Five Pawns - Juice Reviews

[Andre]

Ok, all those of you so lucky to have acquired some of the Five Pawn juices, please do your reviews here to make it easier for others to find it. Try to include:

1. Nicotine strength
2. PG/VG ratio
3. Equipment used, including wicking material if not obvious (eg. Protank2 Mini, Standard 1.8 ohm coil, Vision Spinner battery set to 4.0 volts (about 7.6 Watts using the iTaste reading)) In this example we all know the Protanks have silica wicks as standard, so unless you have recoiled with cotton or something else no need to state same.

 

[RevnLucky7]

I'm sure this is not supposed to go here but I'd like someone to do a test.

Vape Gambit off of a silica wick and then again off a cotton wick. That alone was the reason I hate cotton. Maybe it was just me, but I personally would not recommend vaping any of this juice off of a cotton wicked coil. Cotton filters flavors in it.

I'd be interested to hear someone elses findings.

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[Andre]

I'm sure this is not supposed to go here but I'd like someone to do a test.

Vape Gambit off of a silica wick and then again off a cotton wick. That alone was the reason I hate cotton. Maybe it was just me, but I personally would not recommend vaping any of this juice off of a cotton wicked coil. Cotton filters flavors in it.

I'd be interested to hear someone elses findings.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

Valid point, RevnLucky7 - have heard that before re more complex juices. Those who have the equipment could maybe try both and record their impressions here with their reviews.

 

[Silver]

Hi all

Got myself four of the five Five Pawns juices. They are made in California and considered to be very high-end premium juices. I have the 12mg strength liquids. They are marked on the bottles 50/50 PG/VG. Their website is fivepawns.com.

I got them locally from VapeKing. They cost R350 per 30ml bottle.

Here goes with my first review of their Bowden's Mate flavour. I used a new coil for this tasting. I did not steep the juice, but the date on the bottle (which I presume is when it was mixed) was 1 Nov 2013 - making it about 2 months old at the time of this review.

Five Pawns BOWDEN'S MATE (12mg)

I like it a lot.

It tastes like a sophisticated version of a Peppermint Crisp chocolate with a bit of added vanilla. It's more mint than chocolate though. The chocolate is quite hidden. The initial mint taste is very clear on the inhale. It's full flavour mint but not too much. On the exhale, there's more mint and I get the vanilla coming through. The chocolate is there somewhere but very feint. It's very pleasant and quite light and refreshing. The aftertaste is fantastic. The mint lingers on and makes your lips cool. It's quite refreshing. The vanilla is there and is very pleasant. What I like is that it's just the right amount of aftertaste, not too much. This juice is moderately sweet, but not too sweet. I enjoyed vaping it continuously.

Quick inhales intensify the minty flavour. Very nice. The flavours are of medium strength. They are very present but not in your face. I like it that way. Occasionally, I found that if I drag it twice or more in a row, the mint flavour overpowers a bit and changes slightly to become a bit sterile. I suppose my taste buds are sensitive to that flavour. The next morning I didn't notice that as much. Perhaps my taste buds got more used to it. I liked this juice more as I vaped it more.

To me this is clearly a premium juice. It vapes beautifully and is very smooth. The flavours are just the right strength, not overpowering. It's properly layered so you get different flavours coming through at different times of the vape. Mint, then vanilla and then a tiny bit of chocolate. And they work well together. The flavours are natural tasting not artificial. There are no "chemical tastes". It vapes very well and is consistent.

Throat hit was medium, probably helped a bit by the mint. I was hoping for a bit more throat hit though. Vapour production was above average and was very dense.

Overall, this is clearly a high quality juice with a great interesting flavour. I like it a lot. I would re-order it.

Equipment used: Protank2 Mini, Standard 2.2 ohm coil (measuring 2.25 ohms on the Sigelei ohm meter) , Vision Spinner battery set to 4.0 volts (implying about 7.1 Watts).

PS: it's worth mentioning that the packaging of this juice is superb. See the picture below:



Each bottle comes in its own "premium cardboard tube". The labelling is perfect. It even shows the bottle number and the lot it came from. It also has the 50/50 PG/VG label on the other side of the juice bottle (not shown in the picture). This is something few juices have clearly labelled on their bottles. I liked that.

The bottle itself is glass and has its own glass dripper cap. It really looks and feels good. The only problem was that I wasn't comfortable to use the glass dripper to fill my Protank Mini. I didn't even try it, since it didn't look like it was going to be accurate enough and I didn't want to waste juice with spillage. So I used a blunt needle syringe. If you order these juices for Protanks or similar (where you need to be accurate where you pour your juice) you may also find that you need a blunt needle syringe. Luckily I had one

EDIT - please note that Five Pawns' juice bottles do not have "child-proof" caps. You just unscrew the dripper cap and it opens. Bear this in mind if you prefer your juices to have "child-proof" caps.

 

[Sharrivz]

Hi Silver1

Another fantastic review glad you like it

 

[Tom]

gr8 review! because of that in depth review i am considering this one too, next to Gambit. Maybe even before... I just gotta wait....the festive season always hits hard on the pockets

 

[Silver]

Many thanks guys

I really enjoyed this review. And am glad if it helps other people...


@Stroodlepuff, thanks for the correction of the date. I was wondering why it was mixed a year ago. That didn't sound right. I will make the correction in the review above.

 

[Sharrivz]

Pleasure

 

[Andre]

Fantastic review! Mine is on the way.

 

[RevnLucky7]

Spot on review mate. As I read this I kept thinking that this was exactly what I was experiencing.

Like I said, Bowdens Mate is my second fav next to Gambit. For those new to this juice Five Pawns manufacturers their throat hit. You can't judge it by the nic strength. Even their 6mg vaped like a 12mg for me and even though I vape 6mg juices theirs comes off as a harder hit at that strength.

I will add that this juice shines at higher wattages. At 15 watts it opens up your senses. Get it nice and warm. Same with Gambit. Great for that morning kick in the ass.

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[Silver]

Thanks @Matthee and @RevnLucky7, much appreciated.

Yes, with my kit I'm only on around 7-8W. I look forward to vaping this juice with higher power gear - when I get there I will also try the silica/cotton comparison when I get there and report my findings...

 

[Silver]

If anyone is wondering where Five Pawns gets the names for their 5 main Juices, they are all related to the game of chess. Five Pawns has adopted the chess theme in their branding and their naming of these juices.

Here are their 5 juice names and where these names come from with regards to the game of chess:
(I've taken most of them from Wikipedia)

Grandmaster - The title Grandmaster is awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. Once achieved, the title is held for life. (my comment - this would sort of imply that Grandmaster is the "best" or highest ranking juice then. Can't wait to try it next...)

Absolute Pin - In chess, a pin is a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defending piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece. An absolute pin is one where the piece shielded by the pinned piece is the king.

Gambit - A gambit (from ancient Italiangambetto, meaning tripping) is a chess opening in which a player, most often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position.

Bowden's Mate - Boden's Mate is a checkmating pattern in chess characterized by bishops on two criss-crossing diagonals (for example, bishops on a6 and f4 delivering mate to a king on c8), with possible flight squares for the king being occupied by friendly pieces. Most often the checkmated king has castled queenside, and is mated on c8 or c1. (my comment - seems like they changed the spelling slightly and used the "w". The origin of this move is actually Boden's Mate, without the "w")

Queenside - The side of the chessboard that is nearest to the queen's opening position. (my comment - interesting they chose this to name their "blood orange" flavour

I really have to give it to these guys for thinking about this and mapping it nicely to the chess analogy. Really smart and classy...

 

[RevnLucky7]

You learn something new everyday. Thanks mate. Interesting read.

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[JB1987]

Spot on review mate. As I read this I kept thinking that this was exactly what I was experiencing.

Like I said, Bowdens Mate is my second fav next to Gambit. For those new to this juice Five Pawns manufacturers their throat hit. You can't judge it by the nic strength. Even their 6mg vaped like a 12mg for me and even though I vape 6mg juices theirs comes off as a harder hit at that strength.

I will add that this juice shines at higher wattages. At 15 watts it opens up your senses. Get it nice and warm. Same with Gambit. Great for that morning kick in the ass.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

You're definitely right about the higher wattage, just tried it on 13 watts and it really blows you away!

Just to add, I tried Gambit on cotton and silica and to me the flavour is better with the silica.


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[Gizmo]

I also noticed that this cotton is not good for complicated flavours.

 

[Silver]

Thanks for all the insights....

 

[JB1987]

I've only tried cotton with Gambit, but I'll try it with a simpler single flavour juice like menthol or caramel as well and then decide whether I'm a cotton guy or not. Not going to knock this cotton thing just yet.


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[RevnLucky7]

Anything to me about Cotton is like anything that comes out of Zuma's mouth.

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[Tom]

Anything to me about Cotton is like anything that comes out of Zuma's mouth.

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i only started with the cotton...cant wait to start something silica, although i will be dripping on cotton for at least another 4 weeks. just haven't got the peace atm to start more things. However, i am enjoying dripping anyway...its like with the analogue pipes, always fiddling with it (not that i ever smoked pipe, my dad used to, tho)

 

[Silver]

Time for my second Five Pawns review. This time it's Grandmaster.

Once again, it's 50/50 PG/VG and 12mg nicotine strength. Also mixed on 1 Nov 2013. Here goes...

Five Pawns GRANDMASTER (12mg)

Once again, I like it - a lot.

It tastes like a premium nutty mix. Once again it's a layered sensation. The dominant flavour for me is a nutty one. On the exhale I get a nutty blend and a bit of feint banana. The overall taste is hard to describe but nutty is the dominant feature and I found it to be tasty. It's stronger, bolder and drier than Bowden's Mate. From the first drag, I could feel this was a "stronger" juice. Bowden's Mate was smooth and silky and the mint was cool. This one is bold and warm. The flavours are still subtle but the vape is more intense (on the same equipment). Once again, the aftertaste is superb. Nutty with a touch of banana. Very pleasant. The taste stays for quite a while. On the continuum of being very heavy to being light and refreshing, this juice is about in the middle.

What makes me like this juice is that it gives me a better throat hit than Bowden's Mate. Two or three drags in a row gives a decent punch. I found myself coughing on occasion, which I like. It also gave me a slight peppery burny sensation in my mouth afterwards that lingered for a while. I found this very pleasant.

This juice occasionally gave me hints of earthy and grassy flavours. It wasn't unpleasant but I'd say this was the only minor negative for me.

The enjoyment factor changed depending on what I had eaten before. For example, after eating a small bowl of green grapes, the vape was not as nice. With coffee in the morning it was fabulous. After Weetbix and a banana for breakfast it was also great. That said, I'd say this is a good all-round juice with a good flavour and I could easily vape it all day or at least most of the day.

Once again, this juice appears premium to me. It vapes well and is quite consistent. The flavours are subtle and layered making for an interesting and exciting vape. The flavours taste natural and work well together.

Vapour production was similar to Bowden's Mate - above average and very dense.

Overall, this is once again another very high quality juice with a layered nutty flavour and a decent throat hit. I have thoroughly enjoyed vaping it. I would re-order.

Stacking it up against Bowden's Mate is a tough call. I slightly prefer the minty chocolate flavour of Bowden's Mate for its silky smooth subtlety and because it's quite unique. However I prefer the intensity and throat hit of Grandmaster. If I haven't vaped for a while and need a vape badly I would go for GrandMaster. Both are really good. My conclusion after these two is that I like them equally.

Equipment used: Protank2 Mini, Standard 2.2 ohm coil (measuring 2.25 ohms on the Sigelei ohm meter), Vision Spinner battery set to 4.1 volts (implying about 7.5 Watts).

PS: as with Bowden's Mate, the packaging is superb. I really love the "premium" cardboard tubes since if any drops spill and the bottle gets a bit sticky, the tube keeps things clean and handy. It also cuts out the light, so you don't need to store it in a dark cupboard. You can display the tube prominently on the mantlepiece, if your better half will allow it



I took a picture of the GrandMaster juice, this time to show the PG/VG labelling that I alluded to before. Would be nice if all juice vendors did this on their bottles.

EDIT - please note that Five Pawns' juice bottles do not have "child-proof" caps. You just unscrew the dripper cap and it opens. Bear this in mind if you prefer your juices to have "child-proof" caps.

 

[Sharrivz]

another spot on and awesome review Silver so far so good - you reviewed my two favorites first hehe and I couldn't agree more on both - glad you also experience the throat punch with Grandmaster thought there was something wrong with me that it made me cough still its my ADV at the moment

 

[Andre]

Outstanding review, as always. Thank you so much for the trouble, Silver.

 

[Silver]

Many thanks @Stroodlepuff and @Matthee. Its a pleasure. So far, it's been an exciting flavour journey. Long may it continue...

 

[Silver]

Time for my third Five Pawns review - Gambit.

As with the previous two juices, it's 50/50 PG/VG and 12mg nicotine strength. This one was mixed on 1 Dec 2013. Here goes...

Five Pawns GAMBIT (12mg)

I like it, but not nearly as much as the previous two (Bowden's Mate and Grandmaster)

Definitely a dominant sweet ripe apple pie flavour just as the description says. It's not a sour apple but a sweet, rich and decadent one. Then I get very pleasant caramel and vanilla coming through. I actually prefer the "secondary" flavours of caramel and vanilla to the initial ripe apple but that's just my personal taste. I also get some savoury pie crust flavour, also exactly as the description says, but it's subtle. The aftertaste is great again, just the right amount of caramel and vanilla lingering on. A great aftertaste is something I have found in all three of the Five Pawns juices I've tried so far.

About the ripe apple pie flavour. Initially, I found it a bit too overbearing. It's not a bad taste and some will no doubt love it, but it was a little unpleasant for me. After vaping it for a while I got used to it. It's just at the beginning of the vaping session that it tends to overpower - for me at least. I suppose my taste buds get used to it after a while. For me, ripe apple is not one of my favourite flavours. I don't mind it, but I don't love it. So that's probably why I am sensitive to its dominance. I do appreciate how they've created the flavour though. It is a high quality one.

This juice is very sweet. Quite a bit sweeter than the first two I've tried. Although I've vaped it almost exclusively for nearly 2 days, I am doing it more for the review than because I really can't wait to vape it or want more of it.

Nevertheless, it is indeed a premium juice. There's no doubt about that. It vapes well and is consistent. The flavours are layered and taste natural. Natural tasting juices are very important to me. My only criticism here is that the ripe apple may be a bit too dominant. In Bowden's Mate and Grandmaster I found the flavours more balanced.

I suspect that those that like sweet juices will love this one. In some ways it reminds me of Vapour Mountain's VM4. So if you like that (I didn't unfortunately - found it too sweet) you should try this one.

I found the throat hit to be quite good on this juice, almost on a par with Grandmaster. Vapour production was similar to the other two juices - above average with dense vapour.

Overall, I like it but found the sweet ripe apple flavour a bit too dominant at times. I would vape it on occasion but I won't be re-ordering.

Equipment used: Protank2 Mini, Standard 2.2 ohm coil (measuring 2.25 ohms on the Sigelei ohm meter), iTaste VV battery set to 7.5 Watts (implying about 4.1 Volts).

EDIT - please note that Five Pawns' juice bottles do not have "child-proof" caps. You just unscrew the dripper cap and it opens. Bear this in mind if you prefer your juices to have "child-proof" caps.

 

[Tom]

I suspect that those that like sweet juices will love this one. In some ways it reminds me of Vapour Mountain's VM4. So if you like that (I didn't unfortunately - found it too sweet) you should try this one.

that's would be my choice then! Gr8 indepth review again