Category: Success Stories

Usually these are reserved for the Success Stories/Validations page here on TasteYourJuice, but this was such a lovely letter that I thought I’d share it here as well.

Folks, this is why I do what I do. All of the work, all of the effort, the endless correspondence, the drama… it’s for one goal… to lead people away from the traditional tobacco cigarettes and to the tobacco harm reduction that is vaping.

Don, as always, give yourself all the credit. I can’t reach through the screen and knock the cigarettes out of your hands, you have to be strong enough and willing to make that happen and you did. Perhaps I just helped a little.

Phil:

Good evening. I’m a long-time watcher/fan of your videos and I just felt the urge to write you a letter after viewing your last video (Kanger Dripbox). This is going to be a big one, so I apologize in advance for the size. Grab a cup of coffee, a good vape, and get cozy.

First off, allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Don and this July 5th will make two-full years that I’ve been off “the stinky’s”. I’m a very proud vaper and I work hard to convert everyone around me into vaping. I allow them to try my different hardware configurations, as well as different juices that I purchase.

When I first started this journey, I felt completely lost. I bought a Blu
Rechargeable Kit at a gas station and soon found that it just couldn’t satisfy my urges. At the time, I was smoking Marlboro Red’s at a rate of two packs a day. I would vape a Blu, but then immediately light a cigarette when the urge would get too overwhelming. I thought to myself, “There has to be more to vaping than this crap!”

This peaked my curiosity and guided me towards YouTube for Blu reviews. I landed on IndoorSmokers’ channel and started watching his cigalike reviews. It wasn’t until a few days later, I watched one of his reviews for the Halo Triton kit. I thought to myself, “Well now that’s bigger than a Blu, so maybe more power will help me?” I ordered the Triton kit, as well as spare coils, tanks, batteries, etc. I also purchased Halo’s sample packs of juice. When everything came in the mail, I was blown away by the flavor and vapor production (compared to a Blu). I was vaping 24mg juice and soon learned what too much nicotine intake can do to you. Sick, sick, sick. Felt like I smoked ten packs of Red’s in a single sitting! Yuck. It took some trial and error, but I finally found my sweet spot to be the same as yours – 12mg.

The Halo experience was a nice step-up from the Blu Rechargeable Pack, yet it still couldn’t take me off the Red’s completely. I noticed that I was dramatically cutting down smoking, so back to YouTube I went. I was watching a recoiling video on Rip Trippers channel (totally amazed by the method) when he mentioned YOU. It was something to do with a full review on the product and he wasn’t going into detail about it, but you had the same product on your channel and broke it down completely.

Your name wasn’t exactly a new one to me, for many reviewers had mentioned you in their channels. Most of them talked about your long videos and how you go in depth on products. After Rip Trippers mentioned you, I thought I’d come visit your channel and see what you were all about. From that point on, YOU Phil Busardo, had changed my life and successfully converted me to a full-time vaper.

I was both amazed and hooked on your videos. Your in-depth reviews, charts, graphs, and personal opinions have blown my mind. After watching several of your videos, I purchased my first ProVari and Kayfun Light Plus. Your reviews were so good and close to what I was seeking that you guided me to my way of vaping still to this day. I’m a 12mg MTL vaper and every product I have purchased that you gave a “thumbs up” on I have been completely satisfied with.

I now have quite the extensive collection, ranging from ProVari P3’s, Kayfun 4’s, Kayfun V3 Mini’s, Taifun GTII’s, DNA devices, RTA’s, RDA’s, etc. I love vaping and enjoy the wide range of coil builds I can do and juice flavors I can try. YOU introduced me to this and guided me down this road. You, Phil Busardo, have changed my life and I can’t thank you enough.

Now here comes the reason for this letter. Kayfun 5 is released and there I was to watch your review on it. When you mentioned the airflow issue, that took me aback. Like you, I prefer a tighter draw to give me a more defined throat hit. I really valued your information on that issue, as well as the “inexpensive resolution” they plan to release for it. That was really good to know before running out and buying that thing, right?

I was bored for a bit today and thought I’d watch the video you just uploaded on the Kanger Dripbox. The first ten minutes into that video, I was disgusted and totally angry at the vapers who said the things they did to you. I mean, really. They have a lot of nerve, considering there are people like myself who really rely on that information when making a purchase. Does that make ME a grumpy old guy that won’t “evolve” into their way of vaping? I sure hope not, for I’m only 36 years old!

I didn’t write this letter as a rant, though I have plenty I could rant about with some of these vapers. As you said (with respect, I might add): We are all vapers and as long as we’re not smoking – that’s what truly matters. I’m writing this letter to take any discouragement away from you that you may have. Times can get tough and you may hear things like you have from people, but don’t let stupid childish drama steer
you from your path. There is still always that one person like me out there that appreciates what you do and what your goal at hand is. It takes a lot of time to do what you do, in the detail that you do it. I know I appreciate it and I’m sure others feel the same as I do.

Thank you for all that you do, the barriers you overcome, the sacrifices you make, and the genuine love that you have for vaping. As I mentioned before, you changed my life forever and I will always be in debt to you for that. Your diligence does NOT go unnoticed and we all thank you for it.

With Compassion and Gratitude,
Don Arrendale

Thank you Don… a very sincere and appreciative THANK YOU!
Even Don’s response to my request to publish his letter was touching…

As for the permission to publish my letter? Of course you have my permission and you can use my name as well. Once again, I’m flattered that you would like to share it for others to see/hear. I guarantee you one thing, though: Someone else out there will agree with everything I said. I know it. I can’t be the only one who has been touched by you and the guidance you’ve given. If it wasn’t for you, so many of us would be lost and without direction. You are a true blessing to the vaping community, and we are so thankful that you are here for us.

Thank you so much!
-Don Arrendale

Started vaping in January.because of your videos,I finally got up the
confidence to build my first coil.validation! Thank you for what you do.really wish
I could meet you-and your cat!so fluffy!

Dear Mr. Busardo,

Thank you for your comprehensive, informative, entertaining and honest reviews. I
would also like to thank you for helping me quit cigarettes; you played an enormous
part in it. I am a 32 year old male who lives in Gold Coast, Australia, and in my
opinion vaping was, and still is, somewhat of an alien concept here. After 14 years
with my love and hate relationship with cigarettes, I finally decided I had enough
of this debilitating addition, not only for my own sake but also for my family’s
sake. As I could not receive any first-hand help with electronic cigarettes, I
resorted to the internet. My research took me several months and within that time I
discovered your Youtube channel. I found your videos to be educational and
enjoyable, but more importantly I thought you were honest. I found myself trusting
in your wisdom and took your advice by purchasing a Kanger Subox Mini Starter Kit.
In December 2015, just a few days before Christmas, I assembled my kit and had my
first vape. It was also the day I quit cigarettes. Thank you Phil from the bottom of
my heart. Please keep up the good work. You are a true asset to the community and it
is channels like yours where many look for guidance.

Kind regards,
Kunal

A good one for the Success Stories page, an even better one for the front page.

Thanks so much for this Dave and YOU TOO HUNTER! It really means a lot to me.
Just make sure Hunter is fully aware that the safest way to vape is not to vape at all… but don’t smoke either!!

Oh, and be careful here as well… The FDA may deem Hunter a tobacco product.  😉

This is why I quit my son Hunter was born July 13 2015. we were having trouble
getting pregnant (the lil swimmers didn’t move much) I quit smoking July 29th 2014
and about 7 months later found out we were pregnant I really think it was the
smoking that caused it. And you sir helped me threw quitting with your reviews and
fun videos. And now me and my son watch your reviews together. Thank you sir keep
up the amazing job your doing.

Hi Phil, it was February 2015 when I emailed you to thank you for getting me off the smokes. Gone from aspire k1 to Kayfun mini v3, 5, and the evl reaper! After your video a few months ago aimed at smokers, I managed to get my dad off the cigarettes after 55 years smoking. He’s 71 and now using the innokin t22 system.

Over the last year or so, I’ve watched many reviewers but none compare to you, truly no ego to feed unlike so many now. Your work continues to be the gold standard.

I left a comment yesterday after the molecule labs tour and I want to reaffirm that, I hope you have every success possible with your juice line and work with molecule labs. If your ever in Scotland, let me know so I can buy you dinner and a beer! Again, thank you for what you do for us, there will now be many thousands who you’ve helped improve the lives of. Look forward to much more content in the future.

Cheers Brian

Dear Phil. I have to mention this story to you that happened to me today.

So me and my wife went to a new doctor today for physicals and blood work. (I’m 42 and wife is 39 in great health). So the doctor ask “do you smoke?” So I tell him I smoked for 26 year and quit 26 months ago. The doctor stops writing and says “well do you know what’s in that fluid and have you seen the study that shows high levels of Formaldehyde?” (At this point my wife see’s me ready to answer and cringes)

I happen to say “you mean the study showing 3.3 volts they found no formaldehyde, while at 5.0 volts they found formaldehyde levels up to 15 times higher than in tobacco cigarette smoke. So basically if you were to Vape the Ohm level at 5 volts it would be completely a burnt hit, dry and way out of the normal operating range of what you would call a good Vape. It’s unusable and inaccurate at best”

So my wife is giving me the look of “Shut the fuck up & quit it” behind the doctors back. So I then mention that my eliquid is from the same place (NamberJuice doughnut pounder) for over 2 years and that all of the devices I use or have purchased have instructions… but Phil Busardo videos have taught me of what the actual device does and or doesn’t do. I have learned more from Phil and his YouTube videos on exactly what I am doing. I watch about 2 hours a day on devices and read the latest regulations and opinions on every Vape device… So YES! I do know what I’m taking about.”

So the doctors said “well what voltage does that device do?” I show him my DNA200 and Fire it showing the voltage and ohms to illustrate the 5 volt (above study he referenced) and his response was “Well…. Maybe I haven’t seen the update with that study and should look into it. Yeah it does seem that you have plenty of knowledge on the subject”.

He did say that he needs to know more about it and should “get up to date with those studies”. It was a great day for me and finally I feel that I made a difference. Primarily from watching your in depth reviews of all devices. Not only have I learned about devices but actually learned about ohms/voltage and batteries.

Thank you Phil… Thank you for all you do for us and others. I hopefully will some day be able to shake your hand and tell you personally how well you have help improve my life with the nerdy knowledge some of us crave with devices. You’ll never know how many people you have taught a thing or two about products that have changed our lives. Now let’s just hope the FDA gets their head out of there ass and out of bed with big tobacco or big pharma.

Sincerely
Adam

About eight years ago I when in the hospital emergency room with chest pain. After three days the doctors told me I heart swelled up because of the bad state my lungs were in. Time to quit smoking they said. Much easier said than done. As a teen in the 60s, smoking was something a lot of us did and there was not much concern about health. Over the years I tried Pipe smoking and amassed a large collection of fine pipes. Cigars and smokeless tobacco were also on my user list. Now I had no choice but to quit. I never lit another cig after leaving the hospital the doctors told me that I had to stop. I tried to use a few pipes and cigars without inhaling just to get by but that was too hard on my lungs and heart. just the second hand smoke, I could not be around. Patches and gum helped, but did not work too good for me. so I started to use smokeless tobacco more. That soon came to an end for me after my kidneys began to hurt most of the day. I had been swallowing a lot of the tobacco juice and it was not good and I knew I had to stop.
when I found out about vaping there was not much on the market. I use the cig type ones with carts they worked some, but the real help came when I got my first joystick and the early drip type devices. Now I have many mods and Attys. Vaping gear took the place of collecting pipes and cigar humidors etc. And I enjoy it very much as millions of others.
But the most important thing I would like to say to whoever invented vaping and Vapors like yourself Phil who have done so much to help us is: “Thank you for saving my life” or at the least, adding a few years more to enjoy my children and grand children. Last set of lung x rays and scans of my heart and arteries a few months ago gave me a clean bill of health. My lungs are clear now a bit of old scarring and arteries have no built up. I hope the FDA hears us and will not sentence me and others to death by tobacco.. Walk in my shoes for 65 plus years and you will understand the difference between tobacco products and Vaping.

Carl

Hi Phil,
I know you are getting a ton of messages now, but hang in there. You are doing more
for public health than our own (cash influenced) government. As a 3 year vaper, I
should get a chest x-ray and send it to the FDA. After smoking for 23 years and
switching I’ve never felt better. On another note, there was NO mention of
electronic devices meant to be used with leaf tobacco or the green stuff. I spent
the better part of my weekend reading the deeming regs and found nothing. They are
not on our side. More sick smokers means more tobacco money. More hospital revenue.
More big pharma profit. Until Phillip Morris or GSK come out with their version of
the life saving vape device we will floundering in some pretty dark times. Thanks
again for being there for all of us. Love you man! (not gay)

Love you back man! (not gay either 🙂 )

Phil,
I just wanted to shoot you an email, and let you know how much your advice is appreciated. As you well know that we have been in contact over the past months in regards to product and opinions. I was new to vaping as of Aug,1 2015 and being your heavy smoker ( 2 -3 packs a day). Yeah your probably thinking holy shit. I started out with an Iclear 16 with an ego style battery. I was not sure how it should taste or how to even fill the tank since the retailer never showed me no “education” was given. I flooded the thing first time I filled it and had to go to the store and ask what the hell is wrong with it (Vape Dumb). So after a few months of being in this “Vaping World” I thought their so much product I am noticing everywhere how can I get advice on vaping, because I have no one that vapes around my inner circle to help me plus I am not doing the trial by error money pit. Then I thought well I’ll web search it and their I ran into a video of you yes you the “Legend, Educator, Mouthpiece, Proposer,Counsel” of the “VapeWorld”. I have taken your advice and because of you I am still smoke free to this day. I am very pleased with the device I use vapor and taste is amazing for me. I probably will never buy another device ever unless the one I have craps out,but I hope not. Now my goal is to start lowering my Nicotine level I started at 12mg now at 9mg. All this takes time I know 20 years of power puffing the sticks I can be patient. I think you have guided me in the right direction and I can only be grateful I ran into your video and have been in contact with such a great caring person. I appreciate all you do and do for others a true saint in my eyes.
Thank you again
Nick

Hi, first let me thank you for all the time and effort you put into your videos to help us vapers make better choices with our purchases. I have been watching your videos for over 4 years now starting with when you posted the boge vs smok carto video. It was that video that convinced me there was a better way of vaping then what I was doing before then. It couldn’t have come at a better time. I was at the point of giving up vaping due to the hassle which led me to search the internet for better alternatives. One of the big thanks I felt the need to send your way is for the fact you are one of the last if the not the last reviewer who still has a vape style similar to mine. Unfortunately the only other go to guy who has also been doing videos for what seems like forever has lost interest and has completely given up on being thorough in the slightest. For your continued effort I am extremely grateful.

The thanks that actually led to me sending this email has to do with the Hurricane. Since my first kayfun which was an incredibly expensive kayfun 3 ES I have been a kayfun vaper. Up until everything turned to lung hit style vaping I purchased far to many tanks and drippers just because they are new only to go right back to a kayfun. Knowing your style of vaping and seeing you show the same enthusiasm for the Hurricane as you did for the tiafun which I still enjoy I finally decided to spend the money and purchase the Hurricane and couldn’t be happier. Up until now the only real enjoyable vapes I have with temp control has been with nickel in a kayfun 3.1 or Ti in a 3.1 or dripper with a wismec rx 200 since Ti doesn’t seem to function well with my DNA 200 devices. That is until the Hurricane. It has been flawless and has given me a new appreciation for Ti and temp control. It is really nice to finally be able to carry a small dna with me and not the giant RX 200 if I am using Ti. I am a mouth to lunger who likes things simple and this tank is as good as it gets in both regards and is no slouch in flavor either. Anyways this is a long embarrassing ramble at this point and just want to say thank you for everything.