VAPE Magazine June 2016 by Matt Schramel

AUGUST 2016

Mod: Reactor Provided by: Nicopure Labs

Signature Carolina Tobacco

Founded inHeritage

Greensboro, NC

/SXRPremiumEJuice

336.855.4930

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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 Editor in Chief Matt Schramel content@vapemz.com 800-958-6427 x2 Managing Editor Corey Noles Social Media Manager Eric Vonheim News Editor Alyssa Stahr

letter from the editor:

Art Director Van Avanzado

Dear readers, Welcome back to another exciting and informative issue of VAPE Magazine. So, the past two months have been a roller coaster of news for the vaping community. Between the good news and the bad, the true, the false and the misleading, it’s been tough to read between the lines and understand the truth. Attorneys across the nation continue to pour through the new Deeming Regulations. Lawsuits have been filed. With the first FDA imposed deadline taking effect a week after this magazine hits stands, probably the most important question of the month is “Are you prepared?” We’ve put together a list of August requirements for stores to ensure that they are in compliance when the FDA comes knocking. Stefan Didak, founder/president of Not Blowing Smoke, penned a letter to our readers this month that is shared inside as well. We also have an in depth breakdown of the NicoPure and LostArt lawsuits by attorney/writer J. Jackson Waste. We’re also pushing to have more pertinent product reviews on a regular basis. What’s hot now? What’s about to be hot. In this month’s Builder’s Corner, Sam McClelland will even teach you how to build an alien coil. In September, look for a special issue from us. Given the speed with which news is happening and the importance of getting it to our readers in a timely manner, we will have a special regulation focused issue. We will feature additional information for manufacturers and interviews with several key individuals.

Now is the time more than ever for vapers and business owners to stand together. Don’t give in. Remember, this is just the beginning of our fight. We finally know what we’re fighting against and we need the voices of everyone to come out on top.

Webmaster Axel Gillespie Contributors Steffanie Atkins, Nick Bessette, Paul Blair, Norm Bour, Douglas Cambria, John Castle, Alex Clark, Dave Cross, Jenee Fowler, Jacob Gibernick, Nick Green, Patricia Kovacevic, Pedroh Mederos, Chris Mellides, Corey Noles, Leigh Oates, Susan Oser, Tony Ottomanelli, Matt Rowland, Julie Selesnick, Arvid Sollom, Maria Verven, J. Jackson Waste ADMINISTRATIVE 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

CONTACT Advertising sales@vapemz.com News news@vapemz.com

Thanks for reading.

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Vape on!

Director of Photography Ezra Zuniga

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You won’t want to miss it.

Corey Noles Managing Editor

Graphic Designers Joe Buehner, Laura Camp, Matt Ritzenthaler, Anil Verma

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table of contents COLUMNS

52 A Newbie’s Guide to Product Expirations 54 Axis Vapes — Affordability in the

28 Happy Tyranny Day 34 Breaking down the lawsuits against

the FDA

EVENT 112 Vape Bash 5

high-end market

Mods & Tech

45 Alex Perelson Update 48 A letter from Stefan Didak 60 Builder’s Corner — Extra Terrestrial

124 QuickWick review 127 Hohm Slice review 131 Wismec Theorem review 135 Axis Vapes M17 review

66 The secrets of flavor in vaping 72 Draper Vapor — A Shock to The System 74 3 Unique Versions of Vape Shop Success

60 69 Vaping from the Outside 148 Oklahoma Vape Jam event preview

Features 17 Is your shop ready for the FDA on August 8? 31 VapeU aims to educate vapor businesses

90 The Great Indiana Vape War 96 Advocacy organizations finalize coalition 100 The #IAmAVaper Project 110 Vape Shop Events 144 FDA responds to Senator Ron Johnson

Departments

135

12 Letter From the Editor 26 Ask Grimm Green 21 Scenic Vapers

— He demands more

21 31 40 How Not Blowing Smoke is blowing away

144 146 The Vaper’s Knoll

the propaganda #VAPEMAGAZINE

78 VAPE Talks Shop 81 VAPE Fashion Pictorial 94 Juice Judge 104 Vape Vixen — Amy Hanks 119 Just in Juices

Features

T S R I F E TH E N I L D A DE Is your shop ready for the FDA on August 8? By Corey Noles

By the time you read this, the FDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regulations will be days from taking effect in your shop. Hopefully, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve spent the previous 90 days planning and making preparations for the future. With a number of different rules becoming official, many are common sense and have been enforced by most reputable shops for years already. This article will walk you, the store owner or curious consumer, through the list of items that must be taken care of ahead of the effective date.

VAPEMZ.COM

Features

ID checks become law for any customer under age 27 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; just as the cigarette retail system has done for years. This should be an easy fix and should already be taking place in most stores. Sales are now prohibited at the federal level for anyone under 18 years of age. Most states had already made this particular provision law, but the regulations make it a uniform law across the nation. Free sampling is a thing of the past â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in shops, at expos and giveaways are all a thing of the past. Shop owners across the nation have been developing systems to ensure customers will continue to be able to sample before buying full bottles. The ideas range from monthly or annual membership plans to charging a set fee per individual sample. There remains considerable dispute over which method would be in compliance while still providing the customer the best experience. Vending machine sales are now illegal in any place other than an adult-only facility. Shops that continue to manufacture their own e-liquid, will be treated as manufacturers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not simply stores. Over the long term, this could be catastrophic for stores with house juices. By December 31, 2016, they will have to file a report detailing every juice they make, like all other manufacturers. They will then also be subject to the Premarket Tobacco Application (PMTA) process, likely with hundreds of applications per store given the nearly infinite number of flavors and nicotine levels. Product labels may not contain any statements that electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) can be used to help a person stop smoking. The next deadline of concern applies to manufacturers and importers of ENDS products and E-Liquids. By December 31, 2016, establishments engaged in the manufacture, preparation, compounding, or processing of a tobacco product and product listings must be registered with the FDA. An ingredient listing of all products is required by February 8, 2017. Small-scale manufacturers, any manufacturer with less than 150 employees and (a key word) $5 million in annual revenue, will have until August 8, 2017 to file their ingredient listings. Any product introduced to the market after August 8, 2016, will have to file the listing 90-days prior to marketing. The same deadlines apply to the filing of Tobacco Health Documents to the FDA, which will also require rather expensive testing. Look for more information on how the process will affect manufacturers, importers and distributors in our special September issue. Corey Noles is the managing editor of VAPE Magazine. He has worked as a journalist for more than a decade and is the founder, owner of Inked Up E-Liquid Co.

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DEPARTMENTS

Scenic Vapers : Getting To Know IAN SILVER By Chris Mellides

With the sun hanging low in the distance, Ian Silver and Tyler Price begin their descent down the rocky terrain of Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona. Taking great care in their climb down, the two take a break to enjoy the beautiful landscape following the day’s hike through Yavapai County. Overhead, dark clouds begin to gather at the twilight hour and give way to a series of thunderous claps. The bright flashes of lightning that follow make for the ideal photo opportunity, and with cameras in hand, Silver and Price ready themselves to capture the moment. For Silver, days like these are not uncommon. The 26-year-old Arizona resident often travels to picturesque locations as part of his journey as an artist. Silver prides himself on his artistic ability, and his interest in nature and sharp eye for detail make photography yet another medium he utilizes to express his creative side. “I have always been artistic in the way I think or view things, so photography quickly became another outlet for me to escape reality,” Silver said. As of 2015, the young photographer claims that he went “full force” in realizing his dream and making photography his “full time job.” “I couldn’t be happier with where I am and where [photography] is taking me and my family,” Silver said. “I hope other people can see that in my work and feel inspired to pursue their passions as well.” His love of the outdoors and desire to pursue a healthier and more active lifestyle led Silver to take up vaping a few years ago, and he hasn’t looked back. VAPEMZ.COM

Photo by Logan Wells (@mr_subohm) Chris Starcher (@dripmedia) at Cooper’s Rock State Park Morgantown, WV

He admits that he fell into the habit of smoking between half a pack to a full pack of cigarettes per day, but as time grew, he considered himself to be more of a “social smoker.” It wasn’t until his girlfriend Aimee decided to quit that he realized he should, too. “The choice for making the switch was easy for me,” Silver said. “I couldn’t stand the smell, taste or feeling of cigarettes anymore, and I didn’t know much, but I knew [vaping] had to be better than smoking!” An active social media user, Silver began to upload his photos to Instagram, and while on the popular photo-sharing platform, discovered the work of Tyler Price who shared a similar approach to photography. “Tyler’s work just stood out to me from everyone else’s with his approach to product shots or incorporating nature,” Silver said. “It was and continues to be unique in the community.” He added, “We started commenting back-and-forth, and then it just snowballed into a great friendship and partnership.” That unique partnership was cemented in their shared work and blossomed into the Scenic Vapers project. With Scenic Vapers, Silver and Price pursue the opportunity to explore nature through their work and often include other vapers as the subjects of their photography.

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Keeping to this theme, Silver says that the idea of healthy living and possessing a vested interest in nature appreciation became pinnacle highlights in the photos that embody the Scenic Vapers movement. “For me, nature and vaping go hand-in-hand,” Silver said. “I just don’t remember a time in my life where I would want to go and be active while smoking a cigarette.” Scenic Vapers is a project that goes beyond the collected works of Silver and Price and allows for other photographers to share in the same vision the project was founded on: appreciating nature and a healthier lifestyle. For photographers looking to get involved with Scenic Vapers on Instagram and in the pages of VAPE Magazine, Silver says that good quality, composition and nice tones play a big factor in his selection process. “It’s been a crazy few years and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us,” Silver said. “This movement really means alot to me, and VAPE Magazine has made it possible for us to reach more vapers and share our passion with them.” “With the support of the vape community and VAPE Magazine, I think we can really push this a lot further and help people to see the difference in their quality of life after they’ve stopped smoking.” Photo by Taylor Tietjen (@__tayylitt_) Sierra Rich (@misssierralynae) at Lake Tahoe, Nevada VAPEMZ.COM

Photo by Dale Cross (@you_burn_first_sosk) Dale Cross at Cannock Chase, Staffordshire UK

Photo by Jayson Magbanua (@mrpinoykid) Isabella Livingston (@isabellalivingston) in Seabeck, Washington

Photo by Lauren Chon (@lamoch) Noni Voce (@nokavo) at National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

#VAPEMAGAZINE

Photo by Haley Grassi (@haleygrassi) Breanna Hulett (@greyvape) at Whatcom Falls Park Bellingham, Washington

Photo by Adam Skonecki (@_skeezy) Adam Skonecki in Greenfield, Wisconsin

Photo by Mikey Berlfein (@bammik.images) Russell Chowdhury (@RussellChowdhury) in Gulfstream Park, Florida

To submit your photo to Scenic Vapers #CloudCheck for VAPE submission consideration, follow @VapeMagazine @ScenicVapers @Drippin_Balls and @jedi.visions and #VapeMagazine #CloudCheck and #ScenicVapers on Instagram. For the VAPE pictorial column, photos must be in high resolution, but for the IG page everyone has the chance for a feature. VAPEMZ.COM

Photo by Steven Jackson (@actionmfjackson) Steven Jackson in Houston, Texas

DEPARTMENTS

By Nick Green

Photo by Metal Jeff

I have a lot of relatives who aren’t supportive of me vaping — and often even make jokes to me about it. How can I convince them that vaping can be a good thing? I’m still kind of new, but I haven’t smoked in five weeks.

Hi Grimm! I’m kind of new to vaping and can’t seem to find a setup that just really works for me. What is the best “new vaper” setup on the market now? Jeff Franklin Las Vegas, NV

Robbie Jackson Paris, TN

Hey Jeff! there has never been a better time to become a vaper. If you are coming straight from smoking, I would probably suggest something like the new JoyeTech AIO kit. AIO stands for “all in one” all you need to do is supply your own juice. This is a mouth-tolung style vaping (more like smoking a cigarette), it’s easy to fill, has a nice battery, and works quite well. If you’re wanting more of a lung-style inhale (directly into the lungs for bigger clouds.) One of my favorite kits is the MotoPlus kit. It’s similar to the AIO in that it’s a tube and a tank. All you need to do is supply your own juice. Hope that helps out! Thanks -Grimm

What’s your current go-to mod? Tank/ RDA? E-Liquid? Nick Abani Brooklyn, NY Hey Nick! I have a few setups that I really love right now. If I had to choose only one as my go-to setup, I would grab a new HexOHM V3, put a Petri V2 (dot mod) on it, and load it up with some of my own Rainbow Sherbet in the Dark juice from GrimmKVLT. When I picture my absolute favorite vape in my head. That’s what it looks like. Thanks -Grimm

#VAPEMAGAZINE

Hey Robbie! Winning over the support of your family and friends is always a bit of a struggle. I’m pretty convinced that my mom is still not thrilled with my vaping, and it’s been seven years now. There are loads of articles and studies I have sent her (including the Royal Collage of Physicians report stating that vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking) but in the end I always tell people the same thing. I’ve never felt better, and I’m not inhaling burning tobacco into my lungs anymore. Congrats on your 5 weeks smoke free! that’s awesome. Thanks -Grimm

columns

It’s July 4th,

HAPPY TYRANNY DAY By Corey Noles

Well, it’s July Fourth again. Independence Day. The day that we, as Americans, celebrate our independence from England. But today, I don’t feel like celebrating — and I certainly don’t feel independent. As I sit here at my desk, listening to fireworks (or an ongoing flurry of gunshots, but I’m banking on the former), all I can think about is the millions of people who have no idea about the fight we are currently facing. While everyone else is eating hot dogs and drinking beer (which I may still do), all I can think about is how our government is trying to kill our independence. I’m writing this more as a business owner than as magazine editor right now — but it applies to both. As we speak, regulations are in place that, without change, will squash the businesses that myself, my friends and countless strangers have put everything in their life on the line to create. They weren’t built out of greed, but out of a strong desire to better ourselves while helping lifelong smokers add years back to their lives.

Many of us risked everything we had to take a chance on this industry, but I can only tell my story. I left the best paying job I’d had in my life. It was good work, but I simply wasn’t happy. I cashed in my 401k and took literally my entire life savings to build a business. It wasn’t a struggle, it was a battle. But we kept our focus. When bills were late, we made tough choices. When Christmas came, we made even tougher choices. My wife and I literally laid everything on the line to build a business from nothing. We wanted to help others. We wanted to offer our children a chance at a better life. Most of all, we wanted to be independent. Our business, just like hundreds of others, is not simply a way to make a living. It’s an accomplishment. It’s proof that if you work hard enough and put your everything into something, you can do anything. We don’t come from wealthy families or have money nests to fall back on. This is our life. After all, it’s the American Dream. Now, our own government, wants to crush that dream. They want to take away the pride I feel every day when I walk into work or when someone tells me how our products helped them quit smoking.

#VAPEMAGAZINE

COLUMNS

It hasn’t even been a party battle to this point. It’s a bureaucratic agency with far less oversight than it imposes on the industries it governs. An agency whose authority is even difficult to challenge. It imposes fees and fines that prohibit the growth of small business and promote only its own existence. This doesn’t seem like America in 2016. It sounds like the colonies of the 1700s as they fought against burdensome taxes.

What we’re celebrating this year is not independence, but revolution. Not revolution in the sense of the Boston Tea Party, but we celebrate our own revolution as we wage a legal, legislative and public perception war against over-reaching governmental authority. Support all of your friends who are small business owners and the companies you’ve grown to love. The struggle is real and the fight will be long. But it’s a fight we have to win.

Over the coming weeks, months and even years, we will be fighting that same fight. We will battle against tyrannical government regulation that has its sight set on the small businessman in an effort to ensure tobacco tax funds keep rolling in.

Corey Noles is the managing editor of VAPE Magazine. He has worked as a journalist for more than a decade and is the founder, owner of Inked Up E-Liquid Co.

It’s tyranny.

VAPEMZ.COM

Features

Unique Online

Vape Educational Program

Empowers Entrepreneurs By Norm Bour and Corey Noles The value of education has never been more critical in the vape space and VapeMentors, the largest vape consultants in the country, recently proved that with their latest online offering called VAPE U III: Vape Shop Master Summit. The four day, 20-hour class brought some of the top thought leaders to the masses and addressed the question of “What worries you the most?” It was primarily focused on brick and mortar locations, but many of the 300 plus attendees were from other sectors. The program course covered such areas as: • Marketing and advertising • Retail sales trends • Financial management and cash flow • E-liquids • Hiring (and firing) best practices • Regulations (including local and state) • Customer service and retention VapeMentors founder, Norm Bour, one of our writers here at VAPE Magazine, is an innovator in vaping education, and has worked directly with more than 40 different vape businesses. “When I started my company in July, 2013 I knew I didn’t want to limit myself to just one on one clients,”

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Features

Bour said. “I knew we needed to create online courses, so we could offer affordable programs for the masses.” The first program, VAPE U I was launched in January 2015 and over a six week period offered guidance for brick and mortar shops. VAPE U II followed thereafter and did the same for e-liquids. Later they were merged to create a 12hour program called Master Class, which is still available. “When we launched VAPE U III we asked our followers what kept them up at night?” said Jesse Plautz, digital marketing manager for VapeMentors. They were able to get support from other industry heavyweights and received over 300 responses which laid the foundation of the program.

Class instructors included some names well known in the industry including Kyle Winther, CEO of Vapor Hubs; well respected legal expert Azim Choudhury, with Keller and Heckman; Don Burke, senior VP with Management Science Associates, plus American Vaping Association founder, Gregory Conley, ECF founder Oliver Kershaw, and e-liquid celebrity Austin Hopper, with Gilla, Inc. VAPE Magazine was proud to be a sponsor of VAPE U III along with Saffire Liquids and AppCard loyalty program.

#VAPEMAGAZINE

For information on VapeMentors or their educational programs, visit www.VapeMentors.com or reach Norm at 949-495-6162.

columns

The

LAWYERS Have Arrived

By J. Jackson Waste

Two companies, Nicopure Labs, LLC and Lost Art Liquids, LLC, have filed lawsuits in federal court challenging the validity of the FDA’s new “Deeming Rule.” Both lawsuits seek a determination that the Deeming Rule is an “arbitrary and capricious” regulatory action that violates the Administrative Procedures Act.

Nicopure Action: The Nicopure complaint was filed on May 10, 2016 in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint begins with a bit of background, noting that the 2009 Tobacco Control Act (the “Act”) is a statute designed to address the public health problems created by widespread tobacco use, that the Act creates a number of barriers for participants in the tobacco market (including a rigorous premarket approval procedure similar to that used for drugs), and that the Act applies – as we have all now seen – to “cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco and to any other tobacco products that the Secretary [of HHS] by regulation deems to be subject” to that law. The complaint goes on to note the inherent absurdity in the fact that the Deeming Rule concludes that vaping devices (and their parts) are “tobacco products” subject to the act, notwithstanding the fact that they are pieces of electronic equipment clearly not intended for human consumption. Any would-be litigant seeking to adjudicate a dispute in federal court must show that he has “standing.” This usually means, among other things, showing that the plaintiff has suffered a real injury of the sort for which the federal courts can provide redress. Often

where a litigant comes to court trying to prevent a future injury from happening, the courts will refuse to hear the case on the grounds that the controversy is not yet “ripe.” The Nicopure complaint attempts to preemptively address such concerns by describing in detail the harmful effect that the Deeming Rule will have on Nicopure’s business when it goes into effect on August 8, 2016. It notes that literally hundreds of Nicopure’s products will be subject to the premarket approval, reporting, recordkeeping, inspection, labeling, manufacturing, and testing requirements previously reserved only for tobacco products. These requirements will force Nicopure to discontinue certain product lines and refrain from introducing new ones. The complaint also asserts that Nicopure has suffered “immediate and irreparable consequences of being subject to unlawful regulation, including the unlawful deprivation of [its] constitutional rights.” 1 The complaint states four claims for relief, all for different violations of the Administrative Procedures Act (“APA”).2 The statute under which Nicopure is proceeding allows litigants to seek judicial review of the decisions of administrative agencies (such as the FDA) and, under some circumstances, set aside actions taken by those agencies. Specifically, the operative statute allows courts to set aside agency actions, findings, and conclusions upon a finding that those actions, findings, or conclusions were, among other things, (i.) arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or unlawful, (ii.) offensive to a constitutional right, or (iii.) without observance of some legally required procedure.

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COLUMNS

Breaking down

FDA Legal Challenges

First, Nicopure alleges that the Deeming Rule violates the APA because it relies upon an insanely broad definition of the term “tobacco product” that would be foreclosed by an accurate and reasonable interpretation of the Act. Second, Nicopure alleges that the FDA’s propagation of the Deeming Rule is an “arbitrary and capricious agency action” subject to judicial undoing under the APA. Specifically, Nicopure asserts that the Deeming Rule is unlawful because the FDA failed to articulate a rational connection between the facts found and the choice made, failed to consider an important aspect of the problem, or offer an explanation for its decision that runs counter to the evidence. In support of this claim, Nicopure alleges that the FDA failed to adequately consider the massive burden that the premarket approval process will place on its business. Nicopure further contends that the Deeming Rule is arbitrary and capricious because its in effect – a de facto moratorium on the introduction of new vapor products into the consumer market – would actually undercut the stated goal of the Act, which was to reduce smoking and curb its intended health consequences, by forcing consumers away from vapor and back to analog.

Nicopure’s third APA claim asserts that the FDA engaged in an unlawfully flawed cost-benefit analysis prior to propagating the Deeming Rule. The FDA, Nicopure charges, “understate[d] the Rule’s tremendous costs, and erroneously conclude[d] that the benefits outweigh its costs.” 3 As evidence of the FDA’s flawed analysis, Nicopure points out that the Deeming Rule estimates that a total of 750 premarket tobacco applications (“PMTAs”) will need to be filed in the first year industrywide, but this can’t possibly be accurate because Nicopure alone will need to file several hundred. Nicopure’s fourth claim relies on a provision in the APA which allows a reviewing court to set aside agency actions that offend a constitutional right. The Deeming Rule, Nicopure argues, infringes upon its First Amendment right to make “truthful and non-misleading statements regarding vaping devices, e-liquids, and related products.” 4

Lost Art Action: The Lost Art Liquids, LLC action was filed on May 19, 2016 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

The first claim made by Lost Art is that the Deeming Rule constitutes a violation of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (“RFA”).5 The RFA is federal law designed to ease the burden of regulations on small businesses. In brief, the law requires regulatory agencies to consider whether a proposed regulation would have a significant deleterious impact on a substantial number of small business entities and, if so, to seek out a less restrictive alternative after soliciting the input of affected businesses. The Lost Art complaint alleges that the FDA failed to perform this analysis prior to issuing the Deeming Rule. It notes that the FDA received over 70,000 public comments about the Deeming Rule before its enactment, many of them proposing less restrictive alternatives, all of which were apparently disregarded. The second claim is an allegation that the FDA engaged in an unlawful cost-benefit analysis prior to promulgating the Deeming Rule. In language that tracks the Nicopure complaint, the Lost Art Liquids complaint notes that the FDA’s 750PMTA estimate is badly flawed because Lost Art Liquids alone will need to file over 200 if it intends to keep its products on the market. Lost Art Liquids also notes that the costbenefit analysis should, if done properly, consider the effect that removing vapor products from the marketplace will have (i.e., consider the fact that many who are addicted to nicotine will be forced back into smoking). The third claim alleges that the FDA violated Lost Art’s First and Fifth Amendment rights. As to the First Amendment, Lost Art claims, among other things, that its right to engage in free speech is impeded by the Tobacco Control Act’s prohibition against representations that a particular product contains a lower or reduced level of harmful substances. The complaint posits the theory that the Act might even bar Lost Art’s executives from engaging in public discussion about the relative benefits of vaping as compared to smoking. As to the Fifth Amendment, Lost Art claims that the requirement that an “excessive” percentage of Lost Art’s product labels be devoted to a mandatory warning about nicotine’s addictiveness constitutes a governmental “taking” without due process and requisite compensation.

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columns The fourth claim in the Lost Art complaint is that the Deeming Rule amounts to an abuse of the FDA’s discretion by requiring Lost Art and others to participate in the PMTA pathway prior to the release of products, a pathway the complaint describes as a “nebulous, bankrupting dead end.” 6

Analysis: At this early stage, it is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately forecast the likelihood that these two plaintiffs will succeed on the merits of their respective claims. The Supreme Court previously held that regulatory agencies must be given ample latitude to “adapt their rules and policies to the demands of changing circumstances.” 7 The FDA will no doubt claim, in essence, that the rise of vaping constitutes such a “changing circumstance” requiring it to act. (Though the riposte here would be that if governmental action was indeed required, that action should be a regulation specifically devised for vaping pursuant to the basic truth that vaping and smoking are fundamentally different activities involving fundamentally different products.) The Supreme Court has also held that a regulatory action is “arbitrary and capricious” (and, thus, in violation of the APA) where it is irrational, not based on reasonable consideration of relevant facts,

outside the scope of the agency’s authority.8 If these cases proceed to litigation, the result may well be a battle of the expert witnesses, with both sides putting experts on the stand to testify about the purported health consequences (or lack thereof) of vaping. The reasonableness of the FDA’s rule appears to depend in very large part upon there being a real similarity between vapor products and tobacco products; if it can be established with credible evidence that no such similarity exists, the Plaintiffs’ cases will be greatly assisted. Jackson Waste is an attorney with the California-based law firm of Baker Manock & Jensen, PC. 1

Nicopure Complaint filed 5/10/16, at ¶ 30. 5 U.S.C. § 706. 3 Complaint, at ¶ 48. 4 Complaint, at ¶ 54. 5 5 U.S.C. § 601 et seq. 6 Complaint, at ¶ 105. 7 Permian Basin Area Rate Cases, 390 U.S. 747, 784 (1968). 8 Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Ass’n of U.S., Inc. v. State Farm, 463 U.S. 29, 4243 (1983). 2

DEPARTMENTS

Features

By John Castle

#VAPEMAGAZINE VAPEMZ.COM

Features

Where Its Headed

There has been an absolute onslaught of propaganda against vaping since perhaps 2012, and certainly since 2015. It’s important first to state clearly who is behind it: there is a triad of Big Government, Big Tobacco, and Big Pharma on the attack against vaping. That’s what needs to be known right up front, because before you can recognize and predict the attacks that are going to come your way, you need to understand who it is that’s authoring those attacks. Big Government hates vaping because it cuts into their Now that we know more about No More Casualties’ past, I taxation. tobacco hates Stefan vaping was because their wanted Big to find out what willing to products share about can’t compete with it. Big Pharma hates vaping because not its future: only can’t their NRT products compete with it, all the indices of smoking recidivism strongly suggesttothat products arelong The NMC campaign was aimed be their at least a year 90% ineffective smokers relapsing into the one. As such against there will be two more faces andsmoke/ two more try-to-quit-/fail-to-quit cycle. throughout the year. sections that will be added

I was actually surprised to learn that No More Casualties Atwas the same time, public health With entities the detail CDC, ina limited-time project. theincluding scope and FDA, California Department of Health, and others continue volved, I had imagined that it would be a permanent fixture to bombard the American public with deception and misinof the vaping advocacy landscape. formation about vaping, whether out of financial interest or simply puritanical zeal against nicotine, unconcerned with This knowledge has inspired in me a greater sense of urthe cost in taxpayer dollars or smokers’ quality of life. gency to share the media that No More Casualties has made available.

Why It Is What It Will Succeed

No More Casualties, a project by Not Blowing Smoke, is a full throated response to that propaganda machine. While Not Blowing Smoke is built around the simple idea that nothing defeats deception as efficiently or as effectively as the truth, No More Casualties expands on that message and mission by clarifying the human cost of the anti-tobacco movement’s ongives vaping. And that’s war what me strong hope that Not Blowing

Smoke and its offspring project No More Casualties are going Focused on a full spectrum media presence, No More to succeed in their respective and combined missions: the Casualties brings text, video, audio, and imagery to bear sense of urgency is absolutely necessary in vaping advocacy. in its mission to counter the misinformation, disinformation, Vaping has a lot of fun about it, and there’s a sense of and outright deception vapers and their communities are community not unlike that of a fandom. unceasingly bombarded with. It’s important to remember, however, that at its most fundamental level, vaping is about harm reduction. It’s about saving lives. And that merits urgency. And that urgency is why vaping advocacy like Not Blowing Smoke and No More Casualties is going to succeed.

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How It Started Stefan Didak, founder and President of Not Blowing Smoke, explained the origin of No More Casualties: The reason for the NMC campaign was that Not Blowing Smoke, prior to starting itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life as a 501c6 nonprofit organization had been asked to address misleading propaganda in states other than California. Over a period of a few

months we worked on a plan for a national campaign based on the concept of taking online viral efforts into the offline world and into the mainstream where our real target audience consists of Vapers who are not part of online social circles, non-Vapers and current smokers and the general public whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been mislead through millions of dollars of public health propaganda. Taking the project from its seminal idea to the polished onand offline presence you can see today involved the team at Not Blowing Smoke, including Stefan Didak, Danielle Bloss, Jason Downing, and also involved a close working relationship with Will Cohen of the Vape A Vet Project. The process involved photo and video production at Vape Capitol Studios, as well as print and audio creation; the web site was written by Jason Downing, with graphic design by Danielle Bloss and the rest by Stephan Didak. Asked whether the concept underwent any major changes on its way from the drawing board to final product, Stefan Didak responded: We made changes almost up to the final week. Mostly minor ones in terms of wording and simplifying language to cater to the largest possible audience. But most of the narrative ideas, which focus on highlighting how pharma funded public health organizations are waging an ideological war on smoking that vapor products are being dragged into, and unfairly so, has always been the same.

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Where Its Headed

Now that we know more about No More Casualties’ past, I wanted to find out what Stefan was willing to share about its future: The NMC campaign was aimed to be at least a year long one. As such there will be two more faces and two more sections that will be added throughout the year. I was actually surprised to learn that No More Casualties was a limited-time project. With the scope and detail involved, I had imagined that it would be a permanent fixture of the vaping advocacy landscape. This knowledge has inspired in me a greater sense of urgency to share the media that No More Casualties has made available.

Why It Will Succeed

And that’s what gives me strong hope that Not Blowing Smoke and its offspring project No More Casualties are going to succeed in their respective and combined missions: the sense of urgency is absolutely necessary in vaping advocacy. Vaping has a lot of fun about it, and there’s a sense of community not unlike that of a fandom. It’s important to remember, however, that at its most fundamental level, vaping is about harm reduction. It’s about saving lives. And that merits urgency. And that urgency is why vaping advocacy like Not Blowing Smoke and No More Casualties is going to succeed.

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Alex Perelson

By Corey Noles Photos by Ezra Zuniga/135fotografiks

We at VAPE Magazine are proud to announce that we are now a sponsor of professional skateboarder Alex Perelson. You may remember Perelson as the cover person for our February 2016 issue. An avid vaper and professional athlete, he was simply the right fit for our publication. VAPE Magazine is joining a list of impressive sponsors including Rockstar Energy Drinks, Vans shoes and a variety of skateboard companies. Expect regular updates on his performance and whereabouts in the future. Over the next few months, Perelson, 25, has quite the busy schedule that will send him around the world

and into televisions across the globe. Perelson competed in the 2016 Vans Pool Party this may in Orange, California, where he faced off against 40 of the top active professional skaters in the nation. The event included Legends and Masters categories. In June, Perelson competed at the X Games in Austin, Texas. It marked his 10th appearance at the event. He finished 11th in the vert category, but hit his career high mark of 4th place in 2015 at Austin. Following the X-Games, Perelson travelled to Floripa, Brazil to compete in the second of five Vans Park Series events. The Park Series is a new circuit of bowl eventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comprised of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top skaters and all are webcast live. Throughout the year we will have regular updates on Perelson and his progress.

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The past several years, many of you have said youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d help fight. And many of you have, for which are are grateful and thankful. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not been enough. Sitting on the sideline hoping others will take care of things for your business is not going to cut it. Not with the multi-front battles this industry and community is facing now. Now is the time to do your part.

#VAPEMAGAZINE VAPEMZ.COM

COLUMNS Lawsuits are great and much needed. But they are also costly and complicated. The coalition of CASAA, SFATA, AVA, NBS, and AEMSA have decided to back the Right To Be Smoke Free Coalition’s (http://www.r2bsmokefree.org/) litigation efforts that will be deployed by Keller and Heckman (http://www.khlaw.com). But litigation only is not going to be enough and will not be a silver bullet solution. A strong legislative strategy is as much needed as well and is still ongoing through organizations such as SFATA. Where litigation may fail, legislative efforts may succeed and vice versa. But that does not begin to cover the other important thing we can’t lose sight of; PR, outreach and media. NBS and AVA remain committed to those important aspects of the long game. Both legislative and litigation efforts are often influenced by public opinion and as you may have noticed, public opinion has not been on our side thanks to millions of dollars of taxpayer money spent on misleading propaganda campaigns conducted by various public health organizations. Can you imagine the headlines once litigation is in full swing? “Tobacco companies sue FDA to keep your children hooked” comes to mind. Those are awful headlines and extremely damaging to ongoing efforts and they will have to be met head on, out there, in the mainstream.

The combination of litigation, legislation, and PR are not just a matter of funding. It’s also a matter of human resources. Businesses doing their part. Vapers putting an effort in. If you’re a retailer, talk to your customers about what’s going on and get them involved. Manufacturers and Distributors, talk to your retailers and tell them to get their customers involved. Pay attention to new in-store materials made freely available on http://fdaregs.info and http://nomorecasualties.org) and put them to good use. Include them in your shipments. Hand them to your customers. Don’t let anyone believe that the destruction of the industry at the hands of the FDA and its deeming regulations will not happen. That is a misconception that seems to exist with many of the vapers out there who are not as aware and mainly only have their favorite retail stores as their main connection to information and what’s going on. I don’t want to sound too cliche but, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, right? Are you tough enough? Start doing your part and get others to do start doing theirs. Together we can make a difference. Stefan Didak Founder and President of Not Blowing Smoke

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A Guide to Vape Gear Life

By Ian Jones For many of us, vaping is less of a way to quit smoking and more of a full-time hobby. Who can resist the appeal of vapemail or checking out the latest products at your local vape shop? This inevitably leads to a stockpile of equipment and juice. At the same time, the surge in anti-vaping laws mean we’re looking at months, or even years, of upheaval, so it’s even more tempting to hoard vape gear in case the worst happens. With this in mind, it’s worth knowing how long they will last. Here’s our guide to the lifespan of most vaping products, with tips on how to make them last even longer.

Box Mods and Batteries Often the most expensive part of any vaping set-up, the mod is the engine that powers your vape. Fixed Battery Mods - Mods such as the popular Eleaf iStick 50w come with built-in internal batteries so when they reach the end of their natural life they cannot be replaced. They usually work well for 300-500 charge cycles, which means they should last for 1-2 years if recharged every day. Removable Battery Mods - If longevity is a priority, consider a box mod with replaceable batteries, such as the Sigelei 150TC. If well-maintained, these boxes should last many years. Batteries will last around a year if charged daily, but make sure you buy a good quality charger that won’t overcharge your batteries, such as the Nitecore D-series. Also consider the design of the mod. Products such as the Smok Cube II might look impressive, but if that complicated circuit board gets soaked with juice it could mean an expensive repair bill. Mechanical Mods - Mech mods have no wires or circuitry so there are much fewer points of failure than with standard box mods. Replacement parts are widely available if anything breaks, making them more cost effective than standard mods. However, these are unregulated so require a good knowledge of battery safety. These should only be used by experienced vapers.

Tank Systems Most tanks are fairly sturdy and can last many years. However, it’s worth being aware of certain weak points. Glass Tank - The glass part of any tank is the most vulnerable. Drop your kit and you could be dealing with a sharp, sticky mess. You can buy replacement parts, but prevention is always better than cure. To paraphrase Beyoncé: if you like it, put a rubber vape ring on it. These can be picked up from most vape shops and will help protect your tank. Connector - Most modern tanks use the 510 connector, with some older set-ups using an eGo connection, but the main weakness is the same. Constantly removing the tank risks wearing away the threads, making it unusable. There are ways of fixing this, such as using a small bit of cardboard to fasten the connections, but it’s best to stop it before it happens. Reduce the strain on the connections by using a top-fill tank, such as the Aspire Cleito. O-Rings - A worn-out O-Ring can cause tanks to leak. Keep a selection of spare o-rings and replace when your current ones start to look run-down. Again, try not to dismantle your tank often as this can wear them away. Drip Tip - A well-made drip tip should last for many years. Avoid fragile glass tips and cheap plastic versions as they can absorb flavors, it’s best to stick with stainless steel.

Stock Coils The lifespan of coils is an ever-present question, and there’s no clear-cut answer. Here are some key factors when it comes to determining the working life of your coils. Usage - An obvious factor is how often you vape. If you chain vape at high wattage, even the toughest coils will quickly wear out. Be careful to avoid dry hits as this burns the cotton inside the coil, dramatically reducing its effectiveness.

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E-Liquid Juice - Another important element. If you prefer creamy flavors or e-juice with lots of sweetener, this will clog up your coil sooner than other types of e-juice, making it harder to heat and muting the taste. Type - The physical size of the coil is a good indicator. The huge quad-core coils for the TFV4 can last for weeks, while the relatively small coils for the Aspire Nautilus generally only last a few days. Ceramic coils are known to last longer than the standard cotton type and might be worth trying. Stock - The onward march of vape technology means that your favorite coils could one day become obsolete. Personal Taste - Your own tastes play a major part. Some people switch coils as soon as the flavor becomes slightly muted, while others are happy to vape until the cotton turns completely black.

Rebuildables Clearly, tanks and stock coils come with numerous longevity issues. If you want a stash that will stand the test of time, it’s time to look at rebuildables. Whether an RTA, RDA or RBA, there’s no reason these shouldn’t last indefinitely, providing you have enough wire and cotton. Wick - Much like stock coils, the lifespan of the cotton wick depends on your style of vaping. But in this case, it’s a simple matter of removing the old wick and adding a new one. And as the cotton industry isn’t likely to go out of business anytime soon, this is ideal for anyone thinking long-term. Wire - The type of wire you use to build coils is important. Kanthal is most common, and can usually be dry-burned to scrub away any gunk. If you use temperature control on your mod, nickel or titanium coils can’t be dry burned, but do tend to last longer as they don’t apply extreme heat to the juice.

The natural life of e-liquid can vary dramatically depending on the ingredients and how it is stored. While some e-liquids degrade over time, others can improve. Storage - Direct sunlight and heat are the enemies of e-liquid. Store all your e-liquid in a dark place at room temperature, and they’ll last much longer. Seal tightly so the flavor molecules don’t evaporate. Nicotine - Nicotine darkens over time, explaining why that 12mg e-juice you had lying around is now a strange dark colour. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s gone bad, but it might take on an unpleasant peppery taste. It isn’t dangerous, but probably isn’t worth vaping. Ingredients - Depending what flavors are used, e-juice can become muted over time. If your liquid is heavy on creams and sweetener it’s likely to go bad sooner than light fruit blends. Conversely, these heavy complex juices often benefit from steeping, where juice can take on improved flavors when left for weeks. The best way is to smell it — if it has no aroma or smells bad, ditch it. Other additives can have unpredictable effects on e-liquid. Citric Acid can add tartness but the effect fades after a few days. DIY Supplies - The DIY route is recommended for anyone wanting build a cheap stock of juice but there are a few simple measures to take. PG and VG are fairly stable, though best kept out of direct sunlight. Nicotine degrades over time so store it safely in a freezer in clearly-labelled amber bottles. The lifespan of flavors varies, but store in a cool dark place for best results.

Conclusion There’s a lot to consider when it comes to the lifespan of vape items but keep in mind that these are just guidelines. There are many variables that can impact on how long your gear and e-liquid lasts, and the most important of all is personal taste. If your set-up works for you and tastes good, that’s all that matters.

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- AXIS VAPES -

Accessibility MEETS

Affordability In The High End Market

The Axis Vapes M17 comes in a variety of enclosure materials, ranging from single dyed stabilized wood to hybrid models and extreme models. Prices vary depending on enclosure material only; there are no premium pricing for specific pieces.

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Axis Vapes operates out of their shop in Fort Wayne, Indiana with four employees. They are, (L-R) Kayla Eberle, customer service; Wynn Warren, Principal; Preston Elliot and Rob Scheribel share machining, polishing and assembly duties. By Chris Mellides Photos by ©Justin Sims/LYFT Digital 2016

In the years that followed the release of the first vapor products in the United States some ten years ago, the number of products brought to market has grown considerably. As the technology of vapor products evolved, so too did the tastes of a growing consumer base looking for better performing and higher quality devices. This inherent desire among consumers helped elevate the vape industry to its current multi-billiondollar status, with innovation paving the way for a diverse marketplace to unfurl. Witnessing these trends in the industry first hand, Axis Vapes’ founder Wynn Warren attempted to seek out vapor products that eliminated his desire to use combustible tobacco, with functionality and aesthetics that would allow for an enhanced user experience. When he began vaping three years ago, Warren soon realized that as a vaper, his desire for the ideal vapor product was often met with disappointment. “I was using products like the Sigelei’s and the

IPV4’s and stuff like that, and I just had a bad run of experiences with those products,” Warren said. “Buying something and using it for a week to two months and having it break or something go wrong with it was discouraging.” Warren says that he was a cigarette smoker for close to four years and that he started vaping after purchasing the more compact Innokin iTaste products, but they left him wanting more from the experience. “I was never really able to capture the experience that I needed to fully quit and until sub-ohm vaping kind of came out is when I was really able to find the right setup for me,” Warren said. His search for the right setup led him to venture away from Chinese imports and into the world of high end mods. What he found was products that appealed to the high end user, but that were also made in short supply and were often difficult to obtain. “What I found was private Facebook groups and lists that you have to sit on for months at a time to be able to obtain some of these mods,” Warren said.

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Axis Vapes has four CNC machines in house dedicated solely to producing the M17 mod. The entire facility is dedicated to mod production in order to keep up with product demand from the website and authorized resellers.

“And I thought there should be a better way in the market to obtain these.” With that desire came a vision: to create an affordable highend product, manufactured in the United States using quality materials, and one that would be much more accessible than similar products found in that category. And who better to design and manufacture that product than Warren himself. In 2015, Warren founded Axis Vapes and released his company’s first product, the M17, which began shipping to early adopters in December of last year. The M17 is beautifully designed and manufactured in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The mod is powered by Evolv’s DNA200 board and makes use of a custom machined enclosure, Mitech switch and tactile control buttons. The body of the mod is made from stabilized wood and can include acrylic along with a variety of other materials. “There’s a lot of designs out on the market and it seems like the majority of the high end scene at the time was riddled with C-Frame mods or just, I don’t want to say generic designs, but they were pretty much all the same to me, so I wanted something a little different,” Warren said. With four employees, including Warren himself, the Axis Vapes team set out to make Warren’s vision a reality.

According to the 26-year-old startup founder, his team often shares responsibilities, but they each play their own integral part in keeping Axis Vapes running smoothly. Kayla Eberle heads customer service, Preston Elliot and Rob Scheribel share machining, polishing and assembly duties, and Warren focuses on business development along with assembly work and quality control assurance.

“I wanted a device that not everyone would have and one that could stand out a little bit, and I feel that the M17 did that.”

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Features M17 and the ease at which they were meant to be purchased meant that Axis Vapes had to expand rapidly to remain ahead of the curve. The success of the company came without the help of common marketing techniques like Google and Facebook advertising, since the M17 mod is classified as a tobacco product and therefore marketing on those ad platforms is strictly prohibited, according to Warren.

“I just urge everyone to sit tight until we really find out what the fight is so that we can pull together and make it happen.”

Final finishes for the M17 are accomplished by buffing the enclosure with Renaissance wax. The process of creating a single M17 device can take up to four hours to complete with special attention paid to a number of key steps. These steps include a milling and engraving process, a period where the enclosures are hand finished with four different grits of sandpaper before being polished with Renaissance wax, and then there’s soldering electrical components and installing the 12.21 watt-hour 1100 mAh Lipo batteries. “With cutting down the blanks, the machine time, the soldering, the machining and QC, there’s a lot that goes into one device,” Warren said. Several variations of the M17 mod offered at different price points are made available for purchase at axisvapes.com with new stock added every week to keep up with a growing customer demand. “Each vape is different, each blank has different wood grains, colors and that’s really what I was looking for,” Warren said. “I wanted a device that not everyone would have and one that could stand out a little bit, and I feel that the M17 did that.”

“Early on when we released our product we quickly found out that there’s a lot of hype and demand behind the M17,” Warren said. “And we did what we could to expand at a rate that wouldn’t reduce quality and that wouldn’t reduce our customer service standards.” In that respect, Warren and crew seem to have succeeded where other mom and pop modders would likely fail in meeting the high volume demands for custom made products regularly asked of Axis Vapes. In the face of looming government regulations that can potentially put small business operations like Axis Vapes in jeopardy, Warren is confident that so long as businesses and vapers band together, his company, along with countless others, will persevere.

He added, “Again, it is obtainable and at a lower price point that people can afford as well.”

“I definitely want to say that we’re not going to go away, and I think a lot of people are getting scared because of these deeming regulations, but we’re going to do everything in our power to stay up and running,” Warren said.

The challenges faced by Warren and his team were typical of any new business enterprise, but with the hype behind the

“I just urge everyone to sit tight until we really find out what the fight is so that we can pull together and make it happen.”

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Extra Terrestrial Builders corner

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By SAM McCLELLAND In the last article I made mention of the elusive Alien coil...BOM BOM BOM! I say this because it can be somewhat of a task to complete a stick long enough to make two coils of this type. If you’ve been building them for longer than six months then they are most likely an easy thing to build but if you’re new to the rabbit hole of building then more than likely there are a few failed attempts sitting in the trash can. With this coil type, it can be a bit tough, because the tutorials that are offered where a vast majority try and learn to make alien coils only show the tri-core alien. But there is also the dual core alien which is literally a fused Clapton with the alien concept of wire fusing the two or three cores.

then this build may seem elusive or even impossible. I can tell you that for months I chased making aliens and many failed sticks made it across my garage and left on the floor. But don’t worry hopefully this article will help you understand where the innovation comes from, why its sought after, and how to make it a bit more economical to build.

Originally, or so I’m told, the concept started as a single core of 20 gauge wire with 22 gauge Claptoned over it. Thus the alien was born. This concept was brought to the build community by a gentleman who goes by the name @blueeyedgoon83 on Instagram but made famous by OhmboyOC and m.terk and their tutorials on YouTube (Local Vape and Pristine Builds.) Ohmboy OC’s tutorials are where I first learned of this concept. However, it was m.terk who opened my eyes to the use of swivels, and that, my friends, really made completing a set of aliens seem obtainable. If you’re having issues completing or even understanding the concept I strongly suggest watching those tutorials. Moving forward, the alien coil for some is a thing of beauty to behold and most likely because not many can simply sit down and pull it off. The S shape that is created over 1, 2, or 3 cores (sometimes over other cores like ribbon or a mixture of ribbon and round wire) allows for what I feel is superior wicking in a coil. The alien concept, aside from wicking, allows for amazingly improved flavor, good heat, and yes, it’s one sext coil. However, I do suggest mastering the fused Clapton before attempting this type of coil as there were many that went flying across my garage before I got them down. Once you’ve got them down, it’s easy peasy. So, don’t give up and make sure to check out those tutorials they are a great help. When you’ve built some, snap a few pics and show your Vape buds.

Aliens (for more than just good looks)

Last issue, we covered the fused Clapton and to keep on moving in world of fused coil types we are gonna go out of this world with the alien coil. (Applause) If you’ve been building for awhile then the alien has maybe become something you can do in your sleep but if you’re new to building, as we all are at some point,

The beginning: or so I’m told

A gentleman who goes by the name @blueeyedgoon83 on Instagram brought this innovation to the rabbit hole of building. It started as a single core and consisted of 22 gauge over 20 gauge. My fingers ache even thinking of working with that low gauge wire. However, the idea was not for looks, but for function. The idea was to bring a better self wicking property or function to a macro coil. Later, a second core was added, making it a fused coil but with the look and wicking properties of the alien. Then, inevitably a third core was added making it what some call the tri-core, triple parallel, or triple fused alien. The tri-core alien and the single core alien are the most difficult and rewarding in my opinion. Tough to nail but when they are done you just want to stand up and tell the world how you just made a dual set of aliens.

The build

For me, the beginning of learning to build these or even the realization that the concept even existed was found on YouTube via Local Vape’s channel where a builder by the name OhmboyOC has a tutorial on the

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process. However, his tutorial is what some may refer to as the “real” way or “old school” way of building these types of coils. By “old school” or “real” I mean to say without the use of swivels. The use of swivels was made popular by @m.terk on Instagram and his YouTube channel Pristine Builds. The use of swivels has really reduced frustration levels and allowed for smarter not harder building. When I was watching those first tutorial videos from Ohmboy OC I hadn’t yet found the use of swivels, so one end was secured to the chuck of the drill while the other is free floating. This makes it much more difficult to keep those three cores aligned and your de-core and stretch have to be almost perfect. So, there is a ton of respect for the builders out there still going swivel-less in their build sessions.

Wire a plenty: I like to work with good clean wire and plenty of it. So I usually start with a spool of Twistedmesses 36 gauge nichrome 80 and 3 lengths of 26 gauge Anarchist nichrome 80. (If you are allergic to this type of metal composite you’ll need to use something safe for you to inhale.)

If you are failing a bunch at this type of build I strongly suggest checking out those tutorials and building while watching them. Those guys do a great service to the community by offering them and they are worthwhile but we all eventually find our own way of making it work.

Let’s get right down to it:

Making it work

When I sit down to build a set of aliens I make sure a few things are in order before I even start spinning the drill. A clean work space: having a nice, clean work space will cut down on the probability of throwing the attempts that may not work out across the room.

Tools and junk: I like a good pair of snips, a good pair of pliers, a drill, a vice, ball bearing swivels, and one 3-4 inch piece of ribbon. Good tunes: some really good Slayer tracks are nice or even the Faceless, but some smooth jazz may help keep those frustration levels down. It’s your call... Disclaimer: this is just how I do it. It’s not the best or the worst. There may be better or worse out there but this is my way and the best I can convey the way I do it to you. Start with 3, 9 inch lengths of core wire and one 12-14 inch length of the gauge core wire (this is for your initial Clapton.) Grab you high gauge wire and some snips and get ready. Take that single core and secure it at both the chuck and swivel. Attach your high gauge wire to the lower gauge wire at the chuck end.

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the end and you’ll have a nice completed stick ready to wrap into Vape ready dual coil aliens. For me, I like a 3-3.5mm inner diameter. That’s just my comfort zone. I don’t suggest going too much smaller as the smaller you go the lower the ohm reading will be and the more stress on your batteries.

Spin that sucker for all its worth and if you keep just slightly less than a 90 degree angle while wrapping it will stay nice and tight for you. Also, make sure you remember which direction you did the initial Clapton. This is important later. Once you’ve reached the end reverse the direction of the drill and spin it for a few seconds while holding on to the leg of the higher gauge wire. This will loosen it just slightly making it easier to remove. Once it’s slightly loosened, clip the chuck end and slide that core out and save it for another day. Now take your 3 core wires and secure them to your swivels and at the chuck. You can just bend each one slightly to allow a good bite from the jaws in the chuck.

However, once you’ve learned about ohms law and understand amperages and how even small changes can affect these things, then maybe be a bit more experimental. Again, don’t be silly and do something you’re unsure of. Ask people. Ask google. Watch tutorials and use what they’ve suggested as it is probably the safest materials offered. Be smart.

The install

YUS!! You’re now ready to install your two beautifully and expertly made alien coils. Though, they aren’t just for looks, as mentioned, these coils are a wicking machine. They allow for much better wicking, depending on the juice the coils keep cleaner a bit longer, and the flavor produced is phenomenal. Truly a great innovation and worth the time and effort. So make sure to get those hot spots out, squeeze ‘em tight, wick those bad boys up, and get’em juicy!

The one weird piece of ribbon: I use this for binding. At the chuck end, I will wrap that ribbon around the cores a few times making a binder and somewhat of a slider. Now take that de-cored Clapton and stretch it to where you are creating a V shape but you don’t want to go past that shape or be less than that shape. It’s kind of a feel process, but hopefully that will help give you a visual guideline. Once stretched attach that to your 3 cores and make sure your drill is running in the opposite direction from the initial Clapton. Start spinning and you’re looking for nice tight S curves over the 3 cores. Continue wrapping all the way to VAPEMZ.COM

Sam McClelland is an owner and builder for Clean Builds LLC. Follow him and his crazy builds on IG @builds_and_ junk and at cleanbuilds.net

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Why Does It Taste So Good? The Secrets Of FlavorIt In Vaping Why Does Taste So Good? By IAN JONES

The Secrets Of Flavor In Vaping

By Ian Jones By IAN JONES

Banana split, blueberry pie, bubblegum and biscuit. The range of e-liquid flavors is endless. But where do they come from and how are they made? We asked some of the major names in the flavor industry about the secrets behind the amazing tasting e-liquid we vape everyday, and their concerns for the future. Practically all e-liquid companies use artificial flavorings to make their juice, employing flavor experts to create topsecret recipes using the pie, thousands of concentrates onThe ofBanana split, blueberry bubblegum and biscuit. fer. Many e-liquidflavors homebrewers have set up successful juice range of e-liquid is endless. But where do they come companies based their own carefully-designed from and how areon they made? We asked some of creations. the major And practically all these companies names in the flavor industry aboutuse theeasily-available secrets behindconthe centratestasting originally designed for baking, sweets drinks. amazing e-liquid we vape everyday, andand their concerns for the future. Strong, simple tastes such as vanilla and strawberry were obvious choices in thecompanies early days,use butartificial as vapeflavorings technology Practically all e-liquid to progressed, consumers demanded complex andtopexmake their juice, employing flavor more experts to create citing flavors. to thousands major names in the flavoring insecret recipes This usingled the of concentrates on offer. Many e-liquid homebrewers have set up successful juice companies based on their own carefully-designed creations. And practically all these companies use easily-available concentrates originally designed for baking, sweets and drinks. Strong, simple tastes such as vanilla and strawberry were obvious choices in the early days, but as vape technology progressed, consumers demanded more complex and exciting flavors. This led to major names in the flavoring in-

dustry, such as Flavour Art and The Flavor Apprentice and Capellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flavors, developing their range of concentrates to match demand amongst vapers and juice-creators, and eventually saw the rise of dedicated vape-based flavor companies such as Flavorah. As well as these artificial concentrates, flavors can also be made by the process of natural extraction, though this is largely limited to experienced flavorists. This is a complicated process theArt aroma of anFlavor item Apprentice is extractedand by dustry, such aswhere Flavour and The soaking it Flavors, in PG ordeveloping VG. This can be range done successfully with Capellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s their of concentrates tobacco, also works well vapers with coffee, vanilla and various to matchand demand amongst and juice-creators, and herbs and spices. are generally unsuitable flavor for making eventually saw theFruits rise of dedicated vape-based comnatural such vapeable flavor concentrates, as the resulting sugar panies as Flavorah. content will burn the coil - plus there is a risk of dangerous oils also as being extracted the process. Thiscan procedure As well these artificialduring concentrates, flavors also be is not recommended vapers, and while a made by the processfor of inexperienced natural extraction, though this is small number naturally-extracted conlargely limited of to companies experiencedoffer flavorists. This is a complicentrates, artificial flavors are much more common. cated process where the aroma of an item is extracted by soaking it in PG or VG. This can be done successfully with tobacco, and also works well with coffee, vanilla and various herbs and spices. Fruits are generally unsuitable for making natural vapeable flavor concentrates, as the resulting sugar content will burn the coil - plus there is a risk of dangerous oils also being extracted during the process. This procedure is not recommended for inexperienced vapers, and while a small number of companies offer naturally-extracted concentrates, artificial flavors are much more common.

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But how are these artificial flavors made? Flavorah’s Brendan But how these artificial flavors made? Flavorah’s But how are are these made?“Flavorah Flavorah’sis Brendan Brendan Woodward spoke toartificial us aboutflavors the process. blended Woodward spoke to us about the process. “Flavorah is blended Woodward spoke to us about the process. “Flavorah is blended from scratch in a food laboratory, using an industrial food flafrom scratch in a food laboratory, using an industrial food flafrom scratch in a food laboratory, using an industrial food voring process that gives precise quality control, regardlessflaof voring process that gives precise quality control, regardless of voring process that gives precise quality control, regardless of whether the batch is for five gallons or fifty five gallons.” whether whether the the batch batch is is for for five five gallons gallons or or fifty fifty five five gallons.” gallons.” “We have several flavor chemists involved. Individual flavor “We have several flavor involved. Individual flavor “We havetend several flavor chemists chemists involved. Individual flavor chemists to specialize in certain groups of flavorings. For chemists tend to specialize in certain groups of flavorings. For chemists tend to specialize in certain groups of flavorings. For instance, one is really good at bakery and tobaccos, and aninstance, one is really good at bakery and tobaccos, and aninstance, one is really good at bakery and tobaccos, and another teas and fruits.” Along with this crack team of aromaother teas and Along with this crack of aromaother teas and fruits.” fruits.” withfrom thiscustomers crack team team of the aromaexperts, Flavorah uses Along feedback and DIY experts, Flavorah uses feedback from customers and the DIY experts, Flavorah uses feedback from customers and the DIY recipe crew to develop new flavors. Their popular new cupcake recipe crew to develop new flavors. Their popular new cupcake recipe crew to develop new flavors. Their popular new cupcake batter and honey bee flavors came directly from this process. batter batter and and honey honey bee bee flavors flavors came came directly directly from from this this process. process. When creating a new flavor concentrate, these expert chemWhen creating new concentrate, these expert chemWhen creating a a combine new flavor flavor concentrate, these chemists meticulously different molecules in expert order to synists meticulously combine different molecules in order to ists meticulously combine different molecules in to synsynthesize a particular aroma. Practically any flavororder can you can thesize a particular aroma. Practically any flavor can you can thesize a particular aroma. Practically any flavor can you can think of can be synthesized, leading to strange (and underthink of can be synthesized, leading to strange (and underthink of can be synthesized, leading to strange (and understandably rare) e-liquid flavors such as smokey bacon or pizza. standably rare) e-liquid flavors such smokey bacon or standably e-liquid flavors such as as bacon or pizza. pizza. An artificialrare) flavor such as blueberry willsmokey have slight deviations An artificial flavor such as blueberry will have slight deviations An artificial flavor such as blueberry will have slight deviations depending on the company that produce it. Whether it comes depending on the that produce it. comes depending the company company thatinstantly producerecognizable it. Whether Whether it it from TFA oronCapella, it will be ascomes bluefrom TFA or Capella, it will be instantly recognizable as bluefrom TFA or Capella, it will be instantly recognizable as blueberry, but will have a slightly different taste, affecting recipe berry, but will have a slightly different taste, affecting recipe berry, but will have a slightly different taste, affecting recipe blends in subtly different ways. blends blends in in subtly subtly different different ways. ways. While the term ‘artificial’ can ring alarm bells, Massimiliano While the term ‘artificial’ can ring alarm bells, Massimiliano While the term ‘artificial’ ring alarm Massimiliano Mancini, head of Flavour Artcan Italy, says that bells, these concentrates Mancini, head of Flavour Art Italy, says that these concentrates Mancini, head of Flavour Art Italy, says that these concentrates are actually safer than natural flavorings. “When making a flaare actually safer than flavorings. “When making a are saferbegins than natural natural flavorings. “When makingnature a flaflavor, actually the flavorist by researching what chemicals vor, the flavorist begins by researching what chemicals nature vor, the flavorist begins by researching what chemicals nature uses to make the desired flavor. He then selects from the list uses to the flavor. He selects from the uses to make make the desired desired flavor. He then then the list list of flavor components found in, say, real selects apples,from eliminating of flavor components found in, say, real apples, eliminating of flavor components found in, say, real apples, eliminating those chemicals that make little contribution to taste or are those chemicals that make little contribution to taste those chemicals thatto make littleNature contribution taste or or are are not permitted owing toxicity. has noto restrictions on not permitted owing to toxicity. Nature has no restrictions on not permitted owing to toxicity. Nature has no restrictions on using toxic chemicals, whereas the flavorist does.” using using toxic toxic chemicals, chemicals, whereas whereas the the flavorist flavorist does.” does.” The result is identical to its natural counterpart, but without The result is to natural counterpart, but without The is identical identical to its its natural counterpart, without any result dangerous elements. Not only this, artificial but flavors are any dangerous elements. Not only this, artificial flavors are any dangerous elements. Not only this, artificial flavors more environmentally-friendly and cost-effective. “Natural are comore environmentally-friendly and cost-effective. “Natural comore environmentally-friendly and cost-effective. “Natural coconut flavorings, for example, depend on a chemical called conut flavorings, for example, depend on a chemical called conut flavorings, for example, depend on a chemical called massoia lactone which comes from the bark of the Malaysian massoia lactone which from the of Malaysian massoia lactone which comes comes from the bark bark this of the the Malaysian Massoia tree, “ Mancini explains. “Collecting kills the tree Massoia tree, ““ Mancini explains. “Collecting this kills the tree Massoia tree, Mancini explains. “Collecting this kills because harvesters must remove the bark and extract the it totree obbecause harvesters must remove the bark and extract it to because harvesters must remove the bark and extract it to to obobtain the lactone. This pure natural chemical is identical the tain the lactone. This pure natural chemical is identical to the tain the lactone. This pure natural chemical is identical to the version made in an organic chemists laboratory, yet it is much version made in an organic chemists laboratory, yet it is much version made in an organic chemists laboratory, yet it is much more expensive than the synthetic alternative.” more more expensive expensive than than the the synthetic synthetic alternative.” alternative.”

However, some flavor companies are reluctant to promote However, some companies are reluctant promote However, some flavor flavor companies areconcentrates reluctant to toare promote their concentrates for vaping. Lorann muchtheir concentrates for vaping. Lorann concentrates are muchtheir concentrates for vaping. Lorann concentrates are loved by vapers seeking vibrant sweet tastes for theirmuchjuice, loved by vapers seeking vibrant sweet tastes for their juice, loved by vapers seeking vibrant sweet tastes for their juice, but a representative told Vape Magazine: “All of our flavors but a representative told Vape Magazine: “All of our flavors but a representative told Vape Magazine: “All of our flavors are intended for use in the food and beverage industry. We are intended for in and industry. We are intended for use use in the theorfood food and beverage beverage industry. We do not advertise, promote recommend our flavors for use do not advertise, promote or recommend our flavors for use do not advertise, promote or recommend our flavors for use in e-cigarettes, hookah or other tobacco products.” There are in e-cigarettes, hookah or tobacco products.” There are in e-cigarettes, hookahthis or other other tobacco products.” There flaare safety reasons behind as a small selection of Lorann safety reasons behind this as a small selection of Lorann flasafety reasons behind this as a small selection of Lorann flavors are unsafe to vape, but it should be noted that the recent vors are to it be noted that vors are unsafe unsafeRegulations to vape, vape, but but it should should noted that the the recent recent FDA Deeming are placing be flavor companies under FDA Deeming Regulations are placing flavor companies under FDA Deeming Regulations are placing flavor companies under growing pressure. There is a risk that flavor companies are growing pressure. There is a risk that flavor companies are growing pressure. There is a risk that flavor companies are being forced to distance themselves from vaping, or dramatibeing forced to distance themselves from vaping, or dramatibeing forced to distance themselves from vaping, or dramatically limit their range of concentrates due to inspection costs. cally cally limit limit their their range range of of concentrates concentrates due due to to inspection inspection costs. costs. Brendan at Flavorah shares this concern, believing there is a Brendan at shares this believing there is Brendan at Flavorah Flavorah shares this concern, concern, believing therewhile is a a way to both safeguard the creative freedom of vaping, way to both safeguard the creative freedom of vaping, while way to both safeguard the creative freedom of vaping, while ensuring safety standards are met. “A great innovation would ensuring safety are “A great would ensuring safety standards standards are met. met. “Aflavoring great innovation innovation would be the establishment of a clean list of compounds for be the establishment of a clean list of flavoring compounds for be the establishment of a clean list of flavoring compounds for e-liquid. Working on a comprehensive GRAS (generally recoge-liquid. Working on a comprehensive GRAS (generally recoge-liquid. Working on a comprehensive GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list of ingredients for inhalation products would nized as list for inhalation products would nized as safe) safe) list of of ingredients ingredients forfor inhalation products would represent a massive step forward the vape industry, and represent a massive step forward for the vape industry, and represent a massive step forward for the vape industry, and would assure vaping is untangled from the inaccurate labeling would assure vaping is untangled from the inaccurate labeling would assure vaping is untangled from the inaccurate labeling and regulation as a tobacco product that has just occurred and regulation as and regulation as a a tobacco tobacco product product that that has has just just occurred occurred under the deeming.” under under the the deeming.” deeming.” The recent diacetyl scare suggests there is a need for inThe recent diacetyl scare suggests there is need for The recent diacetyl scare but suggests is a a need for inincreased safety measures, even there this has been exaggercreased safety measures, but even this has been exaggercreased safety measures, but even this has been exaggerated by a media searching for vaping scare stories. Diacetyl ated by searching for vaping Diacetyl ated by a a media mediafound searching for dessert-based vaping scare scare stories. stories. Diacetyl is a compound in many flavorings as it is a compound found in many dessert-based flavorings as is a compound found in many dessert-based flavorings as it it gives a rich buttery taste. In very high amounts, much higher gives a rich buttery taste. In very high amounts, much higher gives a rich buttery taste. In very high amounts, much higher than typically vaped, it can cause lung disease known as ‘popthan typically vaped, it cause lung disease known as than typically vaped, as it can can cause disease in known as ‘pop‘popcorn lung’, so-called it was firstlung discovered workers at a corn lung’, so-called as it was first discovered in workers at corn lung’, so-called as it was first discovered in workers at a a Missouri popcorn plant in 2000. However, an average tobacco Missouri popcorn plant in 2000. However, an average tobacco Missouri popcorn plant in 2000. However, an average tobacco cigarette contains over 100 times more diacetyl than in the cigarette contains over 100 times more diacetyl than in cigarette over times more diacetyl than risk in the the equivalentcontains vape, and has100 been shown to have minimal of equivalent vape, and has been shown to have minimal risk of equivalent vape, and has been shown to have minimal risk of causing popcorn lung in vapers. causing causing popcorn popcorn lung lung in in vapers. vapers. The variety of flavors is a major aspect of why vaping is so The variety of is a of is so The variety and of flavors flavors is Ensuring a major major aspect aspect of why why vaping vaping so pleasurable exciting. these concentrates areissafe pleasurable and exciting. Ensuring these concentrates are safe pleasurable and exciting. Ensuring these concentrates are safe to vape is an important factor, but there is a risk that draconito vape is factor, but there is draconito is an an important important factor, there is a a risk risk that that an vape restrictions could hold back but future innovations and draconiexciting an restrictions could hold back future innovations and exciting an restrictions could hold back future innovations and exciting new flavors. It’s reassuring to note that all the leading flavor new flavors. It’s reassuring to note that all the leading flavor new flavors. It’s reassuring to note that all the leading flavor companies we spoke to place safety as a top priority, hopecompanies we spoke to place safety as a top priority, hopecompanies we spoke to place safety as a top priority, hopefully safeguarding both their future and the progress of flavor fully safeguarding both fully safeguarding both their their future future and and the the progress progress of of flavor flavor development in vaping. development development in in vaping. vaping.

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Vaping from the Outside

Is Trade Show/Convention

admission worth the money? By Susan Oser

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To the average Joe or Jane-vaper-on-the-street, a mere vape meet or vape show (depending on how it is marketed and labelled) sounds like the same thing to their ears and eyes. The venues range in size from the small, local vape shop to a huge arena. So, what are the differences between the two and are they worth the money you pay for at the door? On a small scale, the local vape shop meet is just that. There’s no entrance fee, you might get some free food out of the deal, and there are usually some contests or prizes for some free stuff. It mostly caters to the regulars and other local clientele who happen to hear about it on Facebook or through their friends. The attendance is usually 20-50 people. For the most part, it’s pretty easy to know people, but if there are cliques, they can usually be visible. Otherwise, it’s a great way to get your feet wet and meet other vapers while getting the feel for an actual meet. If you are interested in going to something bigger like a VapeBash, VapeCon, or VapeXpo, you will have to stay at a hotel. In the past, the entrance fee was free at these events. However, with the new FDA deeming regulations, even the free entrance fee will be a thing of the past. Along with the local or regional companies, there are companies from all over the United States (depending on when and where the event is held). Since it’s at the hotel, when it comes to the after parties, you can just go to your room and not have to worry about drinking and driving if you party too hard. At these events, mostly on the last day, you can get great bargains. However, the main draw here is about meeting people and just hanging out. You don’t need to rush; you can just chill, vape, chat, and participate in whatever activities are available. Some have a costume contests, raffles, auctions, and workshops. They usually run at least 1-2 days. When possible, it’s best to stay at the hotel where the event is at because once the show is over, the actual socializing with the vendors and big players begins. To me, this is the best part of the event. ECC events, VPX, and the like are what some would refer to as trade shows. Why? You pay a pretty decent amount to enter. For smaller scale events (those that try to merely “mimic” a trade show with their own agendas) it ranges from $5 - $10. While smaller shows can be successful, there have been some in the past that were viewed as just money grab opportunities by organizers who haven’t put the time, effort and money into putting on a top notch show. At the bigger shows, you can get a VIP package that, if done right; you get some free juice, swag, and even a mod. If done wrong or the goods don’t get there on time, then you have a lot to answer for. The atmosphere of these events is not on the same level as a vape meet. It’s conducive and designed mostly for going in, buying your stuff, and that’s it. You don’t really feel like you can hang out. There’s not

However, the main draw here is about meeting people and just hanging out. You don’t need to rush; you can just chill, vape, chat, and participate in whatever activities are available. even enough or many areas to hang out. In a way, it kind of feels like an International Auto Show but with vaping. Depending on the location, vape models who may or may not know anything about vaping are helping sell product. Some places set themselves up like a sterile vape shop for atmosphere. There are even some who try to make a show out of the deal. You also have vendors who really should not be a company at all with their labelling of product that will either look too childish, too sexual, or bordering on the line of they-are-going to-get-sued-ifthey-are-not-careful. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that one is better than the other. I just have a preference of which one I like. However, from experience and what I’ve heard from other people, the free admission events tend to be better than the paid events in organization, quality, affordability, etc. The paid events for some reason just seem like a good-old-fashioned money grab, and the quality seems to be low. While some people have enjoyed those events because they’ve scored great deals, it doesn’t have the personal connection to me like an actual vape meet does. It also seems like there’ve been too many of these events every month. One weekend can have at least 3-4 events going on at the same time. Thus the dilemma, which one

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to go to? Which event would be worth my while? For the vendor or the activist, it makes travelling and choosing an event even more stressful, because they can only be at an event for one day and then have to fly to another event on the same weekend either that night or the next day. Thus, they don’t get a real chance to talk to the people they serve I believe that with the FDA regulations coming into place, the multiple shows on one weekend will more than likely be reduced to at least the biggest events that have gotten the most traction since day one when they started: ECC, VapeXpo, VapeBash, VaperCON, VapeSlam and VCC events. The other ones will, merge, collaborate, or just disappear because now they have more paperwork to file, rules to follow, and probably more money to pay if they want to put on an event within the next year and will no longer be able to afford it.

Is that a good thing? Perhaps it is. If anything, it will allow the consumer to save their money and get more bang for their buck as well as deeper connections with fellow vapers they may only chat with online most of the time. So, which kind of event do you prefer? Do you like the trade shows or the vape meets? Do you like the small intimate venues, like a local vape shop, or the bigger-scaled events like an ECC? Contact me at angelwritercreations@gmail. com. I’d like to hear what you have to say. Also, log on to my Facebook, Twitter and personal website http://www.angelwritercreations.com. If you like this rant and want to hear more, I currently host on VapeTVLive on Thursday nights at 11pm – midnight EST.

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A Shock to the System By Norm Bour

It’s not often we walk into a vape shop and say “Oh My God.” That is actually a common reaction when entering one of the most beautiful vape shops I have ever seen. The city of Draper, Utah, is 20 miles south of Salt Lake City and has a population of 45,000 people. Within close proximity are the much larger cities of Sandy and Orem and neither they nor Draper had a vape shop until March of this year. The closest is more than five

miles away. The religiously conservative state was not in favor of vape shops and there are less than 50 in the entire state. Owner Nathan Coccimiglio knew he had to do it right. His shop had to have class and not create an impression of cloud chasing, law-breaking vapors. He succeeded.

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“Oh My God.”

That is actually a common reaction when entering one of the most beautiful vape shops I have ever seen. Working with Politicians & The System Coccimiglio is no stranger to working with politicians and as the SFATA co-president for the state, he wields local muscle as well as having friends in high places. His previous career was working with precious metals and private security. As the gate keeper for millions of dollars of metals, he became friends with local politicos, law enforcement leaders and business heavyweights. In 2009 he got into the supplement business and sold it for a profit just 18 months later. Because of this background people approached him about making vaping liquids, which he knew nothing about. After much research he saw the potential and opened Tronic Vapes, followed later by Cash Vape. These were both successful e-liquid lines so he knew there was just one step left in his vertical market domination: retail shops. “Since we knew most of the local politicians we had an edge,” Coccimiglio said. “We knew them; they knew us, so we had to wow them. We brought in SFATA leaders to explain the business and show credibility, got their approval, then looked for the best location we could.” With the blessings of the Town Fathers they found a spot in a newer shopping center with about 20 other shops, many of them well-known name brands or anchor shops. They are a short five-minute walk from the local subway station and just as close to many businesses that employ vapers.

The Museum Upon entering Draper Vapor the first thought I had was: “This reminds me of a museum.” Coccimiglio and shop manager Sarah Wong both laughed since that was what they were trying for. “We wanted a combination of a museum and an Apple Store,”

Wong shared. “Clean, classy and a wholesome, yet cutting-edge image that would appeal to the Utah mindset.” With 20 foot ceilings (they removed the dropped ceilings and tiles), Draper Vapor feels industrial without feeling cold. With black and reds throughout, along with display cases along the perimeter, they created a unique layout. The retail counter is in the center of the shop and there is not a bottle of liquid in site. They offer 16-20 lines, which is still growing, and each sampled flavor has its own tank and line though an Octopod System, made by Korebrand. This keeps each flavor clean with no cross contamination. Coccimiglio is a pro at branding. His Cash Vapes line is represented by an armored car which they take to vaping events. It also has an interesting history as it was previously owned by rapper Snoop Dogg. The Draper Vapor logo is intended to represent shops number two and number three as well, which they plan to open this year. It will be worn on clothing and become their public branding. “We want our logo to be iconic like the Nike swish. Even though Draper Vapor may be in Orem or another city, that logo represents quality of product and service.” Manager Wong, a long time smoker, previously worked for Nordstrom’s department stores and understands the value of service. The Seattle-based retailer maintains a century old reputation for customer service and quality. If Draper Vapor symbolizes the best of what this industry can offer, we may be heading in the right direction. They had a standing room only crowd at their grand opening, along with roped off red carpeting and turnstiles. I suspect their crowds will remain strong in this shop as well as the others. 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 1.2 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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Unique

Success and successful vape shops come in different shapes and sizes. The truth is that there are many ways to create an awesome shop. Not all are started or run by millennials and often are run by women or by “older citizens.” Many are unique and so are their stories.

Climbing Iron Girders to Find Success Andrew Poirier knew there was a better way to make a living, but he was stuck in the concrete and construction trade and didn’t know how to get out. He was introduced to the business by his uncle and though he made good money, he always thought he could do better. His father was a successful entrepreneur and worked for General Electric for decades. He traveled internationally and supported his son’s aspirations, but Andrew knew he had to find his own course. Smoking on the job was pretty much “part of the lifestyle” and Poirier was smoking up to two packs a day when he was introduced to vaping four years ago. He was a native of Boston and along with his smoking habit he picked up an even worse habit: heroin.

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Efforts to kick it and remain in Boston were unsuccessful, so he removed himself from bad influences and went to Arizona for two years. That is where he was introduced to vaping, which was more advanced than in the Boston vaping community. He returned to Boston with a new lease on life. He was clean of drugs and tobacco. He was motivated. And he was hungry. “The Boston vaping community was poorly run at the time,” Poirier said. “There was such a lack of professionalism along with a lack of product knowledge. And the prices people were charging were crazy! The public was being taken advantage of.” He returned to the construction trade and tried to figure out how to get into the vaping business. Using his west coast connections, he bought products which he sold from his car. “I went to work with a backpack full of Kanger starter kits and juice. ‘Vape Kid’ is what they called me!” he shared. “I was pouring concrete and climbing girders to get vaping products to the steel workers many stories overhead. It was almost comical.” He saved his money and opened Wicked Vaped in November,

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2013 and became successful very quickly. He already had a following: his construction and iron worker buddies. “They were supportive and rooted for my success,” he recalled. The store grew and hit revenue figures we rarely see, and Poirier had many six-figure plus income months. Later he expanded into his own liquids which he sold in his shop and at wholesale to other businesses. When asked how things are today he confessed, “Business is not what it was, but stays pretty consistent. No one wants to see numbers drop, but considering where they were I’m okay with it.” “Our juice lines are picking up and we are selling amazing quality for affordable prices; 60 ML bottles for just $21.95. We just launched a single flavor juice, called Stuft, for half the price of our competitors.” His days of climbing steel skeletons is behind him and since he is still not even 30 years old, he has much loftier mountains to conquer.

Commanding the Vape Space in the Middle of Nowhere Ron and Deana Marshall lived in Belgrade, Montana. That small town of about 7,000 was large enough to start them on

their journey in the vape space, and three years later their journey continues. Smokers for three decades, the Marshalls are not your typical “Vapreneurs.” Ron was a truck driver; Deana was a housewife. Were it not for a sickness that forced her off cigarettes in 2013, Deana may have remained a smoker forever. Researching introduced them to V2 and Blu brands, but she found them less than satisfying. “There were no vape shops anywhere within 150 miles and Billings was the closest. So we opened Freedom Vapes in March, 2014 with just $3,000 in inventory, word of mouth marketing, and a Facebook page.” “We introduced lots of people to vaping,” Ron Marshall confessed, “And there were lots of misconceptions. The public image was bad back then, but surprisingly is worse today.” Pictures of their first shop show barren shelves, but business was so good they opened up shop number two. A competitor tried to tap into the growing vape market, but they overcharged and sold to minors, and lasted less than six months. Their new shop was the first in Bozeman, a college town with a population of about 65,000.

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When asked how they get the word out in a state with a population smaller than many cities, the Marshalls share that “it’s all about service. People can go online to get products, but they’d rather visit us to get educated and receive our personal treatment.” In a state with a sparse population, they are involved with advocacy and have met with every politician that wields any influence in Montana. They traveled to Washington, DC to meet with the OMB in December, 2015, and went to the Capitol to meet with more. They played a big part in getting vaping put into its’ own category from tobacco and acknowledge they “were not politically wired!” They “did what needed to be done to stay in business and to support their industry.” Considering they did this in a state with a population of just over one million people, they are to commended.

They hit our VapeMentors’ benchmark of $10,000 monthly revenue in just two months and have plateaued at double that. Considering their overhead, they were doing so well they decided that if one shop was good, two would be better. They found another unique opportunity in the town of Richmond and this one came in the form of a former burger joint that closed when the owner died. With just 1200 square feet, the offer of free kitchen equipment was too good to pass up. The landlord said, “it’s just sitting there,” so with some cleaning up of some components and replacement of others, a new vaping model was born. “My dad was a budding chef and the winner of several BBQ contests. When I mentioned our unique opportunity and asked him to go in with me, he jumped at the chance,” Harris said. They run the business under one name, but use two different systems of accounting and tracking. Ramble Creek Vape Company and Grill opened in January, 2016, but the kitchen did not open until March, 2016. Their grand opening brought in over 250 attendees and the overall comment was that “the burgers were fantastic!” That keeps the crowd coming back for vape products, food, or both. Since some object to eating in a “smoky environment” they plan to offer delivery service and just added 12 lines of craft beer to their menu. They will add another three dozen over the next few months.

Would You Like Some E-liquid with that Burger? Rarely do you go into a burger joint to buy vaping products, but Ramble Creek Vape Company and Grill may change your minds. Kyle Harris started his first vape venture, Ramble Creek Vape Company, in Missouri City, Texas and at just 700 square, it’s one of the smallest around. With a population of about 67,000, this Houston suburb was lacking a vape shop. Texas was late to the vape space, but is now one of the strongest vaping states. It took off in Austin, followed by Dallas, and then filtered out to Houston and beyond. Harris found a shop “not in the best part of town,” but the price was right and they got six months free for a 12-month commitment! “A deal we couldn’t refuse,” he confessed.

Some detractors initially condemned the concept of mixing food and vape and had wrong impressions of what a vape shop was all about. The community rallied and defended the shop and everyone seems to be on the same page now. What does a typical vape shop look like? Who is a typical vape shop owner? Those answers are elusive and there are many ways to set your shop or business apart from others. Do you have a unique story or shop? Would you like to be profiled?” Let us know! 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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VAPE Talks Shop

By PEDROH H. There is a lot to be said about the Cheshire Club. The moment you walk through the door, you will be greeted by owners Brian and Adriana Bricker. The Cheshire Club has so many lovely aspects from its Alice in Wonderland-themed furniture to the lack of haze and clouds due to Santa Rosa, California, regulations that ban indoor vaping. How do they sample juice? They offer a simple where customer can smell and read through descriptions of the e-liquid lines they carry. Those lines include Tear Drip, Motley Brew, Classified, Cuttwood and many more.

The Cheshire Club features bags of coffee beans on each other their e-liquid tables to help cleanse your pallet. The shop features themed tables for each brand they carry. It was so much fun to walk around the store and look at each table, smelling the various juice lines. Because the smell test could present issues for someone who is trying to quit smoking, the owners have developed a no questions asked return policy with their e-liquids. Yes they will take back a bottle of juice if the customer is not content with their purchase and will do everything they can to find the perfect all day vape for their patrons.

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The Cheshire Club’s atmosphere lends itself to the smoker trying to quit — I wish I had known of it when I was trying to stop. They have even gone so far as to develop partnerships with nearby businesses to be sure they can accommodate all types of customers. The couple has actually developed a program where their clients check in and follow a guideline to leaving cigarettes behind and starting vaping. Kits are offered for a variety of different levels of smokers and vapers alike.

transition to vaping through a partnership with the Cheshire Club Vapor Boutique. These two shop owners out of Santa Rosa California are making massive strides to make a difference not only for their local community, but for every smoker and vaper out there. To sum all of this up I am truly humbled and honor to have met and developed a connection with them. They say you leave your heart in San Francisco, and that might be true, but you’ll find it in Santa Rosa in a little vape shop just through the looking glass.

Brian, prior to The Cheshire Club, wrote medical textbooks for EMTs and nurses. Adriana did finance work for hospitals and other medical centers, as well as in other aspects of the medical field. More recently, they contacted Attention Era Media to see how they could help promote the “A Billion Lives” movie. Attention Era Media was actually looking for sponsors for movie premieres in the ten largest American cities. When Brian and Ariana learned that, they contacted the Molecule Labs leadership team (including Michael Gausch) and set up a meeting with Attention Era at their store in Santa Rosa. One of the producers of “A Billion Lives,” Jesse Hieb, went to Santa Rosa and held a private viewing of the film. “The Molecule Labs team was stunned by the quality and power of the documentary and made a significant commitment to help promote the film,” Brian Bricker said. “It’s an AMAZING documentary. Every vaper and non-vaper needs to see it.” That was the very first time Attention Era showed the film to anyone in the United States. REACH Air Medical Services, one of the largest helicopter and airplane medical transport companies in the nation, has started paying for their cigarette-smoking employees to VAPEMZ.COM VAPEMZ.COM

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The Great Indiana Vape War By Norm Bour

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Features Imagine an entire state enacting a law so limiting, so unreasonable, so unconstitutional, that it shuts down an entire industry within that state. As far-fetched as that sounds, Big Brother has pulled off a sly trick in the state of Indiana that may do just that. It’s called HB (House Bill) 1386 and it has been discussed here in VAPE magazine by many, and rather than go into all the details, (link here to a past article) it’s time to take action.

WHY ? Because this ridiculous legal act sets a dangerous precedent that could potentially lead to similar laws in other states. Georgia already picked up that baton and patched some loopholes from the Indiana version.

The Story behind the Story The FDA has been mandated for several years to create a set of rules and guidelines for the vaping industry. Is vape tobacco? Is it not? In this situation that question is moot, but what it more timely is the question of: “When does a state go too far?” In this case, “too far” is HB 1386, which is an update to the law passed last year, HB 1432. In lieu of federal guidelines many states have enacted their own rules- most of them very bad. This law has many unrealistic requirements, but one of the most significant is: Eliquid manufacturers must obtain a permit from the alcohol and tobacco commission before bottling e-liquid or selling e-liquid to retailers or distributors. This applies to manufacturers both within and outside the state. This law is due to go in effect in a handful of weeks; there is still no process to get a permit. Liberation Vapes from Indianapolis is an e-liquid manufacturer that sells both within and outside Indiana, which should give them a distinct advantage concerning the “importation of nicotine products.” But the rabbit hole goes much, much deeper. Imagine enacting a law that prevents you from driving faster than 65 MPH, but yet not offering a speedometer in any cars. “There are some severe, hardcore fundamental flaws to this law,” Evan McMahon states, “And there is no way to conform to it.” McMahon is the CEO of Liberation Vapes and has been in this battle since 2015. He is also the Chairman of Hoosier Vapers, the states’ de facto advocacy organization to protect the vaping industry. When this law was first proposed the fear was that it would eliminate any nicotine products entering the state. When the smoke cleared it was even worse. Legal firm Troutman Sanders LLP from Virginia filed the initial lawsuit and was soon joined by Keller and Heckman LLP from Washington, DC, along with the Right to be Smoke Free organization, which includes Hoosier Vapers. Hoosier, which started as a Facebook Advocacy group, is now looking to form local chapters along with their statewide organization.

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Features How Secure is Secure? The other major component of HB 1386 says: Manufacturing facilities must have a security firm certification that the manufacturer meets security requirements. These requirements are not identified yet. The problem is that this law requires a security company to have very specialized certifications. According to McMahon, “Only one company in the entire nation may be compliant, but even that is unknown.” McMahon actually has some experience in these areas. Prior to getting into the vape space he was a lobbyist for the Libertarian Party, which affords him a bit of insight to the workings of politics behind the scenes. ADT is one of the largest security companies in the United States, and was recently acquired for $6.9 Billion. McMahon shared that even they are not qualified to comply with the new law. On top of that, any security company that wished to offer their services to vape shops had to submit their applications by March 18, 2016.

“Common sense is not that common” Currently there is a motion to file a “preliminary injunction” which would “stay” (stop) the law from taking effect. That was due to be heard on April 18 and was scheduled to be a hearing without anyone testifying. A decision normally would be rendered within 30 days. In addition to the elimination of nicotine vaping products in Indiana and the harsh guidelines for security companies to do business there, a byproduct could also result in flavor bans and online sales restrictions.

There is no way to overstate the significance of this Indiana law. “In the state we have about 200 vaping related businesses. The average shop has about 10 employees, so over 2200 people are going to lose their jobs,” McMahon said. Vaping is estimated to be a $100 million business in the state, which would create a significant loss of revenue. They may relocate just over the borders into the neighboring states of Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan. “The families of the business owners are going to have to find some other way to make ends meet. We’ve already had 11 businesses close in Indiana since January.” Most businesses that are open today may have to close since their overhead and expenses will continue.

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Features Appie Peute and his wife Cyndi own Vaporz Vault in Hobart, Indiana, with a population of 30,000 residents. They are scared. “I have no faith in the justice system,” he stated, and many would agree, “and common sense is not that common.” “This court case could go to the Supreme Court,” Peute offered, and there are law firms that would be happy to take it there. There are also the estimated losses from more people returning to smoking, more people creating unhealthier lifestyles, getting sick, and in turn driving up health costs. Three cities in Indiana have created a noteworthy number of smokers turned vapors, resulting in healthier residents in the cities of Lowell, Spencer and Medford. Another byproduct could also result in a growing Black Market as vaping goes underground. When asked about the concerns of the “average Indiana” resident and if they know or if they care about this egregious abuse of power, McMahon replied: “No.

They have no idea and efforts to engage mainstream media falls flat. Media only cares when something bad happens and they can vilify the industry.” Ironically, ineffective laws that get passed sometimes generate more outcry after they are enacted. Peute recently purchased a home in Daytona Beach, Florida, and grumbled, “If this law passes I may shut the doors and open a shop in Florida. That would be a real shame because my wife lives for and loves that shop.” This battle is not trivial and is not just a wasted effort to encourage advocacy. This is the battle that could change the direction of the vape war for better or for worse. Norm Bour is the founder of VapeMentors, which offers online educational programs, 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 1.2 M downloads. Norm interviews the masters of vape and thought leaders in the vape space. Contact him at norm@VapeMentors.com. VAPEMZ.COM

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JUICE JUDGE

Words and photos by Steffanie Atkins

Message from Juice Judge to my readers: I feel I’d be doing a disservice to not say something about the pending FDA regulations. Most of the time, my writing is humorous or quirky, but today I need to be serious for a brief moment. Please, if you are reading this, do something. Whether it be joining your local smoke free organizations or reaching out to your representatives, please do something. We cannot sit here any longer and

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.

expect that someone else is going to fix the problem. We are strong enough and loud enough that we can make a change. I am not going to give up vaping. It saved my life, and chances are, it saved yours as well. We need to join forces, and we need to do this now. So, I urge you to do something. This is too important for us to just sit back and wait. The time is now. And now back to your regularly scheduled programming:

Wicked Knights Vapor “King Arthur” 3mg

drip Liquid “Cinnamon Crunch” 3mg

VAPE - 2 THROAT - 1 TASTE - 2

VAPE - 2 THROAT - 2 TASTE - 3.5

So off the bat, the first thing I noticed about King Arthur was that there was no childproof cap. With pending FDA regs, this is no bueno. I have kids, fortunately they’re old enough to not eat e-liquid, but that doesn’t mean that other kids know or have the same exposure to the mass amounts of e-liquid in my home at a normal time. This could be because it’s a sample pack, but I imagine if I were sending a sample to be judged, I’d send my best product. Now, on to the taste. So, this is definitely a vanilla flavor with a caramel finish. The vanilla, however, is overwhelmingly strong. Like too strong. The caramel is weird tasting, almost like a stale caramel candy. I’m not sure if candy goes stale, but if it did, I imagine that’s what it would taste like. The inhale is very confusing. It almost has a slight tobacco-ey flavor, and the exhale is better with more vanilla. It’s just confusing. I think maybe if there was less vanilla and maybe a better caramel they’d have something. It’s got a piecrust finish, which is pretty good, but the combination asis, is weird. The vapor production was below average and there was really no throat hit.

One Eyed Leo’s “Layers of Cake” 3mg VAPE - 3 THROAT - 2 TASTE - 2

I love cake. I think a lot of people love cake. I don’t love Layers of Cake though. On the inhale, I taste cake. But not a strong cake. The exhale is off; I taste a hint of vanilla but it’s not very sweet. It’s almost like they forgot something. It needs that added umph that I like in a flavor because it’s kind of bland. I think a custard (I know some people love custard, others hate it), but with a cake flavor, I almost expect it and the thickness it adds. This just didn’t have that. The vapor production was about average and the throat hit was there, but still weak.

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Cinnamon flavors are really hard to do and I appreciate that. A lot of them come out really spicy and burn my throat. This flavor isn’t like that and I really like that it’s a creamier cinnamon. It isn’t harsh like a lot of them are. The one thing it’s missing is something sweet. Cinnamon by itself is not very sweet. This flavor could be pretty amazing if it had a hint of sweetness, not an overpowering sweetness, but just a little bit to give it added texture. I will say it smells divine and my living room smelled rather tasty after vaping it for a while. The flavor also grew on me after vaping it for a bit. It tastes good; it’s just missing a little something. The vape production was a little below average and the throat hit wasn’t so much there. But with a cinnamon flavor, that can go one of two ways and I’d rather have a smoother less noticeable throat hit, than something that’s going to burn going down.

Vape N Scrape “NY Mischief” 3mg VAPE - 4 THROAT - 3 TASTE - 3

NY Mischief is a berry blend, I believe its strawberry on the inhale and blueberry on the exhale. I love both of those fruits so that’s good. It has kind of a weird aftertaste, which I believe is supposed to be cheesecake, but that’s not really what I got. It’s not a bad tasting juice, but it needs something to set itself apart from all of the other berry medley flavors out there. There has to be something to make a berry flavor discernable from other berry flavors and this one just doesn’t quite have it. Again, I’m not saying it’s a bad tasting vape. I enjoyed it, but it doesn’t stand out. The vapor production was above average and the throat hit was about average.

www.vapeluxuria.com

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Big Players in Vaping Advocacy Formalize Coalition By SHAWN McCARTHY As most vapers (should) know, the FDA has expanded its tobacco regulatory authority to the vaping industry, with the changes taking effect on August 8, 2016. There are other stories covering the nuts and bolts of the proposed regulations (and if you have not educated yourself, please do so.) Suffice it to say that these rules, short of legal or legislative action, will start a two year clock that will expire in August 2018 with the end of vaping as we know it. Several groups have been working toward the goal of changing these regulations through legal or legislative channels. In May 2016, these groups – who collectively represent the best chance to save vaping – formalized their coalition. The groups involved should be known to every vaper. They are the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association (CASAA), the American Vaping Association (AVA), the American E-Liquid Manufacturing Standards Association (AEMSA), the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association (SFATA) and Not Blowing Smoke (NBS).

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CASAA is a consumer advocacy group focused on tobacco harm reduction. AEMSA and SFATA are trade organizations which drive self-regulation through member commitment to certain quality and safety standards. NBS focuses on countering misinformation in unscientific or biased studies, dishonest press releases and statements from anti-vaping politicians. The AVA is an advocacy group for small and medium-sized businesses in the vaping industry. Gregory Conley, the President of the AVA, calls the end of that twoyear clock “Vaping Prohibition.” A former legislative director for CASAA, Conley founded the AVA in 2014. He is one of the more prominent advocates who dedicate their lives to speaking on behalf of vapers; telling our stories, clearing up misconceptions, countering misinformation and seeking solutions to the pending prohibition.

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Regarding those solutions, there are a number of legal challenges at the federal and local level on behalf of vapers, but the best chance to save vaping appears to be legislative. There are two main legislative initiatives being pursued by vaping advocates at this time.

The other initiative being focused on by the coalition is the ColeBishop Amendment to the Agricultural Appropriations bill, and it also has bipartisan support. The amendment, which was offered by Republican Tom Cole and Democrat Sanford Bishop, was added to the Appropriations bill in April.

One of these initiatives is House Resolution 2058 which is a focused bill that simply changes the predicate date for the pending regulations to be the same as the deeming date: August 8, 2016 instead of the proposed predicate date of 2007, which allows vaping products currently on the market to remain on the market without the labor and expense of filing a pre-market tobacco application – a process which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per product.

Cole-Bishop changes the predicate date like HR2058 but it also contains some restrictions, calling for battery regulations, new package labeling requirements and restriction of print marketing to publications designed for adults.

This resolution has over 60 co-sponsors but until recently that support was exclusively republican. “We are pleased to announce our first democratic co-sponsor to HR2058,” Conley said in an interview with VAPE Magazine, “hopefully this opens the door for additional democratic support.” Minnesota Representative Collin Peterson was the pioneer who crossed the line to officially make HR2058 a bipartisan resolution. Julie Woessner, president of CASAA and long-time vaping advocate, does not believe that this should be a partisan issue. “This represents a private-sector solution to a public health problem, which should make republicans happy,” Woessner told VAPE Magazine. “But it also represents harm reduction, which is what democrats say they want.”

This amendment probably represents vapers’ best chance at saving vaping from prohibition. Compared to HR2058, Conley said, “I am most confident in the Cole-Bishop amendment because it is in the agricultural appropriations bill and that has to be voted on later this year.” While changing the predicate date is the most critical battle in front of the coalition – and all vapers – at the moment, winning that battle does not mean the war is over. According to Woessner, the predicate date fight is a “critical step, but not a long term solution.”

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Even with the predicate date change, “vaping would still be regulated by the tobacco control act, which is not what the act was intended for,” Woessner explained. “The long-term goal should be a framework for regulating (vaping products) in a way that makes sense.” Short term or not, the fight is well underway. To avoid ‘vaping prohibition’ every vaping consumer, producer and retailer needs to be engaged. Conley suggest that vapers, “Join CASAA, promote August8th.org, call your elected officials, write letters, check with your local vape shops and encourage their activism…” He stressed the importance of face-to-face advocacy if possible, saying vapers should, “motivate your fellow vapers, go to town hall meetings, and encourage (vape shops) to seek meetings with their elected officials.” Get involved, get your fellow vapers involved and get your vape shops involved. “Now more than ever it is important that everyone in and around this industry get serious about saving it.” – Greg Conley, President, American Vaping Association.

For more information, please see the following websites: http://casaa.org – Join CASAA (for free), stay up to date on local calls-to action, find your elected officials, see their votes and statements on vaping matters and send them emails, get free printed advocacy material and buy CASAA apparel items. http://sfata.org – Industry folks can join local chapters, find meetings to attend and stay up to date on current related events. http://www.aemsa.org – Read the manufacturing standards, see a list of members and get links to research. http://vaping.info – Find out more about the AVA, check recent news, read recent press releases and read vaper testimonials, as well as get links to related blogs and forums. http://notblowingsmoke.org – Get the truth behind studies and press releases, educate yourself of the science and health benefits of vaping.

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I’m a vaper,

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NOT A SMOKER — The #IAmAVaper Project By Susan Oser

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Marcy Coyne (VapingMarcy) is the founder and creator of #Iamavaperproject. It’s a coalition of vapers, organization, etc. to get together to stand up and fight for our vaping rights. With the recent announcement of the FDA regulations, the group’s popularity has grown quickly. So, how exactly was this group inspired? According to Coyne, it was just an idea that sparked from getting a few people to do a video and end their segment by merely saying “I’m a vaper, not a smoker.” That’s it. Just a simple video project. Little did she know that once word got around on the idea, it would blow up. It seems as if this was something that the vaping community had been looking for and wanted, but didn’t exactly know when or where to start. Coyne is not working alone on this. She has several other assistants helping her disseminate and making sure that the right information gets out there. Chris Meyers, the owner of Pope Juice jumped on the bandwagon immediately when he heard about #Iamavaperproject. He has been a big help to Coyne in creating event pages and recording videos from various events that he attends. Other helping hands have included Brandon from Blue Collar Vapes and BRM (see Facebook). It seems, according to Brandon, that social media is the key right now in getting the word out. In fact, if you do a mere Facebook search on vaping groups, there are thousands of them from every state, if not every city. This is also why the group has posted any video collaboration on their YouTube page, Twitter account, Tumbler, and more. While the population of the online community may seem a small portion of the overall population, it’s actually pretty vast and by reaching out to the online vapers, they hope it can filter out into real life. Yet sadly, even a lot of people who visit their local vape shops are oblivious to what the online community is talking about (except for the occasional Phil Busardo or Grimm Green video). While there has been this panic as of late because of the FDA, the group stresses calm as well as respectable and professional behavior. In fact, it is highly stressed as a rule on the group’s Facebook page as well as when people are doing videos. With all the demand for exposure, the group has been working on creating a PayPal page for donations, creating products such as bumper stickers and t-shirts, and maybe in the future, hosting a fundraiser. So far, the administration board of #Iamavaperproject have appeared and recorded videos at VPX events, Vape Bash, and even smaller venues. Eventually, the group would like to give presentations at various meets and shows similar to what is done by the Vaping Militia, SFATA, and CASAA.

So what are the long terms goals of #Iamavaperproject? Basically, it is the hope that everyone comes together to fight for the industry. In total, between the online and offline community, there are at least 10 million vapers in the US alone. If every single person took action and spoke out, making sure that news media coverage on vaping is balanced, became active in government, and even simply voted, a lot would happen. Sadly, it hasn’t and the #Iamavaperproject wants to emphasize that fact. When joining the Facebook group (the heart of #Iamavaperproject), you will not only interact with other vapers, but will see Facebook feeds of video Calls to Action for collaborative projects, various articles on vaping, and of course CASAA calls to action to contact legislators. Let’s face it; if FDA-approved drugs like Chantix didn’t have all the suicidal side effects, vaping would not have been a thought. If the FDA-approved nicotine patches worked, no one would’ve thought to turn to vaping. What is stressed is that #Iamavaperproject is not replacing other more established groups, but encouraging those groups (as well as members of them) to work together for the same goal: fighting for vaping rights.

Thus this is a

community group, not a clique.

To find out more about I’m a Vaper Project, find them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or online at http://iamavaper2016.wix.com/Iamavaperproject

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Words by Chris Mellides

Photos by Vicki Hoehn

Before gaining recognition in the vape community for the looping vape trick videos she would upload to Vine, and before reaching over 63,000 followers on Instagram, 29-year-old Amy Hanks described herself as just being a normal, shy girl who grew up in Auburn, Alabama. Since taking up vaping in 2013, Hanks has attended roughly 18 vape conventions in support of a number of vapor product companies that she promotes both on social media and at the many events she attends throughout the country. Hanks describes the experience as “life changing” and she never would have guessed that her work promoting top brand companies would offer her the financial freedom to do with her time whatever she pleases. “It’s surprising for sure because when I set out on this journey I did not have any of these plans in my head, and I had no idea it would all unfold the way it did,” Hanks said.

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DEPARTMENTS When she began vaping, Hanks says she spent a lot of her free time on social media. While cycling through short videos on Vine, she began noticing a lot of females doing an assortment of vape tricks that she was “very enticed by.” What soon followed was her attempts at mimicking what she saw and improving upon certain vape trick techniques that she would also record and upload to the short-form video sharing service. “I would try to do little smoke rings and before I knew it I could do a lot of [tricks] and I started making videos and posting on Vine,” Hanks said. “I grew a following on there and I got up to about 11,000 followers.” The Alabama native was also active on Facebook and would later transition from Vine to Instagram, when the latter social media platform allowed users to post longer, 15-second videos. “We went from six second videos on Vine to 15 seconds on Instagram, so I kind of dropped off of Vine and it picked up from there” Hanks said. “I guess I just grew a following and I was also active on my Facebook and that’s where I got my first approach from a company.” That company was The Steam Factory, a premium e-liquid brand whose owner, Jason Witherspoon, discovered Hanks’s videos on social media and invited her to promote his product at his company’s booth at Vape Summit 2014—a large convention held in Houston, Texas that really helped “put [Hanks] on the map.” “At the time I didn’t know who was behind certain brands that I looked up to and really admired,” Hanks said. “And so when I got out to Vape Summit I began being introduced to some of these people, like the guys behind Five Pawns and Jaybo.” Since then Hanks has engaged in promotion through her modeling work for companies like Craving Vapor, the makers of the HexOhm, Sicboy Industries and the Vaping Monkey, to name a few. When she was originally contacted by Witherspoon, Hanks admits she was a little nervous at the prospect of flying and being thrust into an environment that was alien to her and that grand in scale. What was also particularly troubling for Hanks was that Witherspoon’s offer came just four months into her recovery from drugs and alcohol. Before she discovered vaping and gained online notoriety, Hanks was a tobacco user who suffered from depression and anxiety. When she was about 26 years old she was admitted to rehab for substance abuse. During the 18 months she was in treatment, Hanks began smoking cigarettes more regularly, until a young man she met at a narcotics anonymous meetings turned her on to vaping in the fall of 2013.

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“I went to the meeting one night and I saw this young guy smoking on this weird looking tube device and my first thought was…what the hell is he doing?” Hanks said. “So that in itself started a conversation where he explained vaping to me.”

of meeting new, like-minded people, and networking with companies who sought her help in promoting their efforts, with 2015 being the year Hanks said was her busiest when it came to attending vape conventions. Her convention days are far from over, but Hanks admits that while she is “very grateful for everything” she’s gained, she’s reached a point where taking a break feels like the best course of action.

She continued smoking, but in the weeks that followed she began growing accustomed to the taste of the various e-liquid flavors she was able to sample from the man she first met at her NA meetings.

Hanks’s ability to connect with people and develop meaningful and lasting personal and professional relationships is something she says she’ll never take for granted and that her personal development is thanks in no small part to her work and time spent in the vape industry.

“I finally took myself to a local shop [in Alabama] and they gave me my first setup…and as I left I bought another pack, but I continued vaping,” Hanks said. “Three weeks later I was completely disgusted with the taste of cigarettes, and could not for the life of me take a few hits off one without just feeling horrible, so yeah, from then on out I’ve been hardcore vaping.” Meeting those industry people whom she would later call close friends at Vape Summit helped put her mind at ease, and she felt grounded in her recovery and doubly humbled by the experience. Her stop in Texas two years ago opened her eyes to the joys

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“My drug addiction prevented me from feeling comfortable in my own skin and the constant worrying just stressed me out,” Hanks said. “I wanted to be in control of my emotions, so I would try to chemically alter that.” “Being in the industry has brought me out of my shell, it’s given me purpose and taken me on a wild ride. This community and the way it makes me feel has been life changing.”

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Features One of the most common descriptions of Vape Shop Events is that it’s like “Speed Dating for vape professionals.” With just 20 minutes to wine and dine your customers, everyone brings their “A Game.” “This is not the place to come party,” said one of the attendees, “and if you focus on what is in front of you, the time will be well spent.” Joshua Krane from Craft Vapery put it succinctly as I sat in on of his meetings. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way,” he offered to the e-liquid seller in front of him. “The hard way is that you do your song and dance and waste ten minutes and I tell you I want to buy. Or we can cut the crap and work out a price that we both like and I walk out with a 2500 bottle order.” They did and he did… Krane and Craft Vapery had the best of both worlds at this unique event. He came as a seller, offering their own products, and he was also there as a buyer, seeking out great flavors and deals for his subscription services.

HOW-AND WHYIT ALL WORKS Vape Shop Events is not a new concept, but it is a new offering in this still-young vape space. “We’ve been doing these type events for over 12 years now,” offered Mike Sessoms, the founder of VSE. “We do similar programs in the tobacco, promotions and pet shop space.” With this proven concept, 27 sellers/ manufacturers buy a space (room) at the host resort. They meet with 20 buyers who are hand chosen and invited to participate. In a round-robin whirlwind over one and a half days, every seller meets with every borrower for 20 minutes. Then the timer goes off, the doors open and a new prospect enters the room.

The sellers pay to attend and one fee covers 100 percent of their expenses, including airfare, lodging and food. The buyers get a better deal; they are invited in for free and likewise have all expenses paid. This process weeds out a lot of time wasters on both sides of the transaction. Park City, UT, one of the most beautiful ski resorts in the country, was just four miles away, but few attendees ever ventured into town until the event concluded. The beautiful Westgate Resort is at the base of the ski lifts, though ski season had ended just weeks earlier. Over the course of two days it did snow, which made for a dramatic day. Sessoms says that this is his favorite host resort of all. When I jokingly mentioned to him that the resort felt a bit like a prison he responded, “That’s intentional!” “All kidding aside, the goal is to immerse all the attendees in the business at hand and discourage them from leaving the premises.” That was not a problem as the resort offered a spa, indoor/ outdoor pool, lots of walking paths and a restaurant that was voted “Best Steakhouse in Utah.”

WHAT THE ATTENDEES SAY Jessica Johns from Virgin Vapor is not a virgin at these shows, as this was her third time. With her associate Asia, they both raved about the show staff and the reasons they attend. “These guys are so organized and professional and they always make us feel so welcome. On top of that, the ability to spend 20 minutes at a time with face to face buyers is invaluable and generates business.”

A NEW WAY

By Norm Bour

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SOME OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE ATTENDEES: • “There’s no lack of good product out there, but there’s a huge lack of good companies to work with,” said an attendee. In less than 30 minutes we get to know each other and we both walk away as friends and future associates.”

Gary Wilder from Lizard Juice attended for the first time and was especially impressed with the professional intentions of the buyers they met with. “These guys are not here to play; they are here to do business. And with no distractions from other conversations, loud music or passersby, that’s what we did. Just in our first day we signed on two new accounts and took away orders.” They already signed up for the next show in La Jolla in July. Oren Cohen, the owner and chief chef of The Vaping Kitchen, was new to this event, but remembered participating at one of the first events put on by the same promoters 12 years ago. “I was in another industry and recall how great the process was even then,” he said. I asked if he had any advice for those looking to attend a future event.

• “Study the buyer’s profile and research them as best you can. The more you know about them, the more likely they’ll buy from you,” said Cory Parravano from The Vapor Spot. He attended the last show as a buyer, but returned this time as a seller. • “When you sit down with someone over dinner you really get to know them,” Taylor Craig from Big Bang E-cigs confided. “You can’t even come close to that level of intimacy at any other type of event.” He was here for the second time and plans to return. Chris and Margaux Jimenez from BankCard USA was not a typical vendor, but they have carved out a prominent and significant space in the merchant services field. They have also been part of Vape Shop Events since the beginning, and participate in other industry shows that the VSE team conducts. “Merchant Services is incredibly complex, so we come here to offer guidance and education aside from just great pricing,” Jimenez shared. He suggested anyone interested in participating to “Get in while you can. With just 27 sellers and 20 buyers there is a waiting list already, so it may be awhile!”

“Be clear with your mission and intentions. If you are a seller be sure you have a good product and if you are a buyer, be focused on exactly what you are looking for.”

The next event will be in La Jolla, CA on July 17-19, 2016. For more information, visit www.VapeShopEvents.com.

Dylan Thompson from Vaporessence attended the last show in January and learned some lessons, which he shared.

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 1.2 M downloads. Norm interviews the masters of vape and thought leaders in the vape space. Contact him at norm@VapeMentors.com.

“Don’t bring too much product,” he offered, “and you need not set up a fancy display! The people we met with don’t care about fluff, just quality products. In most cases they know what they are looking for and you either have it or you don’t.” Instead of bringing his entire line, he only brought his top four.

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Event Coverage

By Susan Oser Vape Bash 5 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois saw a solid turnout with a full line of vendors. Such vendors included Apocalypse Juice, Good Life Vapor, Mr. E Liquids, Elixerz, Demonic, and many more. Unfortunately, some vendors (and a few vape hosts) had to pull out because of scheduling conflicts and other obligations. While they were missed, for the people who were there friendships were renewed, new friends met, and fun was still to be had. The fantastic weather also added to the atmosphere.

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Thursday night was the party night. The event room was open for greetings, salutations, and nice to meet you’s. It also included a debut from a T-Rex, which also made a few more cameos throughout the event. The first night was also a great time to get the bearings of the hotel/ resort, as well as to get settled in for the weekend.

VapeTV Live was there broadcasting coverage. A few hosts went on camera to chat about the event, what they bought, and help their audience feel like they were part of the atmosphere. This has been a tradition of theirs since the beginning as well as the group picture that was taken towards the end of the event.

Opening day Friday got off to a slow start. Considering that most people had to work during the day, when evening came, so did the people. Along with the vendors just mentioned, there were also a few “vape famous” people in attendance as well. This included You Tubers Grimm Green and RubyRoo hanging out by the Namber Juice booth where they were giving away stickers and a GrimmGreen beer glass. Jeannie K and the crew from Inside Vaping had their table. Nitrobex from Mod Envy was there with his girlfriend greeting everyone and making videos.

On Saturday, the crowds became bigger and there were deals that had juice, swag, and equipment flying off the shelves. Demonic Vapor handed out post cards with deals and giveaways as well as a free vape towels that they were tossing into the crowd. Some vendors even had deals on their whole line that they wanted to get rid of before the end of the event. CASAA sponsored an activism awareness workshop in one of the skyboxes overlooking the event floor on Saturday afternoon. According to those in attendance,

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the small cozy room was overflowing with people passionate about activism and vendors who were there got their marching orders. Saturday night was the costume contest. There were only 7 contestants. Flitz, from VapeTV Live was the emcee and encouraged the crowds to cheer for their favorite costume. The winner was Harley Quinn. Those who came in 2nd to 5th place included the Stimaches, Vaperaham Lincoln, and Burlesque Baby. Each contestant that won was awarded some donated juice, a mod, and other swag. On both nights after the event, the infamous fire pit was the place to hang out and party. Even though the weather was a bit cold at night, it was still a place to decompress and feel close with fellow vapers. Saturday night had vapers sharing the fire pit with women who were there for a Mommy Meet Convention and a wedding party. Everyone was able to get along and ask questions about what vaping was. The conversations were respectful and if there was a miseducated statement made, they were educated on the spot, and very respectfully. As for the organizers, Windy City Vapers Club President Scott Riddle, as well as Mary and Chris Tobin (Danger Girl and Sgt. Taz on VapeTV Live), said they were pleased with the event. Tables were donated to CASAA and Vape-a-Vet. After balancing and crunching some numbers, both Vape-a-vet and CASAA brought in $688.50 each. This was the second time that Vape Bash was held at Pheasant Run Resort. Apart from having an issue with alcohol in the event space and other areas of the resort, overall, the service and the friendliness of the staff was pretty good. There were some places, such as the lounge area where one would expect vaping complaints, but there weren’t. The rooms were the only place where vaping was allowed and if vaping happened, care needed to be taken. It was a lot easier on the ground floor at balcony level where a door could be opened. If you are a first-timer to this an event, expect to have your mind blown. It’s not like a trade show where you have to pay a fee to get in. It’s free. You also will encounter some famous and familiar vape faces that you might’ve chatted with online and now get to see in person. So, with the FDA regulations out now, the question is, will there be another Vape Bash next year? Chris and Mary say “We are optimistic and hope to continue this tradition. Hopefully in the next 8-10 months some changes will happen and we can announce VapeBash 6.”

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DEPARTMENTS

Compiled by Chris Mellides

FRUITS

1 Riddler from Beetle Juice Vapors Simple in its complexity ‘Riddler’ by Beetle Juice Vapors takes the sourness of a freshly picked green apple, the bright flavor of a juicy pear, and the sweetness of berries plucked from the vine and combines them for a delightful all-day vape experience. http://ejuices.co/collections/beetle-juice-vapors

2 Apple Butter from Liquid State Vapors Sweet Washington apples slow cooked to caramelized perfection and blended with spiced cinnamon. The result? A taste that will stimulate the senses and titillate your taste buds. “Apple Butter” is available in an 80 VG/20 PG mix. http://ejuices.co/collections/liquid-state-vapors

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3 Sonrise from Cosmic Fog

This 70 VG/30 PG e-liquid takes sweet and savory passion fruit and combines it with smooth, exotic kiwi and ripe fresh pineapples for a truly unique fruit blend. Transport yourself to a sun-soaked Big Island paradise with this reimagining of a popular frozen Hawaiian drink. http://ejuices.co/collections/cosmic-fog-1

4 Sweet Cheeks from Inked Up E-Liquid Co. Hey Toots! Ready to vape something fruity? Sweet Cheeks is a delightful blend of peaches mixed with ripe summer berries and topped with the slightest dash of cream. http://inkedupvapor.com/

5 Shweet from Wonkers! A succulent, strawberry and watermelon medley with a mouth-watering burst of flavor that will leave you with a ‘Shweet’ tooth. https://steepinggiant.com

DESSERTS 6 Pound Cake from Glas Vapor

Warm, sweet cake blends with bright notes of fresh lemon zest and fragrant Madagascar vanilla for this mouthwatering taste rooted in timeless decadence. https://shop.glasvapor.com

7 Toasty from Vape Snacks E-Liquid Inspired by the heavenly goodness of toaster pastry tastiness, ‘Toasty’ blends your favorite breakfast snack flavors into a pure, MAX VG, all-day-vape: Crisp, golden crust stuffed with mouthwatering, strawberry filling, topped with luscious layers of creamy frosting, and bedazzled with sweet, strawberry sprinkles. http://vapesnacks.com

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8 Mango Pound Cake from Vape Chemist

The best-selling Mango Pound Cake (M.P.C.) by Vape Chemist is a unique combination of delicious pound cake perfectly paired with their famous Philippine Mango! http://vapechemist.com

9 Creamy Dough from Quaker Vapor An 80 VG/20 PG blend, this vanilla ice cream stuffed doughnut topped with sugary vanilla icing comes together for a nice smooth vape to keep you running through the day. http://quakervapor.org

CANDIES

10 Watermelon from Vubble Vapor

A candied watermelon bubble gum vape that’s sure to take you back to your playground days. Vubble Vapor’s ‘Watermelon’ is available in a 60 VG/40 PG mix. http://vubblevapor.com

11 Peach Taffy from I Love Taffy I Love Taffy brings the perfect balance of sweet flavors together without overpowering your taste buds. Let your imagination run wild with this new all day vape that’s a delicious gourmet taffy balanced with sweet juicy peaches and a hint of tart cream. Mmmmmm Taaaaaaafffffy! http://madhatterjuice.com/products/i-love-taffy

12 Luscious from VGOD Experience a tantalizing burst of juicy watermelon candy, with a super-sweet finish that makes for the perfect all-day vape; one that is scrumptious, smooth, and wholly satisfying. https://csvape.com/shop/e-liquid/vgod-luscious/

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Cereals 13 The Milk from Teleos

Taking inspiration from a very popular drink in New York and D.C., ‘The Milk’ by Teleos brings together whole milk, a certain fruity cereal, brown sugar, and a few other ingredients to recreate a completely unique flavor sensation. http://teleosjuice.com

14 Cereal Science from Cloud Chemist The first experiment in the Cloud Chemist’s laboratory, this delicious 70 VG/30 PG blend has a diverse berry inhale with a sweet cereal milk exhale that will leave you thinking fondly of Saturday morning breakfasts complete with cartoons on the tube. There’s a chance you just may start using a beaker for a cereal bowl! https://thecloudchemistvapes.com

WILD CARD

15 Batch 01 from Tinted Brew Liquid Co. Sweet coconut and almond cookie served up with a hint of southern bourbon. Quality juice, no gimmicks. https://tintedbrew.com

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DEPARTMENTS

Quickwicks

The wicks arrived in a sleek, hinged metal tin holding 10 per pack — with room to toss a couple of spare coils in as well. The pack has an MSRP of $8.

The Coolest innovation you don’t even know you need By COREY NOLES When I first encountered the QuickWick by Wet Wick Supply Co., I didn’t have to ask what it was or how it was to be used. It was obvious. My only question was where has this been all my life?

I tested the QuickWicks in two different devices: a VCM Glacier 2 and a Flawless Tugboat V1 (for its tight airflow.) On the Glacier, I used a pair of 3mm fused Claptons from Clean Builds. With more advanced builds sometimes being more difficult to wick, the QuickWick was a pleasant surprise. Flavor quality was solid with less break-in time than I’ve experienced from some Japanese organic cotton.

The QuickWick is a patented design that does exactly what the name says — wicks quickly. Just short of 1-½-inches in length, a perfectly sized strip of cotton is threaded into a thin plastic tube. It resembles the end of a shoe string — but it’s not. The tube is just shy of 3mm in diameter, made to slide smoothly through a 3mm coil build. You simply hold the cotton and slide the tube through. When the full tube is inserted, simply grab the other end and pull. Boom — you’re wicked. A quick snip and tuck then you’re ready to drip and go.

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MOD TECH It was three days before I re-wicked, which is about a day longer than the norm for me. With the tugboat, I used a simple 5-wrap 24g Kanthal dual coil setup in an effort to see how it would work with a standard RDA build. The results were very similar to those with the Clapton coils. Flavor was well-pronounced, good cloud production, but I needed fresh cotton about a day earlier. However, that could have been due to many factors. While not a drawback or problem, it’s important to note, as Grimm Green did in a recent video, to give your coils just a few seconds to wick after a burnoff before sliding the plastic tube through the coil. It’s kind of a “duh” comment, but it’s an easy mistake. Another thing worth mentioning, is that currently the QuickWick is only available in 3mm. Owner/inventor Zac Oxford said, however, that other sizes are coming soon. After spending a couple weeks with these dandy little doodads, I’d recommend them to any dripper. If you’re someone who hates carrying your whole toolset around, these are a nobrainer. Just toss the tin in your pocket and go. For more information or to order QuickWicks, visit wetwicksupply.com.

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h o h m s l i c e

Your First Advanced Mod By John Castle

After having had the opportunity to review the Skillet starter kit from Hohmtech Incorporated recently, when asked if I would be interested in reviewing their Slice mod, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. The Skillet’s performance and pocketability impressed me, so I expected great things from its (only slightly) bigger brother. And for what it promises relative to its price point, I felt you’d want to read about it. My navy-blue Standard Edition Hohm Slice was graciously provided for the purposes of review by Ben Ramalho of Hohmtech and shipped by VaporCube.com. The Hohm Slice arrives in a stylishly minimalist black box. Lifting the lid from the box, you discover the Hohm Slice under a manual along with a USB charging

and firmware-update cable. The presentation strikes me, overall, as being entirely unobtrusive and userfriendly, and that’s well in keeping with my perception of this device as a vaper’s introduction to advanced devices. The Slice is a Variable Voltage, Variable Wattage and Temperature Control mod sheathed in a zinc alloy body, equipped with a 510 connection, and powered by a single 26650 battery. It is regulated by Hohmtech’s proprietary FSK (Flag Ship Killer) chip. The standout feature of the Slice, in my opinion, is its ability to perform Temperature Control regulation on any atomizer attached to it. I had a limited ability to test this claim, but it proved outstandingly true with both Wismec/JayBo’s Theorem RTA, which is intended for temperature control regulation, as well as with a

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Ergonomics & Build Quality

Uwell Crown’s stainless-steel dual-coil 0.5 ohm and 0.25 ohm atomizer heads, which presumably are not. Venting on the Slice appears in the form of a stylized Hohmtech logo on the bottom of the device, a magnetic battery door on the right side of the body, and an extraction ribbon in the battery compartment. Control of the Slice is performed through three buttons: a horizontally-oriented rectangular mode button at the top, a round firing button beneath that, and a vertically-aligned positive/negative rocker button below the screen but above the microUSB charging/ firmware-update port. The Hohm Slice features upgradeable firmware thanks to the included USB cable; updates can be found at the Hohmtech web site. The only current downside to the firmware update is that it’s Windows-only, meaning that Mac users will need to either borrow the use of a friend’s PC or have Windows running on a virtual machine. Upside: The firmware the device ships with is plenty capable anyhow.

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The Hohm Slice is one of the most compact 26650powered regulated mods I’ve had the pleasure to hold and use. In fact, the only smaller mod of any kind I’ve ever held was the unregulated Noisy Cricket by Wismec. With that said, its compact size is neither drastic nor uncomfortable. The build quality on the Slice is solid except for one key issue I’ll touch on momentarily. The buttons offer excellent tactile feedback with an audible and tangible ‘click’ on each press. The battery compartment offers exactly the right level of ‘snug’, and the extraction ribbon makes removing a depleted battery a breeze. Now for the issue I mentioned above: The battery door on the unit I received is ever so slightly problematic. There appears to be an issue, specifically, with the fit. Held in my right hand, this is nearly undetectable; in my left hand, however, I can feel an unsettling level of play in the battery door under my fingers.

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MOD TECH I spoke with Ben Ramalho of Hohmtech regarding this issue, and was relieved to hear that Hohmtech themselves have identified the issue and have resolved it moving forward.

Real World Performance In variable power mode alone, the Hohm Slice is an outstanding contender for a vaper’s first advanced device. It delivers the goods with the best sub$75 variable-wattage mods out there. But it’s when I take it into temperature control mode that it blows me away. Its ability to perform temperature control duties on any atomizer means that I can go from 55 watts with the Uwell Crown and get ‘very good’ performance to 50 watts at a regulated 500 degrees and get ‘excellent’ performance. With a tank full of Charlie’s Chalk Dust “Honey Badger” in 6mg, the Hohm Slice turned a good liquid into an all day vape, with the regulated temperature bringing the subtle flavor into vivid focus and delivering an amplified level of nicotine satisfaction that, if I didn’t know better, I would swear was coming from a higher nic strength run through a dripping atomizer. The performance is simply that good.

Price & Availability The Hohm Slice is available at VaporCube, and runs $59.99 for the Standard Edition or $69.99 for the Limited Edition which adds a decorative baked ceramic finish.

Recommendation & Conclusion To explain my recommendation, let me break down the Pros and Cons of the Hohm Slice:

Pros: • Compact • Powerful enough for most atomizers • Good ergonomics • Entry-level price point • Universal temperature control

Cons: • Battery door issue • Firmware is Windows-only So would I recommend the Hohm Slice? Without qualification or reservation. For the vaper just deciding on their first regulated mod, it’s simply unbeatable. For the experienced vaper looking to replace an existing primary device, its universal temperature control and wallet-friendly price point make one of the most compelling choices on the market. VAPEMZ.COM

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DEPARTMENTS MOD TECH

Wismec/Jaybo Theorem:

Amazing flavor but with some issues By John Castle

The rebuildable dripping atomizer is known for its flavor but, generally, not for its eliquid capacity. Rebuildable tank atomizers, conversely, are known for good flavor and e-liquid capacity, but haven’t exactly been the easiest devices around which to build. There is certainly a market for a device with the flavor fidelity, vapor production, and ease of building of a rebuildable dripping atomizer, but with the more generous e-liquid capacity of a rebuildable tank atomizer.

diagram, a list of included parts appears; however, the list below is slightly modified, as some parts arrive both installed in the device but also have separate “spares” in the box: • 1x Theorem Atomizer (Assembled) • 2x Airflow Control Rings (single and dual) • 1x Stainless Lined Glass Sleeve • 2x Glass Sleeves (one pre-installed; one separate) • 2x Notch Coils (one pre-wicked, pre-installed; one pre-wicked and separate) • 3x O-Rings (Cyan) • 4x Screws • 1x Hex Key • 1x User Manual Unlisted in the components list is a narrow-bore glass drip tip. The entire set of contents rests on and under a soft black foam insert for the mod and spare tank, making extraction quick and painless, while the manual is concise and well-written, making preparation to use the device almost a snap. I’ll touch on that “almost” again shortly.

Specs & Features

Would the Theorem — inspired by SuckMyMod, designed by JayBo, and produced by Wismec — be that device? I took the $20.95 “plunge” to find out.

The Theorem is a 22mm, 510-threaded, top-fill device, making it compatible with nearly every regulated mod on the market. As noted in the components list previously, it features airflow control suitable to both single-coil and dualcoil builds. Its materials are stainless steel and glass (though whether the glass is Pyrex or quartz glass is not disclosed; I will assume Pyrex is the type in use here.) That tank sports an eliquid capacity of approximately 2ml.

The Theorem arrived from MyVaporStore comes in a clearfronted plastic case which was, mercifully, easy to get into and, on its back side, surprisingly informative. A diagram of the device and a listing of its component parts appears in easily readable white on a black background. Above the

The Notch Coil, both the one pre-installed and the spare in the box, are rated at 0.25 ohms of resistance and are composed of 316 stainless steel; this makes the Notch Coil compatible with a wide range of temperature control mods. I tested mine with the Hohm Slice by Hohmtech.

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Build Quality The build quality of the Theorem is excellent in many respects, but quite lacking in one major way. First to the good: The machining is spotless, and there was no noticeable oil or other residues in or on the device out of the box. It was almost ready for use as soon as it was removed from the box and juiced up. However, there were two areas in which the device was not quite ready for prime time; one was fixed with a little pre-filling modification: as preinstalled, the Notch Coil had quite a bit more wick installed than was necessary or desirable. This was easily solved by simply giving the ends of the wick a modest trim, wetting the wick, then using the included Hex Key to compress the wick more fully into the Theorem’s wick channels.

However, when putting the mod into Temperature Control mode and setting it for 316 Stainless Steel, the mod returned a “Damaged Atomizer” error. Comparing that to the same mod’s performance with the 316 Stainless Steel atomizer head for my Uwell Crown, where that error did not occur, I have to assume that the error was caused by the Notch Coil rather than by the mod. This was something of a disappointment.

The second, and in my opinion the far more serious design issue, was the airflow control system. Notably, the airflow control rings are fully detachable. How did this impact my use of the Theorem? It made adjusting airflow a matter of guesswork; in the first place because, once the final (top-most) component of the top cap is installed, the airflow control ring aperture or apertures are no longer visible — and, in the second place, because the only anchor for the airflow control ring becomes your own grip on the airflow control ring as you screw down that final piece with your other hand. This is a problematic design choice, and one I look forward to seeing corrected in a Version 2 iteration of the Theorem.

Performance

The Theorem is available through many online retailers; my favorite is MyVaporStore due to their low prices and fast shipping. The Theorem can be had from them for the price of $20.95 plus shipping.

Recommendation & Conclusion Would I recommend the Theorem? Let me break down the Pros and Cons:

Pros:

With the wicks properly trimmed, and with the airflow set properly for my intended liquid’s strength and my preferred wattage output, I found that the Theorem does indeed deliver fully on the performance characteristics I have come to expect from a rebuildable dripping atomizer. At 65 watts on the Hohm Slice, the Notch Coil performs very, very well. Flavor fidelity is outstanding, throat hit is fulsome, and vapor production is also firstclass.

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Availability & Price

• • • •

Easy To Use Flavor Fidelity Vapor Production Low Cost

Cons:

• Problematic Airflow System • Wick Trimming Required For Notch Coils • Low e-liquid Capacity

Overall, for its low asking price, RDA-like performance and slightly-greater-than-RDA level e-liquid capacity, I can’t disrecommend it. In the areas where it delivered, it was spot on. With that said, I found the hiccups to be frustrating. My recommendation is to wait for a Version 2.

#VAPEMAGAZINE VAPEMZ.COM

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

MOD TECH

AXIS VAPES

M17 Mod Words and photos by Chris Mellides

Born out of a desire to make high end mods more easily accessible and affordable, Axis Vapes has been providing a rabid customer base with quality devices since just before the start of 2016. High end mods have always been on the market, but the Indiana-based company collectively realized that access to them was very limited. Many of these devices were and still are produced in small runs and are not within grasp, unless consumers are glued to the right social media page, or are on the right mailing list at the right time. In the words of Axis Vapes: “There had to be a better way.” And with the release of the M17 mod, it appears that the recent startup has taken a bold step in fully realizing this goal, allowing for more consumers to get their hands on one-of-akind mods that are less costly than similar products offered by other manufacturers. The M17 is powered by the Evolv DNA 200 board, which allows users a variable wattage output of 1-200 watts, with a temperature control setting that supports nickel, titanium and stainless steel wire. This particular chipset has been on the market for quite some time now, so there’s little reason for a breakdown of its capabilities, but take other mods utilizing the Evolv board and you’ll find that performance is even across the board when compared to the M17. The M17 by Axis Vapes boasts a custom machined enclosure with Heli-Coil® thread inserts, an incredibly responsive Mitech MSW-1201 switch, and a 22 mm flat Varitube 510 connection that’s spring-loaded and able to accommodate every 510-threaded atty I’ve used with the device—and I’ve tried several. The mod also features a clear anodized 6061 aluminum faceplate with board mounting standoffs machined directly into the plate itself, along with stainless steel control buttons. The device makes use of an internal 11.1 volt LiPo battery that’s rated at 12.21 watt-hours, giving you 1100mAh. Of course, what makes the M17 mods particularly eye-catching are their custom CNC-milled enclosures, which are available in stabilized wood, acrylic, or a combination of both. VAPEMZ.COM

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MOD TECH All of the aforementioned electrical components are point-topoint hand wired. The finished cases are hand sanded and polished by the Axis Vapes staff to bring out the true beauty of the materials used. No two enclosures are the same and each mod is engraved with a distinct serial number and company logo on the underside of the device. Every M17 is shipped in a custom branded wood box with Axis Vapes stickers and a product information guide. The presentation here is top notch and simply reinforces the notion that what you just purchased is a high-quality device. The 3’ braided USB cable I received was an added accessory, but any USB cable can be used to charge the mod’s internal battery. The M17 I received for review is a Hybrid model, with the enclosure constructed from both stabilized wood and acrylic. It really is a thing of beauty. The smoothed curvature in the enclosure makes the mod incredibly comfortable to hold, and an absolute joy to use. And while the mod appears to be very durable, at 7.4 ounces it is on the light side when it comes to its weight. I happen to like this product attribute because the mod is less cumbersome, but I’d hate to find out how well it could withstand a fall. The mod is a little on the tall side with dimensions that measure 4.25” tall x 2.2” wide x 1” thick, but I’d wager that most vapers would be quite happy with the overall size of the device. Fit and finish on the M17 is excellent, there are no rough areas, or any imperfections to speak of when it comes to the materials used. As previously mentioned, the device is mounted with a Varitube 510, and the threads on it are smooth as silk. I do like the large display and the ease at which you can adjust your settings. Everything about this device is simple and minimalistic, which only adds to the bold elegance of the mod. As I said, the M17 is powered by the Evolv DNA 200 board, so you’re getting more than enough power with an easy interface contained in a large and very readable display. My only real complaint is the device’s 1100mAh battery life, but the length of your vape time is very dependent on the types of builds you’re used to vaping and how often you vape your device between charges. If you’re a light-to-moderate vaper and use a .15 ohm build at high wattages, for example, expect to get four or five hours of steady vape time with the M17. Chain-vape the same build at even higher wattages and your battery life will be lessened considerably. Because the DNA 200 can handle builds as low as .02 ohms, I decided to rock a .07 ohm build just to see what the experience was like. At 85-100 watts, I was naturally blown away

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#VAPEMAGAZINE

MOD TECH

by the vaping experience, but battery life in this case, as you might expect, suffered greatly. Other than that I have no real issue with the M17. Vaping it has been a very enjoyable experience, and I’ve been paid many compliments while using it. Remember that while the M17 is a more affordable high end device, it’s still expensive when compared to other DNA 200 mods that are on the market. There are currently six product categories posted for the M17 ranging from $350-$605. I will disclose that I did not receive this product free for review purposes, but given the quality, look and feel of the device, I’m confident that my money was well spent. Axis Vapes has been ramping up production to meet a high customer demand, and at the time of writing this review, new mods are being made available for purchase daily. The M17 is available online directly through the manufacturer at: axisvapes.com. Photos taken by Chris Mellides the DNA 200-powered M17 mod from Axis Vapes, together with the Velocity V2 RDA by Insignia Design.

Photo courtesy of Axis Vapes VAPEMZ.COM

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columns

Why it’s Safer to Fly with Mace than a Mod? By Jenee Fowler In short, TSA has installed new detectors that pick up vapor very accurately, but still fail to screen for basic weapons effectively. Why else would I know this unless I’d tried it? I guess I have some ‘splaining to do... I took two trips back-to-back recently. The first was to respect my best friends wishes. I accompanied his family to Manhattan for a day to scatter his ashes off of Chelsea Pier (there are many reasons no one should swim in the Hudson).

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#VAPEMAGAZINE

COLUMNS

The second was a mid-winter get away that my boyfriend and I had been planning for months. We were going to Jamaica to get way off the grid for a week.

Co-Pilot: “Excuse me, can you step over here for a moment”

We decided to shorten the second trip after my friend’s sudden heart attack, but not to cancel it. I figured I could cry on a beach just as easily as I could cry on my couch...

Co-Pilot: “You do know that vaping on an aircraft is against federal regulations?”

I fly prepared and I always travel in joggers, slip ons and with my backpack as a carry on. I do this so I can move through security more quickly.

Co-Pilot: “Do you know that anyone caught is subject to arrest and fines?”

Me: Steps aside.

Me: Vacant nod (it was a rough week).

I was uncharacteristically late getting to the airport in Chicago and cleared security on time only because of the nature of my flight. Midair I got up to use the bathroom (diabetes incipidus, look it up before you make fun of me) and brought my Hexohm along with me. It’s nearly always in my front pocket when I’m not using it and this trip was no exception. While stabilizing to avoid any and all contact with the seat, aka hovering, I made a grave error. For just a moment my mod became wedged between my leg and the cramped wall. I heard the distinctive crackling of my atomizer and I instantly grabbed it out of my pocket (with the clean hand!) and blew into the chamber. I generally do this to avoid nasty burnt taste, and didn’t think much of it in the moment. I have vaped in airplane bathrooms (and other places) I wasn’t allowed before without getting caught so long as I was careful. When the alarm went off I knew no one would believe that this time I really wasn’t. (I guess I deserve that). I washed my hands (both, just in case) as quickly as possible and opened the sliding door. I was greeted with a worried flight attendant who rushed in to investigate. I am sure I looked confused and alarmed, because I was. Never before had a single puff carried the power to set off any alarms. Things had changed.

Me: More vacant nodding. Deciding I’d been warned thoroughly enough, the Co-Pilot released me into the city to take care of the business at hand. It wasn’t until my return trip that I discovered just how many feathers one puff could ruffle. While waiting to board for our return flight I noticed a name being called over the intercom. It was similar enough to mine that I thought I should investigate. Jenette Flower was in trouble...

I looked like a deer in the headlights as I scuttled back to my seat. (Dear-crab?). They weren’t able to find the cause of the alarm because it had only been a tiny amount of vapor released. The bathroom was unscathed aside from a pleasant strawberry scent, but that didn’t stop them from pulling me aside at the gate.

After deciding I was the correct “Jenette Flower” (or however they butchered my entire name for the millionth time) I was escorted into a private room. It was just me and one overweight man in a suit who seemed pretty upset. He had some files sitting on his desk for effect.

VAPEMZ.COM

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Overweight-Man: “Did you know that using electronic cigarettes on an aircraft is breaking federal law?” Me: “Yes, that’s why I’ve disassembled it in my carryon.” I then opened my backpack to reveal batteries, mod, and atomizer in three distinct pieces. Overweight-Man: “There could have and should have been a Federal Air Marshal waiting for you when you landed in NYC. If we could have proved you were using that device in the bathroom you would be facing serious fines and probably be on a no-fly list for some time to come.” Me: “Right. It’s very serious. I didn’t want any confusion.” I motioned to my bag again, where the disassembled pieces were. Some of the wind was clearly out of his sails, and he let me go. After I got home I started unpacking and repacking for Jamaica. I found something that two rounds with the TSA and a little extra scrutiny in the back room didn’t: I had flown from Chicago to Manhattan and back with police grade mace in my carry on. The next day I was set to leave and fortunately, the TSA took no perceivable interest in my trip to Jamaica. Our accommodations were so remote they could literally be accessed by a goat trail but, we still found

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ourselves in the company of vapers. It could have been the salt water or the irie vibes, but I came back with a little better perspective and a lot more chill. I understand more clearly than ever that the TSA is an organization that acts as a front to pacify the American audience. They are not there to prevent acts of terror- to date they have yet to stop a single act of terror or capture any terrorists. They simply help ignorant people feel safer, despite doing nothing to add to any actual safety. In fact, with all the added “security” many Americans have faced profiling and harassment when simply trying to travel. Especially considering that they use a made up point system, according to businesinsider. com, called SPOT to pull passengers out of line for doing things like “yawing too much” or “blankly staring”. Things very uncommon to travelers... According to CNN “Transportation Security Administration missed a whopping 95 percent of guns and bombs in recent airport security “red team” tests.” Seven billion US taxpayer dollars have gone to this program so far, and for what? Maybe forcing higher taxes on products like e-liquid will help pay for the next $7 billion they need to flush down those little airplane toilets. It leads one to wonder who’s terrorizing whom. No wonder I carry mace.

#VAPEMAGAZINE

Features

Deeming The Industry’s

Response By John Castle

Since the FDA’s finalized Deeming Regulations descended on the vapor scene last month, there has been everything from upset to anger to apprehension in the vaping community. While this has settled and calmed to some degree, many of us may still be in dark and confused about a question that is, or ought to be, at the forefront of everyone’s minds: What are we, as an industry and as a community, going to do about it? That question has become increasingly important since the Deeming Regulations were first announced in 2014; back then, we had years to go before the industry and the community really needed to get the lead out and get moving. Or so most thought. While some did nothing but continue on as usual with cloud competitions, vaping selfies, “hand checks”, and so on, there were businesses and business associations already taking those first steps. Additionally, organizations were forming for the purpose of fighting for our right as consumers to choose between smoking and the less hazardous alternative we’ve all come to love. Organizations such as the Vape A Vet Project, NotBlowingSmoke.org, NoMoreCasualties.org, and Vaping Militia arose to join the ranks of groups like CASAA, SFATA, AVA, and others to form a unified force for resisting propaganda, organizing consumers, and organizing the industry in such a way that reasonable regulation could be accommodated, while unreasonable, overreaching regulation could be vocally opposed at the local, state, and national levels.

Industry and Advocacy Voices One of the first and most powerful voices to respond to the finalized Deeming regulation was that of CASAA.org, who wrote, in a blog post dated 5 May, 2016:

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…CASAA will continue to focus our efforts to develop sensible regulation of vapor products that will have maximum benefit to consumers. The most important thing to remember is that consumers will continue to have access to the wide variety of vapor products for a period of time before the regulations take effect. But, for now, vaping as we know it will continue and we are not done by any means. Keep calm. But businesses were quick to respond, as well, as in the case of Nicopure Labs, who only five days later, announced legal action challenging the FDA on the issue: “Back in 2009, Halo revolutionized the way e-liquid was manufactured and packaged, forever changing the Vape industry as few knew it. Today, Nicopure Labs is again at the forefront of the industry as revolutionaries, as Nicopure Labs leads the way in defense of our constitutional rights and for the future of the entire vaping industry and the American right to choose. Through one voice, Nicopure Labs has taken a stand to ensure the voices of all vapers are heard and that vapers are treated fairly and not with a single stroke of a broad brush by the FDA,” said Jeff Stamler, CEO and co-founder of Nicopure Labs. “We fully support reasonable regulation that protects consumers, accomplishes the public health priority to reduce the grave harm caused by conventional cigarette smoking, and allows businesses to survive and innovate for a greater public health vision for our society as a whole.” Dan Corbei, speaking on behalf of Five Star Juice, LLC, had this to say: In light of the FDA’s recent release of its deeming regulation, Five Star is further refining our facility and internal manufacturing processes to incorporate key infrastructure enhancements made in order to meet and exceed the agency’s regulatory compliance requirements for standards, safety, and traceability. In addition to important infrastructure enhancements, our company and team is focused on building meaningful relationships with all of our political representatives, as well as any governmental or regulatory agencies involved in this industry. Five Star’s commitment has and will continue to be producing the finest smoke-free product possible, with the highest level of quality and care available; regardless of the regulatory outcome.

#VAPEMAGAZINE

Features

Regulation: That mission will not change today, tomorrow, or on August 8th, 2016. But not all of advocacy efforts are aimed at the FDA itself; some, such as this digital flyer, (disclosure; flyer authored by this writer and sponsored by Joe Bradley of Bradley’s Brand) are aimed at the vaping community on the consumer level and advocacy efforts alone aren’t the sum total of the industry’s response. Many vendors are stepping forward to bring their e-liquids and hardware into conformity with the highest standards of consumer safety and top product quality. Innokin issued the following statement on 13 May, 2016: These FDA regulations are overreaching, costly, and place an enormous burden on an industry made up of tens of thousands of independent retailers. The regulations hamper innovation, ignore science & research data, and in their current form will prove hazardous to all of us who rely on this beloved alternative to combustible tobacco. Innokin continues to be committed to our vision of harm reduction through advanced vaporizer technologies. We are proud to have been working with top independent American and European labs on improved aerosol emission testing protocols and the testing of our bestselling tanks. Through aerosol emissions testing we have worked to minimize any possible negative impacts of our products caused by a wide range of known toxins and metals. Innokin is a responsible manufacturer and is committed to restricting the sales of our products to minors. All packaging has clear labels and warning information and we have worked closely with vendors to increase awareness of responsible sales. Innokin has developed and launched SecureCap child safety lock technology on our bestselling tanks for added security and peace of mind. The FDA has proposed an obstacle — perhaps one it believed to be insurmountable. The question, “What are we going to do about it?” is one the industry has already been equipping itself to answer, and with that answer, we will answer the unspoken question posed by the FDA. Their unspoken question: “What do you think you can do about it?”

...organizations were forming for the purpose of fighting for our right as consumers to choose between smoking and the less hazardous alternative we’ve all come to love.

The vaping community’s answer: “Watch us and find out.”

VAPEMZ.COM

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Features

FDA RESPONDS

SENATOR JOHNSON HE DEMANDS MORE

—

By Corey Noles

making process. Therefore, I write to again reiterate my requests.

In the weeks since the FDA Deeming Regulations were made public, one figure in Washington, D.C. has made his distaste known — and he is no small figure.

In my initial letter, I asked the FDA for data on the number of e-cigarette businesses that will be affected by the rule. The FDA gave an inadequate response that lacked the requisite details. Further, the FDA noted that it did not possess some important information about the economic effect of the rule, writing that “[t]he baseline number of manufacturers and importers of [e-cigarette] products is uncertain.”

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, finally received a response to his two inquiries demanding further information from the FDA regarding the recent Deeming Regulations. On July 8, 2016, the FDA provided the Committee with an initial document production consisting of materials that were already publicly available. Johnson originally sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf about the ecigarette regulation on May 17, 2016 and then sent a second letter to the FDA on June 6, 2016. The FDA responded with what Johnson referred to as “inadequate information.” He also stated that the FDA’s own admission that there are areas where they lack sufficient information “raises questions about the adequacy of the FDA’s justification for the rule.” Following is the full text of Sen. Johnson’s July 15 response: Dear Dr. Califf: I write to reiterate my request for information about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulation over e-cigarettes and its potential con-

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sequences. I first wrote to you on May 17, 2016 requesting information and data regarding the consequences that this new regulation may have on small businesses and the public’s health. After I did not receive a response, I wrote a follow-up letter on June 6, 2016 that reiterated my initial questions and requested documents and materials based on FDA communications relating to the regulation. The FDA provided partial responses on June 16, 2016 and July 8, 2016. The FDA’s answers to my questions, however, provided only limited new information, and the FDA did not provide a complete document production. While I appreciate the FDA’s offer of a briefing, the Committee must first possess the full universe of requested documents and materials to fully understand FDA’s decision#VAPEMAGAZINE

The FDA’s acknowledgement that it has, at best, incomplete information raises questions about the adequacy of the FDA’s justification for the rule. Further, many job creators in the ecigarette industry fear that they will be forced to shut down if the rule is implemented. Without a concrete understanding of the rule’s effect on a growing industry, the FDA’s decision to implement this regulation could lead to the elimination of thousands of jobs and businesses. Additionally, I asked whether the FDA would issue a revised rule if sufficient data demonstrates that e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes. The FDA did not answer this question. Instead, the FDA gave an ambiguous answer, reasoning that the FDA must regulate in order to obtain more information about e-cigarettes. The FDA stated: The rule is the beginning of the pro-

Features

THE AMERICAN PUBLIC

DESERVES COMPLETE ANSWERS FROM THE FDA ABOUT ITS RULEMAKING. cess of the regulation of e-cigarettes, and the other products covered in the final rule. That regulatory framework will evolve over time as we learn more about the products. Now that FDA will finally have regulatory authority over these previously unregulated products, the Agency can expand its knowledge base regarding these products. The FDA’s statement is concerning. Rather than conduct research to better understand the effects of the product prior to regulating, the FDA chose to issue a rule without a proper understanding of the product itself. Because federal regulatory agencies seldom shrink their own jurisdiction, the FDA’s action could result in a far-reaching regulation that fails to consider the regulatory impact on small businesses selling e-cigarettes, product innovation, and the public’s health. I also questioned the FDA about the potential unintended consequences of its rule that may result in decreased access to e-cigarettes and increased consumption of traditional cigarettes. The FDA responded by citing to a scientific paper that concluded that the decline in adolescent smoking rates slowed in

states that enacted restrictions on access to e-cigarette products. However, the FDA also cited “several limitations” with the study. The FDA states that it “acknowledges this paper as a first attempt to study the potential impacts of youth [e-cigarette] access restrictions, but more research will be necessary to explore the potential effects of this rule on product switching or dual usage.” In addition to asking the FDA to respond to several questions, I also requested documents and communications referring or relating to the FDA’s regulation of the e-cigarette industry. On July 8, 2016 the FDA provided the Committee with an initial document production that consisted of materials that were already publicly available. Based on conversations between my staff and the FDA, I am willing to accommodate the FDA’s request to prioritize the production of certain material. As discussed between our staffs, I ask that the FDA initially prioritize its production of documents and communications referring or relating to the FDA’s interactions with industry, advocacy groups, government entities, and other stakeholders as the FDA developed its regulation. VAPEMZ.COM

The American public deserves complete answers from the FDA about its rulemaking. The information and material that I requested from the FDA will help to inform the Committee’s oversight responsibilities and address the public’s concerns about the e-cigarette regulation. Therefore, I request that you please provide complete responses to my prior letters as soon as possible but no later than 5:00 p.m. on July 29, 2016. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Ron Johnson Chairman What will come of Johnson’s inquiry into the deeming regs remains to be seen, but his committee is clearly questioning what lead to the passing of the regulations. Look for more in this story in coming months and at vapemz.com. Corey Noles is the managing editor of VAPE Magazine. He has worked as a journalist for more than a decade and is the founder, owner of Inked Up ELiquid Co.

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Features

The Vaper’s Knoll

Has Built a Reputation by CREATING FLAVOR THAT DEFY DEFINITION Those in the Know Go to the Vaper’s Knoll

By Maria Verven By concocting unique flavors that seem to defy definition, The Vaper’s Knoll, based in the tiny state of Maryland, has come a long way since launching in 2012. Starting with 13 flavors, The Vaper’s Knoll now boasts 200 different flavors and has sold an estimated million bottles. This summer, they’re launching two new flavors, despite the fact that they – like every company in the vape space – are eyeing the FDA’s regulations carefully and preparing for the worst.

“Before It Was a Scene” The Vaper’s Knoll was the brainchild of Geoff Lopes, chief operating officer, and Richard Gue, CEO, friends who both started vaping “before it was a scene” when there were far fewer options for e-liquids and devices. Like many in the industry, their passion also comes from personal experience. Lopes’ father was also a smoker for 50 years who contracted lung cancer, while Gue’s father died of COPD, another smoking-related illness. “It does make me very anti-cigarettes,” Lopes said. “We believe it will save a billion lives. “

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After trying many different e-liquids, they failed to be impressed and were confident they could make higher quality, better tasting products. They struck gold when they developed unique flavors such as Lunar Harvest, by far their most popular flavor that’s responsible for about 60 percent of their revenue. “When we were brand new, we were known as the company that made indescribable flavors,” Gue said. “Our flavors taste like colors you’ve never seen before. We have to make up what they taste like because they’re completely different from anything else.” Only a few months later after developing their first e-liquids, they opened a small, 600-square-foot retail store in Pasadena, MD. By the following summer, July 2013, they moved into their current location, a 2,200 square foot store they believe is the largest in Maryland. By the end of that year, they rented out a warehouse and a lab in Curtis Bay, MD, turning it into a manufacturing and mass production facility. They quickly grew out of that space, and last October, moved into their current 9,000 square foot space that houses manufacturing, clean room, warehouse and offices. In February 2016, they opened up their second retail location in Columbia, MD.

#VAPEMAGAZINE

The Benchmark of Quality Lopes attributes The Vaper’s Knoll rapid growth to “how good our flavors are. We are known in Maryland by our customers as the ‘benchmark’ for what e-liquid should be. That’s what keeps people coming back.” Word of mouth, social media and vape conventions such as VapeBash in Chicago helped them grow their business, especially during the last couple of years, according to Lopes. “Our product garnered a lot of attention in Chicago and our ‘customer success specialist’ travels to different vape shops across the country, helping retailers host special events to promote and sell our products.” The Vaper’s Knoll products are now being sold in over 300 stores, and they also have distributors in China, Malaysia, Singapore and the U.K. While international sales are more challenging, the effort to distribute products abroad is well worth it, Lopes said. Although they sell over 200 flavors through retail stores, their wholesale selection is limited to 18 flavors: five VK originals, five Luxuria flavors and eight King of the Cloud premium eliquids. Also popular are Lunar Harvest – Black, where they replaced blueberry with blackberry to give this

Features crowd favorite a refreshing new twist, and Bitchin’ Waffles, a combination of homemade waffles with cinnamon and rich maple syrup.

New Flavors Launching in August Since their original flavor Lunar Harvest was so wildly successful, they decided to launch two variations on that theme: Lunar Harvest Gold, with its peach undertones and Solar Harvest, which they can only describe as the ‘red’ version of Lunar Harvest. “Since people try to describe our flavors like a color, our mission was to create a ‘red’ flavor,” Gue said. “So if Lunar Harvest is the blue candy, Solar Harvest is the red candy – like a cherry watermelon popsicle or all the red candy thrown into a blender.” Gue explained that a research and product development staff develops most of their flavors through trial and error. “Our flavor development manager takes a lot of time developing each flavor before it goes out for feedback and testing,” he said. “All of our employees try our new flavors and suggest changes; then the flavor team brainstorms ideas about how to make the final new formulation even better.” Lopes said they’ve only used NicSelect nicotine in all their e-liquids since 2013. “Their quality was above everyone else, the shelf life was better, the clarity and taste was better, plus they give great customer service,” he said. “Our customers love the taste of our ejuices. We’re certainly not going to risk messing with the formula.”

After the final e-liquid is formulated, they send a sample to Entropy Analytical where it’s tested for diacetyl and acetyl propional as well as for the accuracy of the nicotine level. The Vaper’s Knoll is a member of AEMSA (American E-Liquid Manufacturing Standards Association), so they can say with confidence that all of their flavors are within AEMSA limits.

Photo courtesy of Vaper’s Knoll Rich Gue, Geoff Lopes, Jordan Baney - Vapers Knoll

Worried for The Future of Vaping

2007, refusing to set a reasonable date when e-cigarette technology was actually in the marketplace.

Like everyone in the industry, Lopes is concerned about the future of vaping following the FDA’s regulations. “After reviewing the application for PMTA (pre-market tobacco approval), attending conferences and speaking to attorneys, I’m convinced they’re setting us up to fail,” Lopes said.

“By refusing to acknowledge that vaping was deemed 95% less harmful than cigarettes and insisting that ENDS be treated in exactly the same way as their combustible predecessors, the FDA’s regulations once again fall in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act,” states the lawsuit.

“The PMTA requires you to prove how your product will improve public health. Plus, the process isn’t reasonable for small businesses. Nobody will be able to comply with it unless they’re backed by large businesses or Big Tobacco.”

Lopes is cautiously optimistic. “We can at least put an injunction. In addition to having the support of several smoke-free associations, we have 50 states that could potentially throw their weight behind this,” he said.

One of founding members of Maryland Vape Professionals and an active member of the Right to Be Free Smoke Coalition, The Vaper’s Knoll filed a lawsuit in conjunction with SFATA (SmokeFree Alternatives Trade Association), AEMSA and several other organizations against the FDA, challenging various portions of their regulations as they pertain to the e-cigarette industry.

Meanwhile, in The Vaper’s Knoll retail locations. customers can sign prewritten letters to their representative, supporting their right to vape. They are also planning a meet and greet for congressmen to come and visit The Vaper’s Knoll facility so they can see firsthand what we’re doing.

Like most in the industry, they are taking issue with the fact that the FDA stuck to its original date of Feb. 15, VAPEMZ.COM

“We keep hearing over and over that legislators aren’t well versed in what we’re doing. We’re going to try to change that,” Lopes said.

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AIMS FOR ADVOCACY By Corey Noles

If you haven’t seen the schedule yet for Oklahoma Vape Jam 2016, you’re about to wish you were going. Stepping away from the traditional feel for a convention, this one is largely aimed at promoting advocacy. Don’t expect to see cloud comps and juice being thrown from every booth at the event or you will be sorely disappointed. The night before the event begins, the film “A Billion Lives” will make it’s Oklahoma City premiere at the Harkins Bricktown Cinema at 7 p.m. There will be repeat screenings all weekend at the event, as well. Hands-on collaborative sessions will take place each day designed to encourage collaboration solutions to problems facing

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small businesses in the vapor industry. Cynthia Cabrera, president of the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association (SFATA) will present the keynote address over breakfast on Friday morning. More than fifteen break-out sessions on topics including advocacy, public policy, product research and business development. An advocacy panel banquet is also planned that will feature the leaders of all the major advocacy organization leaders. VAPE Magazine will be a presenting sponsor at the event, so be sure to stop by and see us while you’re there.

#VAPEMAGAZINE