Stay Battery Safe - A warning for everyone

Before I get started I have to hold my hands up and admit to having had an accident with a battery a while ago. I stripped the wrapping off of one trying to force it into a tube, resulting in a nice burn on my hand. Lesson learned, thankfully a very minor incident.

Unfortunately I read today of a much more serious case, the first reported death due (indirectly you could say) to e cigs. You can read more about it yourself here. This was allegedly due to another case of using the wrong charger. It's not the first time I've heard of an accident involving the wrong charger and this is the second time I've heard of an oxygen cylinder being involved. Obviously, however this was caused, a man lost his life and I find that very sad.

In case you don't know, some basic safety tips are -

• Always charge them with the correct charger
• Charge batteries in an appropriate place
• Never overcharge, if that's possible with your battery
• Know your limits if you are stacking batteries, discharge evenly
• Read the instructions that came with your battery and stick to them
• And so on.....

These are all really obvious and simple things we should all be doing. I'm quite sure I don't need to say this but please, please be careful when charging and using your batteries. Accidents do happen but they are preventable with a little bit of care.

Ok sermon over, stay safe.

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Pic of the Month July 2014

I totally forgot (again) to do Pic of the Month for July. After going through all the pictures I've chosen this one by zuTma. I can't quite put my finger on what it is I like about the picture.

I really like the lighting and the composition is great too. Also the way the Esterigon catches the reflection of, er, .....the shiny..um..

Anyway, congratulations zuTma, a great picture and a very welcome change from the more conservative pictures we normally have.

I can't think of anything more to say, speechless.

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TrueVaping - reviews by Karabas

There are a lot of Golden Greek reviews around the internet if you look but none are as detailed and thorough as the reviews by Karabas on his site, truevaping.ru Based in Kiev, Karabas has an excellent site dedicated to mods and vaping in general.

If you visit the site you can see all the Golden Greek reviews he's done so far, including JustGG, Ithaka, Penelope, etc. The site is Russian but Google Translate does a half decent job of translating. The amount of detail Karabas goes into for each review is fantastic and the photo's are really good too. The photos are zoomed in and very clear, letting you see parts of a GG that you could not normally see with the naked eye.

In all his reviews Karabas strips each item down into all it's component parts, with pictures from varying angles and describes them. I think reading reviews like this is the best way to appreciate how something is made and how it works. It's also useful for checking you have all the right parts for any GG stuff you own.

As well as Golden Greek mods he also reviews some other stuff too although I must admit I don't really follow other mods so I can't comment on them. It really is a great site though and worth a read if you want to learn more about GG products, or just to look at the pictures.

truevaping.ru

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Tilemahos Dripper and release date

Imeo has recently posted a video showing how Tilemahos can be used as a dripper. I think this is in response to people asking for a dripper version of Tilemahos. But as you can see in the video, Tilemahos is small enough in size and more than capable of being used for dripping. The beauty of Tilemahos is that it can be used either way depending on your choice. Also any worries about the performance of Tilemahos can be forgotten after you witness the huge clouds Imeo produces in the video. 

Release Date

The release date has now been officially been confirmed as the 18th of August 2014. On the day of release Tilemahos will be available from all three GG sellers simultaneously so people everywhere will get their chance to grab the latest GG tank. I'm not sure what options will be available regarding bases for Tilemahos but I will find out and update this post. Be aware that Vassilis and the e-smokeguru team are taking a much needed break before the release, with the shop being closed from the 11th to the 17th of August.


One final bit of information, on the 20th of August, e-smokeguru will be taking pre-orders for 'almost all GG devices and parts'. Good news for those waiting for spares and the chance to buy full mods.

Then all we have left to look forward to is Proteus!

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GG Design - A brief visual history

Long before I ever got interested vaping Imeo was already creating Golden Greek mods. In the beginning the GG was a very crude affair as you would expect but still very different from what was commercially available. I think I'm right in saying that the Screwdriver by Trog, built from a torch casing and released around 2008, was one of the only other mods you could buy at the time. Imeo himself often acknowledges Trogs contribution to modding.

Imeo spent a lot of time developing, refining and testing the early GG's as you can see in the pictures above. The tube shaped design is familiar but very industrial looking. These early GG's are a long way from the likes of the finely tuned JustGG and Esterigon we have available today.

From the beginning Imeo was concerned with durability in the GG. The construction had to be able to withstand heavy use, Imeo did not want to release a product that would fall to bits easily. In the video below you can see Imeo drop testing a GG. This video is from 2009, there are lots of mods around now that couldn't take this punishment. WARNING! The video contains images of a GG being mistreated!

Over time the design of Golden Greek mods started to acquire a more stylish look so that the GG was as good looking as it was functional. The next set of pictures show some early GG's that have started to look very much like what we now know as a GG. The wings and monogram defining a look that has become synonymous with GG's.

Finally this last set of pictures show some of the earlier GG's that look even more like the GGTS's, Ithaka's, etc,  we have now. I believe some of these GG's were owned by Uktarget. When I first found out about Golden Greeks, Uktarget had one of the best collections around. Unfortunately due to personal reasons he had to break up his collection, which was one of the finest in the world at that time. You can see why in the last image.

Bear in mind these pictures cover just the first couple of years of Golden Greek mods. The progression over even that small amount of time is testament to Imeo's drive to constantly improve and refine his products. The sheer number of products and innovations made since Imeo started his business is amazing. 

Summary

So, as can be easily seen in mods like Esterigon and the upcoming Proteus, the Golden Greek has come a long way from a humble beginning. Early mods like the Grant, Nano and Slim are as popular now as the year they were released. The newer range of GG's coming out now are equally as popular with no sign of demand slowing down. 

If you have a GG, keep a tight hold of it, it's a beautiful part of vaping history.

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Tilemahos - latest information

The following is all the latest information, condensed, that Imeo has posted in the GG Tilemahos thread over on ECF. Much of the conversation on the thread has been on the different bases that will be available with Tilemahos and also some passionate discussion of engraving and branding.

GG Branding

With Esterigon coming only with 'GG' engravings some users are keen to see Tilemahos appear with a wings only version. Although in the thread Imeo states for example, that the Hybrid base will come with the same CNC engravings as in his recent videos, he does seem open to discussion on what markings should be available.

The Hybrid base has not been made yet as there is no time to make it before the August holidays. This gives a bit of hope to those wanting a different look than the planned CNC. The pictures below show the Hybrid base as it is now and were taken from this video.

*IMAGES TO BE ADDED*

Notice how good it looks when attached to Esterigon, giving a very clean and complete look. The small size of Tilemahos, paired with Esterigon will make this a very desirable pairing for those looking for the GG experience in a smaller form factor. 

Base Options

The difference the bases make to Esterigon length are as follows. Regular base - no difference. AD base - 4mm increase. Hybrid base 2.5mm shorter.

The regular base is made for Esterigon, JustGG, GGTS and other mods. The AD base will be for other mods/GG without AD control. It will be needed on GG mods like the Stealth or GGTB that don't have Ad control.

Prices

The prices given by Imeo so far are -

• Regular Tilemahos  79 euros  
• AD Tilemahos  89 euros 
• Hybrid base  20-25 euros? No firm price given yet.

At the time of writing this Imeo has given an expected release date of around the first week of August. Obviously this could change at any time. As always I will update you with anything new I find.

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