Up in Vape – Orlando Vapor Show

ORLANDO VAPOR SHOW WITH TIM TIMBLIN

Greetings all, I trust everyone has recovered from Easter, and are now engaged in our usual day-to-day activities such as taking your kids to and from school, after school activities, work, cleaning the house, (a never ending task to be sure), working in your yard/garden, and high on everyone’s list, the hobby of vaping.

To that end is a subject I had wanted to talk about last week, unfortunately my body had other ideas.  As y’all might already know, I am disabled 100%, totally and permanently, but…. I still get out and do stuff.  Maybe not as much or as often as I used to, I figure that even though life would be a lot simpler using my electric scooter/wheelchair, I refuse to. Call me stubborn, bullheaded, whatever, but as long as I can still walk, some, I will use my walker or my cane if it a short distance.  It does take a toll on me physically, but at least I know I have a reason for hurting instead of just hurting.

The Orlando Vapor Show – Better Late than Never

Easter weekend, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, which was the 25th and 26th of March was the Orlando Vapor Show!  What a show it was…. for me at least, since it was my first-ever event of any kind.

I spoke with some people that were in attendance and learned that the Show was supposed to be larger than it turned out to be. This being the first show I’ve ever attended I’m not a good judge on sizing up an event, however, I would have to put the attendance while my wife and I were there at around 2500-4000 vapers. That’s not a small number to me!  There were a significant number of people at the show, though I admit it wasn’t overcrowded.

There was all manner of over-sized posters, life-size cardboard aliens, and more at the event.  One that really sticks out in my mind was the ICU display, (Intensive Cloud Unit) where their claim to the “juice making fame” is to use CG, (Corn Glycerin) for those who have a sensitivity and/or allergy to PG, (Propylene Glycol). I myself have a sensitivity to PG, which is why I use Max VG in pretty much all of my juices.  (Julia is currently writing about Corn Glycerin as a PG substitute – ed)

There was also the display that had three 3D printers and were using some type of plastics to print out the Kloud Kase, an extremely hard, (after it cools of course) plastic material as a case for mods.  They didn’t have too many done, but ones they did have were for the SnowWolf 200 watt and similarly sized mods. They had cases for mods that I hadn’t heard of. Perhaps they are older mods or mods so new they hadn’t yet reached the market.  The prices for the cases seemed fair, the one mod that I did have in my collection was the Kanger Nebox, and cases for that mod sold for $20. I did manage to snag the only Nebox Kloud Kase there, so that was definitely fun.  I had wanted a Gray case, but I had to make do with what they had at the moment…sniff…sniff, it’s always the way for me…

Yea…I know I’m a smart ass, but hey, if it wasn’t me then it would be someone else, someone who you, maybe, don’t like so well.

E-Liquid Vendors

There were just SO many different juice makers at the show that it seemed the show was more about e-juice than it was anything else. There was one brand that makes its juice after Cuban dessert dishes that the mixologist aunt used to make as real desserts.   As a dessert lover myself, you just know I had to sample ALL of the flavors. Fortunately, there were only a half dozen, out of which only three really piqued my interest.  The company is RUMBLEPUP, out of Miami, and they really pay attention to detail.

Let’s see, there were some guys, (and gals) from San Francisco and Los Angeles California, there may have even been a couple from San Diego there as well. Other points on the map for the e-liquid brands was New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pa. (completely opposite side of the state from where I grew up.  Think northwest, Lake Erie area and you’ll be close).

I had all my literature and business cards together in one place, and yet I am still trying to find either business cards or literature I received from several of brands I visited.  I will have to ask my lovely wife Gloria what happened to it all.  She knows how important all this is to me and after 35 years together, (we have a great relationship), I know it wouldn’t have just been tossed out… I hope anyway.

I had a blast at this Show. I had more fun in that 3 to 4 hours than I had had at ANY amusement park I have EVER been to.  With the many new friends and contacts I have made this was one of the few times that being in a wheelchair/electric scooter didn’t matter.  It seems that so much of society looks down on you if you have some type of physical deformity or injury, except for the vaping community.  It is heart warming to see how well I was accepted. I rather enjoyed the people I was around, and everyone, or most everyone , wanted to help.

Photos

I grabbed a few snapshots while I was there, and Gloria took some of me the one was with the owner of Kloud Kases, and another one or two of just me, with booths and whatnot behind me.  Just to warn y’all I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be, photogenic. I just don’t photograph well, and the amount of vapor that was everywhere didn’t help matters. CLICK TO VIEW LARGER PHOTOS

Miami in June

I am SO looking forward to the Miami Event in June, that will definitely be an over-nighter.  Gonna have ta get a hotel/motel room, even for just the one 24 hr. period.  No way am I gonna leave here at O-dark-thirty, drive all day, in order to get to the event, then stay all day, grab a bite to eat, and then have to drive the 5 hours back to Vero Beach, FL, my home.

I doubt seriously that my body would be able to hold to traveling to Miami and back in such a short time. I’m sure that as the event gets closer I will be up on a lot of what is going on and when.  I’ll have to begin to figure out all the mundane day-to-day things that have to, or need to, be done in order to make this happen.  Hopefully, physically, I will be able to go, driving down will be a pain, but…. well, its enough to let it go for another day, it is not something that needs to be taken care of right now. Hopefully a few of my new friends will be there as well, and the opportunity to make even more new friends and contacts.

I suppose that will about do it for me for this week.  I do so hope that I was able to capture your attention at least for a little while. Until next week, I shall bid a fond farewell. I will also say Aloha to all my friends who are now reading my column.  Thank you all ever so much for taking the time out from your busy schedules to read my column. It is GREATLY appreciated, it truly is. Be well, stay safe, God bless and….VAPE ON!

Tim