# Discussion - Juice Competition - Best Of Ecigssa



## devdev

I see over at ECF they have an annual competition and public voting process for the best categories of juices, as voted for by the members.

I think it is time ECIGSSA has their own competition for the best juices in SA.

I have started this thread because I want input from everyone on how this should be done.

As I see things, there are two specific things we should be looking to establish:

Which is the most popular local juice overall
Which is the most popular imported juice overall

Then we could further break down the categories. At the end of it all, we should get the best of the best

*Category - Local SA Juices* (Made by local vendors)
Sub Category - Fruit/Drinks
Sub Category - Dessert/Sweets
Sub Category - Tobacco
Sub Category - Menthol
Sub Category - South African foods

*Category - Best Imported Juice *(Imported by vendor or forumite)
Sub Category - Fruit/Drinks
Sub Category - Dessert/Sweets
Sub Category - Tobacco
Sub Category - Menthol
Sub Category - Wierdest Juice


My idea is that after all of the votes have been made in a specific category then we can take the top 2 juices from each category and insert them into a Overall Category.

That way for local juices we will see which are the top 8 (we will not take SA Foods category into account, or Wierdest Juice) and then for imported liquids we will see the top 8 as well.

I know that this will rely on people having actually bought and tried the juices in question, but we also can't rely on the vendors to hand out free samples.

And on 3. 1...2....3....discuss!

Reactions: Agree 4 | Winner 2


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## kimbo

@devdev Why not include samples in the taste box?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Rob Fisher

Marvellous idea! Quite a lot of work for you but a well worth project!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## BumbleBee

I love this idea! Vaping in SA is moving forward so quickly, something like this is going to be a turbo boost! I see it pushing the local juice makers to release more and more good quality stuff to stay ahead of the pack, so us consumers win!

Reactions: Winner 1


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## kimbo

kimbo said:


> @devdev Why not include samples in the taste box?


 
Run the comp over a year or six mothes and make a big event and a meet and give a trophy to the winning vendor

Edit: small box in the sample box with entrants for the juice of the year

Reactions: Like 1


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## devdev

kimbo said:


> @devdev Why not include samples in the taste box?


 
To be honest I don't think we can expect vendors to produce samples for the taste box. Also could be a disadvantage if one vendor will do it, and another one can't afford to. I think in my mind it would be awesome if they all agreed to produce samples, but consider that some have up to 15 products in the range, which would mean at least 150 sample bottles x 5ml x 15 ranges. That is going to be a huge cost, let alone the bottles and time needed. Sadly I think it will not be feasible.



Rob Fisher said:


> Marvellous idea! Quite a lot of work for you but a well worth project!


 
Work for me? Don't be ridiculous. This project has your name ALL over it. As part of your quest to find an ADV 

I am happy to steer the project, with the assistance of one or two people, and the voting function on the forum it should be quite easy actually. At least in my mind. Would need a dedicated sub forum and we would be set

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Mike

Perhaps simplify things a bit. Might be able to do one of those google form things to collect the data even?

Reactions: Like 1


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## devdev

BumbleBee said:


> I love this idea! Vaping in SA is moving forward so quickly, something like this is going to be a turbo boost! I see it pushing the local juice makers to release more and more good quality stuff to stay ahead of the pack, so us consumers win!


 
That is a large part of my thinking behind it. This will encourage the vendors, and encourage discussion amongst the members. If everyone is raving about something I have not tried then I will probably want to order it. Again, win for the vendor.



kimbo said:


> Run the comp over a year or six mothes and make a big event and a meet and give a trophy to the winning vendor
> 
> Edit: small box in the sample box with entrants for the juice of the year


 
I agree, the comp must run over a period of months. That will give people a chance to try things and also will place us closer to end of the year.

Maybe we could ask the vendors to submit their three top selling/most popular juices, and then tell everyone they need to vote based on those submissions. (Just thinking out loud here)



Mike said:


> Perhaps simplify things a bit. Might be able to do one of those google form things to collect the data even?


 
Actually a damn good idea! We could set up an online survey/poll. I know there are dedicated websites for that. Good call mike

Reactions: Like 2


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## kimbo

ok the forum ate the post again 

Lets try again.

What i thought, let the comp run over six monthes to give more ppl chanse to buy and sample or steep and sample or so .. at the end of the year hold a big event, were the winner is announced and his banner can be put on the forum or something to give him credit and give others something to work for


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## Mike

devdev said:


> Actually a damn good idea! We could set up an online survey/poll. I know there are dedicated websites for that. Good call mike


 
Only kind I have   I'd be willing to help out if needs be!


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## devdev

kimbo said:


> ok the forum ate the post again


 
I saw that. Flipping annoying when it does that! GRRRRRRRRRR

When it did it to me in our discussion the other night I had typed out this whole thing, and then it disappeared and I was too gatvol to do it again


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## Matt

Great idea.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/

Great tool to use for the survey

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

Reactions: Like 1


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## devdev

Mike said:


> Only kind I have   I'd be willing to help out if needs be!


 
Lol, you are about to sell your soul to the Devdev @Mike. Hope you know there is no turning back


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## Mike

Here's another thing I can offer then - getlazarus.com/

Just saying, my soul is worth lots!


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## kimbo

devdev said:


> I saw that. Flipping annoying when it does that! GRRRRRRRRRR
> 
> When it did it to me in our discussion the other night I had typed out this whole thing, and then it disappeared and I was too gatvol to do it again


 
Happened a few times to me now GRR


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## devdev

Matt said:


> Great idea.
> 
> https://www.surveymonkey.com/
> 
> Great tool to use for the survey
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk


 
is it free @Matt?

Would love some input from the vendors themselves here:

@Derick @Gizmo @Stroodlepuff @Melinda @Oupa @Tristan @Mauritz @RevnLucky7 @Charlie's Vape Shop @Zuzu88 @Just B @Silverbear @Chop007 @AtomicFruit @SunRam


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## devdev

Wow that is actually quite a handy plugin @Mike. Check out http://getlazarus.com/ @kimbo


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## kimbo

devdev said:


> Wow that is actually quite a handy plugin @Mike. Check out http://getlazarus.com/ @kimbo


 
Thank you @devdev @Mike


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## Mike

Damn straight. I'll accept that winner tag now

Reactions: Winner 2


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## AtomicFruit

devdev said:


> is it free @Matt?
> 
> Would love some input from the vendors themselves here:
> 
> @Derick @Gizmo @Stroodlepuff @Melinda @Oupa @Tristan @Mauritz @RevnLucky7 @Charlie's Vape Shop @Zuzu88 @Just B @Silverbear @Chop007 @AtomicFruit


 
AtomicFruit is in

Reactions: Like 3


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## devdev

Mike said:


> Damn straight. I'll accept that winner tag now


 
Sorry, the Weiner tag is not operational at the moment, so I gave you the winner one as compensation

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Mike

I'm fine with whatever, as long as I can reap that tasty tasy ecig karma!!


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## Mauritz

I would love to see this take shape.

Reactions: Like 2


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## 6ghost9

wait can we post liquids we have tried here or is it only going to be a voting thing later on?


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## devdev

Mike said:


> I'm fine with whatever, as long as I can reap that tasty tasy ecig karma!!


 
Don't worry @Mike we will make sure the vendors 'incentivise' us to reach a favourable outcome 

We will run it all above board, like the tender process in a large parastatal Company.


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## devdev

Well if the vendors have any ideas as to how this could be done, specifically regarding the sample idea (although I don't see it as being that feasible) then getting some input would be great.

Also, as juice makers, do you guys agree with the categories as they are set out above?


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## Just B

Just B there boots and all. Will supply every single juice I have as they are all that good................ And I am not punting........ Just being honest.

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 2


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## devdev

6ghost9 said:


> wait can we post liquids we have tried here or is it only going to be a voting thing later on?


 
At this stage we are only trying to establish the manner in which to run the comp, so realistically I think the comp would only start in August


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## Mike

Sounds good to me. Take note everyone, I prefer box mods to tube mods  

I'll have to do a bit of looking around.. Those google form submissions return data as a spreadsheet. If we were to use that, we could always make that publicly available.


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## kimbo

@devdev i think if the winning vendor have a banner of best juice in SA for a year, free publicity and all that why would the not enter one or two flavours and go the extra mile to get ppl tasting them and voting for them

Reactions: Like 1


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## kimbo

DErail slight .. i see my banner just went over a month vaping 

Back on topic


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## Mike

I think incentivising is important. Perhaps a small banner for the winners, with an agreement that a winner will offer a couple of bottles for random entrants?


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## devdev

I had it in mind that they could get place trophies, like you see on this page:
http://www.nicoticket.com/grandmas-cinnamon-danish/

See that flavour won best of ECF 3rd place in Bakery category.

Again, it would be great if the vendors wanted to provide samples, but the problem is we cannot limit access for those who can't or don't want to dish out tons of free stuff. If the vendors feel so inclined, they could send samples for the Tasteboxes, if they don't want to then that is also fine. By my reckoning the strongest contenders are evident by word of mouth on the forum as things stand.

If a juice is that good, then chances are the majority of folks will have given it a try already.


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## kimbo

Maybe get the public to vote for the best five and on the anual event/meet the best five gets tasted by a panal with the same mods same watts same setup ..

@VapeTownZA


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## devdev

The benefit to vendors as I see it:

1. Having their product announced as winner in category or overall listing
2. Being issued the virtual trophy
3. Using the trophy on their website and marketing materials
4. Indirect: Members being very interested in trying the winning flavours

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mike

I don't necessarily mean tasting samples Dev. A banner on this forum would be worth a notable amount per month. If a winner wanted a banner and were to offer a couple prizes in lieu of payment, it might be beneficial for all parties

Just one idea, there are loads of options!


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## Stroodlepuff

We're in

Reactions: Like 1


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## Matt

@devdev yes its free.

Reactions: Like 1


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## devdev

I will need to discuss the idea of a banner for the winner with fellow admins and staff. I don't see it as being a huge problem, but some specific things will need to be ironed out given the competing interests at play.

Definitely think that prizes for members would be awesome, and so far vendors have responded very generously when we have needed prizes. So yes, I think that is definitely something we can look at doing

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Mike

Good point, forgot about that!!! Complicates matters quite a bit - I'm sure you'll come up with something cool irrespective!


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## devdev

Again guys, the idea is that we discuss all of these things as a community and come up with something that serves everyone. 

I am not ruling out any ideas, just indicating where there seem to be practical problems from my perspective

Reactions: Like 3


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## Mike

And ^that^ is another reason this is one of my favourite local online communities.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## devdev

Congrats @kimbo on your one month vaping anniversary. You have come a long way friend, and I hope you really start to see the health benefits of being tobacco free in the coming months

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## RevnLucky7

devdev said:


> Well if the vendors have any ideas as to how this could be done, specifically regarding the sample idea (although I don't see it as being that feasible) then getting some input would be great.
> 
> Also, as juice makers, do you guys agree with the categories as they are set out above?


 

Hey guys... regarding those samples. I think Dev covered it already.
I cannot afford to supply samples of my lines. Simple as that.
Another thing, I feel that finding good liquids is a journey.

It's starts off by hearing about it, looking for reviews on the web, making up your mind, buying it, trying it and then deciding if it was worth the effort to get hold of.
Providing samples of my lines cuts out 90% of that journey. And even though that journey is expensive, it's part of this hobby.

Sometimes a good juice is about more than just taste. It's the excitement, the anticipation, the supply and demand factor... and then finally, the grand finale - that it actually was worth everything you went through and the price to get it. I'd like to preserve this.

Then there's also the fact that I cannot bankroll providing samples to the masses... have I mentioned that already?

Oh and then here's also the fact that I cannot bankroll providing samples to the masses...

Every single cent that SΩV has made has gone back into building a bigger and better SΩV. Pair that with the give aways we do on a regular basis I can not fit in any more promotional gigs. I do like the idea though.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## kimbo

RevnLucky7 said:


> Hey guys... regarding those samples. I think Dev covered it already.
> I cannot afford to supply samples of my lines. Simple as that.
> Another thing, I feel that finding good liquids is a journey.
> 
> It's starts off by hearing about it, looking for reviews on the web, making up your mind, buying it, trying it and then deciding if it was worth the effort to get hold of.
> Providing samples of my lines cuts out 90% of that journey. And even though that journey is expensive, it's part of this hobby.
> 
> Sometimes a good juice is about more than just taste. It's the excitement, the anticipation, the supply and demand factor... and then finally, the grand finale - that it actually was worth everything you went through and the price to get it. I'd like to preserve this.
> 
> Then there's also the fact that I cannot bankroll providing samples to the masses... have I mentioned that already?
> 
> Oh and then here's also the fact that I cannot bankroll providing samples to the masses...


 
My thought on that one ..

Why do you wanna enter our whole line, yes it makes your cnase of winnig bigger but i am sore after six montes or a year you see your best seller and just enter that one, @devdev
FFS and got eatin again

Lets try again

Get a publi voted juice winner

And a overall best of the best winner


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## RevnLucky7

kimbo said:


> My thought on that one ..
> 
> Why do you wanna enter our whole line, yes it makes your cnase of winnig bigger but i am sore after six montes or a year you see your best seller and just enter that one, @devdev


 
Well we don't really have just one best seller. 
A few of them are head to head. And if I had to pick I wouldn't know which one to choose.
I know what that reads like, but you guys know how I feel about my imported lines. I love them all, that's why I have them.

Lets assume I did just have one. How many bottles would have to go around to actually make a difference.


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## MurderDoll

kimbo said:


> My thought on that one ..
> 
> Why do you wanna enter our whole line, yes it makes your cnase of winnig bigger but i am sore after six montes or a year you see your best seller and just enter that one, @devdev
> FFS and got eatin again
> 
> Lets try again
> 
> Get a publi voted juice winner
> 
> And a overall best of the best winner



I can understand where @RevnLucky7 is coming from. 
He deals only in exclusive products. 

But on the flip side, this is for locally produced juices. So this doesn't actually apply to him. Unless I misread this thread completely somewhere along the lines.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mike

I think samples make things really tricky.. However most forumites we could classify as enthusiasts with a fair amount being customers to places like SOV?


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## devdev

The idea is for two categories. 

What is being discussed here is locally made products

The other category will be best of imported juices, whether those juices are vendor supplied or imported by members.


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## kimbo

MurderDoll said:


> I can understand where @RevnLucky7 is coming from.
> He deals only in exclusive products.
> 
> But on the flip side, this is for locally produced juices. So this doesn't actually apply to him. Unless I misread this thread completely somewhere along the lines.


 
I was just thinking the same thing, why for inports, no ovence @RevnLucky7, we wanna get the best in SA for inport juise go look at the international site


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## devdev

Guys please reread the first post in this thread. I think we are derailing here.

Although some vendors have responded and said they are in, none of those have explicitly said they are happy to contribute samples.

The competition is supposed to reveal:

The best international juice - as voted by ECIGSSA members
The best local juice - as voted by ECIGSSA members

This will be in sub catergories.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Stroodlepuff

We will provide

Reactions: Like 1


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## RevnLucky7

kimbo said:


> I was just thinking the same thing, why for inports, no ovence @RevnLucky7, we wanna get the best in SA for inport juise go look at the international site


 
Non taken.

Reactions: Like 1


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## RevnLucky7

Well maybe a little... and then how realized how dof that post was. No offense.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Rob Fisher

There is a much easier way… send them all to me and if any stay in a REO for longer than 2ml’s then they win! @oupa’s Menthol Ice will have to into a special category!

Reactions: Winner 1 | Funny 2


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## Zuzu88

Maybe we just should create a threat, with 2 sub categories : local juice and imported juice. Then all the forum members enter the name of juice and how they rate it out of 10. That way u can see a complete list of what's popular an what in terms of how many people rate the juices and what scores have been allocated. This a great idea @devdev 

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk


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## devdev

@Zuzu88 that is familiar to the overall idea of the comp, except we plan to automate the collection of data so that no one has the job of running around like a blue bummed insect trying to collate the data. Also eliminates human error


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## kimbo

RevnLucky7 said:


> Well maybe a little... and then how realized how dof that post was. No offense.


 
Non takin


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## RevnLucky7

kimbo said:


> Non takin


 
I also realize how dof mine is, considering that I can't seem to compile a proper sentance. The fact that my spel checker no longer works doesn't help 

Back on topic. I like this idea. Not in the sense of the comp, but it's going to give us a good idea where SA stands on liquids , be it local or international. It will show us a little something about our vape culture.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ET

RevnLucky7 said:


> Hey guys... regarding those samples. I think Dev covered it already.
> I cannot afford to supply samples of my lines. Simple as that.
> Another thing, I feel that finding good liquids is a journey.
> 
> It's starts off by hearing about it, looking for reviews on the web, making up your mind, buying it, trying it and then deciding if it was worth the effort to get hold of.
> Providing samples of my lines cuts out 90% of that journey. And even though that journey is expensive, it's part of this hobby.
> 
> Sometimes a good juice is about more than just taste. It's the excitement, the anticipation, the supply and demand factor... and then finally, the grand finale - that it actually was worth everything you went through and the price to get it. I'd like to preserve this.
> 
> Then there's also the fact that I cannot bankroll providing samples to the masses... have I mentioned that already?
> 
> Oh and then here's also the fact that I cannot bankroll providing samples to the masses...
> 
> Every single cent that SΩV has made has gone back into building a bigger and better SΩV. Pair that with the give aways we do on a regular basis I can not fit in any more promotional gigs. I do like the idea though.


 
nailed it on the head rev. if there is going to be votes and stuff for best juices i really don't think the vendors should be supplying ANY juices at all

Reactions: Agree 4


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## Zuzu88

Yep... I'm with RevnLucky7 on that one. I do however feel vendors can rate juices that they do not stock of they feel like rating juices. This is not going to be a quick survey, it wall take a while to get a good collection of data going

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk


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## kimbo

Quetion: How do we know the person submitting his or her vote did taste the juice, or are not just in it to scew the voting proses, take a pic of the bottle next to your mod?

Reactions: Like 1


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## VapeTownZA

Here's a suggestion. It may not work but worth mentioning. Why not run a poll for about 3 months allowing people to vote on which juices they currently use and rate as their favorite in those categories. These would be juices they have already tried and enjoy. If vendors wish to get their juices tasted for this poll, they could offer in store testing (I'm not sure what online stores could do). After this poll is completed, there will be a top 5 list of each category and these vendors can then choose to supply a sample of these juices to a smaller meet up of judges. That way they can be voted in and then judged by a panel of "experts" to cut down the amount of samples needing to be provided. They can then perhaps vote and combine their votes with the poll votes and come to a final winner for each category.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mike

Dev, is there a way to limit forum access by post count or similar? Might be worth trying to limit access to however we decide to run this - even if it's a thread and I end up having to copy/paste all the submissions.


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## kimbo

@VapeTownZA Have a look at post #34


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## devdev

It could be possible to limit certain categories of user yes, but we have always tried to steer away from that as any form of elite access effectively runs at odds with the principles of the forum.

Still, it could be done quite simply by locking the thread and only giving those who need to be able to edit it moderator rights


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## Mike

I more mean having something like a 5 post requirement to get access to the link to the form - this can be doubled up by requiring a username or link to userpage in the submission form.

Just saying this in terms of protection against vote skewing..


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## devdev

LOL. We had a vote skewing incident back in December when things were still small.

I think a post limit could be possible, probably do it in region of 20posts.

I think surveymonkey could be a better option, since we can tell people to use their forum names. If we see it is anyone who has signed up very recently we can ignore their votes


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## Mike

Wasn't around then hey, but seems like it's a good point.

Sounds good!!!

Reactions: Like 1


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## VapeTownZA

kimbo said:


> @VapeTownZA Have a look at post #34


Sorry can't see post numbers on my phone. Mind copy pasting it or tagging me in a quote to it? 

We'd be happy to help by hosting the survey through our Facebook page. People would have to use their Facebook accounts but it ensures you can see how often people vote etc. I think survey monkey limits the amount of replies you get unless you pay. Will research.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Paulie

Great idea Danny

Reactions: Like 1


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## devdev

paulph201 said:


> Great idea Danny ??


Thanks Paulie


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## Mike

VapeTownZA said:


> Sorry can't see post numbers on my phone. Mind copy pasting it or tagging me in a quote to it?
> 
> We'd be happy to help by hosting the survey through our Facebook page. People would have to use their Facebook accounts but it ensures you can see how often people vote etc. I think survey monkey limits the amount of replies you get unless you pay. Will research.


 
That's really kind of you man, not sure if I am out of place here, but that might end up being VapeTown subscribers flavour of the year, not so much ecigssa's winner - not to mention that not everyone uses facebook...


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## VapeTownZA

Mike said:


> That's really kind of you man, not sure if I am out of place here, but that might end up being VapeTown subscribers flavour of the year, not so much ecigssa's winner - not to mention that not everyone uses facebook...


That's true. Well I'll put it out there as an option for incase we need a poll on Facebook. I'll do some research into surveys tomorrow. Might be some very simple forum plugins or something. Will update when I get more info.


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## Silver

@devdev 
This is a great initiative and something I would like to see done well
I support it in principle - it just has to be done in the right way
Let me think about this and will post some thoughts next week. 
Bravo

Reactions: Agree 1


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## devdev

Silver said:


> @devdev
> This is a great initiative and something I would like to see done well
> I support it in principle - it just has to be done in the right way
> Let me think about this and will post some thoughts next week.
> Bravo


I would appreciate having you on board Silver, even if it is only to help consult on approach, I know you will identify potential issues up front


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## RevnLucky7

If vendors will be promoting to get votes on juices I think we'll miss the point of this thing. Vendors should have nothing to do with it. It's simple really. Vote on a juice you like and have experience with. Once this turns into a horse race between vendors it's tits up and the same thing will happen here that did on ECF.

You'll start seeing VOTE FOR US TO GET 10% promo's on websites. That ECF list is total hogwash.
Many brands that should have been up there isn't it because they had no direct involvement with the process, nor websites to offer coupon codes on. They simply produce the stuff and sell it to online vendors and B&M's. Most of the online vendors on that list promoted their own brand and had someething to gain by ending up on top of that list, hench the promo's that went out to bump votes.

I don't for a second believe that results weren't driven without any reward. I'd like to see this NOT be the case here. Especially with the local guys. I couldn't give where an international brand ended up on the list as, well, it really has nothing to do with me. I don't make it. I sell it.

Locally we're a little behind in the liquid scene compared to the EU and the USA. With competition being stiff over there these guys have been forced to go through lengths to produce unique things. I say this with utmost respect so don't be getting knickers in a twist. But we've come so far in a short period of time that I think something like this could be inspirational for local juice makers if it was indeed a true reflection of their product and it would give them a good idea where they stand and a better idea of which way to go in the future.

Reactions: Like 6 | Agree 1


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## Chop007

devdev said:


> is it free @Matt?
> 
> Would love some input from the vendors themselves here:
> 
> @Derick @Gizmo @Stroodlepuff @Melinda @Oupa @Tristan @Mauritz @RevnLucky7 @Charlie's Vape Shop @Zuzu88 @Just B @Silverbear @Chop007 @AtomicFruit @SunRam


Wow, thanks @devdev that looks super cool. I will run it by the boss and get his impressions on it. As soon as I get the go-ahead I will be super keen. Thanks for that it looks like a brilliant analytical tool.


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## Al3x

Awesome Idea guys, will be looking forward to this, I have a few ideas or suggestions

Free Juice samples may not be the greatest of ideas cause I mean for the retailers to supply us all with samples will not be cost effective and the judging of some of the juice may not be totally fair, as consumers are getting it free from 1 vendor and have to pay from the other one, therefore more people will test the free juice and the others will not be judged with the same enthusiasm. What i would suggest is the the vendors enter their 1/2/3 or however they are allowed to and sell them at a reduced rate so we can sqeeze it into our budgets without breaking the bank.

Also we could choose a judging panel and the top 10 can be set in front of them in each division and they could then choose the top of the top, and we can do this at a meet or something like that.

just suggestions, also I will be willing to assist in whichever way i can, I think this is an awesome step up in our south african vaping journey


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## ET

no panel, no vendor nominated juices, just public votes. if you've only got one juice from one vendor, vote for that and that's it, finish and klaar. i do not want to vote from my favourite juice and then leave the final decision to a few select individuals. that's not democratic or fair to the vendor

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 4


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## Melinda

Do you think that a Panel of Judges will work since taste is so subjective, if the panel is made up of guys that do not like sweet flavours, or Tobacco Flavours then those flavours are at a disadvantage?

Secondly Skyblue will only enter our Recipe flavours, and not all our Flavours because some of them are stock TFA flavours, and any body with our DIY kit can do exactly the same, the Recipe flavours on the other hand are my creations, and which I'm most proud of.

Then there is the question that has been raised already, what stops me from popping my 2 or 3 Recipe flavours that is up for voting into someone's order free of charge? How will this be regulated? I'm not saying I will do this, but I think it's a fair question? 

Then there is the other side of the coin, how do I get people that vote to get to taste my juices when I'm not allowed to punt my products to them?

So many concerns pop into my head when I read this, the benefits of obvisouly being the best but what about the worst tasting juice, there are definitly consequences to that as well, negative publicity like that can kill a small bussines.

Reactions: Agree 3 | Thanks 1


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## devdev

I think everyone needs to go and reread my original post again.

Having slept on it, I actually think there should be no active participation or endorsement from vendors.

The following are what I think needs to happen:

*1. There will be no panel of judges* - Taste is subjective. By having judges we require physical meetings, juices to be purchased, devices compared, setups copied, agreement to be made on the decisions. How do we select judges? I judged the coil building competition with TylerD and Rowan. It took 45 mins. We do not have time to sit and do this. 

Simply put, this complicates things too much. People must vote based on their own experiences, from their computers.

*2. There will be no public announcement of the ranking of all juices *- We are not seeking to name and shame those juices which do not fare well. At the end of the day a juice that ranks low may not have much market presence, but arguably is better than better known juices. If a business owner has a product they would have been expected to have taken reasonable steps to establish its market presence.

The competition is not intended to provide a direct marketing platform for all competitors to market their products. However, in the interests of fairness the admins may wish to consider providing a once off opportunity, in a seperate part of the forum, whereby juice makers can openly punt their products for the purposes of the competition.

*3. The vendors are NOT required to give their permission for a member to enter their product into the competition. *- Any member is free to nominate any local or imported juice into the respective categories. This is a free market system. If I have bought a juice and I am thrilled with it, then I will vote for it. Simple as that.

*4. The issuing of free samples *- I do not feel it is right that free samples should be required or expected of vendors. Equally I do not think that entries into the competition should be limited to three entries. The concept is to stack all juices up against each other and see which emerges as the most popular.

For any vendor who wishes to know the ranking of their products they are free to approach the organisers to establish how they fared, but this will not be publicly announced. The idea behind sharing this information is to provide an opportunity for market feedback to the vendors.


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The more I think about this, the more I am convinced that this actually needs to be done completely independently of the vendors, and based purely on customer experience, without free samples.

If someone has not tried a juice from a vendor then they obviously won't vote for it.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 5


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## Mike

devdev said:


> The more I think about this, the more I am convinced that this actually needs to be done completely independently of the vendors, and based purely on customer experience, without free samples.
> 
> If someone has not tried a juice from a vendor then they obviously won't vote for it


 
Quoted for double agree!


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## RevnLucky7

Mike said:


> Quoted for double agree!


 
Tripple that.


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## Metal Liz

I think this is a brilliant innitiative, my question is though... with me being a reseller for Just B and annemarievdh for Vape King etc, we are still part of the buyers market aswell and also make use of various different suppliers to get our own juice supplies, are we still allowed to vote or nominate our favourite juices? even if some of those are from our companies that we do sales for?

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## ET

why not? even giz, stroodle and oupa should get to vote. it's just one vote each after all

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 2


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## Marzuq

devdev said:


> To be honest I don't think we can expect vendors to produce samples for the taste box. Also could be a disadvantage if one vendor will do it, and another one can't afford to. I think in my mind it would be awesome if they all agreed to produce samples, but consider that some have up to 15 products in the range, which would mean at least 150 sample bottles x 5ml x 15 ranges. That is going to be a huge cost, let alone the bottles and time needed. Sadly I think it will not be feasible.
> 
> 
> 
> Work for me? Don't be ridiculous. This project has your name ALL over it. As part of your quest to find an ADV
> 
> I am happy to steer the project, with the assistance of one or two people, and the voting function on the forum it should be quite easy actually. At least in my mind. Would need a dedicated sub forum and we would be set


@devdev im not quite sure how i can help but if you looking for helpers let me know


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## Marzuq

brilliant idea to have this competition by the way, may just inspire our local boys to up their game


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## Marzuq

as a side note..
why dont we get all the suppliers to submit one juice of their own. the one they think will win them the trophy.
we then set up a panel who will each need to vape the juice and then grade it. based on the outcome we can announce a winner at the next vape meet or special event or even over the forum...

Reactions: Disagree 1


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## kimbo

@devdev

Why not keep the taste box and the comp juice taste box apart. The vendors can donate a 10ml sample of the juice thay want to enter for this and the person that want to taste these juices must give a R10 donation, these money are used at the end of the year for some fancy do

Say for the first 6 months it is open to the public to vote for juice they would like to get in the box
The next 5 moths the comp taste box floats around with the nominated juices so that ppl can taste the top voted juices and money are collected for the gala juices event.
At the gala evening a panel of judges taste the juices on the same setup and score the juices
The public votes count for 80% of the marks given to the juice and 20% is given to the judges

Reactions: Like 1


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## Paulie

It would be cool if we could have a juice competition at the jhb vape meet like they do overseas for our local stuff but i dont think we will see that.


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## Vape-O Distributer

Vape-O is interested in this competition. We think this is a great idea. If samples are needed Im sure we will make a plan.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Marzuq

this competition is a great idea and if its held on the forum then it doesnt limit it to a certain area only . every one can play

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Paulie

yeah i think it would be cool from what i seen overseas they have the following:

1) vendors enter 1 juice for the competition for people to sample.
2) people vote there favorite all day vape juice 
3) the winner of the juice "best all day vape juice" is announced.


Maby in the future this could happen

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marzuq

paulph201 said:


> yeah i think it would be cool from what i seen overseas they have the following:
> 
> 1) vendors enter 1 juice for the competition for people to sample.
> 2) people vote there favorite all day vape juice
> 3) the winner of the juice "best all day vape juice" is announced.
> 
> 
> Maby in the future this could happen


@paulph201 i agree that setup works. that way if a vendor doesnt want to have their juices tested or rated they just simply dont submit a juice for testing

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Vape-O Distributer

What about listing all the vendor entries and their liquids for the competition. The vendors offer huge discounts for the members to purchase the liquids over the time period of the competition. Then at the end of the competition two things happen. Number one, a winner is announced and number two, each vendor entry donates a few samples to go into a raffle where a member wins a juice box hamper.
??????

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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## Marzuq

thats a great idea. will encourage participation and support from the members.


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## Vape-O Distributer

I don't think there should be specific judges. Allow the members to purchase discounted liquids for the competition and let the members be the judges. This forum is a great tool. With raffling off a prize of a juice box hamper it will encourage members to get involved.
Maybe charge the vendors an entry fee for this competition to cover the set up and admin costs to ECIG SA.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ET

if you guys had read all the previous posts you would see the submitting of juice thing has already been discussed and decided against. no retailer should have to submit a juice and in no way should a select few be given the final choice on what is the winning juice. this will be a public vote of people voting for their favourite local juice. if you've vaped 20 different ones, good on ya, you can choose and pick what to vote for. if you've tried 1 local juice and liked it, you can vote for that or not at all. only way it will be fair to all juice makers.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Paulie

ET said:


> if you guys had read all the previous posts you would see the submitting of juice thing has already been discussed and decided against. no retailer should have to submit a juice and in no way should a select few be given the final choice on what is the winning juice. this will be a public vote of people voting for their favourite local juice. if you've vaped 20 different ones, good on ya, you can choose and pick what to vote for. if you've tried 1 local juice and liked it, you can vote for that or not at all. only way it will be fair to all juice makers.


 

I did read them lol and thats not what i was going for


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