I hear both you and @SmilingOgre , there hasnât been much significant to come out in a while aside from the DNA250C. I really hated the surprise packages about 70% of the time, I remember opening one up and this tiny mod that looked like it should have an MSRP of $10 and thoughtâŠhell no, I am not spending time on this POS. If they would have taken the time to ask me if I wanted to review it then they could have saved the DHL cost, surely it cost more than the product itself. That company just didnât GAF even after I told them to stop automatically sending me stuff.
It was fun weeding through the crap to find gems, the only problem was there was a lot of CRAP. I missed out on reviewing products that just needed more time than the 2 or more weeks needed to do a proper review as there was too much stuff. Some of these companies were just not patient and with all the distractions some other products that deserved a review fell by the wayside. The Wotofo Elder Dragon is a good example, I just did not have the time to try as many builds as was needed to get it to shine. When I finally got it to shine it was 6 weeks later, it wasnât until I saw @Steampugs review that I remembered I had it, hidden behind a juice bottle. I still use the Elder Dragon to this day but never reviewed it, fine little RDA, just odd to look at 
Some products QC is so varied that what a reviewer gets is not indicative of what the consumer gets. The Joyetech Espion is a great example for me, the review mod I got did fantastic TC, I was so impressed I bought a second as I wanted the gunmetal and gave the black review sample to a friend. The second one I got did mediocre TC and I was stumped and pissed. I did go back on some of my reviews, I think all but not sure, and reported my findings with the second Espion. I even had my friend confirm that the review sample I gave him worked the same in TC, yep, he loves that mod. I really almost threw that Espion at a brick wall but luckily Arctic Fox came out with firmware for it and made it better. Still didnât feel the same as the review sample I gave away though so I suspect it was a hardware issue rather than firmware that was the culprit.
I did learn a lot from doing reviews though, that I am grateful for. I was always a dual coil junkie but use a lot of single coil tanks now, thanks in part to reviewing. I would probably not be using pods if it wasnât for reviewing as well but always keep 1 or 2 in the car to be discreet and have enjoyed using them. MTL I am still not a big fan of but the InnokinâŠdamn, forgetting the name but the MTL subohm tank Phil BrusardoâŠahh, never mind, rememberedâŠthe Zenith is a flavorful little bastard, still want to buy the RTA version of it.
I have politely declined a lot of mfg requests for reviews this year but there are still some I will accept if I have the time. Like you, I am not interested in reviewing crap, actually, never have but some things deserve to be exposed. I have thought about only accepting products from companies that have a great track record like Steam Crave and Freemax for example. The only problem with that is then it looks like you only do shill reviews, people generally like reviews where you tear a company a new asshole whether deserved or not.
People who think reviewers are just in it for free stuff donât understand how much work it is. I am having a lot more fun and satisfaction just buying what I want rather than spending so much time with products I would never buy. I got into reviews to help others and that was always my goal but I also let it get out of hand. One day I might find my way back to it but will do it differently next time. 1 or 2 products in for review at a time is doable but 10 to 15 is overwhelming unless it is your full-time job. I would rather focus on quality over quantity, that is much more satisfying.
