Issue 1

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Hello and welcome to our first ever issue of Vapouround Magazine.

We launched this magazine because of the huge demand for news and information about vaping out there right now… a demand which is growing all the time.

Our aim is to provide the coverage you want to read and we will have something for everyone in every issue… whether you are a first time vaper or already something of an expert you are all most welcome indeed.

We will be interesting, informative and keep you up to date with key news events but we will never be too serious or stuffy.

This is both an exciting and challenging time for the entire industry which has amazing potential for growth but which also faces scrutiny and regulation from governments and other official bodies.

Already there seems to be a lot of confusion and misinformation out there about vaping and just knowing where smoking e-cigarettes is allowed and where it is not is something of a minefield.

Take time to check out the magazine and the whole team hope you like what we have put together for you.

Feel free to tell your friends about us and be sure to follow us on Twitter (@Vapouround) where we already have a lively and growing community of followers.

You will find fun facts, links you will find interesting and also offers and contests from time to time so follow us and be sure to say hello.

I also want to say a big thank you to all of our advertisers and everyone who contributed to this magazine as a lot of hard work went in behind the scenes to get it live and launched.

Finally we want this to be your magazine so do feel free to come up with suggestions, tips or ideas for features you would like us to cover.

Feel free to email me - paul@vapouround.co.uk is my email address and I look forward to hearing from you.

Happy vaping.

Caplin Editor

Paul

MEET THE TEAM

Top 10

Weird & Wonderful Juice Flavours

Vape juice comes in an ever expanding range of flavours and there are so many out there that there really is something for everyone. Some are obvious from their name what they will taste like, while others are a little more obscure. It is clear that not only does a lot of thought go into coming up with the right flavour combinations but also a huge amount of thought goes into coming up with memorable and descriptive names too. We asked on Twitter for our followers to come up with

some of their favourite weird and wonderful names for e-liquids and you didn’t disappoint. Thank you to everyone who sent in a tweet, we always love hearing from you about vaping, and some of the names which caught your attention were certainly interesting.

So based on the responses we received, and some of the flavours which also caught our eye, here is the Vapouround Magazine current top ten of weird and wonderful juice flavours:

CHILLI - This one is hot…quite literally. Chilli flavour liquid by Nosferatu is not for the faint hearted. People who have reviewed this say it comes with quite a powerful kick indeed so you have been warned.

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KRYPTONITE - This e-juice from Cosmic Fog is described as “a sweet and refreshing blend of cool melon paired with your favorite candy, makes a bottle of juice that you'll finish as fast as a speeding bullet.” Wow. That certainly is fast.

CAMBODIAN BREAST MILK - This very exotic sounding flavour is brought to you by Vape Troopers and is a highly popular product. What does it taste like though? Vape Troopers describe it as “a savoury flavour which is a sweet Asian corn dessert with a hint of coconut cream.” Sounds interesting.

MILK & CEREAL- well if ever there was a vaping product made for breakfast then this must be it. Manufacturers

Sugarloaf Vapor say this is one to really trick your taste buds into thinking you are enjoying a sugar-coated cereal with milk. Sounds good.

BANANA NUT BREAD - This sounds like a delightful flavour, especially if you have a sweet tooth. Makers Mount Baker Vapor say it is a rich dessert vape with notes of banana and nuts, and undertones of sweet bread.

7 6 5 4 8 9 10

NOT-CHO CHEESE FAUXRITOS - This e-juice from Apollo is certainly very high indeed in the pun content. US-based makers Apollo say: “A cheesy tortilla chip e-liquid.You won’t believe how close this tastes to the original crispy treat.” Great name and very creative but we think this will certainly be an acquired taste.

BLACK PEPPER & GHERKIN - This does seem to be a ‘love it or hate it’ e-juice flavour and would probably appeal to people who also like the hit they get from chilli juice. There does seem to be a group of vapers who like their really hot and strong liquids and another who prefer milder flavours.

THE ELVIS - Can you guess what flavour this might be? Full marks if you said it was bacon, banana and peanut butter sandwich flavour but you are probably already a fan of the King of Rock and Roll if you knew that. It turns out that that particular combination made up Elvis’s favourite sandwich. Manufacturers Firebrand say the combination of creamy peanut butter, savoury bacon & tasty banana make it crazy delicious and a flavour that you can vape all day. Sounds interesting.

PIZZA - Probably not one of the more obvious flavours for a vape juice and makers High Desert Vapes admit that this will not be for everyone. If you are tempted by pizza e-juice though this one has tomato, cheese and oregano notes for that authentic pizza flavour.

EXTREME DOUBLE

CUSTARD & CHOCOLATE

CREAM one sounds really creamy. Manufacturer Vaperfog says it is one of their most popular flavours and we can see why. There can’t be many people who don’t like the smell of creamy chocolate and custard.

Vape Expo NJ

17, 18 & 19th JULY 2015

Vaping enthusiasts got more than they bargained for when they attended a three day Vape Expo in the USA.

he event, which was held from July 17 to19 at the New Jersey Convention Center, was attended by around 1,200 vendors and electronic cigarette enthusiasts. New Jersey has strict indoor smoke-free air laws which cover indoor public places and work places. However organisers believed they could get around the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act by making the event membership only where attendees effectively became members of a private vaping club in order to gain admission.

Everything seemed to go to plan…at least at first, until health officials got to hear about the event and were not happy that vaping was taking place inside a public building.

According to the website nj.com both local and county health officials arrived at the event and handed out multiple fines totalling around $50,000 to promotors and exhibitors for breach of indoor smoke-free air laws.

The website reported that Edison and Middlesex County health officials wrote 66 citations against vendors over the course of the weekend for allowing customers to vape inside the the New

Jersey Convention and Exposition Center.

Jay Elliot, director for the township Division of Health and Human Services, is quoted as saying: “At my request they shut the doors at 4 p.m. (Sunday) - it was scheduled until 8 p.m. - to address vaping by the attendees at the event.”

In 2010, New Jersey was the first state in the USA to ban vaping in public by expanding a law barring indoor smoking at restaurants, bars and other public places to include e-cigarettes.

Promotor Andy Balogh said he would cover the fines imposed on anyone at the event who was cited for vaping indoors, according to a video posted on the Vape Expo NJ 2015 Facebook page.

The event’s official website was updated during the event to say: “The Edison board of health has forced vaping to be done Saturday and Sunday in an adjacent enclosed pavillion off the show floor.

“Please keep all vaping in that pavillion. This event is not open to non-vapers. Thank you, VENJ Staff.”

Elliot said that despite the attendees and vendors signing a document saying that they were joining the Vape Expo NJ 2015 ‘club’ that it was still an event which was effectively open to the public.

The arrival of the health officials and the events which followed provided to be highly controversial and provoked a lot of angry reaction on social media sites.

Some blamed the organisers for not ensuring that vaping would be allowed but most people seemed to complain that issuing the fines was a very heavy handed approach by the authorities concerned.

One comment on the event’s official Facebook page said: “Joke what a joke. W aste of an 8 hr drive both way and feel terrible for the vendors poor research done on planners behalf…

“Thankyou for the vendors that stuck it out and allowed us to try their awesome products even under threat of being fined.”

Another commenter asked: “How is it that the city waits till the event in full swing and then starts fining people?”

State Sen. Joseph Vitale, one of the indoor smoking ban sponsors, arrived after a tip off from GASP - Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy - and said the law offered no exemption for a private members club.

The Underground Series is the Signature Vapour Liquid range from ICELiquids. Headquartered in London, UK, ICELiquids manufactures a variety of premium e-liquids.

The Underground Series has been created specifically for vapers who desire a complex tobacco or refreshing menthol vape in a quality e-liquid. This custom e-liquid is available in 12 specially crafted flavours that were developed after consultation with many customers; 9 rich and deep tobaccos and 3 delightful menthol blends that are available in 0, 3, 6, 11, 18 and 24mg/ml nicotine.

The goal of The Underground Series was to create premium vapour liquids that use the highest quality natural ingredients available. The flavour profiles in this signature range were formulated after extensive customer trials as well as months of in house testing to ensure the best flavour and quality vape possible. Our Signature 15ml black glass bottles offer both aesthetic value and protection from UV light, helping to keep your liquid fresh to the last drop.

Our initial offering is the Original Series which comes in 45 flavours (more are currently in production), and are split into four categories; tobacco, fruit, fun and tastelicious! Available in 10ml bottles at 0, 6, 11, 16, 20 mg/ml.

All ICELiquids liquids are manufactured in our laboratories in France, with stringent quality control systems in place to guarantee our final product has been manufactured properly and thoroughly tested. This ensures that every bottle maintains the highest quality standards attainable and is consistent batch to batch.

Smoking robot and human face/off in shock e-cigarette study

Groundbreaking research funded by British American Tobacco has suggested inhaling nicotine vapour could be as safe as breathing air.

The tobacco giant funded the creation of a special robot to test the health risks of vaping. Leading scientists now claim that vapour released by electronic cigarettes has zero toxic effect on the cells found in human lungs. To perform its experiments British American Tobacco teamed up with the MatTek Corporation, which makes models of human cells used in high level in-vitro laboratory experiments.

In the ground-breaking experiment, scientists used a smoking robot to expose lung cell replicas to three different air/vapour types; clouds produced from two different brands of e-cigarettes, tobacco smoke, and fresh air.

Cells died when exposed for six hours to traditional cigarette smoke. However after giving the cells a continuous vapour dosage, researchers as quoted in the Mirror claimed the damage to the airway tissue was “similar to that of air”.

British American Tobacco spokesperson Dr Marina Murphy said: “By employing a combination of a smoking robot and a lab-based test using respiratory tissue, it was possible to demonstrate the ability to induce and measure aerosol irritancy and to show that the different e-cigarette

aerosols used in this study have no cytotoxic effect on human airway tissue.” Plans are afoot to utilise the same tests on a larger range of e-cigarettes to strengthen results.

The debate about e-cigarette safety isn’t likely to dissipate, having been ongoing for the past few years ever since the exponential rise of e-cigarettes. Numerous studies have highlighted health risks, although most experts agree vaping is the safer alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes.

Dr Michael Siegel, Professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health is one these experts who keeps abreast of all topics concerning e-cigarettes and writes extensively on the industry. He said: “Despite the limitations of the research, it adds additional evidence to support the contention that vaping is a lot safer than smoking. Such a phenomenon would result in the greatest public health miracle of our lifetimes.”

He also encourages public health bodies and anti-tobacco groups to persuade smokers to make the switch to vaping, which could ultimately transform the nicotine market and achieve a huge public health victory. His positive words for e-cigarettes were tempered with a warning as he warned about the dangerous toxins produced by

overheating liquid nicotine.

Vaping enthusiasts are proud and protective of their vapes, seeing it as a life-line and healthier alternative to smoking. Many vapers reject research which claims e-cigarettes emanate dangerous chemicals.

Interest in vaping is coming from all quarters of the industry. British American Tobacco announced the release of their Voke device earlier this year. This operates more like an asthma inhaler and is licensed as a medicine which produces no heat.

What do you think? Vapouround encourages more scientific study around the safety of e-cigarettes and e-liquids. We also champion smokers making the switch to vaping for an alternative and what is well documented to be, a healthier lifestyle.

“Despite the limitations of the research, it adds additional evidence to support the contention that vaping is a lot safer than smoking.”

Nerudia

Nerudia is a trailblazing company in the e-cigarette industry headquartered in Speke, Liverpool. They are committed to harnessing the power of innovative science to produce quality nicotine products including e-liquids and e-cigarette devices. By setting a benchmark of excellence in the e-cigarette industry, Nerudia are groundbreaking in their approach.

One of Nerudia’s core functions and USPs is to understand, analyse, and dissect policies to gain a detailed understanding of the constantly changing regulations. As of 1st June 2015 suppliers must classify, label and package according to the CLP Regulation (the European Regulation on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures). The re-labelling and re-packaging of products that are already in the supply chain may be postponed until 1st June 2017. With another impending change on the horizon in May 2016, with the introduction of the European Tobacco Products Directive legislation, there will be a shift in the legal landscape again as manufacturers will be forced to declare specific ingredients, amongst other changes.

Nerudia will be instrumental in raising the bar for standards for nicotine and e-liquids. This will assist those wanting to make the switch from traditional tobacco cigarettes to e-cigarettes, but worried about the standards of components and manufacturing.

Nerudia’s non-traditional business model operates from

Evolution Vaping is a real family-run business based in Birmingham and is well-known for its friendly and efficient service both online and offline.

It was founded in March 2014 with the aim of providing high quality vaping gear and e-liquids at affordable prices.

Dad-of-three James Burr, 33, runs the business with mum Sharon taking care of the accounts and paperwork and making sure all the finances are in order.

His father, Ian, looks after the online orders while younger brother Matthew, 29, helps runs their shop in Kingstanding, Birmingham.

James is a former engineer who used to work as part of the quality engineering team at Toyota but decided on a dramatic change of career when he got into vaping.

Evolution Vaping has always ensured that their customers had ready access to the latest vaping equipment without waiting or having to pay a huge premium to do so.

James and the team are always happy to share their knowledge with customers who come into the shop looking for help and advice and online customers who email with questions or queries.

Evolution Vaping sells mods, e-liquids, starter kits, accessories, batteries and chargers and the very latest atomisers and clearomisers. Their customers range from experienced vaping enthusiasts to first timers who want an alternative to traditional smoking.

For more information check out their website http://www. evolutionvaping.co.uk/ or call them on 0121 386 3736.

WEBSITE: WWW.NERUDIA.COM TEL: 0151 909 8500

purpose-built facilities created by pharmaceutical giant GSK, who originally used the premises to manufacture inhalation products in a GMP environment.

The Nerudia team’s cutting edge research identifies major trends before anyone else. They offer tailored consultancy services, advising on regulation of e-liquid and e-cigarette devices as well as dermal and inhaled medicinal products.

Top of the Vapes

Top Ten Flavours To Tickle Your Taste - buds

Have you ever popped into the supermarket for a quick trip to pick up some toothpaste? Then spent 10 minutes being completely flummoxed as you wildly eye up the hundreds of multi-coloured tubes? Vapers face a similar predicament when choosing an e-liquid.

There are thousands of different flavours of e-liquids out there, so how do you make your choice? Short of playing Russian roulette every single time you make your e-liquid purchase, we at Vapouround want to remove that time-consuming element of indecision. After all, less time spent trawling through hundreds of flavour combinations is more time spent on vaping, which can only be a good thing. Here are

Lemon Spike by Inspector 11 Vapes (www.rsvapour.com)

1A clean, fresh lemon sweetness with a surprising and refreshing finish. Top secret recipe, 100% VG for some amazing cloud production.

Sugar Drizzle by Cuttwood (www.vapeclub.co.uk)

2

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A delectable blend of spicy cinnamon and milky cream which manages to create a perfect balance between the two distinct flavours. An interesting twist on the classic fiery cinnamon taste.

Apple and Cinnamon Pudding by Digbys (www.digbysjuices. co.uk) Baked cinnamon and apple pudding finished with smooth lashings of custard. It really is a treat. Smooth sweet inhale with the custard notes on the out.

4

Godfather by Vapercrew (www.vapercrew.com)

A formidable blue force of absinthe, blueberry, blackcurrant and ice menthol. 5

Ice Mint by Hangsen (www.hangseneliquids.co.uk)

A uniquely refreshing taste of menthol, which makes for a beautifully minty e-smoke. 6

Pink Custard by Bulldog Vapours (www.bulldogvapours.co.uk)

A delicious creamy and fruity concoction; strawberry and raspberry form the base notes of this e-liquid. Great for new and seasoned vapers alike, or those seeking a hit of nostalgia.

Lemon Meringue Pie by One Dream Vape UK (www. onedreamvapeuk.com) There’s nothing better than the smell of freshly baked lemon meringue pie. Sweetness of the meringue, tart lemon and perfectly cooked pie crust is a dream and heavenly delight.

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Winter by 4 Seasonz Elixir (www.eliquid.com)

A graham cracker flavour complements a creamy vanilla swirl. It’s a bold taste with medium throat hit.

Jaffa Cakes by Inspector 11 Vapes (www.rsvapour.com)

A delicious blend of chocolate and orange to bring that distinct flavour from everyone’s favourite cakey biscuit.

Hooligan by Digbys Juices (www.digbysjuices.co.uk)

Cherry, lemon, orange and lime combined with a bit of fizz are sweet with a lingering tingle.

ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE COMPANY A HEALTHIER ALTERNATIVE TO SMOKING

Viking E-cigs is a Lichfield based company with 4 years experience in the Electronic Cigarette industry. Our retail and wholesale operation ships to customers all over Europe.

We source many of our products direct from branded companies and because of our buying power, can offer you the best products at the lowest prices. We have also introduced some new Eliquids from the USA including Space Jam, Cosmic Fog, Mystique and the NJOY Artist Collection, Ruthless, Epic Juice, Kilo, G2 and Twelve Monkeys. We also have a wide range of Mods in stock including the latest IPV4S 120 Watt Box Mod’ Also available is our premium Dekang range with over 50 flavours, as well as UK made Eliquid from Herbal Tides.

Spending too much on your habit? We offer the equivalent of 200 cigarettes for just £3.00

Tried and failed to quit? 90% who switch- never go back

Don’t know who to trust?

Viking E-CIGS sell high quality products, fully compliant with EU standards and regulations. Why go anywhere else?

Ready to make a healthier choice? Drop in now and talk to the experts

Wholesale Ecigs and E Liquid

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This was a vaping exhibition for the trade and the public and it attracted some of the biggest names in the industry for two great, fun-filled and action-packed days. Whether you were an experienced vaper or a total newcomer there was something for everyone.

In fact the newcomer could not have been made more welcome as everyone was willing to take the time to answer questions and give advice.

Having retailers, manufacturers, e-juice manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and a small army of vaping enthusiasts at the one venue, meant this was the ideal place to be to learn more about the industry.

Some of the most cutting-edge products were on display as well as custom mods and a huge selection of different flavours of e-juice were available to try and to buy.

The atmosphere inside the hall was friendly and inviting with a live DJ, raffles, giveaways, a chill out zone, bar and non-stop opportunities for visitors to vape to their heart’s content.

To say this event was a huge success would be a massive

THE VAPER EXPO UK 11-12th

understatement. There were people queueing up to get in from 7am - three hours before the start - and within the first 40 minutes more than 1,800 visitors had passed though the doors.

In addition, the Saturday raffle not only saw some amazing prizes being won but it also raised £1,024 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

The organisers were so pleased with the way things went that plans are already being drawn up for next year’s event and they are already looking to double the capacity to cope with the expected demand.

Vaping is clearly a massive phenomenon and can only get even bigger. Those at the show were passionate about vaping and people easily struck up conversations with other visitors with ease.

It is an industry where there is a lot to talk about and subjects ranged from types of equipment used, favourite juice flavours, regulations, modifications and vaping techniques.

It was billed as the UK’s premier e-cigarette and vaping exhibition and The Vaper Expo at the NEC certainly lived up to all the hype.

JULY

“Vaper Expo was the event of the year for me. VapeJam was great too, but I think Vaper Expo had the right mix of professionalism and fun while catering to much of the general public and trade members.” vapemestoopid.co

A blog post on vaping site vapemestoopid.co described the NEC event as the highlight of the UK vaping year so far. The post said: “Vaper Expo was the event of the year for me. VapeJam was great too, but I think Vaper Expo had the right mix of professionalism and fun while catering to much of the general public and trade members.”

Website planetofthevapes.co.uk reported that dedicated vapers from the UK Slick Vapers group on Facebook got up at 4am to ensure that they were at the head of the queue on Saturday’s opening day…that is real dedication for you. Summing up the exhibition, the website said: “These events provide a real focal point for vapers who otherwise interact in a virtual environment.

“They are an opportunity to come together, share laughter and experience a day out together…with the samples and discounts being offered, vapers left for home with loaded bags and happy faces.”

Judging by the comments left on social media sites, the event was enjoyed by exhibitors, sponsors and visitors alike. Some comments on Twitter included this from @Sharpzilla:

“Just got home from @VaperExpoUK had a great time, awe some atmosphere, grabbed loads of bargains and some cool free stuff Here's to next year!”

@WhichVape tweeted: “Had great fun @VaperExpoUK today, meet lots of nice people and tasted some amazing liquids!” while @trampykid said: “Good day @VaperExpoUK today, many new flavours and toys to put to the test.”

The organisers were more than happy with the event too and wrote on the official Vaper Expo Facebook page: “A big thank you goes out to everyone who attended the Vaper Expo this weekend.

“Cuttwood Cosmic Fog Vapors, Totally Wicked e-liquid - UK, Vape Distribution, Grey Haze Ecigs VGOD and all of other sponsors we can't thank you enough, you have all helped to create one wicked weekend.”

This was a fun weekend with a great sense of community and with next year’s event already being planned it looks like this could become a firm favourite event for the UK vaping community.

by Patrick Griffin

OK so I have a confession to make… and some may find this to be a big, big confession indeed.

I don’t vape.

There I have said it and I feel so much better now.

So when I was asked to cover The Vaper Expo UK event at Birmingham’s NEC, I really didn’t know what to expect.

I have covered events at the NEC before during my career as a journalist, the first being a cat show many years ago but this event was very different to that.

My first surprise was how absolutely dedicated the vaping community is. By the time the doors opened at 10am there were more than 1,000 people waiting in line to get in and those at the front had been there since 7am.

The second surprise was how friendly everyone was. Not that I was expecting an unfriendly crowd but the point being that everyone seemed to be in a really good mood and very chatty.

The third surprise was the amount of vapour in the air. When I have seen people using e-cigarettes while out and about there seems to be a little bit of vapour released each time they vape. Here was different. One moment I would be talking to someone right in front of me and the next moment that person’s face was completely obscured behind an aerosol cloud of flavoured vegetable

glycerin and propylene glycol.

It was fascinating to watch, which is just as well because for the next six of hours or so I saw a lot of people disappearing behind clouds of VG/PG.

Then, like any community, I soon learned that it had a language all of its own.

People were talking about the voltages they were using on their devices, talking about the advantages of dual over single coils and about the custom mods they had on their devices.

I am sure I even heard someone talking about ‘ass juice’ whatever that means. I know there are lots of unusual flavours out there, some with really amazing names, but I think that is one I would never want to try.

I learned later that this term refers to an e-liquid that tastes rather foul…so that’s that mystery solved then.

When the show started I could see from one end of the hall to the other. If I had a spotted a friend at the other side of the venue I could have waved and caught their attention.

Now if you have been to a vaping show before you will know that this was not

going to last very long at all. Soon the hall was engulfed in smoke, well vapour not smoke. It was exactly like someone had turned on a dozen dry ice machines and left them running all day. This, combined with the rather sweet and pleasant smell of the vape juice, made for a unique atmosphere to the event (if you forgive the appalling pun.)

I was instantly reminded of the old days before the smoking ban. They were days when you went into a crowded pub and the air was thick with smoke.

However there was one major difference. Cigarette smoke is laden with toxins, it smells foul and it gets into every fibre of your clothes. I hated those days with a passion. Smelling like an ash tray is not my idea of fun.

This was very different and I really enjoyed watching everyone vape away to their heart’s content.

Also everyone I spoke to was amazingly polite, informative and happy to talk about their hobby. It sure beats covering a cat show any day of the week.

And despite my day at The Vaper Expo UK…I still don’t vape. Well not yet anyway.

This was very different and I really enjoyed watching everyone vape away to their heart’s content.

GERRY DALY

HOW VAPING SAVED MY LEGS

Former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland football international Gerry Daly tells Vapouround Magazine how vaping literally saved both of his legs and had had a dramatic impact on his health and well-being.

Dublin-born Daly, 61, earned 48 caps for his country and scored 13 goals for Ireland during his international career. The midfielder made 142 appearances for Manchester United during the 1970s where he scored 32 goals during that time. He has also played for clubs including Bohemians, Derby County, Coventry City, Leicester City, Birmingham City, Shrewsbury Town, Stoke City and Doncaster Rovers.

Daly signed for United in 1973 under manager Tommy Doherty for £20,000 and made his debut against Arsenal away from home where 50,000 fans watched the Gunners win by 3-0.

His first goal came the following year when United beat Chelsea 3-1 away from home on March 30, 1974 and he went on to score a hat-trick against Millwall later the same year.

Tommy Docherty sold Daly to Derby County in March 1977 for £175,000 and later said the move was one of the biggest mistakes of his managerial

career.

Daly's first competitive goal for Ireland was in a 3-3 draw away to Denmark in a 1980 European Championship qualifier and he scored from the penalty spot in his last Irish international against Uruguay in a 1986 friendly which ended in a 1-1 draw.

In more recent times, his health has suffered and doctors told him that he could lose both of his legs unless he quit smoking.

Despite this dire warning he was unable to quit no matter how hard he tried until he took up vaping.

Here he tells his story of how vaping changed his life and led to him being able to finally quit smoking for good…

When did you start smoking, what got you to start and how many cigarettes did you smoke each day?

I started smoking when I was 12, all through my life. I was on about 20 a day.

Did you smoke when you played football? If so what was the attitude to smoking back then. Did you have to hide it from the manager or did others do it too?

I went to Manchester united when I was 18 and smoked cigarettes throughout my playing career. There were always a few smokers in the team. In those days of course there was no law against smoking

in public.

Did it affect your game at all in terms of fitness etc?

I never felt that it did because I was so young and fit. We weren’t supposed to smoke but I did anyway.

Did you want to quit back then or not? I tried to but it never lasted long. If I got through 48 hours that was a miracle.

Can you explain how your smoking patterns developed in later years…i.e. did you start to smoke more and did that worry you at the time?

No, not significantly more.

When did you realise that smoking might be a problem and what made you realise this?

After I retired, the wife and I used to do a lot of walking and found my calves were aching, an intense pain. That’s when I went to the doctor. He said that my arteries were blocked from years of smoking.

Did you want to quit at this stage? If so can you tell me how long you tried to give up and what methods you used?

I didn’t really try, I just thought an operation would cure it and I could just carry on. I would never put a patch or anything on me.

Moving on to your health, can you explain a bit more about how smoking began to affect your health?

The only significant affect was with the leg pain, cramp in the calves and even worse, the toes. My feet were cold all the while and this was very uncomfortable. .

What surgery did you have or other medical treatments?

The first surgery was about six years ago. Both legs were done and it involved injecting dye into the leg arteries and taking x-rays to determine where the blockages were occurring. These areas are expanded with a balloon device that crushes the plaque against the arterial wall. You are awake during this process and it is very painful but the relief after the operation was wonderful. No pain and my feet were warm for the first time in years. I could feel the blood flowing again.

I tried to stop smoking but couldn’t and was soon back on the fags again. After 11 months the pain returned and I needed a

second operation on both legs again.

Would the pain have not come back had you stopped smoking?

I don’t know.

I understand that doctors told you that you could lose your legs if you didn’t quit?

Yes, this is always a possibility and the doctors say that only way to avoid it is to stop smoking.

When was that, how did you feel at the time and what did you do about it?

This was the advice from the doctors from the beginning. And I tried to stop but couldn’t. The symptoms returned and I recently had a further examination which showed that both legs were in trouble again but the right leg was too badly effected and would need open by-pass surgery which involves higher risk and could result in leg removal or worse. My left leg was treated with the balloon technique but I agreed that the right leg should remain as is. They say that because of the risks, open by-pass surgery should be reconsidered if the leg deteriorates further and by this they mean if it reaches a point that I can’t walk 200 yards without pain.

When did you first hear about vaping? Tell me how you got to try it and your

initial reaction.

After my recent operation, my son bought me a vaping device to try and I now use it and have stopped smoking.

Are you into all the gear like mods and different flavours and that sort of thing?

No I use only the nicotine type.

How much do you vape?

I first started 3 months ago and I use it all the while. It is my comforter and it takes away the craving for cigarettes

How useful was it to getting you to quit smoking. Would you recommend it to others?

This is the only thing that has worked for me and I would strongly recommend it to others.

What impact on your health would you put down to vaping?

I haven’t noticed any adverse effects from vaping.

Has it helped you quit smoking for good?

I hope so, but you can never say never.

Do you think that vaping has saved your life or saved you from losing your legs?

Only time will tell, but it has stopped me from smoking and hopefully gives me every chance.

“

The joy of mixing

For vaping beginners, the thought of actually mixing your own flavours may seem a bit daunting, but once tried, it can be an incredibly fun and extremely rewarding pastime.

One of the many advantages of vaping, beyond the obvious health benefits, is the variety it offers. Smokers tend to find a cigarette they like and stick with it, but with vaping, as with a cup of your favourite hot beverage, you really can have it exactly how you want it.

New vapers tend to buy familiar-sounding premixed flavours, such as tobacco, menthol or fruit. And most of us have ‘everyday’ favourites (or ADVs – ‘all day vapes’) that we return to like an old friend. But over time, many vapers get a bit more adventurous and start exploring more exotic and unusual flavour types like savoury or spicy. Or maybe you absent-mindedly top the end of one flavour with another - and find the mixture works rather nicely. After that, it is a natural progression to start concocting your own flavours.

At a basic level, it can involve just combining a couple of premixed flavours together: fancy some marshmallow with a hint of roast beef? Ylang ylang and menthol? With the range of flavours available out there, pretty much any delicious or bizarre combination can be created.

But to reproduce that perfect individual flavour blend again and again requires more precision. That’s why many have taken to mixing from scratch.

Vaping is such a personal experience that sometimes even slight alterations in e-ssence (e-liquid) formulation can perfect the experience, making a good vape a great one. For instance, you may want your e-ssence stronger in flavour, but without reducing

the nicotine strength. This can be achieved by simply adding extra drops of flavouring at the expense of diluent drops – vice versa if you prefer the flavour weaker.

A word of advice: no matter what pipe, mod or vapouriser you have, it is only as good as the liquid you put in it, so make sure you always use liquids from a reputable manufacturer. Not only will this ensure the liquids are safe, but the flavour dynamics will be consistent, allowing you to reproduce your favourite concoctions time and time again.

So long as you have quality ingredients, mixing is actually very easy; after all, there are only 4 ingredients, 3 if you vape without nicotine.

So what’s in the mix?

Diluents

Diluents make the base for an e-ssence. They create the vapour, and different types of diluents create different effects. There are 5 diluent types to choose from:

Propylene glycol (PG) - Offers the best throat hit and is a greater carrier of flavour.

Vegetable Glycerine (VG) - The smoothest option, sweetens up your e-ssence slightly and provides the most vapour.

Aqueous glycerine (AG) - This is similar to VG, with the added benefit of being easier to pour due to the presence of distilled water.

50:50 PG:VG - A mix which offers a bit of both. Although 50/50 is the most popular, you can make them up to other ratios to suit your taste.

Polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) - Not often used and quite expensive, it offers a dryer mouth feel and has its own distinct taste.

Nicotine

Advances in the quality of hardware have resulted in vapers moving away from high nicotine strengths, with many vapers tending to go for somewhere between 3mg/ml 0.3% and 12mg/ ml or 1.2%. The nicotine Decadent Vapours uses is called Angelic Decadence. It contains nicotine at a concentration of 54 mg/ml or 5.4%. This is then diluted with flavourings and diluent.

What’s your flavour?

If you can think of a flavour, it is probably available as a concentrate. After years of development and testing, DV alone has amassed a range of over 150 flavour concentrates, from cool menthol to the super hot Diablo Loco and all kinds in between, including fruits, floral, sweet, tobacco and even savoury. Roast chicken may sound odd, but when mixed with something else unlikely-sounding, such as chocolate, it can produce some decidedly pleasant effects.

An apprenticeship in mixology

For those daunted by the prospect of mixing their own liquids, DV designed The Easy Mix Kit, a starter pack which simply requires one bottle of 10ml flavour concentrate to be added to a bottle of pre-measured chosen diluent.

The kit is available in a range of nicotine strengths (0% to 2.4%) and a variety of bases: PG for the best throat hit and flavour profile, VG (AKA the ‘Big Cloud’ base) for a smoother vape with a plentiful plumage, and PG/VG for those who enjoy the qualities of both. The Easy Mix Kit is simple to use – the hardest bit is choosing a flavour concentrate from over 150 choices! Once you have picked your flavour, you simply decant the entire 10ml bottle into the space in your 50ml bottle of Easy Mix base, shake thoroughly, and hey presto! Your liquid is ready to vape!

Graduate in Mixology

Those who feel a little more adventurous might move onto our Connoisseur Mixing Kit – the next step towards becoming a true mixologist, This kit has everything you need to start mixing from scratch, including nicotine, 2 bases, 5 flavour concentrates of your choice and even pipettes, empty bottles and a comprehensive step-bystep guide.

Mixing ‘from scratch’ really is easy and just requires you to follow the basic principles. For example: If you dilute your Angelic Decadence (5.4% nicotine) in a 50/50 mix with nicotine-free diluent, you will be left with a nicotine concentration of 27mg/ml or 2.7% for any volume of e-ssence. Remember: the nicotine concentration of your e-ssence is determined by the proportion of nicotine in the final volume, not the absolute amount of nicotine that you add.

If you are new to vaping, a medium strength such as 6mg/ml (0.6%) is a good place to start.

Mixing ‘from scratch’ really is easy and just requires you to follow the basic principles.

Slowly does it

We recommend starting with small batches; these are best for testing and perfecting new flavours and nicotine strengths. Also, do keep notes of your amounts. Our Master Mixologist once concocted an incredible flavour that everyone loved, and then when he went to replicate it, realised he had completely forgotten the amounts. The flavour was lost forever!

Sit back and relax with a vape of your own making

As a vaper, there really isn’t a better way to get into your hobby more than mixing. It’s easy, very satisfying, and the only thing to hold you back is your imagination.

Decadent Vapours have opened up the joy of mixing to hundreds

of customers. If you would like to ask more about mixing, flavours and ratios, DV appear at many E-cig events where they often give talks and individual tutorials on mixing. They also welcome enquiries via the website. And to choose from any of their mixing products, all easily found and explained, you can visit their website: www.decadentvapours.com

All Decadent Vapours products are made in the UK, using only the highest pharma-grade and food-grade quality ingredients, all EU-legislation compliant. They are all batch-controlled, tested and free of all the nasty elements like DEG, diacetyl and acetyl propionyl, and are specifically formulated to be ultra-low in nonvolatiles.

What the TPD actually mandates, and why we should all take action

At first look many think the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) is reasonable, after all it doesn’t force e-cigarettes to be medicinal products and there is not an outright ban, yet on closer inspection, it is far from what it seems. It will wreak havoc upon the vaping community and Industry.

This is why Totally Wicked is challenging it.

The European Parliament adopted the Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40(EU) on 3rd April 2014. Its implementation is already underway, including that of Article 20, the section that pertains to electronic cigarettes.

Enforcement of the TPD in the UK is the responsibility of the Department of Health (DH) and the TPD is required by the European Parliament to come into force for e-cigarettes from 20th May 2016.

These are the main points that will affect how we all vape.

1. All products must be notified to the competent authority (DH) 6 months prior to being placed on the market. Products already on the market on 20th May 2016 must be notified within 6 months of that date. The notification procedure is complex and requires substantial testing and technical work for every product. This will push up prices and dramatically reduce innovation.

2. E-liquid may only be sold in pre-filled cartridges containing 2ml or less, or dedicated refill containers containing 10ml or less.

3. E-liquid may not exceed nicotine content of 20mg/ml.

NO TO

4. Only high purity ingredients that do not pose a risk to human health may be used in e-liquid.

5. Consistent nicotine doses must be delivered in consistent operating conditions.

6. E-cigarettes and refill containers must be child and tamper proof, protected against breakage and leakage, and when refillable, there must be a mechanism that ensures leak free refilling.

7. Promotion and advertising of e-cigarettes by print, radio, televisual or public event media is prohibited.

8. Submission of comprehensive sales and marketing data is required

E-cigarettes as we all know are clearly neither a medical product, nor a tobacco product. Vapers are neither unwell, nor are they tobacco users, but it is due to this cramming of e-cigarettes into these boxes that has caused all the issues. By having a poor mixture of medical and tobacco regulations, we have regulations that are simply not fit for purpose.

Consistent doses cannot be guaranteed, as the users “self-titrate” to achieve their desired nicotine dose. Placing a product on the market but then not allowing it to be marketed doesn’t make sense, and where are the reasons to limit container size or cap nicotine strength at 20mg/ml?

Nothing is completely leak proof or unbreakable, nothing is completely tamper proof and nothing is totally childproof. Most of all, how can anything ensure leak free refilling? We can make filling without spills possible, but much like fuel pumps at a petrol station, there will always be the potential for people to pour fluid onto/into something other than their e-cigarette tank. This regulation more than any of the others has the potential to kill the market.

The idea of in-depth pre-market notification for every product presents an unrealistic financial burden for Small to Medium Enterprises in the market sector, as they tend to have the widest product ranges.

The TPD will change the face of vaping. Simple starter kits will be all that is left on the market. Everything else will probably be non-compliant and therefore illegal. Please support the Totally Wicked legal challenge to try and prevent this. More information can be found on this website- http://article20legalchallenge.com

Exclusive Q&A with Tom Pruen, Chief Scientific Officer at ECITA

The exponential popularity of e-cigarettes and the vaping industry has been fascinating to watch unfold. Ever since the first pro totype for the e-cigarette was discovered in 1963 through to present day, the journey of the e-cigarette has been interesting and controversial in equal measure. Should smokers of traditional tobacco cigarettes make the switch to vaping? What does the future hold for the vaping industry and will it see any signs of abating? We caught up with Tom Pruen, Chief Scientific Officer at the Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association (ECITA) for an exclusive Q&A.

Vaping is widely believed to be the healthy alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes. Do you think this is the case? I think healthy is going a step too far. While there is no doubt that the levels of harmful chemicals from vaping make it much healthi er than smoking, something now acknowledged by even the most fervent opponents of e-cigs, it will carry a slightly increased risk compared with not vaping or smoking. Based on the currently available evidence (and indeed simple logic) this risk will be low, with most estimates being of a 95% or better risk reduction com pared with smoking, but this still leaves the scope for there to be some risk. At this level, it probably falls within the same range as many lifestyle risks we take for granted, and probably isn’t readily detectable statistically, but it will still exist.

What advice would you give to those wanting to make the switch from traditional tobacco cigarettes to e-cigarettes? There are a few key points, I think. One is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, so be prepared to experiment a little. If you try a product, and it isn’t working for you, try something else, and don’t assume that you will look for the same things in vaping as you did in smoking, particularly in terms of flavour. Many people assume they will want a tobacco flavour, but after a bit of experimenta tion find they are much happier with a fruit or sweet flavoured vape. Some people favour e-cigs that are shaped like cigarettes, especially to start with, but most find that larger tank based e-cigs work better for them.

The other (for most vaping gear) is to take slower, longer puffs. Although on the face of it, the method is identical to smoking, there are a few differences. When smoking, you draw harder and faster to increase the intensity, but this has the opposite effect with vaping.

Vape often! E-cigs don’t generally deliver as much nicotine per puff as smoked ones, so it can be more difficult to keep nicotine at a satisfying level. On the plus side, you can just have a puff or two when convenient, rather than having 15 or so puffs, as on a cigarette.

Probably the most important one is: don’t despair! Some people put down their cigarettes when they first pick up an e-cig, while for others it takes a while to transition. Cutting down on the amount you smoke probably isn’t going to offer great health benefits, but

the success rates (with medicinal NRT products as well as cold turkey) rise as the number of cigarettes smoked falls, so a period of dual use doesn’t mean failure. It’s important, if you are dual using, to try and avoid ritualising the cigarettes you do smoke, for example always smoking after a meal, as this does make it more difficult to cut them out.

What is your opinion on the culture of vaping? It’s been very interesting to watch the culture develop, change, and to some extent divide. While for most people it’s about ciga rette substitution, there is now definitely an aspect of vaping as activity in itself, particularly with things like cloud chasing, which is completely different from any kind of smoking behaviour. I do find it somewhat sad that while many people are outspoken on social media, support for ‘real world’ things remains low. NNA (the New Nicotine Alliance), for example, are doing great work and it would be nice to see them get more support.

Did you envisage that vaping would be the beast of an industry it is today?

Given the number of smokers, and the appeal of e-cigs (which has only increased over time) it was somewhat inevitable that the industry would evolve to be much bigger.

Where do you see the future of vaping in the next 5 years? The growth of the vaping industry has been strong, and marked by rapid innovation and continual improvements in quality and choice. I can’t see this continuing at the same pace in the future, mainly due to the changing regulatory climate.

It can be something of a minefield for someone new to the vaping arena. What do you think of the various expos / shows focusing on vaping, who champion e-cigarettes and aim to educate new and seasoned vapers alike?

I think that the majority of the expos and shows have shifted from offering much that would be of interest to a new user, in favour of offering more sophisticated products to the enthusiast market. While on the face of it, this appears unhelpful, it’s also the case that almost all those who visit shows are already vaping converts, and this is the kind of products they will be interested in. These shows are a good way of reaching out to existing vapers, but are very limited in any effect they could have on the wider public. Vapouround would like to thank Tom Pruen for his time and the invaluable work he does at ECITA. Founded in March 2010, ECITA is the longest-running trade association for the electronic cigarette industry. They are one of only two e-cig trade associ ations in the world which is not operated by those engaged in the sale of vaping products, directly or indirectly, which makes it easier to represent the interests of members and their customers fairly and fully.

Debangstix is a pioneering e-cigarette, e-liquid and accessories supplier headquartered in Manchester. Its high standards and fantastic product range has seen its exponential expansion for a global, cross-continental reach throughout the UK, Europe and China.

Debangstix’s e-cigarettes are the healthier alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes. By choosing to vape an e-cigarette from Debangstix, vapers are eliminating ingestion of over 4000 chemicals usually found in traditional tobacco cigarettes. User-friendly for both vaper and environment alike, these e-cigarettes can be vaped in many places.

Established in 2012, Debangstix offers a wide range of reputable products which has led it to become known as a world-class company offering customers only the very best products, sourcing directly from manufacturers to ensure high quality.

Debangstix are constant innovators. They keep a close eye on industry news and are a trailblazer in picking up on key trends to satisfy its global client database. This is managed by a world class customer support and dedicated sales team based in Manchester, UK.

There is something for everyone at Debangstix and it is this inclusive ethos at the heart of the Debangstix operation which really sets them apart from the competition.

Debangstix offers a diverse e-cigarette and e-liquid range to suit all vaping requirements. Tanks, atomisers, coils and various accessories are sold by Debangstix, making them the go-to place for any vaper, all sourced directly from manufacturers to ensure the highest quality possible.

Debangstix are ROHS compliant and CE certified. Safety is always at the forefront of their minds which ensures that their electronic cigarette and products undergo rigorous quality inspections to meet the high standards in UK testing laboratories. They are 100% legally compliant with all formal processes and procedures and ensure quality control for customers because only the best will do.

Having built up a loyal client base has cemented Debangstix’s reputation for being a first-class premium brand that is trusted the world over. This rapidly expanding company means Debangstix products can be purchased from over 2,000 UK convenience stores and garage forecourts including Spar, Londis, Texaco, Budgens, BP and Gulf. And with only a £250 minimum spend with free point of sale material worth £150 included, and a further 10% for all new customers reading this, now is the right time to contact Debangstix.

To find out more information about the company, go to website www.debangstix.com/b2boffer.

Call 0800 669 6789 NOW to set up your account today and enquire about the credit facility or email sales@debangstix.com where new customers only, can enjoy a 10% discount of their first order. Make contact now and get psyched to prepare for the best vape of your life.

The Wizards Brew

The Wizards Brew is a state of the art e-liquid manufacturer based in South Wales. They manufacture a varied range of products, with each and every one having its own unique flavour.

The Wizards Brew E Liquids are all manufactured to the highest standards, with a specialized steeping process.

All of our development and production is done in our state of the art ISO6 Clean Room, with our staff wearing protective clothing.

The Clean Room houses our bottling plant to ensure that there is no contamination in any of our products, with Air Showers at the entrance.

They are able to manufacture exactly to your specification, thus offering a bespoke service. They are able to offer 10 ml plastic bottles 30ml plastic bottles and 20ml glass bottles depending on Quantities, and offer bespoke orders on request, also based on quantity. Their e-liquids are available in 0mg, 6mg, 12mg and 18mg strengths. They also offer a pure VG Range for drippers and the new Sub Tanks, which are available in 3mg and 6mg strengths.

They do not use any colourings in their liquids.

They have also introduced different coloured labels, which represent nicotine levels instead of the usual small text on the label.

The Wizards Brew Range

At present there are 15 flavours, including Bubbilicious, Custard, Carribean, Magmaflo, Moonshine and Seaside Rock.

The Wizards Blizzard Range

This is our ICE range, which currently has 6 flavours.

The Mad Hatters Crazy Custards

This is our custard range, with 4 variations. They are currently working on a totally new range of Gourmet Flavours.

To find out more about The Wizard’s Brew, email us at wizardsbreweliquids@gmail.com or visit us on Facebook, Twitter and our Website.

Take tea & vape away

year, which combines their love of tea with their passion for all things vape.

It also brings a truly unique side to the vaping scene in Nottingham and is quite possibly the only vape shop in the UK that specialises in fine quality loose leaf tea.

Choosing a name for the new business was easy. Chris said: "My wife thought of the name in seconds. We had a few rather lame ideas between Carl and myself when my wife simply said ‘Steam’. And that was it."

In-store and online customers can choose from over 50 different e-liquids, including Element, El-Diablo, Darkstar, Redvape and Alchemy, and can complement their choice of liquid with one of over 50 different types of loose leaf tea or perhaps choose from their espresso based coffee menu. A good range of starter kits and other hardware for the more experienced vaper is also available. Chris has been running Bunkr Tea, a successful online tea business, for some time and the idea of melding the tea with great flavours of e-liquid seemed simply perfect. He said: "We both found ourselves picking a tea to go with whichever flavour liquid we had in our tanks. Drinking a fresh flavoured green tea whilst vaping a really fruity e-liquid just works, as does a high VG vanilla custard with a mug of Irish Breakfast."

Steam Tea & Vape have worked hard to find excellent quality UKmade liquids. Carl said: "We discovered Red Vape was made quite literally down the road. We met up the owner Neil and completely fell in love with the range. Although considered to be a premium brand, we've found a number of our more mature customers who perhaps struggle with the fruit and cream flavours, really appreciating this rich tobacco range. The unique Alchemy range just had to be on our shelves too. A collection of e-liquids with tea as the base was perfect for our store. And although we don't sell homemade cakes in store, vaping any of the El-Diablo range is quite simply a treat in itself.

Steam Tea & Vape is a brand new shop and vaping lounge based in Mapperley, Nottingham. Owners Chris Hughes and Carl Bennett launched the business earlier this

“We really didn't know how non-vapers would take to entering an e-cig store to buy tea. After just a month of trading we soon learned it doesn't seem to matter to true tea fans. Around half of our repeat customers come simply for the tea. Either to enjoy a freshly brewed pot in store or to take a 100g bag home with them."

For both Carl and Chris, it's all about taste and flavour and ensuring both the e-liquids they sell and the teas offered, are at their best. Customer can try liquids from good quality KangerTech tanks helping them really appreciate the range and the layers of flavour they offer. In addition all of the teas are served in stunning Japanese pots designed specifically to allow the tea to deliver a fuller taste.

Carl said: "We know and love the vape shops across Nottingham. We are lucky to have a number of stores where the customer service and staff are simply great. Some of our local vape shops are really appealing to those in their 20s and 30s. With both of us being in our 40s, we wanted to provide vapers with the type of store we would love to frequent. And that's exactly what we've done. That being said we've seen a good number of younger vape fans really get into the whole 'Tea & Vape' concept."

Why not drop in when you're in the neighbourhood? Pull up chair, settle down and pour out a delicious steaming pot of tea, try some of the great range of e-liquids and simply enjoy a space to relax and appreciate some truly fantastic flavours.

For more information, please call 0115 837 6320 now or go to website www.steamteaandvape.co.uk. If you’d like to connect on social media, check out @steamteavapecafe on Twitter or go to www.facebook.com/steamteaandvape for Facebook.

smoking

mouth action and, most of all nicotine; all this without any of the 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, 60 of which are known carcinogens.

Enough about me, let’s get back to you guys. When I started vaping there was very little choice but for you guys it’s like an Aladdin’s cave …. You’ve made the momentous decision to quit smoking, you’ve plucked up the courage to go into a vape shop and the first question the bright eyed salesman asks you is do you want a single or a dual coil system or some other equally baffling question to a newcomer. Panic not, I will try and explain things. An electronic cigarette comprises of three basic parts, a tank to hold the e-Liquid, an atomiser to vapourize the e=Liquid and a battery to supply power to the atomiser. The atomiser and tank are referred to as the ‘Clearomiser’ – a word made up by the vaping industry.

Let’s look at the battery first. They come in all shapes and sizes but for the beginner we should consider just 3 sizes from the cylindrical type. Each battery has a power rating: 650, 900 and 1100 mAh (milli amp hours). The higher the rating the longer you will go between charges. What you should aim for is a battery that will last you a whole day between charges. Obviously this depends on how much you use you e-Cig – so, if you smoke up to 20 cigarettes a day, chose a 650 battery; 20-30 cigarettes a day, a 900 battery; 30-40 cigarettes a day, an 1100 battery; if you smoke more than 40 a day then you will need 2 batteries, pick a size you are comfortable with.

OK, that wasn’t too bad, was it? Now for the clearomiser. This is really quite simple. For your first e-Cig you want a simple clearomiser – preferably a bottom fill dual coil variety. These ones can be tipped upside down and don’t leak. Let me explain, you can get dual and single coil varieties – a single coil version has just one heating element and, believe it or not, a dual one has two. The dual coil version will give you much more vapour than the single. By bottom fill, we mean that you fill them from the bottom and this is much easier than the ‘top fill’ versions. As you become a more experienced vaper you may want to upgrade to a bigger tank, perhaps with airflow control or even sub-ohm but these are topics for another day. To start with keep things simple.

This used to be the hardest thing in the world to do. I always say I smoked for 40 years and spent the last 39 of those years trying to give up! I was a total addict ending up smoking 60 a day. Over the years I tried almost everything including patches, gum, inhalers, sprays, Zyban, Champix, aquapuncture, hypnosis and none of them worked. Then I discovered e-Cigs and stopped overnight. Yes really, from 60 a day to 0 a day instantly. I will never forget the day I bought my first e-Cig (22nd October 2012) and from my first try on an e-Cig, I haven’t had a single cigarette and, better still, I haven’t wanted one. I simply switched from smoking to vaping. With my e-Cig I get all the good things like hit at the back of the throat, clouds of vapour, hand to

That’s all there is to it except for probably the most important part – what flavour e-Liquid do you choose. There are hundreds of flavours available – tobacco tasting ones, fruity ones, menthol and minty ones. Any vape shop worth their salt will allow you to try samples of their flavours. You should choose one you like and will be happy with – if you like your flavour, you will use your e-Cig and succeed. If you don’t you won’t use it and probably end up back on cigarettes. E-Liquids are not expensive so if after a day or so you find you don’t like your flavour, go back to the shop and try others. There will be a flavour out there that will work for you. A word on nicotine strength – look at the nicotine content on the cigarettes you smoke and double it. Then choose the strength available nearest to this figure.

One final point, once you have switched to vaping, the first upgrade I recommend is a second battery. That way you will never have to wait for a battery to charge.

happy vaping

E-LIQUID MIXING GUIDE

Mixing your own e-liquid couldn’t be any easier, and we are here to show you just how simple it is. When it comes to mixing your own e-liquid, with Make My Vape there are many benefits such as a much lower cost compared to buying pre-mixed e-liquid. You can make e-liquid from just 28p per 10ml! Also, you are able to control exactly what you are vaping! We only use tested pharmaceutical grade ingredients sourced in the UK, EU and USA.

Most of you reading this article will not have mixed an e-liquid before, and it may seem daunting; but have no fear! By the time you reach the end, you will be a juice master! So, I’ll begin by explaining a bit about how recipes are derived. There are two ‘bases’ in e-liquids, Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerine. You will have likely heard of them before when looking for e-liquids.

They both have a main property that affects e-liquid; PG gives more of a throat hit and brings out the flavours, while VG is thick and creates more cloud. Deciding on your ratio of the two bases is the first thing you should do; followed by the strength of your flavours and nicotine. For example, I like to use around 15% total flavouring and a nicotine strength of 3mg.

INGREDIENTS

- Propylene Glycol - One of the two main ingredients of e-liquid, PG is great for bringing out flavours and provides a throat hit similar to smoking a cigarette.

- Vegetable Glycerine - The other main ingredient of e-liquid, VG is a viscous liquid which thickens your mix and creates more cloud.

- Flavour Concentrates - Flavour concentrates are optional, but most people enjoy having a flavour in their liquid. These can be combined or used by themselves.

- Nicotine - (optional) - For those who want that nicotine hit, similar to smoking.

Finally, it’s time to start mixing; so pull on your gloves! Then, you will want to clear yourself an area and grab your tools and ingredients.

For this recipe, we have gone with a 50PG 50VG mix with 3mg nicotine and a flavour combination of banana and strawberry. We will make 10ml of e-liquid in total.

Start off by adding 3.1ml of Propylene Glycol and 5ml of Vegetable Glycerine into your mixing cup using a syringe.

HINT: If you are struggling to get the syringe inside the bottle, empty your PG and VG into seperate cups.

Now add 0.7 ml of TFA Ripe Banana and 0.8ml of Capella Sweet Strawberry into your mixing cup. These flavours can be purchased from the Make My Vape online store.

HINT: Either clean or use seperate syringes to make sure you don’t contaminate your flavours.

Let’s add our nicotine. You may not want nicotine, in which case, just add 0.4ml more PG. If you do want nicotine however, then measure out 0.4ml, and add it to the mix.

Note that nicotine comes in various strengths and can also be carried in VG; For this mix, I have used 72mg strength nicotine, carried in PG.

Now that all your ingredients have been added, mix them around using your syringe and transfer the contents into your 10ml bottle.

Screw the cap onto your bottle and give it a good shake to make sure the heavier liquids aren’t sitting at the bottom.

There is one final step in mixing called steeping. This allows the liquids to settle and combine with one another to create a full flavour profile. Place your bottle inside a cool, dark area such as a cupboard and let it sit; I recommend allowing your liquid to steep overnight. Once you’re done steeping, add the e-liquid to your device and vape on!

Diary of a vaper: how a dense mist cleared my thinking

In the beginning there was combustion. The smell of tobacco filling the room, my hands, clothes and breath stunk. The aroma was almost sickly. Now the room smells of lemon with no smell of smoke, my clothes smell like clean linen or whatever food I spilt on myself. I also get my high. VAPING SAVED MY LIFE!

I smoked for a total of 8 months, and spent around £900. On what? That’s right Sterling Fresh Taste, which now makes my skin crawl. I spent 8 months of my life buying ciggies and hiding them from my mum and step-dad. One day in March I went round to my uncle’s house with my 10 pack and sat on the couch. He looked at me and said: “Since when do you smoke?”

I have found this is a common question among smokers. I explained that it had been around 8 months and that I’d love to quit. He told me he could help but I didn’t believe him. But now looking back on that moment I realise he was right. He handed me a Vamo V6 with a Kangertech Giant tank. I felt like Inspector Gadget holding this long metal stick with a mouth piece, LCD display & voltage buttons (I didn’t know much about voltage.)

I now carry with me at all times my Black Kangertech Subox with the Subtank on it AND an Itaste MVP 3.0, again with the Kangertech Subtank on it. Along with my favourite Inspector11Vapes e-juice. I love them tanks as you can tell and the juice... the juice is amazing!!

That day was the start of my new life. I felt healthier, fitter, plus I didn’t carry the stench of smoke. Now I blow clouds and make YouTube videos – what more can you ask for? I got my best mate Dave into vaping as well; he went to work in Magaluf for a month and was smoking 40 a day due to boredom. We have created a hobby for us to both enjoy.

We started a YouTube channel called The Vape Guys UK on the 18th June 2015. It’s now the 23rd of July and we have been sponsored, we have reviews coming out of our eyeballs and over 240k Impressions on our twitter.

If you would like to know more about our story, reviews, news and updates then check us out at Youtube.com/TheVapeGuysUK or alternatively @VapeGuysUK on Twitter.

Thanks for reading and Vape On!

Jack Daltrey – The Vape Guys UK

The Vape Kitchen E-liquid

Review of Golden Dream

Golden Dream is a mix of apple, lime and lemon with a hint of cucumber and ginger. Don’t be put off by the last flavour hints, as this is a nice vape. There is a tone of cucumber on the exhale, but only a subtle taste. The rest is mixed so well that there is no one flavour that dominates the others.

This is a nice little vape and one that is good on a rotation. For me however, it is not one that I would class as an all-day vape.

Review of Irish Car Bomb

I have tried the following Vape Kitchen e-liquids, all at 6mg Nicotine.

• POG

• Cherry Cola

• Golden Dream

• Irish Car Bomb

Review of POG

All liquids from the Vape Kitchen are really really good with a smooth flavour, soft throat hit... and did I mention the flavour? POG is a mix of passion fruit, orange and guava. There is no real dominant flavour, but they are all there. I really like this flavour but it isn’t my favourite from the Vape Kitchen line I have tried so far, (more on that one later).

The vapour production is really good, even at low watts. This is because of the max VG content of the e-liquid. If you have a PG allergy then I would recommend the Vape Kitchen. These are made in the US and are available here in the UK at limited stores. I purchase all my liquids from Vanilla Vapes in Camberley who also have an online shop if you can’t get there (www.vanillavapes.co.uk). At the moment they only stock 15ml at £9.50, so, it’s not cheap, but worth the extra few pounds if you want a really nice smooth flavoursome vape.

I am hoping that in the future they will stock the larger bottles as I do vape this stuff A LOT!

Irish Car Bomb is a mix of Guinness, Irish Whisky and Baileys Cream. This was my first try of e-liquids from The Vape Kitchen, and I really love this one. The flavour is rich and I would vape this all day and night if I could. If you are looking for a good throat hit, then I would suggest trying a higher nicotine level liquid as the e-liquids from VK are very smooth and more for the flavour junkies than the throat hitters. I am not sure if I mentioned this or not, but I love the flavour.

Review of Cherry Cola

This one surprised me when I first tried it. It felt like someone pulled open my mouth and poured a whole bag full of Cherry Cola sweets in. The taste is fantastic, definitely my top flavour so far from the guys at VK. The only problem is a 15ml bottle doesn’t last a day with me (yes it’s that good).

This has a very smooth flavour and little-to-no throat hit. You’ve got to love this one; if it was in litre bottles, I reckon I could finish it within a week. Be warned though, I got used to this flavour very quickly and it did become slightly bland, so if you are going to vape one flavour, try mixing it up a bit and let your taste-buds adjust.

Images courtesy of Vanilla Vapes of Camberley (www. vanillavapes.co.uk)

POG

Golden Dream Irish Car Bomb Cherry Cola

JUICE PRODUCT REVIEW

McFlavours E-Liquid: Vanilla Cigar

These are made in Italy and they ship across the EU. Prices are €9.99 for 20ml of e-liquid with additional costs for shipping. (Second Class is shipped from a fulfilment centre in Derby.)

Currently McFlavors are running an introductory offer of 99% discount on your first bottle purchased, so I paid approximately £4.00 in total. The e-liquid arrived in a cardboard box which has sections for more bottles, see images below.

The juice comes with a leaflet containing:

• Warnings

• Product Content

• Precautions

This is a nicely presented e-Liquid. McFlavors state that there is no PG in their juices but a natural glycol alternative. From reading the ingredients, it contains Glycerol, Nicotine, Fragrance and Water 100%; the full datasheet can be viewed and downloaded from their website directly: http://www. mcflavors.com/pages/about-us

At first look the liquid was like water, not the usual thickness of my other max VG based liquids, so I wasn’t quite sure how this would vape. I tried these new flavours on my Plume Veil at 0.4Ohms at various wattages.

The colour is dark, which is what you probably would expect from a cigar flavour e-liquid and there is no real aroma/smell from the liquid.

Flavour: My first few vapes on this had me puzzled, but then it started coming through. The mild cigar flavour and very mild vanilla flavour combined to make a nice vape to go with your brandy/bourbon. The flavours are not harsh or overpowering, but nicely complement each other in the right way. For me this would not be an all-day vape, but a vape for that smug time, sitting back in your chair with a nice liqueur, fire roaring away donning your favourite ‘vaping’ jacket.

Throat Hit: There is some element of throat hit, but it is mild (I opted for the 0.4% nicotine level). If you like your throat hits to really ‘hit’ then maybe this is not for you. The higher nicotine

level juices may be better on this, but my level is no more than 6mg (any more than that and I just gag!).

Dripping: I am only going to conduct my review on a dripper due to the very water like consistency of the liquid. A dark cotton is what you end up with and be careful not to over-drip as it will go everywhere. But I did like it. Some would say it’s an acquired taste, one, which I got used to very quickly.

RTAs: Not tested.

Vapour Production: There isn’t that much. Comparing it to my other juices, this does not produce the clouds that the other juices make, but saying that they are there.

Power/Watts: Minimum really would be 10watts, but don’t expect to get much from it at this low setting. It is best suited (in my opinion) at 25 Watts and above. I have mostly vaped this liquid around 35Watts and it has performed well.

Overall Impression: For me, this is not an ADV, but more of a special occasion and when you are in the mood for a celebratory cigar, I like this juice and it would be one I would purchase again. The mild flavours complement each other and work well together.

McFlavors website: http://www.mcflavors.com/

Zephyrus RTA by Youde Technology

This is my favourite and best RTA to date. The air flow is immense. You also have an easy to use top fill hole, 5ml juice capacity, stock 0.3Ohm head supplied along with a re-buildable section, spare pyrex glass tank, O-rings of red, white and blue and a 2 part drip tip (1 small and 1 with heat sinks).

I cannot recommend this SubOhm Tank enough. I purchased this for £27.99 from Elegant Vapour in the UK. Upon arrival I was impressed. UD have now updated their packaging to the plastic clam shell design and it has all the accessories you need.

The 0.3 stock coil is already fitted so it’s pretty much ready to go. There was little to no cleaning required of this tank. This thing does go through juice though, but the flavour is fantastic, beating the Kanger and Aspire tanks hands down – so much so, that I probably won’t be using the others any time soon.

I have had this now for almost a week and I have gone through quite a large amount of juice. Ensure you stock up when you use this, as it goes through it quickly.

At the same time I did purchase the Goliath by UD, but the Zephyrus is the one that is always being used.

I will have to buy another one or three!

Key Lime Cookie Dripper E-Liquid

By Element

A bottle of 20ml Key Lime Cookie was purchased from Vape Club for £10.99.

This may be hard to believe: there are people walking upon the face of the planet who (without any threat or coercion) play Justin Bieber CDs. There are people who like Katie Hopkins, think chicory can be included in a meal and labour under the conviction that politicians are honest. We are an odd bunch with our tastes and preferences; liquids, unlike anything else in vaping, are a uniquely personal experience. 2015 is proving to be Element Liquids’ year as they won critical praise from attendees, lifting the title of Best Juice Line and Juice of the Show at both NEC’s Vaper Expo and London’s Vape Jam. The 3mg dripper range appeals across the board to vapers desiring both flavour and clouds – with Key Lime Cookie leading the range. Not sweet like a Disney Princess movie or tart like Katie Price, Key Lime Cookie balances the butter biscuit and citrus into a unique take on a popular flavour. Subtle yet powerful, the liquid retains its integrity in drippers and the new range of subohm tanks alike.

The token PG content provides satisfying throat hits while an 80% VG presence ensures that on-looking train spotters will nod to each other and recollect the glorious age of steam. The primary use is clearly indicated by the “Premium Dripper” title of the range, but this bottle has been soundly spanked in a 0.5Ω Subtank at 40W with no wicking issues and the lime, unlike Keith Lemon, only suffers a slight tail off in taste. Vapers are becoming increasingly aware of the contents of some American liquids. Element proudly state that its juice doesn’t contain any diacetyl and that the bottles will arrive pre-steeped and ready to vape.

Heavy users and science nerds will delight in the fact that Key Lime Cookie can be purchased in a 125ml Erlenmeyer flask, a nod to the Periodic Table of Elements that inspired the branding. For everyone else the liquid comes in a blue 20ml dripper bottle with a child-safety cap. The downside is that due to Key Lime Cookie’s growing popularity it can sell swiftly when it enters into stock with the growing number of UK resellers.

Lucky attendees at Vape Fest will be able to find Key Lime Cookie in more than one location. Element have a stand for the first time at the UK’s largest community vape event and will be providing testers for the full range. The juice range will also feature on the Vape Club stand, who’s customers have given Key Lime a five star rating. But then some will tell you Five Star can’t hold a candle to Justin Bieber. http://www. elementeliquids. com/ http://www. vapeclub.co.uk/eliquids/element-eliquid.html

by Dave Cross

HARDWARE PRODUCT REVIEW

Goliath RTA by Youde Review

This RTA does not come with a drip tip. I purchased the Goliath at the same time as the Zephyrus SubOhm tank as I liked the juice control on the Goliath, but loved the look and included RBA section on the Zephyrus. The Goliath comes in the well known packaging from Youde, tank in the front and goodies in the back. This is what you get included:

• Goliath RTA

• Instruction manual

• Spare O-rings

• 2 x spare screws

Filling:

This is a bottom filling RTA. You have to remove it from your device, turn upside down, remove the airflow ring and as long as you have the juice flow control ring open fully, you have 2 slots where you can fill up the tank.

It takes around 4ml of juice (not oil as it states on the packaging).

Size:

The Goliath is approx 52mm in height (not including any Drip Tip or the 510 connector) and 22mm in diameter.

Shape:

Heat sinks fins at the top pyrex glass tank section (no spare included, so be careful) and then the juice control ring; this juts out from the normal 22mm size and because of this, it does add a bit of height to the Goliath.

Airflow:

The Airflow control ring is at the bottom and comes with 2 x 2.8mm holes. This is adjustable to suit your vaping style.

Re-buildable Deck: It’s not the biggest, but is very workable (2 post design allowing for dual coils). The juice channels are huge, and this slightly impairs the screwing back onto the tank section. With a little practice, you can get used to it. On this, do not try to force it in, or turn it, as this may mess up your threads.

It uses very little wick as you just need to ensure that the cotton is just in the juice channels ever so slightly. You don’t need to jam a load of it in there!

Juice Control:

On the side of the Goliath you will see what looks like a heartbeat. On the ring is a little drop – the bigger the heartbeat the more juice flow. The smaller the heartbeat the more restricted is the juice flow.

With the Goliath, no matter the % mix of PG/VG juice you use, you can ensure that it doesn’t flood by turning the control ring until you get the right amount of juice flow.

Flavour:

So far, the Goliath and the Zephyrus are in my opinion the best RTAs for flavour. In the Kanger and Atlantis, the juice flavour seems a little muted.

Vapour production:

I use 60 – 70% VG juice and the vapour production again beats the Kanger and Atlantis hands down.

Both the Goliath and the Zephyrus are now my main RTAs I use; in the drawer the Kanger and the Atlantis go, may they enjoy their rest.

In my own opinion, the Goliath is a fantastic tank, especially with the juice control feature. With a little playing around you should not get a dry hit from your juice not getting to the wick properly.

Always remember DO YOUR RESEARCH AND VAPE SAFE.

HARDWARE PRODUCT REVIEW

Kanger Subtank Mini

I have purchased 2 Kanger Subtank Mini’s. I’m still tempted to buy the Subtank Plus, although it may look a bit out of place on most of my box mods.

Kanger have got a winner here, purely for the fact of what they supply with the tank. You get the tank, a spare glass section, 2 coil heads (1 x 1.2 Ohm and 1 x 0.5 Ohm) and a re-buildable section and a drip tip – fantastic. The looks and styling of the tank is in my opinion really great. It looks good on my mech mods, and all my box mods. With a height of 63mm with the supplied drip tip, it’s not overly tall. Juice capacity is approximately 4.5ml. Airflow with the coils it is good, although not as good as the Aspire Atlantis Mega. It has 3 airflow settings. The full airflow is best for direct to lung hits, the second setting down is ok for direct to lung, just a bit slower in getting the vapour in to your lungs, and probably ok for mouth to lung. The last and smallest setting is best for mouth to lung. So this tank can cater for all types of vaping styles. Go for whichever one best suits you and what you are happy with.

Vapour production mostly depends on the type of juice you

IPV Mini – 30W Box Mod

I had the matt silver finish but there are also other finishes available too. The IPV mini is a box mod capable of up to 30 watts of power and has rather neat features. This mod comes in a hard cardboard box with instructions and a micro-USB charging cable.

Its dimensions are length 94mm, width 40mm, depth 23mm. The specifications are as follows:

Material: aluminium

Chip: Yihi SX-130

Output power: 5-30 watts

Resistance: 05-3.0 Ω

Output voltage: 3-8 volt

Input voltage: 3.2-4.5V

Max current output: 13A

Charging for mobile phone

This mod is smooth to the touch and has a decent weight to it. It feels like a solid quality piece. At the base of the device, we find the battery cap and the micro USB charging port. This is one of my favourite features of this box mod. It takes mere seconds to replace your 18650 battery. The positive contact in the mod is spring-loaded and all batteries fit perfectly. If you prefer, you can charge the device via the micro USB port. The device can be used whilst charging. Now, an important point

are using. I tend to use high VG content juice (so pretty much anything will give you good vapour production).

I have only had a bad hit when I used a high PG content juice. It handles max VG very well, but make sure you are vaping it within the guidelines of the stock coil heads or if you are using the RBA section, take care of the Ohms and battery type.

Always remember DO YOUR RESEARCH AND VAPE SAFE.

to note is that there is no advice from the manufacturer about whether it is safe to do this or not.

The 510 pin is spring-loaded. It fired numerous devices with zero problems. The flat top is around 22mm but 23mm devices look perfectly fine too. It’s a great match for the Aspire Atlantis. The resistance reading may be a little off; the IPV mini read the Atlantis as 0.4ohms (it’s still firing it at 30W so no biggie).

This mod can be switched from PWM mode to DC-DC mode, but I’m a little unsure why. I’ve used it in DC-DC mode as it seems to give more power at lower resistances. With airy high-power devices like the Orchid, I’m pushing it to the full 30W and getting a very intense powerful vape.

For my style of vaping, 30W is ample. The display is very clean and clear. (If your display is scratched and murky, you’ll have forgotten to peel off your screen protector!)

Other devices like a lot less power. At 12.5W this taifun GT clone is giving a very nice flavourful vape.

The buttons are chunky, clicky and a little rattly. The wattage is controlled by 2 buttons, meaning you can scroll from 5W to 30W in 0.1W increments in about 5 seconds.

This mod also features 5 power memory settings, but the scroll speed is so fast that it somehow doesn’t seem necessary. This mod has brought me great enjoyment. I’m getting all the power I need, it fires everything and there’s no annoying battery door screws. This IPV mini is in stock now at www.Segnote.com with free delivery in the UK.

HARDWARE PRODUCT REVIEW

Hcigar VT40 Box Mod

The VT40 was purchased from Vape Geek for £104.99 (10% off now available with the code 10OFF)

Sometimes you find yourself able to make a full assessment of something within seconds of encountering it. My mother, like all good fishwives across the country, has the ability to assess and dismiss strangers within seconds. In the main, vaping equipment presents a greater problem as foibles only become apparent with use over time. Hcigar have a history, for some it is linked to a standard of quality missing from a lot of Chinese products. The VT40 isn’t about their past, it’s a bold statement regarding where they see their potential. The company have been keen to forge a future built on original equipment that utilises lessons learnt from previous endeavours. Like the kid who messed around too much in class only to realise he had real talent, Hcigar are applying themselves to offer devices of substance. The functionality of the chip in this regulated box is a given from the off. Evolv made the decision that supplying China made more sense than fighting it, especially considering the volumes of products they make and the savings in unit price they can pass on. So, replete with the latest version of the large screen DNA40 it’s performance is as predictable as a Jimmy Carr joke on a Hammersmith stage. The chip is an old friend with temperature control and a useful display...only this time available in a more affordable package. So the box lives and dies on how well it has been designed and put together. Previously, the company offered up the HB40 and the HB50 regulated boxes. Both carry themselves with a level of attractiveness comparable to a hungover Wayne Rooney sucking a bunch of nettles. Maybe this was accidental, maybe it was on purpose in the same way an attractive girl hangs out at clubs with a couple of much plainer friends. Straight out of the box the VT40 has real catwalk potential. From the warrantee card that assures buyers of 12 months worry-free use to the serial numbered battery cap coin, the VT soars above its relations. It may be diminutive but so too is Kylie Minogue and, in the opinion of this writer, that’s pretty fine company to be keeping. It ranks as one of the smallest 18650 regulated devices and easily surpasses the SX Mini is aesthetic appeal. Although the SX offers 60watts over the VT’s 40 the £70 saving on RRP ought to make of for it. The C-frame allows it to rest comfortably in hand while the buttons convey a tailored quality absent in so many Far Eastern offerings. This is a mod that has undergone a comprehensive design process and it shows; it’s a mod that matches the chip inside and will appeal to those seeking the confidence of choosing an Evolv option. The fit and feel inspire the user with the knowledge that it matches its looks with a level of out of the box performance and durability hitherto absent from so many alternatives. It would be easy to dismiss the VT40 based on Hcigar’s past but it would be wrong. If they can continue replicating quality in form and function like this then they are set to carve out a huge slice of the affordable genuine market.

by Dave Cross

HARDWARE PRODUCT REVIEW

The Change V1 Atomiser from Steampipes

The Change V1 by Steampipes was purchased from inTaste. de for €125.00.

The Germans do a number of things incredibly well: they win football World Cups with clockwork precision, they make getting drunk in British town centres socially acceptable during Christmas and they operate a mean lathe when it comes to turning metal.

Steampipes have flown under the high-end device radar in the UK. Hugely popular in their home country and across mainland Europe you are more likely to find a helpful assistant in B&Q than a YouTube review of their products in English.

The company have taken Thomas Brückmann’s 2014 Enigma atomiser, itself a reflection of top-coil attys from days gone by, and advanced it into a little piece of joy for anyone who loved Meccano kits as a child.

While they claim you can “discover the sensations of a dripper with a tank atomiser” it is a multifunctioning genesis tank with numerous wicking options. The twin post head might limit the coil set-ups to singles or duals but it’s the four wick holes to the 4ml tank that expose the full potential. Billed to be able to accommodate “all wicking possibilities”, the atty can press mesh, stainless rope, silica and cotton into use. Dual U or four feeder mesh wicks, the multiple opportunities are there for the tinkerer with Google skills and a recollection of GCSE language classes. So while it can be a gorgeous genny, the cap (with as much space as a London bedsit) demands you to create the dripping experience. Four mesh straws will continually feed cotton as juice is vaporised by twin coils. Adjustable airflow is good up to lung hits – but not venturing into full cloud chasing territory.

The rarity of the 22mm Teutonic tank in the UK will have that people saying, “What on Earth is that?” There are options to further customise the Change with a range of add-on shields to protect the Pyrex, funky caps and alternative tips so that people will then ask, “What on Earth is that?” It’s distinctive, it’s esoteric, it’s the vaping equivalent of liking The Human

League in 1979.

Were an online reviewer to comment about all of the threading they’d no doubt eulogise and mention butter or silk.

It’s without doubt a finely crafted atomiser but we are entering times where many will question whether they want to pay €125-€135 for something that makes the dripping experience more convenient...but then that’s not what this atomiser is about.

It’s less vorsprung durch technic and more autobahn amusement. An Opel Kadett might perform the basic functions of getting you from A to B but some will prefer the experience of a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. If you are wanting to pay for a slice of quality and a pretty unique experience then the Change V1 will deliver like Pat Mustard in Father Ted. It maybe steel but it could hardly be described as a steal –although the current exchange rate makes the Change V1 by Steampipes an attractive alternative (or addition) to the Squape, the Kayfun and the Rose.

by Dave Cross

Joyetech eGo ONE Starter Kit

Petite yet powerful, eGo ONE is the one device for everyone. Adhering to this concept, eGo ONE stands out from different kinds of e-cig products by using two types of changeable atomizer headS to cater for different vaping methods: mouth inhale, mouth to lung inhale or direct lung inhale. Also there are two types of battery for you to choose: 1100mah and 2200mah.

Device: Joyetech eGo ONE

Supplier: GearBest.com

Price: $39.99 - Use discount code JEEGGB, free shipping

Hardware stats: Length: 105/131.2mm Atomizer Capacity: 1.8/2.5ml Battery Capacity: 1100/2200mAh

Color: Cherry Red/ Sky Blue/ Black/ Silver/ Pearl White/ Magic Blue 510 Threaded

Operating Voltage: 3.3 - 4.2V Stainless steel construction Adjustable airflow control valve

Take the hugely popular eGo vapouriser, update it with subohm capabilities, add a seriously stylish stainless steel finish, and this is what you get; The eGo ONE from Joyetech. Not only have Joyetech catered for the beginner with a 1ohm atomiser head, which is cleverly constructed to replicate the ‚mouth to lung‘ inhale of an analog, they have also thrown a 0.5ohm wide-bore coil into the mix, which is perfect for those of us that prefer a lovely deep‚ lung hit‘.

The 2200mAh battery served me well, and when used with the 0.5ohm coil, gave a full day’s worth of vaping. Despite not having a screen, the battery level is cleverly indicated by the LED behind the switch, flashing at different rates to indicate charge level. 60% - 100% LED stays lit, 30% - 59% slow flashes, 10% - 29% moderate flashes, 0 - 9% flashes rapidly, and when the battery level falls below 3.3V, it will shut itself off automatically. Would I recommend the eGo ONE? Yes, yes I would.

An astounding piece of kit, and at only $39.99 delivered from GearBest.com with the discount code JEEGGB, you can‘t go far wrong.

HARDWARE PRODUCT REVIEW

Kangertech Subox Kit

The Kanger Subox kit was purchased online from MyePack. co.uk for £49.99.

Things change quickly and the older you get the more rapid the rate of change appears. Once upon a time the police would tell you the time and send young scallywags packing with ear clips but now it’s all helicopters, CSI and riot shields. It’s an age thing, I view change with a combination of suspicion and fear. What was wrong with new vapers buying an Evod and an eGo battery? These modern vapers, they don’t know how lucky they are with the new Subox kit from Kangertech.

Let’s be perfectly clear, fifty quid is not an insignificant sum of money for an awful lot of people. On the other hand it’s only twenty-five EuroMillions tickets or less than a tank of petrol. What was initially billed as a starter kit has been taken to by many experience vapers – with good reason?

The kit contains everything beginners need except juice and a battery: the box mod, a Subtank (that is currently more popular than randomly abusing strangers on Twitter), two prebuilt coil heads, a rebuildable head for advanced users, a couple of drip tips, spares and a charging cable. The experience kicks off with the packaging; if it were larger IKEA would sell it and middle-class families would invite their friends around to appreciate it during dinner parties. Bits that slide, bits that flip and layered sections all contribute to the notion that Kanger took the project more seriously than a primary school child tasked with counting in the rulers. The Subtank has transformed inside and out with the black and white coatings appealing to both Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder fans, although likenesses have been more readily formed with Star Wars. The redesigned coil heads take a vertical arrangement over the old transverse system, enabling the vaper to experience a fuller force from the juice. Initially, concerns were raised that the coating on the white version was flakier than a pre-election political party promise. It coincided with the launch supply and demand problems but once the pipeline cleared and stock began to flow there was no further evidence of an issue.

It is the inclusion of the box mod that elevates this as a

package when considering the Subtank retails around the £25 mark on its own. The pocket-friendly regulated device can hit a useful fifty watts of power and the positive button clicks are reflected in changes on an OLED screen. The magnetic battery cover adds to the whole tool-free convenience of the kit when in use.

In fact the only downside to the Subox kit is the 510-pin on the mod. Despite some websites falsely claiming it is a brass spring-loaded adjustable connection – it isn’t, it’s a fixed pin. This presents no problems if being used with the Subtank or atomisers with adjustable 510s but it is worth checking out if it will work with alternative tanks prior to purchase otherwise. Finally, the mod has more security features than Group 4 and a pass-thru function to keep you vaping throughout the day; it’s a very arresting package.

by Dave Cross

Cheap-ecigs supply a wide range of stunning, high quality e-cigarettes, e-liquids and accessories in the UK, Europe and beyond. Based in Redditch, Worcestershire, Cheap-ecigs have a popular online store where clients can leisurely browse online and make purchases via PayPal, credit or debit card. Cheap-ecigs always put the safety of their customers first and are proud to say that unlike some other retailers, all of the e-liquid in their 10ml and 20ml bottles is manufactured in the UK to exacting EU Health and Safety Regulations. Dedicated and returning customers can take advantage of Cheap-ecigs’ Loyalty Scheme. This enables vapers to

revel in the knowledge that they are getting more bang for their buck by saving money long-term, whilst fully enjoying their vape at amazing, pocket-friendly prices. E-liquids are available in different strengths according to your palate and come in 10ml and 20ml bottles. Flavours include fruity blueberry, banana, pineapple, mango and cherry. Those with the more flamboyant taste-buds can choose the Prickly Pear Cactus, Primal Ice-Cream, Wizard’s Leaf, Coco Nutter, Sherlock or Raging Bull. Whatever your inclination or mood there is something for every palate at Cheap-ecigs. The range of hardware is impressive too, catering for new and seasoned vapers alike. Their CE4 Starter Kit with 1100mAH Battery is capable of holding up to 1.6ml of e-liquid and is ideal for the vaper who wants a personalised e-cigarette, as both the tank and battery come in a variety of striking colours. Priced at just £12.99 with a free 10ml bottle of e-liquid included for good measure, this is a great way for the first time user of making the switch from tobacco cigarette to e-cigarette.

For more information about Cheap-ecigs go to website: www.cheap-ecigs.co.uk or call 0845 257 5680.

ULTRA VAPOUR

At Ultra Vapour the management and staff are all passionate about vaping and in helping their customers get exactly what is right for them. In fact most of their staff are former customers who were so enthsiastic and knowledgable about the vaping industry that they were given jobs. Managing director Jonathan Tycer set up in business in 2012 and in less than a year he had built up a huge reputation for himself and had already gained a loyal customer base. By September 2013 Ultra Vapour opened its first shop in Halesowen, West Midlands, and things went so well that a second shop at Stone Cross, West Bromwich, opened a year later. The company has also got a large presence online and is on course to open another two stores this year. Jonathan said: “We got into the industry right at the beginning and having a dedicated shop early on really helped us build our reputation and grow our customer base.

“The fact that we are all passionate about vaping and really want to help our customers is also what people like about us.

“We don’t just want to sell people a product and then get them out of the door. Our shops are more like social clubs where people can chat with us, get the help and advice they need and just relax.

“The fact that we have recruited a lot of staff from our existing customer base is great because we get really knowledgable and helpful people who love the industry and are really happy to share their knowledge with others.” Jonathan said vaping was a great way for people to quit smoking traditional cigarettes, pipes and tobacco. He himself is a former smoker who has not looked back since discovering vaping and soon started spreading the word to all the other smokers he knew. The hugely positive response was what made him decide that it was the right business for him.

For more information you can check out their website http://www.ultravapour.com/ or call 0121 293 5786.

Grey Haze was set up in 2013 to provide quality e cigarette supplies to both new and experienced E-Cig smokers. We have over 20 years experience in the retail industry and are a major wholesaler of electrical goods in the Midlands.

As many of our staff are smokers turned vapers we were dissatisfied with the level of service, extortionate price, and poor products from large E-Cig companies. This dissatisfaction grew ever larger with poor intermittent service and the confusing nature of smaller vendors whose modifications seemed to cater to those only with copious amounts of money to spend. We have entered the market to rectify this situation and provide quality products, and reasonable prices with the very best customer service.

BARGAIN VAPOUR

At Bargain Vapour looking after their worldwide customer base is key…and it is a strategy which is really paying off. Director Paul Flynn said customer service had always been the most important thing for the business and that boils down to being friendly and knowledgable while providing the best quality electronic cigarettes and accessories at the best prices.

The management and staff have first-hand knowledge of the rapidly-evolving industry and are best placed to offer help and advice to any customer who wants more information about vaping. Paul said: “Being one hundred per cent customer focused is at the heart of our business. We want to ensure that the entire customer experience from initial contact right through to after care service is the best it can be.

“We only sell quality products and as we use e-cigarettes on a regular basis ourselves, this allows us to gain first hand experience about the best products available.

“Our promise is to make the change to an electronic cigarette as easy as possible and to support our customers throughout their vaping experiences.” Currently all of their business is done online but they have plans to open stores in Ennis and Dublin within the next 12 months. The Bargain Vapour Facebook page is extremely popular with more than 18,000 likes, scores of positive reviews and an average score of 4.7 out of five stars.

Paul said it was only possible to get statistics like that by really caring about the community they served. He said: “We know how to look after people and to ensure they get what they want. We are happy to cater for the needs of everyone from the first-time vaper to the highly experienced user and we have the knowledge and experience to give the best and most appropriate advice where needed.”

One recent five star review on their Facebook page said: “Received my first order yesterday...used loads of different e-liquids from loads of different companies in the last 5 years and yours is the cheapest by far and the best tasting i have used...will definitely be buying more.”

Another said: “Great service, unbeatable value! I’ve used Bargain Vapours three times and each time I’ve had a great experience.” For more information check out their website http://www. bargainvapour.com/ or Facebook page https://www. facebook.com/BargainVapour

We only sell quality products and as we use e-cigarettes on a regular basis ourselves, this allows us to gain first hand experience about the best products available.

“

PREMIER E-CIGS IS A PASSIONATE CHAMPION OF VAPING

Premier E-cigs is a passionate champion of vaping, who offer a wide range of vaping kits, E-cigarettes and E-liquids to help others curb their smoking habit.

Based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, Premier E-cigs was founded by Pete who spent years trying to quit smoking. After discovering E-cigarettes, he made the switch and hasn’t looked back. Pete said: “E-cigarettes have been remarkable for me. I had tried countless methods but nothing worked. Now I want to help others who face the predicament I once did. I want to help and show them what I consider to be a better, healthier and more pocket-friendly alternative to smoking.”The E-cigarettes use cutting edge technology to give you a satisfying vaping experience. They effectively deliver the satisfying nicotine hit from smoking, minus the odour, or the need to stand out in the cold. Instead of smoke, E-cigarettes produce a clean and odourless vapour. They combine innovative components with the simple satisfaction of holding a cigarette in your hand. Holding a vape pen mimics the act of smoking, meaning you are less likely to fall off the wagon and start smoking again.

Premier E-cigs stock a diverse range of vaping products that you can customise to suit your needs. This includes great value E-cig Starter Kits which make it easy for anyone to get started. The complete kit comes with absolutely everything you need to start vaping, including battery, clearomizer, USB wire, wall plug, charging bag and liquid. To keep things really simple, the battery lets you know how much charge you have left through a simple three colour category classification. A red shading on your E-cigarette is a warning that you

have less than a 30% charge. This highly intuitive system means you will never be caught off guard and left craving a nicotine hit when you need it the most.

This is your one-stop shop for all your vaping needs. From kits to accessories, the customer is at the forefront of Premier E-cigs’ mind and they have thought of everything you could possibly want to enjoy your vape.

The Lipo Safety Bag is one of their hot bestsellers. £5 is a small price to pay for your safety and Premier E-cigs recommend that you use this lightweight fire-proof bag to charge your lithium batteries inside. The bag is made from a fibre-glass woven fabric similar to material worn by fire-fighters. It is designed to stop and contain the fire caused by incorrectly used or poorly functioning batteries during charging.Premier E-cigs stock E-liquids produced by the world’s leading manufacturer Hangsen. Their rigorous testing and massive E-liquid range ensures happy customers worldwide. E-liquids are sold in bottles of 10ml and 30ml, with free delivery on orders over £25. If you are new to vaping and want to try out new flavours, Premier E-cigs recommend that you try a 10ml bottle first, and with hundreds of flavours to choose from including a wide selection of fruit, minty menthol and various drinks, you really will be spoilt for choice.

Premier E-cigs is more than a vaping products specialist. Having been in the shoes of a smoker, they really care that their customers receive tips and advice that will help them stop smoking for good. Rivalling tobacco cigarettes is no mean feat and Premier E-cigs are confident that once you try their vaping products, a traditional cigarette will lose its appeal. Once you have quit smoking, you can cut out nicotine completely or choose to keep using your E-cigarettes as a tasty alternative.

Premier E-cigs keep their prices consistently low whilst offering only top quality products. To find out more about them, vaping and how they can help you stop smoking, call 01623 659510 now or go to the website www.premiere-cigs.co.uk.

THE NEW GROWING COMPANY IN THE DIY E-LIQUID MARKET

MAKE MY VAPE

REVIEW ON MAKE MY VAPE

Irecently decided to check out DIY e-liquid mixing after reading some guides and success stories that people have had from doing it. Many people were mentioning how cheap it is and also that it’s a lot of fun, so I decided to start looking through the forums and searching for all of the bits I’d need to get started. This is when we were first introduced to Make My Vape. They provide entire kits which include everything you need to mix your own e-liquid, just what I was looking for! They have a product builder on their site which allows you to completely customise your kit with choices of flavour concentrates and optional extras like nicotine or a larger accessory kit.

I ordered one of their XL kits to play around with and actually try to concoct an e-liquid; I have to admit that it seems a little daunting, but easy enough to follow. The kit came in a little brown box; it’s very neat and full to the brim with accessories, bottles, bottle-tips and caps, the various liquids I need to mix, and lots of bubble wrap. It arrived two days after they told me they had dispatched it and so far, I am impressed with the speed of the delivery however the box could do with a bit of a presentation overhaul. Once I wade through all of the bubble wrap and little squishy pads I’ll be taking a look at the components of the kit and give my own personal critique on each of them, as well as the ease of the whole process.

At the top of the pile is my bag of accessories. I’ve got a pair of latex gloves, presumably for handling the nicotine and flavour concentrates; syringes of various sizes, pipettes, about a dozen 10ml bottles with nibs for easy squeezing, and child-

safety caps… good thinking! Also included are some syringe needles for getting into small bottles and some labels to name my creations. Seems like I have just about everything I could possibly need in terms of accessories, so I conclude that I am very impressed with the accessory kit. Next up we have the flavour concentrates and a 100ml bottle of 50mg USP/EP nicotine, carried in propylene glycol. The nicotine was wrapped by itself in bubble wrap, keeping it away from the rest of my stuff… nice! It’s a clear liquid with a yellow tinge. On the front of the bottle I am notified that nicotine is a poison, and that I should follow the necessary precautions such as keeping it away from children and wearing glovespretty much what you’d expect. I tried to pick at least one flavour concentrate from each brand- Capella, Flavour West, and The Flavour Apprentice. My line-up is as follows: CAP Vanilla Custard, TFA Apple Pie, TFA English Toffee, FW Mojito, FW Pie Crust, and FW Waffle. All of these flavours come in bottles with child-safety caps and an indication of whether the flavouring is natural, artificial or both, which I think is a nice touch.

Finally we have the 500ml bottles of PG and VG. From my understanding, these are the base liquids that everything is mixed in to, and you can adjust the ratio you have between the two for a different effect; PG gives you more of a throat hit and brings out the flavour, while VG gives you more cloud. These bottles look like they would last me a good while; a few months at least, considering I’ve got a whole litre of liquid in total and I’m just making 10ml bottles. Nevertheless, the time for mixing has come, and I’m not too sure where to start. I did notice that Make My Vape has an e-liquid calculator on their site, but I’ve never mixed before, so I don’t know if it would be much help to me.

In the end, I decided to give them a call to guide me through the process of mixing; information which they were more than willing to provide. Amazingly, I did not get a robot telling me to press buttons on the phone, but rather an actual human answered to me right away! He explained how to mix by helping me to understand the process behind it, and suggested I use the calculator if I want more precise results. I started by deciding what I want my PG / VG ratio to be. I thought I’d go with a 50 PG, 50 VG mix just for the sake of ease. He then explained that I should decide what flavour I want my liquid to be; I decided on vanilla custard and apple pie- great choice, I know. He recommended that I start with 20% flavouring, 10% of each flavour and then in the future begin experimenting and discovering my preferences.

To do this I just took 2ml, or 20%, away from my total liquid to save this space for flavours, and then had 50% of the remaining space, 4ml, filled with PG, and the other half with VG. Due to the fact that flavours are carried in PG, the result will carry slightly more PG than VG overall, but that’s where a calculator would come in handy. All I had to do then was put 1ml of each flavour into the mix to make a total of 10ml. I’m going to leave nicotine out of the mix for now, but making an e-liquid is surprisingly easy, and I’m sure I’d be able to add in whatever I wanted and come out with a decent e-liquid. Make My Vape also told me that there are lots of recipes I can follow on their website if I get stuck for ideas, as well as many more guides which give more in-depth explanations on the different stages of mixing on the ‘how to mix’ page… I don’t think I’ll be running out of resources any time soon.

Before I hung up the phone, I was also told that it’s best to shake the mix up and leave it to steep for a day or two in order to get a fuller flavour, so the liquid will be sitting in my cupboard until tomorrow. I have enjoyed my experience with Make My Vape and have also learnt how to mix an e-liquid over the phone. The only complaint I could think of right now is that the box wasn’t pretty enough, but the contents were

very colourful and much to my satisfaction; plus, everything else just went so smoothly. I’d recommend Make My Vape to anyone interested in mixing their own e-liquid and encourage you to give them a try.

I have enjoyed my experience with Make My Vape and have also learnt how to mix an e-liquid over the phone.

They are your one stop shop for all your vaping needs; by combining a store-front with a beautifully comfortable vaping lounge, Vapour Queen’s novel approach

means that a unique environment has been created with vapers’ needs in mind.

You can indulge your taste-buds by checking out the 26 brand premium e-juice range, before chilling out in the lounge or private games room and vaping away to your heart’s content.

Kal Taak, Director at Vapour Queen said: “It’s an innovative, creative idea catering specifically for the needs of the vaper. We wanted to establish a place that is great for relaxing and having a vape, whilst also allowing vapers to take advantage of our fantastic games room and sipping delicious beverages.”

Channelling the Americana vibe of a New York style loft with bare brick walls, Vapour Queen is the place to be for a relaxing vape with a difference. The fashionable decor consisting of stunning US inspired artwork including Route 66 plaques and plush sofas you can sink into, means that once you step foot into Vapour Queen, you won’t want to leave in a hurry.

By stocking the latest products from America, Vapour Queen has positioned

itself as the vaping store selling only the best and bonafide, authentic products. Vapour Queen keeps its ears to the ground and as soon as a new flavour hits the market, they are the first to acquire it for their already extensive list. From Diamond Mist for just £2.50 for 10ml, to the premium range Charlie Noble for a cost effective £14.99 for 30ml, there is a vape to suit every pocket.

Be it cotton, wire, e-juices, carry-cases or batteries, Vapour Queen should be on your speed dial. They stock an impressive range of hardware including clearomizers, subtanks and RDA and RBTA atomizers.

If you don’t know your VV Mod to your Box Mod, then the knowledgeable team will take the time to have a chat and get you up to speed.

They considerately offer step by step tutorials on rebuilding coils and are on hand to answer any of your vaping queries. If you are a smoker keen to make the switch from traditional tobacco cigarettes to e-cigarettes, then make Vapour Queen your first port of call.

Vapour Queen are open 7 days a week.

Vapingfor beginners

Want to reduce the harm smoking is doing to you?

Tried all other available quit smoking aids and they haven’t worked?

People and your family comment on how you smell of tobacco?

Want to stop your family being exposed to second had tobaco smoke?

Then maybe you should give Vaping a go, hundreds of thousands of smokers are making the switch to Vaping every year and feeling the benefits of not smoking.

The vaping world is full of different terminologies, devices, liquids, the list goes on and on, here I will try and make it simple for you to make an informed decision on what to start with.

Don’t go out and spend a couple of hundred pounds on new gear, the majority of devices requires experience, knowledge of battery safety, tools and accessories.

Before you go out and buy your first starter kit, there are a few things to consider:

What nicotine level to go for?

It is always good to have a true idea of the number of cigarettes you smoke daily, this will help determine the level of Nicotine liquid you should go for. The average nicotine level that people first start with is around 18mg (including myself).

• If you are a heavy smoker, then this may not be enough nicotine for you to stop the cravings for that nicotine hit, so try 24mg.

• On the other side of that, if you don’t smoke that much each day then a lower Nicotine mg/% would be better as you don’t want a Nicotine high!!

Flavours

• With so many flavours to choose from, you want to be sure that you buy a flavour tht you will like and will keep you reaching for your Vape device rather than the cigarette.

With this part, it is always best to visit a local Vape shop, the majority if not all of them have a selection you can try first. Liquid is the main cost of Vaping, this is what delivers the flavour

and nicotine, prices can range from £1 for 10ml to £30 for 30ml (Once you have a flavour you like, then look online, you will find liquids cheaper, but remember cheaper doesn’t always mean better)

• Tobacco flavours are what a lot of people go for as it is as close to the flavour smoking tobacco cigarettes as it can get, again spend some time in a Vape shop and try lots of different flavours.

The device itself

• There are so many different types of Vaping devices out there, as a beginner, I would strongly recommend starting off with an all in one device, a simple push and Vape type set up, an ego style vape pen, these are very simple, click the links below to see a couple of examples of the types you could be looking for:

• Evod style vape pen kit

• Basic Vape Pen

• These come in different colours, different size batteries (the bigger battery the longer it will last between charges)

• There are different types of ‘tanks’ (what holds your liquid and wick)

This is my advice only but I found this to be the best way to start Vaping, go to a shop, go and try their flavours, have a chat with the people there, not just the staff, but other people there who are already Vapers, they are the best people to get the right information from, every Vaper will offer any help or advice to people who want to give up ‘smoking’.

Now once you have started Vaping and you are now off the cigarettes, there are more options for you to move up to, these offer better flavour and are a little bit more in cost, but they do offer a better Vape.

Watch the video below to get an idea of how a Vape Pen works, how to refill and what you could move on to once you have got into Vaping and off the ‘Cancer Sticks’, the different liquids that are available.

Video coming very soon.

Is Vaping good for you?

Well, there is nothing that is good for you any more, but Vaping significantly reduces the harm that smoking cigarettes can do. The number of toxins and chemicals (carcinogens) present in cigarettes are in the hundreds/thousands.

Yes, there is more and more research being done into the possible effects of Vaping, but every study (independent, reliable and even reputable Doctors) do say that anyone who stops smoking and starts Vaping dramatically reduce the harm that smoking causes. But remember, anything that is not oxygen going into your lungs will have some affect, but just think, with Vaping you will significantly reduce the harmful toxins in your body.

Allergic reaction to Vaping?

It isn’t the Vaping you are allergic to, it is more than likely the PG (Propylene Glycol) content of the liquid. There are people that are not tolerant to the PG within certain liquids, especially if it is high in PG (Most cheaper brands have quite a high PG content). So, before you chuck it all in and go back to cigarettes, try a high VG (Vegetable Glycerin) based liquid, Vapers report that once reducing the PG content in

their liquids their allergies to PG have stopped.

Information about:

• Propylene Glycol

• Vegetable Glycerin

Is Vaping cheaper thank smoking cigarettes?

Well, this all really depends on how much you vape and how ‘into it’ you get, if you just stick to the vape pens and don’t go through lots of bottles everyday then yes, it will be cheaper, with the initial cost being anywhere from £10 –£30 and the bottles of liquid being around £5. It can be cheaper, but many people do spend lots on their devices and ‘gourmet’ liquids. It really depends on how far you want to take this, is it just to get off the cigarettes then stop vaping, or continue Vaping and lower your Nic level.

There is great deal of lingo with Vaping so I have listed the most common ones below, I hope this will help.

Terms:

• Nic = Nicotine

• Clouds = The vapour that is produced from your Vape device. (Cloud Chasing)

• Liquid, Juice, eliquid = The liquid that contains flavouring and nicotine

• Ohms = This is the resistance of your coil

• Coil = The element that heats up the liquid and creates the vapour

• Kanthal, NiChrome, Nickel, Titanium wires = These are the metals that you use to create a coil

• Wick = The material that soaks up the liquid and is inserted within the coil, this in the low end devices are silica wick, in most devices these are cotton.

• TC = Temperature Control, this is still in it’s infancy, but it relates to a device that can limit the temperature of the coil to make sure that you do not get a dry hit.

• Dry Hit = This is where there is little to no liquid on your wick and tends to burn the wick creating that dry hit.

• VV = Variable Voltage, this is where you can set the volts going to your coil, more volts means more heat and vapour

• VW = Variable Wattage, again you can adjust the watts going to your coil to create more/ less heat and vapour

• SubOhm = This is for experienced Vapers only, it means that you are Vaping under 1 Ohm and this is where experience of battery safety is required, it is very dangerous to Vape at very low ohms without the right batteries and knowledge of what your batteries are capable of. Batteries can vent and explode

if they are pushed and stressed beyond their capabilities. EXTREME CARE IS NEEDED.

• 18650, 26650, 18350, 18500 = These are the different size of batteries the right ones are needed for your device. Again care is needed here when you are dealing with batteries, only purchase genuine high amp and high drain batteries for your devices.

• Box Mod = These are as the name states, Vaping devices in the shape/style of a box, these can be regulated or unregulated

• Mech Mods = (Mechanical Mods) these are unregulated devices that allow the battery to push all it’s power to the coil, again care is needed here, experience of battery safety is required.

• Regulated and unregulated = Regulated devices are safer, they as the names suggests regulate the power to the coil, safety features can include, low power shut off, low resistance warning, reverse battery warning, Unregulated does not have any safety built in and requires experience to use them.

• Steeping = This is when you leave your liquid to mature over a period of time, best when it is in a cool dark place and it allows the flavours to mix and especially needed when it is custard or cream flavourings.

Potentially dangerous vaping ban reignites smoking debate

With the Welsh Assembly looking into banning vaping, a tobacco expert has spoken out to warn about the adverse effect if such a ruling came into place. The Welsh Assembly’s potential vaping ban would make vaping illegal in workplaces, restaurants and bars by 2017. It replicates the smoking ban which came into force eight years ago.

Professor John Britton, Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies said: “For the most part, not using e-cigarettes in public is a matter of courtesy.

“There are circumstances where it might be important, or helpful, to allow people to use them, and these places are usually those where people find themselves unable to smoke without any choice. For example, if admitted to hospital, people in prisons and people in mental health settings, secure or otherwise, who will go through acute withdrawal symptoms from tobacco smoking whilst there are other options they could use. E-cigarettes are important to very many people and we need to think carefully before removing that option.”

Britton’s main area of research is smoking prevention and other avoidable causes of chronic respiratory disease. He isn’t the only one ringing warning bells about a potential vaping ban. George Butterworth, Tobacco Policy Manager for Cancer Research UK said: “There isn’t enough evidence to justify a ban on using e-cigarettes indoors. The measure could create more barriers for smokers trying to quit tobacco.”

A response from the office of Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health, said: “The Government has no plans to introduce a similar ban on e-cigarettes in England as banning the use of e-cigarettes in public places would require a change in legislation and there are no current plans to do this.

“E-cigarettes are relatively new products, but some evidence suggests that they may be a useful tool in helping diverting smokers away from traditional tobacco. However, the Government is aware that there have also been concerns that it might make it more difficult for smokers using e-cigarettes as a way of stopping.

“The Department of Health is also aware that some companies, like restaurant and pub chains and some transport companies have also taken steps to ban their use within their private buildings. The Department is keeping research on e-cigarettes under review and Public Health England is currently compiling a report looking at the latest evidence on e-cigarettes. The Department will await the report’s findings.”

Vaping is already banned at a number of public places already, including public transport operators Trent Barton and East Midlands Trains. The regional train operator commented: “Passengers should refrain from smoking either conventional or electronic cigarettes on board all of our trains, platforms and at our stations.”