Physical threats – racist attacks and being reported to the UK Government are sadly just the tip of the iceberg when you’re an honest outspoken YouTube vape reviewer it would seem.
I am of course talking about the man you guys voted as Best YouTube Channel/Reviewer for 2016 Vaping with Vic.
He beat the likes of so called ‘vape famous’ reviewers such as Mike Vapes – Grimm Green and Rip Trippers whilst his nearest UK ‘rival’ was way way down in the voting.
Real name Vic Mullin he began his channel on the exact same day he quit smoking back in March 2014.
He calls himself the ‘black sheep’ of the vaping community – and once famously pissed off the mighty SMOK – who he says hasn’t spoken to him since!
He’s gathered a huge following of loyal subscribers on all forms of social media who seem to appreciate his ‘un-biased no nonsense tell it like it is style.’
A lot of people have said in comments on my Facebook group or review that they watch other reviewers for ideas…but they watch me if they want to actually buy an item, and that’s what the channel was aiming for.
He told me in a frank – honest and at times controversial Q and A session recently.
Registered as disabled Vic receives ESA – a disability allowance from the UK Government – as [among other health issues]he suffers from periodic blackouts which affect his ability to both drive and work.
It’s hard to believe but if threats to ‘blacken his eyes’ at Vape Expo aren’t sinister enough – he’s had to suffer the stress and indignity of being ‘accused’ of receiving those benefits fraudulently and not once either as he explains:
I have been reported to the Department of Works and Pensions for falsely claiming disability allowance “because I do reviews” (all four times the reports was looked into, but the claim for disability was upheld).
Certain segments of the “Vape Community” have tried their hardest to affect me in real life.
File that under spiteful – downright nasty and ‘shit you really couldn’t make up’.
Despite all that he refuses to change is review style or bow down to who he calls the ‘big players’ in the vaping world.
And that means – thankfully because I personally love them – his famous [or infamous] ‘rants’ are here to stay!
Table of Contents
Fake Reviewers
The so called ‘vape community’ or #vapefam as it’s known on Twitter – has come under strain recently – particularly on Twitter – with claims that many new YouTube reviewers were dishonest promoters rather than reviewers and only doing it for the ‘free shit’.
Vic recently released a video in which he lambasted this new breed of ‘reviewer’ showing once again and despite the physical and financial threats he receives he was not going to be intimidated into silence.
So – and given he really does have a lot to say about the current and future state of vaping I’ve decided to print the Q&A in full.
We covered among many other things – the TPD – his current vaping set-up – his first ever ‘free shit’ [couldn’t resist that one lol] and of course a little bit more about the man himself.
Background and Bio
Age? Married? Kids?
I turned 41 in February, no kids and I’m single.
Where in Scotland are you based?
I’m a west coaster, based in North Ayrshire.
How long have you been vaping and why did you quit smoking?
I started vaping the same day the first video went up on the channel. March 28th, 2014. The anesthetist who was looking after me (I was in hospital in the beginning of march 2014 for an operation) casually mentioned that my lungs have started to deform.
It scared the crap out of me. A few weeks later I started looking into the whole electronic cigarette thing that a doctor in the hospital mentioned and at the end of March I quit smoking and started vaping.
A little about your work history
My work history is all over the place. I was at Google in one of the small satellite offices, worked for Activision (pre-Vivendi/Blizzard merge), Interplay (pre-Hasbro merge), done a small stint at Ziff Davies as well.
Done a bit of media work for BBC Scotland as well. All of the jobs was admin based. In the games industry though I worked closely with some of the print based reviewers (YouTube didn’t exist back then), and worked on or edited some of the internal news and media for the various company websites.
Essentially though it was mundane work, nothing spectacular like a game coder or designer. As for current job? I don’t have one.
I am on ESA and registered disabled. I won’t go into all my health problems, but needless to say I had to give up my driver’s license and I am not allowed to drive due to random blackouts which can happen anytime of the day or night.
YouTube Vape ‘Frauds’
I’ve watched your famous ‘free shit’ video where you ‘take on’ fake reviewers – any backlash on that?
Ohhhhhhhhh yes. I’ve been blocked by a fair number of twitter folks since that video went out. The backlash has been subdued though because a few more reviewers also chimed in with their distaste for what Twitter has been turning into over the past 6 or more months.
Several people have closed their channel’s recently either just before or just after the video went out citing real life reasons.
What has been happening behind the scenes though is socialblade metric viewing. Socialblade as a site can track the publicly viewable metrics of a YouTube channel.
where it all comes together
If a channel has been buying views, buying subscribers, the peaks can be seen, and if there is no tell-tale correlating “big view” video that went up the same days those peaks are present then the first warning flags go up.
Before my video went out it was going on in the background…after that video went out there has been more and more folks on twitter actively calling out reviewers who have obviously been padding their numbers, and as a former administrator… publicly viewable numbers from a third-party website which scrapes data from YouTube’s own servers do not lie.
Any Backlash on Your Reviews and Style?
I’m what you could call a black sheep in the UK reviewing scene. My propensity towards laying out the truth, however it lands, has burned me a few bridges in the past.
I’ve been kicked out of several Facebook groups because the admin of the group was pressured into doing so by “big supporters” of that person or group, with a threat that if I wasn’t kicked out, support for that group or people would be pulled.
Intimidation
I’ve been on the receiving end of racist remarks, intimidation, real life threats (latest one being an email saying I was going to get two black eyes at expo) and I have been reported to the Department of Works and Pensions for falsely claiming disability allowance “because I do reviews” (all four times the reports was looked into, but the claim for disability was upheld).
Certain segments of the “Vape Community” have tried their hardest to affect me in real life.
Support
However, there are people and some reviewers out there who have shown a lot of support.
The folks at the VUKN network, including the reviewers who host shows on it like London Vaper, Kelvin Guy, Devil Vaper, Soul Ohm and many, many others.
I also have to include my co-host of my live show, Gwen…she has been the one who has kept me sane, and of course, each and every single one of the people who have shown me support in the comments of the video’s I put up on YouTube.
Best and Worst
What was the very first ‘free for review’ item you received?
The very first? It was one of the old Triphammer e-liquids. My channel started by doing e-liquid reviews, and I got hooked on the triphammer line back in 2014.
Best and worst device or tank you’ve reviewed?
Worst tank has to be the SMOK RSBT II. I tore the tank to shreds in that review. SMOK have not said a word to me since then because as a company they are incapable of taking criticism.
Best device? That’s a hard one. Out of all the mods and tanks I have been using…when it comes to tanks, Digiflavor Siren (I’m generally a MTL vaper) and as for mods…got to be the SX Q-Mini I got for a birthday present.
The rugged MVP 4 from Innokin has to get a mention as well, solid mod that one.
What’s your current set-up and e-liquid?
I have generally 4 or 5 sets ups on the go at any one time. As I’m typing this out I have a Sigelei Kaos Spectrum with the Digiflavor Pharaoh RTA and some of HiggyCigs Peachtree Street in it.
For everyday use though? SX Q-Mini with a Twisted Messes 24, SMOK Guardian III with the Digiflavor Siren and the LMC Arms Race with the Wotofo Troll RTA.
Now and again I drag out my old SBody Nuke DNA 200 with the Footoon Helixer RTA.
What’s Next for Vaping?
How you see the future of vaping and the so called ‘community’
The future of vaping will be more and more devices based off of existing ones with very little change to the new device.
The turnover on some mods are quite frankly ridiculous. Classic example is the Joyetech eVic Primo. It was released in January. Mid way through march Joyetech announced the Primo II.
Sooner or later, the bottom is going to fall out of the mod market because people will eventually stop buying the latest and greatest due to their being too many latest and greatest mods being released.
The large manufacturers have to realize as well that there is a finite pool of buyers they are dealing with.
As more and more smokers switch to vaping, there are less and less smokers who will give up…eventually the market will plateau out and these companies who are making their money from releasing mods every week will have to change their business model.
The Vaping Community
As for the community, it will remain as diverse and fractured as it is now. Vaping is not, and never has been one big happy community.
If you are part of the community and step out of line, or say something different to what the “big players” are saying, you are immediately ostracized and pushed out into the wilderness.
To be honest though the wilderness suits me fine, because out here, you can look in and see just how convoluted and downright nasty the core elements of the so called “community” can really be. Reviewers who review items a day after they get it. Reviewers who we KNOW are taking money to do the reviews.
Reviewers who strong arm other reviewers into their way of thinking. Twitter reviewers who are not reviewing and are only in it for the free shit.
Instagram vapers who post cloud shots and are on record for looking down on new vapers.
Reviewers who have now become nothing more that product advertisers and first lookers…the list is endless.
Tobacco Products Directive
The Impact of TPD?
It will impact two things straight away. E-Liquids and Tanks. Already some high-street shops have stopped ordering in US juices who will not make 10ml bottle sizes.
A LOT of US E-Liquid manufacturers are going to see their UK and EU market crumble because they are not willing to repackage.
Tanks will also be hit, and already are being hit, the whole 2ml thing on tanks is already impacting the tanks that high street shops can sell.
The mod market however seems to be relatively unaffected along with drippers…but that might change in the future.
Your Message to Your Subscribers
What’s the future of your channel?
More reviews, more live shows, more Sunday rants that generally get me into trouble… basically the usual. I do not, and will not bend or change the way I do things in order to fit in with the big boys.
The minute I do that my own following will call me out. I started the channel 3 years ago on the premise of being a reviewer who was just another ordinary guy.
3 years on, you don’t see me sitting in front of a shelf with lines and lines of mods and tanks…hell, I give most of my stuff away. You don’t see me working in or around the industry like a lot of other reviewers have done.
I’m just some Scottish bloke in a bedroom, giving my honest thoughts about the item I’m looking at in the video.
A lot of people have said in comments on my Facebook group or review that they watch other reviewers for ideas…but they watch me if they want to actually buy an item, and that’s what the channel was aiming for.
Anything you’d like to say to your subscribers?
My message is a simple one. Thank you. Each and every one of you. Being a reviewer in any sort of industry means that the review you put out weighs and sways people’s decision to buy that item, or not buy that item.
Giving a review on a product has to be as unbiased as it can be, even though ALL reviewers (and I include myself as well) have got some sort of bias when it comes to personal taste.
The Vaping with Vic channel, and its reviews will continue to give as unbiased as possible, straight down the middle honest reviews as I can possibly manage.
Vaping With Vic
I’d like to thank Vic for taking the time to chat with us and most definitely for giving us all something to think about.
To hear the amount of concerted and very real physical threats – intimidation and attempts to interfere with his finances is shocking.
I mean come on people this is vaping!
Sure vaping is a matter of life and death – but bullying – violence and intimidation should play no part in it whatsoever.
Christ almighty I love the internet – but sometimes I really do despair.
I’m pleased to see that rather than kowtowing to the stupid ‘keyboard warriors’ Vic is holding firm and refusing to bend to the pressures.
And on that note if anyone deserves a ‘sub’ or a follow’ then he does – but most of all he deserves one because he really does know his stuff and tells you exactly how it is.
You voted him the best YouTube vape reviewer and congratulations – you guys and girls picked wisely 😉
