What must a YouTube Mod reviewer tell/not tell you ?

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

IMO we have reached a point where the basics of all mods remain the same. I intend giving my thoughts about what I want to hear about a new mod (in no particular order).

What I Want to Hear :

• Ten to 15 mins. A little longer if there is real innovation to reveal.
• Name the board (DNA Hihi, Omni Gene etc) and give a brief run through the menu. If significant changes have been made an opinion on these would be appreciated.
• Colours available, materials used, including brief comments on fit and finish.
• A brief size and mass comparison with a very well known mod or two.
• A brief look at battery door and battery types which fit.
• on a squonker a quick look at the bottle or PTF or topfill.
• An indication as to screen brightness and readability.
• One sentence on whether it handles temp control well or not.
• Size of largest atty it will take without overhang.
• Something that I can't see in the video eg rattle or bad button push.

I have almost certainly left out a couple of items but you should get the general idea.

What I Don't Want to Hear

• A five-minute speech about what it looks like. I can see what it looks like. I am watching the video. Great if they tell you that the mod is a true red and not pink as it appears on video.
• Telling me that this mod is really ugly or beautiful. I know that Charlize Theron is beautiful and I have never met her.
• I don't need to see the reviewer try four attys on the mod to prove that a 25 mm will overhang. If I can't trust him/her on this simple matter then I doubt that he/she will survive as a reviewer.
• Don't tell me what I already know. Some reviewers spend ages pointing out the fire button, menu button, up and down buttons, USB port, 510 etc. No car reviewer will tell you that car X has four wheels, a steering wheel, and windows, and then show you them to prove it to you.
• If it's a single battery mod don't tell me that the battery won't last a full day at 50w.
• Don't spend ages telling me that the mod is a fingerprint magnet, and then demonstrate this several times by poking at it with a sweaty finger, and then giving it a quick polish with a cloth.
• Don't spend ages telling me that the mod was designed by a friend but that you will still give an honest opinion.
• Don't tell me that the 510 is spring mounted. It will only be interesting to hear if it isn't.
• For the love of all that is holy don't tell me that you wish that they had sent you the black one, or silver one or red one. I couldn't give a tinkers you vape hardware privileged sod.
• Don't tell me that you don't like the position of the fire button, assuming that it is in a "normal" position. If it is under a flap beneath the mod then, by all means, discuss it.

In the days when mods were new and exciting, we all appreciated in-depth reviews as we were learning along with the reviewer. Innovations were being made frequently and the mere idea that Wismec had released a triple battery mod was truly amazing. Nowadays it's just another mod. If there is true innovation, by all means, go mad I want to hear about it. If its just another mod, give me the basics, and let me have a good look at it.

Don't get me started on RDA, RTA, RDTA reviews. As for juice reviews, I stopped watching the moment I started DIY over four years ago. DIY reviews are problematic but useful. But that a completely different matter.

 

[StompieZA]

One thing i cannot take and this is not just for vape review videos, but all reviews or even DIY etc is the guy talking a whole bunch of doodle before actually doing what the video is about.

I know this guy that does car DIY videos and cleaning and posts videos but jirrr talks to much!

Get to the point fast and simple

 

[Elmien]

I see where you are coming from, after watching thousands of reviews these kinds of things can get old. I want to disagree with you however with a line from your statement: "we all appreciated in-depth reviews as we were learning along with the reviewer". I have only been vaping for a few months. I started with a Twisp, as a lot of other South Africans do. Then I realised there was a whole different vaping world. I knew nothing about mods, atties, wicks, wires, etc. I jumped onto Youtube and one of the first videos I watched was a review by Jai Haze. Getting that full "show and tell" really helped me to understand what to look for and how to use these "fancy" mods. I think we should bear these things that we feel are unnecessary for the sake of the people who are just starting to look into this wonderful alternative.

 

[G+3]

The best are the guys who review the box, and packaging and even the little packet of silicone drying balls stuff

 

[Jean claude Vaaldamme]

Agree, to many drama and things nobody care about. But must say with all the drama I still like Jai Haze. He say it as it is and give his hoinest opinion, although that opinion sometimes comes from an idiot. Like his complaining about rattling battery doors. A door that swivel and move in and out to lock will allways rattle and wiggle when not closed, thats the design and its not to say it will give problems later on.
But but, there is new vapers everyday, and its them that are watching all these reviews, so there should be a lot of info, even the things we not interrested in

 

[G+3]

Agree, to many drama and things nobody care about. But must say with all the drama I still like Jai Haze. He say it as it is and give his hoinest opinion, although that opinion sometimes comes from an idiot. Like his complaining about rattling battery doors. A door that swivel and move in and out to lock will allways rattle and wiggle when not closed, thats the design and its not to say it will give problems later on.
But but, there is new vapers everyday, and its them that are watching all these reviews, so there should be a lot of info, even the things we not interrested in

Agreed on the new vapour comment, I used you tube a lot in the beginning now I watch the vids for the entertainment value. Some of the guys are quite witty I must say

 

[Carnival]

I’ve learned to only look at reviews regarding how the RTA/RDA I’m already interested in works (wicking/coiling tips) and I ignore personal opinions on the device. It’s such a personal journey, and so many reviewers are just out to satisfy the company that supplied them the product/ sponsored them.

 

[ace_d_house_cat]

What I want to hear:

If the reviewer is getting paid (or not) for the review within the first few minutes. So I don't waste twenty (or so) minutes of my time.

 

[Rob Fisher]

@Puff the Magic Dragon I absolutely loved your post! It makes me want to do a review or two again! Chicken Dinner post!

 

[RainstormZA]

Too much talk. Do more action. As a deaf vaper, too much talking bores the death out of me.

Just show me already

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

I see where you are coming from, after watching thousands of reviews these kinds of things can get old. I want to disagree with you however with a line from your statement: "we all appreciated in-depth reviews as we were learning along with the reviewer". I have only been vaping for a few months. I started with a Twisp, as a lot of other South Africans do. Then I realised there was a whole different vaping world. I knew nothing about mods, atties, wicks, wires, etc. I jumped onto Youtube and one of the first videos I watched was a review by Jai Haze. Getting that full "show and tell" really helped me to understand what to look for and how to use these "fancy" mods. I think we should bear these things that we feel are unnecessary for the sake of the people who are just starting to look into this wonderful alternative.

@Elmien . When writing this thread I thought about new vapers who may be researching vaping by looking at mod reviews. In my opinion, they should rather start by looking at the types of mod available (squonk, mech, regulated, tube, box etc.). They can then identify which style they think will cater to their needs best. There is very little to be learned about how to vape when watching mod reviews.

Type in questions on YouTube such as "what is a squonk/regulated/mech/tube mod ? There is tons of info available. Just make sure that the videos you watch aren't older than two years. You can play around with the wording to get more useful videos. Also, take a look at some of battery Mooch's videos on battery safety. I'm sure that many of us would agree that Mr Haze is probably not the best source of information on the technical side of vaping, although he appears to be an expert on certain body parts (human parts not mod parts). He can be good for a laugh sometimes. I watch him when I have forgotten to take my blood pressure pill.

Alternatively, perhaps the best approach is to do some research and then ask the folk on the forum. Most are willing to help. If your questions aren't fully answered ask again.

 

[Elmien]

@Elmien . When writing this thread I thought about new vapers who may be researching vaping by looking at mod reviews. In my opinion, they should rather start by looking at the types of mod available (squonk, mech, regulated, tube, box etc.). They can then identify which style they think will cater to their needs best. There is very little to be learned about how to vape when watching mod reviews.

Type in questions on YouTube such as "what is a squonk/regulated/mech/tube mod ? There is tons of info available. Just make sure that the videos you watch aren't older than two years. You can play around with the wording to get more useful videos. Also, take a look at some of battery Mooch's videos on battery safety. I'm sure that many of us would agree that Mr Haze is probably not the best source of information on the technical side of vaping, although he appears to be an expert on certain body parts (human parts not mod parts). He can be good for a laugh sometimes. I watch him when I have forgotten to take my blood pressure pill.

Alternatively, perhaps the best approach is to do some research and then ask the folk on the forum. Most are willing to help. If your questions aren't fully answered ask again.

Thanks, @Puff the Magic Dragon. I must say my search terms are not always the best. I should also add that I have learned a lot since my first dive into the world of vaping. This forum has been a great help and I have found more educational videos as well. Still watching Jai for entertainment at times.

 

[Jean claude Vaaldamme]

@Elmien . When writing this thread I thought about new vapers who may be researching vaping by looking at mod reviews. In my opinion, they should rather start by looking at the types of mod available (squonk, mech, regulated, tube, box etc.). They can then identify which style they think will cater to their needs best. There is very little to be learned about how to vape when watching mod reviews.

Type in questions on YouTube such as "what is a squonk/regulated/mech/tube mod ? There is tons of info available. Just make sure that the videos you watch aren't older than two years. You can play around with the wording to get more useful videos. Also, take a look at some of battery Mooch's videos on battery safety. I'm sure that many of us would agree that Mr Haze is probably not the best source of information on the technical side of vaping, although he appears to be an expert on certain body parts (human parts not mod parts). He can be good for a laugh sometimes. I watch him when I have forgotten to take my blood pressure pill.

Alternatively, perhaps the best approach is to do some research and then ask the folk on the forum. Most are willing to help. If your questions aren't fully answered ask again.

Yes thsi is one of th funniest reviews I ever watched

 

[Silver]

@Puff the Magic Dragon, great thread and first post sir!

I think its very challenging to hit the perfect spot with a video review. Trying to get all the right info across and yet make it concise and punchy is difficult - and I think requires quite a lot of preparation.

I too get bored with videos that are too long. I have watched several videos on mods, atties and even juice which lasted 20-30 mins and the real essence could have been summarised in a few lines of text.

For me I agree with most of your points - tell me what is different about the mod - what stands out - and what makes it great. And then tell me what are the shortcomings. Short and simple.

I often find though that a well written review is far quicker to digest than many videos. There is of course the advantage in videos that you can show the actual device and move it around. But I suppose you can also do that well with pictures.

Maybe a great thing for Youtube reviewers would be to consider doing their review and also posting a few lines of text highlighting the major pros and drawbacks.

 

[Neal]

Don't do youtube vids anymore. Only peoples opinions I trust are @Rob Fisher and @KZOR. Majority of the youtube reviewers are a bunch of self important tossers.

 

[Silver]

Oh, one other thing

Forgot to emphasise this

I agree 100% with @ace_d_house_cat
If a reviewer has been paid for a review, this MUST be disclosed upfront. So the viewer can make up his/her own mind to watch or continue. Sometimes you could be paid and still produce a fairly unbiased and useful review - but let the reader/viewer decide.

Secondly, if you not paid but you received the device or juice FREE for review purposes, then I strongly believe this should be disclosed upfront. Same principle as above - if you received it free, you may feel obliged to say good things. (otherwise you may not receive future free review items)

 

[Rob Fisher]

Don't do youtube vids anymore. Only peoples opinions I trust are @Rob Fisher and @KZOR. Majority of the youtube reviewers are a bunch of self important tossers.

@Neal I haven't done a video for ages... there are a few things I should do a video for especially seeing I get asked for advice on Dvarw's, Dani's, Solar Storm's and other high-end gear almost every day... it would save me typing responses. I always felt my reviews were too short and superficial because I just can't talk kak about the packing and all the other stuff @Puff the Magic Dragon was talking about... but maybe short and sweet and truthful is what people want!

 

[Adephi]

When I'm in the market for a new attie or mod I first look at Rip Trippers. I know he gets irritating sometimes but I don't see him as a reviewer, I see him as a sales person. He will try to sell anything he has in front of him. And his videos are 10 minutes of which most you figure out after 3 minutes if you like the object in the video or not. Most other reviewers havent even finished their greeting by that time.

After that I will go to other reviewers and get the general pro's and cons. I generally skip Jai Haze because many times I would have my heart set on something and he will go ahead and destroy it. Mike Vapes is recently also going in that direction.

 

[Mollie]

I bought my drop dead and my Zeus based on the reviews of Jai Haze, Mike Vapes, RIP and got my wicking right on the Zeus with vaping with Vic

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Tapatalk

 

[Adephi]

Yes thsi is one of th funniest reviews I ever watched

Sometimes I wonder if he is actually sober when making a video.

 

[Elmien]

I think most of the time they ramble on to get to a specific video length for monetization on Youtube. I think it has to be at least 10 minutes or somewhere there for the video to be monetized. Then again if the video is long enough to get ads placed in them the viewer has to watch about 50% of the ad for the video uploader to get paid from it. Most people skip the ads so I don't know how useful that really is.

 

[Dela Rey Steyn]

I watch 2 reviewers on youtube:

Sherlock Hohms: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnB0lBNO4rUA3izXMD2sKuA

And the Vaping Bogan.

Sherlock because he is a genuine nice guy, and Bogan because I find him entertaining.

I dont base my purchases on reviewers anymore, i'll rather talk to people in SA that i trust and get their opinion.
We have very knowledgeable vapers in SA.

Jai Haze irritates the living @#$%%^&!%^ out of me, if i have my youtube on shuffle and his voice comes on, I feel like punching a hole through my screen, I absolutely loathe the guy. A Complete drama queen that sells himself more than what he actually reviews vaping to be beneficial to the industry.

my 2c

 

[Jean claude Vaaldamme]

Well life is sometimes simple, supply and demand. The reason these guys have 250k subscribers is, what they do works.
Go bore yourself with these reviewers that has 1-2k subscribers and you will quickly see why they have so little subscribers. They either boring, no personality, give little to no info, just talk bs, or they review stuff that has long past the hype and the hypers sold theirs allready

 

[RainstormZA]

Yes thsi is one of th funniest reviews I ever watched

Lol I had a good laugh. Exactly what he said and more. I have one myself.