Pugsley's Game Changing Review of the GC Homogenizer & DIY Flavor Chaser One Shots

[Steampugs]

GC Homogenizer & DIY Flavor Chaser One Shots

Right then....I've never done this before at any point during my 4 years as a vape reviewer, never....not once...I don't think....I'm at least 100% sure that I can't remember if I have, but I'm 98% sure I haven't done it with the 5% or 6% of reviews I've done that this could refer to...

First time with a Steampugs review?....Bless your sorry soul, but.... I feel it pertinent that I should clarify something from the very start, and that is....EVERYTHING I am reviewing today is made by friends of mine, well...technically not everything, but the company that is selling them are. SO....before the naysayers chirp up with their eager little beaks and accuse me of being bias, or only reviewing this BECAUSE they are my friends well....I'm definitely not bias. I kinda wanted to rip into some of them truth be told (especially Woftam’s flavours) I know..with friends like me who needs enemies? But if I wasn't friends with these people then I wouldn't have been put in the incredible position I find myself in today...so...you can have that one...but for what it's worth.....I don't really care.

And the reason I don't care is simply this; out of every write up I've ever done over the years, I have never written about something with as much potential to completely change the way one particular community does things as the device I am reviewing today has, and that's not me being my usually over dramatic self either. I mean this really will turn what you think you know into something that you thought you knew, but when you thought you knew that thing you know, what you actually knew was something that I knew too, but now I know that what you knew was something that everyone else thought they knew, until one bloke knew different, and now I know what he knows, and what he knows has changed what I thought I knew into something I used to know....

SO!

Now that I've made my intentions as clear as mud I'd better crack on, because we have LOTS to talk about...and when I say lots...I mean more than a bit, slightly more than loads, most of which I will have no idea what I'm talking about.....sound fun?...(no...not really?)

Shall we?

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Welcome back my magical mixing maelstrom of misty maniacs, back again with absolutely nothing the same, a totally knew and unique set of products that have never graced my usually deficient, child-like attention before, and all....from a very specific part of the vaping community that I hold very dear to my heart.

Now...this may come as something of a surprise, but I wasn't always this award winning, globally recognised reviewer who won some awards.....(wow...seriously?). There once was a time when all I cared about within this incredible vaping universe related to mixing your own liquids, trust me when I say that it's a rabbit hole all of it's very own, and once peered into....

it is very easy to get lost in, and even harder ....to find your way out...not that you'd want to.

I first started mixing my own liquids around 6 or so years ago, a hobby born from the stark reality of realising that actually....going through a £10 bottle of gourmet e-liquid every 2 days wasn't really the financial boost I was looking for when I gave up the stinkies, no Sir! Sure...I could have stayed on the cheap 'candy fruit' shit I'd been vaping for the years previous and called it a day, but....just like thousands of other vapers, I started to get slightly obsessed with everything to do with this new 'vape thing'.....it wasn't just a way of staying away from smoking anymore, this was quickly becoming a hobby, and just like every other hobby, I wanted to get the absolute best out of it. The more I become interested, the more I did my research, and it doesn't take long to realise...that actually, there is another way, and when confronted with the fact that I could vape liquids that would taste so much better, with flavours that you never dreamed possible, which would cost a hell of a lot less...it really was a no brainer....even for me, who didn't have much of one to begin with...

True story.

Even so, it was along this magical, mystical, mixing yellow brick road, that I happened upon a group of people I will forever be indebted to, a bunch of mixers with so much knowledge on the subject you'd be forgiven for thinking they were a group of Michelin Star chefs. In fact...if I remember rightly, I think one of them actually was. Some of these people have remained in my life to this day, and even though I have never actually met them in person, I regard them as closer friends than people I am actually friends with outside of the internet, but...regardless of how many of them I am still in touch with, every mixer I have ever met all share one thing in common, and it's a thing that until this day has been a massive thorn in the side of e-liquid mixing....we all share the hatred and frustration....of long steeping times.

Oh yeah....nothing says frustration quite like crushing a can, and very few things in life are as frustrating as spending over a year or more perfecting that custard heavy e-liquid recipe you've been working on, adding that extra little touch which you KNOW this time is the all important tweak that will bring the whole thing together......and then realising you have to wait a month to taste it and find out....

Exactly.

However...as Bob Dylan once famously sang...'The times they are a changin’"....Enter...one Mr Guitarded...no...that's not his real name, don't be a dick, but Guitarded has been a regular on our forum 'Vaping Community' since the beginning, as well as the ELR Forum we all met on, and what this guy has done....incredibly.....is come up with a solution to steeping that has not only turned the whole thing on its head....but rather grabbed it by the short and curlies and smashed it out of the fucking park.

So what is it?.....you may well inquisitively ask. What indeed is this mythical answer to one of life's most thought about enigmas?....How can we manipulate the complexities of time?....

Again...don't be a dick, no, it's not a time machine. What it is.....isn't actually new, in fact, it's been used in many industries for a very long time, but....it's never been made specifically for the home e-liquid mixing crowd....until now.

So enough with all the pomp and circumstance and me waffling for hours on end, please allow me to introduce you to....

The much anticipated ....highly coveted......Guitarded's GC Homogenizer.

No...it's not BBQ lighter, and let's be honest....it wouldn't make a very aesthetically pleasing time machine either. Regardless, it is no less magical in what it actually does.

Now.....the question I should be really asking you right about now is....what do you know about homogenisation?....Some of you may well know a great deal, after all, it's been muttered about within the e-liquid industry for years - in fact it's widely used by companies who mass produce juice, just on a much....much bigger scale. But...for those that don't know what it's all about, here's part of a video which explains it a lot better than I can.....I'd show you the whole video....but I kinda want you to be awake for the rest of the review....



That's the technical explanation. My explanation however is this.....imagine Loki is your stubborn e-liquid concentrate, the floor is your uninviting VG/PG base....and The Hulk is the GC Homogenizer....

What it basically does is Hulk smash the fuck out everything you stick it in - on a molecular level.....giving it no option other than to become one uniformed substance....which...with regards to e-liquid....is exactly where you need to be. Something which up until now...could only be done with time.

Now, believe me when I say that as far as steeping e-liquid goes, NOTHING divides opinions in the e-liquid mixing community more, with each and every one of us having our own methods and beliefs as to what works best....and more importantly...most quickly. Everything from warm baths, ultrasonic cleaners, the glove box of your car on a summers day, to even more bizarre methods like putting your bottles in a net bag in the drier.....(don't try that one). And most mixers out there will profess to trying the majority.....but then....in walks Guitarded like Nick Fury in Iron Man II with his....

attitude.

And I have to admit......he's shut a lot of us the fuck up....not an easy task.

I confess...I was skeptical, I thought "Pfft...yeah right..more underwhelming steeping methods that don't work...I'll stick to my month in the dark room thanks"......and I expect, even after reading this, a lot of mixers will still be too 'set in their ways' to even consider this witchcraft and fuckery.

So...

In a truly serendipitous manner an opportunity arose. You see, one of the guys that I run our forum with, Woftam - who himself is a very talented mixer - is affiliated with a company out in Canada called 'DIY Flavor Chasers', who sell their own range of one shots, all made by a selective group of talented mixers from all over the world (even me...we'll come to that...one doesn't want to blow one’s trumpet too soon, so to speak...ahem). And Zippy over at DIYFC asked me to review a bunch of these one shots for them, so.....I asked for desserts only and that's what I got, 12 of them to be exact, and what better way of testing the GC than by seeing what it can do with a bunch of proven long steepers? So, that's the experiment I carried out, but....we'll come to that shortly. First, it's time we took a closer look at the GC Homogenizer (GC stands for Game Changer...in case you were wondering)...

Before I start going on with myself about things I probably have no business talking about, I'll let Guitarded take the reins and explain exactly what his little 'probe' is ....and does....

"The word homogenize means “to make or render homogeneous” while homogeneous means “having the same composition, structure or character throughout”. Doing a search on eBay for Homogenizer will bring up one set of results. Doing a search for high shear mixer will yield different results for basically the same equipment. Picture a mortar and pestle smashing everything to a uniform size and composition because that is what is happening.

The GC is a high shear mixer and the end result is a homogeneous mix made by mechanical means with the exception of of the use of heated VG which when combined with mechanical forces will cause the flavor materials to be dissolved in the VG and have the “same composition, structure and character throughout” the e juice mix.

Flavor concentrates consist of the base flavor materials dissolved in pg and others which may be or are necessary to keep them dissolved. VG is a poor solvent and flavor materials separate from it. Some concentrates readily dissolve in VG and others damned near never do. This is like a water oil mix which will not combine unless an emulsion is made by mechanical forces i.e. a homogenizer. Maybe a better example is milk. Cream will separate from milk unless it has been homogenized. Then it will remain stable and uniform throughout.

So homogenization with a high shear mixture goes like this:

The material is drawn up into the apparatus by a rapidly rotating rotor (blade) positioned within a static head or tube (stator) containing slots or holes. There the material is centrifugally thrown outward in a pump like fashion to exit through the slots or holes. Because the rotor turns at a very high rpm, the materials are rapidly reduced in size by a combination of extreme turbulence, cavitation, and mechanical shearing occurring within the narrow gap between the rotor and the stator."

Jesus...almost sorry I asked, I'm writing a review not a fucking book Guitarded....prefer my Hulk explanation if I'm perfectly honest.....aaanyway, what I can tell you is that the GC is a work of fucking art.

And so it should be. Guitarded is, after all, a retired tool maker by trade who holds Degrees in engineering, and one is a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME). So this thing hasn't just been thrown together, it's taken him 2 years of solid graft to get it to where he's happy with it....the man is a perfectionist....you can't not appreciate that - if he saw something that wasn't quite right....

You get my drift.

As far as actually using the thing, if I can work it out without injuring myself or anyone in my immediate vicinity (I'm pretty sure you'll be fine), here’s what you do.... simply unscrew the collar off your rotary tool, and screw the little white gear onto the end where you would normally put your bit...

Then screw the GC onto where you took the collar off, unscrew the Thumbscrew on the side...

Push the Stator into place, tighten it up again.....done....simples.

And seeing as I was quite intrigued as to what materials he used to make the GC and why....I made the costly mistake of asking him.....again..

 

[Steampugs]

"I set out to design something affordable for the DIY ejuice mixing community. High shear mixers are commonly used across the medical and pharmaceutical fields (and others) that require the ability to withstand high temperature cleaning by autoclave and other means. When used for e juice we don’t have a need for that when ordinary cleaning methods and alcohol will serve our needs completely. We are not processing cancerous tumors etc. I looked there as means to reduce costs. I then researched FDA/USDA materials classified as safe for food contact. After many trials I chose 304 and 316 stainless steels, Acetal POM trade name Delrin, and PTFE trade named Teflon. By using Acetal in several places I am able to cut machining and labor times. It will not withstand temps over 190F so these will not withstand high temp cleaning. PTFE will withstand over 400F. I would like to have it emphasized that these are made solely for e juice purposes. I know they would work for other purposes but have no interest in dealing with that."

Ffs....mate....Lolly who proof reads all my shit is gonna have a coronary when she sees this....

Of course...the GC doesn't work on it's own, what it does do might well be magical....but it doesn't actually run on magic. You'll need one of a small(ish) bunch of rotary tools to power it, like a Dremel 4000, Black & Decker RTX, or in my case a Tacklife RTD36AC,

Whether more will be added in the future, or for questions as to which one to actually buy, they can be answered by the man himself should you fancy getting yourself a GC. But I think that's enough technical jargon for now, what everyone really wants to know is....DOES IT FUCKING WORK OR WHAT??....I know...I feel you.

So, here's the test: 30ml of each of the one shots were mixed around 3 weeks ago, all mixed at the recommended percentages, from 15% to 20% depending on the flavour. They were then shut away in the dark room until I was ready for the next step.

It was easy enough to set up using everything I already had....

I heated my base up to the desired 60 degrees using an electric hob, a large pan of water, several beakers, and a clip on milk thermometer...

There's no set way to achieve this, use whatever method you fancy to heat your base, but Guitarded advises that 60 degrees is the optimum temperature to achieve the correct viscosity to ensure full homogenisation....so.....do that.

Simply add your flavours and your heated base liquid into a suitable container, the image below is me mixing 200ml of one of my own recipes just to show you that you need to make sure the hole you see just under the liquid line NEEDS to be submerged, I can't stress this enough. You absolutely HAVE to have the GC in the liquid BEFORE you turn it on, the reason being is that this thing runs so fast that it needs the liquid in the Stator to lubricate it, turn it on outside the liquid and you run the risk of shredding the gears, just like an engine, it needs oil to work properly.

Then all that's left to do is to turn it on and ramp it up for around a minute....Seeing it do it's thing is the oddest thing to watch, for a start, there's no bubbles like you get with a frother, and this is a good thing, you don't want added air in your mix - that won't do it any favours at all. Although when you watch it, it looks like it is actually creating millions of tiny bubbles, what they actually are - are gases formed by combining the materials, and cavitation which is caused by the high speed of the rotor.....no....do I fuck know what that means...I literally just asked Guitarded (shrugs).

You don't have to use lab gear like this either - as long as you can fit the GC into it and the liquid covers that second hole, you're golden. For the purposes of this review, I actually used 100ml Chubby bottles for the all important second batch....

So what you're left with after a minute or so of Hulk smashing the shit out of those molecules, is something resembling a very healthy 'sample' of baby gravy....however, you don't have to let this ruin your day if you don't want to, if you have on hand an ultrasonic bath, stick your bottle in there for a few, and all those little gas pockets will almost instantly disperse, leaving you with a crystal clear, ready to vape e-liquid....once it's cooled anyway. And if you don't have an ultrasonic - which I do but I’m pretty sure it's made for a dolls house - then just leave your bottle overnight and by morning it will be crystal clear and ready to rock....which I did.

Also worthy of note, a few of the beta testers of the GC actually bought the Dremel stand to use along with the GC. After a bit of butchering it suits the GC well...

But....even though I did buy the stand and use it for the first few mixes, I just found it easier to hold the GC in the bottle. For the amount of time you actually have it running it really is no mither at all, so I doubt I'll be using the stand again. That being said...there are a couple of things to look out for if you do this, mainly...there is so much energy being thrown around the inside of your bottle that your bottle tends to move around a bit if not secured, also....the suction from the bottom of the Stator can suck on to the bottom of the bottle and actually pick it up. So...the best method I found was to hold your rotary tool in one hand with your finger on the switch (remember you can't run this thing without it being in liquid) and use your other hand to hold your bottle...I literally did this yesterday with 12 different mixes and it worked out juuuuust fine.

SO!.....That’s the experiment out of the way, Jesus Christ I've just seen how much I've written....my word, Lolly I am so sorry....

Alright! Alright!.....Fuckin’ hell.......tough crowd!.....Shoot me after, I'm only half way through...(ducks)

Okeydiddlydokie.....time for Part Two, the results!....(trumpet fanfare)

Now, as touched on earlier, the one shots used in the test were supplied to me by Zippy over at DIY Flavor Chaser . They're based in Canada but use mixers from across the globe - some of you may have heard of a few of them, such as Fresh03, Luke Loop, Sheerluck Ohms as well as a whole host of others, all extremely talented mixers...

And as a massive added bonus, they've even got a page of one shots from the Vaping Community - Forum admin, Woftam, Grubby and yours truly, find that page here - all proceeds from these one shots go directly to the running of the forum, which is so cool...and so needed! Anyway, I'm not reviewing mine and Grubby's mixes today, that would make me a massive narcissist...which I am normally......but a couple of Woftam’s (Myster Fog) mixes are in there, as well as Luke Loop, Sheerluck Ohms, Tami Vapes, The Juice Fairy & Immortal Shots. 2 mixes from each mixer, all tested on 2 rigs, both single coil RDA's, both loaded with fresh bacon for each flavour, both running on 70w through identical fused claptons @ 0.24Ω, one rig for the normally steeped liquids, and one for the GC mixed liquids, alternating between flavours.....it's almost as if.......I took this seriously...

Always the consummate professional, as you all know. I would never play the Joker with something as ground breaking and serious as the GC...it's high time I showed you the results....so....one batch of just over 3 weeks steeped liquid versus a batch done the day before this test...

DIY Flavor Chaser - One Shots

Immortal Shots - Caramapple Tart - 'Caramapple Tart is a baked Apple tart slathered with cinnamon caramel, and served up with a side of vanilla custard'

Over the years I've tried many apple based recipes - pies, tarts, crumbles...you name it, but I've never really found one that I gelled with. For me personally the 'apple' has always been a bit 'crisp'...which....once it's been in the oven isn't generally the case. What Immortal Shots has managed to do is make the apple in this recipe taste 'baked'...and..more importantly...utterly caramelized. On the inhale you get that tartly baked apple enveloped in a rich caramel, giving it tremendously warm mouthfeel, and only on the exhale I can pick out the cinnamon and custard, both are light and the cinnamon is more of a back note, which to be honest I was quite relieved about as cinnamon can very easily overpower a recipe. The custard is just there to offer that creamy sweet mouthfeel rather than being upfront and dominant. Superbly well balanced recipe and quite possibly the best apple tart I have tried to date - Both mixes were identical.



Immortal Shots - Cornbread Puddin' - 'A slice of cornbread with vanilla cream cheese pudding'

I bought a bottle of Cornbread Pudding from Country Clouds about a year ago as it was being super hyped everywhere I was looking, and I actually liked it, which is rare for a store bought juice. The only issue I had with it was that the flavour wasn't strong enough for me. This however...is absolutely next level. The overall flavour is very similar, you get the vanilla cream cheese almost instantly which is a thick, rich vanilla, quite sweet, almost milky, but a really full flavour, And then on the exhale you get that roasted corn tone from the cornbread alongside it, it's a beautifully put together mix and quite a strong flavour which I really dig - as far as dessert vapes go...this one is right up there, and if I ever found myself in the Deep South, sat there perving on my own cousin....this is what I would imagine I'd be vaping.

Both mixes were identical.

 

[Steampugs]

The Juice Fairy - Heavens Nectar - 'You will want this Nectar of the Heavens while swaying in the warm tropical breezes. Strawberries and tropical fruit swimming in a milky bath'

I wasn't sure what to expect with this mix. I've had plenty of Strawberry milkshakes in my time, but never a tropical one. I was expecting it to be a bit weird I guess, and sickly....but as per usual, assumption was once again...the mother of all fuck-ups....I couldn't have been further from the truth. I'm not quite sure how The Juice Fairy managed it, knowing how hard it is to pull off, but I don't think I've ever vaped a milkier liquid. Straight off the bat on the inhale your mouth is full of that warm, full bodied, dairy milk mouthfeel, sooo creamy...

It's almost as if the fruits were an afterthought, and I'm fucked if I can work out what tropical fruits were used - it's so well blended together I just couldn't pull them apart. The strawberry is by far the dominant fruit, which it should be if the title is anything to go by, but the tropical side of things changes the fruit notes enough to make it not a strawberry milkshake, and only on the exhale do the tropical fruits really make their presence known. Even then, the 'milkyness' is there throughout, such a satisfying vape, definitely not a flavour I've tried before but it works so well. Both mixes were identical.



The Juice Fairy - Yo Blueberry - 'Yo Blueberry is a Rich and creamy yogurt, brimming with fresh picked blueberries'

Blueberry is probably the next most popular fruit in e-liquids after strawberry, but just for clarity, I've never been a fan. I love eating them, just not vaping them, but then...I'm not generally a fruit vaper, so....I wouldn't say I was bowled over with excitement to try this mix. That being said, out of all the 'meh' blueberry liquids I've tried....which is loads...I don't think I've tried one as well balanced as this, and I think that's down to whichever yogurt was used because on the inhale I was expecting that bitterness you normally get with the offending berry, but it's completely brought under control with a thick, creamy mouthfeel, coupled with a slight 'tang' you normally get from yogurt. VERY authentic tasting, just like a blueberry yogurt - not too sweet, but sweet enough to round off the edges of the blueberry’s bitterness. And that creamy yogurt mouthfeel continues on the exhale, a very well put together mix by someone who completely knows how to tame a blueberry flavour. The GC mix felt 'ever so slightly' more finished, barely noticeable, but I think the 3 week steeped mix would catch up if it were given another week.



Myster Fog - Custard Slut - 'Custard Slut is a decadent creamy vanilla custard with a nice European eggy feel. Those that say custard isn't meant to be vaped on its own haven't vaped this'

Who says 'Custard isn't meant to be vaped on it's own'???...not on my fucking watch. I'll tell you this right now, I treat custards like I treat food. You might find this weird (although probably not unbelievable) but my favorite food is a burger, I am a man of simple means what can I say, and if I find myself in a new restaurant or take-away, somewhere I've never eaten before, 9 times out of 10 I will order some kind of fancy gourmet burger. You know...with shit like blue cheese, crispy bacon, onion rings, all that stuff that's not particularly good for you on it, and that eatery will be judged by me on that burger - a decision will be made there and then as to whether we ever eat there again and try the rest of the menu. Get that burger right and you're in my good books. It's the same with custard e-liquids, I judge an entire e-liquid company of the quality of their custard. It's probably not the right thing to do...but I don't care. It's my favorite flavour by far, and I'm a massive diva (shrugs) ..Now...you'd think a straight forward custard e-liquid is easy to achieve, but believe me, I've told apparent 'custard' e-liquid bottles to FUCK OFF more times than I care to remember, as they glide through the air, arse over tit, straight into the bin. I’d say 90% of mass produced e-liquid manufacturers haven't got a fucking clue when it comes to my staple bench mark flavour. So....here's the thing, this particular custard is the work of someone I have worked with for around 5 years, one Mr Woftam. We run the VC forum together along with Grubby, and because of this fact, and because of the amount of sheer unadulterated banter we have.....I wanted to rip this custard to pieces just to piss him off.....(sigh)...but the bastard nailed it....that slippery son of a bitch....and I just can't shake the feeling that he's sat there on the other side of the world, watching me, with a very large smug grin on his pointy little mustached mug....

What you get here isn't what I would call a standard custard mix. The ones I mix myself are usually in your face CUSTARD mixes, believe me it deserves those capitals, but what Woftam has done here (sorry..I mean Myster Fog - whatever) is create one of the smoothest custard mixes I have ever tried. Soooo buttery and creamy, and with a twist that....if I didn't already know what it is....I would struggle to pick out. He describes this custard as a 'European' one, and I get that. It's the kind of custard you would expect to get in a fancy restaurant, it's got that slightly 'eggy' back note which is more noticeable on the exhale, but the creamy buttery goodness remains throughout. It's not the strongest flavour, because it shouldn't be, it's a different take on a time proven classic....and the motherfucker nailed it....the bastard. UNBELIEVABLY.....both mixes were identical....wasn't expecting that one I have to be honest.



Myster Fog - d'Mango Unchained - 'The tender and sweet flesh of a succulent ripe Aussie mango with a hint of icecream. D'Mango Unchained will be the last Mango you will ever need to buy'

It probably will be the last mango I'll ever buy Woftam, because I don't like Mango...what do you think about that then? You can't have me gushing over your custard and expect me to do the same with this pretentious drivel, anyway...as I'm writing this I haven't actually tried it yet so....here goes...

You can't make me like mango Woftam! ...You just can't!...It's immoral!.....I wouldn't do it to you!!!......FFS!!....It's really nice....motherf....

For a start, it's sooo creamy and it tastes like being on holiday....I'm so pissed off. On the inhale you get the ripe, sweet mango that's been shackled with a full bodied creamy back note, and on the exhale you get the ice cream which is just enough to round the whole mix off.....I'm not prepared to say anything else about it....apart from....it's really good, and I hate him. Both mixes were identically annoying.



Sheerluck Ohms - Jam on Toast - 'Jam on Toast this is the perfect balance of sweet strawberry jam and perfectly cooked toast, no more description required'

Someone released a jam on toast concentrate a few years ago, I can't remember who it was and I don't have it any more, but the thing is, when I first mixed it I thought “OMG this tastes just like jam on toast!”...but I hadn't even finished the bottle before that changed to "oh great...more jam on toast (sad face)"....in other words, it felt like a novelty, a novelty I got sick of very quickly, So I presumed that's what this would be, but it's not..in fact it's nothing like it. For a start the strawberry jam is 100% spot on. I felt the one I bought years ago was a bit 'candy' tasting, but this is really authentic. The biggest surprise however was the 'toast'....it's not bready, or novelty tasting at all, it tastes EXACTLY like licking well done toast....and who doesn't like licking toast?.....(literally everybody...you fucking weirdo)....

I think the reason this is so much nicer though is down to the strawberry. On the inhale the strawberry is really prominent, like a high quality strawberry conserve, really sweet and authentic, and most of the toasted taste comes on the exhale. But it's incredibly well balanced, a very nice surprise. Oddly, the 'toast' side of things seems slightly more prominent on the GC mix, again, another week and the steeped mix would probably be there....but I haven't got a time machine soooo....yep....it's not impossible that I fucked the mix up....meh.



Sheerluck Ohms - Scotch My Custard - 'Scotch My Custard is a decadent and rich butterscotch and has been expertly layered with thick & creamy vanilla custard for the ultimate indulgence'

I'd ask Liam exactly what he put in his version of my favorite flavour. The thing is though, he's Welsh, so I probably wouldn't understand him anyway, but I'll tell you this much, he was gettin judged to fuck on his custard regardless of whether or not he lives in one of my favourite countries, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly disappointed to learn that the 'Scotch' in the title actually referred to butterscotch, and not whisky. As it happens though, I actually quite like butterscotch so he was mildly forgiven, plus....he seriously knows how to put a custard together.

On the inhale it feels a lot thicker than a normal custard, much heavier with that sweet butterscotch toffee feel completely enveloping the creamy rich vanilla custard, and on the exhale the butterscotch just sticks to your tongue and lingers around long after the last of the vapour has left the building....

The whole experience is so smooth, creamy and satisfying. And tasting both Woftam and Liam's custards made me realise one thing.....I have no idea how to make a good custard.....I didn't need that feeling fellas....you can both fuck off for that. Both mixes were equally drool worthy.



Luke Loop - Strawnana Colada - 'Strawnana Colada is a delicious and complex cocktail without the guilt. A combination of summertime flavors: coconut, pineapple, strawberry and a touch of banana and rum. Let this one take you on a permanent beach side holiday'

 

[Steampugs]

Now, I haven't tried many cocktail mixes in my time, probably a handful at most, they're just not my bag, and although I have mixed a few boozy liquids in the past, I've never really mixed one I liked. So when I read 'rum' in the description....which I hate btw....I almost didn't even want to try it, however...being the gallant soldier that I indeed...am (?)...I powered through....entirely for your benefit you understand, and once again....as seems to be my habit...I was wrong. Off the bat, you get the strawberry, a slight touch of banana and a hint of pineapple, yet...on the exhale, the rum gives the whole mix a 'warm' feel while the heavier, sweeter coconut comes into the fore, absolutely delicious, expertly blended and balanced, and definitely one to take away with you on your jollies. An unexpected treasure. Both mixes were identical.



Luke Loop - Loopy Cake - 'Loopy cake is a medium bodied, fluffy vanilla cheesecake with speckled flecks of cereal notes. I hope you enjoy it in an endless loop'

Sooo nostalgic, I haven't tried this flavour profile for years!...In fact, back before I mixed my own juice, only two store juices were my staple diet, Mothers Milk by Suicide Bunny (obviously) and Looper by ANML, and this follows a similar profile to Looper. It is, after all, Luke Loop who mixed it, so it would have been almost rude for him not to. The problem with this flavour profile - of which there are specific concentrates that are tailored towards it - If you over do it, the whole thing can taste like Lemon Pledge furniture polish, thankfully, Luke knows his trade very well, and this one is bang on the nail, I dare say, it's actually much better put together than Looper, which admittedly is probably about 7 years old now....and I guess that's down to the 'Vanilla Cheese Cake' aspect of the mix, which gives it a warm and thick 'fluffy' feel, The confusing thing I always get with this mix though, is that the 'Looper' aspect...which...for the life of me I can't remember the name of the flavour?....I wanna say 'Fruit circles?'....anyway, it's meant to taste like cereal, yet....I've eaten a lot of cereals (hide your surprise) and I've never tasted one like that, to me personally it kind of became it's own entity, a Lemony Loopy weirdness...

Which I used to really dig, and that flavour is definitely there, but it's so well rounded by the vanilla cheese cake that on the inhale it just all comes together in a lovely, cheese cakey, lump of lovelyness, with I dare say...a touch of lime, and on the way out it just leaves a sweet creamy aftertaste on your tongue, an exquisitely weird and well balanced recipe - Both mixes were just as weird as each other..in a good way.

Tami Vapes - Cookie chow - 'Cookie Chow is a soft chewy cookie with a hint of tobacco. This is using a few of my favorite concentrates. It will keep you coming back for more!!

Ok then.....Tami's turn up on the chopping block, but once again, the description doesn't fill me with confidence.....tobacco....

Suffice to say....I'm not a fan of anything Tobacco, however, I'm down to my last two mixes now and so far.....I've been stunted at every turn, so....instead of giving old Mother fuck up another reason to piss on my chips, I figured.....fuck it...what's the worst that could happen.....Jesus, don't say that....as you've probably guessed, I'm actually writing this as I'm testing it....so, here we go...

Yes, as expected, my fear of tobacco flavours was completely unfounded....shocker, Straight away you get that warm, fresh baked cookie taste, quite sweet and full bodied, I'm getting maybe a hint of chocolate and vanilla?...although that could be the Tobacco, but it's more of an RY4 vibe if that's what it is, it's so slight that it's barely there, it's almost as if it's just helping to round the cookie off rather than being an upfront flavour, it's really quite complexed on the inhale, and I'm really impressed with that fresh baked, soft cookie feel, and it remains intact on the exhale, leaving a warm sweet coating on your tongue, this is a mix I can really get on board with, if you're like me and are not a fan of tobacco mixes, you shouldn't let that put you off, because I can't stand them, and I'd very happily vape this one all day, extremely well balanced and full flavoured....big fan. Both mixes were identical.



Tami Vapes - Jacked - 'Sweet and salty, rich and buttery, fragrant with aroma of caramel covered popcorn. This Jacked up cracker jack ice cream will keep you coming back for more!

So...funny story, I was talking to Zippy the other night on the Youtube Channel that a few of the mixers do every Wednesday night called Ohm Grown Alchemy, And she asked me if I was working on any recipes at the moment as she wan't me to put another one up on their site, to which I replied "Yeah sure, I'm working on a vanilla ice cream topped with caramel popcorn".....which...unbeknown to me, is exactly what this is....so....If any of the one shots I've tried from these guys so far are anything to go by....I'm expecting that particular project to get completely shelved (sigh).....anyway, hiding my exasperation, I was intrigued by what an 'actual' mixer can do with one of my favorite recipes, and straight away I was kinda relieved to learn that this is nothing like mine, a completely different set of ingredients, and weirdly....I would have guessed that this was one of Tami's mixes....even though it's a completely different flavour, I don't even understand why, but I get her flavour profile, and the mouthfeel is the same, really full bodied on the inhale with a thick and creamy vanilla, rounded off with a warm sticky caramel, and on the exhale you get the 'roasted' taste of the popcorn, with a hint of nuttyness, all wrapped up in creamy vanilla ice cream. The sweet taste this leaves on your tongue afterwards made me so fucking hungry I can't begin to tell you, such a well rounded and perfectly balanced recipe, definitely one for the sweet toothed Vaper and would be a possible ADV for me. Both mixes were identical.



DIY Flavor Chaser One Shots - Conclusion.

I don't think there's much more I can really add about DIY Flavor Chaser's one shots, I think I've made my thoughts pretty damned clear, you see the thing is, occasionally I do juice reviews for people, it's not my bread and butter, but it makes a nice change, especially when the kind of hardware that I like to review is becoming more and more scarce, so....I've vaped a lot of 'store bought' juices in my time, and I can tell you right now that there really is no comparison between a company who mass produces e-liquid for people who know no better, and a group of overly talented mixers who have spent years honing their trade to come up with 'finished' recipes for the discerning and clued up Vaper....they're just...better....soooo much better...it's not even close.

But then...I already knew that, I've been around the mixing community a lot longer than I've been doing vape reviews, and some of the recipes that I've been gifted from people far...far more talented than I am, have just been phenomenal.

So what you have here is a company owned my mixers, who have drafted in some of the best mixers in the business to sell their best recipes, if that's not a winning formula for a menu of some of the best e-liquids you'll find anywhere.....then I don't know what is....In short, I absolutely recommend that you pop over to DIY Flavor Chaser and check out their selection of one shots, because son...if you can't find a flavour you like over there......well.......I'm sorry I've got nothing....I'm really not quite sure where I was going with that....BUT....if the 12 flavours I've tried are anything to go by....these guy and gals certainly know how to put recipes together, I can't put it much simpler than that, very....very impressive, PLUS.....like I mentioned before, our forum Vaping Community has a page on their site dedicated to recipes that we made, of which all proceeds go back to the running of the forum, and believe it or not, we also have a few tricks up our sleeves when it comes to mixing, from Woftams annoyingly splendid 'd'Mango Unchained' which you can find on his 'Myster Fog' Page, To Grubby's take on Mothers Milk, his amazing 'Grubby Mother' .And I would't be much of a narcissist if I didn't tell you about my own recipe that you can buy in the form of a one shot called Surreal Steam, which is my take on a bowl of Frosties covered in fresh dairy milk, obviously I'm going to say it's good, because I vape a shit ton of it, but if you'd like to find out for yourself, you can buy that bad boy here.....(shameless plug of self gratification....) 'Surreal Steam' .

 

[Steampugs]

Final Thoughts On The GC Homogenizer.

What indeed would be my final thoughts on Guitarded's Game Changer, well....it's not often I get to review something that's so incredibly significant to a community that I have been a part of for such a long time. Simply put...The GC has changed the way I mix, no longer do I have to plan in advance what I will be vaping a month from now, No longer will I have to wait a month for one of my creations to steep in order for me to test it to see if it's good, or if it needs more work. If someone I know asks me for a specific bespoke flavour I don't have to say "Sure...I can do that, but you won't be able to vape it for a while".....because they can have a vape ready juice that day, and all because 'Steeping'...as we know it...is a thing of the past. The GC Homogenizer doesn't just help.....it eliminates steeping altogether, and only a mixer will know just how unbelievably important that is.....oh it's a game changer alright, no other name suits it better, and sure....you could say.."But he's your friend so you're bound to say that".....wrong, if there's one thing my friends in the vaping community respect about me it's my honesty, without honesty in this game you're worthless, period.

So I am being as honest as I possibly can when I say that the GC is the biggest thing to happen to me in mixing e-liquid since I was urged to mix with 'weight' rather than syringes all those years ago, That changed the game for me then, and this has changed the game for me now, and if you need more clarification?....well he's already working through a list of people trying to get there hands of one, with the likes of Fresh03 & Wayne Walker of DIYORDIE already on the books, and that list currently has a lead time of around 5 or 6 weeks, oh no...these things aren't....and never will be...mass produced crap from China. Each and every GC is lovingly hand crafted to order by one very talented machinist in his work shop in America, he knows the thing inside out because he's been working on it for over two years....would you want someone else making it for you? No...no you would not, he stands behind the GC 100% and that is no more apparent than when you talk to him about it (as you've probably noticed....). It's his love affair with engineering and his willingness to listen to feedback over the last couple of years of beta testing that have produced something that he's very proud of....and rightly so.

The Price

Firstly the One shots over at DIY Flavor Chaser will set you back C$12.50 / $9.34 / £7.16 (at current exchange rate) for 30ml, which...if you buy your own concentrates you'll understand just how much of a bargain that is, and that will mix you around 150ml to 200ml of juice depending on which one you buy, but remember...you're not just buying a concentrate, you're actually buying months, or in some cases years, of recipe tweaking by an experienced mixer, which is an incredibly expensive thing to do, you're just walking in and buying the finished product without all the work of creating it, and they can all be found here..

DIY Flavor Chaser

PLUS....for all you UK readers, a selection of DIY Flavor Chaser One Shots will.....I have it on good authority....Be available from Chefs Flavours this coming week....obviously I can't link to that because at the time of writing this they aren't there yet, but if you check back next week you should be golden. But....if you're reading this sayyyy....after 14th August 2020...to be safe....well click this link and do a search for whichever mixer made the one shot you're after to see if it's available....I recommend that you do.

Chefs Flavours

And now for the GC Homogenizer, after everything I've told you so far I would expect that most of you will be expecting an astronomical price tag....this is after all a hand made to order, expertly engineered and highly technical piece of apparatus....and you can...should you insist...shop around for something similar if you think you know better.....and you will find them, after all, the homogeniser wasn't invented by Guitarded, these things have been used in various industries for the last 60 years or so.....but....the closest thing you will find to the GC will set you back around $1000......you read that right, I didn't add a '0' by mistake, or...you could maybe grab yourself the Pro Scientific PRO-PK-01200MXS Standard Max-Homogenizing Package....

A mere snip at around $1700......

And the thing is, both will work, but neither will do this particular job as well as the GC, because the GC has been specifically made for e-liquid, and they weren't.

So.....

Guitarded successfully managed to be able to supply the GC for a fifth of the price of the closest comparison, which makes it $199 shipped in the States, or....£153 plus shipping to the UK, anywhere else well...you'll have to ask him in personally, but I can point you in the right direction to do exactly that.

Now....to get your name down on the waiting list you can find him in a thread on our forum, and the thread is imaginatively named 'Game Changer wait list'.....find that here...

Game Changer waiting list on Vaping Community - Forum

Or...should you want to chat to him personally you can PM him also on our forum here....

Guitarded Profile and Contact details - Vaping Community - Forum

Don't worry, the forum is free to join, is completely drama free AND we have our own e-liquid calculator for you to try, as well as a whole host of knowledgeable vape folk to answer any vape related questions you might have....if you so desire.

If you're unsure which rotary tool will suit you best or which to buy, Guitarded is always on hand to answer any questions you might have....when he's not chained to his workshop that is. Since the beta testing was completed and the finished product started shipping out, the poor guy has been threatened by all of his friends to eat, sleep and shit GC Homogenizer's.....they don't let him out apart from his 10 minutes a day break, but they do allow him 4 hours sleep a night....with regular beatings in between. He would however like everyone to know that he's fine with that by posting this recent picture of him enjoying his work....

Believe me...I know how he feels, the team can be quite 'persuasive' when they want something doing. As soon as I was asked to review the GC and the one shots I was whisked away to a secure location where they could closely monitor my progress, all the while feeding me with heartfelt motivational speeches....

They mean well.

So...if you made it this far...firstly...well done, I think that is possibly the longest review I've ever done, but believe me it's totally justified. If you're a mixing hobbyist then the GC quite frankly needs to be in your arsenal, yes...it's a lot to shell out, but..it's a one off, and I'll tell you right now hand on heart, I wish I had this when I started mixing 6 years ago, because I have absolutely no doubt that it would work just as well now as it did then...it's that good. Honestly....how much are you willing to pay to never...ever....have to wait for another e-liquid to steep again?

I've tested this thing as far as I possibly can and I am yet to find a liquid that doesn't steep instantly after being smashed by the GC. It works, it does what it is supposed to do, and it far exceeded any expectations I had....just get your fucking name down while the list is only 5 or 6 weeks, because believe me, that waiting time is only going to grow.

Until next time

Pugs.

 

[Rickster]

In the name of the wee man....... I have no fkin clue what this is all about...pot's n pans n poky heat sticks.... you trippin dude

 

[Steampugs]

In the name of the wee man....... I have no fkin clue what this is all about...pot's n pans n poky heat sticks.... you trippin dude

It's for mixing e-liquid mate

 

[Rickster]

It's for mixing e-liquid mate

Christ

 

[Steampugs]

Christ

It's clever stuff man, if you mix your own e-liquid then you'd understand how much of a big deal it is, it completely eliminates steeping, it's good, it's very good actually, ground breaking.

 

[MarylinC37]

Wow, that was looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong!

You probably need a chemistry degree to really understand how to get things to bind together at an atomic level to get them to form into completely uniform compounds.

Undoubtedly a good piece of kit but I'm not sure how many home DIYers would get this just for mixing up small quantities of juice for themselves. I paid about £7.50 for a little hand held mini electric mixer which may not be as good as an homogeniser but it definitely helps to give me a pretty thorough mix that at least helps reduce the amount of time I feel my juice needs to steep.

If you're making bigger amounts of juice though for other people or you just want to own every bit of vape gear under the sun I can imagine there will certainly be a market for it.