ear wax is just the same shit different name, you've been duped. i have smoked for over 30 years too, big whoopee. grown weed since 1985ish. but thats all irrelevant to the fact that budder, bud oil and ear wax(ear wax and budder two different names for the same thing, oil is the same thing in a non crystallized/pasted form) are the same potency, if made from the same type of weed, and made properly. im not sure what your particular ear wax( gross name btw) was made with, but butane oil is tested as high as potency any extract, and it will whip into a buddery/pasted/ear wax composition usually fairly easily. if the ear wax you recall was amazing, its most likely attributable to it being made from really good dope, an excellent strain.