GEAR REVIEW: KURIN JOKI ORGANIC COTTON

© Kurin Joki Organic Cotton shot by Angelo Cantero

Anyone who's thinking that our wick is just a dismissible piece when it comes down to our vape quality is dead wrong.

Wicking is one of the most important parts of vaping. Without it, we'd be left with nothing to put our e-liquids in. A good organic cotton wick makes a world of difference when it comes to vape quality and with the sheer amount of choices here in the Philippines, it's sometimes difficult to pick the one that would best fit your needs.

I'd like to think we've all been there -- fresh build, a full bottle of your favorite juice, freshly charged cells, no cotton. What a bummer, yes but sometimes having a steady stock of wicks is not enough. If you're really looking to elevate your vape quality, you need good wicks. I've heard of good things from Kurin Joki and decided that I have to try them out. I got mine at Baguio Vapery for Php 60.00 per 10 pads.

© Kurin Joki Organic Cotton shot by Angelo Cantero

First impressions:

Kurin Joki Organic Cotton comes in a nice and durable resealable plastic pouch. It contains 10 pads each per pack. Each pad is almost the same size as Muji, Kurin being slightly longer in length. Consistency is good -- the pads are tightly packed. There is also minimal trace of cotton seed husks.

Here are the pros and cons in my opinion:

Pros:

Durability - Kurin Joki organic cotton is more durable than the ordinary Muji cotton pads. The fibers are more tightly packed -- this lets users to fully fluff the pads to make scottish roll wicks. I noticed that Muji cotton pads are easier to pinch to take out strands while Kurin Joki pads have more heft to them.

Flavor - I noticed that Kurin Joki offers a cleaner taste. Sometimes grime and oil find their way from our fingers into our cotton wicks during prep time thus prompting some to 'prime' their wicks by briefly setting them on fire using a lighter. I found myself sticking to regular saturation and firing the Kurin Joki cotton (I kept it to 3 quick pulses.) I've been using one of my favorite e-liquids (one that I've vaped on for almost 4 months so I know how it's supposed to taste like) and was surprised at how vibrant the flavor was. I tasted new notes in the e-liquid that I haven't before with Muji.

Ease of use - The packaging added some points to this since it was more durable than the regular plastic baggies that Muji cotton pads usually come in when bought from local vape shops. The Kurin Joki pads are also fairly easy to fluff out without fully ripping it apart. This is a plus point for me.

Now down to the cons:

Difficult to find - I live in Bulacan, I bought this pack in Baguio. That's 200+ kilometers. I've been meaning to get a pack for months now but only got to it since there are no local vape shops in my area that carry it. That's a con for me. Maybe in the near future, Kurin Joki could expand their distribution so their products can be available in other areas.

Price - Php 60.00 per pack of 10 pads is fairly more expensive than the usual P25.00 per pack of 5 pads of Muji cotton. That could be a hard con for people who are on a budget. But if you ask me, the flavor is leaps and bounds better with Kurin Joki compared to Muji so you get the bang for your buck.

That's about all I have to say for the cons.

Summary: Good upgrade in terms of flavor and durability. I can say that I would suggest this brand to people I know who's looking for other cotton alternatives.

You can find them at their Facebook page so you can stay updated which shops near you are carrying their product. From what I heard, they'll be releasing a premium line so that is exciting news.

Thanks for reading! If you like what you read, please share with other fellow vapers. Comment down below your reactions. I highly encourage discussion just in case I missed out on other details.