi Nova is the real deal: Fake: http://images.vapouriz.com/1/1347017665_6.jpg intellivap.com/175-582-thickbox/resistances-pour-vivi-nova-vision-v3.jpg Real: www.sunshine-vapor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/coil_head.jpg Notes to make about the genuine Vivi Novas: - The box will always be black with Vision in white and the red stripes above the V in Vision. - The box is high quality and well printed... there will be no ink smudges, smears, or drips/leaks in the printed Vision logo - THERE ARE NO V3 VISIONS YET. THEY'RE AT V2.5. ANY VENDOR CLAIMING TO HAVE V3 VISION VIVI NOVA TANKS IS SELLING CLONES or V2.5 AND IS RIPPING THEIR CUSTOMERS OFF ON THEM. - The heads ALWAYS have a silicone gasket that is tubular and has no top (i.e. completely like a tube with no ends). The ones with solid silicone ends are for the original Vivi Novas I *think*, but you're looking for the latest version, the 2.5 - There will be a round and flat topped metal gasket piece that sits recessed and loose inside the silicone gasket... it will NEVER be cone shaped in any way, shape, or form... nor will it rise above the silicone gasket, for the silicone gasket is above that metal piece to provide a seal to the top cap so it provides leak proof vaping. Any head that has the metal piece placed even slightly above the silicone gasket WILL NOT PREVENT LEAKS - The heads all have their ohm ratings etched in to the side... not painted, printed, or even stickered I would not recommend buying any Vivi Nova tanks online when the pictures do not display the heads clearly enough for you to tell if they're genuine Vision heads, even if the box looks genuine. Last, I'm going to link you to a store I use frequently that sells the real deal with free shipping. I can't guarantee they'll be in stock, but a link never hurts. http://www.vaporbeast.com/product-p/c28.htm And if you find them cheaper elsewhere and are in doubt about whether they're genuine, post the link here and I'm sure any of us members that have the genuine tanks will be able to help you out.

There are two MAJOR reasons for these leaks that I've experienced: 1. The head has came slightly unscrewed enough for juice to leak in to the core when you unscrew the metal cap from the tube (which in turn sometimes turns the silicone gasket, which in turn turns the head, thus unscrewing it a little). The symptom of this is a leaky 510 connection through the air holes, which may seem like the tank is leaking from the bottom of the tube when placed on its side. 2. Sometimes... the silicone gasket is cut slightly too long for the metal cap to fit over it to create the perfect snug seal... and the silicone gasket will push over to the side when you're screwing the metal cap on to the tube. It's impossible to avoid by just being careful... you'll have to take a small screwdriver or other thin stick like tool and slowly screw the cap on, stopping every once in a while to manipulate the silicone gasket's position so that it is perfectly centered with the hole in the center of the metal cap. If you don't do this, the symptom will seem like the tube is leaking from both ends when placed on its side, because juice is leaking both out the gaping hole created by the off-center silicone gasket (thus leaking out the top of the metal cap) and also leaking down in to the center of the core and through the air holes in the 510 connection. Other possible causes: - You may have some of the wick screwed in with the head, which is now wicking juice in to the center of the core and down through the 510 connection's air holes - The tube itself may need to be tightened at one end or both ends - You may have bought a China clone head/tank and not the genuine Vision brand. The China clone heads I have seen have a pointy metal gasket over the silicone gasket... this is NOT Vision's original design and WILL leak A LOT - If your tube is plastic and you've been vaping citrus/sour/cinnamon/acidic juices, it may be cracked (never had this happen with my STV tubes but it's always a possibility with plastic tubes) These are the most major issues I can think of. Feel free to add on if you think of more! Recently I got some new heads and #2 became an issue.... initially I thought it was my new tube... thank goodness I thoroughly troubleshooted the tank and found that issue, which was a completely new one to me. This issue is what inspired me to create this thread as a sort of "complete Vivi Nova troubleshooting guide" for the forum since I have noticed there are a lot of others here that use this tank system as well, and leaks are a pretty common issue with it that are usually easily (and cheaply) resolvable without having to toss out the system and buy a new one.

New to the forum so I couldn't post this right after I ordered, but I've got an Evic on the way. Can't wait to try it out, either. I have been DREAMING of the day I could get my hands on an APV with upgradeable software, big tech/computer geek that I am.

Umm... I'm a little different. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but my heads last me an avg. of 3 weeks so it doesn't really matter much to me when they're only $3 a pop. The dark stuff left at the bottom... dump it before you refill. A rinse helps too but isn't entirely necessary as long as you have a manual battery that you can prime it with a few times before you take your first real vape from a full tank. That stuff always tastes way nasty if you try to vape it to the bottom. If you don't have any build up though, you can safely vape until the wick starts going dry. You'll notice first that you're getting less vapor, this is the point you should stop at IMMEDIATELY to avoid burning the wick. If you keep going, the wick will start to burn and you'll taste it for sure. As long as the wick is sufficiently wet though, you can vape even if your tank is empty (though I wouldn't recommend going past the point of an empty tank unless you're really desperate and have no juice to refill it with or something).

Hi and welcome! I'm a new member too but have been on the vaping scene just about as long as you have. I also am a RBT user and tend to lean towards the higher resistance coils, although I have an appreciation for low resistance as well and usually keep both in my collection. Nice having all these options, isn't it? Sure beats the limited options that came with smoking analogues, that's for sure!

I'm not too up on Dekang (don't vape it myself), but probably the cheapest place I have seen it sold at is http://fasttech.com... wide variety of flavors and strengths, as well.

Excellent post right above me ^^^^ Take heed. Welcome to the forum. I'm a new member too, though not a new vaper. So far I really like the place. Very laid back here with what seems to be a balanced mix of vets and newbies. When you begin to ween yourself off analogues (i.e. cigarettes), keep in mind that every one you don't smoke is a WIN. It's very vital to remind yourself when you have a relapse that the relapse is not a failure to quit and it IS a part of the natural quitting process. Don't get down if you find yourself relapsing in to one or even a whole pack of analogues. Instead pat yourself on the back for making it as far as you have, and think positively back on all the analogues you've avoided since then. Smokers have this tendency to relapse and then give up all hope of quitting, thinking the relapse indicates they're incapable of quitting. Just like it probably took you a lot of time to get hooked on smoking and then took even more time for you get to smoking as much as you do now, so is the same for quitting. Just like back in the day you used to smoke a bunch (or what seemed like a bunch) of analogues one day and then might have went the next day with a lot less or none at all with no problems, so it will probably be the same with quitting. Starting or quitting smoking both are a bit like being on a roller coaster... some days you're up, other days you're down. Don't stop in the middle of the ride and assume that you're never going to climb another hill up. It takes a long, LONG time for all those chemicals and carcinogens to build up in your body to the point that you're addicted, and it can take just about as long to flush them completely out as well. I smoked for 20 years, from the time I was 14. Ended up being a pack a day smoker. Have tried every FDA approved cessation method and product there is. It took me a year of casually vaping and 6 months of sincere effort to transition from smoking to vaping to finally quit. And yeah, there would be days when I had spent a few weeks without an analogue and ended up tearing in to a whole pack that day. A lot of us know exactly what you'll be going through, because we have been there ourselves. Vaping is not an "easy" way to quit smoking. Any cessation method/product takes a LOT of effort and determination on your part. However, I *can* say it was a lot easier for me to quit using vaping as a replacement than it ever was for me to quit using the patch or gum... mostly for the reasons Uma listed. BTW, the decision to quit smoking was for health reasons on my part as well. I was getting symptoms of COPD. Had my left lung completely obstructed for unknown reasons, and was on prescription pain killers to help lesson the pain in the left side of my chest. Along with it came a chronic cough that often took a nasty turn towards bronchitis and pneumonia. Tests revealed nothing... my doc was baffled... and after noticing that the pain decreased when I smoked slightly less than normal for a few days, I approached him about vaping as a quitting method. Surprisingly, he was 100% supportive and thought it was a great idea for me, since he knew I had tried multiple times in the past to quit using approved methods and failed. He reasoned that even if I couldn't kick the nic habit using vaping, at least I would be doing significantly less damage to my lungs than I did with analogues. This is not to promote vaping as a cessation method or to substitute for your own doc's advice (who you should ALWAYS ask about vaping before actually making the switch), but to point out that yes, there are medical professionals that support this method when all others have failed and your life is literally on the line. Don't be afraid to talk to your doc about vaping... his or her input may surprise you. I am happy to report that I have been analogue free for a year now. All those nasty symptoms disappeared, including the obstruction of my left lung, and I am 100% healthy and my lungs operate at 100% as well. I started on 36mg and am now down to 12mg. I anticipate being all the way down to 0mg within the next year. Even if I never achieve that goal though, I am happy enough with the reduced risks to my health that I have gained by switching. And... this has actually became a pretty cool little hobby for me! So I plan on continuing to vape casually even once I'm no longer addicted by vaping 0mg, and also plan on always having a PV (personal vaporizer) and some 0mg juice on standby in the case of a random psychological craving to "blow vapor". Once I am done, I don't want to touch anything with nic in it ever again. Keep in mind that even once you do quit nic (if you plan to do so), you never will stop being in "recovery" from it. It may be many years down the road and you will still probably get random psychological cravings. My mom quit for 20 years and picked up the habit again due to this. So it would be wise to keep some form of PV and 0mg juice handy even after you quit just to be prepared for these types of situations. Although I must admit with the increasing availability of disposable e-cigs in gas stations and drug stores, this may not be totally necessary in the future if they start offering 0mg e-cigs along with the standard strengths.

Heya and welcome to the forum fellow new member.

The town I just moved from was somewhat familiar with it, enough that no businesses complained about me vaping, but still kind of in the dark. I never saw any other vapers, and people often asked what the heck I had because while they had heard of e-cigs they had never seen an APV before and thought all e-cigs were cigalikes. The new place I live at seems way more familiar with them, and I even have had strangers congratulate me on quitting smoking when they saw my APV dangling from my neck.