Empire from Vape Swag

This company is based here in the UK and appeals to me for two reasons, quality liquid and a Star wars theme. Let's be fair here what's not to like, well at first I have to be honest I didn't like the first liquid I tried. I won some Empire, a liquid from Vape Swag a fair while ago. I entered a competition hosted by Vape Swag when they were group sponsor of a Facebook vaping group and won 10ml of whichever liquid I wanted from the menu. I chose Empire, it arrived really quickly and I was really chuffed to win. This was one of the first competitions for vape stuff I'd entered so was really looking forward to this fancy liquid turning up especially as it was free. So I ripped open the packet and put some in the tank and gave it a vape. I really didn't like it at all, there was nothing wrong with it, it tasted exactly like it's description. It just turned out liquids with vanilla and custard weren't for me. So it got put aside and I forgot about it...... till I fancied a change and thought why not give it another go. People's tastes really do change, it's true. Whilst  I was in Scotland some weeks ago I filled my genny up with well steeped Empire and had a vape and it was truly outstanding. Was this down to the fact it had, had time to steep? Was it my taste had changed? Was it the better setup I was using to vape it with? Or was it all of those possibilities?  Who knows. What I do know is when the opportunity presented itself to get more liquid from Vape Swag I jumped at the chance and got more Empire. I really, really love this flavour, to me it's like vaping a strawberry milkshake with an added hint of custard. It's just as good in a tank as it is an a dripper and I can and have very easily spent all day just vaping this one liquid which is quite unusual for me I do like to swap and change.
Vapeswag liquids are really reasonable, 10ml will cost you £5, 30ml £12 and 100ml £35 plus p&p so not mega money. The liquids are available in 0,6,9,12,18 & 24mg nicotine strengths and are 50/50 PG/VG. Flavours on the menu are :-

• Order 66 (Vanilla, Banana Cream & Custard)
• Bantha Milk (Blue Raspberry Slush)
• Biker Snout (Tobacco Blend)
• Chewie Cherry (Cherry, Blackcurrant & Menthol)
• Corellian (Irish Cream, Praline Cream & Cookie)
• Empire (Vanilla, Custard, Strawberry & Cream)
• Imperial Mint (Fresh Mint & Menthol)
• Old Ben (Cookie Cappuccino)
• Phantom Menthol (Cherry, Perno, Aniseed & Menthol)
• Sour Jawa (Sour Strawberry & Raspberry)

Vape Swag are starting to appear in some Vape Shops (im sure you'll be seeing it in more and more shops given time) and there is a website in the works, but to order some of these liquids head over to the Facebook page in the links where youll find a list of shops that carry the line, or you could send Mr Hepburn (the boss man) a message and he'll sort it all out for you. There is a liquid to suit most people and if like me you give it a vape and don't like it, don't write it off. Set it aside and give it a go another time. I'm so glad i didn't throw mine out because now, Empire is one of my favourite liquids. Give Vape Swag a try I'm sure you'll love it*.



*  What is written above are my personal thoughts and opinions only, everyone's tastes are different and because I have liked or disliked a particular liquid shouldn't and doesn't mean you will too. Please take my opinion as it was intended, not as a reason to purchase or avoid, but rather to help you make your own decision based on your own research, budget and requirements.

THP Romuluz Hybrid from Midlands Vaping

Ok people I've had this Hybrid now for a few weeks and you know what? I've barely used anything else since I got it. I got this from Andy and Kirstie at Midlands Vaping it's called the Romuluz. It's a unique device that's superbly engineered and I've loved using it. Everywhere I've been this last few weeks it's been a conversation starter with both friends and complete strangers alike. Everyone seems to like it, so far it's converted a few people off the analogue cigerettes to Vaping so it's worth its weight in gold.

This device is weighty, not so much it's uncomfortable to use but enough so it gives that quality feel, it's made from 304 low carbon Stainless Steel which has taken a few knocks with no visible signs of damage, so if your like me and prone to dropping stuff occasionally then this is a good choice it seems really quite hardy. Here are the specs

• 22.56mm in Diameter
• 146.18mm in length without Drip Tip
• Pyrex Tank
• Dual 3.2mm wick holes
• Adjustable Air Flow
• 304 Stainless steel
• Silver Plated Copper Contacts
• Houses all 18 series batteries
• Is configurable for both Single and Dual wicks with 3.2mm wick holes
• Changeable Pyrex tank system for easy flavour changes
• Adjustable throw on the recessed switch
• Recessed bottom mounted firing switch

Team Hot wire Philippines are the people responsible for this stunning hybrid mod and they've done a fantastic job. It's well engineered, intelligently designed and vapes like a dream. The firing switch is quite unique in that the switch assembly threads into the bottom of the battery tube then has a separate housing that threads over the top of it.

 The switch has four vent holes providing more than adequate airflow for your chosen battery. This device has an 18350 tube and two extension pieces to allow 18490/500 and 18650. This device has no locking ring, but to be fair I've not yet had this thing auto fire at all even when stuffed into a pocket. It comes with a hybrid adaptor which threads onto the 510 connector on the bottom of the atomiser which then allows you to connect it to the battery tube. This is really quite a good feature as it does enable you to use your other atomisers on the Romuluz battery tubes to create different hybrid devices. The atomiser itself is another fantastic piece of engineering that again is really quite unique, it has a pyrex tank system that enables quick and convenient flavour changes should the need arise.

Separate Pyrex tanks are available for purchase, that have a delrin sealing cap which enables you to carry a spare full tank with you. Moving onto the deck the dual wick holes are more than big enough for Stainless Steel rope, mesh whatever your preferred wicking material is. It also has a little Delrin chock that seals off one of the wick holes and negative screws to enable you to run the device in a single wick configuration. This Delrin chock also functions as a method of further reducing the capacity of the inside of the top cap which means this atomiser hits hard and gives fantastic flavour. The airflow adjustment has two massive cut outs for the dual wick configuration and a single air hole for a single wick. All the threading on this device are buttery smooth and it

just goes together so well, all the extensions thread together pretty much seamlessly. The engraving is really deep and looks like it will easily stand being polished with no issues at all. The unique serial number is engraved in Roman Numerals which I really like.
So how does it vape??? Well I've been using this thing for a while with different liquids, some 50/50 some 70/30  some 80/20 and some 100% VG and it's just handled them all so well, I've got no complaints with this device whatsoever it just works. The only thing I would say is at this price point it would of been nice to have a little bag with spare screws and o rings in and it would of been nice to have a driptip included with it. This is currently for sale at Midlands Vaping for £99.99, now I know to some it's perhaps not that expensive and I know there are devices out there that cost many times this amount. But for me it's a lot of money, don't get me wrong I think it's worth every penny, my advice to you is this, if you want a fantastic hybrid that oozes quality but doesn't require you to remortgage to buy it grab one!!!! But do it quickly I don't know how many they have in stock but trust me you won't be disappointed at all. Don't just take my word for it though there are plenty of other reviews on this device and from the ones I've read and watched there's not been a bad word said. To finish off a huge thankyou to Andy and Kirstie they are absolutely fantastic, they are so helpful and knowledgeable and even though they didn't post this till mid afternoon it was still with me the very next day which is outstanding service. Even if you decide this device isn't for you I'd still recommend checking out Midlands Vaping because they cover pretty much all bases regardless of your budget and they have an extensive range to suit all your vaping needs.

Midlands Vaping (Vapemunki Cloud chaser range)

Ok this one has taken a little while to post as I've been hard at work in the lovely city of Edinburgh, then off to the hectic city of London. Now I'm back I have to tell you all about this e-liquid I got from Midlands Vaping. I spoke to them the other week and they very kindly sorted out an amazing Romuluz Hybrid for me and they included these three e-liquids too.
I got three e-liquids from the vapemunki @ Midlands Vaping Cloud Chaser range all in 12mg strength with a ratio of 80/20 vg/pg, so after vaping each one with a one ohm single coil setup with 100% Organic Cotton here's what I think*

Vanilla sky

Now I have to be honest here, I'm not a fan of liquids with vanilla in them. Truth be told if I were looking to buy some liquid and all they had were vanilla flavours left I would very likely not bother (each to their own and all that). So when I opened my parcel from Midlans Vaping I looked at the bottle for this liquid and wasn't overly keen on giving it a go. So after a little deliberation I thought it perhaps best to try this

one first and get it out of the way so to speak. I filled the tank put a fresh battery in and sat down with a brew and my shiny new hybrid and had a vape. To say I was pleasantly surprised was an understatement. This liquid is described as Vanilla and Blackcurrant and it tastes...... surprise surprise like Vanilla and Blackcurrant,  what did surprise me though was that after vaping my way through the liquid in my tank, I didn't go straight onto trying the next flavour, no what I found myself doing almost without really thinking about it was grabbing the Vanilla Sky bottle again and topping the tank off again. And once that had gone the same again, I kept refilling till the bottle was completely empty. The smell that lingers for that short time on the exhale smelled so good, I had people constantly asking about it. The flavours came through so well, neither the Vanilla nor the Blackcurrant overpowered the other. They just complimented each other, the smell you get from the bottle was just as good as the smell from the vapour, by the way the vapour production was really quite good, a really nice dense plume ensued with every exhale even on my build so you subohmers will only get more. So would I buy this??????.......... A resounding hell yes is the answer, I think Midlands Vaping may well want to see about getting bigger capacity bottles of this stuff, at the moment they only have this in 10ml size bottles and I just don't think 10ml is going to cut it, it's just one of those liquids I wish never ran out.........


Mr Blue Sky

Now this one, after getting the lid off and taking a whiff straight from the bottle there was no mistaking the smell of Blue Slush Puppy. My immediate thought was " I hope it tastes like it too"....

So a clean tank, fresh cotton and a cleaned coil and that was it, sit my backside in my favourite spot on the sofa to enjoy a vape and a brew. After a few seconds that Blue Slush Puppy flavour came through really well with a nice but not very long lasting scent from the cloud I'd let out. If you like Blue Slush Puppy drinks but don't like the potential risk of brain freeze you need to try this. Not sure what else to say on this one really it smells like Blue Slush Puppy and tastes like Blue Slush Puppy with the added bonus of no blue tongue and no brain freeze. Would I buy this......????? Well yeah I think I would but, I would only use this as a now and again for a change type liquid, it wouldn't be something I'd use a lot. It's good but not great, but in saying that if I were out and was after a cold, refreshing, tasty beverage the blue slushy wouldn't be my drink of choice either. It's one of those drinks that I'd probably only have if out with my daughter and she said "come on dad lets both have one". Again though there was a fantastic amount of vapour off this liquid, if your a fan of the dripper you will like this.


Southern Aurora

Another tasty liquid here, it has a taste that I can't quite place. It's one of those flavours that brings back memories of if memory serves, a hard boiled fruit sweet but I just can't think for the life of me what it's called...... its actually pretty good, it's fruity but not with any one overpowering flavour aspect.

It just seems the flavours all merge to be quite complimentary of one another, which results in a quite refreshing vape which is a little hard to put down. Now I say hard to put down, I'm not saying it's Vanilla Sky hard to put down but, it's more because your going to try and figure out all the combined flavours that have gone into this liquid aswell as trying to figure out where you've tasted this flavour before. By the way if any of you who take the time to read this and perhaps buy some please share your thoughts on this, hopefully if I give it another vape and empty my mind of all other thoughts, or concentrate on something else it'll just pop into my head you never know. Would I buy this I ask myself? Well maybe but I think it would only end up in my basket if there were no Vanilla Sky left, it's a nice tasting liquid, again great vapour production with the high biased VG ratio. This is another one of those liquids that would be nice now and then, but would probably if I'm honest sit in my little liquid store and would only be picked every now and then.

As mentioned already I got these three liquids from Midlands Vaping so thankyou Andy and Kirstie. Kirstie picked these three at random for me and did an absolutely cracking job because as I mentioned up at the top, Vanilla flavours are not something I tend to go for but I'm so glad Kirstie put some Vanilla Sky in the envelope I really, really enjoyed vaping that one the bottle didn't last long at all. So my advice to all you that read this, give Kirstie or Andy a ring or visit their site, they're lovely people have a chat, tell them what your after, they both know their stuff and will definitely look after you. The customer service was top notch and to get my parcel next day was fantastic.
At £4 per 10ml bottle these liquids are not going to break the bank at all, so definitely worth giving any of the range a go. As mentioned already it doesn't take long before Pat is at the door with the liquids you've purchased and again fantastic service from Andy and Kirstie.


*  What is written above are my personal thoughts and opinions only, everyone's tastes are different and because I have liked or disliked a particular liquid shouldn't and doesn't mean you will too. Please take my opinion as it was intended, not as a reason to purchase or avoid, but rather to help you make your own decision based on your own research, budget and requirements.

Vape Gear and easyJet Part Two...........

So the story continues...........

This Monday morning just gone (21st July 2014) I got up far too early and awaited my collection, my Driver from Alpha Executive Cars arrived and to be fair even at stupid o'clock in the morning this chap was cheery, polite and very helpful. The car was roomy, spotlessly clean and very comfortable,  so fantastic start to the day.
Then it was off to Stanstead Airport to head off to Sunny Edinburgh, now was the lovely lady from easyJet correct with the information she gave me about my vape gear???? Well fair play to her, she was absolutely spot on in every way. Got to check in, handed over my bag with the vape gear I was advised to put in the hold included and happy days it disappeared off to the mystical areas where the Baggage Handlers live with no problem whatsoever. Then it was off to security for the next part of my airport journey, this wasn't quite so easy but in all honesty I expected them to be thorough (for our safety in the skies) and they were. So all my electronic gadgets and goodies went into a grey tray, whereupon the Security Lady asked about my e-liquid and vape gear. Once I had shown her what I had and explained what it was, she was more than happy to send it through the scanner. So went through the archway minus belt, shoes etc etc. And appeared after a pat down and a going over with the wand checking for metals etc. Again no issues really apart from a sigh from a different security lady as I happened to have forgotten to take off my watch (as I said it was very early).
All my belongings came out of the security scanner with no issues and I was allowed to put everything back in my bag, then it was off for a brew whilst waiting for the plane. Well I say plane, it was quite small in size this plane, almost as if it had shrunk in the wash but it did the job and got me to Edinburgh safe and sound. After a week of hard work it was back to Edinburgh airport this afternoon (25th July 2014) which was a far more streamlined version of Stanstead.  Again all gadgets and vape gear in a tray, through the archway (remembering to remove my watch this time) with no issues, repacked my bag and then off for a drink and bite to eat whilst waiting for the plane. After some food and a delay on takeoff thanks to crappy weather in London back on the plane I went, finally got home later than I expected with an empty tank on my Romuluz (thankyou to Midlands Vaping for the Romuluz, a review will follow) which thanks to the fantastic design of the Romuluz was a very simple issue to resolve. So after a quick clean I refilled the tank with some Mr Blue Sky also from the lovely people from Midlands Vaping (again review to follow) and took a well earned seat on the sofa with a full tank of e-liquid and a brew. This Romuluz Hybrid is top notch I haven't put it down since I got it, I absolutely love it.
Anyway to some my rambling up, the whole Vape Gear and easyJet thing went off without a hitch and was exactly how the easyJet lady said it would be "no problem whatsoever" the whole deal both on the way to Edinburgh and back again was seamless with no issues at all,  although I have to say Edinburgh Airport staff are far more streamlined and security was a somewhat speedier experience.