VAPE Magazine March EU Special Issue by Matt Schramel

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table of contents

Features

23 Irish Shop Owner

Bursts Through Adversity

StiG Turns Hobby Into

Vaping Revolution

Director Takes U.K.

Company to New Heights

Handcrafted Art to France

and ‘Wow in Nottingham-

Based E-Liquids

Defending Members,

Giving Vapers Hope

Showcase Handcrafted

Works of Art

Professor’s Smoking

Toolkit Study

Continues Fight For

Harm Reduction

E-Liquid Market

31 TPD Or Not TPD? 36 Tinker Tailor Vapor:

47 Sky Throne Managing 50 VAPE Europe Gift Guide 54 Creavap Epipes Bring

58 Manabush Puts the ‘Pow’ 60 FIVAPE Commits to 64 Limelight Mechanics 66 Go West: A Look at the 70 E-Cigarette Forum 75 Elda Bolsters Fluid

Departments

12 Let’s Ask Grimm Green 34 Juice Judge 38 VAPE Photo Spread

Events

16 VAPEXPO Readies For

Evolutionary Third Year

Exhibition Life to Far East

Brings ‘Vaper’s Day Out’

to Birmingham

Announces Inaugural

‘Product of the Year’

19 CECMOL Finally Brings 27 Vaper Expo U.K.

72 VaporFair EU Frankfurt

Competition

78 Vape Jam Promoters

blumenfeld inspired

Eagerly Anticipate U.K.’s

First Vaping Expo

letter from the editor Even though vaping is a somewhat young concept, the industry is rapidly forging an international history. We are so excited to bring to you our first-ever VAPE Europe issue, chock full of exciting coverage highlighting some our friends from around the world. 2015 promises to be the year of events, and this issue brings you coverage of return powerhouse expos, in addition to three inaugural fests that are hoping to make their mark in the vaping events world. For those who love learning about innovation, we bring you some unique companies that aim to break free of copycat stereotypes. This issue also includes coverage of what’s happening with legislation and regulation worldwide, with interviews and messages from FIVAPE, the E-Cigarette Forum and ECig Intelligence. Finally, a VAPE issue without house favorites such as Let’s Ask GrimmGreen, Juice Judge, a shop feature and a gift guide U.K. style just wouldn’t be the same. We hope you enjoy VAPE Europe. Cheers. Happy reading.

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 Alyssa Stahr content@vapemz.com 800-958-6427 x2 Art Director Van Avanzado Graphic Designers Joe Buehner, Laura Camp, Matt Ritzenthaler Contributors Steffanie Atkins, Dave Cross, Nick Green, Erin Hedrick, Barnaby Page ADMINISTRATIVE Chief Executive Officer Matt Schramel Chief Operating Officer Alyssa Stahr Vice President Jon Laverde National Event Coordinator Norm Bour Administrative Assistant Erin Hedrick ADVERTISING Mike Schramel, mike@vapemz.com 800-958-6427 x1 Jon Laverde, jon@vapemz.com 800-958-6427 x4 Jacob Barger, jacob@vapemz.com China-based advertisers contact Wingle Group Electronics LTD +852 51759256 dev@winglegroup.com CONTACT News news@vapemz.com New Products newproducts@vapemz.com Employment jobs@vapemz.com VAPE Magazine is wholly owned by Starpixel Marketing LLC 2230 Highland Hill Dr., St. Peters, MO 63376 info@vapemz.com 800-958-6427 @ vapenewsmagazine / VapeMZ

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By Nick Green

Photo by Metal Jeff

Hey guys! Love your site! I got a question. I’m new to vaping and seems like since I started I have been coughing like crazy at night and when it starts it won’t stop! Any ideas? -James Brown Dear James, I just want to preface this by saying that I am in no way a doctor of any kind. Now, depending on how new you are to vaping, this could just be your body getting rid of the “gunk” that has built up from smoking cigarettes. When I started vaping I experienced something very similar, as well as pretty severe headaches. Within a month the coughing and headaches had stopped. Obviously if this gets worse you should go see an actual doctor. But, I predict that within a month it should go away. There could also be a very slight chance that you have a sensitivity to the PG in your e-liquid. Again, I’m not a doctor, but switching to a more VG heavy juice might also remedy your situation. -Grimm

Hi, I have a question on maintaining a drip vape mod. I’m having issues with cleaning and maintaining the coils on my ady. I have a mutation v3 with a FUHattan mod. I’ve tried running it under water, to wiping the coils down, etc. and after I re-wick it’s still tasting kinda burntish. Thank you! - Kyle Hughes Hey Kyle, Sometimes an atomizer just needs to be rebuilt. There are a lot of things you can do to keep your coils alive in between rebuilds though. Things like rewicking and dry burning will help out. One trick that I’ve learned from some of my local vape shops is the “water dip” technique. The first thing you do is pull the wicks out of your coils. Rinse the all the parts under the water to get rid of the juice. Then heat up your coils until they are glowing hot. Then quickly dunk the red hot coils into a cup of cold water. Be careful not to dunk too far, as you don’t want your mod getting wet, just the coils go into the water. You will hopefully notice some black carbon/crud floating in the water. Repeat the heating and dunking a few times. This will help keep your coils much more clean and hopefully help them last a lot longer in between rebuilds. Happy vaping! -Grimm

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VAPEXPO Readies For Evolutionary Third Year By Alyssa Stahr

Photos courtesy of VAPEXPO

There is no more beautiful time of year than autumn in Paris, and the second annual VAPEXPO International ECigarette Exhibition, held at the Grande Halle de la Villette in late September, didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was such a success that not only is the third event coming, but another unique event, Innovaping Days (see page 17) has spawned from the success of its originator. VAPEXPO has managed to prove its ability to gather together worldwide representation in the e-cigarette industry, including institutional actors, e-liquid, equipment and accessories manufacturers, modders, resellers, wholesalers and media. VAPEXPO has an unparalleled format, with conferences/debates with industry power players including real-time translation being held in the heart of the expo floor. Last year’s conferences touched on subjects such as vaping and health; vaping culture; what to expect from the European directive; worldwide norms and standardization; economy and politics; vaping advertising perspectives; new technical innovations in the field; and countries workshops, including France, United States, China, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Kingdom. Beyond the numbers, VAPEXPO organizers have committed to becoming an international reference when it comes to vaping and to highlight the “ardent defenders of this field, whether they are media, reviewers, industrials or modders.” They want to represent the vape sector and what it can offer to make it a more credible industry, “to fill up the lack of legitimacy and and consideration from the media and the governing bodies.” Patrick Bédué, VAPEXPO’s director, smoked for about 15 years before discovering vape in 2011. He believes that vaping is a real chance for smokers to get the same sensation of smoking without the negative health effects. “For the first time there was an alternative to tobacco where the consumer is active. Contrary to the traditional cigarette, you can choose your nicotine level, flavoring,” he said. Since learning “a lot about everything” is part of Bédué’s personality, he wanted to know how vaping worked, so he turned to forums. It became a passion of his, and he then wondered if this passion could turn into a job. In 2012 he opened the first e-cig shop, Bocalinda, in the Parisian suburbs.

VAPEXPO 2014 Key Figures Exhibitors:

123 from 15 Nationalities

“I Attendees: 6,431 from be57 Nationalities gan this Businesses Represented: activE-Liquid Manufacturers, 35%; ity to Equipment Manufacturers, 22%; explain Resellers, 11%; Wholesalers, to people 11%; Modders, 11%; Training, what exactly Institutional Actors, Media, the e-cig was. This Accessories, 10% was without knowing that this sector would Conferences: 11 ‘explode,’” he said. “It was above all a service, and I was Conference sharing my passion for electronic Views on cigarettes. You have to be qualified YouTube: on every product because on the other http://goo. side you have clients who want to get rid of gl/HA0eTc something (smoking) and they need reliable information. If you don’t do things properly there is no interest in doing them.” Since observing the market since 2011, Bédué was surprised by the increasing number of new e-liquid and e-cig brands in 2013. At the same time, 2013 was a tough year because of regulatory threats that could have compromised this whole new market. “I could not stop thinking that we had to find a solution to strengthen and structure this sector where actors, even major actors, were little-known by the media and the authorities. What better way to establish sector legitimacy than by organizing an exhibition?” he said. The concept of VAPEXPO was to highlight unknown actors and show the industry economy weight. In addition, the expo was an opportunity for e-cig industry professionals to develop themselves and meet new partners. Through this event, Bédué wanted to provide access to information for the general public, in particular to present scientific studies comparing the e-cig impact and the traditional cigarette impact on health since it has been wrongfully criticized. The first edition of VAPEXPO in Bordeaux was

acclaimed for a long time after and that was “really reassuring” to Bédué. To continue this success he had to renew the offer and challenge himself. “As we had more and more demands from international professionals, we had to find a place centrally located; it was obvious to move up to Paris,” he said. Additionally, since 2013 the French e-cig market has experienced a significant growth. The French e-cig market is one of the most active in Europe with a €275 million turnover in 2013, 1.5 million vapers and more than 2,000 points of sale. This evolution shows a decline of the tobacco industry and nicotine withdrawal products. More and more producers are investing to have their products “Made in France,” in fact 60 percent of the e-liquids sold in France are produced in France. The field of the electronic cigarette continues to develop, and as recent as the beginning of 2014 even more new companies were created, which has significantly increased the competition. “Nowadays, companies have to work harder to maintain their market shares and be profitable. VAPEXPO is defined as being a meeting and trading point for high quality professionals; all the more so due to the e-cig countries market presentations to transmit information and encourage businesses to expand towards exporting,” Bédué said. “It is important for VAPEXPO to be an information relay. The conferences set up must allow industrial actors and enthusiasts to stay informed and aware of the laws and realities of the market. The French vaping industry is becoming more and more reliable and responsible; it is an ongoing battle.” Since national and international experts placed their trust in the past VAPEXPOs, Bédué said that the repeat business signed already for 2015 proves a climate of pleasurable trust and confidence. Contrary to some other exhibitions and shows that promote tobacco products, VAPEXPO is specialized just in the electronic cigarette, with priority given to innovative exhibitors who are ready to reveal their savoir-faire. “In my opinion, VAPEXPO must follow the vape spirit, which means a place of meetings, contacts and pleasure. According to feedback (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=0U6a-R7Jjro), I think we have won our bet and that this exhibition was a good surprise for the vapers. We accept only quality professionals,” Bédué said. “For the next edition, the conferences will still be programmed with additional subjects and lots of surprises. There will be more qualified exhibitors and visitors. Watch our website for further surprises!” For more information on VAPEXPO 2015, taking place Sept. 20-22 at the Grande Halle de la Villette, visit https://vapexpo-france.com/.

Innovaping Days Serves New, Unique Purpose to Event Industry By Alyssa Stahr Photos courtesy of VAPEXPO Braille, pasteurization, arguably the French fry—France is known sharing a bevy of innovative strides with the world. Due to popular demand, VAPEXPO has spawned a new event, Innovaping Days, aimed to allow manufacturers to stand out in this highly-competitive market.

TRADE SH

23 rd & 24 th March 20 15 PARIS - FR ANCE

Patrick Bédué, show director, has applied his industrial knowledge to VAPEXPO, giving priority to innovative exhibitors who are ready to reveal new and eventive products that combat cloning, wwcopying w.vapexpoand counterfeiting. rance.co23 He hopes that Innovaping Days, coming-fMarch 24 at m/eand n/inno vapingda ys the Le Centquatre exhibition hall in Paris, will serve a new, unique purpose.

PRESS FILE

“We are aware that there are a lot of exhibitions. After the PRESS CO VAPEXPO Parisian edition we had a real demand NTACT from the M Elise LET Tel: +33 (0) IERCE-BARN 9 72 33 19 ES exhibitors who wanted us to organize 19 / +33event early E-mail: innanother (0)6 13 13 ovapingday 59 70 s@vapexp o-france.com the following year,” Bédué said. “We are also fully aware that at the time when economy is suffering it is important to adapt the event to the context. This is why we have suggested a smaller event that implies less investment for the exhibitors and still with an open door to international professionals because it is important for manufacturers to be visible and stand out as much as possible.” me

As of press time, international vaping leaders, as well as 75 exhibitors and 1,500 visitors from 50 countries are expected at the more intimate, cosy and welcoming trade show. Exhibitors and attendees will be able to have a real “trading exchange.” Innovations presented at the expo are confidential until show time, allowing exhibitors to reveal their inventions exclusively for the show. During this trade show there will be an opportunity for the visitors to meet e-liquid and e-cigarette manufacturers, nicotine suppliers and modders, and for exhibitors to meet international distributors, resellers and wholesalers. Visitors are encouraged to become active participants by discovering, handling, testing and comparing products during the two-day event. In addition, show organizers also aim to provide a reduced investment compared to a traditional exhibition, only keyready stands and the opportunity for e-liquid manufacturers to test samples anonymously via a selected panel of professionals. For more information, visit www.vapexpo-france.com/en/ innovapingdays.

CECMOL Finally

Brings Exhibition Life to Far East By Alyssa Stahr

Photos by Boris Galperin

Since the e-cigarette originated in China way back in 2003, it’s a wonder that there hasn’t been an expo in China devoted to the market. Most of the world still relies on the Chinese market for e-liquids, batteries, devices, distribution and more, and China is bridging the worldwide gap with the first-ever CECMOL International E-Cig Expo, spawned off of the success of last year’s CECMOL forum. Terry Hu, CECMOL general manager, was kind enough to Skype with us and talk about his goals for April’s CECMOL. VAPE: Terry, can you tell us about your background and how you got involved in CECMOL? Hu: I used to work for IBM, and I followed the electronic cigarette industry because I always had a focus on the health industry. Nearly 90 percent of the e-cig market comes from China, but I found that actually many Chinese companies don’t know the overseas market. So, I established CECMOL, a communication platform to push the combination between the domestic and foreign market, to keep a good development of the industry. VAPE: Let’s talk a little about the CECMOL forum back in September. You had three main objectives. Do you feel that those were accomplished? Hu: The first Chinese E-Cig Forum last year achieved huge success, which provided a good opportunity for any person or business involved in the e-cig industry to communicate, for them to get in touch with the overseas market. CECMOL showed what policies and products were needed and some

judgments and perspective for the development in the future. Many attendees accepted useful info and met the people they want to know. The forum made a systematic diffusion and guidance of the basic situation of the e-cig. VAPE: CECMOL is the first event of its kind in China. How do you propose China works with Europe and the United States in the future to further the industry on a global scale? Hu: Now, we have three major businesses: media platform, service platform and smart platform. We have a news and trading website to spread latest news home and abroad. The service platform includes forum, expo, supply chain management, advertisement program, brand agent, etc. The forum serves to gather elites and policy makers guiding the direction of the development in the future. Moreover, the expo is designed to gather more purchasers and others who want to play the game, to let more people know the e-cig manufacturers in China. The smart platform is to establish associations helping our members fully recognize the line and to master the market. VAPE: And now we have CECMOL 2015, the first China International E-Vapor exhibition of its kind. What are some of your goals for this convention?

VAPE: How will this show help people in Europe and the United States learn more about China and work more together? Hu: There are three major reasons: Firstly, this expo is to forge the cooperation between domestic market and foreign market. For the Chinese, they can find more purchasers. On the other hand, the overseas market can find more suppliers. Secondly, this unprecedented expo will offer a variety of quality, innovative and novel products that will make international debuts. Thirdly, the expo will attract huge attention from Chinese consumers, which will make the first step of expanding Chinese market, leading Chinese smokers to a healthier lifestyle. For this trade show we finally have government support. It’s very difficult if you want to do something related to tobacco; it’s very strict in China with e-cigarette production, as I think everyone knows. There is a huge and endless potential for the Chinese e-cig industry, furthermore, China is the largest tobacco consuming country. I hope I can let more Chinese smokers accept the e-cig by this kind of promotion. Every year, there are countless smokers who die of cancers, which make us worry. So, developing the e-cig is developing Chinese health. VAPE: Will there be any speakers, contests, or any other exciting things we should know about? Hu: Yes, we have invited speakers, such as Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, Oliver Kershaw (of the E-Cigarette Forum) and the president of Kimree. There will be a conference and an open panel where factory owners can discuss ideas, market trends and share some plans for future development. During the expo, we will have a vape cloud competition, which is also to attract more consumers, to arise their attention. VAPE: How many vendors are you expecting? Any vendors that stand out to you that are particularly exciting and why? Hu: Our stands have almost sold out, and there are 150 companies exhibiting at our expo, such as Kanger, Kimree, Eson, Hangsen, Innokin, First Union, Joyetech, Smok, Smoore, Bauway, Desonic, and a lot of medium and small businesses. I really appreciate their willingness to exhibit here, to trust CECMOL. There is not such an activity for Chinese e-cig companies to show their capability to the world, at the same time, the overseas market lacks this kind of chance to fully know Chinese enterprises. I believe our convention will be a success.

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Hu: Vaping is so popular in the foreign market; the market is growing sharply. For them, this is undoubtedly a golden opportunity to seek new technologies, new products with lower cost and better service in a short journey. They can get in touch with more decision makers and save costs. In the expo we will have another activities, such as a Professional E-Cig Industry Matchmaking Meeting, Recruiting Global Agent Meeting, etc. Many more factories will attend this, but some of them are good; some of them may need improvement. There will be a good chance for small factories who are trying to develop new technologies to develop their prototype. Medium sized companies cannot afford travel, and it’s a good chance to show what they are working on. Some of them are developing completely new technology. And this will provide a platform to give a chance to let the foreigner to show what they think about the big manufacturing companies. VAPE: There are so many shows this year. Why is CECMOL the must-see show to attend? Hu: Most of the manufacturing for e-cigarette products are in Shenzhen. So, it’s very important to know what’s happening in Shenzhen. The technical direction, road map, what’s going on. It’s a very good chance for face-to-face communication. Some of the attendants of other shows are old faces, they often go to the shows, but many of the other factories didn’t go to the show. So this show can provide many new factories and new products for marketing. The foreigners who will come here will know Chinese policy and what the China tobacco companies’ interests are. With the permission of the Chinese Government, the expo gets support from the Government of Shenzhen Municipality and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (owner of CNTC). It is the first professional e-cig show in China, so it has endless possibilities. The Chinese market is growing quite fast now. There already are more vape shops opening in Shenzhen and becoming more popular in China. As you can see above, there was not such a fair previously; there was not a great opportunity for the overseas market to know domestic top factories in only three days. If there is an event that can bring all the big companies as well as medium and small businesses, why not? This is a gathering of all the decision makers from top enterprises; they can share their minds and communicate with each other—and look at our beautiful country.

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Irish Shop Owner Bursts Through Adversity By Alyssa Stahr Photos courtesy of Karen Fleming Depending on how you look at it, water may not be Karen Fleming’s lucky charm. Her shop, Kivapour, is nestled in beautiful Drogheda, Ireland, an industrial port town on the East Coast of Ireland. Kivapour’s idyllic setting faces the Boyne River. However, the river’s ebbs and flows have been quite a challenge in Fleming’s first year of business. But, facing adversity is something Fleming has proven to have a knack for. Fleming started smoking in her teens. Now in her 30s, a few years ago she began experiencing difficulties with her breathing. She tried everything to quit smoking—the patch, hypnosis and sheer will power—to no avail. It was only when a friend introduced her to vaping that she began to experience the benefits associated with the electronic device. She went from smoking an average of a 20-pack of cigarettes a day to coming up on two years smoke-free. “When I first tried vaping, I was completely shocked that it worked for me. I knew after a day of vaping that was it. I did not want a cigarette, that was the brilliant thing for me,” Fleming said. “I feel much healthier in myself and have more energy; my breathing is much deeper now going into my lungs unlike the shallow breaths I experienced while smoking.”

Karen Fleming and her mother Alice Fleming said that with vaping she gets all of the benefits of cigarette smoking, but not the harmful substances such as tar and carcinogens that she inhaled into her body with every cigarette. Another benefit she saw that the financial turnaround that she experienced. Within a few months she was able to afford a short holiday abroad from the money she saved from quitting smoking. In addition, the country was going through a recession, forcing harsher household budgets and causing Fleming to look closely at managing her money more effectively. She started holding vaping parties, getting the girls together, sometimes having a glass of wine, sometimes have a drink of tea and always having great vaping discussions. “I would do a demonstration, talking about this is what a vaper is, what it does. It started like that with eight to 10 people. People were amazed and started vaping as well,” Fleming said. “It was fun actually; it was a great way to meet people too.” Once the parties started taking off, Fleming realized that people, including her mother who has COPD, are quitting smoking and saving money during the recession. She knew she had to share vaping with more people. She bought a stand at a local market and started there for about two to three months. Then she knew she had to take her business full time. She contacted the Meath Partnership about her eligibility for the “Back to Work Start Your Own Business Enterprise Program,” and wrote a business plan.

Vape team left to right Manzoor, Karen, Alice (Karen’s mother), Inga, Christy (Karen’s father), Ian

“It gives you an incentive, a cushion to get started in your own business. You receive a payment every week

from the government for a year, and the second year it’s reduced,” she said. “It really does give you a kickstart. We’re now coming up on the end of year two.” She found the river-facing location in Drogheda, and started with very little, including the literal table that she used in the market stand. Kivapour’s doors opened in December 2013. Then, the floods came. The first Friday of trading Fleming came into work and the river had flooded the business. It destroyed a lot of the shop, but thankfully not all of it. “Facing the river is beautiful. But, at that time it wasn’t so beautiful,” she said. On the second Friday of trading, Fleming arrived to see two big diggers in front of the shop, literally in the doorway. There was a burst pipe underneath the shop, shutting Kivapour down again for the day. On the third Friday believe it or not, high tides came again. “I said ‘Oh give me strength.’ There’s a bit of a joke that a curse came when I arrived. Everything was fine until then. Thankfully we’ve been up and running since then,” Fleming said. “The onset of this business has been a roller coaster of a journey, and 10 months into it the challenges are still massive, but I’m growing as an individual, and my openness to learn enables me the opportunity to give 100 percent to my customers.”

“When we find something that’s good, and they are made well we try them in the shop and we go from there. Right now the iStick is going well and the Aspire Nautilus tanks, and a lot of the Aspire starter kits. And variable voltage goes well,” Fleming said. “We also are selling more of the dripper mods. They’re moving slowly but surely. You really have to educate people on how to use them and the way they work.”

With new customers and repeat business on an upswing, Kivapour has been able to expand to include a seating area and a change in decor. The shop now spans five by 12 meters, and the company is working on rebranding its image with an upcoming website: KiVapour.com.

As for Fleming’s personal vape, she said that every day is different. Her newest “baby” is a Joyetech eGo One, which she said she is in love with. She also vapes the iStick with the Evod 2. She attributes both of these products to the improvement of her life, and hopes to continue to spread the word and get more people onto vaping.

“It’s exciting at the moment, a lot is happening. I am very optimistic about the future and have plans to develop the shop and expand the range of products I currently sell,” Fleming said.

For more information, contact Kivapour@gmail.com or follow Kivapour on Facebook facebook.com/kivapour.

Currently, Kivapour carries a lot of KangerTech products and Aspire. Product lines are determined mostly from workshops that Fleming hosts where people come to network and discuss ideas.

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‘Vaper’s Day Out’tto Birmingham Vaper Expo U.K. Brings By Alyssa Stahr Photos courtesy of Vape Expo U.K. Birmingham In an additional U.K. first, another vaping exhibition is coming to the National Exhibition Centre Birmingham July 11 and 12. Vaper Expo U.K. is one of the U.K.’s first and most prestigious e-cigarette and vaping expos, according to the expo’s site: www.vapeexpo.co.uk. Inspired by other internationally-led exhibitions, Vaper Expo U.K. organizers wanted a trade a public exhibition it their area with a respected exhibition venue. Lee Skelding, managing director, has been a club promoter for the past 15 years. As he got older, he started a family, so along with his business partner James, they started 4ward Events LTD, using knowledge of promotion and marketing to launch their own events company. Both avid vapers, after months of planning they got the ball rolling with Vaper Expo U.K.

“Smoking of e-cigarettes was not allowed. During this time a competitor did get up and running, but there is room for more than one exhibition of its kind in the U.K.; the market over here is growing rapidly,” Skelding said. “After several meetings with the NEC we actually got their policy changed, so vaping will be allowed at our event. They are changing the policy for the whole NEC group of venues, so we are doing our bit for the industry convincing such a big organisation that vaping is acceptable.” The expo has space for 80 exhibitors, and organizers expect 3,000 attendees. There are expansion plans in place with the NEC if these limits get reached. Skelding said that the NEC is undoubtedly the best venue in the U.K.

“We live just outside Birmingham and know the area well. We looked at exhibition venues up and down the country but inevitably kept coming back to Birmingham. We chose the NEC National Exhibition Center as its renown as one of the U.K.’s best exhibition venues, and being based in Birmingham is central to the whole of the U.K., making it so much easier for visitors to get to us,” Skelding said.

“Everything we’re doing is scalable, so the event will either be a success or a huge success,” Skelding said. “At the moment we’re trying hard to secure the top names in the industry such as Innokin, KangerTech, Aspire, etc. We have, however, been inundated with e-juice manufacturers and suppliers. This side of the industry seems huge with vendors from the U.K., U.S.A. and Europe all getting on board.”

As this year’s show is the inaugural one in Birmingham, there was a lot of red tape to get through to secure the NEC, as their smoking policy was outdated.

U.K.-based ICE Liquids are pushing the boat out this year, and are signed up as one of the event’s silver sponsors, along with Cupcake World, who surprisingly

are becoming increasingly popular in Britain due to their own range of flavorings in the e-cig industry, according to Skelding. Even though the U.K. is a small country, it has a huge economy with a large vaping market. Skelding said that the U.K. is behind the United States, so organizers looked toward America and its expos for inspiration when organizing the Vaper Expo. However, Skalding said that he has his own set of goals for this event, including more than just being a formal B2B trade show. “We want to concentrate on hosting a fun event that is a great annual day out for all U.K. vapers,” he said. “Anything we can do to make it a great day out is our key unique selling point. If visitors are happy they stay and spend money with our exhibitors, and each year allows us to attract more and more expanding as much as we can. Our event will be the event vapers talk about and the event exhibitors want to be at.” The range of entertainment includes a DJ on the main stage, breakdancers, beat boxers and even a street magician. Skalding’s vision for expansion includes indoor fair rides, bars and chill out lounges. An after party also will be held at one of Birmingham’s biggest underground music venues, the first-ever vaping club night in the area. It will be a great opportunity for vapers to further unite.

“By uniting worldwide suppliers we are helping grow the U.K. market further but also are bringing in sought after international products and brands. The U.S. seems to want a big piece of the U.K. market, and a lot of your brands have bigger budgets than the smaller suppliers over here,” Skalding said. “We welcome such companies who bring their knowledge, good branding and well-trusted products over here. I think that no matter where you are in the world when you become a vaper the world somehow gets smaller and each and every vaper knows of the different brands out there. Sometimes it hard for vapers in the U.K. to get hold of international brands, so if we bring them here everyone is happy. We want this to be the best vaping day out they have ever had.”

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TPD Or Not TPD? By Barnaby Page, ECigIntelligence Editorial Director

That isn’t really a question, because most European countries will have no choice but to implement the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) over the next year or so. But, the exact way that they do so could have big implications for vapers, as the team from ECigIntelligence reports. While the United States may be in for a long wait before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) makes a final decision on its deeming regulations, European vapers will be feeling the effects of its equivalent, the revised EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), much quicker. All the EU’s member states, which include most major European countries, are obliged to implement the TPD in their own laws by May 2016. And now the Netherlands has become the first country in the EU to enact interim legislation that goes some way toward implementing the TPD. A decree that came into effect from the beginning of February is a strong indication of the approach Holland will take in its final legislation to implement the TPD. The decree, originally issued in November 2014, does the following: • Regulates e-cigs as a consumer product, rather than a medical one. • Implements the e-liquid volume and nicotine concentration requirements of the TPD with immediate effect. • Regulates the advertising of e-cigs to a minimal extent. • Restricts the ingredients and additives that can be added to e-liquid. • Requires childproof fasteners with immediate effect. • Requires instruction leaflets and warnings on packaging by August 2015. However, a number of significant changes have been made to the decree via explanatory notes, which have generally weakened its requirements. There had been some confusion about a number of issues: • Whether this decree implemented the TPD or not— it does not (it is an interim measure). • Whether the decree bans all e-cig advertising—it does not (it mandates minimal advertising restrictions). • Whether the decree mandates the use of “pure” ingredients—an explanatory note modifies this language to require only food-grade ingredients. • Whether the decree prohibits the inclusion of any “dangerous” ingredients, and if so what “dangerous” means in this context—an explanatory note clarifies and restricts the scope of this language.

The Dutch regulation of e-cigs is not only less final but also less draconian than it first appeared, though it is worth remembering that this decree will ultimately be replaced by the legislation that implements the TPD. Nevertheless, we feel that the Dutch government’s nearreversal on the meaning of significant language relating to ingredients is noteworthy, and could influence language implementing the TPD in other jurisdictions too. For example, we anticipate that “food grade” or similar language will be used by many jurisdictions, rather than a requirement for “pure” ingredients. The TPD itself refers to “ingredients of high purity.” The TPD has been the target of criticism from all sides before it even was completed, and several challenges likely are to receive court hearings. The most prominent for the e-cigarette sector is that from U.K. e-liquid producer Totally Wicked, which is questioning the legality of article 20 of the TPD, containing the provisions dealing with e-cigarettes. Totally Wicked maintains that the article “represents a disproportionate impediment to the free movement of goods and the free provisions of services, places electronic cigarettes at an unjustified competitive disadvantage to tobacco products, fails to comply with the general EU principle of equality, and breaches the fundamental rights of electronic cigarette manufacturers and users.” A British judge has agreed that there is a case to answer—although this does not mean that they, or the British government, agreed with the arguments Totally Wicked put forward. Under the TPD, businesses would face undue restrictions on advertising, and requirements such as pre-market notification and toxicology reports would place heavy administrative burdens on companies in the sector, Totally Wicked said. “Pre-market notification gives us a huge administrative burden, and a six-month delay in getting products to market, but there is no evidence of any risks for this notification to mitigate,” it said. Standardised refill mechanisms also would destroy creativity in the market and eliminate a large part of the e-cigarette sector, while full ingredient lists would destroy industry secrets, the company claims.

Where vapers’ interests are concerned, Totally Wicked argues that article 20 would limit e-liquid flavours and nicotine strength. Leak-free filling provisions would eliminate most refillable and custom rebuildable products, according to the company. The TPD also would prevent consumers from buying tanks containing more than 2 ml of e-liquid, Totally Wicked points out. Grabbing fewer headlines than the TPD, but just as likely to affect the lives and pockets of vapers, is the trend toward taxing e-cigarettes. Most developed countries, of course, tax combustibles relatively heavily; to date only a handful of nations (and a tiny number of American states) have imposed e-cig-specific levies. But we are sure their number will grow. In Europe, Portugal was the first, last year. The tax rate on e-cigs there is set at €0.60 ($0.70) per ml, according to proposals in the 2015 state budget. This is a significant level, 15 times greater than the equivalent taxation in effect in North Carolina ($0.05 per ml of nicotine-containing liquid), and would add approximately €12 ($14.20) to the cost of the average 20 ml e-liquid container. The government justifies its widening of the tax net “for reasons of public health as well as tax equity, since they are products that are presented as substitutes for tobacco.” Given the lack of evidence that e-cigarettes pose a significant threat to the public health, however, the primary rationale for the taxation of e-cigarettes in Portugal may be fiscal. A new tax regime also has come into effect in Italy, where the government has changed its mind repeatedly on the regulatory treatment of e-cigarettes—so don’t be surprised if the tax rules there change again. Under the latest Italian system, the excise duty on e-cigarettes will be 29.35 percent, based on a complex formula which requires an equivalence to be established between a given quantity of “inhalation products” (such as e-liquid) and a comparable quantity of combustible cigarettes. How well this will work in practice is anybody’s guess. But, in both Italy and Portugal, it is clear that at least part of the motivation for taxing e-cigs is to replace revenue from tobacco taxation lost when smokers turn to vaping. Moreover, the TPD may bring this to the top of law-makers’ minds elsewhere in Europe. The directive itself doesn’t make any requirements on e-cigarette taxation, but since it requires governments to legislate on e-cigs anyway, they may seize the opportunity to introduce taxes at the same time. There potentially is good news in the corridors of power for British vapers. Members of the British parliament have launched a working group on e-cigarettes—a so-called all-party parliamentary group (APPG), which has no official status but will hope to influence future legislation on the issue.

MAGAZINE

However, the group will have minimal activity in the run-up to the U.K. general election in May 2015, according to consultancy Abzed, which organised the APPG. The group plans to host three or four events over the first five months of 2015 before attempting to shift into a higher gear post-election, a spokesperson added. Attendees at the House of Commons launch were cautiously optimistic—welcoming the group but waiting to see whether it would be an active and useful group, or one that ends up lying dormant. Others were worried that it might be too one-sided—largely acting as a conduit for pro-e-cig lobbyists to reach the ears of government. Meanwhile, MPs have won the right to vape in a few areas of the Houses of Parliament … Ireland and Scotland have both been conducting consultations on e-cig regulation. In Ireland, a proposed bill would require retailers to be licensed as well as imposing a minimum age on purchasers, and would represent “the first step ahead of the transposition of the [TPD] to ensuring that non-medicinal nicotine delivery systems, including e-cigarettes, are sold in a responsible manner in this country”, the Irish health ministry said. Scotland, for its part, should in March release the results of a consultation looking at much wider-ranging regulation. On the table there are a public vaping ban, and even harsher limits on advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes than the TPD mandates. Throughout the EU, we can expect a lot more consultations—and a lot more hard decision-making—over the coming year as the 28 member states figure out exactly how to translate the occasionally vague requirements of the TPD into workable, enforceable, on-the-ground rules governing e-cigarettes. Find out more about e-cig regulation and the e-cigarette industry from ECigIntelligence, at www.ECigIntelligence. com. Exclusive free content is available as well as a range of subscription options.

Nuvola Green Goblin 6 mg

TASTE - 3 VAPOR PRODUCTION - 3 THROAT HIT - 4

REVIEW I chose Green Goblin as a flavor to test this month because of my love of comic books. Maybe that isn’t the best way to pick juices to sample. It’s a green apple flavor, which sounds great, but this flavor is more synthetic than I was anticipating. The green apple flavor is there, but it’s not as yummy as biting into a delicious fresh green apple and is not nearly as organic. The vapor production was average and it has a pretty good throat hit, but the flavor leaves less than I anticipated.

RVApors Special Sauce 12 mg TASTE - 5 VAPOR PRODUCTION - 4.5 THROAT HIT - 4

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.

MAGAZINE

REVIEW If you’re in the market for a dessert style juice, this is the one for you. With its creamy and delicious marshmallow taste and a graham cracker finish, it’s kind of like heaven. This American-made e-liquid is sweet, but not overbearingly sweet and definitely something I could vape on all day. The throat hit was good, maybe a tad harsh, but I also have to keep in mind I’m dripping with 12 mg juice, which I wouldn’t normally do. There’s a good aftertaste and it has a bit above average vapor production.

VaporShark Premium E-Liquid Peach Buzz 18 mg TASTE - 2 VAPOR PRODUCTION - 3 THROAT HIT - 2

Coming from a very well-known juice company, I expected a brilliant peach flavor that would fill my taste buds with happiness. That didn’t happen. It’s very bland and not a real peach flavor. I was expecting more. It’s very acidic though and burned my throat. There’s a good throat hit in there somewhere if it didn’t burn with every puff. The vapor production was average. I was a bit disappointed.

REVIEW

Natur Paradise Unknown mg TASTE - 1 VAPOR PRODUCTION - 2 THROAT HIT - 1

REVIEW This juice is certainly no paradise. There’s a citrusy undertone, but I did not enjoy it at all. I had to research the flavor to determine what it was supposed to be, and that’s never a good thing. And what it’s supposed to be tastes nothing like what it is. While researching the flavor, I noted the price was $23.99, which I find ridiculous. Some juices deserve a higher price tag; this one is not one of them. There was no throat hit at all and minimal vapor production.

inker Tailor Vapor: T StiG Turns Hobby Into Vaping Revolution By Dave Cross Photos courtesy of StiG England, one quarter of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is the birthplace to Nobel Prize winner Francis Crick. Engineering’s been embedded in the nation’s DNA since the Industrial Revolution—from Watt’s steam engine and Hargreaves’ Spinning Jenny to Babbage’s difference engine. It’s fair to say that the nation takes as much interest in engineering design as it does the weather. So, step back in time with us, come on a journey to the dawn of modern vaping. The year is 2010 and StiG is tinkering in his shed. He’s spent his free time making things since childhood, generally trying to build the better mousetrap. On the previously loved workbench is a cheap 306-style cigalike and 10 refill cartridges. “I have always been a tinkerer no matter what hobbies I have had all the way through my life, and even at a young age was always taking perfectly working things apart, like TVs and radios just to try and work out what made them tick. I was into modding CB radios when the legal FM band came in and gave them extra channels and split frequencies and had a nice little side line adapting them for taxi firms when I was only 13 years old,” StiG said. The vaping community at this stage was a close-knit group of hobbyists, sharing information and all trying to develop a better vape. StiG began with some simple torch conversions before exploring how to change voltages as the only atomizer options had fixed resistances.

“I went down the route with the 2AA and 3AA battery boxes then moved up to a 2x 18650 box. At first I stuck with the boost circuit but then decided to also do a step down buck circuit using PTR08100W with the addition of a switchable voltage screen. People started asking me to make one for them so that’s how it all started,” he said. Things progressed and StiG moved on to producing boxes that inspired many of the plethora of options available on the market today. With an eye for detail, he was always keen to offer alternatives for an element of uniqueness. StiG said, “We want to make things better, to make things people enjoy.” Along came the Juno, a twin 18350 variable voltage mod that allowed the user to pick from a choice of colored screens, buttons and coverings including black carbon, wood and steampunk. The introduction of brass options for plates and switches offered a hint of where designs might lead to in the future while the possibility for the mod to fire down to 0.5Ω made it truly groundbreaking; the vaping world had yet to discover sub-Ohming. The Nucleic, with its DNA20 chip, was followed by a redesigned V2 and then a V2.5 replete with a DNA30. But this innovation was creating frustration; StiG had outgrown his shed and hankered for the opportunity to step up the modding game. Enter Nick ... “I’m a precision engineer and designer by trade, specializing in plastics. I’m a fairly recent convert for vaping, so I started from square one of mod design less than 12 months ago,” Nick said.

Nick’s family owns an engineering firm, and the pair of them were reading from the same page when it came to mod design and production. Work began on the HeliX, a sublime 26650 DNA30 box mod. As StiG said: “It came out very good, and with a couple of changes we made some pre-production models in the different finishes and tested them every day for a couple of months.” Testing to failure included drop tests, important as the DNA screen is located on the bottom, and for electrical safety as the DNA30 doesn’t offer reverse battery protection. A self-resettable fuse became part of the build as a result. The HeliX doesn’t use any glue to hold it together (apart from the small battery insulator), so it is all held in place via a cradle that Nick developed. The have it your way company ethos continued with a selection of options being built into the design. “We wanted to let people be able to customize them as much as they could as we make them in two sections; what we call the boot section (as it looks like a boot/ shoe) can be in 316 stainless steel (now changed to 304) brass, aircraft grade aluminum and black Delrin and the main body in aluminum but you can also have the buttons in stainless steel, aluminum or brass and the boots and buttons can be mixed and matched anyway people would like too,” Nick said. The desirability of the finished mod resulted in a tide of desire, forum awards, full email inboxes and more than a few headaches. On the eve of the launch a power cut took the engraving machines out of commission, machines that require at least an hour getting oil back up to temperature before operating. Time is the added factor in the HeliX, from testing through to manufacture. It is part and parcel of the no-compromise approach to finish and function that elevates it to being one of the most highly sought-after pieces of vaping equipment— a byword in quality. Nick said: “When we started designing the HeliX we took the decision to make it without cutting corners or compromising on anything, hence the reason we had our own self adjusting 510 made from the outset. The only off-the-shelf bits are the battery spring, one washer, an O-ring, the board and half a dozen screws, everything else is bespoke. This is a blessing and a curse, in that it’s a time consuming thing to make (therefore expensive) but it’s a fantastically put together mod and therefore coveted.” The latest HeliX now is a DNA40 and the company have moved from selling through lists to their own website, stig-mods.co.uk. Plans are in place for new designs but, whatever the next release, demand will be huge for these master mod makers’ products.

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By Alyssa Stahr Photos courtesy of Sky Throne/TRUVAPE TRUVAPE is a U.K. registered limited company, specializing in the design and manufacture of electronic cigarettes, e-liquids and accessories. Lee Bryan joined brand owner Sky Throne (http://truvape.co.uk/) in 2013 as the company’s managing director after spending most of his career in a commercial capacity. Since working with the luxury leather industry, on OEM projects for many of the big European fashion houses and top marques auto brands, branding has been a major factor in Bryan’s work. With experience in developing start ups and franchise networks, Bryan and his family decided to return home to the U.K. after living and working in Italy and Spain. He found a role advertised in the electronic cigarette industry, and the entrepreneur in him kicked in. Bringing a fresh perspective to the company, Bryan recently spoke to VAPE about Sky Throne’s space in the U.K. vaping market.

Bryan: We no longer have the store in fact! As soon as I took over the company, I decided that we were a distribution company and brand owner, not retailers. So I moved us to a warehouse and began implementing a distribution structure, which is where we are today. We are currently in more than 5,000 stores in the U.K. and specialize in the c-store sector, so in that respect we are very different to the U.S. market, which is still very much independent vape store driven.

VAPE: The British market is really booming. Do you have plans on branching out to a larger target market? Bryan: I we created a brand that looked better than anything else on the market and the success has grown from there. We have three brands, but TRUVAPE is our mass market brand and the one that we use to help tobacco users break away and enter into their first vaping experience. These are solid devices and basic liquids, but we have both mid-range and high- end devices and liquids in our Signature, Alchemy and COV brands, which cover the full spectrum of vapers.

VAPE: Your market seems to comprise of more pen style vaporizers. Can you talk a little about the technical side of what goes into the things you make such as TRU HYBRID? Bryan: Yes, the U.K. market is still behind the U.S. trends, but this is changing as the U.K. becomes more familiar with vaping, rather than electronic cigarettes. Our standard device—TRU HYBRID—is a simple yet sturdy device designed for the beginner. It’s a 650 mAh battery with a replaceable coil, which is still more than a year ahead of our competition in the U.K. that is still using basic eGo style batteries and CE4 clearomizers. We have some exciting new projects, which we plan to bring to the c-sector in 2015.

VAPE: Do you have plans for expansion beyond your Manchester store?

VAPE: Is TRU HYBRID still your best seller? What other products are trending right now?

Bryan: Yes, the TRU HYBRID is still the No. 1 seller for us on devices. We are finding that the beginner user is demanding more advanced devices quicker into his or her vaping experience, so we are now bringing bigger batteries with variable voltage and wattage to the mass market. We are also working on some new box mods for the mass market; these will be totally different to what is being seen in the U.K. mass market. VAPE: Where does your inspiration for new products come from? Bryan: We have a very creative commercial team, and we work closely on branding, promotion and flavors. This team was responsible for the successful range of e-liquid Alchemy, which really bucked the trend in e-liquid flavors with a heavy focus on black and green teas with fruit mixes. We are very immersed in the industry and take cues from all over the world, but always try to step it up a notch and not copy what’s already been done. VAPE: As far as liquids, what are your most popular sellers right now? I saw you acquired two new ones last fall, including Alchemy. Any plans on more new acquisitions? Bryan: The sweet/ flavors are popular in the but the Alchemy range performing well all over Europe, particularly in France and Spain. The best sellers in that range right now are Shifu’s Kung Fu Tea-Liquid and Blue Monday, both of which we cannot manufacture quick enough.

candy U.K., is

have layers, and you get hit with different experiences throughout the vape. My personal favorite is our English Garden Party, which is a play of the Pimm’s style cocktail with strawberry, cucumber, mint, orange and lemonade, but the flavor combinations are fantastic. VAPE: Why do you think your company has been so successful thus far? Bryan: Without doubt hard work! We were not one of the first brands to get our flag in the sand, which meant lots of hard work and out-of-the-box thinking! We had to out maneuver our competition, think of cheeky ways to approach and win listings in stores, but of course we had to have the backbone of a good brand. The importance of having something quality that the consumer could rely on, both in terms of taste and safety. My team has grown from three to 35 in 13 months with no sign of stopping, but they all work their socks off in the pursuit of the same goal. VAPE: And you also sponsor events and ran a TV ad campaign correct? Bryan: We steered clear of the TV route in the end, as they got a lot of negative publicity in the U.K., so continuing our ethos of thinking differently we chose to create a platform by adopting a licensed device system for sports teams and venues. We sponsor and have licensed devices with two top flight rugby clubs (Warrington Wolves and Hull FC); a premier horse racing venue in Chepstow racing and events; a motorsport team in Jack Goff BTCC racing; and most recently a deal with a top professional football (soccer) club—Huddersfield Town FC. We sell product through their stores and online channels as well as working as official partners. We plan to add some more deals with other sports in the near future, which will raise our profile in our target market. VAPE: Do you have any additional goals for 2015? Bryan: We plan to break into some of the bigger supermarket chains in the U.K. and Europe. We have our own sales teams in France, Poland, Spain and Germany, and are working on some exciting deals in mainland Europe. These next few years are crucial in the development of any brand.

VAPE: I read you said Alchemy is the brand to watch. Why in your opinion? Bryan: Without a doubt the uniqueness of flavors. The flavor card reads like an ‘a la carte’ menu and is so enticing, but more importantly they are good! The liquids

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Best Selling E-Liquid Multipack from Witch eLiquid Price: £19.99 Website: http://goo.gl/ZJZzKd This wonderful sample pack includes six of Witch eLiquid’s best sellers: milk chocolate, green apple, strawberry, toffee caramel, banana split and raspberry. This e-liquid is made in a ULPA Filtered ISO 7 Class 3 clean room facility in Lancashire, U.K. They only use U.K. nicotine and ingredients (except a small selection of USA-based flavourings). All of their e-liquid is made fresh for each order on a daily basis.

Carnival Vaping Air Kit from ECigZone Price: £29.99 Website: http://www.ecigzone.co.uk/ products/air-ecigarette-single The Carnival Vaping Air kit has features that aren’t found in most e-cigarette starter kits. Aside from its variable voltage evod-style battery (which boasts 900 mAh), the Air clearomizer has a bottom dual coil system with an airflow ring that allows more or less air into the atomizer as the user requires, giving the utmost control over how you vape. The kit comes with one battery, one air clearomizer, one USB adapter, a user manual, a Carnival Vaping zipper case and a free bottle of e-liquid.

Price: £4.75 - 10 ml, £12.99 - 30 ml, 19.99 - 50 ml, £39.99 - 100 ml Website: http://www.plumeblu.co.uk Attention all fruit lovers! PlumeBlu brings you a black grape and citrus fruit sorbet flavour that’s sure to offer a light and refreshing yet flavoursome vaping experience for anyone who enjoys fruity flavours with a twist. This juice is created with standard 60 VG/40 PG blend using high-quality USP, EP and BP grade ingredients along with carefully selected food flavourings. The name hails from Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France who went on to have a popular grape variety named after him, which is where their inspiration for the unusual name was drawn.

Crème Brulee E-Liquid by ECig.eu Price: €5.50 – 15 ml, €10 – 20 ml, €11.50 – 25 ml, €17 – 50 ml Website: http://goo.gl/1hBph0 A beautiful blend of the cream of egg yolks, cream and sugar. The soft aroma of Creme Brulee is now in this unique e-liquid.

Candy Full E-Liquid by ECig.eu Price: €10 – 15 ml, €13 – 20 ml, €15 – 25 ml, €25 – 50 ml Website: http://goo.gl/bXyGz1 No. 2 mature tobacco leaves with a slight hint of chocolate—the pipe tobacco we would all love to taste.

eLeaf iStick from E-Cig Shop Price: £40 Website: http://e-cigshop.eu/ The eLeaf iStick is a perfectly-sized handheld battery with a fashionable metallic appearance. Its size makes it much more convenient for usage and portability. The iStick comes in four colors: silver, black, pink and blue. It features an OLED screen, 2200 mAh capacity and adjustable voltage. E-Cig Shop features the 20w version.

Irish Coffee Craft Vapes E-Liquid from Vivd Vapes Price: 15 ml - £9.00, 30 ml - £16.50 Website: www.vivdvapes.co.uk When its frosty outside this Irish Coffee will warm the cockles. This high-quality e-liquid is a perfect blend of Irish whiskey, coffee and cream flavours. Enjoy it by the fire as a means of relaxing or as a satisfying all day vaping experience.

Secret’s BlueBerries E-Liquid by Pink Mule Price: €4.85 Website: http://pink-mule.com Advertised as “the bluest of the blueberries,” Pink Mule brings you the sweet taste of blueberries with a muffin twist that will make you dance with enjoyment. A wonderful distinct flavor that can be vaped all through the day ... or at least until the bottle runs dry!

The Celt Mod from Vape Tornado Price: full set £69.99 Website: http://vapetornado.com/products The Celt mod from Vape Tornado is available in both stainless with brass accents or a brushed copper finish with stainless accents. It is designed in the U.K. and made in Bulgaria from recycled materials. The 22 mm mod sports deep, timeless Celtic knotwork engravings—a theme continued with ball knotwork on the flush switch and top cap—symbolizing the endless cycle of pleasure you will get from using the mod. The tubes accommodate 18350, 18500 and 18650 batteries. The Celt features silver-plated copper pins, telescopic for battery adjustment and flush mounting. The smooth 20x1 threading is a delight to use and promotes a very low voltage drop. Individual mod sizes are available in addition to full sets.

Sweet Voodoo E-Liquid by El Diablo Juices Price: £4 - 10 ml Website: eldiablojuices.co.uk El Diablo Juices brings you sweet, ripe strawberries covered in thick whipped cream and topped with a sprinkling of sugar. This e-liquid is full of rich, creamy flavours, but light enough to be an all-day vape affair. This is a firm favourite with the El Diablo team.

B-Box Mod by Bamskilicious Price: £110 Website: http://www.custom-vapes. co.uk/product The box is CNC machined from a solid T6 aluminium block. It is black anodized for a sleek and elegant finish. The mod has a full mechanical construction (no hidden wires or solders; no springs). All parts are custom made and can be disassembled for easy maintenance. It features a recessed button with NdFeB magnets that give less than one mm play and a soft touch.

Over the Rainbow E-Liquid by Vaponaute Price: €8.50 – 10 ml, €20 – 30 ml Website: http://www.vaponaute.com/ en/#&panel1-1 What a playful delight! This e-liquid is unexpected and refreshing. Sweet and sour aromas are followed by a surprising fresh feel. In order to enjoy all the subtlety of our aromas to the fullest, letting the bottle steep opened for a few days is recommended.

Kayfun 4 from Cloud 9 Vaping Price: £101.62 plus P&P, and VAT if applicable Website: http://www.cloud9vaping. co.uk/Kayfun-V4 SvoeMesto has completely redesigned their hugely popular Kayfun atomizer and incorporated many of the features customers have asked for, including a glass tank option, easy to fill top, liquid control and access to the deck without draining the tank. The airflow on the Kayfun 4 also has been improved greatly and is very smooth and consistent with very little noise. With the addition of the Kayfun V4 S-Kit (available separately) the airflow can be opened up even further. The removable build deck now includes four coil screws for dual coil builds or additional attachment for single coil builds. Material choice for the Kayfun 4 carefully was considered and SvoeMesto decided to use only the highest quality materials throughout. The 316L stainless steel used for the construction adds to the beauty of the surface finish and feel in the hand, but it’s also the most durable and sensible material choice.

Leather Electronic Cigarette Case with Money/Document Slots and Antiqued Brass Swing Clasp by Mothercuffers England Price: €54.74 Website: http://goo.gl/HESNkq The small Mothercuffers Vape Case features up to two mod slots, three tank slots, two battery and two juice bottle slots, with two full sized document slots. Fully customizable from leather dye and finish to slot size and layout.

Aspire Premium Starter Kit from Vapourlites Price: £49.99 Website: http://www.vapourlites.com The Aspire Premium kit is made of an Aspire CF VV+ battery and a Nautilus Mini tank. The Aspire CF VV+ is a high-end vaping power system. This battery features stainless steel endpoints, a metal button and a carbon fiber coated tube, and the Nautilus Mini includes a four port adjustable airflow system that is both user friendly and reliable. The design of the tank also makes it easy to carry, install and refill.

MAGAZINE

Monster

Chain Reaction

Features: 7W-120W, 6.4-8.4 working voltage, double high rate 18650 Lithium battery, 0.3--3 â&#x201E;Ś, 510 thread, LCD screen that indicates power level, clearomizer resistance, voltage, wattage. Size: 100*60*25mm.

LCD screen that indicates watt, voltage, resistance and battery capacity. 4000mAh (26650 dry battery). 7W-50W.

1981 V2 Tank Kit

Ifancy

Dual tank system that allows e-liquid to stay fresh by staying in the upper chamber while the lower chamber is used by the atomizer. Push the drip tip to release e-liquid into the chamber, soaking your atomizer, keeping your e-liquid tasting fresh every time. Other features: patented spring loaded drip tip, easy top fill tank, 4 port airflow control, spring loaded positive connector pin.

Each kit includes 1pc ifancy battery, 1pc mini wall charger, 1pc usb line, 1pc adapter. Features: 18650 mod, 2600mAh, 0.3--3â&#x201E;Ś, 510 thread, wattage adjustable up to 30W, LCD screen that indicates power level, clearomizer resistance, voltage and wattage. Size: 81*32*22mm. Colors: black, white, pink, green, camo, gold.

Manabush Puts the ‘Pow’ and ‘Wow’ in Nottingham-Based E-Liquids By Dave Cross Photos courtesy of Manabush Nottingham—once home to a sprawling forest, an evil sheriff and Robin Hood—is a far more tranquil place these days. The castle and networked limestone caves hint to a majesty and mystery of days gone by. But, when it comes to vaping, the city is a focal point of some of the best juice manufacturers in the business. Manabush is an example of a company that has taken the obstacles in its stride and continues to plan for future growth. The company began with its owner, Martyn, experimenting with mixing for his own pleasure. “It was born out of a personal experiment with tobacco leaf steeping,” he said, “ although I never actually ended up using the steeped leaf method—there are companies out there far more capable than myself at that kind of thing.” A designer/web designer by trade, Martyn became excited at the prospect of using his creativity in a different arena. The mixing seemed a natural fit given his love of cooking and creating cocktails. “I actually never intended it to be a business; it was just my hobby—but when the bottom dropped out of the traditional web development industry, and with help and pressure from some friends saying “you need to do this,” it seemed the natural way to go. It was either that or go back to cutting hair— which I hated with a passion.” Manabush came to the attention of vapers through its signature Powwow Sauce, a blend of custard and tobacco flavor with a hint of maple. He explained where this inspiration came from: “I was a huge fan at the time (and still am) of Vermillion Rivers’ Kentucky Maplewood, and that blend of sweet topping with a tobacco base really appealed to me. I did not want to just copy the

juice, so I set about making my own twist. The first three flavors I developed were really quite simple compared to Manabush as it is today, but they were for my personal use. These are no longer available, although I have thought about bringing one of them back on a limited run.” Breaking with the old routine and setting up a new venture such as this brought challenges. Initial orders were sporadic, but the experience has been: “Nerve wracking, enjoyable and, ultimately, somewhat of an emotional roller coaster.” But not a roller coaster in sales terms, as the business now resembles a Mack truck gaining speed and momentum. As of press time, Manabush is in mid-process of relocating to larger premises. From the humble beginnings of kitchen sinks and eBay bottles, it now is all about ISO class 7 clean rooms, laminar flow cabinets with HEPA filters and hygienic wall cladding. It’s a success story built on popular products, a keen eye for detail and a focus on providing second-to-none customer service. Success stories in vaping need more than just making something available and providing it swiftly. The

branding in use on the site and products play an enormous part and gives an insight into the person behind the company. “Basically I’m a lifelong fan of Adam and The Ants, The Cult and a band called Claytown Troupe—all of which borrowed heavily on Native American sound and artistry. That, I guess, has shaped what I like in terms of art and design since I was a kid. It was almost inevitable, with the initial flavors having a heavy maple overtone, that I would explore the great amount of mythology surrounding Maple and North American native culture as an homage—it just kind of fell into place,” Martyn said.

Unlike manufacturers of mods and atomizers, juice designers are in the firing line when it comes to the release of scientific studies and rumor. “Whenever there is any kind of scare it has an effect: there is an increase in questions regarding diketones via email, which we always answer honestly. It’s a difficult one, the formaldehyde study was just a joke, but diketones are more of a concern that will (at some point) need properly putting to bed. I don’t see vaping as a harmless alternative to smoking, I see it as orders of magnitude less harmful than tobacco burning,” Martyn said.

The thing is, despite the success, Martyn still doesn’t see himself as a business person: “I like the juice and brand creation, the actual administration and marketing bores me ragged.” It is probably for this reason he champions the likes of Suicide Bunny, Cosmic Fog, Colonel Booms, House OF Liquids, El Diablo, Scopes and Digbys liquids. “I like to recommend things I’ve found exceptional—and you know what, if someone likes Manabush there is a chance they have similar tastes to me. That level of community interaction appeals to me.” For more information, visit http://www. manabush.com/.

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By Alyssa Stahr Photos courtesy of FIVAPE FIVAPE’s president, Arnaud Dumas Rauly, believes that vape is hope. In 2012 his wife forwarded him a Groupon deal on an e-cig for 10€ and asked if they should try it. Being a self-proclaimed geek, this was a perfect way to discover a new product that he had been hearing about for a while. A few months later, along with two rugby mates who owned a winery in Paris, vaping and wine tasting works well by the way:) they founded their first e-cig brand, which is No. 1 in retail in France. Arnaud quickly met key players and industry leaders in France who had created the former version of FIVAPE, the CACE (Collectif des Acteurs de la Cigarette Electronique). This was in the summer of 2013. “They were pioneers in this nascent industry, and I joined them in this quest for a fairly regulated product,” Arnaud said. At that time, the big battle was the TPD (Tobacco Products Directive) in Europe, which included an entire section on e-cigs. Europe was struggling between classifying e-cigs as medicinal products or as tobacco products. On Oct. 8, The entire French vaping industry, as well as the consumers association (AIDUCE) held the first victory when the European Parliament ruled that e-cigs weren’t a medicinal product. “During the entire process, collaboration throughout the industry in Europe (can you imagine the French and the English—ECITA—working hand in hand?) was phenomenal, and we became aware that we had the power to change things, to help people get out of tobacco for good,” he said. In a nutshell, FIVAPE is a professional organization committed to the defense of the interests of the profession and those of its members and the safety and satisfaction of users. FIVAPE aims to represent the interests of professional products and the electronic cigarette, first in France, then across the EU and internationally. In terms of market, FIVAPE has been asked by governmentfunded agencies to compile data about the French market. FIVAPE today represents 200 members: e-cig manufacturers, e-liquid producers and distributors. Members are mostly French, but also include Chinese and American companies. “We have even set up a private intranet allowing foreign companies to make their new products exclusively available to our members and get feedback on their market fit; the whole process happens within 30 days and the these companies get direct market feedback before launching the products,” Arnaud said. “We have also setup FIVAPE offices in China, Morocco, Tunisia, Romania, Algeria, Belgium, etc.” Regulation is pending in Europe and France, and the biggest credibility toward regulators and governments resides in the fact that FIVAPE has publicly declared itself independent

FIVAPE Commits to from the tobacco industry. Each of its members signs an independence declaration, renewable every year since January 2014. “You can’t imagine how many doors this has opened for us. We’re quite proud of this as we’re seeing more and more international associations and companies who are following our lead on this,” Arnaud said. “To give you a brief example of what this has helped us with: we are continuously consulted by the French government when it comes to vaping regulations, no decision is taken without FIVAPE’s input.” Arnaud said that the most important part is products standards. As FIVAPE has had discussions with the INC and the DGCCRF (equivalent to America’s ACCI and FDA) during Q1 2014, FIVAPE’s main suggestion was to start a product standards committee with AFNOR (ie: ANSI in the United States). This technical committee was put together with industry players, consumers associations and regulators in May 2014 and after numerous meetings, an initial product standards documents was published including three aspects of vaping products: product safety, e-liquids and emissions. One last aspect was added at the end of 2014, which are commercial/service standards. AFNOR then pushed these standards to the CEN (European Standards Committee) in Q4 2014 and FIVAPE has received information that CEN has accepted to create a separate e-cig technical committee for standards in Europe. “We have obtained the organisation of this technical committee. This makes FIVAPE and AFNOR key players on European standards. In doing this, we have baffled the tobacco industry that have been trying to include ecigs in the current tobacco standards technical committees, on a national and international level (ISO),” Arnaud said. Misinformation in Europe is much like it is in the states, attributed mainly to two things: Big Tobacco and Big Pharma lobbying: traditional industries that didn’t think or didn’t consider vaping as specific products. Not medicines, not tobacco products. “This is probably the main aspect of our action: defending the idea of an independent and specific industry, which leads us to a specific vapor regulation. This mirrors our work at AFNOR with

Defending Members, Giving Vapers Hope which we are building specific ‘vapology’ grade products such as food-grade, tobacco and pharma-grade,” Arnaud said. “Media: let’s take an example, an e-cig battery that blows up for instance will make headlines in hours while no one will talk about a cellphone battery that blows up. E-cigs are a hot topic until they’re regulated, hence, every bit of ‘crunchy’ news will has exponential impact in the press. Relativity is the key answer, unfortunately, people are like sheep when faced with the medis; they tend to follow and not think by themselves. I urge anyone who sees a paper come out on e-cigs (like the NEJM late January) to wait for reactions and weigh the pros and cons before going all out on social networks or in the press. My mother always told me ‘turn your tongue seven times in your mouth before you speak.’ Some scientists and journalists should even do it 14 times instead of publishing rubbish.” In terms of the fragmented market due to the economic situation in Spain in particular, Arnaud said that Spain was the first European country so start implementing the TPD. Rapid and uncontrolled development of the market, plus growing lobby of e-cig opponents, triggered attention of Spanish policy-makers while the TPD was being voted. After the vote, focus shifted to member states with Spain being the first EU country to regulate electronic cigarettes in January and February 2014. This situation turned the e-cig market in Spain to chaos after TPD—those who lost came back doubling their pressure in regulatory, media and medical fronts thus weakening the product’s credibility and scaring the general public. “Today, we need to unite as an industry with consumers and scientists in order to turn this around. ANCE has started doing a very good job in Spain working with a PR/communication firm, but everyone has to help,” Arnaud said. “FIVAPE has discussed this with our members that have a presence in Spain and have started putting some cash on the table to send out positive messages. The other main hurdle is that the tobacco industry is

strong in Spain, through it’s distributor: Logista (same situation in France).” Moving into working better with China, during the CECMOL electronic cigarette forum in September 2014, Peter Beckett from ECITA and Arnaud hosted an informal standards meeting with a dozen of e-cig producers in Shenzhen, which was followed up by another one this January. Arnaud said that feedback was very interesting and allowed the organizations to understand that all these factories wanted to make better products and were concerned about public safety. Below are a couple of common questions that came out of this group: • atomizer temperature is an issue • safety of batteries is a concern • they want a clear list of documents for traceability • which tests should be done during production “Shenzhen electronic producers turn to us for guidance as the U.S., France and the U.K. are their biggest markets and importers. FIVAPE has also discussed things during a consultation at the European Commission and have agreed to transmit all the implementation notifications to the Chinese producers, in order to have homogenous product notifications and to avoid each and every distributor to fill them in,” Arnaud said. In terms of fighting for vapers’ rights with the United States, FIVAPE is following the news about deeming regs and sent lengthy comments over the summer, as well as following various laws per state. “In general, connections between American and French companies are becoming more and more frequent. We’re reinforcing our collaboration with key U.S. industry players like SFATA, AEMSA and CASAA,” Arnaud said. “At FIVAPE we hope that within the next two years we’ll have set the precedent in Europe in order have a regulated environment in which consumers will be able to find the products they need and industry players will be able to innovate to provide these products.” Arnaud also believes that for once the United States will use what happens in Europe as an example in order to make the right choices in terms of regulation. He wants to continue to help make vaping a growing, sustainable, consolidated industry, and wants everyone to join his or her own national institution for the future of the industry. He said, “SFATA for e-cig professionals and CASAA for consumers, to become part of the vaping revolution. We all have a chance here to make the world a better place, to help humanity avoid millions of deaths per year and actually make a difference.” For more information, visit http://www.fivape.org/.

Limelight Mechanics Showcase Handcrafted Works of Art By Alyssa Stahr Photos courtesy of Limelight Mechanics

Deep in the heart of Central Serbia is a workshop where lightness stems from the dark. Limelight Mechanics was formed on the concept of creating something better, improving up on craftsmanship of a product with a rich history. Civil engineer Dejan Aleksandrovic didn’t have a job due to the economy situation in Serbia, so he decided to start his own e-cigarette business with products distributed from China. After about two years, he decided to do more with vaping and his father, who was a carpenter for his entire life. “Together with him we started making pipes. About two years ago we started developing many prototypes, and we made many mistakes and got the product. We started selling the e-pipes actively last October or November,” Aleksandrovic said. Limelight specializes in mechanical electronic pipes and accessories. According to the company website, the pipe bowl acts as a battery compartment accompanied with a switch on top, while the atomizer with its liquid reservoir is attached at the stem base of the pipe. Each piece is custom made by hand in a workshop in Central Serbia, numbered individually creating an unrepeatable and unique design. Aleksandrovic said that he sold Chinese e-pipes in the beginning, but the quality and designs were not up to standard. “I was like ‘Wow I can do this better,’ and I started to come up with my own designs,” he said. “When I started designing the pipes, the only thing on my mind was to make the ultimate e-pipe because of the competition in the market.”

He studies various materials and focused on making a good spec. All connectors on Limelight e-pipes are made out of brass and laminated with aluminum. The inner part is cooled, and the aluminum shell is headed. Then the parts are fused by pressing both together, creating a nice, warm aluminum shell. Aleksandrovic explains further: “The mechanics inside are very good for connectivity and the threads. As for the insulators inside, most pipes are made out of some other plastics, and ours are made out of Teflon. We give a lifetime warranty on our product; any other plastic would melt. Our pipes can survive this because of the Teflon powder.” Famous Serbian walnut wood is the natural choice of timber for the Limelight e-pipe. The wood is exported throughout Europe, and it has a very good texture fitting for an e-pipe. The aluminum is then polished or brushed as a finish. “It took some research about the natural waxes and oils. Then we came up with a polyurethane gloss. We had to play around a little bit; we experimented with how much matte should be in the gloss, so there was a bit of chemistry involved,” Aleksandrovic said. Everything is machined in the workshop except for the Teflon, and 100 to 200 pieces are made monthly,

depending on demand. Limelight customers include mainly professional vapers who are familiar with mechanical mods and are familiar with highend, stylish products. The Honeysuckle stems currently are best sellers. “I assume they mostly use them at home by the fireplace,” Aleksandrovic said. Looking ahead to the future, Aleksandrovic hopes to launch new models, such as a boxed mod prototype, which is almost finished as of press time.

He carries a book and a pencil with him to sketch designs whenever the inspiration strikes, keeping in mind that doing his best starts from having a great design. He explains, “The designs are good, but I’m familiar with the market—it’s the No. 1 reason why we are so successful. Our reviews are really good. I hope for the best and do my best.” For more information, visit http:// limelightmechanics.com/.

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Go West: A Look at the Professor’s Smoking Toolkit Study By Dave Cross

British-based academic Robert West is a rare phenomenon: a professor who campaigns for harm reduction in smoking, receives funding from pharmaceutical companies and yet argues for the inclusion of electronic cigarettes as part of a joined-up approach to tackling smoking-related deaths. Holding a doctorate in psychology, West has been a lecturer for 30 years and applied himself as Professor of Health Psychology and Director of Tobacco Studies at University College London since 2003. At the current count, he has 314 genuine peer-reviewed publications to his name, 21 books and 30 published reports. West serves as editor-in-chief for Addiction magazine (among others), that has published many quality pieces of vaping research, and is the lead behind the Smoking Toolkit Study (used to advise the Department of Health & Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority on policy). Suffice to say, West is an expert in the area of smoking cessation and the application of electronic cigarettes. “England also has much to be proud of with its ‘comprehensive’ tobacco control strategy,” he said. “Having a National Health Service (NHS) helps; clinical care is paid for primarily out of taxes and is free at the point of delivery. Within that system it has been possible to evaluate whether support for stopping smoking represents good value for money in terms of cost per quality-adjusted life year gained and if so to implement that nationally according to evidence-based guidance.” For West, the importance of policy making being evidence-based can’t be emphasized enough. He was one E-cigarette use by those who’ve never smoked is negligible

Using his evidence-based approach in relation to efficacy, West states: “People attempting to quit smoking without professional help are approximately 60 percent more likely to report succeeding if they use e-cigarettes than if they use willpower alone or over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies such as patches or gum.” This from a survey that led a widely respected journal, The Economist, to write: “More evidence is in that socalled e-cigarettes do let smokers stop smoking.” In the past he has rounded on those suggesting that flavors and availability lead to a gateway effect, demonstrating that figures obtained from the Smoking Toolkit Study (STS) illustrate the exact opposite— there has been no uptake in smoking revealed in any of the annual studies and usage among non-smokers/ teens remains at a statistically insignificant level.

• The headline is that total U.K. electronic cigarette use is falling. • Electronic cigarette use is distributed evenly across age ranges. • Ex-smokers vape more than dual fueling current smokers. • The use of nicotine replacement products also is in decline. • Around 80 percent of users are dual fueling. • E-cigs raised successful quit attempts from 24 to 35 percent. • 16-25 year-olds count for 30 percent of smokers—a stubborn figure that has not altered. • Vaping has contributed to the highest ever number of quit attempts and the highest smoking cessation rate since 2007. • Vaping by never smokers remains statistically negligible.

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It stands him on a confrontational path with Pfizer, who funded the Smoking Toolkit Study prior to it being chiefly resourced by Cancer Research U.K., but he never is backward in taking on those who would seek to distort the findings from studies. In February he highlighted that Professor Chapman was distorting findings from a study West carried out: “I regret to say that Dr. Chapman has not accurately represented the findings of our study. In addition the premises on which his argument is based are false.”

This isn’t to say that his findings are universally accepted by vapers in the U.K. The 2015 iteration of the STS prompted a number of people to question the statistics. The findings were as follows:

of the 53 scientists and public health who co-signed a letter (http://nicotinepolicy.net/documents/letters/ MargaretChan.pdf) to Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization. Speaking to the BBC, he said: “E-cigarettes should be regulated appropriate to what they are because they are orders of magnitude safer than tobacco cigarettes.”

Never Smoked

MAGAZINE

Long-Term Ex-Smokers

West concluded that electronic cigarette use has lessened because of a reduction in dual use by people who continue to smoke. Growth in electronic cigarette use has been accompanied by a reduction in the use of licensed nicotine products and prescription medication noting for the first time, to the ire of some vapers,

that the two facts are not related. But, in favor of vaping, he declared that electronic cigarettes might have helped approximately 20,000 smokers to quit smoking over the last 12 months; 20,000 lives who would not have stopped otherwise. “Some experts have expressed concern that widespread use of e-cigarettes could ‘re-normalize’ smoking. However, we are tracking this very closely and see no evidence of it. Smoking rates in England are declining, quitting rates are increasing and regular e-cigarette use among never smokers is negligible,” West said.

smokers. Ex-smokers who make this mental transition following a quit attempt appear more likely to remain abstinent in the medium term than those who (don’t).” Vaping is successful for would-be quitters, proven by his research, but maybe the act is nothing more than a pleasurable tool by which we help to redefine ourselves as ex-smokers or quitters? One thing is certain; West will continue to make welcome contributions to the knowledge base.

West does sound a note of caution: “Some users may want to continue using e-cigs indefinitely. It is not clear whether long-term use of e-cigarettes carries health risks, but from what is known about the contents of the vapor these will be much less than from smoking.” “E-cigarettes could substantially improve public health because of their widespread appeal and the huge health gains associated with stopping smoking. However, we should also recognize that the strongest evidence remains for use of stop-smoking services. These almost triple a smoker’s odds of successfully quitting compared with going it alone.” Success in quitting is something West goes on to address in a paper released at the end of January, titled: “Does non-smoker identity following quitting predict long-term abstinence?” In it he applies psychology to how we define ourselves. “The majority of people who quit smoking recently consider themselves as nonRobert West

More smokers are quitting. There has been an increase in the rate of quitting smoking.

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E-Cigarette Forum Continues Fight for Harm Reduction By Alyssa Stahr Photos courtesy of E-Cigarette Forum In 2007, Oliver Kershaw (SmokeyJoe) showed Neil Mclaren his first e-cig. Mclaren was working as a web designer and running a furniture business. When he looked closely at the device, which Keshaw had ordered straight from the factory in China, he admits that it took some convincing. When Kershaw explained what a radical shift this was in the approach to stopping smoking, and that making e-cigs better was just an engineering problem that could be solved, Mclaren knew he was right. Mclaren now serves as the director of the E-Cigarette Forum, the world’s largest e-cigarette specific website with 1.5 million unique monthly visitors. Mclaren joined ECF full-time in 2010, and he is committed to harm reduction through improving e-cigarette education and research, maximizing their potential for public health. VAPE: What are some of your proudest achievements thus far? Mclaren: The few vapers around were all dual users back then. It was so expensive and hard to get a hold of, so the full switch took some time. One of my proudest achievements is getting my 70-year-old aunt to start vaping after almost 60 years of smoking; seeing how happy she was to be free from tobacco was a powerful reminder of what we do. And when you think about it, at its core that’s essentially what ECF does—provides information and support for everyone’s aunts, uncles, parents, sons and daughters. When you consider the 10s of millions of people who have been on our pages, and read their personal stories and see the positive impact vaping has had on their lives, we’re extremely proud of how far we’ve come—but we still have a long way to go. VAPE: To what do you attribute being the biggest forum in the world for our industry? Mclaren: It would be easy to say that our success lies in the fact we were the first, but we were driven to start ECF because we were genuinely passionate about the products and the opportunity to reduce the harm done by smoking. At the time there was nextto-no online discussion taking place. Back in 2007 the world of vaping was limited to a couple of products coming out of China and one U.S. brand, Njoy, and with none of the variety and effectiveness we see today.

It was obvious to Oliver that this discussion needed to happen, and he came up with the idea of starting a forum to facilitate it. The fact that the majority of the initial members of ECF were all from the U.S. led us to the early decision to base the site Stateside. From the start we always said that ECF had to be the place where grandmother from Iowa could feel comfortable talking about vaping with a 24 year old from Baltimore. So we had rules about keeping things polite, aggressive behaviour and drug talk was out. We were strict with vendors. Many of those that never made the grade to becoming an ECF vendor were seeking to exploit vapers and give vaping a bad name, especially with the dreaded health claims that would have seen vaping classed as a pharmaceutical product. We were extremely aware it was by no means a certainty that this product would grow into an industry and could be easily snuffed out—we had a duty to avoid anything that could jeopardise it. ECF was the hotbed of innovation in those early years when things really began to take off. The first mod was designed by one of our members, Trog, and was called the screwdriver. His reason for making it took on the key issues at the time—he added a button, used a bigger battery and importantly, didn’t want to be using a device that looked like a cigarette. With a taste of things to come, within months it was cloned and we had the first massproduced, higher power device. Following that the first high-end mech-mod was designed by ECF vendor Imeo from GG; it was a really exciting time for the fledgling industry, and the community were right at the centre of it. The same goes for flavors, back when the only crude attempts at tobacco flavors were available (and not even available as liquid yet) our members had direct access to manufacturers and were demanding different flavors, and then when they figured out you could refill your own cartomizers a whole new industry was born. We all have a lot to thank those early DIY pioneers for! VAPE: Take new vapers through your site. What are some of your personal highlights and first-priority destinations? Mclaren: The first thing to is jump straight into the New Members Forum, say hi and tell your story.

I think most people will be amazed at the warm and helpful responses. Our moderators and members are a fantastic, supportive bunch and keen to help. Having all been through those early stages they know addressing fears and getting the right product in a smoker’s hands massively increases their chance of success—it’s a community in the warmest sense. For me, some of the best threads to discover what the community and vaping is about are the ‘show us your set-up’ ones; they are great way to see just what variety is out there. We’re at the stage now where a new vaper can get set up pretty quickly with a good rig that will help make the transition. For some that will be all they need, for others the ongoing support and community that exists on ECF is a reason to keep coming back. VAPE: An important part of our community is that we are ACTIVE vapers. What role do you play in education and how can people become more active in fighting for rights the RIGHT way? Mclaren: We have always sought to be active advocates and encouraged our visitors to do whatever they can to get involved. There’s a call to action notice on every page highlighting current issues, (sadly a growing number). And we do whatever we can to promote initiatives be it CASAA, SFATA, AVA or the Vaping Militia, or Dr. Farsalinos’ crowd-funding campaigns. There are a lot of amazing people doing important work with very little money behind them and they need whatever support they can get. In 2013 we jointly set up the annual E-Cigarette Summit (vaping.com/ecigsummit2014), which was the first conference dedicated to the science of vaping. At the time we had very few high profile academic supporters of vaping, and we were worried it could all go terribly wrong. But, by providing a balanced platform we took the full debate public and slowly more people started paying attention to the real science. Ultimately the Summit was crucial in changing the one-sided nature of the discussion in the EU at the time and has continued to have an impact worldwide. It’s also important to remember we have a huge number of registered vendors, many whom were vapers

first. We actively encourage all vendors to join their relevant country trade association, as this is the only way to get a seat at the table when you’re dealing with legislative issues, however much some may disagree. And again, we push them to support vaping by investing in research and giving back to the community. VAPE: Since this first Q&A is for our Europe edition, can you point out possibly the three biggest hotbed topics in the Europe vaping industry right now? Mclaren: The Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) was passed into European law after much protracted wrangling and a huge grassroots movement that had a very positive effect on the outcome. This has left us with the two main issues. 1. Transposition of the law. The TPD has to be translated into workable text by member states, and is currently ongoing behind closed doors. This is almost as big as the law itself, due to the vague text and arbitrary nature of what was passed. 2. May 16, 2016. This is the important date—after this date any products not already on sale within an EU member state will take six months after notification before they can be put on the market. This will be a huge burden. 3. Taxation. We’ve already seen taxation in Italy and Portugal that massively disadvantages vapor products compared to cigalikes, which obviously favours the tobacco industry. We expect to see more of this. VAPE: How can both Europe and the United States work better together to achieve a worldwide vaping community? Mclaren: The problems we face are common; the enemies of vaping are a global force, including multinational industries. It’s a big fight and we can only stand a chance of countering it by joining together as much as we can. Science and reason are on our side, after that everything is about making ourselves heard. It’s crucially important for vapers to remember their voice matters in all this. We proved already we can have a huge impact in changing the future of vaping, when everything seemed lost during the TPD negotiations vapers from across the world stood up and made themselves heard with social media campaigns and doing the basic things like contacting their local politicians. No one owns vaping, but it can be taken away as we know it if we sit still. VAPE: What’s your current vape of choice (device and liquid) and why? Mclaren: I’m using a Vaporshark DNA30 with an Aspire Atlantis; it just so customisable and my vapor is just the right amount, lots! I change my juice probably every day; I just love switching it up, but a current favourite is My Boy Blue from Good Life Vapor—they have a great way with subtle, complex flavors. For more information, visit http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/.

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VaporFair EU Frankfurt Announces Inaugural ‘Product of the Year’ Competition

By Alyssa Stahr Photos courtesy of VaporFair EU Vaping is growing by leaps and bounds worldwide, and VaporFair EU organizers aim to show that great information, recent technology and stellar innovation in the vaping market must be shared with the masses. Last year’s VaporFair, held in Frankfurt, Germany, was a huge success. A related fair was integrated into the second international HookahFair; organizers have brought the entire show back for May 2 and 3. VaporFair specifically specializes in the electronic cigarette industry, organized by Engin Leyla and Aytac Leyla, cousins and business partners. Aytac, a jurist and event organizer, has experience in handling contractual matters, international agreements and working with the public. After launching the HookahFair in 2013, the duo realized that the e-cigarette market wanted to exhibit. “Soon we recognized that this branch definitely deserves its own platform. We decided to divide our our expo in two—the HookahFair and the VaporFair,” Aytac said. “Both branches have several interfaces, which make this combination beneficial for each participant. Nevertheless, we advertise both events independently from each other and divide them spatially to reach the maximum amount of visitors from both branches.” Aytac explains that last year’s show took place on two different floors, however this year the expo will take place in Hall 1, a much larger exhibition area. Both shows will be spatially divided, however on the same level. Additionally, the events team has been expanded, allowing for a smoother process for exhibitors and attendees. More marketing, sponsorship, bigger advertising campaigns, stand building and registration efficiency has been added as well. Organizers expect about 160 exhibitors and more than 9,000 visitors for the 2015 show, a significant increase from last year. More countries and companies will be represented this time around. “We bring together wholesalers, producers, distributors, manufacturers, retailers, organizations, associations, the media, retail shops and the public from all over the world,”

HookahFair/VaporFair Stats on the Rise 2014 Fair Countries Represented: 64 Increase in Visitors From 2013-2014: 170% Increase in Exhibitors From 2013-2014: 397% Total 2014 Exhibitors: 107 Total 2014 Visitors: 7,133 Hall 1 Exhibition Space: 9,000 sq. meters/96,875 sq. ft. Source: VaporFair EU Brochure A4, 2015

Aytac said. “There also will be time frames in which the public has access to the exhibition. Big deals will be made with business people of course—however, the consumers will make use of the products at the end, right?” With the B2B and B2C concept in mind, Aytac hopes that exhibitors can attain direct feedback from consumers and adapt products to customer needs—something that is helped by the location of the expo—Frankfurt. “Frankfurt is not only the heart of Germany, but the heart of Europe. Its expo center is one of the largest worldwide, internationally well-known and wellesteemed. It’s easy to reach,” he said. “However, not only the geographical location and the infrastructure of Frankfurt make our show unique, but the internationality of our visitors and exhibitors, the variety of products, the ambiance, the proximity to our customers, our support, the mass of media people visiting our show, etc. It is the ideal possibility to break into the European market and to get well-known within a very short time.” For the first time in VaporFair history, there will be a “Product of the Year” award to honor the most innovative products exhibiting. Exhibitors must send in products in advance of the show to be checked for design, quality, handiness, innovation and cost effectiveness. Winners who make it to the podium will be announced during the show and published on the website and press releases. In addition, VaporFair will host contests, an exhibitor evening, press conferences, interviews, a 500 square meter lounge area with DJs, an additional VIP lounge area and more. Aytac hopes that VaporFair will be the ultimate bridge between public authorities and manufacturers, between manufacturers and end consumers. He wants media to spread the word worldwide in order to be heard—to give something back to the exhibitors. For more information, visit http://www.vaporfair.eu/.

Product of the year 2015

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In addition, Elda uses high-end automatic production machinery and cooperates with certification institutions. The company is a proud holder of the AAA Excellence Certificate, the highest creditworthiness rating issued by the Bisnode Group, a leading provider of decision support solutions in Europe. “The AAA Excellence Certificate is one of the most important European standards defining the quality of business operation, and it is an internationally recognized mark of a company’s business excellence,” Marenic said.

By Alyssa Stahr Like a river that ebbs and flows, the e-liquid market has been trying to stay above water with recent hits in the media. With a number of misinformed ideas about what exactly is in e-liquid, companies like Elda Ltd. take pride in knowing that they have the best product in today’s market. Elda was founded by Dario and Davorka Marenic 33 years ago as a Croatian electronics company. Since 2008, the company’s main activity has been the manufacturing of e-liquids. Dario recognized the potential of the e-liquid business seven years ago at a fair in Las Vegas, when the e-cigarette was presented to him by a Chinese innovator. “Dario realized there were a huge number of advantages of e-smoking compared with traditional smoking,” Daria Marenic, Elda marketing manager, said. “E-cigarettes and e-liquids don’t contain tar or other thousands of harmful ingredients. E-smoking is cheaper than traditional smoking.” Elda grew day by day, investing in research, development, innovation and new equipment. Following the world’s demands and trends, its product range has expanded, and today the company boasts the largest e-liquid producing plant in Europe, exporting to more than 70 countries worldwide. Current average sales span from 550,000 to 700,000 bottles and up to one million disposable refills (new packaging 1.5, 2 ml) per month.

Elda’s e-liquids are manufactured with the most modern equipment and technology. Products are eco-friendly and GMO-free, and they are not tested on animals. Energy-efficient machines are used, along with ensuring of the safe disposal of waste generated in the production process, and only bio recycling plastics for the manufacture of bottles and other packaging like cardboard boxes, etc. are used. More than 500 flavors in production, including tobacco, sweet, fruit, food and more, are produced by using quality raw materials of European origin. Ingredients of Elda’s e-liquids are the traditional propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, distilled water, flavorings and nicotine, which are purchased only from trusted European suppliers with pharmaceutical quality. “We are always looking further in developing our products, also we are the first who put triangles on the cap for e-liquid bottles and first with child safety and tamper evident cap for e-liquid bottles,” Marenic said.

Marenic said that Elda has a higher standard because of extremely high quality control input and output control, control of all raw materials and technical specifications and other raw material documentation.

Wild Strawberry, Watermelon, Gummy Candy, Sweet Pink Bubblegum, Pina Colada and Sex on the Beach. Staying on top of the worldwide market and being familiar with impending regulations is key, and Elda realizes its importance on following world trends. The company attends some of the largest expos in the world, including those in Frankfurt, Las Vegas, London, Paris, Dortmund and Krakow.

Four basic product lines are available in the Elda range, including Totally Green and Green Witch. “According to the opinion of customers, (Totally Green) are the best in the world because they offer rich taste and produce more smoke,” Marenic said. “Totally Green is also the best choice in OEM—we put labels on everything that customers want—the name of their company, their logo, etc.” Green Witch provides a 100 percent organic touch, with natural e-liquid in the VG base. “We are doing complete OEM for our customers of Green Witch e-liquids with their own logo, labels and all requirements. Also, we specially designed a new line of e-liquid 4U (Carefully selected e-liquids for you), with our brand, e-liquids that give you wonderful flavor and a premium signature e-liquid line,” Marenic said. Elda also provides custom formulas, along with manufacturing a new product, which is the first and only one in the world. Shown at the Nato Show in 2014, in Las Vegas and at Vapor Fair 2014, the innovation are seven-day special mini ampoules for filling e-cigarettes in patented packaging. Marenic explained: “Our core business has always been the OEM service, which includes customers requirements as specified percentages of flavor, mixture bases and of course the dose of nicotine, that’s why we are developing formulas per each different markets and preferences to adapt customers’ requirements.”

“We adapt products and equipment to requirements of particular market, also with all the products we prepare technical documentation. We were the first in the world to manufacture disposable refill (new packaging) of 1.5 to 2 ml also in bio recycling plastics,” Marenic said. “That says a lot about how we prepare for the future market regulation and ease of use of our products by the users. We are building a new production facility that will be the largest pharma grade facility in Europe for e-liquid industry that will meet anticipated directives, and we are closely linked with key people in this industry who are participating in proposals for future directives. In no case we do not support the sale of e-liquids and electronic cigarettes to minors, and we give special attention to ethical business retailers.” Elda received a $6.2 million HRK grant from the Structural funds of European Union forfurther development and investing in new equipment, and the new manufacturing plant should be be complete within the next two years. In the first nine months of 2014, Elda achieved a 22 percent sales growth and recently was recognized by the Croatian Ministry of entrepreneurship and the European Union, something that Marenic is very proud of. She said, “In Elda we say that secret of our success is persistence, hard work, readiness for accepting new business challenges and a harmonious working team.” For more information, visit http://www.eliquid-shop.com/.

Since Elda is one of the biggest manufacturers of e-liquids in Europe, the company’s engineers have the luxury of making special flavors completely by customer request. After doing extensive market research, Marenic saw that retail customers from Europe prefer rich tobacco tastes, realized in best-sellers such as Magic Stardust, Pure Virginia, RY4, D-6, M-Type, Cowboy Blend. Customers from the United States shift to craving sweet and fruit flavors such as Passion Delight,

Vape Jam Promoters Eagerly Anticipate

U.K.’s First Vaping Expo By Alyssa Stahr Photos courtesy of Vape Jam UK Amir Saeed, otherwise known as P-Vaper, is one of the first U.K-based vendors to introduce premium U.S. e-juice and hardware to the U.K. and overall European market. Seeing that the U.K. needed a showcase event, Saeed enlisted the help of Maria Borissova to bring Vape Jam UK to London May 8-9. While working specifically with Ruthless, Chapter XII and 4 Seasonz Elixir e-liquid brands, Saeed started traveling frequently to the United States. He wondered why the U.K. didn’t have a premium e-juice like the United States. In conjunction with California-based Ruthless, he launched his own line of Penguin Juice. The vision didn’t stop there, however. In a moment of coincidence, Borissova’s partner won a giveaway on Saeed’s Instagram, after years of smoking. “I grew up in Cyprus (Greece), and the majority of this nation smokes. I started smoking at 14; there’s no restrictions here, you can buy tobacco at any age,” Borissova said. “Up until the age of 22 I was smoking a pack a day for no good reason—I was miserable and I did not enjoy it. I had to find an alternative.” Borissova went into a kiosk to buy another pack of cigarettes and saw a little pack of disposable cigs, and she and her partner used them for the day. At the end of the day, they thought it was awesome, so they took the next step into starter kits in September 2013. “One of the first vape shops opened in London in the center of town, and it got a lot of coverage. We saw it (the shop) in the Guardian. My partner started managing the shop, and I did PR since I had a PR background,” she said. “They said ‘You can bring so much more and he contacted Amir and he started distribution for them. We became partners from day one. Vape Jam is my baby just as much as his.” With a growing British industry including a lot of space for improvement, Borissova said that there’s only a few vendors currently who sell “amazing” stuff. London only recently has demonstrated growth in the vaping domain, and Borissova attributes a lot of the success to an American influence. “The best quality products are in the United States. Secondly, vaping we can’t say it’s mainstream just yet, but it’s becoming more visible in the U.K. You see more people using them in London, and as an ex-smoker I had an eGo battery and a crappy cartomizer, and I’ve evolved,” she said. “We’re a little behind, but you see more shops popping up around the U.K. I don’t want to call it a hype, but the lifestyle is picking up quite progressively.”

And, Vape Jam UK hopes to showcase that progress in May. The first e-cigarette convention of its kind in the U.K., there is enough space at the Central Lower Hall in the Olympia London to fit around 120 vendors. Organizers expect up to 4,000 people to come see names such as Space Jam, Suicide Bunny, Five Pawns, Vapor Shark, Phil Busardo and the Vaping Greek. “The names are coming. We are getting a lot of support, and people are expecting something new,” Borissova said. “We are looking to have really cool giveaways and goodie bags for the first 100 visitors on day one and day two. There will be a VIP area where drinks will be unlimited and snacks. We are really trying to make it interesting to come and meet manufacturing vendors and leave with a good impression. We are trying to make it big like it’s not our first year.” Additional highlights include activist seminars and a showing to regulatory bodies that the vaping industry is not one to be ignored. “If you see some of the British-based media—it’s mind blowing. It’s scary. Our arms are opened wide for everyone to come and listen to the talks that are taking place. We hope the U.S. market will come too and help us in achieving this,” she said. The first show of its kind in Europe has a lot to live up to, and Borissova hopes that Vape Jam UK kicks off strong and isn’t a one-time thing. “We created Vape Jam for it to be a reoccurring event—to really pull this off and work ourselves to the limit and to give back to the community, which has been so supportive of us,” she said. “The U.K. has not seen a shot like this. We took inspiration from amazing shows that succeed. We want to let people interact with people that they wouldn’t necessarily interact with and also educate newcomers. People who are curious about vaping are encouraged to come.” For more information, visit http://www.vapejamuk.co.uk/. Follow Vape Jam UK on Instagram http://instagram.com/vapejamuk.