Getting back into the swing of things, we chat to a legend in the South African Vaping scene. Not only does he spend his time procuring small batch high end items from around the world, he also runs a brilliant youtube channel and helps keep things clean here as a part of the Admin Team.
So who is this legend??
Some say his blood is 70% VG, and he has a dedicated pipeline from the Vapor Mountain factory.
All we know is he's called ROB FISHER!
87: You are pretty much a Legend in the South African Vaping circles, not only for your stunning collection, but you are very willing to share your knowledge with vapers from all walks of life. Tell me about your journey into vaping.
RF:I was a very heavy smoker (I never do anything in half measures) and I was battling with my lungs… I would wake up in the night unable to breath and thinking I was gonna die right there… I would wake up and cough really bad… and my wife had given up smoking. It was becoming an issue of note for my wife because I was gonna die and the smell was more than she could handle.
I had tried everything to stop smoking. Hypnosis, acupuncture, chewing gum, inhalers and drugs like Champix… None of them had been successful so I thought I would try the Green Leaf lookalikes… I smoked and used the green leaf for a while but that didn’t stop me smoking… and then a mate told me about Twisp! I went and bought a Twisp Clear Dual pack and that was the last time I touched a cigarette. This month marks my 5th anniversary of giving up the toxic weed and I have never felt healthier… well not since my surfing days when I was in my twenties!
I discovered ECIGSSA and the help and advice I got from the members kept me on the straight and narrow!
My Vape Guru was @Andre and he convinced me to get a REO and I spent the next year or so having a love affair with the REO and all the time starting to try other devices… by this time I had discovered Vapour Mountain Menthol Ice and VM Menthols have been with me ever since. Tropical Ice was a creation I made using VM concentrates and after a while Benji made it a normal product, so I didn’t have to bother with mixing. XXX came a lot later and when I first tried it I didn’t take to it. I still remember chatting to Benji (@Oupa) on the phone and he said I should try XXX again and made me promise to give it a full test and finish a tank full in an SM25. The rest is history and when Benji changed the formula to XXX I forced him to keep making the original recipe which today is Red Pill.
Other devices that had a big impact on me were the cCell ceramic coils in various devices and I used them for a long time.
The Serpent Mini 25 was another big changing point in my vaping journey and still today I have a couple of SM25’s and still wick them up occasionally and they still hold their own against most other RTA’s.
Next came the ESG Skyline and the start of my High-End Party and my quest for the perfect flavour vape began.
87: If you were approached by a stranger in the street, what advice would you give them on how to quit the stinkies and get into vaping.
RF: First and foremost a smoker has to really want to give up smoking…normally when I see smokers outside and I go chat to them my opening speech is “You stink and you are gonna die”! Most of the time they are taken aback but then it gives me the opportunity to spread the word! The device I have had most success with in converting stinkies is the Twisp Cue because it’s so simple and the tight draw is close to what they are used to.
87: Tell us about the events you are a part of in South Africa.
RF: I am not involved financially in any vape business (despite a lot of requests to go into the business) and will probably never get financially involved. I like to be independent and my goal is just to spread the word and promote the vaping industry. There are always different factions and I try to remain impartial and play with all the factions because that’s where I think I can have the biggest impact. I would love it if all the factions could work together for the good of the industry.
Obviously, I’m very involved with VapeCon but I try and go to any and all Vape Meets and Expo’s I can… Overseas Expo’s I love to go to the VapExpo in Paris (it’s this coming weekend and I’m missing it) and my favourite one is the Hall of Vape in Stuttgart. I will be going to Hall of Vape next year at the end of April.
87: I have spent hours reading your posts about attending overseas vape cons and meeting legends of the industry. What is the international scene like and where do we stand in South Africa.
RF: The Vape Scene in Europe is very similar to us here and there is still the excitement and comradery that we get at VapeCon… the biggest difference is the high-end goodies that are available. I haven’t had a chance to go to an American Expo and I had planned to go to the Houston Expo last year, but the Hurricane and the postponement of the dates made me have to cancel because the dates no longer worked. One big difference between here and Europe is the TPD rules and the fact that bigger juice bottles than 10ml can’t have nicotine in them and they are all short fill bottles you have to add nic to afterwards…
I have travelled extensively around the world and I can tell you that our Brick and Mortar vape shops are way better than most I have come across around the planet. Also the selection in our vape stores and way more than the average store overseas.
87: For the purpose of this interview I did Facebook stalk you one thing I noticed is you are the only person in the pictures who holds a mod. Does your family vape or smoke and if not how supportive are they with you vaping?
RF: My wife was a smoker and my two daughters have never smoked. None of them Vape but my youngest daughter Kelsey has an amazing palate (she is a foodie and a wine boffin) and she always helps me when I’m tasting, and she is spot on with juice testing and identifying flavours. They are all very happy that I now vape and don’t smoke but my wife would like me to give up vaping and does give me stick from time to time.
87:Let’s move onto the juicier stuff - your love of unattainable mods and Red Pill - in your opinion, what is the best setup for Red Pill. Personally I love XXX either on a fresh wick on my flave or using dual claptons in my Petri.
RF: That’s an easy question. Without doubt the best and most practical set up for Red Pill for me is a SolarStorm Mod and a Dvarw DL with a Ni80 Nano Alien coil from one of the top coil makers in the land. The difference between the decent coils and the Chinese crap is massive.
87:You are very specific about what you consider a great juice. What do you look for in a great juice?
RF: That is a hard question… I would be so happy if I could find more juices as an ADV for me. The number of juices I vape I can count on the fingers of one hand… not because there are not lots of great juices out there but because I just find I like such a limited range of juice profiles.
A lot of juices contain something I just hate… I think it may be Bavarian Cream but I’m still not 100% sure what it is… the second I taste a juice that it has that component in it is me finished… it goes into the PIF box.
87: Out of all your Mods, your CLX Z is the one that gets my heart racing the most - do you have a mod/s that hold a special place in your life and will never be sold?
RF: Oh yes… My engraved REO and a few custom made squonkers that Genosmate made for me, my Droid that Mark Todd made me buy in Paris, My Sigelei 20 and Russian 91% RTA, my engraved Billet Box and my growing SolarStorm collection.
87: Time to spill the beans, how does a retired man sitting in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa manage to get all these almost impossible to obtain mods?
RF: I guess my biggest asset is my ability to get on with people and over time I have made lots of connections and never ever screwed any of them and the result is I have a lot of contacts who trust me and who never stop introducing me to others in the game. And having travelled a lot and met a lot of them face to face certainly does help.
87: THE BIG ONE - does your wife know the value of your "little" collection?
RF: OMG NO!
If you would like to see more of Rob Fisher, head over to his youtube channel and hit subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/user/esaworldza
So who is this legend??
Some say his blood is 70% VG, and he has a dedicated pipeline from the Vapor Mountain factory.
All we know is he's called ROB FISHER!
87: You are pretty much a Legend in the South African Vaping circles, not only for your stunning collection, but you are very willing to share your knowledge with vapers from all walks of life. Tell me about your journey into vaping.
RF:I was a very heavy smoker (I never do anything in half measures) and I was battling with my lungs… I would wake up in the night unable to breath and thinking I was gonna die right there… I would wake up and cough really bad… and my wife had given up smoking. It was becoming an issue of note for my wife because I was gonna die and the smell was more than she could handle.
I had tried everything to stop smoking. Hypnosis, acupuncture, chewing gum, inhalers and drugs like Champix… None of them had been successful so I thought I would try the Green Leaf lookalikes… I smoked and used the green leaf for a while but that didn’t stop me smoking… and then a mate told me about Twisp! I went and bought a Twisp Clear Dual pack and that was the last time I touched a cigarette. This month marks my 5th anniversary of giving up the toxic weed and I have never felt healthier… well not since my surfing days when I was in my twenties!
I discovered ECIGSSA and the help and advice I got from the members kept me on the straight and narrow!
My Vape Guru was @Andre and he convinced me to get a REO and I spent the next year or so having a love affair with the REO and all the time starting to try other devices… by this time I had discovered Vapour Mountain Menthol Ice and VM Menthols have been with me ever since. Tropical Ice was a creation I made using VM concentrates and after a while Benji made it a normal product, so I didn’t have to bother with mixing. XXX came a lot later and when I first tried it I didn’t take to it. I still remember chatting to Benji (@Oupa) on the phone and he said I should try XXX again and made me promise to give it a full test and finish a tank full in an SM25. The rest is history and when Benji changed the formula to XXX I forced him to keep making the original recipe which today is Red Pill.
Other devices that had a big impact on me were the cCell ceramic coils in various devices and I used them for a long time.
The Serpent Mini 25 was another big changing point in my vaping journey and still today I have a couple of SM25’s and still wick them up occasionally and they still hold their own against most other RTA’s.
Next came the ESG Skyline and the start of my High-End Party and my quest for the perfect flavour vape began.
87: If you were approached by a stranger in the street, what advice would you give them on how to quit the stinkies and get into vaping.
RF: First and foremost a smoker has to really want to give up smoking…normally when I see smokers outside and I go chat to them my opening speech is “You stink and you are gonna die”! Most of the time they are taken aback but then it gives me the opportunity to spread the word! The device I have had most success with in converting stinkies is the Twisp Cue because it’s so simple and the tight draw is close to what they are used to.
87: Tell us about the events you are a part of in South Africa.
RF: I am not involved financially in any vape business (despite a lot of requests to go into the business) and will probably never get financially involved. I like to be independent and my goal is just to spread the word and promote the vaping industry. There are always different factions and I try to remain impartial and play with all the factions because that’s where I think I can have the biggest impact. I would love it if all the factions could work together for the good of the industry.
Obviously, I’m very involved with VapeCon but I try and go to any and all Vape Meets and Expo’s I can… Overseas Expo’s I love to go to the VapExpo in Paris (it’s this coming weekend and I’m missing it) and my favourite one is the Hall of Vape in Stuttgart. I will be going to Hall of Vape next year at the end of April.
87: I have spent hours reading your posts about attending overseas vape cons and meeting legends of the industry. What is the international scene like and where do we stand in South Africa.
RF: The Vape Scene in Europe is very similar to us here and there is still the excitement and comradery that we get at VapeCon… the biggest difference is the high-end goodies that are available. I haven’t had a chance to go to an American Expo and I had planned to go to the Houston Expo last year, but the Hurricane and the postponement of the dates made me have to cancel because the dates no longer worked. One big difference between here and Europe is the TPD rules and the fact that bigger juice bottles than 10ml can’t have nicotine in them and they are all short fill bottles you have to add nic to afterwards…
I have travelled extensively around the world and I can tell you that our Brick and Mortar vape shops are way better than most I have come across around the planet. Also the selection in our vape stores and way more than the average store overseas.
87: For the purpose of this interview I did Facebook stalk you one thing I noticed is you are the only person in the pictures who holds a mod. Does your family vape or smoke and if not how supportive are they with you vaping?
RF: My wife was a smoker and my two daughters have never smoked. None of them Vape but my youngest daughter Kelsey has an amazing palate (she is a foodie and a wine boffin) and she always helps me when I’m tasting, and she is spot on with juice testing and identifying flavours. They are all very happy that I now vape and don’t smoke but my wife would like me to give up vaping and does give me stick from time to time.
87:Let’s move onto the juicier stuff - your love of unattainable mods and Red Pill - in your opinion, what is the best setup for Red Pill. Personally I love XXX either on a fresh wick on my flave or using dual claptons in my Petri.
RF: That’s an easy question. Without doubt the best and most practical set up for Red Pill for me is a SolarStorm Mod and a Dvarw DL with a Ni80 Nano Alien coil from one of the top coil makers in the land. The difference between the decent coils and the Chinese crap is massive.
87:You are very specific about what you consider a great juice. What do you look for in a great juice?
RF: That is a hard question… I would be so happy if I could find more juices as an ADV for me. The number of juices I vape I can count on the fingers of one hand… not because there are not lots of great juices out there but because I just find I like such a limited range of juice profiles.
A lot of juices contain something I just hate… I think it may be Bavarian Cream but I’m still not 100% sure what it is… the second I taste a juice that it has that component in it is me finished… it goes into the PIF box.
87: Out of all your Mods, your CLX Z is the one that gets my heart racing the most - do you have a mod/s that hold a special place in your life and will never be sold?
RF: Oh yes… My engraved REO and a few custom made squonkers that Genosmate made for me, my Droid that Mark Todd made me buy in Paris, My Sigelei 20 and Russian 91% RTA, my engraved Billet Box and my growing SolarStorm collection.
87: Time to spill the beans, how does a retired man sitting in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa manage to get all these almost impossible to obtain mods?
RF: I guess my biggest asset is my ability to get on with people and over time I have made lots of connections and never ever screwed any of them and the result is I have a lot of contacts who trust me and who never stop introducing me to others in the game. And having travelled a lot and met a lot of them face to face certainly does help.
87: THE BIG ONE - does your wife know the value of your "little" collection?
RF: OMG NO!
If you would like to see more of Rob Fisher, head over to his youtube channel and hit subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/user/esaworldza
