Which vendors currently stand out as the best on the board?

[IronCircuit]

I'd like to hear what everyone thinks about the vendors they personally favor among those highlighted on the board. Lately there have been a few slip ups, which has pushed testing expectations higher, made quality control demands stricter, and led a number of vendors to tighten things up with more extensive and up-to-date COAs.

When you're sizing up the best choices, which criteria carry the most weight for you, such as proper batching, COAs that match, and dependable third-party testing?

Which ones do you consider the most consistent when it comes to meeting some of those criteria?

 

[BBA1969]

Honestly, the things I care about most are how reputable a vendor is, what they charge, and whether there's a strong chance the peps actually make it to my front door. The order isn't set in stone.

 

[Grogu]

IronCircuit said:


When evaluating the best options, what criteria matter most to you including proper batching, matching COAs, and reliable third-party testing?

Click to expand...

COAs from vendors don't carry any weight with me. What I do appreciate is a vendor that at minimum runs some kind of testing process, and I also favor vendors with a strong enough following that I can locate or put together independent testing groups.

Whether a "best" vendor even exists, I can't say. Asking other people who they think is "best" probably isn't the smartest approach, and it certainly doesn't replace doing your own due diligence and research. No matter how highly rated a vendor is, they're great right up until they aren't. Even vendors with a consistent track record end up with batches that go bad. Any one of us is a single purchase away from getting scammed or having something bad happen. Personally, I don't rate vendors or recommend them.

 

[Just A Cat]

You get to choose:

1. Fast

2. Good

3. Cheap

At most, you can have 2 out of 3. So which vendor do you go with?

 

[Bioexplorer]

Grogu said:

COAs from vendors don't carry any weight with me. What I do appreciate is a vendor that at minimum runs some kind of testing process, and I also favor vendors with a strong enough following that I can locate or put together independent testing groups.

Whether a "best" vendor even exists, I can't say. Asking other people who they think is "best" probably isn't the smartest approach, and it certainly doesn't replace doing your own due diligence and research. No matter how highly rated a vendor is, they're great right up until they aren't. Even vendors with a consistent track record end up with batches that go bad. Any one of us is a single purchase away from getting scammed or having something bad happen. Personally, I don't rate vendors or recommend them.

I agree with Grogu. Check the vendor's TG, and if group test invites are scarce, that vendor should be passed over. Testing isn't something you have to do yourself for it to matter — frequent testing keeps vendors honest, and when a genuine safety issue exists, most testing groups will publish their findings.

Problems will still come up, though. JKL, ERP, and WBS all ship out of one warehouse, so locating a test for a given batch is simple, yet each individual supplier will only accept results if the exact vial tested came from them. When it comes to the incretins, BFF is likely the most heavily tested supplier and almost always comes back good, but complaints about gelling and potency have started to appear. Then you have the 'reliable' suppliers who publicly fail, like XTP.

GYC Lisa has a fair amount of testing behind them, their posted COAs aren't wildly outdated, and nothing negative has come up about them lately. On top of that, they've been around for a while, their website is easy to navigate, and shipping within the US is quick. None of this amounts to a recommendation, mind you — sooner or later they'll run into problems too.

 

[McFatty]

My pick would have to be BBA. Why they aren't on this forum anymore is a mystery to me. I keep up with their telegram group religiously. As far as I can recall, only one bad test has come up, and it got addressed quickly. I could be wrong. My last few orders have been with ERP, but the way they dealt with the Elora selank mix up really put me off.