VAPE Magazine October 2016 by Matt Schramel

OCTOBER 2016

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• Exceeds GMP regulations • Machine frame designed to support H.E.P.A. Filter with Laminar flow. Allows a controlled air quality environment within the machine enclosure. • ISO 5 Class A&B conditions compatible with Pharmaceutical applications. • FDA Compliant • OSHA Complaint (euroguard enclosure with safety locks for operator safety) • IQ/OQ Validation Protocol (Installation and Operational documentation) • DQ Design Qualification Protocol • FS/DS Functional Design Specification • HDS/SDS Hardware/Software Design Specification • FAT Protocol Package • All product contact parts in Stainless Steel 316L. • C.I.P (Clean in Place) flushing system to avoid any risk of cross contamination

NEWS, BUSINESS & CULTURE VAPE Magazine is the only international vaping industry focused magazine with more than 35,000 readership in the United States, Europe and Asia, where vaping professionals find the latest news, products and trends. EDITORIAL Publisher Matt Schramel content@vapemz.com 800-958-6427 x2 Editor in Chief Corey Noles Managing Editor Chris Mellides Social Media Manager Eric Vonheim Art Director Van Avanzado Graphic Designers Joe Buehner, Laura Camp, Lauren Ellsworth, Matt Ritzenthaler, Anil Verma Director of Photography Ezra Zuniga Webmaster Axel Gillespie

letter from the editor:

Contributors Steffanie Atkins, Norm Bour, John Castle, Sarah George, Nick Green, Patricia Kovacevic, Sam McClelland, Chris Mellides, Corey Noles, Susan Oser, Tony Ottomanelli

Dear readers, Welcome back to another issue of VAPE Magazine!

ADMINISTRATIVE

We have a lot of good stuff in store for you this month. First, make sure to check out our Holiday Gift Guide with tons of great gift ideas for the vapers in your life! Senior Writer Norm Bour has a piece on survival in the post-regulatory world that’s a must read for business owners and vapers alike. Writer Tony Ottomanelli also has a piece on a new documentary entitled Beyond the Cloud that you’ll want to see. In addition, we have reviews on a variety of hardware including the Rig Pig, the Smok TFV8 and the Cync. On a more serious note, in an effort to further streamline the editorial process and continue to grow our staff, we’ve decided that an additional managerial role was needed within the newsroom. I am both pleased and excited to announce that one of our own, writer Chris Mellides, has been named Managing Editor of VAPE Magazine. Chris will be helping with editing responsibilities as well as with the website — which will also see improvements in the comings months. He will continue his writing duties, as we have always considered him a valuable member of the staff!

Chief Executive Officer Matt Schramel Co-Owner/Vice President Jon Laverde Executive Assistant Erin Aly ADVERTISING Mike Schramel, mike@vapemz.com 800-958-6427 x1 Jon Laverde, jon@vapemz.com 800-958-6427 x4 Jacob Barger, jacob@vapemz.com 949-910-2138 China-based advertisers contact Wingle Group Electronics LTD +852 51759256 dev@winglegroup.com CONTACT Advertising sales@vapemz.com News news@vapemz.com New Products newproducts@vapemz.com

Thanks for reading!

Employment jobs@vapemz.com

Corey Noles Editor in Chief

VAPE Magazine is wholly owned by Starpixel Marketing LLC 2230 Highland Hill Dr., St. Peters, MO 63376 info@vapemz.com 800-958-6427

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/ VapeMZ

table of contents COLUMNS

EVENTs

21 A Letter from Right 2 Be Smoke Free 36 A Staggered Mess

82 Vape Shop Events 97 Warsaw: The Event That Wasn’t 110 Chicago

110

36 59

Downloaded Forms May Not Be Enough

When Starting a Business

Ask Grimm Green

34 45

Just in Juices

Mods & Tech 41 Smok TFV8 Review 104 Cync Review 107 Rig Pig Review

Features 16 Holiday Buyer’s Guide 22 Survival in the Post-Regulatory World 51 Beyond the Cloud — A Documentary

45 34

63 Juice Judge 91 Vape Visionary: Jess-Marie Cornell

51 54 Deeming Rule is in effect — Now what? 74 The Growing European Vape Market 86 St. Louis Vapers Battle T21 Legislation

107 Departments 12 Letter from the Editor 29 Scenic Vapers

86 115 14

Protecting your Trademark #VAPEMAGAZINE

91 97

Vape Shop Events

Features

Holiday Gift Compiled by Corey Noles

Vapemats

Website: vapemats.com MSRP: $10 - $20 Are you trying to buy for a builder? Or even just a vaper who spends a lot of time at their desk? One of these sexy Vapemats could be the perfect gift. They come in a variety of sizes and styles - with custom designs available. The Ohio-based company has some killer gift ideas for the budget friendly holiday shopper.

The Impatient Clothing

Website: theimpatientclothing.com MSRP: $10 - $12 An old fashioned apparel brand, with the best modern designs drawing inspiration from the vapor and tattoo industries. All designs are hand drawn by tattoo artist Nate Cadillac. All products are hand stitched or hand printed. These shirts are sure to please any vaper.

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Features

Buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide ZampleBox

Website: zamplebox.com MSRP: $19.99 - $44.99 per month ZampleBox is a subscription-based e-liquid service. Customers choose a package ranging from 3-11 bottles per month, and enter their flavor preferences into an easy-to-use algorithm. Then each month, the customer receives a box of juices tailored to fit their specific preferences. Any vaper can find something here to please them.

Vapperelle

Website: ezcloudcompany.com/collections/vapperelle MSRP: $25 Another new clothing line for vapers by vapers. Vapperelle is an everyday vaping essential, simple round-neck t-shirts are cut from 100% cotton with an extra-soft feel. A straight fit, short sleeves. Other new Vapperelle clothing is coming soon.

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Sigelei J80

Website: globalvaping.com MSRP: $54 At one time or another, every vaper needs a small device in their arsenal. The new Sigelei J80 should be that device. Compact yet powerful, this mod packs a 2000 mAh lipo battery offering a substantial improvement over mods of competing size and value. A convenient power switch, super responsive buttons and a scratch-resistant red and black coating top off this new offering. The mod is also available in a 150-watt model.

Quickwick

Website: wetwicksupply.com MSRP: $7.99 Here’s a cool idea for that friend who is always trying some new juice. Quit wasting your time ripping, cutting, twisting, measuring, AND trimming your cotton when it’s time to rewick. Quickwick lets you rewick your coils in seconds flat! It’s the perfect option for tasting parties, traveling, or any situation you’d rather not pull your whole kit out just to refresh your flavor.

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Mad Rabbit 48 Coil Pack Website: madrabbitwire.com MSRP: $25 Do you have a vaper in your life who loves wicked coils? Mad Rabbit wire has the ultimate gift - 48 custom made coils including claptons, aliens, tigers, hives, quads and much more. At $25, this is arguably the best value in the market for coils.

eFest 12000 mAh Power Bank

Website: vaporbeast.com MSRP: $30.49 Charge your electronic devices on the go with Efestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 12000 mAh Power Bank. Its massive internal battery will last you days on standby, and it can charge multiple devices before you have to charge the bank itself. Never worry about having to charge your devices on the wall as long as you keep the bank itself charged.

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Signature Carolina Tobacco

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COLUMNS

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Deliberate

Features

Survival in the Post Regulatory World

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Practice

Features

“It’s the end of the world as we know it,” claimed Michael Stipe from the rock group REM in 1987, and it seems that every decade an event or occasion pops up that makes us believe it. This year it happened in the form of the FDA deeming regulations. We were given a glimpse of these proposed guidelines in April 2014, and many speculated about whether the final decision would follow the initial draft document, or if it would be radically altered. There were concerns over the grandfather date, also known as the predicate date, and if it would be moved from February 2007 to August 2016. We wondered if guidelines would be created regarding the manufacturing of e-liquids, online sales and flavoring. The conclusion is that some things were addressed and others were not. In addition, some issues that were covered seemed vague. So now what? Deliberate Practice Some people are fortunate enough to be born with natural skills. Child prodigies that play piano before they can walk, runners that are naturally swift and beat everyone in the neighborhood, and savants that can recall where they were every day of their lives. These are natural born talents and are difficult if not impossible to learn. So how do we become “good” business people? For most, smart business sense is not a God-given talent, but is a skill honed by experience, by education, and by failure. It is said that experts are experts at maintaining high-levels of practice and improving performance, and that is the core of developing a smart business mind and a successful business. If you practice the wrong way, you will almost certainly be guaranteed to fail. The finance blog, Financial Digest defines “deliberate practice” as being “…a highly structured activity with the specific goal of improving performance.” Sounds simple enough, right? Yet many do it improperly. VAPEMZ.COM

Here are some easy and quick steps for running a successful vape business, or for that matter, any business:

Action Steps These are all good in concept, so let’s drill them down.

• Understand your market; which means, who you are and how you fit into the big picture. That includes business outside your city, state or country.

Understanding your market: Look outside your particular piece of the universe and understand what the vape space is doing. That means domestically, as well as internationally. This small circus run by cowboys just a few years ago is now a mainstream industry. We have advocates and political connections and legal teams and obstacles on a daily basis.

• Learn from those who are doing it right and better than you. Don’t copy them exactly, but pull out valuable lessons that you can incorporate into your business. • Surround yourself with a team that aligns with you. “You can fail by yourself, but you cannot succeed alone” is a quote I have repeated many times.

Learn from others: If you are in the e-liquid industry or have a retail shop, you will see others that are crushing it and doing it right. That doesn’t necessarily mean you are doing it wrong; it just means they may be better. Find out how and why. Don’t copy, but look at the lessons that can be learned.

• Find experts’ help and listen to them. These are usually people that can share “life lessons,” and they don’t have to be in your field.

Your team is vital and you can only be a control freak for so long. Delegation and trust can be difficult, but it’s important that you find a team of rowers to help you row your boat in tandem.

• Be open to and willing to partner, collaborate, work with others, etc. Use whatever terms you feel most comfortable using. “Let’s work together, dammit!”

Finding expert help can mean industry specific help or generic help. I have worked with over 800 different businesses in hundreds of different areas and found that most face the exact

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same challenges and have the identical problems. There is no lack of educational material and be sure to look outside the vaping industry. There are lessons to be learned that go back dozens if not hundreds of years. Think “The Art of War” or “Think and Grow Rich.” Collaboration is vital in today’s world. I can share a personal story of my business model called “Level 13 Liquids.” This is a private label store brand of dozens of flavors that any shop can offer. I almost abandoned the idea due to the August 8 product deadline since I was unable to bring my concept to market. Enter my new partners, “Small Batch” that had a business model which needed flavors and a quality laboratory. Now enter the third component, e-Pure Labs. They were able to offer flavors for my B2B model as well as Small Batches’ B2C model. It’s a win-win situation. Are You Here to Stay? When VapeMentors began in 2013, there were an estimated 1,500 vape shops in the nation and less than 500 e-liquid companies. Within a few years both these numbers grew exponentially

and at our peak may have reached 9,000 each. Those numbers will never reach that lofty plateau again and the space is shrinking already. By 2017 we may see those number cut by 50 percent and a year later, cut another 50 percent. Who will survive? Will it be you? Will you be crushing the competition and making a good living? Or will you look back and say, “I remember when…,” or “If only…” Don’t live in regret; the answers are in you. Let your mindset motivate you and allow deliberate practice to take you there. See you in 2018! Norm Bour is the founder of VapeMentors and creator of the VAPE U online programs. They offer services & resources for anyone in the vape space, including vape shops, online stores and e-liquid brands. He’s also the host of Vape Radio, the largest vaping radio show in the world with more than 1.3 M downloads. Norm interviews the masters of vape and thought leaders in the vape space. Contact him at norm@VapeMentors.com.

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DEPARTMENTS

Scenic Vapers

: In Pursuit of the Shoot with Tyler Price By Chris Mellides

Photographer: Tyler Price (@dripping_balls) In Frame: Leah Allison (@printcessleah) Location: A Field Just Outside Cranberry Township, PA

Traveling and photography are two activities that often go hand-in-hand. Photographers of varying skill don’t necessarily need to leave their immediate surroundings in order to get the perfect shot, but for Scenic Vapers co-founder Tyler Price, leaving his town in West Virginia in search of new photo destinations has always been well worth the effort. Together with his partner and fellow photographer Ian Silver, Price set out to encapsulate his love for the outdoors and his passion for vaping in the form of a photo project he and Silver call Scenic Vapers—where beautiful outdoor locations serve as the backdrop in photos that show vapers enjoying their hobby in the foreground.

Price has visited a number of different locations, setting up his tripod to capture life moments in cities like Chicago, Manhattan, Houston and Pittsburgh. While he makes the effort to embark on as many long-distance trips as his work schedule allows, Price says that he will often “look up all of the top tourist locations” around him to “help [him] find new locations to shoot.” “I find a lot of luck with State Parks,” Price said. “They are maintained and patrolled to ensure cleanliness and respect for Mother Nature.”

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Photographer: Chris Starcher (@dripmedia) In Frame: Tyler Price (@dripping_balls) Location: Cooperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rock State Forest, WV

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He added, “Some of my most favorite State Parks in West Virginia would have to be Blackwater Falls State Park for its well knows waterfalls, Babcock State Park for its beautiful water wheel mill, and Coopers Rock State Park for its gorgeous outlooks and trails.” Often joining him on his car rides to various photo destinations are a number of Price’s friends who usually serve as the models in his photography. “If not by myself, I always travel with friends to go shoot because it’s way more fun,” Price said. “Occasionally, I will meet a random person along the way and snap their photo, but for the most part it’s just me and my friends.” The 25-year-old photographer says that he tends to rely mostly on natural lighting in whatever environment he finds himself shooting in, and that the challenge is making sure that all of the key components are in place in order for him to get the most out of his photography. If he had to choose, Price said that his ideal time to shoot is during the golden hour, which refers to the time of day shortly before sunset when the daylight is redder and softer, which often translates to richer colors in photos. “My second favorite time is when I’m under the tree canopy with the sun high in the sky,” Price said. “This creates wonderful shadows and light to play with.” No matter the time of day, Price stresses the importance of always being prepared for a shoot, and that planning ahead of time and rounding up appropriate equipment beforehand can “make or break your day out in the field.” “You want to make sure your camera batteries are charged, that your SD card is formatted and in your camera, you have your tripod, all the gear you might need for the day’s shoot, and proper clothing/ gear to match the weather out there,” Price said. Always looking forward to future shoots and the challenges that come with them, Price is convinced that he’ll never be satisfied with simply returning to the places he’s visited and that the desire to explore new places is strong within him. “Besides getting that perfect shot you envisioned, the journey and memories you make along the way, to me, is the best part [of traveling],” Price said. “Travel and the love I have for this beautiful world will keep me busy for the rest of my life. Even if I get to see the whole world, I’ll be looking for that ticket to space.” No matter how experienced, all photographers are encouraged to join Tyler in enjoying the outdoors and including vapers as subjects in their work.

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Robert Hanson @ig.vape Shot by: Brett Hill @organicjunky Location: Sedona, Arizona

Photographer: Logan Wells (@mr_subohm) In Frame: Tyler Price (@dripping_balls) Location: Swallow Falls State Park, MD

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Photographer: Eric Solidum (@cire.mudilos) In Frame: Eric Solidum (@cire_mudilos) Location: Redondo Beach, CA Shirt: Brewell Vapory (@brewellmfg)

To submit your photo to Scenic Vapers #CloudCheck for VAPE submission consideration, follow @VapeMagazine @ScenicVapers @Drippin_Balls and @Jedi.Visions and #VapeMagazine #CloudCheck & #ScenicVapers on Instagram.

Ben Pauer @indigo_pauer Shot by: Ian Silver @Jedi.Visions Location: Sedona, Arizona

For the VAPE pictorial column, photos must be in high resolution, but for the IG page everyone has the chance for a feature.

In frame: Amanda Dawn @newagecleopatra Shot by: Becca Ruski @beccaruski Location: Red Rock Canyon, Nevada VAPEMZ.COM

DEPARTMENTS

By Nick Green

Photo by Metal Jeff

Grimm, I keep seeing people get bent out of shape about these closed systems like the Juul and the Cync, but I don’t understand the debate. What’s all the fuss about? Stef Youngblood Augusta, Maine

In my opinion a good all around cloud / flavor tank is the Mage From Coilart. I still also love the Kayfun V5 for pure flavor, as well as the Serpent Mini 24mm from Wotofo. Any of the above would be a very solid purchase. -Grimm

Hey Stef! I truly and honestly don’t know what all the fuss is about. I think vapers have the association that small “cig-alike” devices are associated somehow with big tobacco. While that might be true for lots of models like the Mark10, The newer closed system devices like the Cync or the VonErl are made by vapers and for vapers.

I love my new Recoil!! How does a project like that come together? Terry Acheson Palm Beach, Florida

We need to remember that while fun and satisfying to a lot of people. Sub-Ohm cloud chasing hardware will generally not be appealing to current smokers. Something like the Cync or the JUUL could quite literally save someone’s life. Vapers just need to relax. -Grimm

Hi Nick! What do you think is the best tank on the market today for clouds and flavor? Petros Ryers Ann Arbor, Michigan Hey Petros! Lots of really great tanks on the market these days. “Tanks” is such a vague term though. Are you after a rebuildable? RTA, RDTA? Sub-Ohm coil heads? Genesis style?

Hey Terry! Only two things are needed for a project like that. Creativity and money. Lots and lots of money. The Recoil RDA was a bit unique in that it was all self funded. We created the design, the logos, the airflow. Did all the marketing ourselves, and contracted a manufacturer for the production process. This way we could have the final say in everything that went into the RDA. Often times people will contact a large manufacturer like Wismec or Wotofo for help in production and creation. Going down that road is a lot less costly, but also a lot less “hands on” in my opinion. We wanted everything on the RDA to be exactly the way we wanted, and the only way to truly accomplish that, without compromises, is to fund it yourself. Glad you’re enjoying the RDA! -Grimm

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MESS

A Staggered

columns

#VAPEMAGAZINE

COLUMNS By SAM McCLELLAND

In the last two articles we’ve covered the Fused Clapton in two variations. This article we’ll be covering yet another variation but a variation that, much like the tri-core alien, brings what seems to be a depth to the flavor production that the “standard” Fused Clapton just doesn’t offer and is somewhat of a markable difference. As I stated previously, the Fused Clapton is in fact a much more flavorful vaping coil than your standard macro coil. After all,, the wetter the coil the cooler the coil will be which allows a much more flavorful experience. However, when that vapor production is happening with a “standard” Fused Clapton the two cores are making direct contact with one another. Hence the term, “fused.” The contact that is made with some other variations of builds can allow for a bit of clogging of vapor exhaustion which will heat up that vapor. So, staggering the Clapton is the solution to what some may view as an issue.

The issue being that when e-juice reaches a high temperature it can become unsafe so we as builders, well some of us, seek out ways to keep those builds cool while keeping a consistent and even wicking ability to the coil itself.

Staggering or spacing higher gauge wire over a lower gauge core wire then fusing that wire together will create a space where the fused portion is the is what is touching and leaves a bit of breathing room in-between. This boule type will still achieve the desired capability that the “standard” fused Clapton offers as far as trapping juice and wicking well but those spaces that are created seem to add that depth of flavor by allowing a bit more juice to be trapped in-turn allowing the coil to stay cooler during its ramp up until finally VAPORS!

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The staggered fused Clapton because of not only its functionality but sexiness brought on an onslaught of variations with staggering such as, the staggered framed staple, the staple staggerton, half stagger, staggered framed multicore, multicore stagger where up to 13 cores of 30 gauge have been used, staggered aliens etc, etc...

My suggestion, if you’re a new builder, be sure to know your batteries limits and the limits of your device. Don’t be silly and go messing up that pretty face that your mother worked so hard on creating by experimenting with low ohm builds in an unsafe manor.

Also, take a few minutes and check out those tutorial videos. They are well worth your time and those gentlemen know what they are talking about when it comes to successfully pulling off these builds and are doing you a great service by telling you what you’ll need know in order to do so.

This type of build during its conception was some what of a wasteful build type. While this coil type was innovated by @squidoode on Instagram I personally learned how to build this type of coil by watching the Staggered Clapton build video tutorial on TwistedMesses YouTube channel where Kent shows how to parallel wrap the wire and then remove one of them to create the spacing. Again, this method is how I make these coils to this day. However, @ r4yb4d_tvl introduced a loop method for creating that same consistent spacing that most builders use and is much more efficient in the usage of wire. To see this method in use check The Art of Vaping and Effect Coil Art on YouTube where @squidoode and @d4vidsm17h show how this loop method can be applied.

Please advocate for your right to continue vaping with the latest products on the market! Write letters, send emails, do all you can to keep this industry alive. Thank you. Sam McClelland @builds_and_junk @Build_Mode Hunk

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DEPARTMENTS MOD TECH

Smok TFV8: ” By John Castle

Introduction As atomizers have continued to improve over the last year, designers have begun to specialize in key concept areas, often having to choose between better flavor or bigger clouds in their products offerings. In our previous issue, I explored the Wismec Theorem, which aims to satisfy the flavor aficionado. This time, I’ll be taking a look at the TFV8 “Cloud Beast” by Smok. Testing Notes I tested the TFV8 on the Hohm Slice 101 watt temperature control mod. Due to the mod’s 101 watt upper limit, I was restricted to testing the TFV8 with the V8-Q4 atomizer head installed; Smok brands the atomizer heads for the TFV8 as “Hyper Engines”, and for the sake of simplicity, they’ll be referred to hereafter as “head(s).” The V8-Q4 head was tested in variable wattage mode at a constant 101 watts; Smok advises that this head is rated for a wattage range of between 50-180 watts, but recommends between 90-150 watts, so I expected 101 watts to be slightly on the low end of that recommended spectrum. Presentation The TFV8 arrived in an extremely user-friendly package. After removing a layer of shrink wrap, one need only slide a stylishly illustrated and informative wraparound sleeve from the box, then lift the lid to expose the contents. Those contents include: • 1x Assembled TFV8, with pre-installed V8-T8 head • 1x V8-Q4 head • x V8 RDA rebuildable atomizer deck (with pre-installed dual Clapton coils, not wicked) • 1x Replacement tank glass • 1x User Manual • 1x baggie of assorted items, including two rubber “bumpers” for the tank (One black, and one orange) a 510 drip tip adapter, etc. Packages of replacement coil heads are similarly frustration-free; simply open the top of the box and slide out a foil blister pack containing the three enclosed replacement heads.

Specs And Features We’ll take the TFV8 from the top. A very wide-bore delrin mouthpiece caps off this device. The mouthpiece can be removed, and an included 510 drip tip adapter will allow the user to use a drip tip of his or her choice. Beneath that, the top cap conceals a soft rubber gasket with a slot-shaped refill port. In order to refill the device, the user need only apply enough pressure to swivel the hinged top cap horizontally in order to expose this gasket. Closing the top cap after refiling is just as simple, and similarly requires a good deal of applied finger/ hand strength. As tested, the TFV8 with the V8-Q4 head has an e-liquid capacity of approximately 5.5-6ml. The wall of the expansive tank is glass. However, it is not disclosed whether the tank is pyrex or some other glass type. Beneath the tank wall, the base features raised squares for the purpose of unscrewing the tank from your mod. It is under these squares that the user finds the airflow control. Finally, we arrive at a standard 510-threaded connection. Ergonomics And Build Quality The first thing the user ought to notice about this tank is that it is cosmetically flawless out of the box. The second thing the user may notice, whether opening the device to fill it up for the first time, adjusting the airflow, or unscrewing the tank from its base to change the pre-installed coil head, is that this device is built to extremely tight tolerances. It will take a fair degree of strength to perform any of the aforementioned tasks successfully. I honestly don’t know

VAPEMZ.COM VAPEMZ.COM

411

DEPARTMENTS whether to classify this observation as a pro, a con or both. The threading on the TFV8 itself is pleasantly smooth. While the threading on the V8 rebuildable deck does feel slightly less so. Performance The performance of the TFV8 will depend largely on the user’s ability to pump the proper wattage into it. In my case, my most powerful mod is able to deliver only the lower end of the least powerful coil head’s recommended wattage range. With that said, the TFV8 delivers outstanding performance. The flavor I get isn’t quite as vivid as I would expect from a rebuildable dripping atomizer; however, it’s extremely satisfactory. Throat hit is quick and solid, but it is its visual vapor output that Smok brags about here, and they are well within that right. My work desk is approximately eight feet away from my living room door, and I can exhale a cloud while sitting at the desk, then watch it hit the living room door and spread outward. Taking into account, once again, that I’m running the quad-coil head rather than the octuplet coil. Running that coil at the lower end of its recommended range makes for extraordinary vapor production for a sub-ohm tank. On the other hand, this device goes through e-liquid quite rapidly. Were I able to push it at higher wattages, I imagine that the e-liquid consumption would be even more pronounced. Recommendation And Conclusion Here are the pros and cons I’ve found for the TFV8:

Pros: Price Point: The TFV8 can be purchased for $29.50 (plus shipping) from MyVaporeStore.com E-liquid Capacity: 5-6ml is generous and, provided you don’t chain vape, it should get you through most short outings Performance: This device delivers excellent flavor and throat hit, as well as absolutely living up to Smok’s nickname for it. It is a cloud beast! Build Quality: Tightly machined and cosmetically beautiful Cons: Ergonomics: Because it is so tightly machined, it takes burly finger power to open and close for refills E-liquid consumption: At its recommended wattage, this device promises to guzzle e-liquid Wattage requirements: Many users may not yet have mods that can properly power this device So, would I recommend the TFV8? I give it a qualified “yes.” If you have, or are willing to upgrade to a mod that can kick out the high wattages that these coils demand, and if you don’t mind the device’s tendency to guzzle e-liquid, there’s little chance that you’ll find another product equal to the TFV8 with respect to price and performance.

VAPEMZ.COM #VAPEMAGAZINE

DEPARTMENTS

Compiled by Chris Mellides

FRUITS 1

1 HISS TANK from Cold Fusion Hiss Tank, an all-day vape for many Cold Fusion Juice fans, explodes with sweet raspberry on the inhale and a delightful dragon fruit kick on the exhale. Definitely a fan favorite of the ladies. https://coldfusionjuice.com

2 First Thangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First from Dem Thangs Fresh strawberries and ripe bananas sliced up and mixed into a creamy yogurt for a smooth, satisfying vape. Flavorful, but not overbearing. Absolutely worthy of being called your next all-day vape. https://www.instagram.com/demthangs_ny/

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3 3 Island Smoothie from Sugarloaf Vapor A silky 80 VG/20 PG fruit smoothie featuring strawberry, banana, and coconut flavors. Island Smoothie’s tropical flavor and smooth creamy exhale make for a great ADV. No artificial colors or sweeteners are used here, so vape with confidence! http://sugarloafvapor.net

4 Pearamel from Teardrip Juice Co. Pearamel is a delicious sugar torched pear draped with a sweet caramel drizzle. With the distinction of “Best Tree Fruit” from Craft Vapery and “Best Overall E-liquid” line from Vape Summit Houston, the masses have spoken and it’s now your turn to be the judge. http://teardripjuiceco.com

DESSERTS

5 Cream N Cookies from Royale Vapery

A 70 VG/30 PG mix, Cream N Cookies brings forth a classic treat loved by all—a cookie ice cream sandwich. The rich flavor of decadent, thick, chocolate chip cookies get stuffed with creamy vanilla ice cream for a pleasurable vaping experience. http://royalevapery.com

6 Strawberry Cookie Butter from Vaper Treats A warm and creamy freshly baked cookie, drizzled with butter and ripe, succulent strawberries. http://vapertreats.com

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7 Bear Claw from DRPN Donuts A fan favorite and DRPN’s first flavor release, Bear Claw has a nice taste of apple pie rounded out with a very slight touch of cinnamon. It’s not too overpowering, and if you’ve never tried it, it’s time you were acquainted. http://drpnvape.co

8 Unicorn Cake from White Lightning Liquids So tasty you’ll want to try it for yourself, this 80 VG/20 PG blend is the most popular flavor in the White Lightning Liquids line and is comparable to a piece of sweet cake layered with strawberry cream and milk icing. It’s as mythical and legendary as the unicorn. 60ml and 120ml pricing is available. https://arkansaseliquid.com/collections/white-lightning-liquids

9 Jada Joose from Full Moon Vapors A New York style cheesecake served with a twist. Jada Joose is a rich and creamy dessert treat piled high with mouthwatering peaches! https://www.instagram.com/fullmoonvapors/

10 HUNGR Feast from THRST E-Liquid HUNGR Feast from THRST E-Liquid is a top of the line 60ml that tastes exactly like a key-lime milkshake. It’s been flying off shelves across the nation, and vapers can’t seem to get enough. See what all the buzz is about and feel the thirst! http://thethrstisreal.com

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TOBACCOS

11 DJANGO from 13th Floor Elevapors This 70 VG/30 PG blend is a nice vanilla milk coupled with creamy caramel and a hint of actual Kentucky flue cured tobacco leaf on the exhale. Experience a wonderful caramel vape-uccino! http://13thfloorelevapors.com

12 CCD3 from Charlie’s Chalk Dust A 70 VG/30 PG blend, this e-liquid flavor explosion is a savory sea salt caramel ice cream that’s sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and titillate your taste buds. http://charlieschalkdust.com

WILD CARD

13 Pistachio RY4 from Charlie Noble Admiral’s Reserve Bright pistachio, layered with a delicious blend of vanilla, caramel and light tobacco. The flavors play off one another to create a smooth and sophisticated vape. http://charlienoble.com

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Cloud:

Features

BEYOND THE

A DOCUMENTARY FILM More Documentary Films about Vaping Finally Emerging

have always wondered why there aren’t more people attempting to produce documentary films about the vaping phenomenon. It’s not an easy venture to execute, but it is surely an adventure beneficial to any willing to contribute. Thus, I was under the assumption when I began researching possible vaping documentaries that there would be a long list. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen some exquisite 10-15 minute short documentaries that covered vaping, but many of them just seemed like promotional videos or a plea to the general public to show how fantastic vaping truly is, which is very entertaining and commendable. However, where were all the balanced feature films that were produced under logical viewpoints? It was a question that went unanswered. That is until I met Ghyslain Armand from the Vaping Post: www.vapingpost.com. Armand is the filmmaker behind a soon-to-be-released feature length documentary, which investigates answers about why vaping has

become such a complicated issue. The title of his film is “Beyond The Cloud.” The film was fully financed by the VAPEXPO, where Armand had already spent a few years of his professional career. Since 2013, Armand was in charge of the Trades Fair Conferences held at the VAPEXPO in Paris. As a matter of fact, vaping personality Phil Busardo makes a brief appearance in the film. So, Busardo interviewed Armand on one of his YouTube videos. Busardo says he remembers meeting Armand at the EXPO in Paris a couple years back and was very impressed with Armand’s level of professionalism—especially with how he was able to showcase the overall appearance of the conferences portion in the VAPEXPO Trades Fair. What is most important about this film is that its creator did not make it with the intention of generating large amounts of money in return. “It’s a free movie,” Armand explains. He also points out that, “This is not a film based on pure advocacy—we are not seeking out some hidden truth. We’re simply

VAPEMZ.COM

By Tony Ottomanelli II

illustrating an exploration of why vaping is so complicated.” He added, “Basically, to reveal the complexity of the debate and hoping people learn from it in some way.” I asked Armand to summarize his film in one sentence. As challenging as this might seem, he quickly responded by saying, “The story of smokers who don’t want to die.” After hearing this answer to what I expected would be a difficult question to reply to, I was beginning to understand; this was going to be quite an undertaking for a filmmaker to execute properly, as if it was going to be a kind of documentary unlike any other than we may be used to seeing. After asking Armand what his primary motivators were to make this film, he told me that after setting up the conferences for the VAPEXPO in France, it seemed to appear as if the audience members were not very attentive. “So I told Patrick, my boss at VAPEXPO, let’s try to reinvent this and think outside the box.” Patrick then told Armand to think of a plausible idea and write

it down on paper, then type up a budgetary explanation for where he would need to travel and what he would attempt to accomplish. Armand tells the brief story of a woman in the film who was diagnosed with lung cancer from years of smoking. Needless to say, she switched to vaping and so her story was, according to Armand, “very touching and has the potential to generate a lot of empathy and emotion among the viewers of this film.” Armand recalls one of the times he spoke with a doctor in France, who told him something truly interesting. “When you speak with experts, the one’s who are against vaping, are the one’s who don’t spend much time around smokers,” Armand said. It is obvious that this was a statement by the doctor that resonated with Armand a great idea. For the purposes of this particular film,Armand, along with his videographer, Sebastian Duijndam, traveled to shoot footage in France, Switzerland, and Poland. They also travelled to the U.S. in order to interview individuals in California and New York, including some key representatives from Philip Morris International (PMI). It’s worth mentioning that it took Armand nearly six months to get an interview. Considering this, he explored the stance of the California Public Health Department’s Still Blowing Smoke campaign and the opposing ‘Not Blowing Smoke’ movement that is at odds with the California’s Public Health Department and has become a mouthpiece for the vapor product industry. Armand used a number of effective methods to discover what people thought of vaping. In some cases, he would simply just stroll up to random people walking around populated urban areas in order to find some answers, or to

just ask people if they even knew what vaping actually was. Armand says that there are so many people being affected by the vaping phenomenon, that it tends to become unclear where people stand on the issue. “Just as much as us vapers are advocating and trying to make the world a better place, those who oppose vaping are essentially doing the same thing through their eyes—that’s just their way of thinking.” “This is their way of making the world better, they’re trying to do their jobs and support their own lifestyles and livelihoods.” Armand explained the complexity behind many of the answers he’d receive when asking ordinary people on the street what they thought about vaping and whether they believed vapor products were more toxic than traditional tobacco products. In the teaser trailer for “Beyond The Cloud,” we are shown clips of people responding to the toxicity question Armand was asking of them. Some of these ordinary people replied “I think that thing is more toxic,” when referring to vapor products. Some other comments consisted of “If they want to poison themselves with it, let them.” which after hearing this, I wish the FDA held the same mindset. Even though I do not agree with the concept that vaping is akin to the act of poisoning, I just would rather hear the FDA say something like, “If they want to do that stuff, let them.” Another man’s comments to Armand, who held a vape pen and an ordinary tobacco cigarette as visual aides during his interviews, said that he thought it was best to avoid vaping entirely. I told Armand that I wish I was able to join him as he set out to make his documentary of exploration because this seems

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like it was an extraordinary learning experience. Without hesitation, Armand agreed that it was indeed a very eyeopening experience and he realized this was far more complicated than he initially thought. “What I learned was that this is about learning how to reorganize our information as a vaping community,” Armand said. “As vapers, how do we get non-vapers to empathize and relate to where we are coming from? We have to reorganize all of the information, because this has become a very complicated issue.” He added, “I learned that you must put yourself in the state of mind where you have to explain something very complicated in the simplest way.” After hearing this, I realized that I was hearing a pro-vaping stance I’ve never considered or heard before my interview with the documentarian. I agree with Armand’s concept due to the fact that since the announcement of the FDA regulations, I’ve witnessed a number of advocates really step up their efforts, yet what I’ve also noticed is that there has been a number of businesses within the industry who have simply decided to close down shop and forget this industry ever existed. It is very frustrating to see working Americans giving up on their dreams and walking away from what had been their livelihoods. Regardless, Armand continued to explain what he had learned, and proceeded by saying, “As someone who has been writing about vaping for five years... making the film allowed me the opportunity to really hear the other side of the story and that people who are non-vapers or those who are not advocating on behalf of the industry are all genuinely good people merely doing what they think is right. Considering this, I asked

Armand if he felt that the information being expressed by those opposing the vapor movement was still misleading the public in a very dangerous way. “I can tell you that they are not involved with misleading the public in some sort of conspiracy, these ideas they have are just a portion of a collective mindset that is easily misinterpreted as spreading misinformation and lies,” Armand said. “Perhaps these ideas do sound very much like a series of lies, but in most cases their claims are just a reflection of what they believe to be the truth,” he continued. To that, all I can say is “wow” simply because I certainly came to experience a realization. I’m a vaper who writes about vaping and I particularly enjoy writing about all the misleading information that is being spread relentlessly from the inside out. I too am that person and just as much as I am frustrated with the people who refuse to hear my argument, I am also reluctant to hear, listen, absorb or perhaps

accept any notions that are in opposition to vapor products and the lifestyle it promotes. As a sociologist, I should know more than most that this type of mindset is always counterproductive. Then again, it seems as if the FDA was so quick to judge the vaping industry and so effortlessly refused any type of compromise to preserve this lifestyle. As a result, many American vapers see this type of bureaucratic reaction and then tend to latch onto it by reacting in the same undiplomatic fashion. It seems as if we are not advocating for our cause properly—or are we? It’s difficult to tell. Armand was absolutely correct; this is far more complex than many of us realize. We need to adopt the same collective mindset with a clear, concise and more simplified message allowing everyone to better relate to our cause. I feel like we, as vapers, are complicating this debate and further pressing issues that may not be worth the effort. Some ideas should be left alone,

others should be embraced. We all just need to better unify our efforts and not be so divided. As a film, “Beyond The Cloud” is beneficial for the viewers of this film to know that most of this film is in subtitles as Armand interviews quite a few Frenchspeaking citizens, yet at the same time, there is also quite a bit of It’s worth noting that if you intend to watch the “Beyond The Cloud” documentary most of the film will be subtitled, as Armand interviews quite a few Frenchspeaking citizens, yet as the same time there is also quite a bit of English speakers featured in the film as well. The film will be officially shown at the VAPEXPO in Paris, a special Saturday night screening is planned for professionals on September 24, at the conferences portion of this notorious trades fair. Then of course it will be immediately released to the public and made available for viewing on YouTube.

To watch the teaser trailer for “Beyond The Cloud,” please visit the following link:

www.vapingpost.com/2015/12/04/documentary-trailer-beyond-the-cloud/

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Features

D-Day: August 8, 2016

DEEMING RULE IN EFFECT

NOW WHAT?

#VAPEMAGAZINE

Features By Patricia Kovacevic The entire vaping industry is painfully aware by now that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Final Rule, deeming tobacco products to be subject to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, went into effect on August 8. What are some of the ruleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s implications for manufacturers, importers, retailers and consumers? As the industry feels that the rule is vastly inadequate and disproportionately onerous on manufacturers of vaping products, given the tobacco harm reduction potential of these products, what can still be done to redress this situation? In brief, the rule will enable the FDA to review new tobacco products not yet on the market (and, one must add, review and possibly take off the market many of the current, newly regulated products); help prevent misleading claims by tobacco product manufacturers, evaluate the ingredients and manufacturing of tobacco products, and communicate the potential risks of tobacco products, according to the FDA. Notably, the rule does not meet societal expectations to impose product standards. Those must be issued pursuant to separate rulemaking, and the rule does not impose an obligation on the FDA to communicate relative risks of the newly regulated products versus conventional combustible cigarettes. Additionally, the rule fails to distinguish among finished products, spare parts and other elements, imposing the same very onerous pre-market review requirements on practically anything and everything sold to consumers. This includes items that can be bundled or used with, or as a replacement part, or enhancement of, a newly regulated product.

What Can Retailers Expect to See After August 8? The first type of activity the FDA will engage in will be retailer inspections, typically through subcontracted state authorities. As of August 8, age verification becomes mandatory, and automated self-service units may only be placed in age-verified, adult-only venues. Thus, retailers will be inspected openly or anonymously to ensure age verification is conducted at the point of sale, and that minors do not manage to buy products. Online retailers are required to have suitable age verification in placeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;though the FDA will not suggest any particular provider or age verification scheme, and thus can expect that FDA agents will attempt to make purchases on behalf of underage individuals. Retailer violations will typically be noted in warning letters. Numerous examples of warning letters to retailers of conventional cigarette products may be found at http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ If a retailer receives a warning letter, the retailer may contact the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) if he or she

would like more informationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;though more information will not necessarily be provided. The FDA requires that the retailer respond to the warning letter within 15 working days, in writing, by mail or email, and include an explanation of the steps the retailer will take to correct the violation(s) and prevent future violations. For example, the retailer could submit that he or she would retrain employees and remove the problematic items, etc. The retailer must also provide their current contact information, and the FDA may also recommend training. While retailer training is not mandatory, the FDA provides a few resources for retailers wishing to train their sales staff.

It is expected that the FDA will conduct a flurry of retailer inspection activities on an ongoing basis, as this is the most visible and easiest type of enforcement the FDA can undertake promptly. With respect to manufacturing activities at the retail level, it may be an objective of retailer inspections as well, though personally I suspect more senior CTP staff might become involved with such inspections. This is due to the level of detail and documentation that might be required to conclude a manufacturing violation has actually taken place.

What Can Manufacturers Expect to See After August 8? The FDA may inspect manufacturers at any time after August 8, however, the deadline for manufacturers and importers (which fall within the definition of a manufacturer) to file a facility registration and product listing is December 31, and therefore, the FDA is not likely to have the necessary information as to where and what to inspect before that date.

Our view is that manufacturer inspections might start early in 2017. There is still considerable confusion as to whether foreign based manufacturers will be inspected. The FDA surely has that authority and at an industry conference call in May, their CTP director suggested all is fair game in the industry. Foreign manufacturers should require clarifications from the FDA on this topic. The FDA routinely inspects Chinese and Indian facilities engaged in manufacturing of other FDA regulated products, such as drugs and devices. In any event, a robust inspection preparation plan and possibly mock inspections will help manufacturers navigate

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the very first FDA inspections with less disruption. Initial FDA visits may only seek to establish a benchmark for future inspection, however, do expect extensive requests for document production during those early inspections.

Promptly and upon publication of the Deeming Rule, Nicopure Labs filed the first and to this day, the fastest moving lawsuit against FDA in Washington, D.C. Circuit Court.

Deeming Rule Deadlines and the Future There are various compliance deadlines for manufacturers, retailers, importers, and distributors. The FDA captured those in a rather comprehensive document available on their website at: http://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/ GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation Notably, the next deadline refers to the most onerous requirement, which is submitting a pre-market tobacco product application (PMTA). This may very well signal the beginning of the end for many in our industry. As we all know, when the FDA issued the Deeming Rule, it also published a draft guidance entitled, Premarket Tobacco Product Applications for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), and therein lies the rub. While the guidance is supposedly “non-binding”, we all know the FDA always follows its own guidance and allows itself to request, in fact, much more information than what is listed in the guidance. Those of us with a long history of engagement with the FDA, and having successfully navigated similar requirements, understand the complexity of the information and studies required in support of a PMTA and find that time, availability of research facilities, and cost might render the PMTA pathway available to only a few.

It is also blatantly unfair that the FDA will take products off the market as of August 8, 2019 if they fail to review the respective PMTA applications duly filed by August 2018 because of the FDA’s own speed of review. Namely, a leading official at the CTP clearly stated in a recent webinar that, if FDA does not get around to reviewing a PMTA application by August 8, 2019, it will order the respective product off the market and continue reviewing the PMTA at its leisure—while the manufacturer presumably shuts down its operation and goes home, waiting indefinitely for some sort of resurrection. Given the expected enormous number of potential PMTA applications (our estimate, not the FDA’s), there are likely not enough scientists in the entire FDA to review them before the extended compliance deadline of August 8, 2019. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Given sufficient resources and more time, a good faith PMTA may be submitted, but few companies will have the know-how, resources, and willingness to engage in such multi-million dollar undertakings that can ultimately lend themselves to improbable outcomes.

So what has been done, and can be done, to ensure the industry’s survival, give hope to smokers who want less risky products, and avert a tobacco-harm-reduction catastrophe?

A coalition of companies joined that lawsuit within a matter of weeks, and the respective plaintiffs’ motions for summary judgment have been filed already. The complaint challenges the rule in its entirety and also selected provisions of the rule. Several interested entities have moved to file amicus briefs in support of the plaintiffs and at least one in support of the defendant. Several other separate lawsuits were filed by other newly regulated manufacturers, and one even on behalf of consumers.

We believe Nicopure et al. v FDA et al. will provide the earliest resolution and clarity to our industry, one way or another, which was our goal all along. I am as curious as you, the reader, to find out whether our hard work and sacrifice will pay off in this case, but predictions are never appropriate in litigation. Let’s just say that we have faith in the justice system as our last resort. In addition to litigation, which might provide complete or partial relief to the industry as early as 2017, various advocacy and industry groups are working towards the goal of having certain elements of the rule changed, to ensure that products on the market as of August 8, 2016, do not need to undergo any form of pre-market review by the FDA, while preserving FDA’s ability to inspect, receive ingredient information, require pre-market review of future new products and generally monitor the industry. Those efforts are underway and may yield results in early 2017 as well. These two types of initiatives, litigation and legislative changes, are at present what we all need to focus on. Until one, or both initiatives bear fruit, please make sure you comply with all applicable provisions of the Deeming Rule and be cooperative with the FDA as much as practicable. We will regroup in the first part of 2017 to assess outcomes. Stay focused and positive in the meantime. Also, to quote Longfellow, “Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.” Patricia Kovacevic is the general counsel and chief compliance officer at Nicopure Labs, the leading e-liquid manufacturer of brands Halo and eVo, and the first company to challenge the FDA Deeming Rule.

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Earl A delightful Earl Grey Tea, with honeysuckle and cream. A truly unique, and delicious vape experience.

Strawgurt

A perfect pairing of sweet and tangy

A delightful blend of Greek yogurt and fresh strawberry, these two flavors are impeccably balanced to create a vape that is neither too creamy nor too heavy.

Overboard Enjoy your catch of red candy fish that nobody would mind going “Overboard” for.

Pixels Sweet and tart, plain and simple

Purple Fury A lemon-lime soda with a bubblegum hint. This is one flavor that will have you leaning sideways.

Conjure up memories of old-time candy shop sweets with this light vape featuring a hint of tart.

Scoops Sweet, smooth, rich, and creamy A wonderfully wicked blend of mixed fruits and frozen cream. Some compare it to tutti frutti, others simply to a sweet vaping dream.

Proud upporter

A portion of each sale donated to The Vape A Vet Project. ®

@eastcoastliquids /eastcoastliquids

(803) 851-4198

info@eastcoastliquids.com • www.eastcoastliquids.com

DEPARTMENTS COLUMNS

Downloaded forms

may not be enough in business formation By J. JACKSON WASTE I’m consistently surprised by the number of business owners I talk to, especially in this industry, who haven’t formed a business entity. A business entity is a legal entity, such as a corporation or a limited liability company (“LLC”), under which a business is operated. If you’re doing business on your own without a business entity, then you’re operating as a sole proprietorship, even if you use a trade name or “dba.” The differences here are substantial and well worth understanding.

Let’s say that you own and operate a vape shop. A customer comes in to pick up some new juice, and your giant chandelier falls on his head. Or maybe he slips, cartoon-style, on an inconveniently discarded banana peel. Or maybe he buys some hot-garbage-flavored juice and yaks so hard after the first hit that he ends up in the hospital with a torn oblique thinking that his appendix burst. Either way, something has happened, and you’re now facing a lawsuit. Business owners hate it, but

the reality is that lawsuits are just a fact of life for anyone operating a business these days, and the vapor products industry is, despite the fact that it’s full of some of the world’s most laidback people, sadly no exception.

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DEPARTMENTS

Now, let’s make things a little bit worse. The plaintiff wins the lawsuit, and the shop owner is looking at a substantial judgment. If the shop owner was operating as a sole proprietorship, then the plaintiff could satisfy that judgment against the shop owner himself. That means that the owner’s savings account, house, car, wages, and so forth are all theoretically at risk. If, however, there was a validly formed, properly run corporation or LLC in place, then only the assets owned by that business entity would be available to satisfy the plaintiff’s judgment. This is the single greatest advantage to forming a business entity, and it’s called “limited liability.” Many people I talk to understand the concept of limited liability, but what they don’t always understand is that it’s not automatic. It’s not enough to just form a corporation or LLC and call it a day. You actually need to run it properly and adhere to various formalities if you want it to work for you. If you don’t, someone who sues you can “pierce the corporate veil” and go after your assets personally, meaning that you aren’t getting the single greatest benefit – limited liability – out of your business entity. Piercing the veil, in addition to being a pretty decent name for a metal band, is a concept whereby courts disregard the corporate entity and impose liability directly on the business owner. Exactly when and where the corporate veil gets pierced depends on the state, the judge, and the facts of each case, but there are some general guidelines to keep in mind. In general, courts are more likely to pierce the corporate veil and hold you personally liable if the corporation feels like a sham entity set up purely to shield you from liability.

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DEPARTMENTS In making this evaluation, courts look to a variety of different factors. One of the biggest factors is whether you the business owner actually treat your corporation like it’s a real, separate business. Do you have separate bank accounts for the corporation? Do you keep separate records and only pay the businesses’ bills from the corporate checking account? Or do you co-mingle your personal money in the same account as the corporation uses, paying your personal mortgage from the corporate account? It’s crucial to maintain the corporation at all times like it is truly what’s running the business, not like something that you just set up in case you get sued. Another factor that courts look at when deciding whether to pierce the corporate veil is whether corporate formalities were followed. Did you have the right number of meetings every year? Were minutes taken? Do you have by-laws, articles, officers, and a board of directors? Are you making the required annual payments to your state’s Secretary of State?

Have taxes been filed for the corporation? Formalities like this can seem minor, and may even feel silly in a corporation with only a few officers or shareholders, but they can be a lifesaver if you ever get sued.

At the end of the day, the point is that businesses entities can be extremely useful, but it isn’t enough to just form one using downloaded legal forms and walk away hoping for the best. It’s crucial to talk to an attorney who can advise you not only how to form the entity, but also how to operate it so that you actually get the benefit of that entity. Otherwise, you’re just crossing your fingers and hoping for a banana-peel-free floor.

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THE

JUICE JUDGE

Words and photos by Steffanie Atkins

This month’s Juice Judge is coming to you in two parts. The first part is your regularly scheduled Juice Judge. This month I had two new flavors to sample and I’ve got those reviews for you below. The second part is Juice Judge favorites! I get asked a lot, what do you vape? So I reviewed the two flavors I vape on a consistently regular basis. You’ll notice that even those e-liquids didn’t get 5 stars across the board. But for me, in a daily vape type situation, flavor is key. You may not agree that they’re rad, but that’s ok. Juice Judge is my humble opinion and that’s it. So, here you go!

THE NEW E-LIQUIDS Good Life Vapor “Deadly Sin” 6mg

TASTE - 2 THROAT - 3 VAPE - 4

I had heard things from Good Life Vapor, so when I happened upon “Deadly Sin” I was stoked to try it out. You know how some things have lots of hype and it’s not as good as the hype, unfortunately that’s the case here. This flavor tastes kind of like a honey bun. It’s supposed to be like a graham cracker and tobacco, but I don’t get the tobacco. Maybe that’s where the flavor is degraded. I am not sure but it’s not something I’d vape regularly. The vapor production was above average and there was a solid throat hit, but the flavor was just lacking.

Instincts e-Liquid Co. “Rattle” 3mg TASTE - 4 THROAT - 1 VAPE - 3.5

I am not normally a strawberry kind of lady. I don’t like to vape strawberry, but I’ll eat them! This e-liquid was good enough to eat. It’s a strawberry vanilla nutty blend. I really liked the strawberry. It wasn’t artificial tasting, it had good solid flavor and didn’t taste candy-like. It was thick, thanks to the vanilla I believe, but it all worked well together. I was thoroughly impressed with these guys. It may not be a flavor I’d personally vape all day every day, because I can see it getting too sweet for long periods of time, but I really enjoyed it. The vapor production was above average, but there was really no throat hit.

The Juice Judge Judges are picked from respected members of the vaping community to give unbiased reviews of e-juice. The VAPE Verdict is reached by an initial blind taste test, and the review is written afterward. Want to have your juice judged? Email jj@vapemz.com. Reviews do not reflect the overall opinion of VAPE Magazine Steffanie Atkins is the self-proclaimed most pickiest vaper she knows. She has to be head over heels in love with a juice before she vapes it regularly. A baker and a foodie, Atkins is particular when it comes to taste and flavor. She loves long walks on the beach, candlelit dinners, tattoos, art and rocking her face off at concerts. She is forever on the search for the perfect Oreo flavor.

JUICE JUDGE FAVORITES! Glas “Glazed” 3mg TASTE - 4.5 THROAT - 4 VAPE - 3

So “Glazed” is my all day, every day vape. It’s a glazed donut flavor and it’s just spot on. The throat hit is perfect and gives me that kick.The taste is just out of this world. It also smells great and I get lots of compliments every day when I’m around town vaping. I get stopped all the time, “Why do you smell like donuts?”…Well it’s my vape. The flavor does vary based on what I’m vaping it out of. Currently I’m using a Cleito, which is awesome for flavor and has really kicked it up a notch. The only reason that I can’t give this a 5 for flavor is that sometimes it’s too sweet and I have to take a break from it. I guess you can have too much of a good thing! The vapor production is about average and as I mentioned before, the throat hit is pretty solid and one of the reasons I enjoy it as an all day vape.

Broken Bottle “Dirty Strawberry” 3mg TASTE - 4.5 THROAT - 3 VAPE - 3

Over the last few years that I’ve been Juice Judge, I’ve received dozens of peanut butter flavors. Most of them are crap. And I say that out of kindness. They either taste burnt or not like peanut butter. I came across “Dirty Strawberry” about 6 or 8 months ago at a random shop and fell in love. On first inhale; it’s pure peanut butter. Like peanut butter that you eat, not burnt, not gross, just pure bliss. The strawberry jelly tastes like strawberry jelly. It is seriously the best peanut butter and jelly flavor I’ve ever had and I’ve had way too many to count. I’ve tried to have flavors custom made for me with peanut butter and none of them have ever come out as great as this one. I don’t know what they use or how they do it, but Broken Bottle has figured it out. This e-liquid is my fun one. I don’t want to get tired of it so I vape it sparingly. The vapor production and throat hit are average, but that’s ok. The taste totally makes up for it.

VAPEMZ.COM

Supertank & Savage Bell Cap HOHM Slice Limited Edition Black

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Samurai Modz KaButo RDA HOHM Wrecker G2 Black

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Features

The Growing European Vape Market By Norm Bour I recently returned from a 19-day trip to Europe, where I spoke at VAPEXPO Amsterdam and Prague, and interviewed many in the business about the current and possible future of European markets. It was eye opening and one of great interest.

The World Is Flat

If we look back at the early days of vaping, it was slipshod and run by amateurs. Vaping was originally a Southern California phenomenon that quickly spread to major cities and eventually to smaller towns in America. It soon

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Features

migrated overseas and took off in Great Britain, and to some degree, other large European cities. Today, as we face the FDA and the crisis associated with it, many are asking, “Are there better opportunities outside the U.S.?” I believe the answer is “yes,” but you must do your homework.

In 2005, Thomas L. Friedman published a landmark book, called “The World is Flat.” In it, he talks about how the world of business is now one world, as walls that were restrictive during the Cold War are now gone. The Internet VAPEMZ.COM

has created a worldwide community, and doing business overseas is almost as easy as doing business down the block.

hosted them, bringing in sometimes massive crowds. In England, London and Birmingham have been major centers. Paris, has recently hosted two events over a two-week stretch. The Chinese market has continued to bring in massive crowds and offers several shows.

That brings us to the international vaping scene.

The vape space is unforgiving towards the inexperienced, and the VAPEXPO teams in Amsterdam and Prague are learning their lessons.

Last year, there were events in Ireland, and this year in addition to the ones I attended, there were shows in Latvia, and Austria.

In Amsterdam, what was intended to be a major show turned out to be a private symposium with an impressive speaker list and about 50 attendees.

The Learning Curve Of Event Promotion, Part I Vaping events in Europe and China are not a new thing. For several years, major cities there have

The question has been: What about the smaller countries?

Ray Story, founder of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association (TVECA) was a speaker at the event as was I. Also on stage was, American Vaping Association (AVA) founder Gregory Conley, Ron Tully, founder of Next Gen Labs and 30-year veteran of the tobacco industry, Chris Dodge, secretary and founder of The Global Vaping Association, and several others.

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The small crowd was mostly European with a few Americans.

Voja Jurisic with EZ Cloud Company from Downey, CA, made the trek, and when asked, why? He said, “We came to find out firsthand about the potential of the European market and especially new regulations. He continued, “Since we do mostly accessories, we wanted to deal with less restrictions.”

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About 80% of their business is domestic and the rest resides in Europe.

An interesting presentation came from Michael Young, manager of two Vape Emporium locations in London. His company is a manufacturer and retailer and he brought up some interesting and timely information to consider now that England has left the European Union (EU). 78

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“This new turn of events has opened up new opportunities,” Young said. “Many companies that were getting juice made in England may now consider going outside the country so that they can still be part of the EU.” He added, “Our advantages of being under one umbrella with the EU just went away, so now we’d be considered a foreign country for trade purposes.” The Amsterdam event was small because the Ministry of Economic Affairs decided that since this event could draw non-professionals in the audience, it went against their Dutch Tobacco Advertising Ban. The net result was that a large affair with vendors and sponsors did not turn out that way.

The Learning Curve Of Event Promotion, Part II The next event that VAPEXPO conducted was in Prague, Czech Republic just two weeks later. The venue was outside the city and had a small number of exhibitors and several hundred attendees over a two day period. Likewise, they brought a great selection of speakers, but this crowd was different.

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Several of the speakers were from Russia, the Ukraine and Bulgaria. The opinions of these folks were positive and they predicted significant growth in the future. The vendor selection was varied and included juice manufacturers from Russia, Malaysia, the U.S. and Canada.

Richard Ziske with VaporApe Canada, came to investigate the potential in Europe and the Baltic countries. As a manufacturer and distributor, he decided that business outside Canada was worth pursuing, but he was fearful of the U.S. market. “Everything in Canada is good right now,” Ziske said, “and we think that Canadian juice will be popular in Europe. They seem to like everything unique and unusual, so we fit into that.”

He also believes that European juice is not up to the same standards as U.S. and Canadian products. “Most of their manufacturing quality is good, but their taste is not quite the same,” he concluded. Alexander Zakharov from Vape Russia, was one of the speakers and shared his experience in the Russian market. “Since we are not part of the EU, we hold a unique position,” Zakharov said. “We create products that conform to TPD standards, but yet we can sell to non EU countries and not have our hands tied. That includes Russia, itself.”

The world indeed, is flat, and there are few, if any boundary restrictions. The future of the European market may be rosier than that of the U.S. Compared to the new FDA deeming regs, the TPD is much easier to work with, but there is also pushback from individual countries that affect online retailers. Spain, Italy and Greece now restrict online sales for products purchased outside their countries, and are joined by others countries as well. The future is now. If you want to expand your business I recommend you look overseas. Norm Bour is the founder of VapeMentors and creator of the VAPE U online programs. They offer services & resources for anyone in the vape space, including vape shops, online stores and e-liquid brands. He’s also the host of Vape Radio, the largest vaping radio show in the world with more than 1.3 M downloads. Norm interviews the masters of vape and thought leaders in the vape space. Contact him at norm@ VapeMentors.com.

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Event Coverage

Vape Shop Events:

A Snapshot By Norm Bour

The fourth version of Vape Shop Events was recently held in La Jolla, California. This model, which has been called “speed dating for the vape industry,” has proven to be an effective way to conduct businessto-business relations, but there was a noticeable difference this time.

With the August 8 date just weeks away, there was a noticeable cloud of nervousness. Will these producers stay in business? Are they serious?

That difference was the smell of fear.

Apparently, some were not since a few pulled out before the event started.

Many that were scheduled to attend canceled, and since this was the first event held after the recent release of the deeming regulations, that was the major topic during the two-day show.

It’s just the beginning of the end for many who may “open a carpet cleaning company,” which one said as an excuse. The herd is about to be thinned, folks.

Liquids Testing and Diversification

Many of the distributors were reluctant to commit to large volume purchases and prices have been pushed down lately. Why?

This round-robin event usually brings together 27 sellers (manufacturers) and 20 buyers (usually distributors), and confines them behind closed doors to talk business for 20 minutes. The intimacy and

privacy have proven to be a potent combination in this industry as well as others.

Many are liquidating inventory they know cannot be sold after August 8. There were also conversations about contaminants and pH tests and other areas the Fed may attack,

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Event Coverage

of the Industry and the forgone conclusions is that more regulations are forthcoming, which will make things even more difficult.

He added, “This may be the last chance for a while to be of greatest service to those that want to quit smoking.”

Meanwhile, there were some interesting vertical crossovers, which included liquid companies opening new retail shops.

I disagree. As we see the market shrinking, there will be many opportunities to pick up shops and inventory for a song, which is exactly what happened in Phoenix, Arizona, with ProArt Vapors.

Taylor Craig, founder of Unified Vape Distribution, Big Bang Vape Co. and Bomb Sauce E-liquid in Atlanta, Georgia, started in the vape space in 2012 with his first shop, which became an immediate success. A second and third shop followed, but he diversified into e-liquids and has developed an impressive business with worldwide sales of several different lines. Even so, he committed to a fourth retail shop, which will take place in Q3, 2016. When asked about his motivation, Craig said, “We want to help as many smokers as we can, so that means having the greatest retail presence possible.”

They found a deal that was too good to be true, according to co-owner Adam Cericola, and opened their first retail shop called Parrot Nation, which is named after their original line, Parrot Vapors. The shop opened this March, and due to the social media efforts that had proven effective, the shop became an immediate success. Whereas most shops create a retail platform, then develop their own liquids, ProArt did it in reverse. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” Cericola said, which is becoming apparent in this vape space.

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Diversification is critical. “The prior owner did a horrible job with this shop,” he continued. “The location was good, but they were always short of product, they had a dismal decor and they had horrible business practices.” Donovan Phillips, owner of Avail Vapor based in Richmond, Virginia, is a significant player in the vape space and his brand currently owns 92 company shops in the U.S. Their proprietary app scans the QR code on each bottle, which brings up the production data and date, plus a copy of the signed lab report, which can be downloaded. They also developed a cleaning cloth called Vape Erase, that removes PG residue which habitually fogs and obscures glass counters and windows. These clothes bring one more level of diversification and revenue, which is a wise move.

Collaboration: A Necessary Step for Future Survival

Granted, this event is attended by more “serious players” than the average vape fest, but as the industry attempts to grasp what’s next, they are seeking partnerships and perceived safe havens. Madvapes rep Mike Schriefer attended Vape Shop Events (VSE) for the third time and came looking primarily for one thing: distribution partnerships.

Along with the conversations about the downside of the new regulations and the concern over what e-liquid companies will remain in business, one of the more positive observations was the spirit of collaboration and cooperation. The “me” attitude that has dominated the vape industry for many years

may be changing as those that want to survive realize that it may be easier if they collaborate with others.

Even though Madvapes is one of the largest distributors in the nation, and the largest franchisor, they still believe in the power of partnership. “At one of our recent events we formed a working relationship with another distribution powerhouse,” Schriefer said. “They are strong on the west coast and we are strong on the east, but now we work

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military members for every bottle sold both in retail and wholesale. “The ‘Hero Line’ was created just for this campaign,” said Marcus Tilley, wholesale manager of Lizard Juice, “and was motivated by two female employees with military husbands they could not supply with juice.” But they worked with the military and did find a way. They currently ship to about half a dozen bases overseas and when asked if the military was resistant, Tilley said, “No. They already have soldiers smoking and vaping. Having us supply free e-liquids to them was another win-win scenario.” together if either needs products and are short on inventory.” Lizard Juice from Florida, has also formed an unusual symbiotic relationship with a non-typical partner: CBD Drips, one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of cannabidiol (CBD) products. They now have a unique ability to supply two different and non-competing lines to the shops they serve. Boyd Easley, VP of 12 Crowns Consulting, the parent company of CBD Drip, loves this new relationship. “This gives us an added channel we did not have before, so it’s a win-win for both sides.” Lizard actually formed a second and also distinctive partnership: the US Military. Their unique program called “Bottle Overseas,” involves shipping one bottle overseas to active

Is there a pattern here? Yes; several. One is that the market is going through a massive upheaval and only the few and the strong will survive. Those that do endure the test will be helped by seeking the help of others and offering theirs as well. We are all in this fight together, so let’s act like it. Norm Bour is the founder of VapeMentors and creator of the VAPE U online programs. They offer services & resources for anyone in the vape space, including vape shops, online stores and e-liquid brands. He’s also the host of Vape Radio, the largest vaping radio show in the world with more than 1.3 M downloads. Norm interviews the masters of vape and thought leaders in the vape space. Contact him at norm@ VapeMentors.com.

VAPEMZ.COM

Features

DEPARTMENTS

St. Louis Vapers Battle T21

By Sarah George

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Features On September 6, St. Louis County became the 191st community in the country to raise the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products, which also includes electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), from 18 to 21. Second District Vice Chairman of St. Louis County Sam L. Page, who is also a physician, introduced the Tobacco 21 or T21 bill. Page stated after the meeting, “this is a big win”’ and T21 “will save kids’ lives.” Even after hearing stories of how ENDS have saved lives and has proven the only means to quit smoking for many, Page and the other council member’s decision remained unchanged. Only Republican Mark Harder voted against the bill. Harder expressed his disapproval when he said, “they can go into the military, but can’t buy a pack of cigarettes?” He also later questioned the council’s decision on social media, urging voters to show them the door at the polls. Page introduced the bill only two weeks prior to the vote for T21, leading those in the vaping community feeling they had little chance plead their case as to why vapor products should be excluded from the bill. After the council decided to push the final vote back another week, vapers had one more opportunity to stand up for what vaping has done for them and non-vapers alike. The following week, local vapers came armed with facts to present to the board. Heather Reinke of 3D Vapor LLC, and many others, cited pages from the findings of the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom which reads “vaping is 95 percent safer than smoking.” Reinke also reminded the board, “no one listened to those same physicians when they warned about the link between cigarettes and cancer, we need to listen to them now so we can continue to help people.” A local vaper, Adam Berzon, fought to keep ENDS excluded from T21 by reading directly from Missouri Statute 407.0925.1 which explains alternative nicotine products as “any noncombustible product containing nicotine that is intended for human consumption, whether chewed, absorbed, dissolved, or ingested by any other means. Alternative nicotine product does not include any vapor product, tobacco product or

VAPEMZ.COM

any product regulated as a drug or device by the United

that “vaping is just as harmful, if not more harmful than

States Food and Drug Administration under Chapter V of

smoking.” A number of doctors from Washington University

the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.”

in St. Louis are of the same opinion as the ALA. One doctor stating, “just because a product has not been found to be

The last speaker of the night, Justin Price of The Vape Room

harmful, does not make it safe. That is why vapor products

Discount Vapor Lounge located in Oakville, Mo, ended the

need to be included in the T21 bill.”

meeting with a powerful speech. Price told the board members he has “seen vaping change hundreds of thousands

Members of Smoke Free America supported the bill as

of lives,” and invited all the members to his store to see for

well, telling the board about the pressures to smoke

themselves what vaping can do for those trying to quit

from young adults in the 18-21 age group and how easy

smoking.

high

school

closed by asking

students

the

obtain

board

members to “be the first county in

the

United

States to stand up for vaping.” Following

the

meeting, vapers in

attendance

gathered outside to discuss how they felt. Charles Peterson,

resident of St. Louis

County,

said he felt “the decision made we

before

got

tonight, was

was here there

nothing

we could do to have

vaping

excluded

from

“

Jones

tobacco

products

Vaping could have saved me many years of suffering while I tried to quit smoking.

”

this bill.” Tina

could

St. Louis County, said she wishes

the

with

minimum

age to purchase left at 18. While representatives from the American

Lung

Association, Washington University, and Smoke

Free

America

all

voiced

their

opinions to the board, none of the

represen-

tatives

would

comment when directly how

asked

they

about

felt what

vaping does for those to

addicted traditional

tobacco products. After St. Louis County

Execu-

vaping had been available when she was 18. As a 20

tive Steve Stenger gives his signature on September

year smoker who effectively used vaping to quit smoking,

19th, the Tobacco 21 bill will go into effect on December

Jones said,

1, 2016. Until then vapers that attended the meeting, say

“vaping could have saved me many years of

suffering while I tried to quit smoking.”

they have no plans of giving up on the fight to have ENDS recognized as a legitimate way for smokers to give up

Representatives from the American Lung Association

their habit without traditional pharmaceutical cessation

stood firm to keep ENDS included in the bill claiming

products.

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DEPARTMENTS

By Chris Mellides VAPEMZ.COM VAPEMZ.COM

911

DEPARTMENTS Before becoming smoke-free through the help of vapor products, Jess-marie Cornell never would have dreamt that leading a healthier lifestyle would also translate to growing a successful business.

Still fairly new to the growing industry, Cornell began experimenting with finding the right e-liquid flavors for her and in doing so discovered that she had a propylene glycol (PG) allergy.

Like many other former smokers, Cornell found herself searching for a way to end her cigarette smoking habit, but early attempts to do so proved to be unsuccessful.

As more and more e-liquid companies began releasing flavors that had higher vegetable glycerin (VG) concentrations, her allergy no longer posed any issues since she naturally gravitated towards those newer products.

She had her first cigarette when she was just 12-years-old, and by the time she was 18 she was smoking roughly a half pack of cigarettes per day until she started experimenting with vaping during its infancy back in 2009. “Back then there was not nearly as much information about vaping as there is now, but just by reading the label on the e-liquid I got I knew that it had to be healthier than smoking,” Cornell said. Looking back, the 26-year-old mentioned that she continued to struggle and would routinely smoke until advances in vapor product technology improved significantly a few years later. “I struggled with smoking for a few more years until rebuilding became a thing,” Cornell said. “Once that whole wave started around 2013, I completely dropped cigarettes and never looked back.”

Her interest in piercings led her to start designing body jewelry, but her knowledge of vaping and a customer demand for accessorizing led her to venture into creating vapor product accessories—an offshoot of her small, already established jewelry business. “I started my company out of a hobby and pastime,” Cornell said. “I had no idea that this industry would give me a stepping stone for building something great.” Her company, Double Helix Designs (DHD) gets its name from a term that refers to the top of a person’s ear, but is also relevant when discussing DNA, which Cornell says has always been a “play on words.”

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DEPARTMENTS “I was making jewelry like ear weights and plugs and then I made little charms that would hang off your carto tanks, and little hand-sculpted drip tips which turned into full-on machined drip tips,” Cornell said.

“There is no such thing as a 9-5 for me anymore,” she said. “Owning a company is a completely different lifestyle, but of course it’s very, very rewarding.”

She added, “Double Helix Designs started as a hobby, I didn’t think I would actually make a living from it.”

Adding, “I would have to say my success comes from listening to my customers. When someone emails DHD they get a reply from me and only me. I have conversations with my customers every single day.”

Before she reached that level with DHD growing to its present size, Cornell worked with Vape Affliction and their company Osiris Mods, which is based out of Cornell’s home state of Utah that specializes in the creation of stabilized wood box mods.

Cornell says that she also owes a great deal of thanks to her machinists and that without them DHD wouldn’t exist.

“I was lucky enough to have access to acrylic when I was helping with Osiris mods,” Cornell said. “That’s where I got super creative and started making acrylic that no one had.” During that time, she experimented with glow-in-the-dark plastics, glitter, gold flake and other materials to see what the outcome would be when fashioned into a potential product. “Eventually Double Helix Designs got so big that I had to step down from my position at Osiris Mods and Vape Affliction and focus purely on DHD,” Cornell said. Cornell offers made-to-order drip tips that fit some of the more popular tanks and RDAs on the market today like the: Griffin RTA, the Cleito Tank and the Goon, Kennedy, Twisted Messes, and Roughneck RDAs. Each DHD drip tip goes through meticulous planning and execution during the design phase to ensure that the product meets high quality standards before the market models are released. “Creating a new drip tip has taken a week up to almost a year,” Cornell said. “It took almost a year for the Chiquita (drip tip). It’ looks so small and simple, but actually was my most complicated design yet.” She added, “I test out my designs for a long time before I put them on the market.” DHD was born out of a desire to further individuality and to celebrate customization, according to Cornell, who believes that these values are ultimately responsible for the interest in and success of her business. “I love giving everyone the ability to customize and personalize their setups, that was my whole purpose,” Cornell said. “When I started there was not enough out on the market to make your mod more personable or fun, and I wanted to make that happen.” With the fun and success she’s had with DHD, the challenges of starting and maintaining a growing business is something Cornell says was one of the “best decisions” that she’s made, but “also one of the hardest.”

“They have stuck with me through all of the ups, downs, tears, and laughs,” Cornell said. “They watched me grow and cheered me on the whole way. They started as people I worked with and it quickly turned into true friendships.” Like any other business owner that caters to the vapor product industry, Cornell is aware of the FDA regulations and the potential for a problematic future for consumers and vendors alike. “The regulations have been a huge damper on me and my emotional state,” Cornell said. “So many of us went from normal dead end jobs to owning our own companies and living happier, healthier lifestyles. Then to possibly have most of that taken away from us crushes my heart.” Advocacy she says, is a necessary measure that everyone should become involved in. “I just beg people to spread awareness. Not only to vapers, but to non-vapers. Educate, educate, educate. I can’t say it enough,” she said. In her spare time Cornell plays music and is well-versed with the guitar, violin and ukulele. She also belly dances, cosplays and has been modeling since she was 17. “Modeling” she says, “has opened a lot of doors for me from collaborations with other companies, networking, meeting new people, and now when you think of DHD you can connect a face to the product.” When it comes to vaping, business relationships and those friends she’s made in the industry make what she does feel worthwhile and that living a healthier life has given her a more positive outlook. “Overall [vaping] saved my life,” Cornell said. “Not only am I healthier, but I made so many friends. I started a business. I have traveled all over the world all because of vaping. I have watched people I know switch over to vaping and have watched their lives improve as well. It’s incredible.”

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Warsaw:

Event Coverage

The Event Comparing the event scene in the United States with those overseas is a crap shoot. Some international promoters have it down, but others are still learning. Warsaw, the most recent host city for Vapexpo, put on a recent event but timing is everything and in this case, timing worked against the promoters, Smile Expo.

that Wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t By Norm Bour

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Event Coverage

The European Crisis Crisis may be an exaggeration, but many countries have implemented severe restrictions on vape in many forms. The list of countries that have outlawed online sales number over a dozen.

Even so, they were able to bring together some wonderful speakers and presenters, including Olena TeodorovychRogulis, a research analyst with Euromonitor International, a worldwide consortium with multiple world offices.

In August, 2016, the President of Poland signed a decree that effectively restricted the use and advertising of vaping products. All vaping events specifically had to exclude members of the public and outlawed public vaping.

Teodorovych-Rogulis shared the statistics of market penetration (see chart) which showed that the United Kingdom was secondary to the US in vaping consumption, with Poland as #9. Even so, the cigar market in the rest of the world is twice as large as the vape world, excluding the US.

That law went into effect in September 8, 2016; the Vapexpo in Warsaw took place just two days later.

There is lots of upside. As big as the worldwide market has grown, vaping has only captured 7 percent of the smoking market worldwide.

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Event Coverage

Online sales restrictions Based on the report by Euromonitor International, online sales represent about one-third of all vaping sales. In the US it may be higher since we have such an open market with many price shoppers willing to buy from online vendors. As of this writing, online sales are banned in the following countries: Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. VAPEMZ.COM

One of the barriers of vaping versus analog cigarettes in Europe, Asia and the Baltic countries is the price differential.

Overseas regulations will probably never be as onerous or restrictive as the new deeming regulations.

Cigarettes tend to be comparatively cheap in Europe while vaping products are about 10 percent of that price. The money savings in the United States is quite a bit higher.

If you are in the vape space and are looking to expand you should do your research on the overseas market. Keep your eyes out for events and event promotors that offer education and not just a sales floor.

Looking at the map below itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to see why the vaping industry will not go away. The majority of the world has no vaping presence at all and no restrictions. International vaping events will continue worldwide as they will in the US. Regardless of what happens in the United States with regulations, the entire world is a potential convertee.

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Norm Bour is the founder of VapeMentors and creator of the VAPE U online programs. They offer services & resources for anyone in the vape space, including vape shops, online stores and e-liquid brands. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also the host of Vape Radio, the largest vaping radio show in the world with more than 1.3 M downloads. Norm interviews the masters of vape and thought leaders in the vape space. Contact him at norm@VapeMentors.com.

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MOD TECH

VA P E F O R WA R D The battery for the starter kit is housed in a paper sleeve within the box, which is not very intuitive. However, the only slightly troublesome part of the packaging is the silver foil sleeves for the refill pods. These require something sharp to open, and fingernails won’t do the job. Overall, this packaging is ideal for its target market, with its hallmarks being simplicity and convenience.

Specs and Features The Cync’s starter kit battery is a lithium-ion unit with 380mAh capacity and outputs 3.7 watts to the attached refill pod. The products reviewed today are in the 1.5ml product range, so of course, the refill pods hold 1.5ml of liquid ranging from 24mg to 48mg in nicotine strength.

By John Castle Following our article on Vape Forward’s shift from high-end mods like Vaporflask, to its rebirth and continued dedication to bringing products to market aimed at helping more smokers switch to vaping, we present the following review of the flagship product in that effort: The Vape Forward Cync. The Cync starter kit with 1.5ml capacity refill pods, like all modern closedsystem vaping products, is aimed directly at smokers who have finally decided to make the switch. Cync is a Closed System Vapor device, distinct from a “cig-alike” in that it resembles a combustible cigarette in shape and size only, and even then so loosely that it could never be mistaken for a cigarette even at a passing glance. For the purpose of this review, I purchased the following Cync products: • One Cync Starter Kit, containing a standard battery and one NJOY Classic tobacco refill pod in 48mg nicotine strength • One Cync Stealth Battery, Graphite in color and in the 1.5ml size • One four-pack of NJOY Bold Tobacco refill pods in 48mg strength • One four-pack of Cuttwood Vapors’ Tobacco Trail refill pods in 2mg strength I selected these products because I felt most confident that a current smoker would likely be attracted to them as an impulse purchase at places such as a drugstore or a convenience store. As such, Cync is a direct competitor for products such as the Pax JUUL and the R.J. Reynolds Vapor Vuse systems. There is also, however, a range of 2.5ml refill pods and batteries intended to provide the power and capacity to match them; those products are aimed more directly toward long-time vapers, and will be the subject of a followup review. One thing that should be pointed out for the purposes of this review is that this is first-production-run hardware. With that in mind, I’m going into this expecting a minor glitch here and there.

Presentation The packaging for the Cync starter kit, additional batteries and refill pods is frustration-free and uncomplicated. A black background sports color imagery of the product inside with “Cync” written in silver above additional white text.

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User Interface features are absolutely minimal. Using the device is as simple as charging the battery via the micro-USB port on bottom. Once the battery is charged, simply plug a refill pod into it by aligning the circular contact plate on the bottom of the pod with the pair of contact studs inside the battery. Press down firmly until the pod is snug within the battery, then inhale.

Build Quality and Ergonomics Bearing in mind that, again, this is a first-production-run device I’m reviewing, the fit and finish on batteries and pods alike is superb. The only caveat is the presence of a very small gap between battery and pod, which is not uncommon. I’ve been assured that this minor design issue has been identified and will be rectified by Vape Forward. Each pod incorporates two design choices that are top notch in my eyes. First, the window that shows the current level of e-liquid in the pod is slot-shaped, but suitably tall enough that there’s no guesswork involved in seeing just how much juice is left in the pod. Secondly, the mouthpiece is soft rubber, rather than hard plastic. While this may contribute significantly toward the price of the pods, it’s well worth the cost. Taking a hit from the Cync is very, very comfortable. Whether your preferred vaping style is mouth-to-lung hits (as a smoker would use),or lung-hits, both are possible on this device despite its small size and limited power.

Performance With that, we come to performance. Part of Cync’s performance profile is going to largely be dependent on which refill pod the user has installed. So far, in my tests, throat hit is extremely satisfying, with primer puffs being necessary only when the battery is depleted and in need of charging. The batteries, both standard and stealth versions, last for approximately three hours of continuous use and do show some drain in an idle state. For example, if left sitting on a desk overnight, the batteries will need a charging of about 10 minutes before they’re ready to go for the day. Vapor production is more than adequate, and surprising for such a small device. Of course it’s nowhere near ready to rival eGo-based starter kits like the Hohm Skillet or Vape Forward’s own open-system starter kit, the Vape Forward Intro. Nicotine hit, on the other hand, is extremely potent when using even 24mg strength refill pods.

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MOD TECH Recommendation and Conclusion The Cync easily rivals the JUUL in performance, so closely that deciding between the two is a purely subjective call that only you can make. Naturally, both devices blow Big Tobacco’s offerings out of the water and right off the map. Unlike the JUUL, Cync offers more flavors, more nicotine strength options, as well as e-liquid capacity options and, at roughly $18 compared to the JUUL’s $50, a far easier impulse buy for smokers comparing the two on drugstore or convenience store shelves.

If you vape 24mg nicotine liquids from a closed system, but only 6mg liquids from a high-wattage sub-ohm open system, you’re still looking for the same level of nicotine satisfaction. And although you can achieve the same nicotine satisfaction from an open system with a much lower dose of nicotine, you’re inhaling a lot more of what goes with the nicotine to do it on that higher-powered system. The risk reduction principle at play, then, is very simple: Why inhale three lungfuls of PG, VG, and flavoring to get your nicotine fix when you can inhale just one to get it? If you vape 3mg nicotine strength liquid at 200 watts, you’re still after the same satisfaction you could get with 18mg liquid at 3.7 volts—and you inhale a lot less of everything else to get there that way.

Performance So with that idea in mind, does the Cync satisfy a long-time vaper with its 2.5ml pods ranging from 6mg to 18mg strength? In my experience: Yes, it does, but. The ‘but’ is simple: This hardware isn’t meant for lung hits. I found that out, and then accidentally reminded myself of it, a few times while testing the Cync (both the 1.5ml and 2.5ml sized hardware).

Look at the Cync 2.5 hardware Cync 2.5: The Vaper’s Closed System Vaporizer While the Cync 1.5ml sized hardware is designed to satisfy smokers with its 2.4% to 4.5% nicotine strength liquids and smaller e-liquid capacity pods, the Cync 2.5ml sized hardware is purpose-designed for long-time vapers seeking the maximum simplicity and convenience afforded to them by a closed system vaporizer. Is there such a market? In my opinion, there is, and that opinion comes not least of all from the fact that I myself fit into that market. Since receiving the Cync, I’ve found myself reaching not for my big, heavy box mod with its 6ml tank, but rather for the little square device with the comfortable rubberized mouthpiece—taking a couple mouth-to-lung hits, and then just carrying on with what I’m doing.

These devices are still first and foremost ultraportable. You don’t exactly have to baby them, but you can’t go ham with big, hard lung hits on them either. They’re not made for that. Taking a nice, deep mouth-to-lung hit from the 2.5ml Stealth battery (which is so small that it absolutely disappears under my fingers), I get an easy draw, surprisingly vivid flavor, a solid throat hit, and a respectable amount of visual vapor output. The pod I’ve been testing has lasted two days since the device first arrived and this review was written. The e-liquid in the pod is Black Flag Risen Enriched by Five Pawns. I taste everything the company promises I should: a slightly bitter baker’s chocolate, sweet vanilla, roasted coffee, dry tobacco, and savory walnut. I’ve never experienced flavor that’s both this vivid and this layered from a closed system before. The JUUL comes close with the vividness of its flavors, but its flavors are disappointingly basic compared to what you can get here.

No refilling or battery swapping needed, just vaping and getting on with my work. That’s the power of a closed-system vaporizer. If getting into mods, tanks, rebuilding, and all of that opens a Pandora’s Box, the Cync, in my opinion, actually manages to close it again. It’s vaping, simplified.

Another favorite, swapped out for the sake of curiosity, is Mr. Fritter by Cuttwood Vapors, a dead-on accurate apple fritter with just the right amount of cinnamon. This is a closed system done to perfection.

Overview of Cync 2.5

Recommendation and Conclusion

To briefly recap my review of the Cync 1.5 hardware in just a paragraph: the starter kit takes the form of a closed system powered by a 350mAh battery and detachable 1.5ml (filled to 1.35ml) refillable pods containing a few different choices of e-liquid flavors. The nicotine strength for the liquids in the starter pack itself is limited to 4.5%; however, the 1.5ml refill pods are available in a much wider range of flavors and nicotine strengths. The Cync is a closed-system ecosystem, much like the VUSE or NJOY hardware that came before it, but better, which is where the 2.5ml refill pods and the 2.5ml size Stealth battery come into play. While the 1.5ml pods range in strength from 2.4% to 4.5% nicotine, in order to satisfy transitioning smokers, the 2.5ml pods range in nicotine strength from 1.8% all the way down to 0.6% for vapers who are already decreasing their nicotine intake. What’s the significance behind why nicotine strengths of e-liquids used on closed systems are so much higher than nicotine strengths used in e-liquids paired with more advanced devices? Simple: risk reduction.

Pros:

• Ultraportable • Convenient • Comfortable • Long battery life • Great e-liquid economy • Unparalleled flavor selection for any closed system • Standard micro-USB charging, not proprietary

Cons: • Requires some adjustment in habits for long-timers • Compared to starter kit, refill pod four-packs may feel steep • Bragging rights not included This isn’t a system to brag about; it’s not intended to be. There’s no handcheck cachet with this system, but it isn’t made for that either. A device like Cync exists to simplify vaping, both for newly-minted ex-smokers and longtime vapers alike—and it does that beautifully.

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Manufactured in the USA AmeriNic is the premier manufacturer of USP liquid nicotine in the U.S. for electronic nicotine delivery systems. Our nicotine is produced under United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards and is manufactured in our FDA compliant (cGMP) facility. Our nicotine is packaged in 35 and 12.5 liter UN1654 drums under a nitrogen blanket to maintain freshness. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be introducing a 6 liter package in the fall of 2016. AmeriNic only manufactures pure USP nicotine, clean, clear, odorlessâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;never solutions. Since nicotine is a critical component of your products, we maintain a reserve inventory and we are always ready with an ample supply to meet the unique needs of our customers. Our focus is being the premier supplier of USP nicotine and providing stellar customer service. Insist on AmeriNic USP nicotine for your juices and nicotine solutions; proudly manufactured in the USA in Merry Hill, North Carolina. Phone: (804) 254-1355 E-mail: sales@ameri-nic.com

841 Avoca Farm Road Merry Hill, NC. 27957

www.ameri-nic.com

MOD TECH

VAPING AMERICAN MADE PRODUCTS

Rig Pig and Brass V2 Roughneck Set Photos and story by Chris Mellides

he Rig Pig from Vaping American Made Products has a hefty feel and performs exceedingly well. When compared to similar products on the market today, it really is a tough one to beat, and this is due in no small part to dogged American ingenuity and the sourcing of quality materials.

As a result, what you get is a USAmade device that looks the part and kicks like a cornered mule. This device is a mechanical series box with a black delrin core, a solid brass body and all copper contacts. There is no wiring to speak of, so the only limit in performance resides in just how far you want to push the Pig. It’s recommended that you build 0.4-ohms or higher, which is a suggestion I do not take lightly. I’ve gotten away with building a 0.38-ohm 12-wrap dual coil build, using 24 gauge nichrome wire around a 3mm screwdriver, but I wouldn’t build any lower than that. Powered by two 18650 batteries, the Rig Pig delivers a combined 8.4 volts of screaming power right out of the gate. Of course, you will experience some voltage drop,

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but even still, a 0.4-ohm build should get you well over 140 watts of facemelting power before the charge on your batteries begins to taper off. After about 30-45 minutes of heavy use, you’ll receive less of an intense vape before eventually needing to swap them out for a fresh pair. This is a hybrid mod we’re talking about after all, where the pin of your atomizer (in this case a V2 Roughneck), makes direct contact with your battery. With all copper contacts, the Rig Pig seems to suffer from very little voltage drop, allowing for a hard punch of unregulated power each and every time you slam down on the button. The orientation of your batteries is important, as is true with any device you’ve used or will use in the future. Since this is a series box and is designed to handle series builds, you’ll want to insert each of your 18650s with the positive side facing out. Also, remember to use high drain batteries with their wrapping intact. You don’t want to accidentally create any hard shorts, so make sure your battery wraps aren’t frayed or torn. I’ve been using Sanyo UR18650NSX 20A batteries. They work remarkably

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well, and come highly recommended. As I’ve already mentioned, the device has a hefty feel, and is in no way a light mod. It’s weighty, man. Not to where it feels cumbersome, but if you were to chuck it in the rear pocket of your jeans, don’t be surprised if your pants sag a bit. The Rig Pig’s rugged design makes me feel confident that if I ever accidentally dropped the mod there’s no way it wouldn’t survive a fall, which is reassuring. The device’s black delrin body dissipates heat and keeps your mod cool. It also has some tasteful engravings on either side of the delrin core. On one side you have the infamous VAMP oil tower graphic, and on the opposite side the words “The Rig Pig” are displayed in all caps in the lower right hand corner. You’ll also find the company’s liberty bell design tastefully engraved on the copper detonator style switch at the top of the mod, as well as another smaller liberty bell engraving and distinct serial number located on the underside of the device. The Rig Pig isn’t without its faults. For one, the threaded battery cap is a bit of a pain to get screwed into

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the complementary threading on the device itself, and has to be accessed with a quarter or a foreign currency equivalent. This makes swapping out batteries something of a chore. The most obvious thing that will likely disappoint some users out there is that the only atty compatible with the Rig Pig is VAMP’s V2 Roughneck. The Rig Pig is NOT designed for use with traditional 510 atomizers of any kind, so please don’t make any attempt at using them. Needing to use only the V2 Roughneck with this device can be considered beneficial since the atty allows for a hybrid connection with the Rig Pig, and its unique contact pin is designed to make hard shorts nearly impossible, but it’s still somewhat disappointing that you can’t use your own favorite 510 atomizers instead. While we’re on the topic. The V2 Roughneck isn’t the greatest atty out there. It’s well constructed, yes, but it’s a run of the mill three-piece atty when you get down to the brass tax. I know that there are new products in the company pipeline, but at the time of writing this review, the only Roughneck that’s compatible is the V2

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and it’s a simple three post design. Nothing special. Additionally, the screws in the post holes do not look as though they’ve been rounded, or smoothed at their base, and because you’ll likely be using high resistance wires which are generally thinner, clipping your leads on round wire builds can happen if you’re not careful. Having said that, my experience with the Rig Pig has been mostly positive. I love the weight, the ergonomic feel, the detonator style fire button, and the general balls out performance. I can forgive the device for its shortfalls, if only because when everything is working as it should, this is hands down one of the best vapes I’ve ever tried or owned. So, take that for what it’s worth, no device is perfect. The Rig Pig is available for $200 as a standalone purchase, and the Rig Pig and brass V2 Roughneck Set will run you $280. The Rig Pig and V2 Roughnecks are available in a number of different colors and finishes and are sold at authorized retailers nationwide and online directly through the manufacturer at: vapeamp.com.

Event Coverage

Vapor Expo International

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ROCKS CHICAGO #VAPEMAGAZINE

Event Coverage

By Norm Bour Here is why Chicago’s Vapor Expo International is so significant: It is the only vape show that excludes the public. Sorry if that bothers some, but this event, in its’ third year, has always been about business. It’s noisy, but maintainable. It’s smoky, but not so your vision is obscured. And they have education.

THE SPEAKERS

Day one highlighted Troutman Sanders legal expert Bryan Haynes, who shared updates that have unfolded since the deeming regs came out on May 10. His opening line, which was “Here’s the good,

the bad, and the ugly,” set the tone for the reality that followed. Haynes was not optimistic about litigation against the FDA and stated that it was an uphill battle that would take time. He used a car analogy when describing the process of conforming to yet unclear FDA guidelines. “They want a Ferrari but maybe that costs too much. You could deliver a Honda, but maybe a Yugo would do. Since they don’t really know what they want you possibly could use Uber!” Don Burke, VP with Management Science Associates,

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Event Coverage you know your Senator or Representatives?” A few hands went up. “How many of you visited or called them?” Even fewer hands went up. “Our visits (from SFATA) mean nothing!” he bellowed. “They only want to hear from their constituents.” And he is right.

MSA, shared recent vaping trends and validated what many have seen on the streets; sales are down. Burke has an uncanny ability to take lots of data (he’s a self-proclaimed “data geek”) and over a brief 45-minute session, made his data digestible. An area of note is that more drug stores are carrying liquids. If we ask ourselves, “Has vaping gone mainstream?” the answer seems to be clear. Backing that up, Burke commented that the number of Google searches for “vape” and “vapor” continue to rise.

Abboud is the new kid on the black since the VTA is less than one-year-old. Their list of members is growing and their primary purpose is to “continue the progress it has made on passing the Cole-Bishop Amendment, which will change the predicate date and keep all vapor companies in business,” per Abboud. “This will give the industry enough runway for VTA to work on creating a new regulatory scheme that will treat vapor products as technology products, not obacco products.”

THE PANELISTS

Of the few true B2B vape events, Chicago always shines. The list of speakers included Farrell Delman, president of the Tobacco Merchants Association (TMA); Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association (AVA); Cap O’Rourke, Legislative Strategist with SFATA, and Tony Abboud, President and Legislative Director of the Vapor Technology Association (VTA).

THE SHOW FLOOR Topics discussed included whether vape shop really are smoking cessation clinics and the likelihood of any one of the thousands of vape businesses being able to afford the “millionaires lottery,” as Conley put it. “The estimated cost of Pre-Market Tobacco Application (PMTA) will be over one million dollars per SKU. Most of you will not survive,” he predicted. SFATA leader O’Rourke hit everyone between the eyes when he posed the following: “How many of

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Vapor World Expo is owned by Phillips & King, who are major distributors of various vaping products, including their own lines. They are in turn owned by Kretak, a name that few in or outside the industry have heard of. But they are quiet giants. Tracy Villegas wears numerous hats within Kretak and was responsible for bringing in many of the exhibitors to Chicago. Her day to day job consists of vetting new hardware and liquid lines for Kretak. Kretak is very focused in the event world and offers only business events. They also own Tobacco Plus

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Event Coverage marketing that can be misinterpreted, the worse it will be.” Busardo’ s brand is very simple in its’ labeling, with a script font of his first and last initials on top of each other on a flat black label. Busardo has been an icon in this business for years and I applauded him for finally monetizing his status and said it was long overdue.

Expo (TBE) which was formerly known as TPC. The letters don’t matter but the focus does, since both events are exclusively business to business. Prime floor space was dominated by Phillips and King, along with a dozen or so of the product lines they carry. Council of Vapor, major hardware manufacturers and liquid producers, displayed a new set up, but the big name in the room was Molecule abs.

MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS…

With Indiana next door, there were several attendees from that battered state. Battered since they may soon be out of business due to a state law with such severe restrictions that only six e-liquid companies are able to sell juice in the state. Many of those have signed exclusivity agreements with major retailers which leaves the majority of brick and mortar shops out in the a cold. Gary Kaiser own Club Vapin, an online subscription service. A native of the state, Gary is disgusted by what their legislature has done. “We’re right over the bridge from Kentucky and we’re moving our business there. How sad is that?” he queried. “I pay taxes in this state and will reside in Indiana, but yet I have to take my business elsewhere. I’m ashamed,” he confessed.

Molecule has become the market leader in e-liquid production and includes some of the top names in their portfolio, including the best-selling liquid today; Cuttwood. Some of their flavors, like Conviction, Halcyon, Taffy Man, and Von Vape were included in the massive 20,000 square foot area, but one in particular stood out.

“Not only that, but they are basically saying ‘it’s okay to go back to tobacco, all you smokers’, which sets a terrible tone.”

There are only a few vaping market leaders that can launch their own line solely on the strength of their name and one of them launched at VEI: Phil Busardo. Busardo has been on the cutting edge of vaping since 2009, and is one of the most followed You Tube reviewers on his site, TasteyourJuice.com. He has been applauded and critical against childishness and immaturity in the business and has been especially vocal against cloud chasers and their mindset. “We did not get into this business to make a spectacle of ourselves,” Busardo said. “We got into it to stop smoking or to help others quit.” “The more we pander to mascots and other forms of

If you are still in business next summer, plan on taking a few days away from work and visit Vapor Expo International, where business really gets done. Norm Bour is the founder of VapeMentors and creator of the VAPE U online programs. They offer services & resources for anyone in the vape space, including vape shops, online stores and e-liquid brands. He’s also the host of Vape Radio, the largest vaping radio show in the world with more than 1.3 M downloads. Norm interviews the masters of vape and thought leaders in the vape space. Contact him at norm@VapeMentors.com.

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Features

TRADEMARK ATTORNEY

WARNS

By Corey Noles

POOR PRE-MARKET RESEARCH

Starting a business can be a daunting task. Without paying proper attention to trademarks and branding, it can also be a very sad one. Countless companies start up every day without protecting their name or brand and it can lead to a very tragic story. They could be using a name that already has such protections — meaning the company would have to change its own branding. Or, equally bad, someone could be copying their brand and costing them countless dollars. Mark J. Ingber, intellectual property attorney and founder of the Ingber Law Firm, hears these stories from companies within the vapor industry daily. “Companies need to protect their brand just like they would their recipes — but they don’t for the most part,” Ingber said. Ingber has worked with a variety of noteworthy clients, including Halo and NicoPure. When he began working with Halo, the company was being hounded left and right by companies copying their brand. Ingber and Halo purchased and legally acquired the rights to their marks and began an aggressive policing policy. ‘We got rid of all the copycats and made it safer to promote their brand worldwide,” Ingber said.

According to Ingber, protecting one’s brand in the United States is not enough today. More than half of his current business consists of protecting American brands in Europe and China. Policing your brands is as important as registering them for a variety of reasons, he said. “By stopping other people from using them, you can recover damages, attorney’s fees and shut them down,” Ingber said. “Doing that tells the industry you plan to police your marks and protect them however necessary.” Basically, a trademark is a brand name. For a mark to be a trademark, it should be identified in the minds of consumers with a particular source of a good or service. Trademarks can be renewed forever as long as they are being used in commerce. A major goal of trademark law is to protect consumers and prevent them from being confused as to which business they are dealing with or purchasing from. We also advise our clients in matters involving internet domain name disputes, transfer of technology and licensing. For more information about trademark lawyer, or to speak with Ingber, visit http://www.ingberiplawyer.com/.

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