Beard Gains has a good selection of juices overall, with every single e-liquid being enjoyable in its own right and some nice combinations to explore if you’re up for some experimentation. As far as craft mixers go, they probably aren’t up there with the best of the bunch, but they’re definitely head and shoulders above the standard vaping fare.
Although you’ve got to pick up a 30 ml bottle, for $19.99 it’s a pretty good deal (at the time of writing, they’re buy one get one free – so it’s even better) and the juices all have what it takes to keep you coming back for more. If you feel like taking a chance on a craft mixer, Beard Gains is definitely a good choice.
It’s not every day you review an e-liquid made by a company specializing in beard accessories and oils (as well as wax for your Victorian-style ‘stache), but Beard Gains has made that a reality. It goes without saying that it doesn’t feel like Beard Gains’ e-juice is going to be an absolute knockout, but given that we’d think nothing of an e-liquid from an independent, newly-formed company, perhaps the fact that this company happens to already specialize in facial hair-care shouldn’t discourage us at all.
They have six e-liquids on offer (with three more due for release soon) – largely fruit options, with two marshmallow varieties – and boast a “craft e-liquid” experience for $19.99 per 30 ml bottle (at the time of writing, they’re also on buy one get one free). So, should vapers take a chance on this craft mixer? Or should they stick to helping everyone cultivate thick, healthy facial hair? Our Beard Gains E-Juice review puts the liquid to the test.
Packaging and Design
Beard Gains has really knocked it out of the park here. The design looks awesome, with the bearded skull logo prominent on each bottle but accompanied by various background graphics, from the Rome Coliseum to city skylines and ethereal colors, the juices definitely stand out. The name of the juice is clearly displayed on each (although there are two, one that seems like the official name and another more playful option, for example, Banana Breading is also known as Gladiator), along with your chosen nicotine level and all of the expected warnings.
The juices come in glass bottles with an included dripper. The only critique on the bottling front is the lack of child-proofing, but for any responsible vaper this really isn’t an issue (children and pets can only reach up so high, so it’s easily avoided). The bottles also have a green tint, which adds to the striking appearance but is admittedly disconcerting until you realize the juice is the usual beige-brown to yellow hue rather than a noxious-looking green.
Mixing Options
There are five nicotine levels available from Beard Gains, 0, 3, 6, 12 and 18 mg/ml, offering plenty of choice for most vapers, with the only exception being just-switching smokers who may prefer a 24 mg/ml option. As for PG/VG ratio, it’s fixed at 30/70, making it a VG-heavy set of juices providing thick clouds of vapor and only a mild-to-moderate throat hit. This is again perfect for many vapers, and although I personally opt for closer to a 50/50 mix if given the choice, most will find the option available from Beard Gains more than suitable. Perhaps some more choice would have been better, but the options available are great for already-converted vapers.
Beard Gains E-Juice Flavors
Dapple – Rating 3.5/5
Accuracy: This is “double apple,” or in other words, strong apple, and although the description is vague enough to make this fairly easy, they’ve definitely accomplished what they set out to. The apple comes through thick and strong on the inhale and the nose, rounding out a little as you exhale. The taste is pretty realistic, too, capturing the genuine aroma of apple without wandering off into candy-like sweetness; it’s a nice, smooth and refined hit of apple.
Overall: Dapple is one of those e-liquids that makes for a pleasant vape but doesn’t really have that extra something to push it into “amazing” territory. The best thing about it is undeniably the strength of the apple flavor and how realistically it’s captured, managing to achieve the mouth-watering quality you can get with many well-made fruity vapes. The main issue is really that apple e-liquid is hardly a ground-breaking idea: it’s well done, but still ultimately a one-note flavor.
Water Pearple – Rating 4/5
Accuracy: This is billed as a “candied watermelon” juice, with elements of pear implied by the name. Although watermelon is the main advertised ingredient, and it is detectable as an undertone throughout your draw, the pear elements and candy sweetness really take center-stage in this e-liquid. The watermelon is most detectable towards the start of your draw, and does evoke memories of the fruit, but the pear is particularly well-captured, and blends more comfortably with the sweetness that dominates the taste.
Overall: This is a really nice e-liquid, striking a fantastic balance between the sweet and the fruity elements to make a definite all-day-vape. The main downside is the slightly synthetic-tasting nature of the sweetness, but since you’re buying a “candied” e-liquid it isn’t really much of a surprise, and it works very well with the pear in particular.
Marsh Light – Rating 4.5/5
Accuracy: This is a light marshmallow e-liquid, as opposed to the heavier marshmallow offered by Mash Mallow, the other sweet e-liquid offered by Beard Gains. The marshmallow is easily identifiable, and the e-liquid does a nice job of capturing the light, fluffy sweetness of the real deal. The sweetness again comes across as a little synthetic, but overall you get what’s promised with this e-liquid.
Overall: Despite the odd character of the sweetness, this is among my two favorites from the Beard Gains line-up thanks to the mellow, almost creamy flavor. It’s another all-day-vape candidate, having plenty of flavor to keep you coming back for more but stopping short of becoming sickly-sweet. An excellent option, overall.
Mash Mallow – Rating 3.5/5
Accuracy: This is described in numerous ways by Beard Gains (mainly as a custardy marshmallow juice), but the overall picture is illustrated pretty clearly by the difference in the alternate names for this and Marsh Light: Dope and Too Dope. Whereas Marsh Light is somewhat subtle, Mash Mallow whacks you over the head with a strong hit of sweetness and notable citrusy, lemon elements riding in top of the flavor. One of the many descriptions offered is “marshmallow lemon cake,” and this seems like the most accurate based on the taste.
Overall: This is a pretty good e-liquid, but it loses out a little because it really is Too Dope: the flavor has all the subtlety and finesse of a sledgehammer. It’s good for an occasional treat, with the sweetness and lemon working well together, but it’s way too overpowering to be an all day vape. Additionally, and this may seem worse due to the lemon, but the synthetic, candy element of the sweetness is a bit too notable here, taking you aback a little when you first vape it.
Melon Cumber – Rating 4.5/5
Accuracy: This melon and cucumber juice promises a clean, fresh vape, and from the first taste it delivers. The melon imparts and inherent sweetness to the flavor, more like a honeydew melon than a watermelon, and then the cucumber rides in on top, impressively true to the genuine taste and adding a unique quality to the juice. The taste definitely comes through as clean and fresh, but with a complexity and warmth coming from the cucumber that adds another layer to the flavor.
Overall: An excellent juice that does a fantastic job of capturing the taste of cucumber but helps it go down easily with the aid of the sweetness and hints of fruitiness from the melon. The taste is soft enough to keep you coming back for more, but it has enough backbone to make every puff robust and delicious. Although personal preference puts Banana Breading and Marsh Light ahead of it for me, if the melon-cucumber combo appeals, this could well be your favorite from the line-up.
Banana Breading – Rating 4.5/5
Accuracy: As the name suggests, this is a banana bread e-liquid, but the emphasis is firmly on the banana. The banana is unavoidably robust, hitting you immediately and never letting up throughout your draw. There’s a sharpness to the banana, but it also brings enough sweetness along with it that ensures it goes down easily. The only downside in terms of accuracy is that the bread element isn’t really detectable; it’d be more accurately described as a straight-up banana.
Overall: Despite the lack of a bread component to the flavor, this juice is immensely enjoyable, being one that you can keep going back to and a definite all day vape for me. The powerful nature of the banana carries the e-liquid on its own, and even though the flavor has overtones of alcohol and some bite, it works almost inexplicably well. The juice would have possibly been made even better if there was a detectable bread element, but when the flavor turns out this well it doesn’t really matter. Don’t fix what isn’t broken, as they say.
Mixing Experiments
One of the big selling-points Beard Gains is pushing is the fact that their juices are “made to mix,” meaning that they’ve been blended to be amenable to self-made flavor combinations. So to test out that element, here are some brief results from our experimentation with combining the juices:
Dapple and Marsh Light: This combination was suggested by the mixer, and admittedly adds a little something to the Dapple, with the soft sweetness of the marshmallow juice really rounding out the apple while still keeping hints of it present throughout your draw.
Water Pearple and Banana Breading: These flavors blend together pretty nicely, but they neutralize each other a little, producing a flavor with a hint of both of the original blends but that loses out on what makes each really shine. Not unpleasant, still, but a disappointing combination overall.
Marsh Light and Banana Breading: Because how can you not combine your two favorites? The result here is pretty good – the flavors meld together nicely, giving you moments of each juice dominating but a lightly sweetened banana taste overall.
Melon Cumber and Water Pearple: This fruity concoction is a knock-out mix, burying the cucumber slightly lower in the mix but replacing it with the sweetness from the Water Pearple, making it the best combination from our mixing experiments by a substantial margin.
If you're looking for new awesome e-juice flavors, check out our new list of the top 20 best vapor liquids, as voted by vaping experts and the community.