Table of Contents
Last Updated on July 6, 2016 by
Lucky Ruckus ELiquid Review
A Spinfuel eLiquid Team Review
Now using the 2016 Scoring Protocols
During our Interview with Frank Blankenship, co-owner of Lucky Ruckus Vape (son Cory Blankenship is the ‘other’ co-owner), we discussed nicotine and why anti-vaping organizations and local, state, and federal officials are attempting, and often succeeding, in getting e-liquid labeled as tobacco products.
Frank’s remarks on this subject cut through all the bull we hear every day and went straight to the heart of the matter, something I found impressive. Blankenship used the following analogy to best describe his belief; “Milk isn’t a beef product, Maple Syrup isn’t a wood product… The amount of nicotine in finished E-liquid is a very small percentage of the total volume in the bottle and the logic behind labeling our products as tobacco are rooted in greed and corruption.”
Here is a man who has a firm grasp on the reality of the current situation we vapers find ourselves in. Best of all, Frank’s ability to see the truth is matched only by his, and Cory’s, ability to create some wonderful eliquids, which we will discuss below.
The ‘Lucky Ruckus Vape’ Flavors
Southern Betty-Red
SB Red is a decadent Strawberry Mixture that will flow smoothly and slowly over your coils producing an aroma and taste that you’ll want again and again!
Southern Betty- Brown
SB BROWN is sweet and sticky sugar cookie deliciousness that will leave you blowing perfect OH’sss!
Southern Betty-Blonde
SB Blonde. Lemon Cheesecake that’s tart and edgy and ready for a romp in your tank!
Southern Betty -Black
Black is the exotic and slightly sinister member of the family. If you like wild dark honey with a tobacco hint, this ones for you!
Acrynomix-SYWMS
HI VG (25/75) Citrusy Lemon, Meringue, Pie Crust blended together to provide the perfect dessert vape
Acrynomix- NYFMR
HI VG (25/75) This flavor profile is best described as smooth and mellow. It’s reminiscent of sweet vanilla, caramel with a hint of light tobacco and a tad bit of fruit inclusions.
Standard Line – Precision
An exotic sugar cookie blend with a slight touch of fruit
Standard Line – Sugah
Sugah is a sweet & delicious candied apple with a hint of cinnamon.
The Spinfuel eLiquid Team Scoring System for 2106
1.00 – The lowest score an eliquid can receive is 1.00. A score of 1.00 represents an eliquid that cannot be vaped by the member of the team that awarded the score. A 1.00 does not solely consider flavor, it includes any unpleasant aftertastes or other indicators that point to an awful eliquid.
2.00 – A 2.00 score would represent a score for an eliquid that is not made with quality ingredients, and does not deliver a flavor profile that matches the brand’s official flavor profile, and proves to be an unpleasant vape experience, though not totally unvapeable.
3.00 – A 3.00 score represents an Average eliquid. That is, average for 2015-2016 Standards. It means the use of adequate quality ingredients, fairly similar flavor profile of the brand’s official profile, though sometimes written as hyperbole. A 3.00 score is not the median score, it’s just a non-special, okay eliquid found in many good budget brands.
4.00 – A 4.00 score represents a better-than-average eliquid for the 2015/2016 ejuice standards. The quality of the ingredients is apparent, and high-end. The official flavor description is an accurate description from the reviewer’s point of view. Many modern eliquid brands fall into this level. A score of 4.00+ is equivalent to the score of a 5.00 score in 2013 terms.
5.00 – A 5.00 score is just shy of a perfect eliquid. A 5.00 score eliquid is made of apparent premium ingredients and has a flavor profile that outshines the official flavor profile given to it from the brand. The eliquid delivers not only a great vape, but delivers vape satisfaction beyond the norm. When all members of the review team find an eliquid to be a 5.00 eliquid, it is awarded the Spinfuel Choice Award.
There is NO perfect e-Liquid
A perfect e-liquid is one in which every vaper in the vape community would want to vape. A ‘Universal’ e-liquid, of which by its very nature is impossible. This is the reason why we say a 5.00 score represents an eliquid that is ‘just shy’ of perfect.
A Spinfuel Choice Award
Four team members, all with their own likes and dislikes, have each determined, after 72 hours of exclusively vaping the e-liquids under review, that certain e-liquids are ‘just shy of perfect’, means it is worthy of a Spinfuel Choice Award that acknowledges the excellent art and craftsmanship that went into creating that e-liquid.
The award is a way of saying that ‘if’ you liked the way the eliquid brand, and the review team, has expressed their beliefs and opinions of this ‘Choice’ e-liquid then you will most probably like it as much as the team does. Naturally, if the team recognizes a ‘strawberry based’ eliquid with a Choice award and you despise the taste of a strawberry, then you won’t want to try the e-liquid. Common Sense.
The Lucky Ruckus Review
The ‘Lucky Ruckus Vape’ web presence may need some major revisions, which we discuss later, but it is here, the eliquids themselves, that truly matter. Below are the flavors we will review today. However, there are some ‘consistent characteristics’ shared by all of the e-liquids in this Lucky Ruckus Vape review, and we name them below.
Quality Ingredients
We are told that Lucky Ruckus uses top-shelf ingredients, including premium level vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, nicotine, and flavorings. From our experience vaping many flavors from this brand, we find no reason to doubt these claims.
Often enough, poor quality, or ‘cheap’ ingredients are used by brands that want to maximize profits and play a numbers game. Their eliquid may please new vapers, or inexperienced vapers, but their customer base is always changing because vapers sharpen their ‘tastes’ and move on to better brands. Only brands that use premium quality ingredients build customer loyalty, and Lucky Ruckus has customer loyalty in spades.
The Vape Experience
Across the board the vape experience with the flavors reviewed today was excellent. There is no chemical ‘tastes’ or ‘aftertastes ‘coming through any flavor. All the individual flavors were true, natural, and in ample supply. Despite some differences in PG/VG ratios in the various ‘lines’ of Lucky Ruckus e-liquids, we found both flavor delivery and vapor production in various sub-own tanks with Kanthal, Stainless Steel, and Nickel metals and various sub-ohms levels were outstanding.
Vape Satisfaction
Vape Satisfaction is based on an individual’s needs. Nicotine strengths for instance, but also the amount of vapor created, or the impact of a throat hit, or the response to certain flavors and flavor combinations all play a part in Vape Satisfaction. Vape satisfaction is an individual’s response to an e-liquid, and all we can do is tell you about “our” satisfaction with each eliquid in the review.
Flavor Profiles
Simply put, a flavor profile is the official description of the flavor and flavors written by the brand. If a brand states the eliquid X is a ‘delightful romp with vanilla and blueberries’ than the reviewer needs to agree that there is both vanilla and blueberries in the flavor. A ‘Delightful romp’ is subjective, and is not considered when determining the flavor profile as accurate or inaccurate. It is in this category where Lucky Ruckus Vape sometimes falters. On the whole, Lucky Ruckus provides accurate flavor profiles, but there are a couple that do fall short.
Scores And Words
Our “score” should tell you two things… the quality and whether or not the official flavor profile match our experience. But it is in the words of our reviewers where you will find the true impressions each of the eliquids made on the team member. We will tell you what our experience was, whether we liked the flavor, the vapor output, and whether the e-liquids provided enough vape satisfaction. Although these qualities are subjective, they can point you in the right direction.
In other words, many eliquids that a team member might score in the 4.00+ could very well become a favorite of that member, while a 5.00 score eliquid might not. It all depends on the impression of the vape experience for that team member.
SOUTHERN BETTY LINE $16.50 30ML $7.50 15ML
SOUTHERN BETTY Black – ‘wild dark honey with a hint tobacco.’
Julia – 4.50 – There seems to be an even split between the dark honey and tobacco notes in SB Black. The dark honey has a dark origin flavor to it, as though it was the flavor of honey made during the Middle Ages (I know that makes no sense), and the tobacco notes were on the sweet side, a combination I found strangely appealing.
Not an eliquid I vape very day, the biggest reason why is that I would not like to lose that element of a mysterious flavor combination that tastes older than civilization itself.
Vape satisfaction was excellent; it was difficult to move on to another flavor.
Tom – 5.00 – Hearing Julia and Kiera talk about the flavor of the honey being a flavor from the Middle Ages was just bizarre. But then I thought about it.
Something about the honey flavor was musky, thick, and raw. Maybe what they, and now me, was tasting turned out to be a flavor of raw honey from back in the day when the world was not full of pollution, or genetically altered foods, or processed foods. Maybe, just maybe, the ‘dark honey’ flavor was exactly what honey from the middle ages tasted like. What a brilliant observation.
Anyway, SB Black has at least a ‘unique’ honey flavor I’ve never tasted before, and the tobacco notes were just enough to provide some distraction from the strong honey. Based on quality, execution, flavor, vape satisfaction, and my love of tobacco flavored anything, was enough for a score of 5.00.
Kiera – 4.00 – While Julia will assuredly share her ‘off the reservation’ ideas about SB Black and the Middle Ages, all I can really say about it is that as a unique flavor the honey component is remarkable. Never tasted anything like it before. The biggest part of the flavor is that musky, darkly flavored honey. After that, at the exhale, comes the tobacco, a sweet, medium flavored, but quality tobacco notes. I score SB Black as a 4.00 e-liquid, but I did not enjoy the honey + tobacco flavor combo as much as I had hoped. Vapers that like the idea of a dark honey and tobacco combination will like SB Black quite a bit.
Jason 4.50 – Absolutely unique flavor blends, this SB Black is nothing like I’ve vaped before. Much of the time, when I happen across a unique flavor in an e-liquid, the result is awful, but not this time. SB Black is a very satisfying vape based in a dark, thick honey base with the definite tobacco flavor notes on the tail end. SB Black is, to me, a nighttime vape. Better yet, it is a nighttime, wintertime vape, when you need something substantial to keep you interested, warm, and satisfied. If this sound like something you’d like to experience, then do so, with my blessing.
SOUTHERN BETTY Red – A Strawberry mix
Julia 4.00 – I’m not sure I could use the word ‘decadent’ when describing this rich strawberry blend, but I will say the ingredients, including the flavorings, creates a strawberry vape that borders on a reckoning.
The choice of strawberry flavoring for SB Red is one that is ripe, sweet, and thoroughly strawberry. You’ll recognize it in an instant and it will flood your senses with a memory of the biggest strawberry moment of your life. You first strawberry shortcake for example, or the first time you bit into a fat, deep red strawberry at room temperature. What stuck with you over time about that strawberry experience, SB Red will attach itself to that memory forever.
Tom 4.00 – I’m not a huge fan of strawberry but I have to give credit where credit is due. SB Red is more strawberry than anything I’ve had in the past year, at least. I’m talking a rich, deeply ripe strawberry flavor that overcomes your senses when you give it a big lung hit in the sub-ohm world. What is exhaled from the lung hit is more like succulent strawberries that were ‘flash’ vaporized and beamed into the deepest parts of the lungs.
If you are that vaper looking for the intense strawberry vape I’m pretty sure Southern Betty Red is going to do the trick.
Kiera 5.00 – SB Red is not some fancy combination or layered flavor that plays tricks on the brain (and taste buds). What SB Red is will make you think you may never have tasted the ultimate strawberry ejuice until now. Whether the intensity of the strawberry comes from the flavoring used, or a combination of strawberry flavorings chosen by Lucky Ruckus, or whether it is the artist creator from LR, SB Red will lead you into the kingdom of strawberry land and you will not want to leave. SB Red, with its rather ordinary name, is the ultimate strawberry flavor.
Jason 4.00 – Okay, here’s what SB Red really tastes like: Go to Plant City Florida during the Strawberry Festival and hand select the deepest red strawberries from every vendor there, at least 3 baskets. Fly or drive home, wash and pour the strawberries (stems removed), into a bowl. Now crush them up, pulverize them until there is no solid pieces in the bowl. Take the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for a couple of days so the flavor melds, seal it in a Tupperware bowl. Remove it, let to come to room temperature. Take a large spoon and scoop up some of this strawberry paste and put it in your mouth and let sit there as long as you can. Alert your taste buds and tell them to make sure to take in as much flavor as it can… this penetrating strawberry flavor is all strawberry at its strongest concentration. Now imagine that intense flavor as a vapor that has seeped into the smallest crevices of your lungs. Now, with a lung full of this super rich strawberry flavor, let the vapor slowly pass over your tongue on the way out. That? That’s what SB Red is like.
SOUTHERN BETTY Blonde… Lemon Cheesecake
Julia 4.50 – SB Blonde has two things going for it; a tart lemon flavor that is both clean and genuine, and the rare authentic flavor of a real cheesecake. Sounds basic, I know, but it’s anything but basic. Unlike many other lemon cheesecake e-liquids SB Blonde is real lemon and real cheesecake, not some simple lemon-like flavoring and something that kind of, sort of, reminds you of a cheesecake flavor.
I don’t particularly like lemon cheesecake in an eliquid form because the cheesecake part never comes out just right, but this one will most definitely satisfy vapers that do enjoy lemon cheesecake ejuice. Even I enjoyed it right down to the last drop of the bottle.
Tom 4.25 – A part of me doesn’t believe that cheesecake flavors can jump between real cheesecake and vapor cheesecake. Some come close, but it seems like the flavoring companies still need to do some work on perfecting the artificial cheesecake flavoring. Still, SB Blonde comes the closest I’ve had in a long while.
The lemon flavoring is almost as tart as the juice in a Real Lemon bottle you can buy at the grocery store, and the cheesecake flavoring is the most accurate I’ve tasted. If I had to guess I would say that the flavoring comes from LorAnn, but I’m not positive. It’s real enough though.
SB Blonde is a solid, very well made, and satisfying lemon cheesecake eliquid. If you enjoy lemon cheesecake vapor you’re going to love this one.
Kiera 4.50 – I hear the words ‘Lemon Cheesecake’ and I always see a nice, round, delicious looking cheesecake. What I don’t see when I hear those words is an eliquid I’m excited to vape.
After vaping SB Blond for 3 days I have to say that although I’m still more apt to be excited by the real cheesecake than the eliquid, I’ve grown quite fond of this SB Blond ejuice more so than I thought would. Very satisfying, very accurate flavors, and a lot of vapor to boot, for lemon cheesecake fans, this is something you have to try.
Jason 4.00 – I spent many hours vaping SB Blonde, a lemon cheesecake ejuice, so I know the flavor and vapor this eliquid produces in a sub-ohm tank is remarkable stuff. That said, SB Blonde doesn’t pull me towards it. I certainly like it enough, and I wouldn’t turn down a tank full of it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. There are thousands of eliquid flavors out there in the world, and as good as this one is, there just isn’t enough time to put it into rotation.
SOUTHERN BETTY BROWN – sweet and sticky sugar cookie –
A Spinfuel Choice Award Winner
Julia 5.00 – I’m not sure how vapor can be described as tasting ‘sweet and sticky’, but I’ll be damned if this SB Brown doesn’t taste sweet and sticky!
The first thing you need to know about SB Brown is that this is not some Christmas Sugar Cookie ejuice. This is darker, with molasses flavor notes, and a dark brown sugar flavor. Yes, it is a sweet and sticky cookie, but as unique as the day is long as an eliquid. If you like sweet eliquids, this is one that you need to try.
Tom 5.00 – My mother makes this kind of cookie, and has made it since I was very young. SB Brown has a homemade taste to it that brings me right back home. These cookies were dark in color and very thin and very sticky with melted brown sugar on top. If I eat more than 3 of them and I would be sick to my stomach on a sugar overload. But it is always worth the sugar hangover.
SB Brown is very, very sweet, and very, very good. The flavor is both heavy and satisfying, the vapor so thick it takes up the room in no time. My girlfriend tells me the room smells like maple syrup, but it’s more like brown sugar or molasses. Not an all day vape, but certainly a wonderful dessert vape.
Kiera 5.00 – An old fashioned dark brown sugar, caramelized and drizzled over a basic thin sugar cookie, SB Brown is one of the sweetest eliquids I’ve experienced. I am giving it the full 5.00 score because Lucky Ruckus has perfected this very old recipe for sticky cookies my grandmother used to make in Opa Locka FL. I believe that someone at Lucky Ruckus had the same sticky cookies I used to enjoy and saw fit to recreate it as an eliquid.
Jason 5.00 – What was at first a shockingly sweet vape turned out to be a truly enjoyable ultra-sweet sugar (cookie?) vape I couldn’t stop vaping for hours. Vaping SB Brown was so unlike me when it comes to extra sweet eliquid.
SB Brown has a wonderfully natural dark sweet flavor with an abundant amount of thick and aromatic vapor. Try this only if you love super sweet dark sugar vapor. By the way, the name, SB Brown, fits perfectly because there is a definite brown sugar component to it.
ACRYNOMIX – $7.50 15ML – $16.50 30ML
ACRYNOMIX – SYWMS – Lemon Meringue Pie –
A Spinfuel Choice Award Winner
Julia 5.00 – I would dare anyone with any sense of vapor ‘taste’ to tell me of another eliquid that tastes more like Lemon Meringue Pie than this one. The usual problem with lemon meringue ejuice is the lack of meringue, something SYWMS does not suffer from. If there is a better lemon meringue pie vape out there I haven’t had the pleasure. This one is damned near perfect.
Tom 5.00 – Authentic and natural lemon meringue flavor with tons of vapor, SYWMS is a wonderful vape experience. The perfect balance of sweet lemon and sweet meringue, not to mention a real piecrust flavor, and with huge clouds of vapor, this will be my all-day-vape for quite some time. No one is more surprised than I am that lemon meringue pie can be fabricated into a vapor form so accurately.
Kiera 5.00 – This marvelous lemon meringue pie eliquid will certainly be a nominee for the 2016 eLiquid Choice Awards if I have anything to say about it. I can’t believe how accurate the flavor is to a real lemon meringue pie, and the thick vapor is the added bonus. I love this one, my personal favorite of the bunch.
Jason 5.00 – Flavors like this proves to me that my vaping experience has room for other flavors besides tobacco or coffee. I happen to love lemon meringue pie as a dessert so when I began vaping this one I knew that Lucky Ruckus hit it out of the park. This IS lemon meringue pie, solid meringue and piecrust flavors you cannot escape. A marvelous eliquid. Now, I want a Key Lime Pie from Lucky Ruckus.
ACRYNOMIX – NYFMR – “Sweet vanilla, caramel with a hint of light tobacco and fruit.”
Julia 5.00 – Reading the description I just knew that there was too much going on for this NYFMR to be a good flavor. Come on, vanilla, caramel, light tobacco AND fruit? Really?
But you what? This strange combination creates a completely new flavor experience. One that baffles my mind but does so in a very nice way. You have to try it to believe it, but I don’t know how many people will believe that these flavors will mix well.
Tom 5.00 – I am so glad I didn’t read the official flavor profile before vaping NYFMR. I would have gone into it in a way that might bias my taste buds. Vanilla and caramel I understand. Throwing in a nice sweet tobacco even makes sense. But to then throw in some fruit flavors? No way.
While vaping NYFMR I couldn’t really identify any of the flavors, except maybe the vanilla notes. They seemed to have melded into one distinct flavor, a unique sweet flavor that combines the essence of all these flavors into a pleasurable vaping experience that is mind blowing. Inspiring and creative.
Kiera 4.50 – While I wouldn’t vape NYFMR on a regular basis I admit it is an excellent combination of flavors. If I was messing around with some DIY Juice Bar, like the one from Mig Vapor, I’d never thought of mixing vanilla, caramel, tobacco AND fruity flavors. But, it works. NYFMR offers plenty of flavor and vapor, and it’s enjoyable and satisfying for a couple hours a day. Be brave and try it.
Jason 4.75 – I know other members here will mention the strange combination of flavorings, but I can’t ignore it either. Vanilla and caramel make sense, adding a touch of tobacco does too, but throwing in a little fruitiness is truly surprising. Still, it works on many levels. On the inhale you get that tobacco note, followed by vanilla/caramel blend, and on the exhale the slight fruity flavor that brightens the experience. I’m sure some people will be scared away while others will “have to” try it. Out of those that will vape this flavor blend, the majority is going to really enjoy it.
Standard Line – $9.00 15ML – $16.50 30ML
“Lucky Ruckus handcrafted line of top shelf E-liquid consists of 7 E-liquids that have been blended and meticulously developed. This line is said to offer a complex and layered mix of flavors that delight the senses and please the taste buds.”
Standard Line – SUGAH – sweet candied apple with a hint of cinnamon
Julia: 4.00 – The thing with Sugah is that I cannot pull apart the candied apple and cinnamon flavors, but it is still a wicked good flavor. Sugah is sweet, with lots of vapor, but I had hoped for a real taste of candied apples and it just wasn’t there. The official flavor profile is off.
Tom 4.25 – Sugah does not taste like candied apples, though I wish it had. I’m not saying I don’t like it because I actually do. I went through an entire 30mL bottle before switching out to a new flavor. The cinnamon isn’t very noticeable either. Instead of the intended flavors this eliquid is still a nice sweet flavor.
Kiera 4.00 – I won’t dip down into the 3’s for a score because I liked this flavor. Wonderfully sweet, but with a heavy ‘candy’ flavor and zero apple flavor. As for the cinnamon; it appears only when pushing the wattage to the brink. With a half-ohm coil head at 36w, a bit high for a normal half-ohm coil, manages to kick out massive vapor and some cinnamon notes, and the extra wattage did not burn the flavor. Still, in the end, when you expect to get candied apple flavor and you don’t, it’s disappointing.
Jason 4.50 – Lucky Ruckus needs to go back to recipe and tweak it. We discussed the lack of apple flavor in this blend and we all agreed there wasn’t any. But, perhaps it was buried in the heavy sweetener and the mild cinnamon flavor. While enjoyable as it is, I think they should change the flavor description or use a stronger apple flavor.
Standard Line – ALMAGEDON – Toasted almond and white chocolate.
Julia 4.00 – If you look back at my 4 years of eliquid reviews you’ll never read anything that indicates that I can taste white chocolate. This might be the very first time I actually taste it. I say ‘might’ because the toasted almond flavor is definitely there and it’s definitely good. And there is another full-bodied flavor that I might believe is white chocolate. So, I’ll just say that this is an excellent nutty vape with white chocolate notes that produces a ton of vapor. If you like nutty, or real almond flavors, this good be an excellent choice for you.
Tom 4.75 – I totally enjoyed this almond and white chocolate recipe. On the inhale is where the toasted almonds come in, and on the exhale that semi-elusive white chocolate sends out a deep, sweet flavor. White chocolate tastes nothing like chocolate, it has a unique light flavor all its own. Almagedon does a great balancing act of the two flavorings and in the end you’ll be satisfied without overdoing it. Recommended!
Kiera 4.25 – Toasted almonds and white chocolate, in vapor form, is a remarkable combination. Almonds first, white chocolate next, mixed in with thick heavy vapor on a bed of sweetness. A pretty terrific flavor combo when you feel like you want something a bit nutty, and a bit sweet. Satisfying vapor production means you’ll vape this for a long while.
Jason 4.75 – This Almagedon comes close to being my favorite flavor in this review. I love a good almond vape and there is plenty of almond flavor here. While the white chocolate is a bit of a mystery, like all white chocolate eliquids, it goes together well with something like toasted almonds. Excellent flavors, plenty of vapor, this is one satisfying eliquid… if you like almonds.
Final Thoughts on the Lucky Ruckus Seven
While taste is subjective, the quality of ingredients is not. It is easy to discern that very high quality ingredients are used with Lucky Ruckus eliquids. The lack of chemical aftertastes, the clean, thick vapor clouds, and the satisfaction of most of the flavor combos point to a superb list of top-notch eliquids. Lucky Ruckus earned top scores for quality of the eliquids contained in the bottles. These seven flavors also share one more characteristic we were considering leaving out of the review. This characteristic can be described as “heavy”. Not a single eliquid in this review was light, fruity, or non-sweet. As wintertime eliquids these flavors soar, but in the heat of the tropics, or during the summer months, they can be too thick or weighty, to vape without significant breaks with lighter or fruity eliquids in between. This being January it’s the perfect time to try them.
When all is said and done, judging the actual eliquids revealed some real talent in the mixing areas. We loved the fact that not one of the flavors tasted artificial, or chemically tainted.
We also appreciated the long skinny tips on the bottles that made filling any tank a breeze. We all prefer this type of tip to glass eyedroppers.
But, there are also a few things Lucky Ruckus could do better. They have a wonderful line of eliquids, but there presentation leaves a lot to be desired.
Below we discuss some of the things Lucky Ruckus could improve upon if they are looking to bump their online sales. They may not want to since they have two physical vape shops in Texas, but if they do, here goes…
Lucky Ruckus Online
Lucky Ruckus Vape succeeds in creating great tasting ejuice, but they fail in their online presentation. This team loved vaping the flavors reviewed, but we were unimpressed with the ancient web technologies and a general sloppiness of the website.
Frank and Cory truly need to invest in a professional design company, from the entire website all the way down to the labels on the bottles. Having said that, it certainly proves that the best-designed, most attractive websites do not guarantee great eliquid, and vice versa. Still, we definitely recommend a better organized website with a single personality and not a hodge-podge of various fonts, sizes, colors, and so forth.
One of the most annoying issues with the website is that when moving between categories you had to re-verify your age. At first we thought it was a cookie issue for a particular computer and browser, but after accessing the site with various computers, checking the ‘cookie acceptance’ in the various browsers, we could not find a way to keep our connection alive through category visits. First time visitors could easily bail from the site after confronting this annoying problem.
The website and the labels indicate different “lines”, such as Southern Betty and ACRYNOMIX line, with nary a word of explanation of what makes one eliquid a Southern Betty and another a ACRYNOMIX. Each of their different lines needs to be explained in detail. There is nothing on the site that explains it. We wanted to include this information in the review, but unfortunately we can’t.
Also, why do all three ‘lines’ have the same retail price of $16.50 for a 30mL bottle, yet the 15mL bottles are priced differently? What makes an eliquid ‘Acrynomix’, and what makes an eliquid a ‘Southern Betty’, and why are the 15mL prices different? If this was a confusing issue for the team we can only imagine the confusion of online visitors.
This confusion carries over to the bottles themselves. Each bottle has a large full color logo for Southern Betty, ACRYNOMIX, and a logo for Lucky Ruckus Vape Shop.
The actual name of the flavor is on the side of the label in small fonts. Lucky Ruckus labels need to be redesigned to better explain what’s inside them.
The flavor name, the flavor description, the nicotine level, ingredients, and disclaimers all need to be there, but the logo for the “line” should be much smaller on the bottle, and the Lucky Ruckus official logo should be on each bottle so that the customer knows immediately that the Southern Bell and Acrynomix both come from Lucky Ruckus.
When the eliquids arrived from Lucky Ruckus it took a whole lot longer to separate the flavors and hand out the bottles.
Lastly, the names of the flavors themselves are a problem. SB Red? How does this convey a strawberry flavor? SB Brown? Same thing. SB Blonde? No idea. Same thing with NYFMR. This vanilla, caramel, tobacco and fruit combo is called NYFMR? Why? On the bottle there is no indication on what to expect in the way of flavor.
Lucky Ruckus needs to tell their online customers, who they are and what they are right away, with clean navigation to the various categories, with emphasis on the eliquid, with clear and concise design elements. There shouldn’t be missing graphics on the site, nor should there be various size graphics next to each other. Lucky Ruckus need to decide if they are an eliquid brand first or a general vendor that also makes eliquids.
There is a treasure trove of great eliquids on the Lucky Ruckus website, but with the poor design and miserable navigation, not to mention re-verifying yourself when you turn the page, they are chasing away more customers than they think.
Lucky Ruckus Vape Stores
Lucky Ruckus Vape has two physical vape shops in Texas, one shop in Lubbock and one in Amarillo. It would be natural to assume that the confusion in the website would not be a problem for customers of the two vape shops.
These two shops had us wondering if the amount of online business was a small fraction of the customer base for Lucky Ruckus, and perhaps the reason why the site was plagued by a lack of conformity, missing or irregular size graphics, and lack of information was because they don’t derive enough revenue from the site to bother with it.
There are plenty of online sales to be had, and with the quality of their eliquids it would be very easy to increase online sales, even if their online sales are already excellent. We hope they are planning a major overhaul of the web presence.
Conclusion
Lucky Ruckus is a premium quality eliquid company. Their recipes are authentic, natural, and enjoyable. The 7 flavors we received were all high scoring flavors. We recommend the brand, and a little patience when you visit the site to place an order.
Till next time…
