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Columns
Class Division New Business Basics The Absurdity of Regulation A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing Comparing Successful Vape Shops Online Vape Shop Technology Vaping and Fitness
Features
Clones in the UK Market Who’s Killing the Electronic Cigarette? Exodus Vapor Photo Essay: 3D Vapor
TECH
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EVENTS
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DEPARTMENTS
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CLASS DIVISION By Kelly Banaski
Vapers are used to the side-long glances and full on questioning looks. They fully expect, or at least aren’t surprised by, a varying array of questions when their plumes are spotted, ranging anywhere from coherent and intelligent to passionately idiotic and a few mildly entertaining. What may be hardest to swallow, however, is the stigma that is becoming mildly attached to the vaping scene. “Hipster” gets thrown around a lot, “geek” a little, “pretentious” on certain occasions.
Saturday Night Live has aired several skits depicting the ecigarette stereotype that is permeating the social universe. The most recent of which ran Season 39 Episode 20. It depicted Drunk Uncle, Bobby Moynihan, ranting that “If I see another idiot with an e-cig, I’m gonna punch him in the e-sophogus.” Other skits have included President Obama vaping and yet another with Daniel Craig featuring Fred Armisen as a rather pretentious and eccentric vaping woman. Social media is littered with memes depicting vapers as too-coolfor-school types, blowing reams of vapor to accommodate for other shortcomings. These typecasts have become more evident while being happily pushed along by mainstream media. The question emerges; are we really so different? The New York Times published an article entitled Smoking Proves Hard to Shake Among the Poor, in March 2014 reporting the steady decline of analog smokers and the economically despondent population left behind. (http://www.nytimes. com/2014/03/25/health/smoking-stays-stubbornlyhigh-among-the-poor.html?_r=0) The article points to a federal study of smoking data that showed a great divide between geographic and social classes. The data, provided by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, showed one in 10 people smoke in areas such as the well-heeled suburbs of Washington whereas one in four are smoking in penurious areas like Clay, County, Ky. Women are the highest per-
centage of people still smoking in these impoverished areas. This increasingly large crack in smoking percentages between rich and poor also is pushing the disparity in health outcomes between the two social classes. Driving this point home is new federal data that poor, white women are now living the shortest lives. Max Wu, co-owner of VapeDay Lounge in South Carthay, Calif., has been referred to as a voice for the California vaping community and has spoken out on the California e-cig bans, regulations and restrictions on NBC, KTLA, ABC, FOX and LA Weekly among others. “As long as cigarettes are readily available, there will always be more smokers in the lower economic ranges due to convenience, exposure and lack of personal health care,” Wu said. “Those who generate a higher income, have the luxury to spend money on the latest and greatest items that may not be as easily accessible to the masses. For most people who live in a small town, Middle America, smoking remains the norm simply because the information is not as prevalent in their area. Thus it’s easy to see why the general public correlates new ‘smoking alternatives’ like vaping movement with the hipster movement.” Despite pending regulations and bans popping up here and there, many people believe e-cigarettes and vaping are not just fads that will be discouraged and fade away, but are here to stay. Vapers have shown themselves to be vocal and a formidable force so far. Jeff Holman is president of Vapor Corp, one of the only public “pure-play” companies in this industry, which has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Bloomberg and CNN. “Vaping is now so mainstream that people see folks from all walks of life vaping in all of the various formats and for various individual reasons every day,” Holman said. “Whether they are trying to make a switch from combustible tobacco for economic reasons, as vaping is far less expensive, or for convenience, as people can vape in most places where they cannot smoke, or they’ve been told by friends, family or doctors to quit, vaping is not limited to any one demographic.” Is it pretention people are seeing or just a joyous confidence that we can have our cake and eat it too?
Vaping Business Tips:
WHERE DO I BEGIN? By C.G. Bolton In a move that caught most of the world off-guard, vaping has exploded into a billion dollar industry. “Why shouldn’t I get a slice of the pie?” You may ask yourself, and rightfully so. The vaping industry is the wild west of business, and you have to get in while the getting’s good. Unfortunately, many others have had the same idea and the market is beginning to get a little crowded. I’ll be here as your guide to making a successful and important vaping business that may very well define your path to being an industry giant.
Identify Your Market First you need to identify your market before you start. If you’re starting your vape shop in a city that has very little in the way of vape shops, you have some wiggle room to open the doors and experiment with products and ideas. If you’re starting up in major cities that are completely saturated, you’ll need a niche. The easiest way to do this is to make your own liquid and market it as the nectar of the gods. If you believe you have the best eliquid, others will too. Other ways to stand out may be to cater to a specific club of vaping. The people who talk the most on the forums may not be a majority of the market, but they definitely are the loudest. Some stores cater to them by having high end, no clone, mech and RDA/RBA nirvanas. That will establish your Internet “street cred” more quickly than anything else. These all are just examples, and the lesson here is to be aware of your surroundings, do a little research and get creative. The city you’re in will speak to you; you just have to listen. Once you have your market halfway figured out and you have your rough strategy planned, come up with your battle plan. “Battle Plan” seems a bit harsh, but in a saturated city, that’s exactly what it needs to be. Make a note of all vape shops in the city where you want to start up. Look at how all of the vape shops line up with the major roads and try to intercept as much business as you can. You’re going to need to channel your inner Alexander the Great, and although there is something to be said for cross-shop pollination and cooperation, for the most part you’re in this game for yourself. Conquer the market. You’ll want your shop to be easy to find by both the locals and the out-of-towners. Customers will flock to the easiest-to-get-to shop as long as you have a good selection of juice, a friendly attitude and are always in stock, which brings me to my next point.
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Stock Those Shelves Always stay in stock! This may seem like a no-brainer, but in the vape world, it’s much more difficult than you’d think. Nothing is worse than going to a vape shop and them not having what you want. If you’re getting most of your product from Chinese manufacturers, then memorize their holidays. I’ve seen too many vape shops get slammed by the Chinese New Year. You don’t want your cashiers to just shrug whenever someone asks for a product. Find more than one supplier for when plans go south. If, in an emergency, you have to buy items at retail price and sell them for no profit, do it. Having a reputation of always being in stock is far better than losing a bit of money on chargers. Another way to ease this burden is to limit your inventory. Keeping stock of a single type of battery in eight different colors is a nightmare. Everyone is fine with black and silver. If you must have a color, go with pink. If ever you have a problem and you’re left with an undesirable color, make a campaign to donate a percentage of sales to the cause that is represented by that color (pink is breast cancer awareness, blue is bullying awareness, etc.)
Don’t React, Proact! This brings us to our final point of business advice. Be proactive and not reactive. What I mean by that is to throw as many original ideas at the wall and see what sticks. You have to cater to the market, sure, but you’ll want to be the one setting the trend rather than following it. If you start to react to other vape shops in your area, you’ll always be a step behind and you’ll be the secondary shop for customers. This idea is impossible to write a “how-to” about because that’s like trying to explain how Steve Jobs came up with his ideas. Be innovative, push the boundaries, and don’t be afraid that something might not work out. This industry has a lot of leeway in that if an idea fails, you can always turn on a dime and try something else. If I were to give a piece of innovative advice, it’d be to have a vape delivery service. I haven’t seen that yet. The point is to be creative and to never get comfortable. You always must be proactive in the growth of your company. Following just that, you’ll be surprised with what takes off. This is by no means a complete list on an instant, successful vapebshop, but I hope it gets the creative juices flowing. I’ve been a vape shop consultant for a few years now, and I’ve seen empires grow from nothing. I’ll be updating this article regularly and answering your questions on how to improve your vape shop or if you have any specific questions on how to get started. Have a question on starting your own vape empire? Email content@ vapemz.com with “Vape Shop Question” in the subject line.
The
ABSURDITY of Taxing,
Banning and Belittling E-Cigs By Tim Campbell, Founder & CEO Smoke Free Technologies VaporBeast.com
The media loves those stories about laboratory mice experiments that show promise of eradicating deadly diseases. Not a month goes by that I don’t hear about an exciting new discovery that that could potentially save lives. So, I’m befuddled that the media and our law makers have not embraced e-cigs, a harm reduction technology that is showing amazing real world promise and not just with mice or some test tube laboratory experiment. Every year an estimated 443,000 Americans die prematurely from cigarettes or exposure to second hand smoke. Smoking is unquestionably the most preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Furthermore, nearly 200 billion dollars is spent annually on heath related expenses and lost worker productivity. But wait … there’s a technology that will likely significantly minimize this grotesque number. Yet it seems as though many are demonizing e-cigs. It makes little sense considering the promising research and hundreds of thousands of positive real world user experiences reported worldwide. The e-cig industry has surged to an estimated 2 billion in sales annually, and the technology is being utilized by more than 800,000 Americans. In addition, independent studies conducted by Boston University, Drexel University, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center and multiple credible sources are demonstrating their relative effectiveness and safety as compared to traditional analog cigarettes. You would think that the media would be cheering and our government would be issuing subsidies by now. However, they seem to be doing just the opposite. Many are discrediting, banning and even proposing sin taxes. It’s dumbfounding considering there’s minuscule evidence of reported harm after years of use. Laws are being written and overzealous government officials are banning e-cigs based on fear and ignorance. So why do I care? I have a passion for the industry, which led me to found one of the fastest growing e-commerce e-cig companies in the United States. I’m a former executive, turned inventor and entrepreneur, who is living the American dream of owning my own business. Just like our company, there are hundreds of businesses that are flourishing in the industry. We are expanding our warehouses, hiring new employees, paying taxes and contributing to our local economies. I can tell you it’s been incredibly rewarding to interact with customers who no longer smoke cigarettes. The stories are numerous and gratifying. I implore our law makers to heed grievous and unfair taxation and to avoid bans based on misconceptions. I ask that the media to please take time to dig deeper and interview e-cig users, examine current research and interview true industry experts. And please ... let’s start embracing an industry that is creating jobs and could likely save more lives than any medicine or technology developed in our lifetime!
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A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing The FDA has finally weighed in on e-cigarettes with its deeming regulations. But, the FDA’s proposal fails. Miserably. Because its proposal is based on the wrong premise: that e-cigarettes should be regulated under the Tobacco Control Act. Let’s not confuse e-cigarettes with the products that kill a half million Americans every year. They’re different. Dear FDA: Since when is a sheep the same as a wolf? E-cigarettes are NOT tobacco products. They do not contain tobacco. They’re technology products. And they should be regulated as such. Love, Maria
We’ve been waiting patiently since April 2011 when the FDA first announced its plans to regulate e-cigarettes. To say that its proposed regulations disappoint doesn’t even begin to touch how those of us in the industry feel. Clearly, the FDA doesn’t understand the entire point of e-cigarettes. The reason e-cigarettes were invented was to mitigate the harm caused by cigarettes and other combustible tobacco products. Putting them in the same category as tobacco products is like calling a sheep a wolf. One grazes and bleats. The other kills and eats. E-cigarettes have grown overnight into a $1.2 billion industry because they address a key problem. One in every five—about 42 million Americans—still smokes, despite the well-known health risks. And that number hasn’t budged in years. At least half of all smokers try to quit at least once—and many try to quit several times. But many are unsuccessful, because nicotine, which is NOT a carcinogen, is highly addictive. Quitting cold turkey is hard. The nicotine patch doesn’t work, for obvious reasons. Smokers are addicted to nicotine, but they’re also hooked on the habit. The e-cigarette is a game changer in the smoking cessation market. (Yes, I just said “smoking cessation.” Please don’t report me to the FDA.) All of the anecdotal evidence from millions of people who have switched to the e-cigarette is that they’ve reduced or eliminated smoking cigarettes altogether. They’re no longer taking in 4,000 chemicals and 60 known carcinogens into their lungs. And while nearly a half million people have died every year of smoking-related diseases, not one person has died from e-cigarettes. Sure, there have been some mishaps. Sure, we have a ways to go to ensure that these products and the e-liquids are as safe as possible. We also welcome and will propose regulations to prevent e-cigarettes from falling into the hands of minors. However, I continue to laugh at the assertion that e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking, given the fact that vaping is not just safer; it’s also cheaper than smoking. I don’t know one person who would switch to a product that will cost them more—do you? I have a lot more to say about the FDA’s pending regulations. But I’ll save that rant for another day. Maria Verven owns Vaping Vamps, the only e-cigarette brand created by women, for women. She sells the kinds of e-cigarettes women prefer, including e-cigarette starter kits, refill cartomizers and e-cigarette cases.
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Anatomy of a Successful Vape Shop By Norm Bour
There always is something new in this very exciting vape market. Whether you are a novice, just thinking about getting into the vape space, or maybe you are an old pro with a whopping couple of years under your belt, there always are new ways to (re)invent and market yourself. We get input and feedback from all over the United States and from overseas and wanted to share some observations and insight you can use. Many things come in sets of “threes:” 1. Breakfast, lunch and dinner 2. The three primary colors of the spectrum 3. The Three Stooges! But seriously, since I have been in too many vape shops to count I have identified what it takes to create a successful business. And, it is not always about money. Or location. In our home turf of Orange County, Calif., we take out of town clients in for training to different shops in the area. After visiting many we have narrowed our tour down to three, and we are giving our opinion on two that are doing it really well and one that is missing the mark. One of the current challenges in the marketplace is locations, since many cities have too many vape shops and others don’t want them. This has become a huge problem and in many cases a great location doesn’t always make you a great shop, even though you may be profitable. Profile #1: Vintage Vapours, Lake Forest, Calif. (Rob Zahr) age 43 Opened: November, 2013 Lines of juice: more than 50 brands, which varies, with more than 250 varieties First business? This venture is a partnership of three friends, two brothers and Zahr, a successful entrepreneur in the credit card processing industry plus ownership in a real estate related company. They did not start Vintage for the money, but Zahr smoked up to two packs a day for decades, and in 2009 he was introduced to his first e-cig, and he has not looked back. All three owners have a deep entrepreneurial history, which is a significant advantage in this new and risky vape space. They use all hand-made components, and upon entering this location you can see that they spent a shit load in design and décor. Zahr said that they were not creating a decor, but were creating environment, and he is spot on. The interior design is part of you and who you are and the type of experience you want to create. It is not always necessary to go into six-figure budgets but to have adequate money and spending it wisely, pays dividends. What did Vintage really do right? No. 1: it hired the right people; No. 2: it established policies on customer service; No. 3: the store and the décor. What should they have done differently? “Happy as is!” was Zahr’s reply. Advice to those opening shop: 1. Don’t take on more than you can handle; do what you can, don’t borrow money! 2. Stay realistic in your goals. 3. Grow through great service and go from there.
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4. Stay true to brands, avoid clones (they carry none). 5. Join the vape community; advocate and support each at all sectors. This vape shop is a true showplace, one I take all our clients to visit. It is located in a high traffic shopping center on one of the busiest roads in Orange County. Profile #2: E-Cig Emporium, Irvine, Calif. (Paul Gaudreau), age 50 Opened: Thanksgiving, 2013. They were turned down by four landlords, which delayed their opening by several months. Lines of juice: 16 brands, 200 flavors; goal is 275 flavors, reaching 20 brands. They suggest NOT buying entire lines, but find the top sellers and just get those. First business: Gaudreau had a successful consulting company servicing Fortune 500 businesses that he sold for big dollars, and he retired at 45. He realized he was bored, and as a long-term smoker he was introduced to vaping. He also owns a retail hobby store in Orange County. What did he really do right? Gaudreau said that he created an image and brand that made anyone feel comfortable. His location is unique since he is amongst several large office buildings and caters to white collar clientele. Gaudreau was committed to a location in another city, signed a lease, and found out before he took over that the city would NOT permit it. He dodged a bullet by a close call. What should Gaudreau have done differently? The timing to open during the holidays was not planned and wished he had not done so. Advice to those opening shop: 1. Be sure the city you wish to operate in allows it. 2. Use money wisely. Gaudreau did a lot of work himself, did flooring, $17K build out, $40K inventory. 3. Probably spent 20 percent TOO MUCH on inventory. 4. His guide: $12K juice, $8K in hardware. 5. Don’t need to spend a lot of money on inventory and here’s his nicotine suggestions: (2) zero nic, (6) 3 nic, (6) of 6 nic, (6) of 12, (2) of 18, NO 24. These numbers reflect a pattern we notice as well. He also completed a 35-page business plan that was submitted to the landlord. That allowed his lease approval, but I do not advocate you share your business plan with anyone, and in many cases it may be highly speculative. Profile #3: a vape shop in a great beach community Opened: Spring, 2013 This little shop is about 1200 sq. ft. and has a comfortable feel about it, but the branding and messaging is a jumbled mess. They have a decent line of products, not as much hardware as they should, but there is no cohesiveness or efforts made to make the customer feel comfortable. It is eclectic, and not in a good way, with random posters, signs, décor, furnishings, display cases, etc. It’s light and bright and in a great location near the beach, but after taking many clients in, all left with the same thoughts: Something just wasn’t right. They cater to the young surfer and beach crowd, but with just a few little tweaks they could make this a kick-ass location that could improve their revenue significantly. Where do you fit in? What is unique about your location or the one you dream about? THIS is the most critical step in advance of making any plans or commitments. Continued success in the vape space!
Commerce and Convenience:
Technology & Online Sales of Vaping Products By Lewis Fein The market for the vaping industry continues to hit new records, exceeding $1.7 billion, according to one analyst at Wells Fargo Securities (http://www.cnbc.com/ id/100991511). Along with Internet sales, which range from $500 million to $625 million, there are many opportunities for entrepreneurs to enter this space. Investors recognize the growth potential of this category, too. Bloomberg Businessweek (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-10/ecigarettes-want-your-attention-now-before-the-fda-stepsin) reports that firms like Homewood Capital, an investment fund run by Douglas Teitelbaum, and Sean Parker, the founder of Napster and former president of Facebook, have substantial stakes in companies in this space, where even a single vape shop can easily exceed $1 million in revenue. The challenge, however, rests with creating the equivalent of a plug-and-play model, where someone can rapidly open their own online vape shop with all of the necessary features at the ready: A website, e-commerce capability, live customer service, hardware, and employee and inventory management, among other things. To assemble these parts individually, and to then coordinate with a multitude of designers and programmers, is expensive and tedious. In other words, the standard model of creating an online business, which sells vaporizers, batteries, tanks and other equipment, should be easier to establish and seamless to maintain. Thankfully, there is an alternative to the status quo: A model, or a series of choices, where a potential merchant can have an online shop open for business with speed, affordability and dependability. I write these words as an independent marketing consultant, and as someone who believes the e-cigarette industry is a metaphor for business leadership in general and the use of innovative technology in particular. In that regard, I would like to call people’s attention to Open a Vape Shop (www.openavapeshop.com), which streamlines the processes described above. Separate companies, united by a common mission, work together on behalf of a common cause: To enable a person to have their own virtual vape shop, without having to recruit, screen and hire anyone. A point of qualification: I do not own a vape shop, nor do I have a stake in Open a Vape Shop, so I approach this matter with absolute independence. My “bias” is, instead, a matter of fixed opinion about broader business issues; I do not believe a high-
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growth industry like this one should be stymied by the delays and cost overruns associated with conventional web designers or merchant account providers. Indeed, the success of magazines (including this one) dedicated to “vapers” —a subculture unto itself, with its own vernacular, conventions and forums—proves that, far from some isolated phenomenon or an audience with limited influence, e-cigarettes encompass a great many industries and require the services of a great number of vendors. That subculture, as the sales figures confirm, will be—it perhaps already is—a mainstream fact of life. My advice to my fellow marketing experts is, therefore, simple: If you want to study a dynamic sector, in which the line from infant or emergent trend to multibillion-dollar industry is short and powerful, direct your attention to vape shops, vape news, vapers and vaping. There is significant activity among these loyalists, from their posts on social media and their message threads on various sites to their product reviews and word-of-mouth influence concerning merchants, manufacturers and resellers of vape-branded products. Coordinated Technology: The Vaping Solution With regard to Open a Vape Shop, and the affiliated partners like LivePos.com, blazonco, Total-Apps and E-Gains Distributing, I think the convenience factor alone is worth applauding. By enumerating the features of the three available options, which have their respective list of prepackaged offerings and specific merits, there is no ambiguity, period. Meaning: A prospective user knows what he or she will get, when and from whom these services will be available, along with links to the specialists mentioned above. The principal marketing advantages of this choice are twofold. One, a prospective client can perform their own due diligence within seconds. Click the links, view and read the information about each vendor, and follow-up with any additional questions about that company’s work. And secondly, there is a clear division of labor. There is a web development firm, another focused on point of sale, a third focused on credit card processing, and a fourth (blazonco) acting as a one-stop shop for all of business owner’s vaping retail needs. In a word: simplicity. That convenience and coordinated technology—call it The Vaping Solution—is a blueprint other businesses should emulate. Its emphasis on practicality, complemented by its attention to quality, represents the future of e-commerce. Put a different way, far from blowing smoke, the vaping industry offers us a signal—a smoke signal—toward success. An independent marketing consultant and writer, Lewis Fein is an avid proponent of the vaping industry. A veteran adviser for a variety of entrepreneurs and Fortune 100 companies, Fein is a native of the Greater New York City Area. He resides in Southern California.
“Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.” -Mark Twain By Davor Kontic, Belgrade-Serbia One of my favorite all-time writers, the great Mark Twain, was passionate about tobacco probably even more than writing. From the time he was eight years old, he smoked 100 cigars per month. A poverty stricken boy, wandering around penniless in tattered clothes, tobacco was Twain’s muse. I am sure if Twain were alive now, he would be a passionate vaper. I was a “Twain” sort of smoker, averaging a pack a day, quitting every now and then, once hitting a longer period of up to four years. But, tobacco always seemed to find its way back to my being. The worse thing about it is that I am supposed to set an example of a role model of health since I am a personal fitness trainer and an amateur marathon swimmer. Can you imagine being fit with cigarettes creeping upon you as a tension reliever, addictive habit and who knows what else? It is not impossible; I am a living proof. At the age of 41, I am a fit, healthy male with a wheeze in my lungs, reminding me that something might be wrong with my health. Nobody is perfect, and I can be a smoker and a trainer—it is just too damn hard. Quitting, cutting down, nicotine replacements—I have tried them all only to fall deeper into the tobacco pit. I almost made peace with myself about a year and a half ago that I would never quit smoking. Then out of the blue I saw an advertisement about e-cigarettes. I headed straight for the place where they sold them,skeptical, but thought, “Why not give them a try?” As I entered the store, I was introduced to a beginners’ model, a slim kind of pen looking thing with some sort of liquid in it. I inhaled the vape; it was Desert ship 16 mg by Dekang from China. At first my reaction was, “Pinch me; I am dreaming; this stuff is even better than the real thing.” The cloud of vapor, the smell, the throat hit; it was all so right that immediately I felt converted from smoker to vaper. It was fun; it was clean; the smell was great—the lingering and play of the aroma in my senses. So, I bought my first e-cigarette and some liquid. On my way home I was wondering how harmful was this liquid and the whole process of vaping, since I heard some tales about them being worse than regular “old school” cigarettes. I spent the next 10 days in deep research on the Internet about the pros and cons of vaping. To my surprise, most of the data I came across from serious scientific studies to personal experiences were positive. The only negative feedback I read was from the tobacco industry. Stay hooked on our proven 4000 poison containing cigarette—do not vape—it will turn you into a pile of dust and other sort of scare tactics based on not a single shred of scientific evidence. What I can say from my own experience is, that after 15 years
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of on and off smoking, my health was in a constant downgrade. And, after a year and a half of vaping, I feel like I can touch the sky—at least in regard to my fitness levels and all around health. I can breathe fully again. There is no shortness of breath, no cloudy heavy feel to my legs or head, no cramps, no foul smell. The cough and wheezing are gone for good, the sick feeling in my stomach; for the first time I feel healthy. I read in a scientific paper that in the ‘50s and ‘60s propylene glycol (or PG), one of the main ingredients of the e-liquid for vaping, was used in hospitals as an inhaler and medication for asthma in bronchitis patients.It was a cheap medication, which proved to work well. I wonder if this is true and if it is, why it was abandoned. As a personal trainer I encounter people of various fitness levels. Before when I came across a smoker, the person was skeptical about the effect exercise would have on his or her smoking body. I used a line from a scientific study that said, “Smokers who regularly exercise cut down on all health risk factors down to a point where their health can be the same as a non-smokers who do not exercise.” After this line clients were really motivated to start training, and you would not believe how many smoker-clients I get. Roughly one out of every four clients is a smoker. I am glad I can now present them with an ideal solution—vaping! On average every 10th smoking person would consider having a vape as a try—so nine out of every 10 do not even want to try an e-cigarette. So, I sort of gave up on “preaching” vaping to every smoker I came across, I am sure it is just a matter of time before they jump that boat. It takes a while before an average smoker adopts new ways. Vaping works wonders for me. I will always point out the good things about it to a smoker who is interested. I am just not comfortable with all the negative feedback from people who have not done their research. However, I am a bit worried about what the future will bring. Probably more negative feedback from the tobacco industry and its lobbies on restraining and conspiring against the vaping world. But in the end, I am sure it will be a case of if we cannot beat them, let’s join them. As for the future of vaping, I am sure it will grow in ways we cannot imagine at the moment —probably into medicinal use. Can you imagine vaping your daily dose of vitamins and minerals through a vaping mod? Why not? Since I am a fitness trainer, I feel obliged to provide a training program for smokers or vapers. So here it is: First of all, make the switch from smoking to vaping, and second, start walking as fast as you comfortably can every day for one hour. Stay with this program, and after a month I am sure you will discover a new you. From then on it is up to you what sort of fitness activity you take on.
A NEW INGENUITY
By CJ Caswell
There was a time when the computer industry—heart and soul of the new economy—moved so fast that you couldn’t keep up with the radical advances being made in hardware. But today, in case you haven’t noticed, things have slowed down. Strangely, computers on the market five years ago still seem competitive in terms of speed, memory and features. The processor people have hit a wall when it comes to major leaps, and is now creeping along, refining an established technology. In other words, the industry has matured. So what’s advancing at breakneck speed today? If you’re reading this magazine, then you know at least one good answer. And it holds the promise to greatly expand the population of people who understand electronics. Vaping is drawing out a whole new way of thinking about electronics and engineering. We aren’t talking logic circuitry or motion-based power generation, which are much more specialized fields. But we are talking about lots of new vapers—specifically modders and sub-ohmers—learning about capacity, resistance and amperage as build factors. This is close to what happened when cars became commonplace: we can take it for granted now that lots of people understand basic facts of physics like friction and air pressure. This was not the case prior to the car becoming a consumer commodity. When that happened, we saw shade-tree mechanics, natural engineers, self-taught prodigies. Then, suddenly, knowing some physics became intrinsic to knowing how to create speed, a status factor. All the Bill Nyes in the world can’t make physics as cool as winning a street race in a 1970 Roadrunner, and not since Thomas Edison’s heyday has a technology held the potential to raise the awareness of the general population so much in regards to how electricity works. This doesn’t mean it will work for everyone; there are no shortage of people in this world who still don’t know why a car needs oil. But, what we might see develop from the tinkering of a million vapeheads chasing clouds is a new subclass of semi-competent electrical technicians with no formal training but valuable experience in actually messing with batteries, coils, chambers and all the associated numbers. Yesterday, it seemed like some people were born with a wrench in their hand. Today, we breed a generation that was winding coils before their first date. And there are advantages to this. A couple of years ago, I didn’t know the relationship of volts to amps at all, and my understanding of resistance was vague at best. Even though I had done some Googling and looked into it as a matter of pure curiosity, I had very little idea of what was going on, load-wise, when I plugged my computer into a wall outlet.
Vaping is drawing out a whole new way of thinking about electronics and engineering. I’m not the only one. Guys who knew everything about getting optimal fuel-air mixture through a carburetor couldn’t tell you anything about electricity besides where the positive and negative posts on the battery are, in case they needed a jump-start. Those are mechanically inclined people, too. MOST people knew nothing, and will continue to know nothing, about electricity. They just know that it does things, wonderful things, if you want to own something that makes a whirring noise. Build your own coils and start dealing with the differences between 5 amp and 15 amp batteries, and suddenly, things change. I’ve learned a lot since I bought a mod with an RDA and started messing with Kanthal, and lots of other vapers have learned even more. Amps become as important as the operating temperature of an engine. You start talking about “big mAh” like a country bumpkin born to an obese woman. Little parallel-line burns on your fingers after firing your coils at the wrong time, those become the new generation’s grease stains. Dumbass … you’ll figure it out. Most people learn by doing. And they ARE learning. The timing couldn’t be better. Give it a couple of decades, and we will end up driving more and more electric cars. And while the automakers would probably prefer that only their (very expensive) mechanic/electricians know how to work on them, the rest of humanity might not care for a service monopoly handling all their maintenance and troubleshooting. The power grid constantly needs upgrades, and not all of them will happen at the scale of a wind farm or nuclear facility. Eventually, we will need to be wiring our houses more. Wouldn’t it be useful to have a lot of people hanging around to help you put the solar panels on your roof? And of course, us vapers like having new devices out there, invented or refined by hands-on hobbyists. This is more than just knowing electricity: there will be fluid dynamics, airflow, having to come up here. Cottage industries bleed tech into mainstream technologies all the time. And in a culture where working in trades is considered inferior to getting a college degree, we finally have modders getting interested in using a lathe and acid-etching steel. I like it. I like it a lot. Enthusiast-level vaping looks great as a gateway drug to productive work. I can dream, can’t I? CJ Caswell is the owner of www.manhattanvapors.com, based out of Manhattan, Kansas.
History of VG/PG E-Liquid Ratio By Nathan Shaw
E-liquid is made up of two main ingredients, propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG). The ratio of PG/VG depends on who makes the e-liquid; in some cases you can pick your e-liquid PG/VG ratio. When I first started vaping in 2008, e-liquid was made exclusively with PG; this is the base ingredient e-liquid companies in China used. At that time eliquid made in the United States was very rare. At the end of 2009 the FDA released a statement claiming that they had found diethylene glycol in electronic cigarette e-liquid. Diethylene glycol is a harmful ingredient used in the making of anti-freeze. You can read more about this in CASSA’s “8 Biggest Electronic Cigarette Myths” here: http://casaa.org/uploads/8_Biggest_Electronic_Cigarette_Myths.pdf. Basically the whole “diethylene glycol in e-liquid” story was blown out of proportion due to the fact that PG sometimes is used in the making of anti-freeze. Hungry reporters were looking for a story, and I suspect big tobacco helped spread this misleading information. People started to associate PG with diethylene glycol, causing people to start requesting e-liquid without PG. I believe this is a big reason why we use VG in our e-liquid today. What’s the Best PG/VG Ratio for My E-Liquid? Currently almost all e-liquid comes with both PG and VG. If you make your own e-liquid (learn to make e-liquid at http:// www.VapingCheap.com/makeeliquid) or if you order e-liquid from a company that lets you select your own PG/VG ratio, it’s important to understand how each ingredient will affect your vape. Here is a simple list of the main benefits from both PG and VG. Propylene glycol (PG) Increases throat hit Better flavor definition Thinner than VG, may wick faster Vegetable glycerin (VG) Produces thicker vapor Has a sweet flavor Thicker than PG, may slow wicking
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True 100 percent VG e-liquid is very hard to come by since most flavoring used in making e-liquid come with a PG base. Virgin Vapor (www.VirginVapor.com) does offer 100 percent VG e-liquid; there flavoring comes in a base of organic ethyl alcohol. I personally don’t like a lot of VG in my e-liquid. I prefer an e-liquid that has defined flavor and a good throat hit over a somewhat thicker cloud of vapor. Anything more than 50 percent VG and 50 percent PG is too much VG for me. A lot of vapers like a 50/50 ratio, but I think the ultimate mixture is around 15-20 percent VG and 80-85 percent PG. It’s nice to have a small amount of VG in the mix to help thicken the e-liquid and to create a thick and satisfying cloud of vapor. But, if you add too much it will take away from the flavor definition and throat hit. PG/VG E-Juice Ratio Conclusion If you like e-liquid with defined robust flavor and an ever so satisfying throat hit, a mixture of 20 percent VG and 80 percent PG is perfect. For me, anything more than 50 percent VG is too much. I prefer to taste and feel the vapor over filling the room with such thick clouds I can’t see my computer screen. This article was originally published at VapingCheap.com, a site dedicated to helping vapers save money through daily deals, free sweepstakes, and great articles. Visit Vaping Cheap at http://VapingCheap.com.
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30
Who’s Killing the
?
Electronic Cigarette By Steve Hong
It’s a battery-powered, highly disruptive technology that is reinventing a daily activity upon which millions rely. But a confluence of poor regulation, entrenched corporate interest and a semi-ambivalent consumer base might prevent it from reaching its full potential. Of course I’m talking about the electric car but you’d be forgiven if e-cigs came to mind. The parallel story lines of e-cigs and e-cars are hard to ignore. Indeed, examining the story of how the electric car went from a tree hugger’s pipe dream to a Wall Street darling shows us the challenges ahead for the vaping industry. The 2006 documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?” tells the story of the EV1, an electric vehicle that GM marketed in California during the mid-90s. But by 2003, GM cancelled all leases and crushed the EV1s like old beer cans. Why? Because car companies were selling gas-guzzling SUV’s like hot cakes and gas was still under $1.50 per gallon. So no one, not consumers, oil companies, regulators or auto manufacturers were really interested in the car of the future when the present was so sweet. And though some consumers showed interest in the battery-powered cars, others were dissuaded by the limited 100-mile range of the strange looking vehicle. Today of course, the conversation around electric cars is much different. Tesla, the electric car company founded by business magnate Elon Musk, is grabbing headlines for its meteoric stock price and customer ratings. As well, Nissan and GM have sold thousands of electric vehicles. So what happened between the demise of e-car 1.0 and today?
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Well for starters, the world changed dramatically. The second gulf war and catastrophic weather events forced the American public to make the connection between our addiction to oil, national security, and global warming. As well, the recession of 2008 exposed the flaw in the business models of American car companies; namely the assumption that gas would be cheap forever. But more importantly, battery technology was given time to develop. Because of the increased availability of power, the Model S, Tesla’s luxury sedan, distinguishes itself from the previous generation of electric cars in that it equals or betters most gaspowered cars in its class in terms of performance and luxury.
Vaping products on the market today are much like the EV1 in that they are “ultra-low emission” but they still require consumers to sacrifice short-term satisfaction for long-term benefit. As the case of the electric car shows, many consumers cannot compromise. Less satisfaction has lead to lack-luster customer retention and mixed results from studies on the effectiveness of e-cigs as a smoking sensation device. E-cig makers will need time and a focus on innovation to develop a product that is better than the analog cigarette on all fronts. A better product would also convince critics that e-cigs aren’t a bridge to analog cigarettes but a viable reduced-harm substitute. As well, e-cig makers will need the cooperation of regulators. At the very least they will need FDA regulation that allows for technology innovation and the introduction of new products. Thus far, the FDA has not had a good track record of evaluating and approving new tobacco products in a timely manner so this is an area of concern. Fortunately, we won’t need any protracted wars or natural disasters to convince tobacco companies, e-cig brands, and smokers that the time is right for e-cigarettes. Tobacco use in this country is in decline, most smokers want to quit, and smoking is the number one cause of preventable death. So we get it. All that’s needed now is more convincing product and the latitude to build it.
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In every group are the limit pushers, and vaping enthusiasts are eager to do so. Pushing the limit arguably includes taking unnecessary safety risks. With the development of mods came the potential for the customization of personal vaporizer setups running below one ohm. First, I want to start by saying I personally do not condone sub-ohm vaping or am in any way trying to encourage it. However, I do recognize that there is a knowledgeable and growing community of responsible sub-ohm vapers. If you try sub-ohm vaping, conduct plenty of research on batteries and how to use them safely. Cloud Chasing Commonly known as “Cloud Chasers,” sub-ohm vapers create huge plumes of vapor from building atomizers with multiple coils. The introduction of multiple coils lowers the circuit’s resistance, which potentially establishes a dangerous discharge rate beyond that of a batteries’ capacity. When a battery is discharged at a rate higher than its capacity, the battery is in jeopardy of doing what’s known as venting. The mod being used to sub-ohm vape must have ventilation holes for escaping gasses to prevent a violent release of pressure. After only a couple short years of working in the vaping industry, I have been told many horrible tales of batteries gone wrong. An overstressed battery can vent dangerous chemical gas into your face, purse, vehicle or pants pocket. I will be explaining battery safety so that you may avoid being blasted with hot chemical steam. Know Ohms Law An electric circuit is like a river with three distinct paradigms: voltage, amperage and resistance. Voltage can be thought of
THE CONTROVERSY BEHIND SUB-OHM VAPING AND HOW TO USE BATTERIES SAFELY SAFE
what amperage is required of the battery to safely operate your atomizer. Manage the Total Resistance in Your Mod
as The BY ERICK POTTER the amspeed perage of the water, draw is deteramperage as the mined by how the volume, and resistance as the atomizer is built. sub-ohm setups depth and width. Their interconare HV (high voltage) and LR (low nected relationships dictate the resistance). A lower resistance overall flow and can be summed will produce more vapor but at up by a common electric principle the cost of a shorter battery life. known as Ohm’s There are different Law. Ohm’s Law types of batteries states, “Voltage is and fuses available equivalent to amthat are necesperage multiplied sary for sub-ohm by resistance.” This vaping. When purlaw is said in anchasing a battery, other way; ampermake sure to pick age is equivalent one that is a “high to voltage divided drain” battery with
A rebuildable dripper atomizer during separate phases of the build shows the basic concept of using multiple coils in parallel. by resistance. With a few measurements and information about the battery, a wise vaper knows exactly what resistance he or she is operating.
a high amperage discharge rate. “So, how do I find the amperage draw on the battery?” The following information will aid your understanding of
Mods inevitably have some internal resistance. Try to eliminate resistance in places other than the atomizer coils. Short circuits do not aid in creating vapor and overstress the battery. Assemble the mod properly and avoid unnecessary energy loss. If the mod gets extremely hot, immediately discontinue use and reevaluate the setup. Small amounts of heat coming from the atomizer itself is normal, but extreme heat radiating from anywhere else spells trouble. Measure the Resistance With a VOM (Volt Ohm Meter) finding the resistance is simple. Turn the VOM to ohm mode. Place the two leads together and measure the base resistance of the VOM. It should read “0.0 Ω.“ You may see an internal resistance in the VOM of about .1 ohms. That resistance is subtracted from the calculations of the mod’s amperage. Then, place the positive or red lead from the VOM to the center positive post of the atomizer’s 510 connection. Touch the negative lead to the outside threads of the connector. Take that number and subtract the initial resistance reading of the VOM. This is the total resistance in your atomizer. Also, coil builds are done in parallel. Therefore, if you decide to measure the resistance of each coil, a special equation for the total resistance is needed. There are many online calculators available to solve for the resistance in a parallel circuit. Second, measure the voltage of the battery. A battery is rated for a certain voltage, which can fluctuate. Do not over discharge the battery as this could poten-
tially cause the battery to vent. If the voltage gets low, charge it. Third, use Ohm’s Law to discover the required amperage needed to safely operate your build. In our scenario amperage is what we need to solve for. Ohm’s Law calculators can be found online but, if you’re stuck doing it the old fashioned way, this is the equation to use: I (Amperage) = V (Voltage) / Ω (Resistance in ohms) Finally, compare your amperage draw with that of the batteries’ output. For example, if the resistance of the atomizer is .2 ohms (well below 1.0 ohm), and the voltage of the battery is 4 volts, than the amperage minimum requirement would be 20 amps. That’s a high drain. If for example the resistance of the atomizer was one ohm, the amperage needed would only be 4 amps. The amperage discharge rate allowed by the circuit should not be higher than that of the batteries’ capacity. I know I’m not the most handsome man on the planet, but I’m sure that a battery venting into my face would not help my disposition. I will be the first to admit it’s impressive to watch a person fill the room with dense clouds of from a single pull. It’s a neat trick and can be an impressive feat amongst your vape buddies but, remember the possible consequences. What do you get out of sub-ohm vaping? For many, that is an easy question to answer. For others it seems to be an unnecessary exposure to potential danger. The risks involved with sub-ohm vaping can be greatly reduced. If you must push the limits, please be safe about it.
The purple battery on the left is the most recommended out of the four, because it clearly states that it is “high drain” and that the amperage is “35A.”
Nemesis Magnetic Switch Upgrade By Nathan Shaw, VapingCheap.com
Unscrew the silver contact and separate the pieces of the switch slowly so you don’t lose any parts.
Button switch from nemesis mod and 10 switch magnets purchased from Fasttech.
Here are the separated switch pieces. Don’t lose the small pin!
Remove the spring and get two magnets ready. Be very careful with the magnets, they are thin and will break easily.
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Place one of the magnets where the spring was located.
Place the second magnet between the first magnet and the gold threading so that the magnets push away from each other.
(Stacked together) Make sure to replace the small pin when you stack the pieces together. The gold/black piece will be “floating” if the magnets are positioned together correctly.
Screw the silver contact pin in and your done. The movement of the switch should now feel a lot smoother.
Exodus vapor:
Words to Sum Up the Journey to Juice Perfection. By Steve Giles
Over the past year, Exodus Vapor has been mixing, steeping, bottling, testing and, of course, indulging in its line of e-liquids in an effort to develop a stable of products designed with vaping connoisseurs in mind. The arduous experience finally has reached its fruition in a pure, satisfying and blissful vaping experience unlike any other. The mission in founding Exodus Vapor was to do one thing and do it well: make breathtakingly flawless juice. This vision includes concocting premium flavors that are unique, consistent and complex. Exodus Vapor currently produces three flavors and has worked countless hours to come up with the perfect consistency of pg, vg and exotic flavorings from around the world to get the perfect vape. Exodus Vapor takes boutique vaping to the next level, like a fine wine designed for your mod.
The whole process is controlled from the very start. The makers, myself and my wife, Katie, are the only people who know the whole process—we designed it. Inspired by history, Exodus Vapor takes the concept of a corked, waxed seal and incorporates it into the vaping world. We believe in our product wholeheartedly and have filed for a patent of our design. Exodus Vapor is created by bringing slow brewing and craftsmanship to a new level. Using tactics typically reserved for fine whiskeys, we crafted a “sour mash” from the very first batch of juice we ever made. A small amount of juice is left in the glass vat from each batch, and that remaining juice becomes the start of the new batch, thus creating an unmatched consistency. Just as a perfect whiskey is created under a veil of secrecy, some of
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the process undertaken to create Exodus Vapor remains a secret. One thing that sets Exodus apart though is separate steeping measures that take place not only when the juice is reaching its conclusion, but many times throughout its creation. There is no timer or magic computation to tell the craftsman when the juice is ready—as it begins to reach maturity it is tested every day until the peak of perfection. Then the real work begins. The bottling process is the most painstaking. Each bottle is checked for imperfections and contaminants before it is labeled. Glass instruments are used to transfer juice into each bottle, and every cork is checked for its overall integrity and placed on the bottle at the proper pressure. A natural cloth is then hand cut and wrapped around the bottle. Finally, the bottle is hand-dipped in Exodus Vapor’s signature, heat-resistant wax seal. Exodus Vapor is crafted with the utmost care. We have high sterilization standards and use filtering and aseptic techniques ascertained from the medical field. A great amount of care is taken to ensure that the flavors and juice never come in contact with plastics, polycarbonates or synthetics. In short, no precaution is spared to keep contaminants away from the juice. Because no more than one batch of each flavor is ever made at a time, the process takes between 30 and 60 days from mixing to finished product. In addition, each bottling session lasts six to eight hours. However, the meticulous care required to craft our proprietary blends is ultimately worth the effort as it yields a product that far surpasses its competitors.
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E-Cig Accessories Maker Creates Business Through Tragedy By Richard Loyd
The whole background of my business derived from tragedy. My wife and I were in a horrific car accident back in 2011. We were T-boned on her side from a kid running a stop sign at 55 mph. My wife had multiple injuries and fractures and lost a kidney. She was in the hospital for more than a month. I broke my neck and back, along with other fractures. I was a master electrician, with a great job, but I can no longer do that kind of work anymore. So, I tried to find something else I CAN do. Through all the stress of the wreck I was tempted to start smoking again, although I haven’t picked up a cigarette in two years. Then I discovered e-cigs. The ego style rig kept falling off my table, so I made a single stand to keep it steady. Then my friend came over with a bunch of accessories and needed a stand to hold all of his stuff. That was the first 10” round stand. After that I decided to try other designs to see what all I could come up with. I had some good ideas, and I figured I would try to sell them online. That’s when the madness began. I had no idea how big the e-cig/mod business was. People started ordering needing holes for stuff I had never even heard of. Thank you Google.
CHECK OUT HIS WORK AT www.shop.loydsecigaccessories.com 1
2 3
Ripped on table saw to size.
All holders start from a piece of 1”x12”x8’.
Then glued together with a piece of lexan between each piece of wood.
5
4
Drilling each hole with dril
e. Measuring for each hol
l press. No room for error
here.
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Drilling holes for the LED’s.
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More sanding.
7
Wiring LED’s.
8
LED’s working.
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Stained and two coats of polly with
sanding between each coat.
My business has taken off so fast it’s hard for me to keep up with everything. All of my holders and display stands are unique. Most of them have come from the customer telling me what they need, be it the holder or display to hold. The “It Don’t Stop” stand came from the show on Trove Live. It’s a great vaping show on a newer network. They asked me to build a stand for a giveaway. So, I came up with a holder that would accommodate almost everything since I had no idea what all accessories the winner would have. I’m still just a one-man show in my garage. I also, through all of this, have gotten the patent on the e-cig belt clip pouch, which will be coming out soon.
By Steffanie Atkins
Bumble Bee Vapor Orangesauras Rex 12 mg
VAPE VERDICT Taste- 4.5, Vapor Production- 3.5, Throat Hit- 5 REVIEW By the name alone, you’d think this would be a citrusy-orange flavor. It is not, but I was
pleasantly surprised with its smooth cantaloupe and honeydew flavor. This juice is perfect for hot days in summer. And it’s delicious. It gives an awesome throat hit that’s not super harsh and that was with dripping at 12mg. The vapor production was a little above average, but what sold it for me was the taste. It’s definitely a great tasting juice. The packaging is a convenient glass dripper bottle, which is really nice for dripping enthusiasts and it’s made right here in the USA!
FNVapes Dirty Redhead 12 mg
VAPE VERDICT Taste- 1, Vapor Production- 2, Throat Hit- 2 REVIEW The only thing that I really enjoyed about this juice was the label. There’s a cute pin up on
the bottle, and I’m a sucker for a pin up. The taste was not as great. The label says the taste should be somewhere around “strawberry, cherry, watermelon, raspberry.” I tasted cherry cough syrup and a very overwhelming cherry cough syrup at that. There was not a good balance between that and the other flavors that are supposed to be in this juice. There’s also the appearance of red food coloring as the juice is very red. The throat hit was minimal, and what was there was super harsh, and there was minimal vapor production. It does have a convenient dripper bottle which is nice, but that’s about all I have to say that is good with this juice. Oh, and the name is cute and it’s American-made.
Mad Mike’s The Personal Assistant 12 mg
VAPE VERDICT Taste- 3, Vapor Production- 3, Throat Hit- 4 REVIEW This American-made e-liquid is hard to pin down taste-wise. It’s fruity and there appears
to be a citrusy, pink-lemonade flavor, but I can’t quite nail it down. It’s not overbearing, but it’s about average on the taste scale. There’s nothing that really stands out like to make me LOVE this juice or the flavor. The throat hit was so smooth and so good so it really has that going for it, and the vapor production was about average. All in all, this juice was just about average. It is something you could vape on, but not something that makes me say, “Wow.”
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 News Magazine
PINUPVAPORS Marilyn 6 mg
VAPE VERDICT Taste- 3.5, Vapor Production- 2, Throat Hit- 4 REVIEW I’m going to start by saying I love the concept of PINUPVAPORS. All of their bottles have
different pin ups on them. This bottle was obviously Marilyn Monroe. Very cute. What I don’t like about their bottles at all is that there is no nipple, no dripper, nothing to make it easy to get this juice out of the bottle. I poured it on my dripper and made a mess because there is no control of how much comes out. But, let’s get into the nitty gritty. So, the flavor is a custard flavor. I can’t distinguish the other flavors with the custard, but it’s very sweet and thick, but not overbearing. All in all it’s a decent tasting juice. The throat hit was good, I enjoyed the smoothness of it. But, the vapor production was a little lacking.
Baker White Strawberry Fields 6 mg
VAPE VERDICT Taste- 4, Vapor Production- 2, Throat Hit- 4 REVIEW This is a good strawberry, summery flavor. I can’t taste that there is anything mixed with
the strawberry or any undertones of other flavorings, but sometimes I like just one flavor and not trying to figure out what other fruits are in the mix. It’s sweet but not overbearingly sweet and has no bells and whistles. It’s just a good strawberry flavor. There’s a hearty throat hit and I enjoyed vaping on this juice. Vapor production was a little below average. All in all though, this is a good daily vape juice.
Photography by Ezra & Jen Zuniga of 135fotografiks Styled by Alan Montes & Diego Quintero Hair and makeup by Emily Dean - Instagram @emilydeanmua
Jacket & dress by Wonderland Corsets
On The Cover Irina Voronina
Corset & skirt by Wonderland Corsets
Irina Voronina Born in a small town in Russia, Voronina always dreamed of becoming a model. At the age of 20 she moved to Milan, Italy to see if she could make her dreams come true. She soon was signed by an agency and instantly started booking print jobs and TV commercials. An international modeling career brought Irina to the United States, where she was introduced to Marilyn Grabowski at Playboy Studio West. Soon after becoming Playboy’s Miss January 2001, Voronina permanently
relocated to Los Angeles, where her career continued to flourish. Voronina worked with world famous photographers such as Teri Richardson, Mathew Rolston, Antoine Verglas, and David LaChapelle. She landed numerous print campaigns, including Skyy Vodka, Miller Lite, Michelob Ultra, Bacardi, and Sisley & Detour. We also have seen Voronina grace the pages of numerous magazines: FHM, Maxim, Max (Italy), Ocean, Shape, 944, Knockout, Q (UK), People (Australia), and recently on the covers of Kandy, Rukus and Browz magazine issues. In 2008 Voronina was named a St. Pauli
Girl beer spokesmodel and completed a 12-month long marketing tour across the United States. She became the first ever St. Pauli Girl to ring the NYSE closing bell representing Constellation Brands. The St. Pauli Girl experience served as a stepping stone to hosting gigs. In 2011-2012 Voronina was the main host of Playboy Radio’s weekly show “Playmate Club” and interviewed hundreds of celebrities live on air. Voronina got her first big screen break in “Reno 911!: The Movie.” Since then she booked many more comedy roles in television and film playing a funny foreign girl. Voronina’s television credits
Top by Alana Hale / Skirt L.M.D.F
Top by Alana Hale / Skirt L.M.D.F
include a series regular role in a fully improvised sitcom “Svetlana” for HD Net and the first ever live action show on the Adult Swim Network “Saul of the Mole Men.” She also guest starred on Nickelodeon’s “iCarly,” and had parts in feature films “Balls of Fury,” “Towelhead” and “Piranha 3DD.” In 2013 Voronina was named Model Of the Year by Kandy Magazine based on the highest number of digital issue downloads on iPad and iPhone. Voronina is involved with Playboy Magazine and is very proud to represent the brand by making appearances in the iconic bunny costume.
Voronina loves connecting with her fans and stays very active across all social media outlets, which lead to some recent marketing endorsements. Voronina passed the two million fans mark on her Facebook fan page; her Twitter and Instagram fan following is growing as well.
Voronina’s thoughts on vaping I believe that vaping is a much healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes. I did Instagram marketing for a vape brand and learned a lot
about e-cigs and the vape industry. People who don’t vape have to realize that it’s not a fad; vaping is here to stay. Not only is it one of the fastest growing industries and a part of today’s pop culture, but it also is the future of smoking. I wish there were more vape bars in Los Angeles where you could try different devices and flavors. My photo shoot with VAPE News Magazine was a lot of fun, especially shooting at the Vapor Spot on Sunset Blvd. here in Hollywood, Calif.
irinavoronina.net
Working To Raise The Bar On Quality
Illinois Vendor Looks To Unite Words and photos by Rachel Korte
I am proud to say that I am nearing my one-year mark. In that time, I have met so many people within this vaping community. Like most of us, I’ve tried the local shops and scoured the forums. I’ve driven two days for a convention to learn that vapers are dedicated. We are so dedicated that we drive for hours to go to a shop that makes us feel like we are being educated and buying quality products. Whatever our journeys along the way, we may have all been to a shop and wondered “How qualified are these people?”
I recently sat down with 3D Vapor owners, Danne and Heather Reinke. Owners of B&M stores in East Alton and Edwardsville, IL. This couple stands out to me as shop owners for several reasons. You can tell they believe in what they are promoting. Vaping has changed their lives for the better. Danne and Heather have laid everything on the line to help others. It’s one thing as a consumer to devote a weekend trip; it’s another to devote yourself as a business owner.
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Danne is rallying together with other vendors to raise the bar. He is looking to create a non-profit organization that will educate the public as well as support the local vaping community. This organization will help direct consumers to reputable vendors for a quality product. Danne says, “It’s important to find out what is going on within our communities. We can turn out in forces to share what vaping has done for us. With laws and ordinances trying to pass, volume speaks louder than words.”
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You can tell when you talk them that this is very near and dear to their hearts. Danne has been a key player in the local vape meets. Many of the guests have become close friends or what some of us may call “Vapamily.” We have bonded, laughed and even formed teams. All in good fun. “It’s been amazing to hear people’s stories about how much better they feel!” Danne’s eyes light up when talking about the customer’s results. You can tell that he is passionate about what he does. It really stands out when a business owner donates his time and generosity to the people. I believe that they have been successful because this was a lifestyle change for them before it became their business. With the future of vaping unknown, it’s important to be active in your local community. I hope that you are inspired to get the word out.
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VAPE Vixen Entrepreneur Courtney Smith People often ask me about my story, curious to know how I got involved with vaping and how I launched a business in an industry that truly was in its infancy. I tell them it was an easy decision—the business picked me; it changed my life for the better. I wanted to help make a change in others so bad that there wasn’t much that was going to hold me back. If I could touch someone or move him or her in a direction to change his or her life for the better, why wouldn’t I? Like millions of others, I starting smoking at the age of 15(ish). It was not long before I was fully addicted, but I LOVED smoking. I loved it—until I had a reality check at the age of 25. I was a young mother with a full lifetime ahead, but faced with a serious lung surgery. During surgery the doctors discovered preemphysema and damage to the lungs, complicating an already bad situation. My overall complications resulted in the removal of part of a lung and visible damage already done by smoking. After weeks in the hospital, I was released back to normal life. Ignoring all that had happened, I started smoking again about a year later. It is scary to think how bulletproof I thought I was, but even scarier to think about how dumb I was. I tried quitting several times over the following years, but nothing seemed to pull me from the habit. In 2012, I was given my first starter kit. It was very basic, but quickly helped me move away from cigarettes. Before I knew it, I was moving friends away from smoking and into a new world of vaping! Like all of us, everyone wanted better products, but they were hard to
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come by. So, I started sourcing my own hardware and producing liquids that my friends could trust. Before I knew it, I was a subject matter expert and opening my first business, Evapes OK in Oklahoma City. I didn’t know how successful Evapes would become, and it really didn’t matter. All that mattered was changing and impacting the lives of one person at a time, so that like me, they could have a more fulfilling and longer lasting life. I wanted everyone to have easy access to trustworthy products and instruction on how this healthier alternative could change their lives too. I mean, hell, if I could put down tobacco products, then anyone could. The store quickly became a trusted source for instruction and quality products. My passion was in the liquids, and it showed in the quality and consistency I demanded. Producing them consistently and safely is a science. But, the blending of flavors and making them not only taste extraordinary, but vape well, is an art. We continued to educate the public one customer at a time, using our BaseLine liquids as a starting block, followed by our Evapes Premium line we call “Numbers” (No. 22, No. 47 and No. 84) for enthusiasts. The feedback for the lines was incredible, especially in the
Numbers line. The line is MAX VG with no PG added (yes, except for what is in the flavoring). Number 47 is a creamy nut flavor and my “all day vape.” Number 22 is my smooth, sweet dessert. And Number 84 has a strong fruit inhale with a soft anise on the exhale. Oh yes … Number 69. The infamous blend of two Numbers can’t be found in bottle, yet continues to excite and frustrate our loyal followers. Fast-forward to today, and you’ll find our lines throughout the country (and internationally). Our newly launched wholesale company, Apotheca Vaporsmiths, is focused on safe, clean, quality production and will help carry us through the next phase of our growth. We believe that all liquids can be premium in nature and that no person should be deterred from vaping due to a poor experience. Our whole team is passionate about liquids and changing lives. We are constantly testing and developing new products, and I am thrilled that our test kitchen expects the launch of two new lines before 2015! So here I am, an example of both—what not to do, and what can be done. I am consumed with my businesses and the advocacy of vaping on a national level. In trying to change the life of a few, I found a community that is changing the lives of many.
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VAPE Vixen media personality TinkerEvol When you lose someone it impacts each of us differently. In 2005, when I lost my mother to stage 4 lung cancer, I knew something needed to change. I picked up an Ego with an Evod tank and it was great. Then at my first vape meet a few days later, I won an MVP 2.0 with an Iclear30S and fell in love. I was able to quit smoking cold turkey. Down the road very shortly I learned there was better hardware, better juice, better everything. I fell in love with dripping. It is the most pure flavor and I love the clouds! The ohms went lower and the clouds got bigger. I normally vape all day on a .34 ohm coil. I like dual
PHOTOS BY Memphis Photographic Designs and Shot at Inkstainz Tattoo
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vertical coils on the IgoW5 with Crest cap. You can almost always see me with the Dreambox in my hand. The 20 amp raptor chip really changed the game; no sag from the battery the same power every hit. I still use an MVP with a Nautilus from time to time, but normally I am on something that can crank out more than 30 watts of power. With how well this worked I wanted to share my experience and knowledge with the rest of the world—with my friends, with my family, with everyone. I found Vapers.tv, a place where I could watch shows about vaping and people who shared my same opinions. I now have my own shows there on two different networks. Thursdays I am on VapeThis with BigMex from 10 p.m.-midnight EST on The Power
Vape and Mondays I am on Low Ohm Theory with NitroBex and Vapography on Nova Broadcasting. Every once in a while I may fill in on another show, but this still wasn’t enough so I do YouTube reviews on liquid to bring a sub ohmers perspective to the review world. Sometimes I have my friend Dachs with me to get a different flavor pallet. Then I started moving into reviewing mods and atty’s, which can be a challenge. You can find my reviews at youtube.com/ user/TinkerEvol. I also have made this a career supporting the local vape scene in Memphis, Tenn. It can be quite a bit of work, and I can be found at Create a Cig Memphis. I love being able to mix juices and help people move away from their last cigarette. I love bakery vapes and custards, as well. My favorite juices right now are Linton Vapes Cloud Custard, MaddCatt Vapors Celestial Bodies, Fogsmith’s Cremation and Aeval.
VAPE visionary Performer Mister Nik Sharp Nik Sharp is a singer and songwriter who hails from Tampa, Fla. His popularity started from his innate ability to write undeniable hooks. Cox Radio executives took notice of Sharp and asked him to write the morning show theme songs for WSUN 97X and HOT 101.5. His popularity grew from there when a local deli, Shlomo’s, named a sandwich after him and filmed a television commercial. Shortly after, the “Mister Nik Sharp Jerk Turkey Gourmet Sandwich” was the No. 1 selling sandwich in the store.
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News traveled to Nashville about Sharp, and he was discovered by executive producer Richard Williams (Nashville) who developed multiplatinum artists Paramore and Cage the Elephant, inevitably getting them signed to Atlantic and Jive Records. Sharp, who also has a huge passion for vaping, launched his own company in early 2014 called Graffiti Club.
He has a line of e-cigs and five premium flavors that are American made. He jokingly boasts that he is the “Marlboro Man” of e-cigs, and when he pulls up on his white horse in his commercial, you can see why. Sharp currently is in the studio with platinum EDM producer Ross Lara, and his full length record is due out in 2015.
Central Coast Vapers Club Meets in Paradise By Brian Robles, Central Coast Vapers Club Co-Founder, and Alyssa Stahr
The Central Coast Vapers Club is holding down the Left Coast of our great nation, growing by leaps and bounds. The club, which is headquartered in Santa Maria, Calif., serves Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. It currently stands at 121 members, with new members joining daily due to increasing outreach and visibility efforts within the community. Robles’ brother got him into e-cigs in January of 2013. Since then the brothers have been soaking up as much vaping information as possible. Brian Robles lives in Los Angeles, but travels the two hours north to Santa Maria at least once a month to visit his family. Sometimes he stays for weeks at a time, and he misses the vaping community in SoCal. He reached out to a local juice vendor, Vapealicious Juice, vapealicciousjuice.com, in Santa Maria. The owners of Vapealicious Juice are Aimy and Jonathan Onan. They’ve been mixing juice for three years, and once Robles tried their STL Gooey Butter Cake, he was hooked. The group started talking about the local vape community and Aimy explained that in the last six months her local business had quadrupled. That’s all it took. From there the group started planning CCVC to help bring the community together. Members now can enjoy vape meets every four to six weeks, depending on location availablitiy. Club organiziers and co-founders of the club Brian Robles, Joshua Robles, Aimy Onan and Jonathan Onan founded the club May 30, 2013, however the first vape meet wasn’t until Oct. 5 at Zoe’s Hawaiian BBQ after the Facebook following grew. During the time of the first meet, Robles’ brother had already started FarWestVapor.com, building vape stands. Since Robles also works in wholesale distribution, a lot of vendors in So-Cal wanted to show CCVC what the vape community is all about. They donated so much juice and product that everyone who showed up to the first meet walked away with prizes. In fact, CCVC had to do a second round of raffle tickets because they had so many giveaways. Vendors included, Local Vape, Buckshot Vape Sauce, Nice Juice, Black Tie, Organliq, Alpha Vape, Adam Bomb, Space Jam, Nirvana Vapor, Villain Vapors, Heisenberg Vapors, Kumo Vape Charms, The Vaper Mart, Caught The Vapors, Vapealicios Juice, Far West Vapor, Myvape and Blue Sky Vapes just to name a few. At that time CCVC had about 50 members attached to the FB page. Thirty of them showed up and each one of them stayed to the end and then some. The second meet was held Nov. 23 at Roadhouse Grill, and the club had 45-50 vapers show up. The process was repeated with a bevy of giveaways from many great vendors. Robles’ brother did an impromptu RBA workshop, and he not only talked about battery safety but also about recent political e-cig initiatives. The pair encouraged everyone to join CASAA.org to take action and to fight back against the ANTZ. Since then CCVC’s membership has exploded, and the organization has a very active Facebook group with new vapers joining daily. Club organizers say that a lot of vendors and friends in the So-Cal vape community have expressed interest in making the trip to the next meet and making a weekend trip out of it, since the Central Coast is known as Wine Country. One vendor plans to launch his new mod and RBA at the next event and plans to donate a few giveaways. Since CCVC’s inception, two local shops have opened: Blue Sky Vapes in Santa Maria and Lovejoy’s Vape Room in Grover Beach. Also, to his surprise, a lot of Robles’ club members have been vaping longer than he has. CCVC co-founders feel very blessed to be able to bring the community together, where before there was none. To learn more about CCVC, visit goo.gl/4Bft7h.
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Expos, vape meets, conventions, exhibitions –no matter what you call them, there was something for all you vape heads out there in the first half of 2014. Below are some highlights of how the vaping community came together on an international scale.
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VAPEXPO International E-Cigarette Exhibition Photos courtesy Vapexpo 2014
Bordeaux, France Hangar 14 March 13-15 59+ vendors vapexpo-france.com VAPEXPO France, an international trade and industry conference in Bordeaux, saw some great special lecturers come through the area, including Konstantinos Farsalinos, Ph.D. (Greece), Jean-François Etter, professor at the University of Geneva Institute of Social and Preventative Medicine (Geneva) and the CEOs of Kangertech, Joyetech France and Dekang. They discussed topics like “Status of Ongoing Studies in Europe,” “Vaping: An Alternative to Tobacco,” “Electronic Cigarette and Environment” and “Electronic Cigarette Innovation.”
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Vapor World Expo Chicago Photos courtesy Vapor World Expo
Chicago, Illinois Donald E. Stephens Convention Center May 7-8 150+ vendors vaporworldexpo.com One-hundred fifty exhibitors and 1,200 buyers met to do business at an event focused entirely on e-vapor. Businesses buying and selling electronic vaping equipment were on hand to show off accessories leading the way for the $2.2 billion U.S. retail market. Bryan Haynes, partner with Troutman Sanders Law Firm, shared the legal opinion that the importance of industry participation during the FDA’s public comment period on the proposed deeming regulations is critically important. He encouraged businesses involved in this emerging market to participate and voice opinions.
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E-Smoking Fair
Photos by Mike Schramel
Tucson, Arizona Tucson Expo Center May 16-18 e-smokingfair.com 73+ vendors The E-smoking Fair was a two-day B2B event focusing on manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers. The third day was open to the public. It was a well put together show, and although the attendance could have been better, the show provided at great atmosphere for networking and deal making. The consumer show on Sunday had a great turnout with plenty of new products on display, giveaways and an e-liquid “vape-off” competition. The show will be back next year, April 4-5, 2015. E-liquid vape off results
All-day vape winner: The Vape Kitchen Best dessert vape: Tenacious 7 Runner ups: Space Jam, eVapes and Jason’s Juice.
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World Vapor Expo Miami Photos by Mike Schramel
Miami, Florida Miami Beach Convention Center June 6-8 worldvaporexpo.com 152+ vendors Located in the heart of Miami Beach with hot days and hotter nights, we can’t think of a better place to hold an international vaping convention. The first day was open only to vaping business professionals and provided a great venue to get to know several international players in the industry. On Saturday and Sunday they opened the doors to the public. With South Florida being the second largest vaping market in the United States, there were a lot of visitors checking out and buying all the latest vaping gear. The facility was huge with great circulation and air conditioning and the convention staff were top notch in managing the flow of visitors. World Vapor Expo has the potential to give South California conventions a run for their money.
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Vaping Convention Circuit New England Photos by Phil Busardo
Springfield, Massachusetts MassMutual Center June 28-29 vapingcc.com 48+ vendors VCCNE2014 was a successful event for a first-ever major convention in New England. The e-cigarette market there is growing, and the vape community was very excited to have VCC come to within driving distance of where they live, which is the goal for all VCC events. General public attendance was 1,000 per day, which is good considering the emerging market in that region. VCC focused on Tobacco Harm Reduction efforts to get people off of tobacco, which is why every VCC event has a major advocacy component. Advocacy Row and the Town Hall Sessions consisted of representatives from VISTA, SFATA, CASAA, AEMSA, AVA, The Vaping Militia and Americans for Tax Reform. Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, also spoke at the event. The event also had a lot of great giveaways, including a "Start Your Own Vape Shop" contest by co-presenter NicVape, which supplies the winner with approximately $20,000 in e-liquid. Additionally, there were various cloud competitions sponsored by E-Six Vapors, Voltage Vape Shop, Firebrand and Cold Fusion Juice/Moon Mountain Vapor.
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VCC After Party at BG Hunters Pub
Photos courtesy Christopher Prost The VCCNE after party was held at CJ Ecigs / BG Hunters Pub, which has the distinction of being one of the only alcohol/vape pubs in the world! The event was sponsored by NicVape to celebrate New England Vapers’ fifth anniversary.
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Vapercon West
Photos by Mike Schramel
Reno, Nevada Peppermill Resort and Casino July 11-12 vaperconwest.com 36+ vendors Vapercon West was a large West Coast event with vendors from across the country and around the world. Instead of a large convention complex the organizers chose the famous Peppermill Resort to host the event, which provided a more relaxed, fun place to hang out with old vaping friends and to check out new vaping products. Hosted by one the vaping community’s most recognizable names, Grimmgreen, and the rest of the Vapercon West staff. It was an excellent show.
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S p o n s o r ed C o n t e n t
The Mixology Edition MMXIV Stemming from the popularity of their alcohol noted Castle Long Reserve, Five Pawns embarked on bringing five new flavors to market. After six months in development, they began shipping the Mixology Edition worldwide on March 3, 2014. Ingredients such as exotic fruits, citrus liqueurs, berries,
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S p o n s o r ed C o n t e n t
Devine Distribution Owner Moves Entrepreneurial Spirit to E-Cig Business By Alyssa Stahr
Whether it’s Elvis Presley or the Beach Boys, every good karaoke company has its staple, go-to songs, mixed in with the newest hits. The same can be said for the vaping industry. David Kratka has been in the distribution business for more than 40 years, specializing in the karaoke business, adult movies and nutraceuticals. However, about a year ago, a new calling came to Kratka—vaping. Kratka is striking while the iron is hot with Devine Distribution and making the business his own, with one of the largest product diversity selections in the United States. The South Florida warehouse offers cashand-carry, with a unique warehouse that allows wholesale customers the option of coming in with a grocery cart and shopping straight from the store shelves. With our national accounts we still do business the old-fashion way with regular phone contact. Kratka’s father owned a record label, and he was the president of that, which turned out the largest karaoke warehouse in the country. He then left the family business and started a karaoke one-stop that serviced accounts. After selling that busi-
ness he went into distribution of adult movies and supplied more than 50,000 titles to wholesale accounts. Last year, Kratka realized that no one was into buying movies anymore with the digital realm coming into play. He started looking at new businesses; when one of his largest accounts asked him to supply e-cigarette products. “I researched and said, ‘Wow, this industry is great.’ I was going to open up my own
stores, but when I started looking at locations, everyone was opening stores,” Kratka said. “I quickly realized that within two years there would be more vapor stores than cell phone stores in America.” Kratka went in the direction of supplying the stores instead, brought in some products, and made a lot of mistakes. He learned by trial and error where and who to buy from, and he eventually opened a onestop in South Florida. The company quickly outgrew the 2,000 sq. ft. warehouse and leased a bigger facility, which is now a true cash-and-carry facility. “People don’t have to deal with the headaches of buying overseas. Here they can handle the products and see what they are getting,” Kratka said. “There are a lot of nuances with e-cigarettes—what size, what color, what battery. People feel more comfortable being able to see and handle the products.” While Kratka said that his customers realize that buying from a one-stop is more expensive than another country, it’s also a great alternative to have a local source when you can pick things up in a pinch. For more information, visit devinedist.com.
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