Issue 17

Welcome to summer – and the busiest time on our calendar.

Since our April issue, the Vapouround team has attended expos in China, Germany, Italy, Colombia, London and of course the Vaper Expo UK in May, for which we were the exclusive media partner. In the coming weeks, we’ll be covering just as many events around the world.

I’d like to thank those of you who sponsored and attended the third annual Vapouround Awards on B2B day of the Vaper Expo UK. What a night! It was wonderful to meet you all and I hope you had the chance to network and benefit from being among the leading names in this electric industry.

I’d also like to say thank you to everyone who donated in our charity raffle on awards night. This year’s chosen charity was MIND – the mental health charity, and together we raised over £2,000 on the night, so again, thank you. Smoking is the single biggest cause of inequality of life expectancy for people with mental health conditions (NICE & Royal College of Psychiatrists) and we hope that our donation can help someone with poor mental health make a positive change in their life.

With the awards over, our focus moves to new and exciting developments. In August we’ll celebrate our third anniversary as

a magazine. Who can believe it’s been three years since we debuted Vapouround Magazine? We’ve done a lot in three short years and we hope to keep going at that pace for many, many more.

In this issue, we’ll look at the new and exclusive Vapouround Club we’re launching in July. Do you have a vape shop? This membership is ideal for vape shop staff and it will provide subscribers with new products, product previews, exclusive offers and discounts and the latest industry news which our team get to the heart of each day.

We’re also gearing up to embark on a fivemonth tour of the UK with the Vapouround Bus, so you can be sure to see us in a town near you soon.

Last but by no means least, I am proud to announce the launch of Vapouround Canada – Canada’s first vape trade print magazine. This is a development we have been working on for a long time and where better to preview this new publication than at Canada’s Vape Expo in Toronto, June 22-24.

This issue is overflowing with the highlights of the Vaper Expo UK, plus an exclusive interview with the man behind UNRULY E-liquids, Professor Green, so dig in!

Until next time,

EDITOR

Paul Caplin

50% of smokers who vaped

Vaping under attack The GDPR and the vape trade Wales smoking ban

E-cigarette market may plateau

E-cigarettes - A vital tool Could CBD squash social smoking?

FEATURES EVENTS

Living the stream Diary of a vaper

The vape debate - Vic Mullen Vaping Entrepreneur

Vaping down under A whole blu world

Adact Medical - product safety Zap Juice

Introducing Vape Trotters

University of London study

Frazer Clarke visits VM HQ

Vapouround Club Coil Porn

Seeds of change - CBD Health directory on ecigs

Rebranding Labels

Global community

Vaping Legion

Easysnap - Innovate to thrive

106 108 112 116 122 124 128 132 136 140 144 146 150 155 178 179

VM Awards main report

VM Awards a night in pics

VM Awards behind the scenes

VM Awards winners

Main Expo Report

My Vaper Expo - Roisin

My Vaper Expo - Gordon Professor Green Takeover The Vaper Expo in pictures Vapouround Bus NNA @ Vaper Expo

The Vapouround Casino

IBVTA @ Vaper Expo

Vapouround on tour

Where we are going next Vapouround Bus on tour

REVIEWS

Vapouround Reviews

UWELL Valyrian tank

Hangsen IQ 3sec Teslacigs Silver REV Nitro 200w

Vaptio SOLO F2 SMOK X-Priv mini kit

Usonicig Rhythm Kit Vaporesso Orca

Vaporesso Cascade One kit

ARC Distribution

Thor Juice Capella Flavour

Vape Duty Free

Eco Vapes - CBD Drops

PJ Empire Hangsen e-liquid Pukka Juice

Twelve monkeys

:

By Leo Forfar

The UK’s latest stop smoking stats paint a positive picture

Almost one hundred thousand people successfully quit smoking after just four weeks, that’s according to the latest quarterly report from the NHS Stop Smoking Service.

The report, which tallied cessation in England from April to December 2017, shows that 97,613 people (50 percent) successfully quit smoking after the short period.

The statistics contain details on 195,762 people who selfreported and had set a pre-planned four week quit date, who successfully kicked the habit through the specific methods provided by the NHS service.

Seventy-two percent of participants had their results confirmed by Carbon Monoxide verification.

The numbers paint a positive picture for cessation rates in the UK. The region with the highest percentage of successful quitters – Yorkshire and the Humber – peaked at 58 percent, while the lowest – the south west – dipped only seven points below average at 43 percent.

But the Stop Smoking Services are not just asking who but how. Each report hopes to provide “in-depth analyses of the key measures of the service including pregnant women, breakdowns by ethnic group, socio-economic classification, intervention type, intervention setting and type of pharmacotherapy.”

Key facts from the report show that:

• 44 percent of the pregnant women who set a quit date successfully quit

• 38 percent of people accessed Stop Smoking Services through their GP

• 81 percent of people used one-to-one support to help themselves quit smoking

• Quitting success increased with age, from 42 per cent of those aged under 18, to 55 per cent of those aged 60 and over

The methods of the Stop Smoking Services include, “intensive support through group therapy or one-to-one support. The support is designed to be widely accessible within the local community and is provided by trained personnel, such as specialist smoking cessation advisors and trained nurses and pharmacists.”

“The most common pharmacotherapy was a combination of licensed Nicotine Containing Products taken concurrently (32 percent).”

What role could e-cigarettes play in all of this? These findings bring to mind the words of Professor John Newton, director of health improvement at Public Health England, who told a recent Science and Technology committee, “The large-scale surveys suggest there is a progression from being a smoker, to using e-cigarettes, to stopping.”

The report confirms an ongoing pattern of escalating smoking cessation and an increasingly prominent role played by nicotine replacement via reduced harm products. Though the NHS is only currently providing nicotine replacement via inhalators, gum, nasal spray, oral lozenges and strips and skin patches, their website’s Stop Smoking section points to a potentially bright future for our industry’s part to play in public health initiatives and closer ties to healthcare:

“As with other approaches, [e-cigarettes] are most effective if used with support from an NHS stop smoking service. There are no e-cigarettes currently available on prescription. But once medicinally licensed e-cigarette products become available, GPs and stop smoking services will be able to prescribe them.”

VAPING UNDER ATTACK

YOUTUBE IS CRACKING DOWN ON CBD AND VAPING CONTENT

By Gordon Stribling

YouTube’s active vaping community has been rocked by a series of strikes from the platform’s moderators that have resulted in numerous videos being flagged as ‘inappropriate’ or removed altogether.

The move appears to have been instigated following the Food and Drug Administration’s investigation into pod manufacturer JUUL, for allegedly selling their products to minors. The FDA’s letter to the San Francisco-based company claimed that JUUL devices are “common in middle and high schools.”

A slew of stories about teen use of the device (often referred to as ‘JUULing’) and pressure from antitobacco groups has given the manufacturers little choice but to fall in line. The company launched a $30 million campaign on April 25 to help combat underage nicotine use.

It was around this time that JUUL and other vaperelated videos began disappearing from YouTube with little to no warning. Some in the industry have suggested that tobacco-controllers are actively flagging all JUUL and vape-related content.

Offending channels are subject to a three-strikes policy. The initial strike sets the process in motion. A second strike within a three-month period bans channel-owners from uploading new content for two weeks. A third strike within the same period results in the channel being terminated.

The situation is a frustrating one for content-creators. YouTube’s community guidelines are broad and flexible enough that moderators can remove pretty much anything. And the lack of transparency on YouTube’s part means that content creators are trying to stay within parameters that only YouTube themselves fully understand.

After receiving a community strike banning him from livestreaming content for three months, prominent YouTuber Grimm Green said:

“For the first time ever, I’m genuinely worried. This isn’t an exaggeration. Damn the man, save the empire.”

While the hysteria around JUUL may have sparked the initial wave of strikes, many fear that vaperelated content is at risk of being banned from the site altogether. Some suspect that a strike on one of TiaVapes’ videos was due to its title alluding to offering discounts to viewers. Others on both sides of the Atlantic have had their channels deleted, sometimes with years-worth of work expunged from the internet.

One explanation for the removal of some videos is that they contain references to CBD. Despite being legal in most countries and US states, it has been suggested that bots scanning videos for forbidden content are picking up on references to the cannabisderived compound and flagging videos for supposed drug-related content.

In other cases, videos are being marked as spam which, in the case of Rob of ukvapester.co.uk, led to the deleting of his account and a permanent ban. On Twitter, Rob said:

“No warnings …No strikes … Permanent account ban and delete. Two years of my life gone … I don’t understand.”

Uncertainty around what exactly is and is not permissible has forced the community to consider migrating to other social platforms. Vimeo has proven to be the most popular so far. But the community is a lot smaller, restricting potential for channels to make money. Some of the more prominent channel-owners rely entirely upon YouTube to support themselves and their families.

Content-creators are now also seriously looking to new platforms that cater exclusively to vaperelated content.

Vape Tube is a relatively new platform which has seen an influx of channels open since fears of an allout YouTube vape ban began to circulate. The likes of The Devil Vaper and SirVapingAlot have already begun to upload content to the site.

Instagram receives a lot of traffic from within the vaping community, with the site seemingly happy to allow the promotion of vape-related content. However, the site is owned by Facebook, it’s possible that users there may soon face tighter regulations. One potential alternative for vaping Instagrammers is Vaffle, which has become commonly referred to as the ‘vaping Instagram’ since its launch earlier this year. Vaffle provides vapers with a platform to share images, build social connections and learn about vaping. The app includes a DIY e-liquid tool and an Ohm’s Law calculator, among other things.

In their own shake-up on advertising regulations, Reddit sub ECR announced a ban on all e-cigaretterelated sales back in March. Shortly after the announcement was made, users began making proposals to create and migrate to an off-site forum allowing users to sell and advertise products and link to recommended vape shops.

A similar plan has already been finalised by users of the CBD subreddit site theCBD.place provides visitors with advice on CBD and a database of vetted companies.

“FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, I’M GENUINELY WORRIED. THIS ISN’T AN EXAGGERATION”

GRIMM GREEN

THE GDPR AND THE VAPE TRADE

As the European Union enforces a historic change in data protection law, we look at how the vape industry can adapt.

By Róisín Delaney

As of May 25, every organisation that operates within the 28-member states of the European Union – including the UK – are subject to the tightest data protection laws ever known.

In 2016 it was decided the EU would adopt the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as a gold standard for data protection across Europe.

The EU's independent data protection authority, the European Data Protection Supervisor believes introducing the GDPR has been “one of its greatest achievements in recent years.”

This change is affecting businesses of all shapes and sizes in every part of the EU, and for many, it has meant increased expenditure, panic, overtime and a lot of paperwork.

But how will this rapidly growing industry cope with such a significant change merely a year on from the implementation of the Tobacco Products Directive?

Brexit

Exiting from the EU won’t get us out of having to play by the rules.

Up until now, data protection law in the UK was governed by an act introduced in 1998 as a result of an out-dated EU directive. No one in the nineties could have predicted the progress and influence technology would sweep over individuals 20 years into the future. The GDPR now applies to all companies based in the EU and those with EU citizens

as customers. It has an extra-territorial effect meaning non-EU countries will also be affected. That means that while the UK will leave the EU next year, British companies will still have to comply or risk facing infringements and major fines.

Ask the expert

John Charlton is a business catalyst with Birmingham-based Bart Dalton Consulting. Having studied the GDPR, he has a thorough understanding of the change in the law and has spent recent months guiding companies from various industries as they embark on a journey to compliancy. He predicts the vape industry will shift focus to niche marketing as a result of the GDPR.

“I think over the last five years consumers have become a little savvier about who they give their email address too and also having multiple email addresses to differentiate between close contacts and businesses. This has meant that the buying of email lists has declined as a method of teaching people. I think over the next couple of years in the vape world, we are going to see a greater use of permission marketing and businesses focussing on their niche consumers who want to hear from those brands.”

We asked John if there were any areas this industry could be in danger of with the GDPR in mind.

“Ever since E-lites ran the dancing baby advert, the vape industry has always skirted close to the line when it comes to advertising.

I think that it is only going to become harder for the industry to reach consumers via traditional channels. The power of social media has already become apparent with fake news and skewing voting results, so even with the advertising channels like Instagram stories and Snapchat, we may see increased difficulties.”

“Over the next couple of years in the vape world, we’re going to see a greater use of permission marketing and businesses focusing on their niche consumers who want to hear from those brands”

John is optimistic about the industry’s response rate and that is something he thinks is essential for building engagement levels we really didn’t have before.

“The industry is fast to respond to change and new technologies, so I don't see the future as bleak. The GDPR has introduced new rules, but most businesses were already working within the previous guidelines. I think that the vape industry will see small groups of more engaged individuals and the social element will play a big part in how vape companies reach new consumers and markets.”

The Information Commissioner’s Office is the UK’s independent authority on data protection. The ICO’s website hosts many useful resources and tools for businesses reacting to the GDPR. Visit ico.org.uk for more information.

WALES TO BE FIRST UK COUNTRY TO BAN SMOKING OUTDOORS

PLAYGROUNDS, HOSPITAL GROUNDS AND SCHOOL GROUNDS TO BE SMOKE-FREE BY SUMMER 2019.

Wales is set to be the first country in the UK to extend its smoking ban to outdoor areas around schools, hospitals and children’s play areas.

The move is aimed to de-normalise smoking for children and young people and also to give non-smokers further protection from second-hand smoke.

The enhanced smoking ban will make it illegal to light up in designated outdoor areas with legal backing for fines to be issued for ignoring the rules.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said he was proud that Wales was at the forefront of UK action to reduce smoking and prevent young people from taking it up in the first place.

He said: “We have seen significant changes to the attitudes to smoking since 2007. Back then we received some resistance to change, but we have seen a remarkable culture-change and I am pleased our plan to extend smoke-free areas to outdoor public spaces has received overwhelming public support.

“This is another step in the right direction to de-normalise smoking in Wales.”

Teresa Owen, Executive Director of Public Health at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “A hospital is no place for smoking and the health board is determined to create a smoke-free environment. We receive numerous complaints about people smoking around the hospital, particularly near the main entrance. We need to find a way of ensuring our site is smoke free, while also supporting more patients, visitors and staff to quit.”

The changes to the smoke-free legislation will be introduced under the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017, which was passed by Assembly Members last year. The new law will impose smoke-free areas around hospital grounds, school grounds and playgrounds by summer 2019.

In addition, the Welsh Government’s Tobacco Control Delivery Plan commits to helping more people to quit by encouraging the use of integrated smoking cessations services, and strengthening the referrals to these services, particularly for groups with high-smoking rates.

Around 18 percent of people in Wales are smokers and public health experts believe smoking still accounts for more than 5,000 deaths in Wales each year, around one in every six of all deaths in people aged 35 and over. It also costs the NHS in Wales an estimated £302m per year.

However, Simon Clark from smokers' group Forest said smoking outdoors posed “no threat” to public health and said that threatening hospital patients, visitors and staff with fines was "despicable" when some of them may be at their most vulnerable.

“PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS BELIEVE SMOKING STILL ACCOUNTS FOR MORE THAN 5,000 DEATHS IN WALES EACH YEAR, AROUND ONE IN EVERY SIX OF ALL DEATHS IN PEOPLE AGED 35 AND OVER”

E-CIGARETTE MARKET MAY SOON HIT A PLATEAU

With smoking rates falling, some financial experts predict growing pains for vaping

By Leo Forfar

A report in the Financial Times in March suggested that “the rate of growth in UK vaping numbers is slowing” and that the “UK is [the] second biggest e-cigarette market but not everyone is convinced growth can last.”

When considered in conjunction with other recent developments in falling smoking rates, tighter tobacco control and ongoing e-cigarette regulation, a peak followed by slowdown is a distinct possibility.

“After an initial surge, the rate of growth in UK vaping numbers is slowing: data from public health charity Action on Smoking and Health reports only 100,000 new vapers in 2017 compared with 800,000 in 2014 and the total number of UK e-cigarette users has plateaued since 2016.”

Due to its main purpose as a tool for smoking cessation, analysis of the e-cigarette market is inseparable from the tobacco market and the nicotine product market as a whole. With this in mind, it’s natural that only so much growth can be expected for vapour products, as smokers are the default starter demographic for the vaping industry.

Smoking and Big Tobacco are taking big hits. Smoking rates are already at a record low and are falling at an accelerated

pace in economic powerhouses which were once strongholds. Cancer Research UK measured smoking rates in 2015 as 17.2 percent (16.9 per cent in England), down from 20.1 percent only five years prior.

A similar report from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) measured US adult cigarette consumption at an all-time low: 15.5 percent as of 2016, that’s a 5.4 percent drop in eleven years. This trend has also been seen in Australia, with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2014 finding that the smoking rate had fallen to below 13 percent for the first time.

The World Health Organisation’s global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco smoking (published in 2015) contains the most accurate overview we have on tobacco consumption from now until 2025, as well as the most thorough survey of current rates in almost every country. It covers 90 percent of the global population. The exhaustive report predicts the global smoking rate to fall from 22.1 percent down to 18.9 percent – a relative reduction rate of 14 percent. The report came off the heels of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) which was started in 2005.

No ethical vape company would sell or market to anyone who

isn’t an adult smoker. Naturally, a shrinking pool of people be they children, teenagers or adults taking up the activity of cigarette smoking will mean a drop in the number of future vapers even in the most optimistic circumstances.

Where smoking falls and vaping rises, the two trends (as reflections of demographic lifestyles) are destined to meet at some point. Here at home, our most recent statistics paint an encouraging picture: see our story on the latest NHS Stop Smoking statistics for full coverage of how this is playing out. Though not destined for perpetual growth, we are still looking at a potential scenario in which there exists a healthy, normalised vapour product market, though barring a resurgence in smoking, the clock is ticking on the boom period.

However, the most optimistic of circumstances assumes a regulatory and political environment that still allows the market to prosper. Tobacco control is not always an automatic win for vaping – as shown by initiatives and laws that tie both activities together under the same classification, the TPD serving as the ultimate example.

There’s also the uncomfortable news that anti-vaping propaganda works. Despite a growing amount of support from public health experts, public views of vaping are worsening. The

very same evidence update from PHE which vindicated their relative safety compared to combustible cigarettes revealed some disconcerting data.

“From 2013 to 2017, nearly four times as many adults thought that e-cigarettes were as harmful, or more harmful, than smoking (7 percent in 2013 to 26 percent in 2017).”

Perhaps this can teach the vape industry that even with smoking rates falling from a combination of governmental force and public will, apathy may not be an appropriate response, and a harshly anti-smoking culture doesn’t guarantee the prosperity of vaping.

E-CIGARETTES A VITAL TOOL FOR EU SMOKING CESSATION

VAPING COULD SOON USURP TRADITIONAL NICOTINE REPLACEMENT THERAPIES ACROSS EUROPE

- BY GORDON STRIBLING -

A study published in peer-reviewed journal Tobacco Control suggests that e-cigarettes could be on-course to replace nicotine replacement therapy and counselling as the quitting aid of choice throughout the European Union.

Perhaps the most notable takeaway from the study was that while there has been a decrease in the use of smoking cessation services and pharmacotherapy (i.e. prescription treatments like Champix and Zyban), e-cigarette use has increased by six percent.

Researchers drew upon data gleaned from the 2012 and 2017 waves of the Eurobarometer survey. The survey consisted of faceto-face interviews with around 1,000 residents of each country. The study conducted by the Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit at Imperial College considered variables within European nations, such as age and access to smoking-cessation services.

According to the research, young people were more likely to have used e-cigarettes for smoking cessation but less likely to have accessed a smoking cessation service like the one provided by the NHS.

THE PAPER CONCLUDED:

“This highlights the need to evaluate [e-cigarettes] efficacy and impact on individual abstinence as well as their population-level implications and to explore whether they may be displacing standard cessation assistance.”

The findings echo much of what we already know about the success of e-cigarettes in helping smokers to quit. A study published in the British Medical Journal in January found that 40 percent of people who attempted to quit smoking did so with e-cigarettes. And a study published in Addictive Behaviours found that daily e-cigarette users were three times more likely to quit than those who never used e-cigarettes.

Little, if any of this, is news to the vaping community. But it does raise an interesting question: Should health practitioners in other

European nations follow the UK’s lead in encouraging smokers to consider e-cigarettes alongside more traditional stop-smoking therapies?

Research conducted by University College London [UCL] for Smoking in Britain found that success rates in quitting were higher in England in the first six months of 2017 than the average rate in the preceding decade.

This improvement was seen exclusively among people with lower socio-economic status. This group has historically been the most resistant to stop-smoking campaigns and other tobacco control methods, both in the UK and Europe as a whole.

While the government, academics and the NHS have been vocal in their support of e-cigarettes, it’s important to note that the devices themselves are only a part of a broader initiative. The highest success is seen where vapers access some form of support, as reiterated by the authors of the UCL study: “E-cigarettes are widely available and popular, together with a wide variety of medically licensed cessation aids, there is a behavioural support service free at the point of access available in most areas of the country, and tobacco control mass media campaigns are frequently run, including national quitting events, such as Stoptober.”

Much of this behavioural support is provided by knowledgeable and passionate vape shop staff. A study conducted by the University of East Anglia and published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health highlighted the role vape shop staff play in helping smokers transition to vaping. Lead researcher, Dr Emma Ward, said: “We found that vape shops provided effective behavioural support to help quitters stay smoke free. Shop assistants were really keen to understand customers’ smoking preferences and give tailored advice about the most appropriate products. And they were an ongoing point of contact for practical help.”

Supportive vape shop staff can be found all over Europe. We often talk about the vaping ‘community’ and that’s exactly what

it is. We are united by having broken free from the deadly grip of cigarettes. Employees supplying vape products will in most cases have followed a similar path to their customers. They may have suffered health and financial problems and will almost certainly have seen friends and family suffer from the side-effects of smoking. Who better to help a smoker quit than someone who has succeeded in doing so? There is considerable disparity in funding for smoking cessation services across the EU, ditto availability and cost-effectiveness of medication. Informed and compassionate vape shop staff throughout the 27 countries included in this study have helped to level the playing field and further establish e-cigarettes as a credible and effective way to stop smoking. It may take a few years, but the prospect of e-cigarettes overshadowing traditional nicotine replacement initiatives Wacross the EU is a very real one.

“EMPLOYEES SUPPLYING VAPE PRODUCTS WILL IN MOST CASES HAVE FOLLOWED A SIMILAR PATH TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. THEY MAY HAVE SUFFERED HEALTH AND FINANCIAL PROBLEMS AND WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE SEEN FRIENDS AND FAMILY SUFFER FROM THE SIDE-EFFECTS OF SMOKING. WHO BETTER TO HELP A SMOKER QUIT THAN SOMEONE WHO HAS SUCCEEDED IN DOING SO?”

COULD CBD HELP QUASH SOCIAL SMOKING?

MORE EVIDENCE OF THE COMPOUND’S POTENTIAL AS AN ALLY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SMOKING

By Gordon Stribling

A new study published in the journal Addiction has shown that CBD could play a supporting role in helping smokers quit cigarettes.

Researchers at University College London [UCL] found that a single oral dose of the cannabinoid eliminated many of the social triggers that cause former smokers to relapse. Thirty dependent smokers were recruited into the study, with some given an 800mg oral dose of CBD and the others given a placebo. The CBD group experienced reduced attraction to cigarette images and pleasure from exposure to cigarette cues.

Dr Tom Freeman, Senior Academic Fellow at King’s College London, who assisted in the study, said: “These findings suggest that cannabidiol has promise as a novel treatment for tobacco addiction. It might be particularly effective when abstinent smokers are exposed to cues that trigger relapse, such as when they are with a friend who lights a cigarette, or in a particular place they associate with smoking.”

This is not the first study to investigate CBD as a potential aid in helping smokers quit. A 2013 study, also by UCL, found that participants who used a CBD inhaler whenever they felt the urge to smoke reduced the number of cigarettes they smoked for the duration of the study by 40 percent. Several experts expressed their support for further research in this area. Among them, Professor Yasmin Hurd, Ward-

Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience and the Director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai in New York.

After waiting years for DEA approval, Professor Hurd has been looking into the potential application of CBD in treating addiction to certain drugs. In response to the two UCL studies, Professor Hurd said:

“Taken together, these studies suggest CBD could play a key role in helping people to give up smoking”.

While the two studies show promise, experts have called for larger studies to be conducted before a CBD stop-smoking medication can be developed. Nonetheless, the reaction from health bodies has been encouraging.

Maureen Talbot, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said:

“This small study demonstrates promising results with a drug that didn’t seem to cause side effects and it will be interesting to see if a larger trial supports the findings.”

“THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT CANNABIDIOL HAS PROMISE AS A NOVEL TREATMENT FOR TOBACCO ADDICTION”

Blueberry Bliss

New York style Cheesecake topped with Blueberries.

Buttercream Dream

Raspberry & Strawberry cake with thick buttercream.

Birthday Bash

Vanilla confetti cake with sugar iced frosting.

VAPEINVADERS.CO.UK

LIVING THE STRE M

SIRVAPINGALOT ON HIS AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR THE MONTHS AHEAD

- BY GORDON STRIBLING -

You cannot overstate just how great an influence YouTube has had on our culture since its founding in 2005. Built on the labour of a vast network of content creators, the website had provided a platform for everything from piano-playing cats to political speeches and has forever changed the way we

Producing high-quality YouTube videos is cheaper and easier than it has ever been, mirroring the increased accessibility and cost-effectiveness of vaping. This has led to the emergence of a thriving YouTube vaping community, with many of the UK’s prominent figures vlogging from

Vinny Luciano aka SirVapingAlot is one of the brightest stars to have emerged from the UK YouTube scene in the past couple of years. Vinny’s channel is now sponsored by Vapouround and he played

I caught up with Vinny on the final day of the expo. Despite having recorded hours of footage over the past few days, he was in a buoyant mood. He was exhausted after three days at the show but excited to have been part of such a huge vaping event and after having met so many of his channel subscribers over the weekend.

“We’re truly

blessed to have a spectacular event like this here in the UK. I especially love that you can go into the Build Area and have the well-known pros build your stuff for you,” he said.

Vinny’s vaping journey began at a camping trip.

“We were sitting in a pub and I saw a guy vaping. That piqued my interest so I bought myself a basic device which I kept topped-up with refills from the petrol station.”

This health-conscious lifestyle change soon developed into an all-consuming hobby. As Vinny’s mod collection grew, so did his desire to become more involved in the vaping community. But it was his family who suggested YouTube as a route to reaching and helping a bigger audience of vapers and curious smokers. “I wasn’t really into YouTube before, so I had a lot to learn. But I picked it up quite quickly and now I love doing it.”

As well as attracting a growing subscriber base, Vinny has forged relationships with prominent figures in the scene, such as Tony B of Vapor Trail, famed for the Pulse squonk mod and RDAs he developed with Vandy Vape and VapinGreek, with whom he cohosts ‘Let’s Talk’ on his channel.

“The show gives us a platform to catch up, share knowledge and advocate. We respect each other as reviewers, we’re all focused on vaping and we are all passionate supporters of this industry.” Keen to evolve beyond the confines of YouTube, Vinny leapt at the chance to help judge our annual juice awards, trying some 800 e-liquids over three days.

“It was an honour to be asked to judge but it really took it out of me, so much so that I didn’t vape at all between tasting sessions. Too much of a good thing I guess.”

With a firm grasp of the e-liquid landscape, some of Vinny’s own juices could be up for contention at next year’s awards. He’s currently working on a cocktail range alongside Vaping with Twitch and hopes to have a dessert line out around Christmas time.

A month after the e-liquid judging took place, Vinny attended the Vapouround Awards ceremony where he sat alongside fellow YouTubers The Vaping Bogan and the recipient of the Vaper of the Year award, Dean the Vaping Biker.

One of the big winners on the night was the Usonicig Rhythm which received a gong for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry and third place in the Innovation of the Year category. The revolutionary device vapourises e-liquid using ultrasonic vibration rather than a heated coil.

Vinny was excited about the device having tried it himself at the

“It’s a really interesting bit of technology. It’s maybe not quite there yet performance-wise but it’s got a lot of potential.”

With Vaper Expo out the way, Vinny could be forgiven for taking his foot off the accelerator for a while. Recording and editing multiple videos each week is time-consuming, then there are the events and the long train journeys involved, not to mention having to maintain a day job. But he shows no sign of slowing down any

“I’m going to keep on vlogging and going to events in the UK, Europe and maybe the US. I love doing the YouTube stuff but moving forward I want to become even more invested in this industry. I’ve got huge belief in it.”

“I WANT TO BECOME EVEN MORE INVESTED IN THIS INDUSTRY … I WASN’T REALLY INTO YOUTUBE BEFORE BUT I PICKED IT UP QUITE QUICKLY AND NOW I LOVE DOING IT”

DIARY OF A VAPER

Featuring Dan Forest

I must have been 11 or 12 when I first tried a cigarette. I can’t remember who gave it to me. It would have been a friend or someone who I wanted to impress by being ‘rebellious’.

Like a lot of kids, I’d smoke whenever and wherever I found the opportunity to do so. I’d hang around in car parks with friends passing a cigarette around. Then I started working, which provided more opportunities to light up. As I was away from home I could smoke on breaks without the fear of getting caught by my parents.

I made multiple attempts at quitting over the years, usually for around six weeks at a time. I tried gum but it gave me a headache so for subsequent attempts I just went cold-turkey. Usually, alcohol would knock me off the wagon and I’d be back on the cigarettes. It’s a trap that a lot of people seem to fall into.

The first vape device I picked up was one of those old ones that looked like a cigarette. But it wasn’t satisfying

at all. It just felt like I was inhaling air so that didn’t last very long. Then vaping got bigger, both popularity-wise and in the size of the devices themselves. I decided to give it another go so I bought a vape online. The big appeal for me was that it felt like smoking a cigarette. That feeling of nicotine hitting the back of your throat was always part of the draw for me. And the flavours, of course. I’m a big fan of pudding and custard flavours.

Unfortunately, I quit vaping and went back to smoking for a while after I lost my vape on the bus. I’ve been back on it for a while now, thanks in part to the guy at the vape shop I go to who is always really helpful.

Overall, I feel so much healthier vaping than I did when I was a smoker. I love that I can go out clubbing or to the pub and not feel smokey all the time. Hopefully this is it now and I can leave the cigarettes behind for good.

“I feel so much healthier vaping than I did smoking”

THE VAPE DEBATE

WHY I DON’T WANT TO SEE HEATED TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN VAPE SHOPS

BY VICTOR MULLIN

THE SUBJECT OF HEAT-NOT-BURN HAS PROVED HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL BOTH IN PRINT AND ONLINE IN RECENT MONTHS.

HERE, UK E-CIGARETTE REVIEWER VICTOR MULLIN FROM YOUTUBE CHANNEL ‘VAPING WITH VIC’ ARGUES WHY HEATED TOBACCO PRODUCTS SHOULD HAVE NO PLACE IN VAPE STORES.

Since the end of last year, a range of devices have been appearing which have caused huge shockwaves in the industry. Heat-Not-Burn (HnB) is a device which essentially toasts tobacco instead of burning it. It is classed under UK law as a tobacco product, it is taxed as a tobacco product and it is a tobacco product.

The backstory of HnB is simple, get rid of the burning of tobacco and switch to toasting the tobacco instead to release the “vapour” and more importantly, the nicotine. A choice which for all intents and purposes is in the grand scheme of things a classic harm reduction choice for smokers wanting to move on to something else.

I have been reviewing in the e-cigarette industry for more than four years now. I can still remember when the HnB device known as IQOS tried to make its first inroads into UK vape shops. It was at the beginning of 2016 and the IQOS reps must have visited at least 300 to 400 independent vape shops in Scotland and England alone. Back then, they never made any inroads, which was good for the early appearance of the large advocacy groups of the time.

Fast forward to 2018 and things have changed.

With an estimated 500 to 550 vape shops up and down the country now selling the IQOS (numbers from the IQOS stand at the Vaper Expo in May), HnB has now got a massive foothold in the industry at the high street level, with shops displaying the IQOS front and centre on

their windows as part of the advertising and an “incentive package” that IQOS give them. Yes, vape shops are being paid quite a lot of cash to stock the item, a large incentive to sell the item and an even bigger incentive to advertise on window real estate.

What we are looking at here is the single biggest mistake to even happen in the UK e-cigarette scene since the introduction of the original TPD. As more and more vape shops are stocking HnB devices, they are leading the high street sector of the industry into a cul-de-sac which will be impossible to U-turn out of, if things get a little scary in the future.

Before going any further, let me make one thing clear. I do not have an issue with the IQOS itself. The IQOS, along with other HnB devices are all part of the grander scheme of tobacco harm reduction – just like patches, gum, medication and even e-cigarettes – the HnB segment has its place in the arsenal of health care products when it comes to getting people to quit smoking.

That place, however, is not in e-cigarette shops.

In 2014, when I started vaping, the biggest phrase used by the anti-e-cigarette politicians and lobbyists in the UK was the classic line of “vape shops sell tobacco products,” usually followed by “the e-cigarette industry is owned by big tobacco.”

Now the original version of the TPD which was being pencilled in Brussels initially had a segment in it which covered mods. The original plan was to limit the power that devices could output.

Could you imagine if that had passed into law? What stopped it?

The advocates. The forerunner to what is now the New Nicotine Alliance, a group of individuals who lobbied Brussels, lobbied their own MPs and lobbied their MEPs and told them that the statement of “Big Tobacco” being in vape shops and owning the industry is a flat out lie. Those early advocates fought tooth and nail for a restructure of the TPD so it would have such a damaging effect, and they had a partial victory.

So, what has this got to do with the present? The major argument of “vape shops are selling big tobacco products” has recently changed on the anti-e-cigarette lobby Twitter accounts.

They have removed one single word, and the removal of that word has massive ramifications for the future advocacy of the e-cigarette industry in the UK, especially after Brexit. What word did they remove? They removed “big” so it now reads like this:

“Vape shops are now selling tobacco products”

And this time around? They are 100 percent correct.

The industry itself has now given an unlimited supply of ammunition to the anti-e-cigarette lobby. It has already started on Twitter, and the question of HnB even popped up in a recent parliamentary discussion on the subject of e-cigarettes and vaping.

They now have their foot in the front door of what will probably be – by the end of this year – some 1,000+ vape shops up and down this country. Each and every one of them will and have been selling a product made by big tobacco, marketed by big tobacco and taxed by the government as tobacco.

The government even classes it as a tobacco product, and why is that? Because the device actually contains tobacco and with facts like that ladies and gents, you can kiss future advocacy goodbye.

The worst part of all of this though is the group of people, including some advocates I used to call friends, who are now vehemently attacking any reviewer, vaper, or even shop owners who speak out against IQOS. The damage this single device has done to the landscape of the advocacy groups in the UK will have massive ramifications for the future of vaping post Brexit and going into the 2020s.

Even now as I type this, reports are coming out questioning the claims by Philip Morris that IQOS is “95 percent safer than smoking,” and suggesting that heated tobacco products have nowhere near the same level of harm reduction as e-cigarettes. For example, a recent story in The Guardian newspaper headlined “Smokeless cigarettes not as harmless as claimed, study says,” quoted research which called into question the validity of the Philip Morris IQOS trials.

As more and more evidence against the HnB products starts to surface, how can any respecting vape shop owner still continue to sell the device?

Yes, HnB has its place. That place is not in a vape shop.

*In the next issue Philip Morris International will put the case for allowing heated tobacco products to be sold in vape shops.

Wes Brown started vaping in 2010 in his vape-friendly home state of California. It took him only two weeks to stop smoking. With experience in business from the tech industry, Wes’ new mission was clear. By 2014, Barista Brew as a vape shop and liquid line was born.

Wes is the barista of Barista Brew Co –the friendly and face as ubiquitous in the vaping industry as the server who gives you your morning coffee. In its brief but rapidly growing existence, Barista Brew Co have been trying to provide a product as needed and recognisable as coffee itself. Their liquid range already reflects the variety of choices found on the menu in your high street chain or specialist shop, containing fruit, nut, chocolate and spice flavourings that provide something different yet comforting every time.

This effort has paid off, as Barista Brew Co’s Salted Caramel Macchiato won the Best Tea/Coffee category at the third annual Vapouround Awards in May.

Wes has described his company as the “Vice News of Vaping” – owing to its candid, on-the-road, gonzo-style of promotion in tune with the fast pace and lively energy of the vape trade. On Saturday morning at the Vaper Expo, hours after his award triumph, Wes commended the work of Phil Martena – a vape industry marketing photographer and founder of Vappix LLC, for how he has cultivated this brand.

Wes commended his director of sales, Joe LaRosa and the work of Phil Martena –a vape industry marketing photographer and founder of Vappix LLC, for how he has cultivated this brand.

“Phil, Joe and I decided that we were best off fleshing our brands out to the masses by being mobile. We wanted to be a pair of relatable faces behind the brand that not many see.

WES BROWN

I got us to trade shows around the world because that was our calling. Showcasing in the US is as ordinary to us as waking up in the morning. Showcasing around the worldis the true step up to the next level. We wanted to remind our clients and partners that we’re regular guys you can go out and have a drink with.”

The focus on coffee flavours goes beyond marketing and taste; the popularity of coffee speaks to a shared, global product that we can all bond over.

“If you step out into the world you’ll find commonalities in every country. Beyond language, we all hold common ground: the device in your hand. It’s not like being around the poker table during the glory days of smoking, saying ‘try my Marlboro!’ – whether you’re a juice maker, a mod maker or regular vaper, we speak the same language. I’ve had full conversations in foreign lands just through hand signals. I’ve made friends that last a lifetime over vaping.”

Wes never listened to sceptics when it came to travel.

“People have called us crazy for going to Russia or Colombia. Despite the warnings, you experience so much love. Don’t allow your parents or your media to tell you where you can and can’t go. Get out of the cubicle. You may say to yourself: ‘I work a job I may or may not like, I’m grinding myself down.’ If you have just a little time for vacation or some R&R, step out of your comfort zone and see the world. Go somewhere filled with beautiful aromas and interesting people.

“The point of Barista Brew is breaking lines that divide. Coffee – no matter what country you’re in, creates a bond.” Barista Brew Co is also noted for its packaging: cold and heat-sensitive coffee cups show their logo when filled, allowing consumers to market the brand to bystanders wherever they go, and hopefully save a smoker.

In his acceptance speech, Wes thanked his family for their efforts in helping him get where he is.

‘‘My wife Yen was five months pregnant when we decided to go on the road. Myself, my colleagues, everyone promoting us, they’re family. We all started on our path from a desire to quit smoking. We wanted to be around so our kids and grandchildren could enjoy us more.

The day my wife and I were going to hospital for the birth of our child, we did an Instagram shoot to show our devotion – ‘We’ll get your orders out, right after we finish packing this box we’re going to the hospital!’ ’’

Wes loves not having barriers between work and family life.

“We barely call it a job, travelling around the world, meeting great people and seeing the good purpose of our products. It’s indescribable.”

But entrepreneurship comes with sacrifice, and Wes counts his blessings daily.

“I missed my kid’s first Easter. I missed Father’s Day. I made a conscious effort to work harder than ever because once he was old enough to travel, I had two years to get free tickets for him, so he could be a lap baby. Now he has thirteen stamps on his passport. Now I get to work with him there in the warehouse in a kids-only area. I may be the face of the franchise – people call me Mr Barista, but my wife runs the organisation; everything from warehousing to finances. Most importantly, mom and dad can raise their kid, and a big beautiful company under one roof.”

“Whether you’re a juice maker, a mod maker or regular vaper, we speak the same language. I’ve made friends that last a lifetime over vaping”

The war between prohibitionists and harm-reduction advocates rages on

By Gordon Stribling

As we reported in the last issue of the magazine, Australian vaping policies lag far behind those of the UK, US and Canada. Fears about the influence of Big Tobacco have hampered the growth of the very thing that could help the country’s stubborn smoking population kick the habit.

On April 11, state health minister Brad Hazzard announced that from July, people caught vaping in public spaces in New South Wales would be subject to fines of up to $550. The Smoke Free Environment Bill 2018 aligns the state’s legislation with that of Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), where vaping is already banned in places where smoking is prohibited.

Mr Hazzard said, “Despite claims to the contrary, the jury is still out on the alleged benefits of e-cigarettes. The medical advice from Australian authorities is we need to err on the side of caution.”

While Mr Hazzard was keen to point out that the ruling does not ban people from using e-cigarettes elsewhere, the move reflects an ongoing conflict between politicians, tobacco controllers and proponents of harm-reduction.

A parliamentary report published in March called for maintenance of the status quo, recommending that a review into the potential risks of e-cigarette use and their effectiveness on smoking-cessation be undertaken every two years.

The Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport also recommended that nicotine should continue to be restricted until the therapeutic value of e-cigarettes is established.

The enquiry included dissenting reports from MPs Trent Zimmerman and Tim Wilson, who argued for a regulated e-cigarette policy similar to the TPD in Europe, where advertising is restricted, and products are labelled with health warnings. The authors said: “E-cigarettes are already available in Australia via online overseas retailers and the black market. Nicotine e-cigarettes are widely available, used, but unregulated. A regulated market would help improve product safety and provide more effective controls over e-cigarette marketing and promotion, particularly to young people.”

In his own dissenting report, Mr Andrew Laming MP simply said,

“Life is short and shorter for smokers. Just legalise vaping.”

While proponents of vaping cite high-profile studies by Cancer Research UK and Public Health England, opponents remain focused on the findings of internal health bodies like the Public Health Association and the Lung Foundation.

In the view of Maurice Swanson, tobacco control spokesperson for the National Heart Foundation, it would be unwise to “be swayed by international lobbying from countries with an inferior record in public health to Australia’s.”

While it’s true that Australia has historically been seen a world-leader in tobacco control, there is ongoing debate about the effectiveness of some of the country’s policies.

Australia introduced plain packaging on all tobacco products in 2012. The UK’s decision to adopt the policy was a controversial one. Rather than wait for supporting evidence to emerge from Australia as Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had promised, the government went ahead and pushed the policy through in 2017.

A year on, research conducted by Japan Tobacco International (JTI) and independent polling company Kantar TNS found that two-thirds of the population were critical of the effectiveness of the policy in reducing smoking rates and believed that it was “a poor use of government resources.”

JTI’s research contrasts with an Action for Smoking and Health (ASH) study published earlier this year which found that 58 percent of the public supported plain packaging and only 11 percent opposed it. The author noted that standardised packaging was known to have the greatest impact in deterring young people from taking up smoking in the first place, rather than convincing addicted adults to attempt to quit.

In an article published in Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) newsletter on May 21, MJA InSight, renowned Tobacco Treatment Specialist and vaping advocate Dr Colin Mendelsohn called for Australia to adopt a new approach to tobacco control. The focus, he said, should be helping smokers quit rather than penalising them with tax hikes that disproportionately affect disadvantaged groups, such as indigenous people and those in lower socio-economic groups.

Dr Mendelsohn said,

“Despite the highest cigarette prices in the world, plain packaging and comprehensive tobacco control policies, Australian smoking rates have stalled for the first time in decades, while declines accelerated in some other countries such as the US.”

Dr Mendelsohn noted that harm reduction, demand reduction and supply reduction are the ‘three pillars’ of Australia’s National Drug Strategy, yet Australians wanting to quit smoking are discouraged from using e-cigarettes. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Associate Health Minister Nicky Wagner has announced that e-cigarettes are to be formally legalised on the basis that the devices could help smokers quit and contribute towards achieving a smoke-free New Zealand by 2025.

Ms Wagner said,

"This is an opportunity to see if restricted access to e-cigarettes and e-liquid can help lower our smoking rates, reduce harm and save lives.”

Australia continues to be a frustrating battleground for pro-vaping advocates like Dr Mendelsohn. But with their closest neighbours now following the US and Europe’s lead and more people importing vaping products from abroad, the tide of public opinion may soon compel politicians to finally regulate the black market industry.

A WHOLE WORLD

ONE OF THE UK’S LARGEST VAPE COMPANIES ON NEW CONSUMER NEEDS AND CRAFTING THE ULTIMATE MOD

By Leo Forfar

Selling hugely in the UK, Italy, France and the US, blu is one of the world’s largest and most prominent e-cigarette providers. In 2012, blu were measured as accounting for 75 percent of total e-cigarette advertising, and their place is now sealed.

With capital, visibility and longevity on their side, blu have used their influence as a flagship company to help increase vaping’s visibility and widen the knowledge of scientific studies and evidence making the case for e-cigarettes. Naturally, the vape trade is always curious about what they have planned next. Their interview with us at the Vaper Expo in May came with a strong emphasis on mod quality and creating consumer confidence in delivery systems.

Melvin Riugrok leads blu’s UK operations. He provided indispensable insight into recent activity, alongside colleague George Tucker, blu’s communications manager.

ON BLU’S MOD RANGE

Melvin says: “It’s essential for us to emphasise the efforts we’ve made to establish blu as a brand. The whole vapour product category is growing, and we’ve tracked the consumer journey and how it has moved towards vapour. Following on from that, we track how consumer needs are expanding in the vaping sector. Every day we try to improve our understanding of what they’re after and bring new products to the market which serve those needs.

Our commitment to the best possible delivery system is very clear and shapes all our recent work. The launch of myblu is the key focus and we’re expanding that; we’re very keen to partner and work with leading experts of the industry.

For people who are starting vaping, we’ve recently seen the need for more convenient devices; simpler, ready to use, no hassle. There’s a lot out there for people who are already established vapers. Their journey into vaping and towards more sophisticated products is still open for more innovation. We’re responding to those needs with both myblu, and blu ACE and we’re confident that we’ll continue to play a significant role in the coming years. I must emphasise the responsibility and attention to product quality required to create journeys for consumers which are consistent and safe. It’s why we invest so much in this area.”

And blu aren’t just strengthening ties with their consumer base by releasing and promoting new products but offering incentives. George pointed us to blu’s focus on the guarantee of quality and reliability of their products, where buyers will receive a free battery replacement if it fails. With so many anti-vaping hit-pieces focused on malfunctioning batteries, George thinks that getting health and safety right can create “lifetime consumer confidence.”

ON RECENT REGULATION

Despite polarising legislation – most of it revolving around the ubiquitous TPD – the UK’s market remains a shining beacon for the industry of vaping products and blu remains active in this area.

George says: “When the TPD came in, there was significant assumption that it might really impact all the players who were less prepared for it. And I think an expo like this demonstrates that, actually, a little bit of creativity and regulatory understanding goes a long way; people continue to thrive. One of the concerns we have around the TPD legislation is its all-consuming approach to the ‘nicotine category’ – be that traditional nicotine products like cigarettes and electronic vapour products.

We think it’s important that the sector is given its opportunity to grow, that consumers are given the chance to understand it and education forms a key part of the messaging, so that consumers know what their available options are. So we’d like to see regulators engage on TPD legislation and look at where it isn’t fit for purpose so the vaping sector can expand further. Because that’s a really important part of it.”

ON CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION

When quizzed on which industry allies to watch in the coming months, Melvin emphasised the importance of cooperation and synchronicity between all relevant parties in and out of the trade:

“Collaboration across all sectors is needed to shape this industry. There’s a lot of innovation taking place, and we need to watch which innovation has the biggest potential in the eyes of consumers, because ultimately, they are the ones who decide what’s going to work.”

George highlighted blu’s recent support of the UKVIA Conference which took place in April, calling back to blu’s faith in educating consumers.

“It was a really important event for the issue of education; bringing those stakeholders that have a role to play to the MPs and to the public health authorities such as councils who can integrate vaping into stop smoking services. The industry must always be aware of what’s going on, what the options are and what the questions we should be asking are; what consumers don’t currently know and how we can further their education. It all needs to be done in conjunction with the CAP Code and the advertising code behind it. We need to ensure that the platform is available for consumers to read the information. At the moment, restrictions on the CAP Code hold that back.”

ON THE VAPE SHOW CIRCUIT

George considers trade shows like the Vaper Expo UK to be invaluable forums, a vital part of examining the aforementioned issues and looking at ways we can solve our challenges.

“blu plays a role at the expo not just because they’re important in raising the profile of the brand and our performance in the market, but in supporting the category and reaching consumers as a sector and ensuring it has gotten the exposure it needs. Playing a role in the associations events like UKVIA is another part of that entire package. We all need to be pulling in the same direction.”

“COLLABORATION ACROSS ALL SECTORS IS NEEDED TO SHAPE THIS INDUSTRY … WE NEED TO WATCH WHICH INNOVATION HAS THE BIGGEST POTENTIAL IN THE EYES OF CONSUMERS, THEY’RE THE ONES WHO DECIDE WHAT’S GOING TO WORK”

Melvin

Riugrok

GENERAL PRODUCT SAFETY AND SHORT-FILLS

BY DAI DAVIS, SOLICITOR AND CHARTERED ENGINEER

General product safety is of fundamental importance to every business. In the worst-case scenario, the very viability of a business can be at stake. The European Union has long had product-specific safety legislation. Since 1992 it has had more general safety legislation designed to “sweep-up” any products not otherwise caught by European safety legislation. The current legislation is the General Product Safety Directive, which in the UK is implemented by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 – the GPSR.

Other directives of the EU regulate specific products. The General Product Safety legislation is different in that applies to all products unless “there are no [other] specific provisions governing the safety of the product” in European law.

The European Union Tobacco Products Directive 2014, enacted in the UK by the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 applies only to products which contain tobacco or nicotine no matter what the concentration of the tobacco or nicotine. The safety of a product which contains no tobacco or nicotine is therefore not governed by that legislation but by the GPSR. A short-fill is designed to be vaped in an e-cigarette even though it contains no nicotine and since it is not caught by the TPD, its advertisement and sale will be governed by the GPSR.

SAFETY UNDER THE GPSR

Under the regulation, a “safe product” has a complex definition. It is a product “which, under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use … does not present any risk or only the minimum risks compatible with the product’s use, considered to be acceptable and consistent with a high level of protection for the safety and health of persons”.

In determining that test the characteristics, presentation, labelling and any warnings or instructions on the product are all relevant.

A further relevant factor is “the effect of the product on other prod ucts, where it is reasonably foreseeable that it will be used with other products”.

Where there is a European or national law or a standard governing the product, it can be presumed to be “safe”. If there are none, the safety should be determined having regard to, for example: the product safety codes of good practice in the sector concerned; the state of the art and technology; and reasonable consumer expectations concerning safety.

Applying these provisions to short-fills leads to the following relevant factors:

Short-fills are widely advertised for use with separate nicotine shots. Since consumers look to use separate nicotine shots with a short-fill, this cannot be ignored when considering the safety of short-fills. While there are no standards applying to short-fills there are standards applying to usual e-cigarette liquid which are relevant i.e. TPD and TRPR being “safety codes of good practice in the sector concerned”. The “reasonable expectations of consumers” would indicate that the standards for the usual e-cigarette liquids should be applied even for short-fills. Since the state-of-the-art technology easily allow the application of the standards for the usual e-cigarette liquids to be applied even for short-fills, that further indicates that they should be applied.

The only mitigating factor is that the nicotine shots are themselves a regulated tobacco product. Nevertheless, the bulk of these factors point towards the appliance of a high standard for e-cigarette liquids even for short-fills.

ENFORCEMENT

Of course, the primary obligations to apply these standards is that of the producer of the product. In European law, this will be the manufacturer, or where the manufacturer is outside the EU, the manufacturer’s representative. Where the manufacturer fails to appoint a representative, the importer becomes responsible as if it were the producer. The producer commits a criminal offence where it places an unsafe product on the market. However, the distributor must not sell or advertise for sale a product which he knows or ought to have known is not a safe product. A distributor would be well advised to seek assurances from the manufacturer on these issues. The legislation is backed up by criminal law. Both a company and individual directors can suffer criminal penalties. The current maximum penalty is a fine of up to £20,000 and imprisonment for up to three months. The only defence available is that of due diligence. This applies only where the company or person who is prosecuted can show that he or she took all reasonable steps and exercised all due diligence to avoid committing the offence.

CONCLUSIONS

The popular conception that short-fills are unregulated is false. Since short-fills are not directly covered by any specific EU legislation, such as the TPD, their safety is governed by the GPSR. That requires a consideration of how they are advertised as well as the standards expected by consumers and the standards applicable to other products in the sector. These factors indicate that those affected by the legislation, including manufacturers and distributors should have regard to the TPD, even though it only applies directly to products which actually contain tobacco.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dai Davis is a solicitor and chartered engineer. Having been national head of Information Technology law at Eversheds, Dai is now a partner in his own practice, Percy Crow Davis & Co. Dai is a familiar with standards, being the convenor of International Electro-technical Committee TC56 - Legal Advisory Working Group (IEC TC56 being the organisation which is responsible for drafting international maintainability and dependability standards). He has specialised in Product Safety, Information Technology and Intellectual Property law for three decades and can be contacted at mail@daidavis.com

Short-fill e-liquids must comply with the GPSR 2005. Get your liquids tested, reviewed and listed today with ADACT. For more information contact ADACT Medical on +44 1302 98 60 88 or email shortfills@adactmedical.com or see www.adactmedical.com

The story of ZAP! Juice – the UK-based company

By Leo Forfar

The UK didn’t become a world leader in the e-cigarette market by accident. Every day, vapers, businesses and advocates are wowed by the quality and variety that our recent boom has brought us.

Many companies have found their niche building a solid brand around their e-liquid by ensuring consistency between name, taste and mood, resulting in products that trigger emotional responses which keep customers coming back for more. Based in Manchester, the confident, outgoing ZAP! have made it their mission to master this. According to their website:

“To empower is our goal, and our vision is for everyone who vapes ZAP! Juice to feel that jolt, to know that you can be the best version of yourself, to know that you can go into the world with confidence.”

As their name suggests, ZAP! stormed on to the e-liquid scene by specialising in, “exciting new twists on fruity flavours.” ZAP! boast an inventory crafted by elite mixologists, with pharmaceutical PG, VG, flavourings and nicotine sourced globally from quality suppliers and mixed in an ISO-grade clean room.

making international waves

How did this come about?

When life gives you lychees, make a beloved, bestselling e-liquid.

Managing Director Hing Wong is a man of many talents, all of which have converged into the creation of ZAP! Juice. Hing’s professional background is in theoretical physics and natural sciences. His talents for chemistry would later come into play when ZAP!’s first juices were being mixed. The company’s reputation for flavour was established as soon as its products hit the market and under his guidance, it can stay this way.

“My first job was writing PlayStation games,” says Hing, “I worked as an IT contractor until the recession in 2007. A lot of companies weren’t hiring contractors anymore and I moved on.”

Hing’s wide skillset kept him in employment running several pubs. He encountered his first e-cigarette several years later in Wigan, with the assurance that this would be the next big thing and he needed to get in on it. Hing was convinced, and by 2012, the phenomenon that would become ZAP! Juice was born, beginning as a single retail vape shop. Happy as he was to be involved in the vape trade, it took a while to get things into gear.

“It was a 200 square foot shop holding three cabinets and only ten available flavours. I had thirty products, maximum, in there.”

In 2013, Hing expanded into wholesaling upon learning that Chinese e-liquid manufacturer Dekang was red hot. “Our first order was 1,000 bottles.”

Then comes that familiar story, when an entrepreneurially-minded person gets a taste of the vape industry and begins to wonder “what if?” – envisioning their own liquids and other products, wondering how far they can take things.

“By 2015, we started to seriously consider making our own liquids.”

Hing’s scientific knowledge gave him a slight edge, and he soon noticed how he could gain an edge on the flavour front.

“Most companies were using standard food flavourings for their liquids,” he says. “There’s nothing wrong with this, but it doesn’t always translate to an e-liquid, especially when vapourised at such a high temperature. There’s a disconnect between the liquids and the foods/fruits/cocktails et cetera, that inspire them.”

The team sampled all the flavours being sold by industry leaders, getting to know everything as they found a way to stand out. The process of mixing came from extensive research looking at formulas at a molecular level. By lucky chance, he happened across an e-liquid formula which formed one of ZAP’s finest products.

“We started with 25 litres of lychee concentrate and didn’t even know what to do with it, so we added it to the e-liquid formula. We didn’t even know what we were mixing at first, but it turned out brilliantly!”

The team found similar success with a cola flavour. Every liquid company worth their salt relies on feedback, and ZAP’s cola and lychee liquids received rave reviews.

Though flavour specialists, the company has also carved out a respectable place in the market for their branding and product presentation. They won Best Branding at Vape Jam 2017. Their trade show presence is marked by a distinctly cost-effective and environmentally-friendly wood palate setup, eschewing the traditional metal and plastic shell scheme. ZAP! also turned heads with an innovative response to the TPD which vastly improved the standard presentation of e-liquids. Hing wondered how they could avoid the confinement of the typical 10ml bottle/sticker/box packaging and make their product look more upmarket, choosing to sell bottles in a light and easily-stored bag. This extended to the art style:

“A lot of companies had urban or graffiti-inspired art with complex patterns. We wanted something that would be visible on vape shop shelves and more identifiable to browsing mobile users.”

For all they have going, there’s a strong feeling of emerging promise with ZAP! – they’re a company who have earned their reputation but have plenty left. Hing guarantees big, new things for 2018, and doesn’t dare spoil it yet.

“The product has to be more than a commodity. Sometimes this industry feels like the perfume and pop-record business; there’s a lot of fads, but the good ideas will last forever.”

“Sometimes this industry feels like the perfume and pop-record business; there’s a lot of fads, but the good ideas will last forever”

the e-cigarette

To celebrate our recent partnership with Rangers Football Club, we launched a Name the Flavour competition! We had thousands of funny and creative entries but there could only be 6 winners.

The winning entrants not only get to have their flavour name on an actual E-liquid, they also got the chance to enjoy a Rangers match from one of the incredible hospitality suites at Ibrox Stadium! Keep a look out for the release of the Rangers inspired E-liquid range!

Loyalty and friendship

If you’re asking if some of the best ranges of juice and hardware is the best we’ve got, then the answer is no. We do better!

With a robust loyalty system (7.5% cost back to you), monthly prizes, rewards and outrageous deals, there's always something to keep you on your toes.

Right now we are running a year long competition which runs until December 2018, so there is plenty of time to get involved. This competition gives you a chance to win one of these amazing prizes:

THE NEW GLOBAL RESOURCE FOR ALL THINGS VAPE

We are delighted to announce that we have teamed up with Vapetrotter to provide the listings information for our Vaping Directory in each issue of our magazine. You will also be able to find details of all our Vapouround bus tours on their website - www.vapetrotter.com - which is well worth checking out for the wealth of content it contains.

We spoke to Vapetrotter’s chief marketing officer David Boulton to learn more about the company and its role within the global vape industry.

What is Vapetrotter?

D: The initial idea behind Vapetrotter was to provide somewhere for travellers to easily stay informed about the whereabouts of stores around the world, but most importantly what the laws were wherever they were travelling. There are over 20 million vapers estimated throughout the world now, so that’s a fairly large amount of people constantly travelling around with their e-cigarettes. These days with so many constant changes in the legalities surrounding vaping it was imperative that people stayed up-to-date and safe, so we laid out the laws for every country on earth in an easy-to-read format.

These days the directory is the more popular part of the website, and we now list over 27,000 stores in 121 countries where store owners can claim their listings and update their information and photos, and vapers have the freedom to leave honest ratings and reviews,

which continues to make the platform better for the community which is fantastic. Around 700,000 people use our site every month now from nearly every country on earth, and that’s been constantly growing since we launched.

Who is Vapetrotter aimed at and why is there a need for a global listings database of this nature?

D: It started out as a place for travellers, as people don’t simply stop vaping when they go on holidays. When someone takes a trip to Indonesia, for example, it was never really an issue as a smoker with cigarettes being available everywhere you looked, but it was a bit of a mystery as to where you could go and buy some e-liquid, and whether the store you find is reputable. There’s also a lot of places around the world where you can’t bring e-cigarette products through customs, or use them in public,

or even have them in your possession, so this kind of information was an absolute necessity. Recently, we’ve found that people are also just using it to find new stores around them.

Where do you get your listings information?

D: Gathering the initial database to launch the website was no easy task. It took us eight months and a large portion of our sanity to manually collect it. We continue to add and remove stores manually even today, but thankfully the new platform allows store owners to list and update their own now too, so that’s definitely a big help in keeping it as accurate as we can.

What type of information is listed on the Vapetrotter site?

D: On the Vapetrotter Directory we list

a store’s basic information as standard, such as the store name, address, and phone number. Each listing also has a live map of the store with functionality to get directions to it, and store owners can add additional elements such as a bio, product information, photos, and videos.

As well as listings what else is Vapetrotter about?

D: We actually have four different sites on the Vapetrotter network. Along with the directory, we also have Vapetrotter Laws, Vapetrotter News, and Vapetrotter Wiki.

Vapetrotter Laws lists a simplified breakdown of the laws in each country, state, or province, and we also have a bunch of Quick View icons such as “No Indoor Vaping” because people don’t really like reading these days. For the avid reader, we also list the long-form laws, along with links to legal documents from official sources. Our global legal information is now the official resource for the first report on the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction being presented in Poland this June by the Global Forum on Nicotine.

Vapetrotter News covers global vaping news along with exclusive interviews, product reviews, and how-to write-ups. This is actually getting around 600,000 visits a month now, so it’s picking up.

Vapetrotter Wiki lists over 200 detailed definitions to help newcomers understand the lingo and the technical aspects behind vaping. Vapers can tend to forget how big of a learning curve there is with getting started.

Is there a Vapetrotter app for smartphones and tablets?

D: We currently have an app under development, and this should hopefully be finished in the next few months. It’ll incorporate mainly our directory and laws and mesh them together to make it as useful as possible for each area of the world.

Who are the people behind Vapetrotter and what are your main roles?

D: We often have people assuming we’re a big team, and while we do have some writers and outsourced staff, the

day-to-day running is actually just us three Aussie guys working full-time at the moment. Angus is our technical guy and comes from a long career in building systems and security protocols for a bunch of really big companies. Ryan is our communications/partnerships guy and has spent most of his career in event management, launching many Australian brands into the USA. I’m David, and I come from over 10 years in advertising, marketing, and brand development for companies like Dominos Pizza and Mastercard. So, we have a pretty good spread at the moment, but we’re looking to build out the team pretty soon with some skilled individuals.

Poland because we provided all of their legal information for vaping.

Later this year in December we’re also the partner for the very first major vape event in Oceania – International Vape Expo Oceania (IVEO) – which is organised by CECMOL who do shows in Japan and China. The market there is growing rapidly, it’s like how the US or UK was 5-6 years ago, so that should be a really great event too.

What are your plans for Vapetrotter?

D: Right now we’re focused on constantly improving the platform and the user experience. We really want to

Where are you based?

D: We’re all over the world usually. Last year while we were building the website we were living in Manhattan before we moved down to New Orleans. This year we’ve been back in our home city of Sydney in Australia. Later this year – or maybe early next year – we’ll be moving back over to the USA to set up a base and build out the team.

Travelling to vape events around the world is obviously a key part of the Vapetrotter business. Tell us a bit more about that.

D: For the last few months we’ve helped out with the marketing for a bunch of events, but our first was actually IECIE in Shenzhen, which was an amazing time. In June we’re presenting onstage at the Global Forum on Nicotine in

“We often have people assuming we’re a big team, and while we do have some writers and outsourced staff, the day-to-day running is actually just us three Aussie guys workingfulltime at the moment”

build out the community-aspect a lot more and make it somewhere people can go for everything they need when they’re travelling; a place where people can share experiences, tips, and feel welcomed and safe when they travel somewhere new. In the next few months we have some exciting new ventures and partnerships coming out, so keep an eye on us.

Apple Snacks - Your favorite apple cinnamon cereal in a cold bowl of milk, you can taste every detail, from the tiny red specks to the crunchy grainy texture of the much loved loops.

Acai - The perfectly juicy, rich, purple berry ideal for smoothies, you can almost feel the icy tropical goodness on the back of your throat.

Meringue - Light and fluffy with the perfect mix of egg & sugar, a delicate combination of a freshly baked meringue pie with the satisfying airy crunch of a meringue cookie.

By Leo Forfar

The acceptance and advancement of vaping have been somewhat hamstrung for advocates in and out of the industry due to a lack of published research.

A recent surge of promising studies from places such as Public Health England have provided advocates with a much-needed body of knowledge to draw upon for greater mainstream and political support. But it can take time for newly drafted evidence to translate into action.

One of the overlooked sub-categories for inquiry has been dual use – the phenomenon of using an e-cigarette whilst still smoking, often in the hope that the former can override one’s addiction to the latter. E-cigarettes alone provide the throat hit a smoker is used to while adding the option to reduce nicotine, eventually phasing it out altogether.

Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry of the Queen Mary University of London, have announced their intention to conduct a new study investigating the habits and health of people who dual use electronic and combustible cigarettes.

The chief investigator of this study is Professor Peter Hajek of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine within the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Professor Hajek is also a professor of clinical psychology and head of psychology at the institute, having spent years studying the behaviours that initiate and sustain smoking addiction. He co-authored the landmark PHE evidence review on e-cigarettes in 2015 and testified to the UK Science and Technology Select Committee earlier this year. Now he looks set to lend his name to another influential piece of scholarship.

We asked the professor about the reasons motivating this work and he said:

“Some studies of dual users already exist, but relatively little is known about the typical trajectory of this. For instance, what proportion of dual users eventually stop smoking and/or stop vaping and which factors contribute to these outcomes. For example, the nicotine intake in dual users, or whether dual users feel more dependent on smoking or on vaping.”

RESEARCHERS HOPE TO UNCOVER NEW FINDINGS ON THE HABITS OF PEOPLE WHO DUAL USE COMBUSTIBLE AND E-CIGARETTES

When quizzed on the existing scientific consensus on the safety of dual use compared with other cessation methods, Professor Hajek told us “The data is somewhat unclear. In some studies, dual users reduced their toxin intake as you would expect, but in some they did not differ much from people who only smoked.”

He sees the research as “asking an open question rather than trying to generate a predetermined result.”

We were also curious to know which pieces of conventional wisdom on dual use the professor thought this new venture would challenge.

“The most interesting information will probably concern the rate at which dual users stop smoking, the period of dual use needed to get to that point, and which variables (such as type of e-cigarette or e-liquid) are associated with such outcomes.”

It’s hoped these findings will better inform public policy.

“Dual use is a largely unknown territory. Some people think it’s bad and that it may in fact prevent quitting altogether, others see it as a necessary step in the right direction. We hope to clarify some of these issues.”

The researchers have laid out the following conditions to inclusion in the study.

1. Participants must be 18 or over and currently using both an e-cigarette and combustible cigarettes

2. This use must occur on the same or separate days, for at least one day a week

3. Participants will be asked questions about their vaping and smoking over the telephone or internet at three-month intervals over a year

4. The surveys should take approximately 10 minutes each to complete. Participants will receive a £15 voucher as compensation for their time.

Should the university secure sufficient funds to extend the follow-up period to a full decade as desired, Professor Hajek informed us that the researchers would also “like to monitor biomarkers of risk and health outcomes. Not just in dual users but also in people who stop smoking and only vape long term, as well as people who stop smoking and do not vape, and people who continue to smoke.”

Though scientific research must always be impartial and pursued in an unbiased fashion, the case for vaping is getting stronger, and the industry is confident that new academic endeavours will prove favourable.

CHAMPIONSHIP FORM

FRAZER CLARKE VISITS VAPOUROUND HQ WITH GOOD NEWS AND A GOLD MEDAL TO PROVE IT

BY LEO FORFAR

In our last issue, we broke the thrilling news that our magazine, along with Lik Juice, would be sponsoring super heavyweight amateur boxing star Frazer Clarke as he chased glory in the Commonwealth Games. Frazer came back to the UK proudly wearing a gleaming gold medal and bearing some well-deserved respect and recognition. In the middle of a tour which saw other media appearances and some inspiring school speeches about the power of sport to make positive change in young peoples’ lives, Frazer came into our offices to meet with Vapouround staff and discuss his future plans.

“When I was first looking for sponsorship, I could have approached massive companies in my hometown, Burton-Upon-Trent –companies like Coors, Pirelli and Marmite. But I didn’t want to strike a deal with someone I was never going to be in contact with, someone impersonal. I was looking for a brand, a group, an organisation who are inspired and hungry. This is why I have such massive respect for you guys for helping me. Coming in here today, there’s so much going on. It reminds me of my life and career; always on the go and driven to succeed.”

Frazer outpointed India’s Satish Kumar over three tough rounds before a raucous crowd on the Gold Coast. He overcame exhaustion from a busy training and tournament schedule: only the day before, Frazer defeated New Zealander Patrick Mailata, another friend and training buddy.

“That’s why I got into boxing, for that rush when the winner is announced when you hear ‘In the blue corner…’ you forget all your troubles and pain. It’s ten seconds but it feels like ten minutes.”

Frazer’s star has risen high. Though there was a time he would only get a media mention alongside AJ, he is firmly established as an individual force to be reckoned with in the British boxing world.

“Publicity-wise, working with AJ has done so much for me. But I’m nobody’s mere ‘sparring partner’ – I’m a fighter; my job is to represent my country. Working with him helps me physically and mentally, it motivates me.”

Like all athletes, Frazer sees an accomplishment as not an ending, but a terminus to better things. It’s never over until you’ve done all you can.

“Yeah, I’ve done it. I’ve made everyone proud – the coach, the country, my sponsors. But it’s a stepping stone, I’m nowhere near where I want to be.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

“The first thing we [the training camp in Sheffield] will do is analyse all three fights – what I did well, not so well and where I can improve. We’ve got video analysts, psychologists. We’ll improve on everything. I don’t just want to win, I want to win convincingly, to look good when I do it. Looking back at the footage, I did enough to win, but I’m not one to just get by. I’m going to be a different animal from the one you saw on the Gold Coast.”

Frazer will work on weight and conditioning, improving his stamina and cardiovascular health for the next Olympic games.

“I’ll travel to Tokyo two or three kilos lighter. Everyone puts on weight at a multi-sporting event games like the Commonwealth Games or Olympics. I won’t get sluggish.”

His life’s purpose may lie in the ring, but Frazer’s philanthropic goals are still on his mind. He already has future Olympian etched on his name and realises the effect he has on the young, especially from his hometown.

“I was speaking to some guys from my year. There weren’t too many talks in assemblies from guest speakers when we were at school. Doing it myself, I had hundreds of messages from kids thanking me, assuring me they’ll knuckle down and work hard. One kid told me he had low self-esteem. I looked at his Instagram and he was a super talented artist! I want to act more like a role model.”

All eyes and minds are on Tokyo. Vapouround know how to pick the winners, and our bet is on Frazer Clarke to continue carrying the torch and raising the standard.

To Infinity and Beyond BREAKING DOWN

THE ALIEN COIL WE’LL TAKE

DIMENSION

BY STEVE MASSINGHAM AKA CRAFTY COILS

“Aliens are complicated little buggers”

So, aliens. Chances are, you’ve heard of these coils. But before you get all excited, you should know that they’re complicated little buggers, both when it comes to making them and understanding how they function.

Let’s start with what an alien really is. There are in fact two types. Firstly, there’s the classic alien wire comprised of three round core wires parallel to each other, then wrapped in a curving fuse wire, creating the characteristic wave pattern. The second is less about the actual coil and more a fusing technique that can be applied to other types of core.

STILL WITH ME?

To make that fuse wire, you’ll need to start with some clapton wire. Then you’ll have to deploy some maths. The first question you need to ask yourself is how wide is my wire?

I’m going to use two examples here, the first is a classic. These are fairly simple to work out. If you’re using 28 AWG which is 0.3mm diameter, your overall core will be 0.9mm so your initial clapton needs to be on a core one-third of your overall wire width, which is .9mm. Nine divided by three equals 3mm. Simple. With a classic, you just clapton one of your core wires.

The second example is a 10-ply staple. Each piece of ribbon is 0.1mm so your overall width is 1mm. One divided by three equals 0.3333333 recurring, which is less simple. If you don’t have a nice neat number to work with, you round up, in this case to 0.4, which is 26 AWG.

START YOUR CLAPTON

There a couple of things to remember here. First, your clapton needs to be wrapped the opposite way to how you plan to wrap your alien. For example, I wrap my claptons counter-clockwise and then my alien clockwise. This helps put the wrap down cleanly and ensures the pattern comes out properly.

The next part is removing the clapton from the core wire. There are two methods for this. The first is to run your drill the opposite way to the clapton but without letting it unwind. It will just loosen it. You’ll know it’s working when you watch the wrap start to work its way back down the core wire. Make sure you don’t let it unwrap. The second is to stretch the core wire, which is harder to do with 26 or lower. Just grip each end of the core wire with some pliers and stretch it. In both cases, the clapton wrap should come off like a slinky or a long spring. Your next job is to stretch this out. You must be slow and careful about this as it has a bad habit of linking up and twisting on itself if you’re not careful. You need to stretch it to create the wave pattern, but you want it slightly tight to account for a little tension stretching when you’re using it to fuse your cores. Once it’s all stretched I like to put it on a spool as I find this makes it more manageable as the spool prevents the wire from twisting up on you as you fuse with it.

AND THEN THERE’S THE WRAPPING.

The key here is to lead the bind point by about 10 degrees. This will help the wave pattern form and prevent the dreaded backwrap where it suddenly goes the wrong way. Try not to go too quickly as it can be fiddly. I favour control over speed. Now, if you’re making a traditional three-core I seriously advise you to invest in some alien makers. They make life so much easier by giving you a moving bind. This allows you to fuse your cores at the point of the bind and the fuse wire pushes your bind along, meaning your cores can’t twist up. If you can’t get an alien maker or if you’re making a staple, I suggest you make a small bind from some ribbon and just move it along when your fuse reaches it.

SEEDS OF CHANGE

VAPING CBD COULD HELP REMEDY THE DECADES-LONG OPIOID CRISIS

BY GORDON STRIBLING

CBD is rarely out of the news these days. A steady body of research and countless anecdotal accounts support CBD’s effectiveness at treating the symptoms of a variety of illnesses, from anxiety to multiple sclerosis.

Recent research suggests that the cannabinoid may even help solve one of the biggest social and medical plagues of our time: the opioid epidemic.

Opioids are psychoactive drugs commonly prescribed for pain relief. The word encompasses drugs derived from opium, such as morphine and codeine, and synthetic analogues that produce similar effects, like tramadol, hydrocodone and fentanyl.

Initially prescribed to ease painful cancer symptoms, synthetic opioid prescription skyrocketed in the late 90s and early 00s after small studies demonstrated their effectiveness at easing other types of pain.

It was around this time that Purdue Pharma began marketing their new synthetic opioid drug to medical practitioners at conferences around the US. Oxycontin was slated as low-risk. But the ensuing high availability of the drug led to a tide of addiction. By 2004, Oxycontin had become the leading drug of abuse in the US, contributing to a 41 percent increase in opioid-related deaths over a 12-year period.

Opioids are now responsible for the deaths of 90 Americans each day, roughly the same number as die in car accidents. And while the vast majority of people who legally obtain prescription opioids do not go on to abuse illegal substances, 80 percent of heroin users in the States started their habit after abusing prescription opioids like Oxycontin.

There is some debate about whether the policy-driven reduction in opioid prescription has led a significant number of people to seek out heroin, which is cheaper, stronger and easier to obtain. What we do know is that heroin itself is deadlier than ever. It is increasingly laced with fentanyl, which is so strong that first responders treating overdoses have themselves overdosed just by touching or inhaling small amounts of the drug.

With tighter oversight and the private sector making up just one percent of prescriptions, the UK’s opioid situation is far less dire. Nonetheless, many fear that the UK is on the precipice of an opioid crisis of its own.

Opioid prescription in England nearly doubled in the past decade and more than three million UK adults were prescribed opioid medications in 2017. Almost all these prescriptions were for chronic pain. Between one third and a half of the UK’s population suffers from chronic pain,with many being prescribed ineffective opioid drugs to paper over the cracks.

The effectiveness of CBD and other cannabinoids on treating chronic pain was investigated in a 2012 studypublished in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The researchers reported that administration of CBD in rodents significantly suppressed chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain without causing a tolerance.

The researchers concluded: “These cannabinoids may represent a novel class of therapeutic agents for the treatment of chronic pain and other diseases involving GlyR [glycine receptor] dysfunction.” The glycine receptor is involved in pain perception.

Vaping is by far the most effective method of ingestion. Vapourised CBD enters your lungs and diffuses straight into your bloodstream, bypassing the gut and liver. Around 50 or 60mg per 100mg of CBD ingested this way will enter your bloodstream, compared to 15mg of 100mg when swallowed. This results in greater pain relief and the fastest possible onset, enabling users to respond to pain as it occurs.

CBD may also help the other problem integral to the opioid epidemic – addiction. A 2013 study conducted in Greece found that not only does CBD not exhibit reinforcing properties at any dose, it actually decreases the reward-facilitating effects of morphine. CBD is both non-addicting and alleviates the addictive effect of the opioid drug.

Similar findings were reported in Nature earlier this year. Researchers found that after being administered CBD, rats addicted to cocaine or alcohol were less likely to relapse and also showed reduced anxiety and impulsivity – two symptoms synonymous with addiction. The effect lasted a full five months after the last dose was administered.

In The Role of Cannabis Legalization in the Opioid Crisis published earlier this year, JAMA Internal Medicine reported that opioids were being prescribed less in states where medical marijuana was legal, indicating that cannabis was filling the role previously filled by prescription opioids like Oxycontin and Vicodin. They also found that opioids and cannabinoids “shared signalling pathways central to tolerance, dependence and addiction.”

While it’s important to note that illegal cannabis component THC appears to play a greater role in relieving pain, these early studies suggestthat CBD and other legal cannabinoids do have significant potential on their own. Partnered with the efficient and fast onset provided by vaping, CBD could help bring decades of chronic opioid over-prescription to an end.

“CBD IS BOTH NON-ADDICTING AND ALLEVIATES THE ADDICTIVE EFFECT OF THE OPIOID DRUG … VAPOURISED CBD ENTERS YOUR LUNGS AND DIFFUSES STRAIGHT INTO YOUR BLOODSTREAM”

The current position on e-cigarettes in the UK

Medical licensing, mental health, long-term use and advertising. Four key UK organisations outline the current position on e-cigarettes.

By Róisín Delaney

One year on from the implementation of the Tobacco Products Directive, evidence continues to be presented to establish and update the current position on e-cigarettes in the UK.

In April, a panel included Rob Morrison, Senior Regulatory Policy Executive at the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), Professor Gillian Leng from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Professor John Newton of Public Health England (PHE) and Dr Ian Hudson, Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). These four representatives gave their organisation’s current and updated stance on e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, but also on regulation. Following this panel’s discussion, pharmacy minister Steve Brine later told the committee that he wouldn’t be against promoting e-cigarettes on cigarette packs.

Public Health England

Professor Newton told the committee that PHE’s approach has been to maximise the potential for e-cigarettes and drive down smoking, while managing any risks with appropriate regulations. “We are very pleased to see a general

consensus around the view that the use of e-cigarettes is likely to be substantially less harmful than smoking.”

However, the professor alluded to some concerns PHE currently has –misperceptions and a possible plateau in the number of smokers transitioning to e-cigarettes. He told the inquiry,

“At the moment, we are concerned about the misperceptions about relative harm among the public. We are also somewhat concerned that the uptake of e-cigarettes seems to have plateaued among smokers.”

On the ever-topical Australian stance on vaping, the PHE director said having previously presented facts to an Australian committee, he couldn’t explain why different countries reacted differently to the same evidence.

“The Australian situation was different. They had lower smoking rates to begin with when e-cigarettes first appeared. The feeling there was that they could continue to control and drive down smoking prevalence without using e-cigarettes.”

As we now know, the outcome of a recent year-long public health inquiry Down Under was mixed, with indications of support growing in the nation for vaping as a means to quit cigarette smoking.

When asked whether he felt the UK is in the best position on e-cigarettes, the professor said, “I feel confident. The scale of the harm from tobacco is so great, with 79,000 premature deaths a year caused by smoking, that, if there is a good chance that more smokers will quit if they are encouraged to use an e-cigarette than would otherwise quit … one should remove barriers to smokers using e-cigarettes to quit.”

The policies on e-cigarettes within mental health trusts was another line of questioning put forward by committee chairs. There is no coherent policy across mental health trusts on the use of e-cigarettes to help service users to stop smoking. This is despite smoking being the single biggest cause of inequality of life expectancy for people with severe mental health conditions, as pointed out by committee chair Norman Lamb. The PHE director said, “We would like any smoker who finds themselves in an NHS trust to have an opportunity to quit using e-cigarettes, if that is what they are choosing to use.” He also referenced the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training’s publication, which was designed to provide guidance to such trusts on e-cigarettes and has been available since April.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Pointing out her organisation’s most recent publication on smoking cessation tools, in which NICE updated guidelines for doctors to recommend e-cigarettes to some patients, Professor Gillian Leng said this, “was not an overarching statement on e-cigarettes … We explained that they are not licensed medicines, but that they are regulated, and advised that many people have found them helpful to quit smoking.”

On the subject of vapers still meeting their nicotine cravings despite quitting smoking, Professor Leng said, “There might be questions about that, because of the way in which e-cigarettes are being marketed … as an interesting, exciting, edgy product, which might encourage people to use them in the longer term.”

She added that while e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful than traditional cigarettes, “there is five percent we do not know about.”

Professor Newton also gave his view on this, saying there is evidence to suggest vaping nicotine may not be as addictive as in smoking. “We know that, of the 2.9 million e-cigarette users, just over half have stopped smoking completely and are now using e-cigarettes. We also know that there are approximately 700,000 people who have been smokers, have used e-cigarettes and have stopped using e-cigarettes as well. The largescale surveys suggest that there is a progression from being a smoker to using e-cigarettes to stopping. There is some evidence that nicotine delivered in an e-cigarette is less addictive than nicotine delivered through smoking.”

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

Dr Ian Hudson is Chief Executive of the MHRA. He commented on the medical licensing of e-cigarettes as a potential route to encouraging smokers to quit. He confirmed that in order for e-cigarettes to be available on prescription across the UK they would need to be medically authorised. According to Dr Hudson, there are pros and cons to medically authorising e-cigarettes in comparison to the current

system with the notification scheme. He said, “There are limitations in the notification scheme — tank size, refill size, strength, advertising and the ability to put a product on prescription. The medicines route would get around some of those, but it comes with more requirements …”

Advertising Standards Authority

Rob Morrison of the ASA touched on the current rule that prohibits both health and medicinal claims being made about e-cigarettes. He said, “We are in a different place now,” and added that a consultation at the end of last year resulted in a proposal to loosen the ropes a little. He said this will “allow marketers to make claims that they can substantiate that concern health.”

Potentially, this could open the door for the marketing of e-cigarettes as being less harmful than smoked tobacco, “but only in circumstances where they have robust evidence that shows that their product is tested, is TPD compliant and meets those standards, and where they have undertaken a comparative analysis.

Now that the TPD is in, we think that the market is probably getting to a point where some manufacturers will want to do that.”

He also acknowledged there may be scope for change post-Brexit.

As we are aware, smoking cessation claims cannot be made in advertisements for e-cigarettes, but the ASA can, “change the rules to allow a window for these health claims.” Mr Morrison added that is what the ASA is doing in current consultation. “Hopefully, there will be something to say on that in the next couple of months.” We eagerly await the outcome of that consultation.

Following this panel discussion, pharmacy minister Steve Brine told the committee he would consider suggestions to use cigarette packets as a vehicle for the promotion of e-cigarettes. Under current legislation it is illegal to put promotional material into cigarette packs, but the MP said that it was something the government should look into further.

The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on e-cigarettes examines the impact of e-cigarettes on human health – including their effectiveness as a stop-smoking tool –the suitability of regulations guiding their use and the financial implications of a growing market on both business and the National Health Service.

“If there is a good chance that more smokers will quit if they are encouraged to use an e-cigarette than would otherwise quit … one should remove barriers to smokers using e-cigarettes to quit”

– Professor Newton, PHE

REBRANDING LABELS

A CRUCIAL ISSUE WITHIN THE VAPE INDUSTRY

BY TONY OTTOMANELLI II

Many vapers remain unbothered by a trend that desperately needs a consensus: the labelling of e-liquids.

Of course, as a business, you want to sell as much product as possible and the labels on e-liquid bottles can certainly help in this regard. However it does the industry no favours when these labels contain cartoon-like images and bright colours, which appeal to children or infringe the copyright or intellectual property rights of existing businesses.

There is a strong focus on making sure veteran brands are maintaining responsible business practices just as much as the new start-up companies are responsible when creating their brands.

US anti-vape fanatics will go to great lengths to pick out any brand that may seem like it appeals to children and then the antivape fighters will use those potentially child-appealing labels as examples to showcase to the world.

More and more, we have seen the consumers become industry professional business owners and then highly active advocates, primarily because they quit smoking by vaping – this proves just how effective of a tool for harm reduction vaping truly is.

Jared Olson, owner of Fedora Guy E-liquids and the online retail

store, Vaper’s Hobby Shop clarifies, “Any business or product that represents or symbolises anything remotely close to marketing to children is unacceptable and none of us will do business with them.”

A major US vape advocate and vape industry professional, Fig Ramsey asks, “When are vapers going to catch on to this? Why wouldn’t a vaper examine the label of an e-liquid and ask themselves, ‘Would this be appealing to children?’”

In short,to sum up what vaping advocates are all about, is to inform unaware or unresponsive companies that their irresponsible marketing strategies are unacceptable within our community and industry.

From this it is an advocate’s duty to guarantee they change whatever may be seen as child-friendly images or any other symbol that designates things that children may like.

Nowadays most US vape advocates will simply not buy an e-liquid deemed to be appealing to children so why wouldn't all vapers do this?

Most people I know seem to usually favour their own desires rather than do something in favour of the wellbeing of others. Not to mention, the taste of a particular e-liquid may very well be

delicious and so the brand label is the last thing people are thinking of when it comes to purchasing an e-liquid.

The vape industry has done a fairly good job of regulating itself considering how young the industry is, except for the abundance of brands that are saturating the industry with labels, which could be child-friendly.

There is an attitude taken by industry professionals that when being asked to rebrand, they see it as a sign of disrespect. They are insulted and in some cases feel harassed. They feel targeted since they are literally being called out and pointed to as being irresponsible.

So for any brands out there that have refused to rebrand their products when asked in the respective manner by a group of very serious advocates, perhaps it's time to reconsider.

If you were asked to rebrand then this means you have an opportunity to help preserve the industry because removing child-friendly imagery will also remove much of the ammunition used by regulators who accuse the industry of deliberately targeting children.

“

GLOBAL COMMUNITY MUST UNITE BEFORE IT’S ALL OVER

BY TONY OTTOMANELLI II

The US is home to more vapers than any other country worldwide, while the UK is the second largest global market for the international vape industry. The UK has also become what many refer to as the Mecca of vaping since countless states have passed some restrictive regulations and taxation plans across the US, especially California — the previous Mecca.

In regards to this, the UK has earned the nickname for several reasons, due in large part to the assessment about vaping made by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and Public Health England (PHE).

RCP confirms that vapour devices are 95 percent less harmful than smoking. This analysis by the prestigious medical institution has become a key piece of information and a major talking point to prove any arguments against vaping to be entirely inaccurate. Therefore, one could call it obvious that the UK is indeed the most vape-friendly nation on the entire planet. A key feature to the British culture that has caused much US-envy as well as UKpride. Perhaps these emotional responses were anticipated and have been put in place by design for potential exploitation.

Given the rising tensions over the flavour debate in the US vaping community, the Food and Drug Administration’s plan to regulate e-liquid flavours has grown ever more threatening.

One thing the global community should be cognisant of is that if the US vaping industry is allowed to be systematically depleted, then it is only a matter of time before the entire global industry will collapse.

This is indeed a possible result when analysing the available economic statistics. For instance, the US consumes over half of the world’s vaping products, so if such a sector is eliminated from the commerce that is conducted among vape-based businesses, this would create potentially irreparable damage throughout the global vape culture.

The economic imbalance would cause much of the profitability currently being earned to drastically shrink, leaving a modern emerging industry stifled by regulatory overreach — quite the opposite scenario one might expect to see from the populist movement and conservative-controlled government administrations around the world.

The FDA is receiving strong pressure from the anti-vape establishment after they all came together to file a lawsuit against the FDA for not acting quicker to implement the deeming rule they first announced on May 5, 2016. In reality, this strategy to file a lawsuit was clearly just a PR stunt because all the FDA did was postpone the required deadlines for vape businesses submitting data about their products (i.e. PMTA).

Given the emergence and expansion of American “vape-hate,” the anti-vape establishment has only grown stronger. Public health organisations such as the American Lung Association, tobacco control groups such as the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, the unparalleled industry of big pharma, US federal government agency the FDA and several others have all joined forces to form a collective conglomerate comprised of many businesses from a number of industries, all who stand to lose a fortune if the vape industry is not dramatically disrupted.

THE VAPE INDUSTRY WITHIN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

In late January, the country with the third largest vape market, Malaysia, was directly targeted with the implementation of raids by government officials and pharmaceutical services. All merchandise was confiscated — this is a scenario that could be described by suggesting the private and public sectors collaborating to use tactics reminiscent of smash and grab crimes. However, the early reports on the Malaysian vape industry raids warned that the press would likely be forced to not report on this issue any further. Currently, it appears not much else has been announced since that time.

Of course, we know that the world’s leading vape market, the US is being targeted blatantly in the press, yet inconspicuously on a legislative and regulatory scale. Though, I am speculating, I suspect this is because smearing the vape industry reputation is the primary goal.

This leaves us with the second largest vape market. Of course, the UK has become the vape-friendly capital of the world. This is due to the logical medical professionals telling the truth of the lifesaving properties of vaping in comparison to smoking.

So, how do you damage an industry in the one country vaping is actually embraced for its effectiveness and existence? It seems to me, they are attempting to squeeze it out financially. This may

all be sociological theory and perhaps just speculation, but the way things have been unfolding over the first half of 2018, this could very well be the plan. Let’s hope this all remains only as speculation.

What the UK has done is the noble route to go, rather than regurgitating lies, much like in the “home of the brave” where misinformation is what we crave — following the vapour ways of those who reside in the UK is the most rational approach and ethical play.

Regardless, with the unnecessary drama in Malaysia and the outlandish disinformation peddled to the American people, the UK could be left out in the cold. Hopefully, the opposite occurs, but knowing the ways in which the economy operates, it does not seem likely.

All in all, most vapers only want to see the vape industry continue thriving and let’s pray it does.

Right now, however, it seems that the global vape industry must begin to support one another, unite and ultimately coalesce. The UK may likely have to lead the charge with their vape-friendly ways since it appears that worldwide vapers cannot count on the “land of the free,” where we choose to allow misinformed lies to affect our policy.

“THE UK MAY LIKELY HAVE TO LEAD THE CHARGE WITH THEIR VAPE-FRIENDLY WAYS SINCE IT APPEARS THAT WORLDWIDE VAPERS CANNOT COUNT ON THE ‘LAND OF THE FREE’“

Vaping Legion advocates blacklist success

By Tony Ottomanelli II

To dismiss the advocacy group known as the Vaping Legion by labelling them as a bunch of bullies would also be to misinterpret one of the most valuable assets the vape community can rely on. Basically, for no compensation, this group of hardcore vape advocates does the job everyone else is far too fearful to do.

The Legion work as a team, as a force that is assertive, aggressive, unconventional, intimidating, unapologetic, reasonable, professional, logical and ratherdirect, never beating around the bush. However, their actions certainly influence the industry a great deal.

With the release of their controversial blacklist, the Legion sent a direct, clear message to the industry by calling out e-liquid manufacturers for promoting their products by incorporating their brand name with labels that could appeal to children, or labels that are clear violations of intellectual property rights.

What the group demanded was simple. This was not an attack, this was merely a chance for them to offer their advice: for these companies to ultimately rebrand themselves, specifically their e-liquid labels to a more socially acceptable and universally approved featured logo or design.

Since the release of the blacklist, the Legion has successfully caused a domino effect of brands following their advice, with a total of 50 e-liquid companies rebranding to include labels that are equipped with a more widely accepted appearance.

Still, many vape industry professionals fail to see the relevance of the blacklist and any of the work that the Legion does. Perhaps an explanation directly interpreted and explained from the Legion may help:

“It’s not personal, it’s survival. Thereare 38.5 million smokers and it is our job, not just the Vaping Legion, but all vapers, to be the vanguards of this industry. To just sit by and allow it to be ruined by something as avoidable as irresponsible labels isn’t something I can do. I cannot and will not live with that on my conscience and I know no one in the Legion can either. I keep hearing how we are an adult industry. Then it’s time to grow up and be responsible or be cast aside and be sent to your room, just like the customer base you stand charged with marketing to by the FDA and state governments.”

This is a very deep explanation of the circumstances unfolding in the US because state and local governments as well as the federal level represented by the FDA continuously use the child-appealing labels as a visual aid to convince their constituents of just how destructive flavoured e-liquids could be.

The argument is that all adults enjoy these flavours too. Okay – yes, this is true. However, the labels should not be something that appeal to kids because inreality what seems like a harmless e-liquid label eventually becomes a source of major weaponry against the industry.

What occurs then, is that we all witness political figures holding up a cartoonish, colourfully labelled e-liquid brand while standing at a podium in front of the entire US Congress providing political ammunition to the opposition. If that is not a good enough reason to immediately rebrand your labels, then what will it take?

A flavour ban?

Tristan Thompson, Vaping Legion “Commander” said:

These advocates warned the industry for years how irresponsible labelling is providing ammunition for legislators to propose a flavour ban. They even started a blacklist that was essentially calling outbrands that needed to rebrand their labels — and many of them did. Therefore, the Legion has now been praising the responsible brands by releasing a whitelist.

The blacklist according to the Vaping Legion: “Several factors were taken into consideration. Child-like imagery of any sort, any type of candy on labels or packages. Intellectual property from any company pre-existing (Pepsi, Arizona Iced Tea, Tropicana ...) Cartoon imagery of any sort, adult-themed or not, because a cartoon is a cartoon. The percentage of good versus bad labels the distro carries or represents. Also, a history or trend of bad versus good labels, irresponsible and inappropriate imagery.”

From this controversial list, came an unrelenting backlash from the vape community. Advocates understood and supported the Legion’s efforts, while many non-advocating vapers and especially e-liquid manufacturers on the list were immediately insulted, offended and felt attacked.

Despite all the opposition the Legion received, the equal amount of support caused them to release a list to show their appreciation to all brands they believed to be operating responsibly — a whitelist.

“The vast majority of what they carry are responsibly branded and some are even working to phase the cancer out completely. It’s apparently no small feat to do it right. Few are perfect and those that aren’t are working to be. Doing the right thing isn’t hard but those that put forth the effort should be recognised. The same can be said for those who are working to do the right thing. Support those who don’t support industry cancer.”

Legion member Matthew Salter, recently told me: “It’s been crazy with the label compliance stuff. The industry is losing their minds.”

The Legion membership continues to grow. For as many people they annoy, they also save many more by helping preserve the industry. They are relentless, directly frank and unapologetic. Yet, they get so many things accomplished in a short period of time from their extreme concern about the industry’s survival led by their goal, which is to allow others who smoke a chance to quit by using vape products. Therefore, in retrospect, they are honest, compassionate and hopeful. We need them.

“I keep hearing how we are an adult industry. Then it's time to grow up and be responsible or be cast aside and be sent to your room, just like the customer base you stand charged with marketing to by the FDA and state governments”

– Tristan Thompson

INNOVATE TO THRIVE

The chances are if you’re a juice manufacturer of any size, you’ve already put blood, sweat, tears and countless hours into the development of your juice. With endless flavours of juice available to the consumer, it’s obviously important that you get the flavour just right.

THEN WHAT?

You’ve got your worthy juice flavours, now the real battle begins – introducing them to a crowded and competitive market.

The answer is simple.

INNOVATE.

Last year, there were only 100,000 new vapers in the UK compared to 800,000 in 2014 (Action on Smoking and Health). You and your competitors are fighting over the same consumer pool, which has currently plateaued.

As a brand you need a solution that enables you to stand out, to attract not just current vapers but smokers looking for an alternative to cigarettes, something that enables you to target your brand to the independent retail sector – a brand that is cost-effective, ergonomic and innovative.

EASYSNAP IS THAT BRAND.

Easysnap is a revolutionary packaging and sampling solution for the vape industry, offering you a world of new possibilities.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE SURE YOUR BRAND STANDS OUT FROM THE REST?

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE NOT LOST IN THE MIX?

FOLD IT

SQUEEZEIT

SNAP IT

MARKETING

– Want to get your samples out to UK vape shops and have them stand out from the crowd? Easysnap offers an eye-catching design and system that attracts attention while saving you money at the same time.

ATTRACT BOTH VAPERS AND SMOKERS

– Reduce complex buying decisions and let Easysnap present your juices in a convenient fashion and size, encouraging consumers to try your flavours at a highly competitive price.

INDEPENDENT RETAIL SECTOR

– Want to target the local shops? Then why not have your product in a format that is cost-effective for them to purchase, ergonomic for them to present and attractive to their customers.

INNOVATION

– Your brand is important. Make sure it’s seen as a pioneer, not a follower.

This is a very competitive industry. Don’t let all the hard work be for nothing. Make sure the way you present your brand is befitting of the effort you’ve put into its creation.

DON’T GET LEFT BEHIND.

LEAD THE PACK

– DON’T FOLLOW IT.

CONTACT US

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

THE SIGHTS, SOUNDS AND GLAMOUR OF THE THIRD ANNUAL VAPOUROUND AWARDS

When you’re the leading magazine and media platform in the vape trade, you have no one to compete with but yourself. And boy do we get competitive.

The third annual Vapouround Awards ceremony took place on May 4, as the curtain fell on B2B day at the Vaper Expo UK.

We rolled out the red carpet, greeted our entertainers and posed for team photos while the 450-strong crowd sipped prosecco and toasted to another extraordinary Vaper Expo weekend.

The Vapouround Awards are about bringing together all corners of this electric industry – and it’s safe to say there were a few sparks on the night.

With the expo well underway and another day of business under our belts, leading figures from as far as Malaysia and Australia gathered and shared stories of their vaping backgrounds and their lives before this mania began.

Before the official ceremony started, guests were treated to teasers of the acts to come. Our favourite magician Nick Einhorn proved why he has become a cornerstone for the Awards by previewing his set with some astonishing trickery, including the ability to transform a bystander’s ten-pound note into a five-pound note – and back again, much to their relief.

He then found a way to keep even the old card trick standby fresh, somehow guessing which card a Vapouround staff member had chosen despite even the most rigorous shuffling. The fun and games were welcomed by all after a long day on the expo floor.

The Events Company brought their own befuddling mastery of sleight-of-hand, such as the apparent levitation of a glass ball with no strings attached – literally. Their entourage also included a harlequin on stilts, another photo opportunity.

At 8pm, guests filled the hall and sat down to a delicious first course served with wine, and a very special side. These were limited edition 60ml bottles of Pinkman and Heisenberg e-liquids, provided by our generous official sponsor, Vampire Vape. The bottles came wrapped in ornately-patterned labels worthy of such a prestigious event. Truly, there was no better choice, as last year Pinkman on Ice won the Vapouround Award for Best Menthol and Heisenberg took Best High PG.

With everyone settled, Vapouround’s Managing Director Paul Caplin rose to the occasion on stage and told of the staggering statistics behind the Awards, which included a public vote exceeding 50,000. Paul urged everyone present to stop what they were doing for just a moment to look around the room at the people who have undoubtedly saved lives in their advocacy of and activism for vaping.

“It’s been a year of controversy, ups and downs, but the Vapouround Awards has always been a celebration of the industry and its people. We’re all united in our desire for a smokefree future.”

Speaking of saving lives, Paul then reminded attendees that the Vapouround Awards is and will remain a philanthropic endeavour. Just as the vaping industry is a force for the good of public health, this event is a platform and enabler for charity. Last year we collected over £4,000 for the victims of the Manchester Arena terrorist attack. This year we supported mental health charity MIND and played a special video message from the organisation’s president and television personality Stephen Fry.

Next we were treated to a flashback of the year that was since the previous May’s expo, in a glittering video that reflected an extraordinary 12 months. Paul then revealed the ins and outs of the judging process, revealing the key figures who took on this herculean task over four days at our flagship Vapouround Lounge in Derby.

At 8.45pm everyone’s favourite double act took the reins. Despite spending the day mingling at the expo with inimitable energy, hosts Johnnie Lovell of BHVape and Strawberry Queen’s Ashley Hansen still had plenty left for the evening.

This year, everyone got the VIP treatment with sponsors and nominees getting video packages previewing their award-worthy products to the room. Speech highlights included Lee Skelding and Jay Cox, who once again took the award for Best Trade Show. They assured us, “We’ll keep doing the best we can for as long as we can, as long as you keep trying to do the best you can do.”

As proceedings began to peak, Johnnie reiterated what the night was all about, raising a glass to everyone in the industry –regardless of their position, tenure, or location.

Magician Nick Einhorn outdid his card tricks from earlier, talking the audience through a mind-blowing trick which saw everyone open a letter placed at their seat, pull out a card bearing an e-liquid company name, place it face down, fold it, tear it in half, mix it with the others, recombine their pieces and see what they had made.

But the fun wasn’t over yet. Comedian and after dinner speaker Ian Irving perked everyone up with a rich repertoire of comedy, all performed with effortless charm. Irving ran through astute observations, unpredictable one-liners, absurd stories and even roped Paul into the act from the VIP table.

We aim to excite and so0 before the final awards were dished out there was one final act of the evening. A dazzling display lit up the stage in a Glow Tron Show which was an incredible display of skill and pageantry.

The awards maintained the important balance of giving industry leaders their due while providing an otherwise rare platform to boost and commend the more underexposed and underrated figures and companies in the trade – tomorrow’s leaders no doubt. It bestowed honour on the best of 2017 and ignited a fire under the best of 2018 and beyond.

We spend months preparing for this night each year and we never want it to end. So much can happen in a year in this industry, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will be at the forefront of the sector by next May. One thing is certain, we’ll be right there to recognise them at the 2019 Vapouround Awards whoever it is.

“IT’S BEEN A YEAR OF CONTROVERSY AND UPS AND DOWNS, BUT THE VAPOUROUND AWARDS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CELEBRATION OF THE INDUSTRY AND ITS PEOPLE. WE’RE ALL UNITED IN OUR DESIRE FOR A SMOKE-FREE FUTURE.”

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE VAPOUROUND AWARDS 2018

BY PATRICK GRIFFIN

At school I learned that the longest day of the year was the summer solstice in June … but I have since learned that my teachers were wrong.

The longest day in the year is actually when we hold the annual celebration of the global vape industry, the day of the Vapouround Awards.

This year it fell on May 4 and the Awards evening served as the official after party for the end of the business-tobusiness day of May’s Vaper Expo UK.

The working day for the Vapouround team tasked with overseeing the Awards began at 7am and lasted into the early hours of the following morning … but we loved every moment of it.

In the months leading up to the event a small team of staff were involved in booking the entertainment, planning the night’s entertainment, organising the catering, selecting the menu and producing the videos.

There were also scripts to write, a running order to plan and a timetable to put in place.

There were more than a few late nights worked as artwork was designed, videos were edited and the night’s entertainment was planned.

Seeing the results of all the hard work come together on the day was truly magical. We wanted to create an atmosphere in the room which would have a wow! factor when people walked in and the feedback was that it worked.

This was an occasion where months of hard work all came together to produce a night of celebration and fun. This was to be a night where we celebrate the achievements of an industry which has every right to be proud of its amazing successes.

Not only do we celebrate the achievements of our deserving award winners, but we pay tribute to everyone in the vaping industry who has worked hard to change the lives of so many people for the better.

It was about people coming together from all over the world where we get to see just how much good can be done when people cooperate on a global scale to help smokers improve their lives.

The amazing Nick Einhorn is our go-to magician but every year it is the people in the room for this very special evening who provide the real magic. They inspire, motivate and use their skills and knowledge to shape the vape industry and help make it what it has become today.

While organising this annual night of celebration is both challenging and time-consuming, all the effort is worthwhile to pay tribute to an amazing collective of people.

As for the longest day next year … that’s due to fall when the world’s best annual celebration of all things vape gets underway once more at the Vaper Expo UK next May. Personally, I can’t wait.

By Gordon Stribling

Outsiders and those not familiar with the industry’s evolving landscape could be forgiven for assuming that little of note would have happened between biannual instalments of Vaper Expo UK. But while the template remains largely the same, a lot has occurred in six months. This was reflected in what many vapers are calling the best Vaper Expo UK yet.

On the Friday night we held the third annual Vapouround Awards, where we honoured the best and brightest in the industry. We love getting together with the people who make the industry what it is. This year’s ceremony surpassed all expectations, raising over £2,000 for mental health charity MIND along the way. As official media partner, we once again had a significant presence at Europe’s largest vape expo. Alongside our newly revamped bus and expanded casino we had a stand near the stage, where rapper Professor Green staged a takeover to promote his new UNRULY e-liquid range. Pro by name and reputation, he happily posed for selfies for the sea of fans who queued at the stand. While October’s expo is remembered as ‘A Celebration of Vaping’, many attendees will recall the abundance of many short-fills and nic salts on offer over the weekend. Short-fills were out in force again this time, showing that they are fast becoming the formula of choice for liquid manufacturers. But this expo will be remembered for two other major innovations: CBD and pod systems. The number of CBD vendors appeared to have more than tripled since the show in October. Once again, Vaper Expo UK proved to be a microcosm of that emerging industry, an exciting avenue but one requiring tight self-regulation if it is to continue to grow without government interference.

New pod systems were so abundant that it would have been impossible to try them all. These are both a simple entry point for smokers and a convenient addition to a long-time vaper’s arsenal. Vaping succeeds in being accessible to all and once again Vaper Expo UK had all bases covered.

The UK and Europe’s biggest vape expo once again reflected exciting developments within the global industry

"May's show will be a very tough act to follow”

Many of the big names from the YouTube community came along to vlog the occasion and meet their followers and fans. Australia’s Vaping Bogan was beaming all weekend, thrilled to be part of such a large and special event that simply couldn’t happen in his home country were vaping is effectively illegal. Vapouround Awards judge SirVapingAlot seemed right at home, too. Read our exclusive interview with Vinny on pages 32-33. Advocacy has played a big role in the expo since the beginning. The IBVTA and NNA were once again in attendance, educating vapers and industry alike. Such organisations are an indispensable resource for our community and help further legitimise and shelter it from the thankfully dwindling attacks from a misinformed media.

Both vapers and vendors benefitted from the much-improved layout. Vendors were far easier to find than they were in October, when some had felt aggrieved at being away from the red carpet where all the foot traffic was. No such problem this time around as vapers moved up and down the hall in a linear fashion. It’s these seemingly-small changes that help improve the expo experience for the thousands of visitors who walk through the foggy tunnel and into the exhibition hall every six months. While many of the tried-and-tested marketing techniques were in place, many vapers commented on the welcome restraint from the models and reps trying to entice them to their stands. Each expo is more professional and slick than the last, demonstrating just how far the industry has come in such a short few years. Though a handful of the bigger names were missing due to the clash with Hall of Vape in Stuttgart, the rest were out in force. Meanwhile, the show introduced some new players, ranging from mod and juice companies to suppliers of bottles and manufacturing equipment. Vapers, DIY-enthusiasts, shops and manufacturers were all catered for, once again showing how Vaper Expo UK has become a hub for our flourishing vaping culture. Given how much has happened since A Celebration of Vaping last October, it’s almost impossible to predict where Vaper Expo UK will go next. But one thing is for sure: while the May show will be a very tough act to follow, the dedicated expo team will inevitably succeed in doing so.

FIRST VAPER EXPO

RÓISÍN DELANEY

Have you ever been to an event, or even on holiday, where you truly felt disconnected from the outside world? Where everything apart from the time and place you stood in just didn’t matter? That was how my first experience of the Vaper Expo UK in May felt.

In some respects my colleagues had given me a level of expectation ahead of the weekend which included tales from The Return in October and the May 2017 show which blew them away – it did cross my mind that they could have been exaggurating. Well I stand corrected. This weekend devoured every expectation and as it drew to a close on the sunny bank holiday weekend, I was left wanting more.

From the Vapouround Casino to the main stage to celebrity takeovers, there was so much happening under one roof it did seem hard to keep up at times. But you see, that’s the thrill of the ride that is the UK and Europe’s largest vape exhibition.

The sheer scale and size of the show added to the atmosphere – to know you were among some of the global leaders in this rapidly growing industry was surreal. Naturally, everyone I met I was inquisitive of. Who were they? What did they do before they were a top dog in the e-cigarette trade? Did they ever expect to achieve such a height of success in a few short years since this industry exploded?

On Friday, which was B2B day, the Vapouround team had an extra serving of breakfast to prepare for the longest day of the working year, as the third annual Vapouround Awards were taking place that evening. This day required intense organisation on our part, to make the most of every opportunity on the expo floor until close, and then appear miraculously in our finest frocks fuss-free by 7pm at the awards venue across the NEC. And as it turned out, it all went smoothly thanks to a lot of forward thought.

The awards have become part and parcel of the Vaper Expo UK B2B day, and I saw first hand the prestige and excitement our event instills in exhibitors. On Saturday morning as the group set up for the day – feeling the effects from the night before– team

Souljar strutted past stand D220 with a noticeable spring in their step, clutching their Vapouround Award for Best Dessert as they made their way to their booth cheering.

Of course there was one development which had everyone talking. Thanks to a certain celebrity taking over our stand ahead of the launch of his first line of e-liquids, there was an elevated air of excitement and anticipation on both Friday and Saturday. Stephen Manderson, or Professor Green to most of us, set up shop with his three UNRULY liquids. This drove crowds of vapers in our direction. It was mutually beneficial for our brand and his, and we hope to do more with the rapper and business man in the future as he becomes a vocal advocate for vaping. Don’t miss our exclusive interview with Professor Green SEE OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW IN OUR PULLOUT SECTION.

To say it was over in the blink of an eye wouldn’t sum up how quickly these days passed. A certain highlight was the Vapouround Casino, which drew a competitive edge out of many. We must credit our casino workers for running this huge game centre so efficiently. To see people leave the expo with prizes like a quad bike, TVs, iPads and sample boxes of juice was worth the hard work in the set-up that week.

We parked the Vapouround Bus across the hall and it was the centre of attention for the weekend among vape shop owners and their staff. The bus has become a focal point for smoking cessation at the Vaper Expo UK and having been to the expo it’s clear why – it’s approachable and not at all like a regular stand for anyone who may be new to the vaping scene. The bus will be coming to a stop near you as it embarks on a huge nationwide tour in the latter half of the year.

This was an important show for us as Vapouround prepares to celebrate its third birthday in August. Who knows what exciting developments will have unfolded by the October show? One thing is certain: whoever says Christmas only comes once a year clearly hasn’t been to the Vaper Expo UK.

Innovative

Easysnap is a new cost effective and ergonomic hermetically sealed packaging solution. It is safe, easy to use and can be used with no effort and no stress .

Cost Effective

Available in variable quantities with an efficient turnaround time Easysnap is priced competitively and offers a high return solution .

Universal

Thanks to its unique one hand opening technology, Easysnap is accessible to everyone regardless of ability or circumstances.

Onwards and upwards Onwards and upwards Onwards and upwards

Evolution in action at my second Vaper Expo UK

By Gordon Stribling

I entered October’s event as both a Vaper Expo UK and a Vapouround newbie. Since joining the company, I’d racked up a base level of industry knowledge. But many things were still outside my sphere of understanding. Thankfully, it all worked out. I had a great time and learned a lot about the industry and vaping subculture along the way. I returned to the NEC with certain expectations. But in place of nervous anticipation was genuine excitement about what lay ahead.

Wednesday and Thursday: Set up

I arrived bleary-eyed at 9am on Wednesday morning. The only other Vapouround employees on-site were Reuben and Stu who’d come early to set up the newlyrefurbished Vapouround Bus. After helping with some heavy lifting, the rest of the team arrived and the task of packing thousands of goody bags commenced.

Friday: It begins

After handing out Vapouround bags for an hour or so, I excitedly started my first circuit of the exhibition hall. The first thing I noticed was how much easier it was to navigate. Even if I was to lose my bearings which would inevitably happen at some point, the stands were all laid out in neat lines, making it was easy for me to find my way around.

There were so many CBD stands that the vendors could have formed a breakaway

expo of their own. Those I spoke to were clearly very passionate and knowledgeable about their thriving industry.

Among them were Tam of Aztec CBD, Reg of Koi and Mike of Harmony, all of whom were keen to stress the importance of testing products and educating customers on the different types of cannabinoid e-liquids on the market.

Next up was Witchcraft, producers of one of current bus Vape Box favourite, Forest Fruits. While many vendors come to the expo to introduce new lines, Peter and Victor’s goal was to refine their range of e-liquids. Where better to get a snapshot of the market’s palate that Vaper Expo UK?

I knew I’d come across some interesting e-liquids over the weekend but I did not anticipate stumbling upon forgotten childhood favourite, dandelion and burdock. As the Pop Freak stall-holder explained, “most kids don’t know what it is these days!” But it was proving to be very popular with vapers young and old.

Back on patrol, I came across the Squonk Radar stand. Squonk Radar is the UK’s first specialist squonk supplier, catering to a knowledgeable and passionate group

of vapers. The stand gave me the first taste of the hobbyist side of the expo which I hoped to see more of over the weekend.

Juice of the Day: ‘Waffle Stack’ by Cloud Island

Saturday: The

floodgates open

The holding area rapidly began to fill up an hour before opening time. Johnnie Lovell and Ashley of Strawberry Queen kept the crowds entertained with a Mexican wave and a concentrated cloud-off which filled the area with thick, sweet-smelling vapour. The doors opened and hundreds of vapers spilled into the exhibition hall. After waiting 20 minutes or so for the tide to subside, I headed in. By 11.30am, the new and improved Vapouround Casino was in full swing and as the music ramped up, Johnnie and Ashley hyped up the crowd for the Custom Vapes giveaway. But the big stage moment of the day came later, with the arrival of none other than Professor Green. The Pro teamed up with Vapouround for his UNRULY E-liquid takeover. It came as no surprise that the rapper had charisma in spades, but he was also warm and very funny, at one-point quipping: “You know who I am. Do you like my documentaries? But I’m not here for the serious stuff. This is UNRULY!” Once our own stage giveaway was done and dusted, it was back to our stand where a huge crowd of vapers queued up for selfies with the man himself. Keen to escape the crowds, I took the opportunity to try out an intriguing innovation, the Usonicig. The ceramic coil vibrates 2,400,000 times per second, vapourising e-liquid without heating the coil. It was thrilling to get my hands on this potentially revolutionary ultrasonic vape technology.

I continued my regimented walk up and down the aisles and the Retro SPEX stand soon caught my eye. Evoking a ‘simpler time of

8-bit graphics, cassette tapes and proper TV shows’, the 80s and 90s-themed stand came complete with a 3D cinema populated by dummies dressed in garish shell suits. Lewis of Retro SPEX explained that they won the Best Stand Award at Vape Jam. It certainly appealed to my nostalgic side.

Juice of the Day: Pineapple Berry by Tundra

Wiped out and with only the residual dregs of adrenaline remaining, my second Vaper Expo UK drew to a close, with a quote from Charlie of V30 Vapes ringing in my ears.

to be my favourite stand of the expo. ‘El Cheapo!’ e-liquid ingeniously capitalised on its low-budget image. Just a man in a Mexican wrestling mask shouting through a megaphone about his yearning for a ‘sexy online wife’. Naturally, I popped a few coins into the collection box to help support his cause. We shall of course let you know if he succeeds.

I headed over to the Build Area where I finally got to meet Mac, aka @the_vaping_aussie and Vapouround’s own Steve ‘Crafty Coils’ Massingham. I was astonished that Mac was still standing considering the fact that he’d travelled for 25 hours (all daylight) but had been kept out of the sunshine since his arrival at the expo. After chatting with Vinny aka SirVapingAlot about Friday night’s Vapouround Awards and the laborious process of judging hundreds of e-liquids, I was back on the expo floor to chat to vendors and vapers before the expo began to wind down.

Juice of the Day: ‘Blackberry’ by Kingston Jelly

Sunday: All good things…

“Vaper Expo is about more than just the products. It brings people together”

BEHIND THE STAND: PROFESSOR GREEN TAKES OVER

By Róisín Delaney

THE RAPPER STORMED THE VAPOUROUND STAND AT THE VAPER EXPO UK

It’s the week of Britain and Europe’s largest vape exhibition and Professor Green is taking over your stand at the show. We said sure, why not? As it turned out, no stand will ever come close to being on the level of that weekend.

Friday morning as we set up shop, the UNRULY team of Scott, Ash and Pete rocked up to the National Exhibition Centre with hundreds of posters and e-liquids in tow.

Unlike most brands who handed out flyers and encouraged people to find their stand like a needle in a hay stack at such a vast event, the UNRULY squad layered posters over our backdrop and ripped the body of the paper off again, confusing passers by who may have thought they despised the artwork.

On the contrary. The team had a vision to make our stand resemble a fly-poster-covered wall worthy of East London, and that’s exactly what they achieved.

While it was business-to-business day, there was still an elevated level of excitement at the expo due to the imminent arrival of a ‘celebrity’. After a couple of hours of eager fans lingering around the stand sheepishly, afraid to ask about his whereabouts, Professor Green arrived early with a smile and a protein bar for lunch, much like the rest of us.

Photograph by @vappixportraits

Few people know how busy this man really is. That Friday at the expo, he had travelled from London to Birmingham, held a meet and greet with fans, he worked the stand tirelessly all afternoon and then it got busier. He attended the Vapouround Awards followed by a journey to High Wycombe to perform, before heading back to the NEC the next morning for day two of the expo. I don’t know about you but at Vapouround we call that dedication.

As the doors opened to VIPs on Saturday morning, the who’s who of the vape industry gathered to ready their stands feeling a little less fresh than the previous day. The third annual Vapouround Awards really knocked it out of some.

By the afternoon, the stage entertainment hosted by BHVape’s Johnnie Lovell and Strawberry Queen’s Ashley Hansen was booming and it was raining e-liquids and merchandise.

Professor Green turned up as the Vapouround team together with ADV Distro were about to take to the stage, and so with a burst of energy, he connected with the crowd and made everyone’s afternoon by bouncing around and being himself. Such is the impact this man has on people, he even made one young fan cry tears of disbelief on meeting him for a photo that day.

That’s why UNRULY E-liquid will be a huge success for Professor Green. Whatever about fame, he is genuinely just your ordinary bloke. He keeps his friends close and has even gone into business with them. His appreciation for his position is evident in how he talks to people as if he has known them forever, making them feel totally comfortable in his presence. He will stand for hours taking photos with fans and never refuses anyone a selfie — even when he’s running late. Oh, and he doesn’t like cheese, but still enjoys the odd slice of pizza.

At Vapouround, we like to be at the forefront of what’s happening in this electric industry and, as Professor Green’s debut range of e-liquids enjoys its successes, we’ll be there cheering the UNRULY team on.

Thank you to everyone who came to see our takeover happen live at May’s Vaper Expo UK. We promise not to disappoint in October.

THE VAPER EXPO UK, NEC BIRMINGHAM | 4, 5 & 6 MAY 2018

BY LEO FORFAR

True to our promise, the Vapouround Bus pulled into the Birmingham expo in May in a shining new wrap, filled out with a comfortable seating area, some fantastic new juices, a fresh internal layout and even a gaming system. Visitors took every opportunity to catch a break from the sounds and speed of the show floor to socialise, swap tips, top up on and indulge their competitive side.

The Vapouround Bus had never held more juices, never provided more unique features and never seen so many visitors in a single weekend. Even the comparatively calm B2B day had the team going all hands on deck. At peak B2C hours, we saw queues of eager vapers waiting to see what we had added or experience the Vapouround Bus for the first time.

Just as the Vaper Expo brings a perfect cross-section of British and global vapers to its halls, the Vapouround Bus is the perfect stop for a diverse snapshot. The reinvigorated upstairs area bore new evidence of Vapouround as a global brand and the expo as representing a worldwide family: Vape Duty Free had hired the space to display a special range of cosmopolitan concoctions inviting all aboard to “Vape the flavours of the world” from some quality mods placed on a printed map. Vape Duty Free also provided the first six instalments of the already acclaimed Fifty Shades of Flava collection, an ambitious project combining fruit, dessert and spice flavours.

But, as always, all this is nothing without our guests, who are our main motivation to improve with every outing.

Jonathan, an ex-smoker and vaper of three years, was one of many who got to see the bus for the first time. “You’ve definitely got to come to the bus, it’s a must-see stop. The testing stations are a great way to sample everything.”

Carl, a vaper of nine years, thought he had seen it all in the industry until he found the Vapouround Bus last October. He was one of many returning to see what else we had for May.

“I started way back on the cig-a-likes and I haven’t smoked since switching to a mod. Everyone here is really inviting, really friendly and very informative about the liquids and stations.”

Tony first came to the Vapouround Bus in October with his nephew and was particularly impressed with the Vapouround staff. He also had his eye on a certain liquid brand.

“We came here all the way from Maidstone in Kent. It is different this time, there’s more people around to help and offer advice, and more to do. It’s good to see the return of Naked Fish liquids.” Whether on the road taking starter kits and testing stations to dual users, relapsed vapers and smokers, or giving dedicated vapers a place to relax and try something special, the Vapouround Bus can do it all.

ADVOCACY AT THE EXPO: NEW NICOTINE ALLIANCE

One of the industry’s leading charities finds open minds on the show floor - By Leo Forfar

with it,” says Jessica. “Expos have always been good for advocacy. Vaper Expo UK organisers Lee and Jay have bent over backwards to accommodate us and value our work. Here at the expo, we don’t just present our concerns, but listen to the concerns of others, especially business owners.”

the NNA is that it’s a registered charity – an organisation made of consumers, also working for them. Consumer choice and quality is our goal. It’s been a slow process, but people on the trade show circuit are becoming more receptive to advocacy. It all starts with greater exposure.”

The New Nicotine Alliance (NNA) are also synonymous with pro-vaping advocacy and were found seated in the Meet & Greet area of the Vaper Expo in May, providing literature, campaign stickers, front line insight and advice to any who would listen.

We spoke with NNA Administrator Jessica Harding, member Andy Morrison, and new trustee Martin Cullep – a prolific writer and enthusiastic vaper – about what the trade show circuit (especially the expo) does for this important work.

“The NNA has been present at every expo since its launch, and we’ve seen the landscape for UK vaping change

Last year, Andy shared the main stage with David Dorn, taking the crowd through a series of passionate speeches about what the TPD represented and the work which would have to be done. He recently updated us on the situation:

“Advocacy has always been hard work; you never stop getting the word out, nor finding new problems that arise with every victory. To be specific, the contemporary landscape for UK vaping is having issues with branding and IP theft. There’s also controversy over short-fills. Many vendors have spent an awful lot of money ensuring their products are TPD-compliant and that the MHRA received correct notification. They see the short-fill trend as an attempt to bypass this process. We’re not a vendor industry or group, what people need to remember about

Martin Cullip was pleased to see as much enthusiasm on B2C day as on Friday.

“We’ve had quite a diverse range of people come over, including members of the international vaping community, both consumers and business people. You’re always better off exhibiting here. We’ve been able to tell them about our Challenge Prohibition Campaign, tackling bans in public places such as pubs. It’s been fruitful. People who didn’t know about the NNA hear the message.”

It may not provide the instant gratification and quick fire results we usually associate with trade shows, but advocacy finds a vibrant voice in the Vaper Expo UK.

“Expos have always been good for advocacy … We don’t just present our concerns, but listen to the concerns of others, especially business owners”

What happens in VAPOUROUND VAPOUROUND

All growing pains were gone when the Vapouround Casino returned to the Vaper Expo UK in May. This recent setup was larger, flashier and classier than October’s version. We also made the effort to ensure our prizes were more accessible, which was good, considering their hugely improved quality and quantity.

When our gambling guests weren’t trying their luck at one of our four roulette and three blackjack tables, new slot machines and the debuting Vapouround Wheel of Fortune, they found a plentiful supply of delicious Crunchie’s samples to vape, complete with free biscuits. The lounge area was also a favoured rest point for wearied passers-by, many of whom gave in to temptation and had a go.

The first prize at the Vapouround Casino went to David Arlow at 9.55am on Saturday. The lucky vaper walked away with two fistfuls of our finest short-fills. With a winner crowned so early on, Lady Luck settled into the red carpeted casino in a generous mood for the rest of the weekend. By mid-morning we saw a steady flow of winners being rewarded. By the end of the weekend, nearly all prizes had been won.

Darren Champion lived up to his last name, grabbing his first prize of the weekend – a GBOX Squonk Kit no less – on Saturday at midday and he returned on Sunday to win more prizes including

It was also a pleasure to see Tom Ambrose return to the Vapouround Casino bearing his Vapouround-branded mod.

WINNER ALRIGHT

One winner was Noxx White, a moderator at Approved Vapers, an inclusive Facebook community of over 33,000 members. Noxx knows the domestic vape scene inside out and came to this expo with a VIP ticket and a desire to try everything, including a second go at the Vapouround Casino. Like David, Noxx won as many liquids as he could carry.

“I was here last year when you launched [the casino]. I’ve been to every vaping expo going –VapeFest, VapeJam, and all the expos here. I’m usually a poker player but I went for blackjack.” Vaper Mike Green told us he was “still coming off smoking” but luckily for Mike, his prize may take him one step closer to quitting for good. “I started vaping in January this year. I won a mod on Wheel of Fortune.”

Adam Smith was one of many returning guests. He walked away with a squonk mod. “I’ve been vaping for two or three years and I’m completely off the cigarettes. This is my second time, I was here in the casino last year. It’s a lot better, a lot bigger, I like the samples you’ve got in here today and I won a squonker on Wheel of Fortune.”

Another liquid and hardware winner was Tom Dale. He told us, “I’ve been vaping for nearly three years, I was smoke-free within a week of taking it up. This is my first time at the Vapouround Casino and it’s been a ten out of ten. Very friendly staff and great atmosphere. I’ll be here in October.”

Two of the biggest prizes went to brothers Jamie and Jason Hoff, who made their casino debut at their third expo. They won a drone and Xbox One on Wheel of Fortune. “It’s been amazing, ten out of ten.”

As a main feature of the expo, the casino brings in the industry’s leading figures, who may want to take a moment to have some fun. Among our highly sought-after top prizes was a quad bike which went to Thor Juice’s Thoren Webster. He was delighted with his win and told us he couldn’t wait to get his new bike back to company HQ and let the employees all have a go, just in time for the summer.

After such a successful second outing for the Vapouround Casino we can hardly wait for act three this October.

TOM AMBROSE

DAVID ARLOW

JAMIE AND JASON HOFF THORENWEBSTER

MIKE GREEN

ADVOCACY AT THE EXPO: IBVTA

How the trade show platform helps the industry’s strongest supporters - By Leo Forfar

Regardless of which business you’re in, the best trade shows unite three key qualities in one location: business, pleasure and politics. Don’t let the third word fool you: in the vape trade, advocacy, lobbying, activism and action are a great success story for non-partisanship and cooperation for the common good across otherwise tribal lines.

The Vaper Expo UK keeps ahead of the competition by providing space for the men and women who fight the good fight in the legal and political arenas of the world when the giveaways end, the music stops, and the lights die down. At every show, Vapouround make connecting with advocates a priority.

Unsurprisingly, our first stop among these advocates was at booth B600, with the IBVTA. There we saw membership manager Garry Dibley, compliancy and external affairs executive Matthew Kersey, and interim chief executive Gillian Golden. Matthew was the representative who spoke to us.

“As representatives of the independent

industry, B2B days are very important to us. They’re among the best opportunities to get to know people within that industry who may not yet be members of our organisation. Even if they’ve heard of us, they may not be fully aware of what we can do for them. We don’t just help with business support; advocacy and lobbying are a huge part of our purpose.

We inform potential partners of what we’re up to in Parliament, whether they want to sign up as members and if they have any potential ideas for us to help aid the independent industry.”

A momentous, fast-paced month filled with surprises and great leaps is standard operating procedure in the vape trade. We’ve recently seen the emergence of HC Bill 59 from Sir Christopher Chope, explicitly asking “to exempt electronic cigarettes from UK law derived from the Tobacco Products Directive.”

The Bill is scheduled for its second reading on June 18. As a Private Member’s Bill, it hasn’t been given much hope is not expected to pass. However, seeing such a thing reach the mainstream is a hopeful sign of progress and a confirmation that we have allies in high places.

“We were happy to help Christopher Chope out by briefing him. He reached out to us, in fact, and in turn we presented him with the concerns of the independent industry. One of our biggest campaigns has been getting the voice of the vape industry heard in the Science

and Technology Select Committee inquiry. The crucial thing – with all this going on –is remembering that our evidence base grows stronger every day, and that is helping political will shift.”

Matthew spoke glowingly of how the meetings have gone so far.

“Being able to hear Professor John Newton of PHE speak so authoritatively and finally getting an update from the ASA on where e-cigarette consultation is, were huge steps forward. We’re reaching a point where the evidence base is becoming overwhelming, and undeniable.”

Matthew is not only impressed with the extent of the progress made, but the speed of it.

“This is all part of a widening base of support from public health bodies. It wasn’t too long ago that the BMA came out in support of e-cigarettes. That was something they had taken a very strong

stance against previously. NICE was a little tacit in their endorsement, but it’s still there.

“We lobby lots of politicians, though we remain a non-political trade association and work cross-party on these issues. We undertake a concerted effort yearround to engage in Westminster. Attitudes towards vaping were a lot harsher than they are now. It’s only been a year, but key figures are much more willing to talk with us. They aren’t just coming around on how much safer e-cigarettes are compared to smoking, but how effective they are as the only route out of smoking for so many people. There is another review happening for 2019. All you have to do is look to Italy as an example of why excise doesn’t work. The prices there have gone through the roof. Twenty percent VAT is where the British vape trade is at now, which is totally reasonable. There’s no strong will within the government to change things right now, but lobbying works and our efforts show that things can change.”

“Advocacy and lobbying are a huge part of our purpose. We inform potential partners of what we’re up to in Parliament, whether they want to sign up as members and if they have any potential ideas for us to help aid the independent industry”

on tour

NORTH CAROLINA VAPERS CARNIVALE • MOSCOW VAPEXPO

VAPEVENT NEW YORK • VAPEXPO LILLE • VAPE JAM • SHENZHEN ECIG EXPO • THE HALL OF FAME

BY PATRICK GRIFFIN

VAPEVENT

NYC - NEW YORK, MARCH 22 & 23

It was great to be back at the Brooklyn Expo Center for the second VapEvent NYC which took place over two days in March.

Being a business only event, there was no need for the loud thumping music which is a key feature of so many vape shows around the world.

A show like this is more for networking, doing business and to allow trade professionals to come together and see where the industry is going. To this end there was a full program of conferences on both days.

Conference themes covered topics local to the New York scene, those of national interest and also wider global concerns. New tobacco laws in the City of New York will have a huge impact on the vape scene so it was topical that there was a discussion on the future of vape businesses in the city.

There was an update on federal legislation, a discussion on market trends and opportunities and discussions on market opportunities in Europe and further afield.

When I speak to members of the vape community in the US the recurring theme is how they wish the legislation in the US was as settled and stable as it is in Europe. Certainly nobody would argue that the TPD is perfect but it offers more clarity and is certainly more business and consumer friendly than the situation in the US.

It was good to see a mix of both local, national and international businesses at the event. This is a well-organised show and I think the mix of exhibitors it attracts is spot on.

As always, I got to speak to a huge number of people at the show and I always enjoy talking to people in the vape industry, advocates and those with an interest in vaping and smoking cessation products.

I was happy to catch up with David Goerlitz again – he always has interesting and informative things to say and is delight to talk to.

It is great to see that he has his own signature e-liquid line out now, the David G collection.

David said, “I have been talking about vaping for a long time now and I have been very active in the industry but finally I have skin in the game. I want to get away from people referring to me as ‘Former Winston Man David Goerlitz’ which follows me everywhere I go. Now I am David G and if people call me ‘David G, formerly known as the Winston Man’ then I will be happy with that.”

It is a long time since David was the Winston Man and given all that he has done in the years since then, referring to him as The Former Winston man just seems plain wrong.

David is also often referred to as a vape advocate but he points out that he is a vape activist rather than an advocate, explaining, “Advocates are people who help those who cannot help themselves while activists are people who go out and make social and political change.”

So finally, thanks once again to the organisers of VapEvent NYC for putting together such a great show and I look forward to the next one.

The UK health department is urging people to report companies to their local Trading Standards team if they manufacture, sell, or distribute e liquids which may appeal to children through resemblance to common food items

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says it takes the matter of youth targeted vape products “very seriously ” However, it is only monitoring the issue and has made no current moves to bring about enforcement action similar to that undertaken recently by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

A spokesman told ECigIntelligence: “It is against the law to sell e cigarettes to under 18s in this country and we take advertising or promotion of these products extremely seriously If there is any evidence of this local trading standards have enforcement powers to take action ”

However, the DHSC also said the proportion of young people aged between 11 and 16 who take up vaping having never smoked is very low at most 0 5% and possibly as low as 0 1% Statistics indicate that there are almost no 17 and 18 year olds who have never smoked but vape at least once a week

Regulation and market update

MHRA approves it

British e cig maker Njoy Innovations is ready to produce a medically licensed e cigarette, according to evidence supplied to a group of UK MPs

Njoy told the parliamentary science and technology committee that it has an application under review by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the body in charge of cessation product licensing.

The company says it intends to manufacture the product in the UK, where it has already invested in the development of initial manufacturing capacity and infrastructure

“We are earnestly working through the regulatory process with a view to bringing the product to market,” Njoy said “We believe this is viable as long as MHRA exercises its authority in the full context of a policy framework that considers the significant potential benefits of such a product and its relatively small risks for its users compared to continued smoking ”

The company expects to hear back soon from the MHRA on questions resulting from the initial review Assuming its application is successful, Njoy will immediately move to national distribution of its device

So called “short fill” products have not caused a reduction in the number of nicotine containing e liquids being notified in the UK, according to an expert from the agency in charge

In fact, the number of notifications for e liquids in 2017 2018 is higher than the agency predicted, according to Craig Copland, e cigarette unit manager at the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which is responsible for EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) notifications in the UK.

This would imply that companies are continuing to notify new e liquid products at a high rate rather than creating new lines solely in short fill, or shake and vape, form where a nicotine free flavoured e liquid is sold in a bottle slightly larger than required alongside a separate nicotine shot that meets TPD requirements

The MHRA has continued to allocate resources as required to meet the growing demand. From 2016 the agency has increased staffing in order to process the notifications

“We are working to ensure resources have been allocated according to need of the notifications received,” Copland explained

The agency is not planning at present to raise notification fees

ECigIntelligence is a news led, analytical, and independent resource, focused on tracking regulatory change and market intelligence for the e cigarette and tobacco alternatives s ector

We provide essential information for professionals involved with e cigarettes and similar products, including:

• Tracking of business intelligence from around the world, with detailed market data and analysis

• Regulatory reports on all key markets

• A growing database of essential industry information.

• Research providing tailored insights into particular areas of interest

The UK government is keeping an eye on the advertising of heated tobacco products such as IQOS, while defending reduced budgets for its own smoking cessation advertising in recent ministerial testimony to a committee on e cigarettes

Junior health minister Steve Brine said the government had spent about £1 5m in 2016 17 and an estimated £2m in 2017 18 on social marketing campaigns This included Stoptober, which last year recommended e cigarette use for the first time “I think that made excellent use of the resources available,” Brine said.

Brine reiterated comments made a few days earlier accusing Philip Morris International (PMI) of violating tobacco advertising regulations by distributing posters advertising its heated tobacco product IQOS

Rob Morrison, senior regulatory policy executive at the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) explained the UK government ’s current position on heated tobacco advertising.

“Heat not burn [HnB] is a tobacco product, and tobacco products are prohibited from being advertised,” he said “We have not yet seen an example of a brand or product being advertised in any of the media we regulate ”

Our core product is our website, consisting of regular news reports and in depth analysis of key issues, keeping you updated on the changing regulatory and market landscape in a contentious and highly fragmented sector.

ECigIntelligence is produced by journalists, legal professionals, and economists; we are wholly independent of the sector that we cover This means you get access to information and frank, objective analysis that may not be available to other industry participants

Most of our content is available to subscribers only, with a range of packages available to cover specific geographies and subject areas Some of our special reports can also be purchased separately

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Department of Health encourages consumers to report e liquids that resemble foods

Njoy ready to go to market with medically licensed e cigarette...if

E liquid product notifications remain high despite the rise of short fill formats

Government minister warns that IQOS posters may breach rules on tobacco advertising

BY DAVE TURNER

VAPEXPO LILLE, FRANCE MARCH 24 - 26

Being in the lucky position of travelling the world on behalf of Vapouround to visit expos, I’ve found myself slowly but surely evolving from a person scared of flying to a person who has become rather relaxed about it. In the last 18 months I’ve clocked up just over 75,000 miles. The expo in Lille was therefore a first for me. There was to be no plane. Instead there was the Eurostar. It made for a very relaxing journey. The security was smoother, the luggage scenario less of a hassle and all in all it was an excellent way to start another trip. I was excited about the expo itself as well. I’d been last year to a previous event by the same organisers in Lyon and I’d been very impressed. I was interested to see if the expo in Lille would be of the same high standard and I wasn’t disappointed.

Geographically there was a mix of companies from around the globe and additionally a nice mix between hardware and juice companies. It was particularly nice to talk to the guys from Enovap. Their upcoming mod promised to be something

special and offers the chance for the user to alter their nicotine strength throughout the day – something I feel would be ideal for a smoker who perhaps needs a higher strength at the start of the day without needing it at that level all day.

It was a pleasure as ever to chat with I VG who once again seemed to be having a stellar show and as always the stand at Twelve Monkeys was constantly packed with people as their stand always is. Busy as they were, Rich and Sam from Twelve Monkeys kindly freed up some time for a sit down chat and, as ever, they were real professionals and awesome guys too. The subject of the chat? Something exciting that you’ll be finding out a lot more about over the coming months.

All in all it was a throughly enjoyable expo and once again, as it was with Lyon the year before, full credit to the organisers for putting on such an excellent show. As the expo calendar continues to get more and more crowded, I’d recommend that you keep an eye on the events they organise and find a way to attend these excellent vape shows. I certainly will be.

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BY PATRICK GRIFFIN

VAPE JAM UK 4, LONDON - APRIL 6-8

Vape Jam has sometimes been described as a warm-up for Vaper Expo UK but I think this description is a little unfair. These are two separate events in their own right and each is very different from the other.

Vape Jam has sometimes been described as a warm-up for Vaper Expo UK but I think this description is a little unfair. These are two separate events in their own right and each is very different from the other.

Different shows appear to have different personalities, in as much as a vaping event can ever be said to have a personality, that is. If Vaper Expo is big and brash then Vape Jam is a little smaller and more sedate. It takes place at the ExCel in London which is a great location right next to Royal Victoria Dock with its excellent transport links.

ExCel is really convenient for those arriving by public transport and with lots of on-site car parking it is great for motorists too. The event itself took place over three days and it had a nice spin on the traditional format where the first day is reserved for business-to-business only.

While day one was B2B, loved the fact that the first three hours of day two were also reserved for business visitors before it opened to the public from 1 until 7pm – with VIP guests being allowed in an hour earlier. Very often at shows it is not always possible to meet all your business contacts on the first day and having dedicated time on the second day to do so is very welcome indeed.

This year I was unable to make the opening day due to pressures of work so it was a two day event for me. Some people may think that working for a vape magazine means just one endless vaping holiday where we flit from show to show and do no real work but that is not the case. An amazing amount of hard work goes into producing a magazine like

Vapouround, but I digress. This was the fourth Vape Jam event and it had attracted a large range of exhibitors from the UK, Europe and beyond.

There is always a great vibe when manufacturers, consumers, hobbyists and representatives of the wider vape community get together at an event such as this. Companies love to show off their new products, swap stories, drum up new business and get to interact with customers, competitors and other businesses.

With hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors there was always lots going on and a great atmosphere about the place.

Some visitors came to grab freebies, others wanted to buy new equipment and many just wanted to immerse themselves in all things vape. Events such as Vape Jam are social events for many and also times for learning more about the industry and getting answers on anything from the latest regulations to the latest hot products.

Expos are a lot of fun but behind all the cloud contests, giveaways, product launches and hype, they work because there is a community of dedicated individuals out there who are passionate about vaping.

For most the passion comes from finally finding something which has succeeded in getting them off traditional cigarettes and this is a strong bond which is shared by people the world over. I enjoyed Vape Jam 4 and events like this show the world how strong and utterly vibrant the UK vape scene really is. Long may it continue.

BY PATRICK GRIFFIN SHENZHEN ECIG EXPO, CHINA -

APRIL 14-16

This Shenzhen eCig Expo was the biggest yet and it dominated a large section of the city’s sprawling Convention and Exhibition Center.

This Shenzhen eCig Expo was the biggest yet and it dominated a large section of the city’s sprawling Convention and Exhibition Center.

It needed four huge halls to accommodate everyone who wanted to take part in this showcase event and there was a really good atmosphere throughout the three days.

I am always absolutely amazed at the speed in which this event comes together and even more impressed at how quickly the expo is taken down again.

On set up day there was a huge army of workers including painters, carpenters, electricians and carpet layers. Particularly impressive were the guys on ladders who put up the banners and used the ladders like stilts to walk around the stand without having to climb down.

I love coming to IECIE because this is always an interesting show with an amazingly diverse selection of hardware and juices on display. Another reason I love this show is that it is by far the easiest expo to navigate around.

A giant scale drawing of the floor plan is on display just inside the main entrance and registration area and this makes getting an overview of such a huge event really easy.

The stand numbering system tells visitors what hall the stand is in and then narrows it down by section within each hall. This makes finding individual stands easier than at any expo I have ever been to before. I can never understand why so

many expo organisers go to great lengths to include the stand numbers on floor plans and then fail to put them on the stands themselves.

Vapouround had a huge stand at the far end of Hall 7 alongside Easysnap, Lik Juice, PJ Empire, Zom-b Cloud and Gumee Juice. There was a pop-up barber opposite our stand which was busy from start to finish. On set-up day I vowed to take some time out to get my hair cut but there was so much to be done at this particular expo that I didn’t have time for a trim

The halls remained surprisingly cloud-free throughout the three days thanks to a very efficient ventilation system. The air currents were so strong in parts of the hall that stray pieces of paper would be blown around like kites on a breezy day. Personally, I would have dialled the air down a notch and accepted a slightly cloudier venue.

Vaping is clearly very popular in China but smoking still has a huge market and I suspect the dual-use rate is very high here. I lost count of the numbers of people I saw smoking outside the hall and others even had a crafty cigarette in the toilets despite the ‘no-smoking’ signs.

We must thank the show organisers for putting on such an impressive event and for looking after us so well, including putting on exclusive VIP meetings with local distributors and vape companies.

The music level at this expo was also generally spot on. It

was loud enough to create a great atmosphere but not so loud that it got in the way. The one exception was close to the main stage, but I think it is generally accepted that this area of a busy vape expo is going to be noisy.

It was great walking around the venue, working on our stand, meeting so many people and generally getting fully immersed in the vape scene for three days and, for me at least, it was over too quickly. There were so many stands that I didn’t have time to visit and this is my only disappointment about this show.

Finally many thanks to everyone at Kimree, Smok, Aspire and Tesla for showing us around their offices and factories and making us so welcome during our visits. This was a great way to round off our visit to Shenzhen and I certainly look forward to coming back again.

BY CONNIE ZHENG

SHENZHEN ECIG EXPO, CHINA - APRIL 14-16

DISCOVERING ANOTHER WORLD

Vapouround’s largest presence at a Chinese vape show to date was at the IECIE in Shenzhen. Given the language barrier, we hired three translators to help explain our varied brands to both consumers and trade visitors alike.

One of the trio is Connie, a journalism student based in Guangzho – the third biggest city in China – and this is what she had to say about her first IECIE experience.

I am used to seeing people smoking cigarettes. I knew very little about vaping until I came to spend three days with Vapouround in Shenzhen.

I attended the IECIE vape fair April 14 –16 and before I got there I had no idea what to expect.

This must be one of the biggest vape expos in mainland China and it made me realise just how vast the global vaping industry is.

There were plenty of vape lovers and merchants gathered here to enjoy the magic of vape. If you are used to people smoking, then the first thing you notice with e-cigarettes is that there is no terrible smell that you get with cigarettes.

There is a smell because vape liquids come in many diversified flavours and the aroma is very pleasant indeed.

I was mainly based with Dave on the Easysnap stand and when we were not busy talking to people at the show, he filled me in on the development of the vape industry and explained about Vapouround Magazine.

I learned that it can be really important in helping people to give up smoking and then in gradually reducing the amount of nicotine they need over time. This can be helpful to smokers who want to give up and can really make a huge difference to their lives and health.

Also, there is a big difference in the flavour preference among the different markets. For example, Chinese customers tend to prefer mint or light sweet-fruit flavours while Germans prefer stronger and sweeter flavours.

Another thing that I wanted to share is the emergence of vape tricks performances at shows like this. Vape tricks are becoming more popular and it is all about performance and competition to be better than the others. It has already formed a new culture in young people around the globe.

Through watching these performances, I can strongly feel the attitude from the youth, powerful and unique. They want to be different. I am sure this kind of concept will be accepted by more and more people in the future.

In the end I learned a lot about vaping and I really want to thank everyone at Vapouround for making this possible for me and for allowing me to know another world which I had never experienced before.

BY GEORGE WAINWRIGHT

THE HALL OF VAPE, STUTTGART - MAY 5-6

Very often you can wait months for the right vape expo to come around and then, before you know it, two come along at once.

This was exactly the position I found myself in during the May bank holiday weekend.

May 4 saw me enjoying the sights and sounds of the Vaper Expo UK business-to-business day in Birmingham right up until the time that I had run from the NEC to the adjoining airport to catch an early evening flight to Germany.

Fast forward a couple of hours and I had checked into my hotel, hopelessly failed to find an open restaurant nearby but did find a bar which was packed full of fellow vapers and a group of lads from Leeds on a stag weekend.

I set myself a challenge of eating nothing but German sausage during my trip and I had my first Bratwurst of the weekend before heading back to the hotel.

The Hall of Vape took place at Messe Stuttgart – an exhibition and trade fair centre next to Stuttgart Airport - rather like a German NEC.

It was great to see large queues of people waiting for the doors to open. Huge plumes of vape could be seen as the people engaged in impromptu synchronised vaping to pass the time. It all looked very impressive indeed.

There must have been thousands of people waiting to get in and I knew that this was going to be a great show. This is billed as Germany’s biggest vape event and I can well believe it. The show was huge.

After passing though security there was a large food area with hot

dogs, pulled pork, traditional German cuisine and Chinese food so I made a mental note to return later for more sausage. The event itself was very well organised and well laid out. It didn’t have the huge swathes of red carpet and lavishly designed stands that I saw at the Vaper Expo but that did not detract from the event at all.

Each stand I saw during the two days looked busy and the exhibitors I spoke to were all very happy with the event. It was also great to see so many different areas of the industry represented so it was not simply an e-liquid event.

Some companies told me that this was their first vape event outside of the UK and they were so impressed with the Hall of Vape experience that they are now looking to exhibit at more international shows. As with many other vape expos, the giveaways from the main stage proved very popular with the public and companies including IVG and Vape Dinner Lady had lots of goodies up for grabs. I don’t speak German but most people seemed happy to forgive my lack of linguistic talent and were very understanding and hospitable as I tried to make myself understood. I had a delicious Currywurst before leaving the show for the evening and I was already looking forward to the second day. There were more queues on day two and once inside I set to work meeting as many people as possible. I met Billy from Prohibition Vapes at the Mr Frost stand and he told me it was a very successful

show for him. Harmony and the team from Milkman in California said the show was great and she enjoyed chatting to so many customers.

Twisted, one of the main sponsors, had a very impressive stand and my only problem was that this show was so big that I didn’t have nearly enough time to see everyone I wanted to see.

It was a slightly Kafkaesque experience having to leave one great show early in order to attend another great show and it is a pity that these two amazing expos were taking place over the same weekend. I also missed out on the Vapouround Awards because of my flight time but there is always next year.

Hall of Vape really helped me understand the German market more than I did before and I think a lot of first time exhibitors to this show will be signing up to come back for the next show.

DUDLEY TOUR - 27TH APRIL

THE VAPOUROUND BUS ARRIVED IN DUDLEY FOR THE START OF A FOUR-DAY MINI TOUR

Freshly renovated and kitted out with state-ofthe-art vaping and entertainment equipment, the Vapouround Bus arrived in Dudley for the start of a four-day mini-tour, before it would snake down through London and the southeast. Much like the rain, the locals came out in force.

One of our first customers of the day was Robert, a former vaper . Since losing his mod he’d slipped back into bad habits and was now backto smoking 15 cigarettes a day. But bus manager Reuben was on-hand to suggest a suitable replacement that wouldn’t break the bank and Robert left, promising to drop by his local shop to try it out. While we were sheltered from the elements, the nearby army reservists huddled beneath their rickety marquee weren’t so fortunate. One ofthe lads, Tom, popped his head in the door before coming in to check out thebus interiors. Like Robert before him, Tom was a lapsed vaper curious to see whether we could help him get back on the wagon.

“I tried vaping a few years ago, but I wasn’t convinced,” he said. We explained that vaping has come a long way in the intervening years,which was enough to convince him to exchange his cigarettes for a free pod device.

Unsurprisingly, committed vapers far outweighed those

who wereyet to completely make the switch. Two ardent vapers came to get a sneak peakat the bus before Vaper Expo UK the following weekend. Karl was particularly impressed.

“Wow! Is that a SNES? I haven’t played on one of those in years! I’ll definitely give that a battering at the expo.”

As always, the vape box got a lot of use throughout the day. Bus driver Stu made the switch to vaping three years ago and had since developed ataste for menthol. With so many options out there, his quest for a new liquidwas taking its toll but he was very happy with the selection of liquids on board the bus and it is fair to say that we found another convert.

Later in the afternoon, I headed upstairs, expecting to see two visitors sampling the various liquids in the vape box. Instead, I was met withwhat could only be described as a mini rave. ‘Dance like no one is watching’, as they say, and the dancing duo barely acknowledged my presence as they busted out some moves to the music pumping through the crisp new sound system.

And so, having helped smokers make the switch and pulling formervapers back into the fold plus entertaining many inquisitive locals, the day drew to a close and it was a massive success.

TWISTED VAPING

TWISTED VAPING

SN VAPING, HORNCHURCH -

28TH APRIL

WE CONQUERED THE CAPITAL ON THE VAPOUROUND BUS - GORDON STRIBLING

Like Big Ben, Tower Bridge and the black cab, the red double-decker bus is an unmistakable signifier of London life. It is so integral to our capital’s identity that filmmakers frequently use it as a visual cue to help us identify a film’s setting within seconds of the opening credits.

While we can’t claim that the Vapouround bus has had quite as big an impact on our cultural identity, it has fast become the ‘big red bus’ of the vaping industry. On a mild May morning, the bus weaved its way through East London’s streets and to SN Vaping in Hornchurch.

Shop owner Steve Nichols prides himself on supporting his local vaping community. Having cut his industry teeth as a YouTube reviewer and vlogger, Steve bit the bullet last year, selling his house to bankroll the shop. Since opening in January, SN Vaping has developed a reputation as the friendliest and cheapest in the area. “Some shops will happily sell customers kit that they don’t even need but we look after our customers so they get exactly what they require. If they’re a bit low on funds, I trust them to pay us later.”

We set up shop – a pretty straightforward process now the bus has been revamped – and began welcoming our first customers of the day. Mark was one of the first to pop his head through the door and have a look at the shiny interior. Mark successfully switched to vaping five years ago and hasn’t touched a cigarette since.

“I started with a basic pen and it’s now descended into a full-on mod addiction. I can’t get enough of them!”

Mark’s only complaint is one that we hear far too often.

“I hate that I have to huddle alongside smokers in the smoking area. I took up vaping to get away from that.”

Most of those who stopped by were SN Vaping customers, many of whom praised Steve for his expert knowledge and continued support as they transitioned from smokers to vapers.

Vapers are spoiled for choice in Hornchurch, not to mention the

wider London area which is easily accessible by the local Tube station. Nonetheless, Steve has developed a loyal customer base in just four months.

The most gratifying part of working on the bus is handing out starter kits in exchange for cigarettes or tobacco. One person to make the exchange was Dylan, a homeless former-smoker whose mod had been stolen days before. Dylan couldn’t afford a replacement and was grateful to be able to exchange some rolling tobacco for a pod starter kit.

“I really don’t want to smoke but without my mod it can be tough. This vape is a lot less bulky. This will really help me out.”

That is, after all, what our industry is all about: helping improve the lives of smokers by informing them about e-cigarettes. Thanks to the support passionate vapers like Steve, there has never been a better time to quit.

We’re always happy to answer any questions about our smoking cessation service on wheels. If you’d like the Vapouround Bus to visit your store or event, contact Dylan Probert on 01332 650239.

Alternatively, send an email to: dylan@vapouround.co.uk

GPSR Matters

Meeting the TPD does not mean that your e-liquid is safe, it is simply a way to register the product and meet the requirements for the banned substances. In-fact within the TPD itself manufacturers are required to also perform a risk assessment in accordance with GPSR 2005 to ensure you also comply with the GPSR. The GPSR 2005 is now high on the priority list for both Trading Standards and the MHRA so you need to act now!

How we can help

EL-Science have invested around £2M into understanding the safety of eliquid over the last 5 years and have produced a robust set of Health Criteria Values (HCV) for many of the chemical components found within e-liquids. We all know about Diacetyl but there are many more chemicals which may have a harmful effect if not controlled. In fact, EL-Science have identified and characterised over 180 chemicals with HCVs from over 600 chemicals researched, and the list is growing. These chemicals are common flavourings which are often safe by ingestion but have significant toxicological impact when inhaled. This doesn’t mean you should not have them in your e-liquid, however, the amounts must be controlled.

Our Services

EL-Science offers a completely independent service to help you meet the GPSR 2005 regulations for both shortfill and submitted TPD products. This process isn’t expensive, especially if you already have your chemical composition. If you don’t we have in-house analytical laboratories so we can assist with that too.

Having analysed thousands of samples from around the world we have seen that 1 in 4 TPD compliant products currently on the market are potentially breaching the

Products Safety Regulation. Let us help you check yours.

BH

VAPE,

BOURNEMOUTH

- 29TH APRIL

While no two days aboard the Vapouround bus are the same, you do come to expect some things to pan out in a certain way. One thing you don’t expect is to be greeted at your destination with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for a cup-winning football team, but such was the case at BHVape in Bournemouth.

As our expert driver inched the bus into a seemingly-impossible space, Johnnie Lovell and his team waved excitedly, smiles lighting up their faces. We hopped off and gratefully accepted the first of many offers of coffee. Not a bad start to the day! Before opening the bus to the public, we took a few minutes to check out the shop. Packed with knick-knacks and curios, BHVape has the air of a curiosity shop about it. You could certainly imagine Johnnie operating it as such in another era. Doughnuts-in-hand, we opened the bus to the locals and the many customers already relaxing in the café area of the shop. Long-time BHVape customer Tom shared his story - a familiar tale of slipping back into bad habits before finally quitting for good. “I would never go back now. I took a drag of a cigarette recently and it instantly reminded me of my first ever puff as a kid. Such a nasty, horrible taste. Vaping does come with its own set of issues – I’m forever cleaning VG from my windows for one thing – but that’s nothing compared to what you put up with as a smoker.”

Throughout the day I alternated between the bus and the shop, where it became increasingly difficult to find somewhere to sit. Even a couple of pet dogs lay flopped below their owners’ feet. One all-too-common criticism of some vaping shops is their cliquishness. BHVape is the exact opposite - as much a welcoming community centre as a supplier of vape products. It’s no wonder people were sticking around.

As BHVape’s Alex played Mega Man X on the SNES on the bottom deck of the bus, customers upstairs tried some e-liquids on the Vape Station. Old Skool Vape’s Mayhem was proving to be very popular, with one vaper commenting that it would go very well with a vodka and coke. We, of course, stuck to coffee and doughnuts (of which BHVape seemed to have a limitless supply.)

A TRULY EXTRAORDINARY DAY AT BHVAPE - BY GORDON STRIBLING

Vaping is above all about health. I spoke to no fewer than four people affected by COPD who had made the switch to vaping with their doctors’ blessing. It was a reminder of just how fortunate we are in this country to not only have the support of the government and NHS but also laws that allow for the likes of BHVape to operate.

After yet more coffee, some goodbye hugs and a few photos, we were back on the road, with Johnnie’s promise ringing in our ears. “Come back in the summer. I’ll have a band, I’ll have a BBQ. We’ll put the ‘B’ in Bournemouth!”

We’re always happy to answer any questions about our smoking cessation service on wheels. If you’d like the Vapouround Bus to visit your store or event, contact Dylan Probert on 01332 650239.

Alternatively, send an email to: dylan@vapouround.co.uk

STEAM MACHINE, PORTSMOUTH - 30TH

APRIL

TRAVELLING BACK TO A SIMPLER TIME ABOARD THE VAPOUROUND BUS

With so many vape shops springing up all over the country, standing out from the crowd is more important than it’s ever been. Alongside firstclass customer service and quality products, success in the modern vape market is about brand identity – something Portsmouth’s Steam Machine has in spades.

There are no black snapbacks here. Steam Machine’s staff are dressed to the nines, in keeping with the shop’s rustic aesthetic. The shop is like a portal to a simpler time, albeit one rife with highend mods and premium e-liquids.

Almost as important as what goes on within the confines of a shop itself is the role of social media. While I’m generally more comfortable behind the camera (or, better still, nowhere near it), the social media guys at Steam Machine helped add to the excitement as the bus welcomed vapers throughout the day.

With the bus set up, social media manager Darrell hopped aboard to introduce himself and us to his audience watching on Facebook Live. A tour of the bus followed and his excitement at revealing some of the features boosted my mood for the day ahead.

Darrell’s journey from smoker to vaper is one tinged with tragedy. A serious house fire severely damaged his property, causing significant stress which lead him back onto cigarettes after he’d previously managed to quit with the aid of a cigalike.

“A while after that, a friend of mine introduced me to this ‘vaping thing’. It had come a long, long way since I had the cigalike.”

Now, as well as being a passionate vaper and Steam Machine employee, Darrell is looking to start an advocacy group, uniting vape companies from around the country.

As a SNES Street Fighter battle between staff ensued behind us, I spoke to visitor Roy – a somewhat sceptical smoker whose friends were increasingly making the switch to e-cigarettes. He appeared to be close to pulling the trigger, so it was an honour to be the one to help him enter the world of vaping with the aid of a free, easy-to-use starter kit. Next up was Danny, who seemed as interested in the vehicle’s potential as a party bus as any of its contents. I soon directed him to the vape box to try out some potential new liquids. “There are so many of them now, I might never find the right one. I can only keep trying, I suppose!”

I headed back into the shop where staff and customers chatted casually. It was clear from the relaxed atmosphere that they felt at home. As manager Paul explained, that’s all part of Steam Machine’s charm.

“It’s like a social club, really. We don’t pressure people to buy things.”

With the evening upon us, it was time to pack down and head off for the next leg of the journey, full steam ahead.

We’re always happy to answer any questions about our smoking cessation service on wheels. If you’d like the Vapouround Bus to visit your store or event, contact Dylan Probert on 01332 650239.

Alternatively, send an email to: dylan@vapouround.co.uk

HALESOWEN TOWN CENTRE - 11TH

BY GORDON STRIBLING

We’ve spent so much time in the West Midlands of late that the locals could be forgiven for thinking that the region has its own dedicated Vapouround Bus. This time around we were in Halesowen, a stone’s throw from Dudley where we’d been the week before Vaper Expo.

The primary role of the Vapouround Bus is to provide information and advice for vapers and smokers looking to make the switch to e-cigarettes. But increasingly, visitors are seeking advice on vaping CBD and are sharing their stories about how it has helped them. Such was the case with our first visitor of the day.

“A friend of mine switched from anti-depressants to CBD and never looked back,” he said. “He’s happier and calmer than he’s been in years.”

Shortly afterwards, we had our first cigarette - starter kit switch. A local called William had already made the decision to take up vaping and had been trying different e-liquid flavours here and there.

“I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while now but haven’t pulled the trigger. You know how it is. But you’re here now so what better time to take the leap?”

MAY

Next up was Matt. Like William, it took a while for Matt to fully convert after his first few puffs on an Innokin device in a pub a few years ago. But he eventually succeeded and vaping soon evolved into something of a hobby. He recently started making his own juices and planned to get into coil-building. But most importantly, ditching cigarettes has significantly improved his health.

“My doctor knows all about my vaping and fully supports it,” he said. “Over the past two years my lung capacity has increased by 18 percent.”

Our starter kit offer was proving to be to be too good to resist, though some smokers needed a little more encouragement than others.

Collette had just one cigarette to see her through her work day and was understandably reluctant to give it up. But after some encouragement and guidance from Vapouround’s Ned Jones, she finally relented, dropping the cigarette in the ‘sin bin’ in exchange for a pod device.

A steady flow of vapers and smokers kept us busy through the rest of the day. Shortly before we packed up, Jason dropped in to see what we were all about. As well as improving his health, he was keen to find out what impact vaping could have on his wallet.

“I started smoking when I was nine years old and have been smoking 20 a day for as long as I can remember,” he said. “Hopefully a vape will be a big saving for me.” A free starter kit was a good place to start.

We’re always happy to answer any questions about our smoking cessation service on wheels. If you’d like the Vapouround Bus to visit your store or event, contact Dylan Probert on 01332 650239.

Alternatively, send an email to: dylan@vapouround.co.uk

Breaking new ground

VAPE SCANDINAVIA WILL BE THE REGION’S FIRST EVER VAPE EXPO

BY GORDON STRIBLING

There isn't a corner of this world we wouldn't travel to for a vape show, and now we can add Denmark to our events list as the Nordic country prepares for its first ever vape expo.

Europe’s vaping community is fortunate in many ways. Despite some headaches, vaping has largely been allowed to flourish. Meanwhile, the industry and vapers themselves have benefitted from the free trade and open borders that have encouraged competition and kept costs down.

The EU is incredibly well-serviced for vaping expos. The UK, Germany, Spain, Italy … the list goes on and seemingly grows by the year. Now, the team behind Vape South America are set to break ground in another untapped area. The Scandinavian market is both unsaturated and ripe with opportunities for businesses to capitalise on. It was this gap in the market that inspired Jason Monti to organise Denmark's first vape expo in Copenhagen.

“Denmark is a very interesting area,” said Jason. “I heard people were doing good business here and that there was a large distribution network. There’s also high income per capita, which provides opportunities, not only for US and European companies but for Scandinavian businesses as well.”

One reason the area is yet to be explored is the variation in policies between neighbouring countries. For years, Norway prohibited the sale of nicotine e-liquids, with vapers having to

import products or pop over to EU-member Sweden to stock up on supplies. Thankfully, Norway is now on-board and will operate what some people are referring to as the ‘TPD Plus’. “It’s not just Norway,” Jason explained. “Strict controls in Denmark have only recently been relaxed, meaning short-fill manufacturers no longer have to jump through hoops to get their liquids onto the market. We feel that now is the time bring an expo to the region.”

As well as many of the big US and European companies, Jason was keen for there to be a strong local presence of shops, manufacturers and distributors at this debut event. Leading Danish distributor EFUMA will be in attendance, along with a cohort of smaller local businesses. Danish Advocacy group DADAFO will have a significant platform at the show too, providing them with the opportunity to put their message across and unite vapers and the nation’s industry. Alongside the plethora of juice companies, vapers can expect to find plenty of hardware from the major Chinese and high-end manufacturers they've come to expect at such events.

Jason's aim is to emulate the success of Vape South America. Five thousand companies descended upon Plaza Mayor in Medellin, Columbia in May – that's double the attendance compared to their inaugural event just last year.

“For now, the goal is to get the show on the road,” Jason said. “If things go well, we’ll look to put on an annual show in Denmark.”

“Now is the time to bring an expo to the region”

E-LIQUID

VAPOUROUND REVIEWS

HARDWARE

Please note: All hardware and e-liquids are reviewed by external reviewers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Vapouround Magazine. All e-liquids are reviewed at a 3mg nicotine level. Mod reviews are rated on specific scales depending on the style of the products recieved.

•

REVIEW BY PAUL CAPLIN

It’s not like me to write anything voluntarily, especially not a review and certainly not a hardware review. In the three years of editing Vapouround, I’d say I’ve maybe written two hardware reviews. Every now and then something comes along that catches my eye and this is exactly what happened with the Valyrian tank by Uwell.

I’m a basic vaper. Although I’ve been vaping for three years and it has become a passion, I would call myself an intermediate. I can’t be bothered or don’t have the time or inclination to make my own coils – I can’t even be bothered using devices that don’t have an internal battery. For me, it’s easier to carry two mods and switch the tank than carry spare batteries, chargers, building gear and the rest. None of that interests me. I want to get the best flavour the easiest way possible and that’s what works for me.

So my set up has generally been the 80 watt iStick Power from Eleaf UK, or lately it’s been the Eleaf iKuu i200 topped off with a Smok big baby beast tank. Both run between a 4400-milliamp battery and a 5000-milliamp battery meaning you usually get a full day vape running at 50 – 60 watts. My point is this has been an easy, convenient set up for me. It requires no thought or skill, it’s quick and simple and the most complicated part is changing the coil, which anyone could do. This has been my set-up of choice for at least two years.

Until last month, that is. Someone asked me if I had tried Uwell’s Valyrian tank. I was told it was incredible and that the taste of the juice was so much better. As for the coils, I was reliably informed they last about three weeks. I thought, ‘yeah right.’

“GET ME A COUPLE OF THESE WONDER TANKS”

I was intrigued as to what this Game of Thrones ultimate sword tank was going to do for my set-up. At present the Smok tank runs a Smok V8 coil or the T coil, which depending on which juice I’m vaping can last anywhere between 24 hours and five days if I’m lucky. The flavour is great on the baby beast and I just accepted that I had to regularly change coils and although expensive, it was convenient, so I did it.

I said, ‘get me a couple of these wonder tanks and I’ll try them.’ Anyone who knows me knows that I very rarely try new hardware, I’m a simple person and I like to stick to what I know. A week later I was presented with two of these tanks. So, I primed up my coil and attached my tank to my iKuu i200 and set it to 70 watts.

He was right, the taste was incredible. I had never tasted the juice I vape so flavoursome in the two years I had been vaping it. I was very impressed. A week went by and still the flavour was the same even with no change of coil. I was onto a winner, as this outlasted the Smok coils by at least two days.

Two weeks later and it was still the same, no change of coil, same amazing flavour. I couldn’t believe it. It was about two days after this when the flavour started to change and there was a very slight burnt taste. I knew the amazing long-lasting coil was on its way out, but two weeks and two days – that’s amazing! I changed it instantly, whereas with the Smok coils I would have tried to wait a bit to save some money. With this I knew that I would get another one in and it would last at least two more weeks, which is a total bonus. My coil bill could now go down from about £50 per month to £10 per month giving me extra money for new hardware or juice. I would recommend anyone to try this tank especially if you want to save money on coils.

Hangsen should be no stranger to any seasoned vaper. They were one of the first companies to bring e-liquids to a mainstream audience, and to this day remain as one of the industry’s most ubiquitous brands.

Mostly associated with beginner friendly e-liquids and stripped back flavour profiles, it makes sense that Hangsen would try their luck in the burgeoning pod kit market.

The IQ – short for “I Quit” – pod devices offer both open and closed systems, with the IQ 3SECS being their flagship open system pod.

Filling the IQ 3SECS pods is nice and simple. A rubber grommet towards the underside of the pod provides ample room to both fill the device and allow air to escape. The 2ml capacity should be ideal for most people, since e-liquid consumption is greatly decreased with the higher nicotine strengths and lower wattages that pod systems cater to.

Once filled, allow 10 to 15 minutes for the wicks to fully saturate and you’re ready to vape. The pod slides into the battery compartment easily and is secured magnetically for a reliable connection. The IQ 3SECS features a 0.96-inch TFT screen that conveniently displays battery life and puff time. This is a welcome feature in such a tiny pod system, as it is often difficult to decipher the small flashing LEDs used by other devices when in direct sunlight, so you won’t be caught out when on the go.

Despite a rather small 400mAh capacity internal cell, the IQ 3SECS achieves an impressive vape time. This is likely due to the high resistance 2ohm coils inside the pods. The result is a rather cool 6.8W vape, but that’s not a problem when using the high strength liquids that this device was clearly built around. I used a range of e-liquids whilst testing this device, but favoured 20mg freebase nicotine, since it provides a strong throat hit, which offsets the low power that this device puts out. In markets outside of the EU, I can see this device absolutely shining with the higher strength nicotine salt blends. Flavour production isn’t anything to write home about, but the same can be said of any pod system currently available.

Hangsen advertise the IQ 3SECS as having a 45-minute charge time, though in my experience this was shorter, generally charging from flat to full in around 30 minutes.

Overall this is an impressive pod system, provided you don’t expect substantial vapour production from such a tiny device. Hangsen have done well to avoid unnecessary features and prolong battery life with super high resistance coils.

THE E-LIQUID MARKET’S GOLDEN STANDARD

K AB Global Distribution is the market leader in the e-liquid market. KAB has transformed hundreds of recognised e-liquid brands to become globally recognised e-liquid brands through the flawless execution of manufacturing, co-packing and distribution across the world.

Tesla have built a fantastic reputation for themselves in the last few years by producing a solid line up of workhorse mods that can withstand the trials of daily usage. With pod systems seemingly dominating the starter kit market in 2018, it makes sense that such a well-regarded manufacturer would want a piece of the action.

The Sliver is an “open” pod system, meaning that the proprietary pods can be refilled several times before a replacement is required. The refill process here is about as simple as it gets, using two removable rubber plugs as a fill hole and air displacement system respectively. Once filled and given some time to wick, the pod slides into the top of the battery portion of the Sliver, ready to go.

There’s only one button and no options or settings available here, just a simple plug and play device that’s turned on with five clicks and activated by the pressure of your draw.

Using 18mg strength e-liquid of both salt and freebase varieties, I had a satisfying vape experience. The airflow is smooth and silent, which when coupled with the slender design of the Sliver makes for a fantastically stealthy device.

There are only two drawbacks to this device, and they may not be issues for all users. Firstly, the battery life did leave something to be desired. During moderate usage at high nicotine levels, expect to charge the Sliver once or twice per day. The incredibly short charge time does somewhat mitigate this problem, but if you do not regularly have access to charging during the day, this does relegate the Sliver to the role of a back-up device.

Secondly, the pods seem to struggle with e-liquids that are thicker than a 60/40 VG/PG ratio. When using e-liquids of 50/50 and 60/40 VG/PG ratios I didn’t run into any problems, but after switching out to a 70/30 juice, I could tell that the wicking was struggling to keep up and got hints of a dry hit at times.

Overall, provided you don’t have unrealistic expectations of such a tiny battery and keep to using thinner e-liquids, the Tesla Sliver is a serviceable device for those in need of something ultra-portable and inconspicuous.

Rev-Tech is still the new kid on the vape block. With such a wealth of devices now available on the market, what does this fledgling company bring to the table?

The Nitro 200W is an interesting mod that should be getting your attention for more than just its unique motorsport aesthetic. Coming in at the affordable end of the hardware spectrum, the Nitro 200W feels very solid in the hand. It’s not the smallest dual 18650 device out there, but it’s by no means oversized either. The smooth curve of the back, and smart fire button placement make this device a joy to use. Every button gives a satisfying click with each press, and there’s no rattle or unwanted play in the construction to speak of.

The menu system on the Rev-Tech chipset has been well thought out for both advanced vapers and newer users. When setting up the device for the first time, you are presented with the option of either “Basic User” or “Advanced User.” Choosing basic will lock away the more complex settings, leaving you with a streamlined wattage only experience, which will suit those who are newer to vaping and help avoid confusion. Selecting the advanced option will open up the myriad settings and options that are under the hood of this device.

More and more hardware companies are marketing their devices as having no delay between pressing the fire button and power being supplied to the atomiser. The Rev Nitro is one of few devices to truly back up this claim. Wattage output is smooth and instantaneous and makes the whole experience very satisfying. Even high mass builds with very low resistances fire up quickly on the nitro, which is more than can be said for other devices in the same price category, when pushed to their limits.

Aside from the pure wattage options, the Nitro also has a wealth of more complex settings, allowing advanced users to tailor the vaping experience to their hearts’ content. The temperature control functions work well but are perhaps not the smoothest I’ve used. The occasional resistance jump is slightly disconcerting, but not to the extent that it noticeably affected my experience. Pre-heat adjustment allows the user to dial in the initial boost of power to the atomiser. It’s not a feature I’ve ever had much use for, but if you regularly use large, power hungry builds, you’ll find the slight boost at the start of your vape a nice bonus.

For even more adventurous users, there is also a bank of custom TCR settings that can be used with more obscure wire materials. This will demand attention to detail and a good understanding of the material you’re using but is a nice addition nonetheless.

Battery life on the Nitro is also good. I found that two 3,000 mAh 18650’s on a full charge would last me approximately a-day-anda-half of vaping at 50W, which is more efficient than some other dual 18650 devices I’ve tested.

Overall, the Rev-Tech Nitro 200W is an absolute powerhouse of a device for something so reasonably priced. Its sturdy construction and super quick power delivery make it a fantastic option for a workhorse mod. Some people may not be a fan of the aesthetic, but you can’t argue with great performance.

We’ve all been there, looking for an easy to use all in one solution for your vaping needs. Well... this just might be it. The Vaptio SOLO F2 is a brand new all in one kit on the market and from what we’ve seen in its price range, easily holds it’s weight against the competition.

The first thing to make an impression on us about this kit is the unique magnetic top cap. At first, we were unsure as to its inclusion, but it grew on us. Vaptio have labelled it a “Magnetic Dust-proof cap” and for some, it might not be a crucial addition, but after having it as a regular carry for the last week or so it’s actually proved it’s worth keeping it lint and grime free from the pocket fairies. The cap can be removed and placed on the bottom of the mod via a nice snug magnetic clip, but can also be left on top allowing for a tighter draw to your vape due to its thin slots for airflow (although limiting the flavour slightly. Once removed and using the standard cap the device performs well. The F2 can power up to 50W which is more than enough for its size and target market. It also packs a 2200mAh battery and the battery life is certainly respectable with standard Micro-USB cable charging via your computer or wall adapter.

What’s also great about this device is the coils. It comes with the new 0.25ohm FROGMAN-X2 Coil which in itself provides really good flavour for us and no lack of vapour production. If one, or both of these qualities is your thing you won’t be let down on either front. There is also beauty in the F2’s compatibility with other coils on the market. With coils such as the Joyetech Pro C10S, Vaporesso GT CCELL, or the ever-popular SMOK TFV8-Baby coils all are alternative options should your local shop not provide replacement FROGMAN coils. Lastly, the fire button (a simple 5 tap to turn it on) ergonomically has a nice feel to it and responds well with no clunky feel or noisy attributes. A white, blue and red light indicates 60% / 30-60% / and below 30% charge which for the most part is a standard feature in kits such as these.

Overall we found the Vaptio SOLO F2 to be a strong candidate in its weight class. With a definite emphasis on the flavour, it delivers, complimented by decent vapour production and a nice feel to it on the carry. It’s not going to break the bank with an RRP of £29.99 ($39.99) which is affordable, and the coil options are a definite pro. On the ‘cons’ side of things, the slight whistle on the draw could be deemed irritating for some vapers. That being said for the price, the F2 can hold it’s head high and hopefully be a device that beginner vapers can look to pick up to help them in their quest for a healthier smoke-free lifestyle. This device also comes in 5 colours (black, red, pink, blue, and grey) so you and your fellow Power Rangers can set off to fight crime in style!

This device and review was provided by Eco-Vape and available now in all of their retail locations or by visiting their website / www.eco-vape.co.uk

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SMOK X-PRIV BABY MOD SPECS:

Size: 68x47x29mm

· Power: 1-80W

· Battery: Internal 2300mAh

· Display: 2.0in HD colour screen

· Output voltage: 0.5-9V

· Resistance Range: 0.1 to 2.5 ohm

· Temperature Control Output 100℃-315℃

· Firmware Upgradeable

· 6-colour modes display

· Weight: 188g

SMOK

·

TFV12 BIG BABY PRINCE TANK SPECS

Size: 68x47x29mm

· Power: 1-80W

· Battery: Internal 2300mAh

· Display: 2.0in HD colour screen

· Output voltage: 0.5-9V

· Resistance Range: 0.1 to 2.5 ohm

· Temperature Control Output 100℃-315℃

· Firmware Upgradeable

· 6-colour modes display

· Weight: 188g

Smok is possibly the most well-known hardware manufacturer in the vaping world at the moment. They are consistently bringing out new and innovative products, catering to the ever-evolving vaping community.

The X-Priv Baby is a small but substantial 80W device. It contains a 2,300 mAh internal battery that lasts about half a day when vaping on it moderately. It can be charged via micro-USB. It can also have its firmware updated via USB. One of the most attractive features with this kit, is the large 2-inch HD sleek screen. It appears glasslike and seems to be relatively sturdy. I really liked how Smok have decided to go for a button-based adjustment system on this mod, rather than a touch screen set up. It feels more responsive and comes across as less likely to have something go wrong with it.

There are a number of different settings you can scroll through on this device, including colour themes, a puff counter, battery information and vaping modes

The X-Priv Baby has both variable wattage mode and a temperature control mode offering users a more customised vaping experience.

I really was impressed when it came to how smooth and stylish this kit was. Not only does it look amazing, but it feels great too. The mod itself is rather small, however combined with carefully rounded edges, and a nice, sturdy weight to it, the ergonomics on this kit is spot on.

As I mentioned earlier, this mod can fire up to 80W and goes perfectly with the Big Baby Prince Tank, that comes included as a kit.

The tank itself is a 2ml TPD compliant model. It has a pre-installed 0.4-ohm coil, as well as a spare. The V8 Baby Q2 coils are ideal for this mod and its wattage range, ensuring you get optimum flavour and cloud production.

It features Pyrex glass, fully adjustable airflow options and a superbly simple refilling technique.

The Big Baby Prince offers vapers a straightforward way of filling up the tank on the go, all you need to do is pop down a button and swivel the top part around, exposing a bean shaped hole that you pour your e-liquid into.

Due to the potential power involved when vaping with this tank, you may find it drinks juice – you might go through more juice than you would on a smaller tank that also has a lower suggested wattage range.

Another cool thing about the kit is the matching resin drip tip. It looks unique but is also very functional in terms of reducing liquid from spitting through the mouthpiece.

Overall, I found this kit to be a surprising breath of fresh air. It is ideal for everyday use and on the go, especially if you are one for big flavour and big clouds. A great all-rounder.

SPECS

PROS

Sleek, utilitarian design

CONS

Non-instant vapour production

Short battery life Device can get hot

VAPING DEVICES THAT UTILISE ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF HEATING E-LIQUID ARE AN INTERESTING IDEA AND HAVE BEEN TRIED

IN THE PAST TO MINIMAL FANFARE.

In 2016, an little-known manufacturer called GUO attempted to go “coil-less” with their Altus tank. The concept in this case was simple – replace the tried and true coil with a ceramic and Tungsten heating element. Ostensibly, this design would do away with having to replace coils, mitigate “dry-hits” and minimise the production of unwanted waste in the industry. On the face of it, a great idea.

These kinds of products failed due to a lack of performance, high price and questionable materials contained in the heating elements themselves. Public backlash caused by the Nicotine Reinforcer NCR’s potentially hazardous Aluminium Nitride heating element in 2017 seemingly shelved “alternative heating” products for a while and nothing of note has been brought to market in this product category, until now.

The Usonicig Rhythm Kit approaches vaping from an entirely new angle. Instead of heating and aerosolising e-liquid in the traditional way, the Rhythm uses extreme high frequency vibrations to disrupt the surface of your chosen e-liquid, changing its state into a gaseous form that can be inhaled.

Usonicig claim that this prevents the chance of combustion, unwanted chemical changes during the vaping process and ensures that dry hits are a thing of the past. I was able to try this

new technology for the first time at May’s Vaper Expo UK and have since been putting the Rhythm kit through its paces to see if this new design could truly change how we vape.

Thankfully, Usonicig have made the Rhythm kit simple to operate and maintain, despite being a somewhat alien vaping device. It has just one button and no confusing menu systems. The device is refilled via removable pods with a TPD-friendly 2ml capacity. A simple turn of the affixed drip tip opens the fill ports, which are of a forgiving size and should accommodate even the largest e-liquid bottles without any spills or unwanted residue.

The pod easily slides into the top of the device and secures magnetically. For me, this is the first shortcoming of the Rhythm kit. The magnets which hold it in place are adequate for the most part, but do not feel quite as solid as I would like. I predict that this could cause problems down the line, but this is a very simple thing to revise in subsequent batches of the replaceable pods.

After allowing 10 minutes for the pod to become fully saturated with e-liquid, it’s ready to vape. The experience is quite unlike anything that I have previously tried. Upon pressing the fire bar, instead of an instantaneous rush of vapour, the ultrasonic technology takes a few seconds to get up to speed. The result is a cooler vape than most people will be used to, but the flavour production is quite impressive. I must note that the first few puffs had a somewhat muted flavour, but after this bedding-in period, I had a consistently flavourful vape.

Using a variety of familiar e-liquids, I found that it has the uncanny ability to sooth the throat hit of some profiles. Citrus liquids that can sometimes irritate the throat were extremely smooth here, which is a nice bonus for users who like to avoid a strong throat hit.

E-liquid consumption also seems to be very conservative with

the Usonicig Rhythm. I typically found myself refilling the 2ml pod only once during a day’s use of 3mg e-liquid, which is certainly less than I would normally use on any given day.

With all of these positives, I would be remiss not to mention the slight inconveniences of this new ultrasonic system. Firstly, the lack of instantaneous firing is annoying when you are in a timedependent setting and simply need a quick hit of nicotine. The ultrasonic chip does take some time to get to work and there are no additional settings on the Rhythm to speed up the process. There also seems to be a lot of heat transferred between the body of the device and the removable pod. When removing the pod to refill after a vaping session, the magnetic contacts are hot to the touch and the body of the device is also quite warm. Whilst not terribly concerning, I would be happy to see this issue dealt with in future models.

Finally, the battery life, or perhaps efficiency of power transfer leaves something to be desired with the Usonicig Rhythm kit. An internal 1500mAh cell is unlikely to last all day at the best of times – unless being used with high nicotine e-liquids – but in this case I found that I was needing to re-charge the Rhythm after a few hours of moderate use. This doesn’t seem entirely unreasonable to me, as this is the first implementation of ultrasonic technology in vaping and I expect improvements in efficiency will come in time.

Overall, the Usonicig Rhythm kit is an exciting device which serves as a glimpse into the potential future of vaping. If the heat up time and battery efficiency can be improved, I can see a lot of people favouring ultrasonic vaping in the not too distant future. Usonicig must be commended for taking the time to develop a product which is totally different, in an extremely crowded hardware market.

So far, 2018 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for mouth-to-lung fans and beginners to vaping alike. All in one (AIO) kits are becoming more streamlined with each iteration and the Vaporesso Orca Solo kit is no exception.

It’s a rather dainty device that slips into the pocket almost completely undetected and has a minimalist aesthetic which should appeal to most. It certainly shouldn’t be off-putting to smokers who aren’t so keen on the more flamboyant devices available.

There are two coil options available with the kit. The 1.3ohm OC CELL coil incorporates ceramic into the wicking process, which is marketed as extending the life of the coil, since it is more heat resistant than cotton. I’ve had a mixed bag of experiences in the past with ceramic wicking, but here it works well, provided you use thinner e-liquids. I found anything up to a 60/40 VG/PG ratio to be great. For such a small coil, it produces good flavour and a nice little cloud of vapour too. Vaporesso market the Orca Solo as having “Flash Heat” technology, and I must say there is little to no ramp up time, which is perfect for getting an instantaneous nicotine hit.

The other coil provided is the 1.3ohm OC coil. This one does away with the ceramic wicking and performs better in my eyes. I found it provided more intense flavour, slightly improved vapour production and had the added benefit of increased wicking efficiency. Using the OC coil, 70/30 VG/PG e-liquids posed no problem, which does open the device up to more options.

The adjustable airflow ring on the Orca is simplistic but welcome. It allows the user to really dial in the experience, from an extremely restrictive mouth-to-lung, all the way up to an airier draw that is more reminiscent of a shisha pipe, but not quite a direct-to-lung experience. I personally found setting the airflow to a third of the way open gave me great flavour and a satisfying restriction for high strength nicotine e-liquids.

The 800mAh internal battery makes this kit one of the more reliable stealth devices I’ve used. I found that when using 18mg e-liquids, the battery would last me for most of the day, and the onboard 1A quick charging ensured minimal down time.

Overall, the Vaporesso Orca is a fantastic choice for beginners, or experienced vapers who require a small mouth-to-lung kit that provides a satisfying and consistent high-nicotine experience. During my time using it, I didn’t run into any issues to speak of and it remains to be one of my most used stealth

SMOK X-PRIV BABY MOD SPECS:

Tank capacity: 3.5ml (2ml with stopper)

Battery capacity: 1800mAh internal cell

Power output: Dependent on coil

Charging: Micro-USB

CASCADE TANK

Pen-style sub-ohm starter kits have become increasingly common as the demand for simplified, high performance devices has risen. This kind of device is a great option for those looking to transition from smaller mouth-to-lung devices without breaking the bank, or even for someone who is looking for an alternative to tobacco products such as shisha, which naturally have a more open draw and produce more vapour.

The Vaporesso Cascade One is among the best sub-ohm starter kits that I have tried. It fits a lot into its relatively small 22mm diameter chassis and keeps things simple for those who are newer to vaping, or just want a hassle-free experience.

The Cascade One tank is the star of the show here. The TPD compliant version comes pre-installed with an easily removable silicone stopper. It has the potential to have 3.5ml capacity which is impressive considering its compact size. In the box are two coils that perform very differently from one another and so cater well to a variety of preferences.

The 0.18ohm GT Mesh coil will be the main point of interest for most people. It produces some great flavour and substantial, thick clouds. As with other mesh coils, the ramp up time is non-existent, and coil longevity is above average too, provided you steer clear of overly sweetened e-liquids. Whilst this does make for a fantastic vape, the lower resistance of this coil draws a lot of power from the battery, so expect to be reaching for the nearest charger on the regular, depending on usage of course.

The other supplied coil is the CCELL2, which is more to my tastes. It uses ceramic wicking, ostensibly to prolong coil life and increase flavour production. Coming in at 0.3ohms, it draws less power from the battery and during my usage this translated to me only needing to charge the Cascade One about half as regularly. The flavour is above average, and this coil can still kick out some serious vapour production. For every day usage, I found the CCELL2 to be more practical because of this.

The 1800mAh capacity of the Cascade One is reasonable for a compact kit, and the 2A quick charging is brilliant, taking less than 45 minutes from flat to a full charge in my experience. Quick charging is a fantastic quality of life feature that makes day to day use very convenient. Going forward I feel this is a must for pen-style sub-ohm kits.

Overall, the Cascade One is a fantastic entry level sub-ohm kit. It’s a breeze to maintain and use and performs very well. If you’re looking for a simple kit, you can’t go too far wrong with the Cascade One.

REVIEWS

PASSION

This e-liquid has a sweet fruity scent with a hint of alcohol. It smells just like a fruit cocktail. On the inhale the vape gives a light fruity taste that comes with a smooth hit. The exhale develops a very tasty passionfruit taste. It develops an alcohol-like edge which pushes this to taste just like a porn star martini. The flavour also develops a very light cooling which just adds that special touch. The aftertaste has more of a liquorice taste which personally I am not keen on but I know many that would love it.

FEAR

Fear smells absolutely great. It has a mixed scent of grapefruit and lime.

On the inhale a sweet lime essence touches the tongue with a sweet throat hit that has a slight cooling agent in it. The exhale begins with the light coolant undertone helping a sweet grapefruit ascend. This then takes a citrus turn and a lime flavour takes the limelight (excuse the pun). This flavour rollercoaster is assisted by a light absinth undertone. This is a really different vape and I would advise all to give it a try.

LOVE

This e-liquid has a light raspberry scent with a clear minty undertone.

On the inhale the vape produces a cold menthol and smooth hit. The cloud production on the mixed range is incredible. The raspberry flavour is the first to come through. It’s a rich flavour and carries a light undertone

999

Firehouse Vape describe 999 as a smooth vanilla custard with a minty punch. Custard profiles have been a staple flavour profile of e-liquids since the inception of vaping, but it’s not often that you see this rich dessert paired with mint. A smooth and light vanilla custard dominates this blend. It’s not as rich as some other custard profiles that I’ve tried and for that reason I found that 999 doesn’t get at all sickly when vaping it throughout the day. It’s a bright, confectionary vanilla that will appeal to a wide range of people, since it does not take the risk of including the darker, spiced notes of other custards which can become overpowering. The mint element of this blend is unique. Strangely though, I think this light accent makes 999 a rather moreish e-liquid that I keep going back to. If you’re a custard fan looking for something a bit different, 999 is a solid choice.

FOREST FIRE

Bakery notes are the most prominent part of this blend. Mild baked spices and a fluffy mouth feel do a fantastic job of replicating the cake base. These main notes are complemented by a rich cream, which adds some body to the mix whilst helping blend other flavours in the profile together. The chocolate is quite subtle. In this case it works to accent the cream and bakery flavours, without distracting from them. Finally, there is a slight hint of cherry, mostly tasted on the exhale adding another layer to this already complex profile. If you enjoy bakery flavours, this is well worth a try.

e-liquid. Mixed berries, hints of banana and a classic hard candy flavour are blended well together here to recreate this nostalgic profile. Firehouse Vape have done well to ensure this inherently sweet combination does not become cloying or sickly and is instead actually quite subtle. The cooling and slightly minty exhale make for a simple but delicious all day vape that will be perfect for those starting on their e-cigarette journey.

STRAWBERRY CUSH MAN

The original Cush Man e-liquid was part of the Yummy Fruity range from Nasty Juice. It’s fair to say that it took the world by storm in 2017 and was largely responsible for familiarising Western palettes with stronger coolants more popular in the eastern market. Nasty Juice have now taken the hint and given Cush Man its own line. Their strawberry offering is most reminiscent of the original, with a subtle candied strawberry top note that enhances the sweetness of this unmistakable profile. It doesn’t interfere very much with the pungent, earthy mango, and for the majority of people that will be a relief. Instead it’s more of an accent, and makes for somewhat more of a mellow vape than the original Cush Man. The signature coolant is present of course, which makes for a fantastically refreshing vape.

BANANA CUSH MAN

Banana Cush Man is the last of the new series from Nasty Juice that I sampled. This one is a bit more of a departure from the original profile than the other new offerings. The banana here is slightly more natural than what is often found in e-liquids. It adds a thick mouth-feel and slight creaminess to the mix, which is unexpected but not unpleasant. Rather than being a top note, the banana seems to play second fiddle to the mango element of this blend, which makes sense, as strong banana flavours tend to make for a heavier e-liquid, whilst Cush Man was loved for being a light and refreshing vape. The result of this pairing is similar to what would happen if you put mango, banana and ice in a blender. A lovely tropical profile with subtle creamy undertones and a cooling finish. All around this is a winner.

GRAPE CUSH MAN

Grape Cush Man is the second of the new line that I sampled. This one combines a light grape top note with the well-established Cush Man profile. Again, the grape here isn’t overbearing, and doesn’t distort or take away from the vibrancy of the profile. It comes across as a mellow green grape rather than the North American styled concord grape that we so often see in e-liquid flavour profiles. This adds a somewhat sour sweetness to the mix, which is a nice contrast to the bright notes of the mango base. I prefer this to the original Cush Man, as the added complexity keeps me guessing throughout the day. Despite the addition of grape, the mango here is still in your face, so this blend doesn’t stray too far from the original. The coolant finishes things off nicely, making this a fantastic choice for a summery e-liquid.

GANGLAND GRAPE

Vaporized describe Gangland Grape as “gooey grapes gasping for air and drowning in lemonade.” The Primal range has also been inspired by the meteoric rise of Malaysian e-liquids in the UK market, so how does this home grown offering measure up? I’m mostly getting a candied concord grape from this blend. It’s mellow and doesn’t become overpowering in any way, which can be easily done with grape flavourings. This top note is supported by a subtle lemonade aftertaste, which adds a citric punch to the blend and really makes the grape notes pop. The coolant finish is really refreshing, if not slightly stronger than what I’m used to. It’s actually stronger than many of the Malaysian e-liquids I have sampled but doesn’t interfere at all with the flavour profile.

MANGO MANIAC

Vaporized describes Mango Manic as crisp mango, tangerines and succulent oranges with a sub-zero finish. Mango and orange are the most prominent notes in this blend. They complement each other nicely, as earthiness from the mango is rounded out by natural sweetness found in the orange. This makes for a different mango profile than I’ve seen in other e-liquids, and is certainly more mellow, which is ideal for an all-day vape. The tangerine element of this mix brings a bit more tang to the profile, allowing the top notes to really shine. The coolant finish is, again, quite strong here but not unwelcome. If you’re looking for a cooling fruit vape that’s a bit different this summer, Mango Maniac is a solid choice.

TROPICAL TERROR

Vaporized describe Tropical Terror as passion fruit, syrupy nectarines and icecold guava. This is a rather bright profile that fits well with the Malaysia-inspired theme of the Primal range. For me the more prominent note here is guava. It’s a sticky, candied portrayal of this exotic fruit, rather than the more earthy and pungent flavour of the real thing, which is not a complaint. The passion fruit follows closely behind in terms of vibrancy, and this imparts some floral top notes that reinforce the far-eastern theme of this blend. Personally, I’m not getting much of the nectarine from this e-liquid and wouldn’t pick it out if I was testing it blind. Despite this, I’ve really enjoyed Tropical Terror, it’s a lovely flavour for the summer and the coolant stops the sweetness of the top notes from becoming sickly. If you’re a fan of exotic flavours, this blend will suit you well.

VG/PG ratio: 70/30 | Additional sweetener: Moderate | Throat hit: Mild, with moderate cooling

This juice is very well named because you certainly get a huge burst of flavour when you vape this e-liquid. On the inhale, the first flavour I get when vaping this is a beautiful honeydew melon, followed by another melon which I find hard to put my finger on. The two are very sweet and they work well together. Next the coolant kicks in, hitting you at the back of the throat but it is not at all harsh. This really is a great summertime vape for those hot days lounging around the garden.

BURST BLIZZARD - STRAW BURST

I found this juice to be very refreshing and reminiscent of one of those flip lollipops you used to be able to buy from the off-licence. This is a pretty basic liquid but what it does do it does well. This is a watermelon vape and that’s exactly what you pick up on in the inhale and the exhale. This e-liquid leaves a very pleasant taste on your tongue and while this is a very simple vape, that is not to detract from this product because sometimes simple is all you need.

BURST BLIZZARD - BERRY BURST

Again, a very simple and basic flavour profile from the Slammin range. This time round it is their take on peach and it really reminds me of a very popular ice tea. The quality of the peach flavour in this juice really jumps out at you even before you vape it. As soon as I opened the bottle I got a big whiff of ripe, sweet, freshly cut peach and this carries through to the vaping experience too. If I had to choose a juice to vape this summer, then Slammin Peach could very well be it.

SLAMMIN – PEACH

Again, a very simple and basic flavour profile from the Slammin range. This time round it is their take on peach and it really reminds me of a very popular ice tea. The quality of the peach flavour in this juice really jumps out at you even before you vape it. As soon as I opened the bottle I got a big whiff of ripe, sweet, freshly cut peach and this carries through to the vaping experience too. If I had to choose a juice to vape this summer, then Slammin Peach could very well be it.

SLAMMIN – PINK

I found this juice to be very refreshing and reminiscent of one of those flip lollipops you used to be able to buy from the off-licence. This is a pretty basic liquid but what it does do it does well. This is a watermelon vape and that’s exactly what you pick up on in the inhale and the exhale. This e-liquid leaves a very pleasant taste on your tongue and while this is a very simple vape, that is not to detract from this product because sometimes simple is all you need.

Scarlett Dream

A uniquely sweet strawberry flavour smacks you in the face as soon as you puff on this juice. It’s very quickly joined by a cooling undertone that I’ve come to expect and very much enjoy from Malaysian e-liquids. The strawberry flavour is absolutely bang on – ripe and sugary sweet fruit that’s ever so moreish. Scarlett Dream is without a doubt an all day vape for me, it’s got the perfect amount of ice in it that makes it ridiculously refreshing.

Avocado Dream

And now for something completely unique, an avocado-based juice. I suppose with the current popularity of avocado it was only a matter of time. I have to say, this combination of avocado, whipped cream and dark chocolate really works. The initial flavour is the rich dark chocolate, with the cream taking the edge off the bitterness. The aftertaste leaves you with a slight taste of the creamy avocado on your tongue. As bizarre as it sounds it’s an interesting mish-mash of flavours that is kind of addictive. I couldn’t stop going back to vape it repeatedly to try and pick out the avocado flavour. I must give this juice full marks for the originality of it alone. The fact that it tastes awesome is a definite bonus.

Purple Dream

Another refreshing, fruity juice on display here, Purple Dream is a grape flavour, once again featuring the classic Malaysian e-liquid iciness. The grape flavouring is delightfully sweet and fruity, more of an authentic flavour than I’m used to from similar flavours. Grape is one of those fruits that I think lends itself perfectly to a bit of coldness and once again, Dream Juice have delivered a refreshing juice that’s another all day vape contender. I still prefer the strawberry though!

Blue Raspberry

This e-liquid is a distinct and delicious blue raspberry which comes across as rather muted and plain. Despite this, I felt that the simple nature of this flavour added to the whole appeal of the juice itself. This is because the flavour is not overly strong nor overwhelming, but more calm and subdued, making it ideal for when you get sick and tired from vaping on a very potent flavour and fancy something a little more plain.

That said, there was still a pleasant and fruity element when vaping and the blue raspberry really showed itself right on the exhale. It was a good flavour but could come across as a little lacklustre for vapers who are die hard full flavour fans. Personally, I found that the mildness to this juice made it easier to vape as at no point did I feel like it got sickly.

Watermelon Gummy

As the name suggests, this flavour is highly reminiscent of a chewy watermelon candy complete with a sweet and sour twist. Even the scent of this e-liquid is very alluring. I am a big fan of watermelon flavours if they are done right and Emoji Liquids have most certainly got it bang on with this juice. There have been countless watermelon flavours that I have tried, with many being overly strong or artificial. Whilst this juice doesn’t taste identical to a real watermelon, it does taste like watermelon candy.

The inhale was a mostly sweet and soft touch of sugary watermelon and the exhale featured a more prominent sourness that rounded off the flavour perfectly. It was smooth and left a tantalising aroma in the room when I exhaled. Again, this juice was also very easy to vape and didn’t leave an unattractive aftertaste.

Peach Rings

The whole sub-genre of peach e-liquids is a very diverse and popular set of concoctions. There are peach yoghurt flavours, peach lemonade flavours, peaches and cream, basically any combination you could imagine. However, when I first tried this e-liquid, to say I was impressed would be an understatement. The flavour really reminded me of a Haribo peach ring candy. I could almost imagine that I was actually eating one. That is a sure sign that an e-liquid is very well made and is accurate to its description. This e-liquid was quite flavourful, it made my mouth water and was astoundingly realistic. My only slight drawback was a subtle bitter aftertaste, that soon went away as I got used to the flavour. Overall, this juice would have to be my favourite from this line due to its incredible likeness to Haribo peaches and the fact it was a very pleasant to vape.

DRAGON’S BLOOD

This is arguably the most well known in this range. It’s primary flavours are dark berries, and I could pick up on blackberries, blackcurrant and also blueberries.

There is no pointless over complication on this juice, it is just a straight up fruity blend. As I was vaping it on my RDA, I could really appreciate the different layers of berries.

Dragon’s Blood was extremely easy to vape, and I didn’t lose any of the flavour despite vaping on it for several hours.

As a 70 percent VG e-liquid, the cloud production was impressive, yet the juice still retained it’s flavour well.

My favourite thing about this e-liquid is it’s simplicity and how carefully it was created.

EXOTIC TROPIC

An interesting name, with an interesting flavour. Wobbly Goblin is also a 70 percent VG short-fill from Thor Juice. It’s main flavour constituents are a citrus infused blackcurrant and kiwi.

To me, the most obvious initial flavour that I could pick up on would definitely be the citrus, as it is very strong, and rather refreshing.

As I held the vapour in my lungs and mouth, just before exhaling, a soft and mild touch of sweet blackcurrant became apparent. Then, as I exhaled, a sharp and flavourful kiwi came into play. I found this juice to be very strong in taste, which could be a good thing, especially for vapers who consider themselves as ‘flavour chasers.’

CHRONOS CUSTARD

A rather different flavour profile from the two previous juices in this line, Chronos Custard is a rich, velvety vanilla custard cake.

Even before vaping, there is a gentle and welcoming aroma of creamy vanilla, with a warm and delectable cake scent.

When vaping this e-liquid, you can really appreciate the different layers to it.

Upon inhalation, there is a strong flavour of vanilla bean, followed by a creamy spiced custard. On exhaling, you can pick up on a subtle cake element that rounds up all of the different flavours in a very elegant way.

I particularly relished the fact that this e-liquid was so complex and was all in the right ratios, making this juice one of a kind.

ARES

The gentle aroma of this juice lingers as you open the bottle, and softly entices you into vaping this e-liquid.

Ares is a high VG dessert flavoured e-liquid, its taste is reminiscent of a smooth and milky strawberry ice cream. The inhale is rather full on, but in a very pleasant way, as it gives you plenty of bang for your buck, the more prominent notes on the inhale would most certainly be the sweet strawberry. As you begin to exhale, there is a creamy vanilla element that presents itself in a mild and unassuming manner.

As Ares is a high VG e-liquid, I experienced impressive cloud production, alongside a smooth throat hit. I really enjoyed the fact that this juice was so easy to vape on all day without getting bored or developing vaper’s tongue.

MEDUSA

A big hit with aniseed lovers, Medusa comes across as both fruity and refreshing. I am not the biggest fan of aniseed, but I felt that it certainly gave this juice an interesting and unique edge. On inhalation, I noticed a fruity candy taste that lingered on my tastebuds briefly. This was soon replaced by a zingy citrus note that grabbed my attention and completely cleansed my palate.

Despite not usually enjoying aniseed, this e-liquid really popped and was definitely a summertime vape, due to it’s fresh and fruity nature.

I know many vapers would appreciate this juice, down to the fact it is so unique and the aniseed is not overpowering nor sickly.

HADES

Wow! What an interesting taste! The primary flavour that you get on the inhale is a ripe, sweet mixed berry. To me, it came across as being really well executed, as it wasn’t too sweet, and at the same time it was not too sharp nor was it artificial. Then, a mild nuttiness presented itself in the most subtle way possible. It didn’t taste very strong – however I think that was a good thing, as I felt if it was too potent, that it would take away from the rest of the flavour components. The flavour description on this juice suggests that there is an element of cinnamon, however I couldn’t really pick up on it. I’ve tried many different unique flavours out there, but never have I come across a nutty berry one! Due to the most prominent constituent, the mixed berries, I found that this juice would be fantastic as a summertime all day vape! As I briefly mentioned earlier, the berries are so smooth, sweet and refreshing, that it would be hard to not want to vape it on a hot day!

FRENCH VANILLA

4% AT 70/30 | THROAT HIT: MILD

Capella’s French Vanilla is likely no stranger to anyone who has been mixing their own e-liquids for a long time. It has built a great reputation amongst a very crowded market of vanilla and cream concentrates, for good reason. It delivers a decadent confectionary vanilla that is very difficult to fault. It also brings a thick mouthfeel and substantial cream body to any mix you use it in, making it a rather versatile concentrate when dealing with a recipe that tastes too thin or dry. This vanilla elevates almost any fruit it is paired with and can also be used to round out harsher elements of your tobacco or bakery mixes. This is an absolute musthave concentrate for newer mixers and is one of few on the market that can be paired with virtually anything.

IRISH CREAM

3.5% AT 70/30

THROAT HIT:MODERATE

Irish Cream is based on the popular whiskey/cream liqueur and it’s another ambitious profile to pack into just one concentrate. The most prominent feature of this concentrate is strong whiskey top notes. It’s very authentic to straight whiskey, but stronger than I would expect from a whiskey and cream liqueur profile. The cream base isn’t quite subduing the whiskey notes present, but it does provide a small amount of natural sweetness. If you’re looking for an Irish whiskey single flavour mix then this will suit your needs perfectly, but in order to achieve the creamy body of the liqueur I would recommend a supporting ensemble of heavier creams and vanilla to brighten up the profile. Capella’s French Vanilla is a good starting point, and some Bavarian Cream will also help you achieve a more fully realised mix.

CINNAMON DANISH SWIRL

4% AT 70/30 | THROAT HIT: MODERATE

There’s a wealth of cinnamon concentrates available on the market now, so how does this classic offering from Capella measure up today? Cinnamon Danish Swirl is fairly mellow for this category of flavourings. The spicy top notes are still punchy but won’t completely dominate your recipe when used at three percent. There are also hints of vanilla and bakery notes, but these are quite subtle. This concentrate does have a dry mouth feel though, which limits the potential for using it in a single flavour mix. I feel that this one is best used in more complex mixes to bring the best out of the bakery notes and subdue the dryness it imparts. Heavier creams will do a good job of this and Capella’s French Vanilla is a great place to start if you want a simple pairing. I still think that this is one of the most beginner-friendly cinnamon concentrates, as it’s more forgiving than other options.

WAFFLE

4% AT 70/30 | THROAT HIT: MILD

Waffle is an ambitious flavour profile to aim for with a single concentrate. There’s a lot of room for error that could potentially ruin the flavour. The maple element here is very authentic, but just like the real thing, can become cloying if over used. This is joined by a fluffy bakery base, and very subtle hints of cinnamon, which give the concentrate some depth. As a single flavour mix, you can definitely tell that this is supposed to be waffle, but I feel the sweet top notes need to be reined in by additional concentrates, and the bakery base can be amplified with some help too. Try pairing this one with some lighter creams for a more mellow waffle flavour. A dash of your favourite fruit will also add some intrigue to the mix. Capella Waffle is a solid cornerstone for your waffle recipes.

KENTUCKY

This is a real tobacco lover’s vape, as are most of these flavours from Black Note. This liquid features a bold tobacco flavour with some nutty hints. There’s a real earthy vibe going on here, but I personally prefer a milder tobacco like some of the juices coming up.

LATAKIA

A real spicy, aromatic tobacco here, the intense, smoky tobacco is very peppery and helps create a fiery flavour that’s definitely something new and interesting. Not for the faint hearted though.

This is a classic American tobacco flavour, and a taste very familiar to anyone who’s ever rolled a cigarette. I’d say out of all the Black Note juices, Virginia gives you the most accurate smoking-like experience.

ORIENTAL

Definitely one of my favourite tobacco juices ever, Oriental is a lovely smooth and heady tobacco flavour with hints of oriental spices that add so many different layers of taste it’s hard to stop vaping. If you’re unsure about tobacco juices give this one a try.

BURLEY

A slightly sweeter tobacco on display here with Burley. It’s a little bit rich on the initial inhale but the exhale is so smooth and leaves you wanting more. It really lifts the tobacco to higher levels.

CAVENDISH

A real dark-tasting tobacco, super rich and very intense. If you’re looking for something with a strong tobacco flavour this may well be the juice for you. Personally, I found it a bit much but I’m not the biggest fan of this sort of flavour. Still an excellent example of a tobacco juice.

This UK-produced e-liquid comes in a 3 x 10ml multi pack in nicotine strengths of 3mg, 6mg and 12mg. Upon opening the bottle, a nostalgic and fresh scent met my nose. Blackcurrant menthol was actually the first ever e-liquid flavour I tried. This time, however, I would be using an RDA setup rather than an ego/CE4 setup, and I would also be using a higher VG percentage e-liquid. I had an inkling that it was going to be so much better than before so I dripped some liquid on my cotton, in sheer anticipation. First came a subtly sweet yet juicy blackcurrant that made my mouth water. I didn’t think it tasted like authentic blackcurrants, however it did come across as candylike, I think this is what the juice manufacturers were after a nyway.

I enjoyed the deep sweetness to the blackcurrant, it carried well and was not too overpowering in terms of flavour

As I began to exhale a slightly minty menthol hit the back of my throat, allowing a wave of coolness to rush around my mouth. It certainly felt cold and would be an ideal vape for vapers who like the iciness found in this juice.

However, the menthol, for me, was a tiny bit harsh, but that is because I am no longer used to vaping menthol flavoured e-liquids, that is not to say it will be harsh for everyone.

Vaping on ‘Tuned-Up’ gave impressive clouds, as the PG/VG was 30/70.

Overall, I found that this juice took me way back to when I started vaping, and that in itself was a rewarding experience. As a juice, it ticked all the boxes, just the right amount of menthol mixed with a copious yet not too potent sweet blackcurrant.

SKUFF

VG/PG ratio: 50/50 | Throat hit: Moderate SKUFF is a “full spectrum” CBD e-liquid, meaning that it incorporates a range of cannabinoids other than CBD to achieve a more potent effect on the user. Often referred to as the “entourage effect”, full spectrum products claim to offer increased medicinal qualities over their CBD only counterparts. The flavour profile here is a rather musky and mildly fruity cannabis. It’s quite pleasant if you are already used to the taste of CBD, but if not, this particular e-liquid does not try to mask its natural flavour with any additives. If you are looking for a stripped back, naturallyflavoured CBD then SKUFF is a fantastic option. As with many CBD e-liquids, there is something of a throat hit present here. In my experience, this is true for all products in this category, though.

MELON PUFF

VG/PG ratio: 50/50 | Throat hit: Moderate Melon Puff is a CBD e-liquid with additional melon flavouring. The top notes are a well-blended variety of melons, including cantaloupe, honeydew and galia. The cantaloupe is most prominent, however. These top notes work to subdue the underlying flavour of the CBD, and actually complement it quite well. It’s near impossible to eliminate the flavour of CBD entirely from such a product, but I feel Greeneo have done a good job in this case at making it a less prominent feature of the e-liquid. This makes Melon Puff a fantastic choice for those who require the use of CBD but don’t enjoy the flavour it imparts.

CANDY JACK

VG/PG ratio: 50/50 | Throat hit: Moderate Candy Jack is based on a cannabis strain of the same name. In the manufacturer’s words it’s designed to be the “perfect balance between softness, acidity and potency.” There seems to be some flavouring in addition to the CBD blend here. From what I can tell it is a simple hard candy top note, but it blends so seamlessly with the CBD base that it’s difficult to say for sure. The flavour profile from the CBD blend is quite mellow here. It’s a mild and fruity cannabis that won’t be too overbearing for most people. This is another great CBD e-liquid for those who aren’t ready to dive into the world of unflavoured CBD.

RED SUMMER

Flavour Art are known throughout the world for producing high quality food grade flavourings. Their concentrates are found in many commercial e-liquids across all markets, so it’s fair to expect quality and authenticity from their own e-liquid lines. Red summer is billed as a simple watermelon blend. It’s one of the most authentic watermelon e-liquids that I’ve tasted and isn’t overly sweet or cloying. There are subtle hints of the natural rind here too, which may not sound appealing to everyone, but does add to the authenticity here. Whilst there is an element of sweetness, it’s much more subdued than many other e-liquids. For this reason, I feel this could be somewhat of an acquired taste. There is also a moderate throat hit present, which isn’t over-bearing but could put some people off. Overall this is a great natural watermelon flavour.

CERISE

Cerise is marketed as a cherry flavoured e-liquid. It certainly doesn’t try to overcomplicate things, aiming to nail just one flavour in the blend. It’s one of the truest to life cherry flavours that I have tried. There is a slight bitterness present that is spot on when compared to the real thing. This serves to complement the light sweetness of the liquid, though, and doesn’t detract from the profile at all. The blend is rounded out by some really nice sour notes, which overall makes for an extremely authentic cherry profile, which will be perfect for those who aren’t keen on the many candied cherry e-liquids available.

BLENDERIZE

Blenderize is marketed as a “tutti-frutti” style blend by Flavour Art. This is the most complexly profiled e-liquid of the ones I am sampling in this review of the brand’s offerings. You would expect a mix of candied fruits from this kind of e-liquid, and unfortunately, I feel that this particular blend falls slightly short. I can definitely pick out notes of banana, cherries and mixed berries, but there is a distinct lack of sweetness here. Instead there is a somewhat bitter after-taste, which doesn’t really align with what I would expect from this kind of profile. It’s not an unpleasant e-liquid, but the flavours are all quite subtle and as a result the profile lacks any true definition. It also has some throat hit, which could be a good or bad thing depending on individual preferences.

KOOL-AID

Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Inspired by the powdered drink additive of the same name, Kool-Aid is an e-liquid that will probably be quite divisive. Described as a watermelon infused with black cherry, this liquid is a no-holdsbarred homage to all things sweet. I feel the black cherry element overpowers the candied watermelon here, and for my taste buds it’s all a bit much. The melon undertone only adds to what is already a rather sweet profile, resulting in a syrupy aftertaste that I can’t see myself vaping for extended periods of time. For some of course, what I’ve just described will be really appealing, which only demonstrates the wide range of personal preferences in taste. The liquid finishes with a mild menthol exhale that cuts through the sweetness. For me this is welcome and makes the mix slightly less cloying. I totally understand why this liquid is becoming so popular. If you prefer sweeter profiles then Kool-Aid could well be an all-day vape, and its recent win of Best Menthol / Mint at The Vaper Expo UK is testament to that.

STRAWBERRY HAVANA

Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Vape Duty Free describe this blend as “strawberries, crushed with ice and a dash of lime.” This is a classic Daiquiri profile that’s hitting shelves just in time for summer. A mix of natural and candied strawberry are the most dominant flavours here. They’re well balanced and don’t overly sweeten the mix. Slight earthiness from the natural strawberry is accentuated nicely by more reserved syrupy notes. The lime here complements the mix well, adding a citrus kick that allows the strawberry top notes to pop, resulting in a well-balanced flavour profile which is quite true to life. A mild coolant finish cuts through this blend without detracting from the flavour, ensuring a light and summery vape that doesn’t become sickly. Overall, this is a nice, simple fruit and coolant blend.

GREAT BERRIES

Throat hit: Mild

Great Berries is the most straightforward of the Vape Duty Free line up, aiming for a classically British blend of forest fruits. Stripped back mixes need not be boring though and this is a good example of simplicity done right. The most prominent top note is a floral blueberry that’s rather similar to Blue Mist. This is supported by an ensemble of other berries that result in a full-bodied fruit profile. Other than the blueberry, I also taste a candied raspberry, strawberry and more natural blackberry. Of these supporting flavours, the raspberry is most noticeable and there may be more fruits here that my palate isn’t picking up, because the blend is quite subtle. Great Berries has a nice natural sweetness that lingers for a while after you’ve vaped it, which makes this a rather moreish e-liquid. Overall, Great Berries is a well-rounded profile that should appeal to a lot of people.

COOL RUNNINGS

Throat hit: Mild, with cooling Vape Duty Free describe Cool Runnings as sweet pineapple blended with sour grapefruit. Inspired by the Caribbean, this exotic mix aims to be a summer crowd pleaser. The pineapple here is reminiscent of tropical soft drinks. It’s mellow and doesn’t have any astringent off-notes that are sometimes found in pineapple mixes. Although the grapefruit is billed as a supporting note, I think it’s the star of the show here. There’s a good balance of citrus bite and a more candied take on the fruit, this allows it to cut through the mix without becoming overly bitter. The sourness of the grapefruit only serves to elevate the sweet pineapple and makes for a refreshing all day vape. After a fair amount of time spent with the Vape Duty Free range, I have to say that I find myself reaching for Cool Runnings most often. It’s a cracking summery profile that I wholeheartedly recommend to fans of tropical e-liquids.

BANANA CHILL

Throat hit: Mild,

with cooling

Any seasoned vaper will tell you that banana is a tough flavour to pin down. Vape Duty Free have been especially ambitious in this case by pairing it with coolant. In theory this is a simple profile, but dozens of my own failed attempts to produce a good banana mix tell a different story. Vape Duty Free describe this as “Sweetened ripe bananas … hit by an Arctic ice blast” and I feel that’s a fair description. The banana here is an amalgamation of the creamy thick sweetness of the real thing and some notes of a more candied banana. It brings a nice full body and substantial mouthfeel to the mix and doesn’t overwhelm the palate. The coolant here is quite mellow, which I personally feel is appropriate. A more intense icy finish would have felt out of place in the profile. If you’re looking for something that stands out from the crowd, Banana Chill is one to consider.

BLUE MIST

Throat hit: Mild, with cooling Vape Duty Free describe Blue Mist as a blend of blueberries and tea leaves. Blueberry dominates this profile and does so without tasting artificial. It’s both pungent and floral with a fair dose of sweetness to boot, making it one of the better blueberry flavours that I’ve tried. The top notes are supported well by an earthy, natural tea base. The tea does a good job of adding depth to the mix and seems to fade in and out during the day, which does keep things interesting. I’m a big fan of how they have incorporated this herbal element, but I can see that it may be somewhat of an acquired taste. I also get a subtle menthol on the exhale, which isn’t mentioned in the manufacturers description, but does keep the floral notes of the blueberry in check. Fans of teabased vapes should definitely check Blue Mist out.

REVIEWS

MANGO JELLO

This is possibly the most realistic mango flavour e-liquid I have ever tried! The aroma I smelled before vaping, was a little odd. I wasn’t so sure I would like it. As soon as I inhaled, a smooth, sweet and very, very authentic mango hit my taste buds. It literally tasted as if I had picked a mango off of a tree, sliced it open and ate it, it was that good.

I didn’t get any cold sensation whilst vaping this juice, which again was nice, as it gave the fruitiness to take centre stage. Easily, the best thing about trying this flavour was it’s true to life, authentic mango taste. I can imagine it has taken a lot of care and consideration to create such a spot-on juice. This is the ultimate mango e-liquid.

SAKURA PEACH

A sour candy peach ring comes straight to mind when testing out this juice. It comes across as artificial, however this is not a bad thing, as it tastes exactly like a peach Haribo, rather than an actual peach. This juice involves a more mellow set of flavours, giving you a laid back but still satisfying vaping sensation.

In terms of flavourings, this juice is very simple. There’s no overly complicated blends of this and that. It has a basic but well-designed overall flavour to it, making it perfect for a wide range of vaping preferences.

KYOHO GRAPE

This flavour is reminiscent of a grape soda, but with a subtle touch of koolada added to it. This gives the grape a more intense edge, allowing it to be very invigorating and fresh.

Despite being somewhat sweet, at no point did I find vaping this to become sickly or overbearing.

The grape in this juice, taste wise, is more on the side of an artificial grape candy, rather than a red grape. Although, I find this a good feature, as it is still a desirable flavour to vape on.

Kyoho Grape presents itself as an exceedingly energising e-liquid flavour, ideal for fruit lovers and for vapers who can appreciate a very exhilarating flavour, especially as a ‘first thing in the morning’ kind of vape.

IVG DESSERTS – JAM ROLY POLY

Jam Roly Poly is a classic British dessert and is an incredibly nostalgic flavour profile to emulate in e-liquid form. Front and centre here is a rich, sticky strawberry jam top note. It’s more akin to the commercial jam that is found in baked goods, rather than the slightly earthier homemade variety. This is rather fitting for a jam roly poly mix, and I feel a more natural strawberry conserve top note would have felt out of place. This is supported by an indulgent cake body that adds a fluffy mouthfeel and slightly tames the richer sweetness of the strawberry. I’m also detecting some baked cinnamon in the mix, too. This isn’t something I would expect in a traditional jam roly poly, but it works well nonetheless. Certainly, a liquid for vapers with a sweet tooth, Jam Roly Poly is a solid dessert e-liquid.

IVG SWEETS – ORANGE MILLIONS

IVG have had incredible success with their Bubble-gum Millions e-liquid. Winning the Best Sweet/Chocolate category at the recent Vapouround Awards, this titan of the British e-liquid industry have now expanded their millions offerings, in order to cater to a broader range of tastes. IVG describe Orange Millions as “Citric candy orange, infused with light undertones of bubble-gum.” The candy orange top note is the most prominent feature of this mix. It’s not overly sweet and doesn’t impart any additional throat hit, which often comes with citrus flavours. Instead, it works well with the bubble-gum base to produce a brighter twist on an already beloved profile. Subtle mint undertones from the bubble-gum keep this mix refreshing and stop the candied notes from outstaying their welcome on the palate. If you usually enjoy confectionary styled vapes, Orange Millions is well worth a try.

IVG MENTHOL – KIWI KOOL

IVG describe Kiwi Kool as fresh kiwi blended with a hint of lemon. Kiwi can be a tough flavour to replicate in an e-liquid, but IVG have made a fair attempt here. It’s not quite as earthy as the real thing and seems more like a candied representation of the fruit, but it still brings some nice sour notes to the mix. The lemon that is present here is rather potent. Although described as a hint, to my tastes it’s coming across just as strong as the kiwi. It’s a nice pairing, though and the citric tang of this hard candy style lemon makes the sweeter kiwi pop. The mix is finished with a moderately strong mentholated exhale which cuts through the candy notes and keeps this sweet profile from becoming overpowering. Kiwi Kool is a solid fruit menthol profile that will be perfect for beginners to vaping who require a simple but tasty e-liquid.

Medium Chain Triglyceride (MCT) is one of the various ways of consuming CBD. The reason for this is that MCTs are classed as a unique fatty acid. When MCT is ingested orally, it is absorbed into the venous system, heading straight to the user’s liver, carrying the CBD along with it. It is then distributed throughout the body allowing for a quicker delivery of CBD to the circulatory system. MCTs have a naturally bitter taste as found in our PURE flavour and can be added to food or drink for consumption, such as on sugar cubes and in drinks.

We’ve also added three great flavours to our range to help provide a more pleasant CBD experience – Apple & Mango, Strawberry and Bubblegum. Eco-Vape use only the best ingredients in their CBD DROPS. All flavourings are food grade with no added chemicals or solvents and use the purest MCT oil available. That’s why we’re sure you’ll love the new CBD DROPS and enjoy an alternative way to get your CBD Fix.

Lemon Macaron

This juice has a pleasantly well-balanced set of flavours. Initially there is a dominant taste of lemon, however it was not sharp nor was it sour – rather a smooth, sweet and creamy one.

There is a soft undertone of a nutty meringue that brings a well-rounded flavour to the table. There is no nasty aftertaste like you sometimes find in many lemon-based flavours and this is a definite bonus. I particularly enjoyed the softness to the lemon. This juice was incredibly easy to vape and at no point did I find it to be sickly.

Cookie Da Bomb

Cookie Da Bomb is a warming, sweet cookie flavour. To me, it tasted strongly like a cinnamon oat biscuit. There is a fantastic depth to this juice and although it is not overly complicated, I can tell that there has been a lot of careful consideration when it comes to flavour components. As I inhaled, there was a slightly sweet taste of crumbly cookie. Upon exhaling, the notes of an almost soft cinnamon became more apparent. Again, like the Lemon Macaron, there was no funny aftertaste, nor was there any point at which I felt it was too sweet or not sweet enough. Cookie Da Bomb was a very palatable e-liquid and I could tell that a lot of work had been put in to create it.

I can say that this juice would be an ideal all-day vape, especially on a cold day when you are after a bit of a warming and tasty vaping experience.

Blueberry Lemonade

Immediately I noticed an extremely unique and tasty blast of a slightly sour yet enticing fruitiness. On inhaling, the main flavour is a revitalising and pleasant lemonade. There are soft but noticeable undertones of blueberry. I like how the sweet blueberry complements the sharp lemon, bonding together to create a super summertime vape. Exhaling, an icy coolness comes into play to really add an even more refreshing edge to this juice. It doesn’t taste of menthol, but rather a cold sensation on exhaling.

Thai Chai Boba

Following the other flavours in this line, Thai Chai Boba is also a cooling and fruity e-liquid designed to reinvigorate. From the second I dripped this juice on my coils, I picked up on an orangey citrus element that I could tell was intricately and expertly concocted.

As I continued to vape this e-liquid, I noticed a slight taste of sweet mango. As the names suggests, there is also an undertone of a vanilla chai, however it was overshadowed by the potency of the fruit and icy flavours.

This juice was also extremely easy to vape due to its carefully calculated ingredients, all of which were in the ideal ratios. They have really put lots of effort into creating such a delicious flavour and have not stopped until it was 100% right.

Horny on the Roxx

The second I opened this bottle I noticed a soft and sweet aroma of lychee. This was met with a subdued but still pleasant honeydew melon. Honeydew melons are a dime a dozen within the vaping industry at the moment and Horny on the Roxx is a perfect example of how great this flavour can be. I found a slightly creamy element to this juice when exhaling, but it was just barely noticeable. Following the other e-liquids in this line, there was again a touch of iciness to it. I particularly enjoyed the realistic and delicious lychee constituent and it was perfect as a first vape of the morning as it was so refreshing.

Bangkok Bandit

Bangkok Bandit is a low mint e-liquid meaning that there was just enough koolada to add a little bit of a cool edge, without it being too potent.

There are definite notes of tropical fruits like mango, papaya and melon. The mango was more noticeable on the inhale, whereas the papaya was carried through to the exhale. I found that the honeydew melon was a little muted however I didn’t feel like this affected the pleasant nature of this juice. The fact that this juice didn’t have copious amounts of iciness to it really made it perfect for me. It allowed the fruitier flavours to take centre stage and just quietly complemented them without being too overwhelming.

STRAWBERRY

This Hangsen juice simply labelled strawberry offers a basic flavour to those wanting decent cloud production from a 70/30 juice without the complex ingredients. The first impression from this juice is the scent, or rather the lack thereof. Offering little in the way of the strong scent of other juices you may believe this to be the same in the flavour profile. On the inhale the juice starts with the expected strawberry flavour backed with some sweetness. The strawberry at this point is soft and evenly split between a strawberry and the sweeter flavour behind. Moving onto the exhale, the juice strengthens in flavour. The exhale tastes much more like a strawberry sweet rather than a fresh strawberry. Post-vape there isn’t much in the way of an aftertaste making this juice nice for the casual vaper.

ICE MINT

The scent of this juice makes expectations clear, if the name hadn’t already. The only smell offered is a strong menthol, that begins to clear the airways as it hits. The inhale continues as expected with menthol, however at this point an undertone of sweetener becomes clear, like a breath mint. The exhale carries an extra flavour to the mix, adding a hint of spearmint which overall creates a minty hardboiled candy flavour. Post-vape the spearmint fades back out, leaving only the menthol and

FRUIT MIX

The name of this juice makes it easy to understand what flavour to expect. The scent of this juice offers more than others from the same manufacturer, however it still isn’t comparable to other juice makers. The scent’s strongest smell is a mix of strawberry, banana and green apple, all of very similar strengths. On the inhale this juice offers predominantly a banana and apple mix creating the base for the rest of this juice’s flavour. On the exhale, all the flavours begin to kick-in harder and with added fruits like green grape, pineapple and strawberry creating a sweet mix on the tongue. Post-vape the apple and banana linger for a short while creating a simple yet tasty juice.

BLUEBERRY

Another simple flavour from Hangsen. This juice offers a low in strength scent, like that of a packet of fresh, chilled blueberries. Although the scent may suggest a fresh fruit flavour, the inhale isn’t quite so. It starts off with the fresh blueberry flavour however a sweetness is added into the mix creating a flavour that closely resembles candy. This theme continues into the exhale where the sweetness surpasses the blueberry in strength. Post-vape the blueberry flavour remains while the sweetness disappears making this juice more pleasant to vape for longer.

HS MENTHOL SENSATION

This juice is a little different to that was expected. Starting with the scent. The juice offers a mix of spearmint and menthol, like mouthwash or toothpaste, however this theme doesn’t remain throughout. The inhale is where the spearmint begins, along with an undertone of menthol and sweetener. This flavour strongly resembles a popular strong mint sweet. Moving onto the exhale, the menthol kicksin harder above the spearmint changing the dynamic of the juice. A pleasant fresh clean minty flavour becomes obvious at this point. Post-vape all flavours diminish leaving behind a cool, clean sensation in the mouth, much like fresh breath.

LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

The fragrance given from this juice is a sweet blast of lemon with a cakey afterthought. On the inhale a subtle sweet lemon taste brushes the tongue, easing in a smooth hit and due to the e-liquid’s high VG mix the cloud production is thick as expected. On the exhale the flavour really flourishes into something beautiful. Starting with a strong zesty lemon, the flavour really wakes your senses and then a delicious baked sponge flavour comes through holding onto a light vanilla touch.This juice is so close to the border of fruit and dessert e-liquids that I would award it for both. The aftertaste is light and oddly bittersweet, leaving a afterthought of lemon drizzle cake in the mind. Its spot on.

PUKKA BLAZE

Pukka blaze has a sweet blueberry scent that is enticing and mouth watering, I’m excited for this one. The inhale brings a sugary undertone that is dropped on a cloud of ice that cools the throat and lungs. The exhale eases on the cooling and allows a strong and sweet taste of blueberry to come through, This blends perfectly with its equal. It is like a romantic dance of blueberry and raspberry on the tongue. It’s Beautiful. Slightly cooled but the warmth of joy eases it off. This is by far one of the best blue raz vapes and a new favourite of mine. Someone give Pukka an award for this one.

PINK DONUT

This juice smells just like a strawberry icing doughnut and has an inhale that greets you with a sweet cakey essence that sees the thick cloud to the lungs like a treat. The exhale has a very sweet iced glazed doughnut taste that oddly develops into more of a red velvet taste, if you know your cakes. But that’s it. What happens next is magical! The flavour ends and the aftertaste perks up with a sugary strawberry taste. Now that shocked me. This juice is perfect if you like sweet vapes but for me it’s slightly too sugary.

ORANGE TART

So, this juice has an initial scent that, to be honest, isn’t my cup of tea. It smells of baked oranges. Although fruit scented, it doesn’t sit well with me personally. However the scent doesn’t do this e-liquid any justice at all. On the inhale you are straight away overcome by a sweet orange taste which then heightens on the exhale which really gives a juicy notion. The orange then blends in with a fresh pastry flavour. This mixture of tastes really excites the taste buds and wakes you up. It is unique and tasty. The aftertaste is a lasting ghost of the orange that remains quite sugary until the next hit.

PUKKA PUNCH

The fragrance given by Pukka Punch is very light and fruity, just enough to intrigue the curiously minded. On the inhale a taste of passionfruit is evident from the get go. The exhale delivers a mixed flavour of melon and a hint of pineapples with the still strong overtone of passion fruit. The thing that makes this juice different is the cooling that gives it a summer punch feeling. It’s a fruit-lover’s dream with a very light passion fruit aftertaste which is moreish but compared to the other juices in the range, it is not as exciting.

PUKKA HIGH

Right, this one is a mystery to me! It has a fizzy lemonade-like scent but I can’t work it out very well. I’m intrigued! The inhale gives a very soft fizzy ice effect and that carries a sweet taste. It’s like a freshly cracked can of pop. On the exhale the flavour really bursts out, it tastes so similar to Mountain Dew but the vape carries a citric sherbet-like taste with it. It has a nice blend of orange and lime tastes. The aftertaste leaves a cold fizzy sensation on the tongue and holds the same sweet flavour. This is close to one of my favourites of the Pukka range as a fan of sherbet vapes.

PUKKA JUICE PUKKA DESSERTS

All these bottles are supplied in 30ml and in 3mg of nicotine with childproof caps in high quality and no leaks.

Matata

You open the bottle and your mind thinks “Hmm grape.” Now in my opinion grape is a tricky flavour to get right. No one apart from the odd few have got it right. It’s either way too sweet or very sickly. So I wicked up my coil and dripped it right on there. Boy was I surprised! The awesome people at Twelve Monkeys, I don’t know how you’ve done it but you have surely smashed it. Finally, a grape flavour that’s not too sweet and not too sickly! To inhale it, it’s like the best grape I have ever tasted but wait there’s more, did I mention there’s apple too that was a perfect surprise; apple and grape. The exhale is an awesome sweet with a taste of sour apple and my god, it’s amazing the two flavours complement themselves perfectly to make one awesome e-juice. Like most of my reviews I’m using a mech mod with a dripper and the throat hit is perfect, just enough to satisfy my craving without overpowering the taste. If I’m completely honest, I’ve vape like half of this bottle whilst reviewing this juice because I loved it so much.

Mangabeys

First of all, the name catches my eye instantly; Mangabey. For those who are unfamiliar with this word, please allow me to enlighten you. Mangabey is a type of monkey from the tropic islands so without even opening the bottle, I knew it was going to be a tropical mix of some kind. My first thoughts were “Well that can’t be right.”

Usually, tropical mixes smell very sweet with some kind of banana but no I was wrong it was creamy mango and I was in love immediately. As soon as you vape this you get a very smooth creamy mango with a sweet pineapple taste that dances on the tip of your tongue.

The exhale is more sweet with the guava mixing in with the pineapple to make an awesome tropical vape that drifts your mind away to sunny beaches, palm trees and cheeky monkeys. But then my wick gets dry and I am back in my office and I can hear the rain pitter pattering on the window, so I sit back in my chair and drip some more and my mind wanders off to the tropical island.

This juice is amazingly smooth, creamy and sweet all at the same time, top marks once again Twelve Monkeys, sweet and creamy with a perfect amount of throat hit.

Kanzi

This juice Is a lovely mix of strawberry and watermelon that deserves much praise. The vape you inhale from this juice is just awesome! It’s very fruity and refreshing, the watermelon is predominant in there although with a perfect amount of strawberry mixed in on the inhale. The exhale, however, gives you an added fruit just a little touch of kiwi will leave your mouth watering and while your tonsils will still be buzzing from the strawberry it will leave you very satisfied. Yet again, I cannot think of a single reason why you should not buy this juice it is simply perfect in my eyes and with that being said, I will always carry a bottle in my personal stash since the throat hit is so smooth and a great flavour overall. Twelve monkeys have done it again and made a juice that is simply divine! Top marks guys, keep up the good work.

“Usually, tropical mixes smell very sweet with some kind of banana but no I was wrong it was creamy mango and I was in love immediately.”

SirVapingAlot VAPE REVIEWER SUBSCRIBE

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SCOTLAND

Scotvapes Inverness

2-4 Market Arcade, Academy Street Inverness, Highland, United Kingdom, IV1 1PG Telephone +44 146 326 2470

Vaporized 6 Broad St Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom, AB43 9AU Telephone +44 134 651 3049

The Vapour Lounge 86 Commercial St, Dundee, United Kingdom, DD1 2AP Telephone +44 138 220 4611

Emporium Vapour

11 Dalderse Ave, Falkirk, United Kingdom, FK2 7EF Telephone +44 800 612 7270

Aqua Vapour 33 Dalry Rd, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, EH11 2BA Telephone +44 131 629 0900

Dr Vapor 91 Portobello High St, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, EH15 1AW Telephone +44 131 669 1959

Bean Smoking

67 Hyndland St, Glasgow, United Kingdom, G11 5PS Telephone +44 141 334 7284

Pencig

6 Ormiston Terrace, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, EH12 7SJ Telephone +44 131 334 4604

Totally Wicked

112 Gallowgate, Glasgow, United Kingdom, G31 4EB Telephone +44 141 550 3555

Vaporeyes

335 Victoria Rd, Glasgow, United Kingdom, G42 7SA Telephone +44 141 237 9600

Vaporium Glasgow 12 Budhill Ave, Glasgow,

United Kingdom, G32 0PN Telephone +44 141 387 5939

Ecigarus

28 Quarry St, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire United Kingdom, ML3 7AR Telephone +44 169 842 0068

Barracuda Vape Unit 6, Loreburne Shopping Centre, Dumfries, United Kingdom, DG1 2BD Telephone +44 138 724 7785

NORTH WEST

The Vapour Bar 5-6 New Oxford Street Workington, Cumbria, United Kingdom, CA14 2NA Telephone +44 190 026 7373

The Vapour Corner 78 Lord St Fleetwood, Lancashire, United Kingdom, FY7 6DS Telephone +44 756 145 6592

Up In Smoke 99 Lancaster Rd Morecambe, Lancashire, United Kingdom, LA4 5QJ Telephone +44 152 442 1985

Vapepod

30 Finkle St Kendal, Cumbria, United Kingdom, LA9 4AB Telephone +44 153 973 4408

The Vapour Stop 256 Whitegate Dr, Blackpool, United Kingdom, FY3 9JW Telephone +44 125 369 9086

The Gourmet Vapor Shop 42 Harrison Street, Blackburn, United Kingdom, BB2 2JE Telephone +44 333 344 6555

Just Vapours

11 Clarendon Pl Hyde, Greater Manchester United Kingdom, SK14 2ND Telephone +44 161 964 4638

Vape Street

17 Hazel Rd Whitefield, Greater Manchester United Kingdom, M45 8EU Telephone +44 161 796 2916

Vape World 226 Ashton Rd Oldham, Greater Manchester United Kingdom, OL8 1QN Telephone +44 161 621 0088

Tutzys Piccadilly Vape Shop

14 Piccadilly, Manchester, Greater Manchester United Kingdom, M1 4AJ Telephone +44 161 236 9763

Vapour Nation 100 Gorton Road Stockport, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, SK5 6UE Telephone +44 161 442 5532

Cloud Chasers

248 Grange Rd Birkenhead, Merseyside United Kingdom, CH41 2QH Telephone +44 151 649 0283

Bulldog Vapours

282 Park Rd Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom, L8 4UE Telephone +44 151 726 9139

Vape Saloon

41 Wallgate Wigan, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, WN1 1BE Telephone +44 194 249 8206

Crystal Vapours

6 Chemical Street, Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside, United Kingdom, WA12 9AT Telephone +44 192 522 1101

EcigWorld

57 Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire East, United Kingdom, SK9 5BQ Telephone +44 162 553 9550

NORTH EAST

Healthier Smoker - Totally Wicked

6 Fowler St South Shields, Tyne and Wear

United Kingdom, NE33 1NF Telephone +44 191 427 1760

The Vape Company

2c Leazes Park Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom, NE1 4PF Telephone +44 191 261 9972

Uptons Vapourium

214-216 Chillingham Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom, NE6 5LP Telephone +44 191 265 1011

Vapour Street

194 High St E Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom, NE28 7RP Telephone +44 191 649 8416

Punkmonkey Vape

2 Tyne Terrace, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom, NE34 0NF Telephone +44 191 456 8995

Vapour Logic

2 New Market Morpeth, Northumberland, United Kingdom, NE61 1LA Telephone +44 167 050 3966

Galaxy Vape

Unit 2 Kellaw Road, Darlington, United Kingdom, DL1 4YA Telephone +44 132 546 9887

The Electric Cigarette Shop

83 Westdyke Road Redcar Cleveland, United Kingdom, TS10 2AA Telephone +44 164 296 1323

EciggyUK

86 Market Village, The Galleries, Washington, United Kingdom, NE38 7RT Telephone +44 191 417 6555

Castle Vape

3c Front St Prudhoe, Northumberland, United Kingdom, NE42 5HJ Telephone +44 1661 831580

First Floor Vaporium

10A Market Place Hexham, Northumberland, United Kingdom, NE46 1XG Telepehone +44 1434 604250

Vapour Blast

88 High St W Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom, NE28 8HY Telephone +44 7837 551187

Lunar Vape

100 Coatsworth Rd Gateshead, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom, NE8 1QP Telephone +44 191 440 2677

Smooth Vapourz

158 York Rd Hartlepool, Hartlepool, United Kingdom, TS26 9DT Telephone +44 7789 692993

YORKSHIRE

Optimum Vapes

299 Roundhay Road Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, LS8 4HT Telephone +44 113 235 0292

Richards E-Cigs

11 Upper Millergate Brad ford, West Yorkshire United Kingdom, BD1 1SX

Telephone +44 790 448 3779

Ikon Vape Lounge

11 Market Pl Batley, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, WF17 5DA Telephone +44 192 469 4240

Vapour Worx

39A High St Knaresborough, North Yorkshire United Kingdom, HG5 0HB Telephone +44 142 361 0083

Fresh Electronic Cigarettes

4 W Gate Wetherby, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, LS22 6LL Telephone +44 193 758 8410

Vape Safe 8 Stonegate York, United Kingdom, YO1 8AX Telephone +44 190 484 8488

Richmond Vape Station

5 Castle hill Richmond, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. DL10 4QP Telephone +44 7464 100993

Moorends Vape Shop

144 Marshland Rd Moorends, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom, DN8 4SU Telephone +44 1405 740293

Vapour Workz

17 Sheffield Rd Warmsworth, South Yorkshire United Kingdom, DN4 9QH Telephone +44 1302 570371

Flava Vape

5 Market St Barnsley, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom, S70 1SL Telephone +44 1226 289581

SMKD Electronic Cigarettes

The Ridings Shopping Center, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, WF1 1DS Telephone +44 1924 728100

Avid Vapers

46 Savile St Hull, Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom, HU1 3EA Telephone +44 1482 221444

The Emporium Hull

279a Hessle Road, Hull, United Kingdom, HU3 4BQ Telephone +44 1482 221883

JAC Vapour

11 Boar Ln Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, LS1 6EN Telephone +44 113 245 2509

VapeShop Leeds

229 Selby Rd Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, LS15 7HW Telephone +44 7873 617767

We Are Vapes

394 Kirkstall Rd Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, LS4 2HQ Telephone +44 7453 804247

IRELAND

The Vape Bar

57 Market St Lurgan, Craigavon, United Kingdom, BT66 6AR Telephone +44 7803 795587

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Vape and Tech

42 Market St Tandragee, Armagh United Kingdom, BT62 2BP Telephone +44 28 3898 9415

Rude Boy Vaping

4 Dufferin Ave Bangor, North Down, United Kingdom, BT20 3BU Telephone +44 28 9147 2097

Vape Hunter 748 Upper Newtownards Rd, Dundonald, Castlereagh, United Kingdom, BT16 1RJ

Total Vapour

148 Cregagh Rd Castlereagh, Castlereagh, United Kingdom, BT6 9ET Telephone +44 28 9070 5428

Northern Vape

10 North St Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom, BT1 1LA Telephone +44 799 996 6944

Ziggicig

Unit 9, Upper Main Street, Strabane Co Tyrone, United Kingdom, BT82 8AR Telephone +44 28 9560 7313

The Electric Smoke Company

26 Irish St Downpatrick, County Down, United Kingdom, BT30 6BP Telephone +44 289 756 2896

Ciggy Point

374 Upper Newtownards Rd, Belfast, United Kingdom, BT4 3EY Telephone +44 28 9543 8867

Titanic Vapour

264 Shankill Rd, Belfast, United Kingdom, BT13 2BL Telephone +44 7955 485176

iVape

27 Railway St, Strabane, United Kingdom, BT82 8EG Telephone +44 28 7138 3606

ISLE OF WIGHT

Totally Wicked

7 Market Hill Douglas, Isle Of Man, IM1 2BF Telephone +44 1624 616205

Electrovape

The Victoria Mall, Unit P, 2 Christian St, Ramsey, Isle of Man, IM8 2EN Telephone +44 7624 220993

Offshore Vapes

11 Castle Street Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2EU Telephone +44 1624 625212

WALES

Ejuice Couture

232 Victoria Rd Holyhead, Isle of Anglesey, United Kingdom, LL65 1UD Telephone +44 1407 238008

Bangor Vapes

173 High Street Bangor, Gwynedd, United Kingdom, LL57 1NU Telephone +44 7388 344650

North Wales Vapour 27 Madoc St Llandudno, Conwy, United Kingdom, LL30 2TL Telephone +44 1492 330865

Mat’s Vapour Lounge

30 Vale Rd Rhyl, Denbighshire, United Kingdom, LL18 2BU Telephone +44 1745 350274

Celtic Vapours 46 Commercial Rd, Port Talbot, Neath, Port Talbot, United Kingdom, SA13 1LG Telephone +44 1639 898220

Barracuda Vape

75 Caerphilly Road, Birchgrove, Cardiff, United Kingdom, CF14 4AE Telephone +44 29 2062 6722

Switch Xpress 236 Corporation Rd, Newport, United Kingdom, NP19 0DZ Telephone +44 1633 549342

Vapourlicious 40 Terrace Rd Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, United Kingdom, SY23 2AE Telephone +44 1970 358693

VAPE Barmouth Church St Barmouth, Gwynedd, United Kingdom, LL42 1EW Telephone +44 7400 898088

Topvape1

50 Heol Maengwyn, Machynlleth, Powys United Kingdom, SY20 8DT Telephone +44 1654 703925

Chameleon Vapes 42 Bridge St, Wrexham, United Kingdom, LL13 7HP Telephone +44 7943 609219

The Vape Escape Shop

7b Mold Rd Buckley, Flintshire, United Kingdom, CH7 2JA Telephone +44 7936 469677

Ladybird Vapours

35 Station Rd Deeside, Flintshire, United Kingdom, CH5 1SU Telephone +44 1244 810835

Beaum Vape

Unit 3 Ivor House Bridge St, Cardiff, United Kingdom, CF10 2TH Telephone +44 29 2037 2687

Vapour Queen

24 Albany Rd, Cardiff, United Kingdom, CF24 3RQ Telephone +44 7714 191102

SOUTH WEST

Betty’s Vapour Lounge & Coffee House 71 Trelowarren St, Camborne, Cornwall, United Kingdom, TR14 8AL Telephone +44 1209 711133

Ecigarus Pannier Market, Lemon Quay, Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom, TR1 2LW Telephone +44 1872 264177

Flavour Vapour

5-6 Kenwyn Street, Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom, TR1 3DJ Telephone +44 1872 225333

Coastal Haze

11 Strand, Newlyn, Cornwall, United Kingdom, TR18 5HH Telephone +44 1736 448050

Phoenix Electronic Cigarettes

4 Harliquin Centre, Paul St, Exeter, Devon United Kingdom, EX4 3TT Telephone +44 1780 764585

Hodges Vape Lounge

10 Belgrave Promenade, Wilder Rd, Ilfracombe, Devon, United Kingdom, EX34 9AS Telephone +44 1271 269655

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AMB Vapours / Totally Wicked

33 Bear Street, Barnstaple, Devon, United Kingdom, EX32 7BZ Telephone +44 1271 322999

Potion Vapour

21a Broad St, Ottery Saint Mary, Devon, United Kingdom, EX11 1BY Telephone +44 1392 580008

Vaper Trails

3 St Albans Street, Weymouth, Dorset, United Kingdom, DT4 8BZ Telephone +44 7719 890080

Vape Of Good Hope

18 Fairmile Rd, Christchurch, Dorset, United Kingdom, BH23 2LJ Telephone +44 1202 484108

Trip Hammer

6 Kings Rd E, Swanage, Dorset, United Kingdom, BH19 1ES Telephone +44 1929 421526

Juicy One of Wareham 2 South Street, Wareham, Dorset, United Kingdom, BH20 4LT Telephone +44 1929 556000

Severn Vape 79 Northgate St, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, GL1 2AG Telephone +44 1452 526062

RedJuice

Unit 7, Neptune Business Centre, Tewkesbury, Rd, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire United Kingdom, GL51 9DN Telephone +44 1242 312024

Electro Clouds Vape Co 21 High St, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, GL20 5AL Telephone +44 1684 850222

E-Cigarette Direct Unit 18a Angel Place Shopping Centre, Bridgwater, Somerset, United Kingdom, TA6 3TQ Telephone +44 1792 852843

Flavour Vapour

1 The Courtyard, 47 St James Street, Taunton, Somerset, United Kingdom, TA1 1JR Telephone +44 1823 275612

Gorilla Vapes

28 Fore St, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset United Kingdom, TA8 2EX Telephone +44 1278 781834

Exmoor Vape

56b The Avenue, Minehead, Somerset, United Kingdom, TA24 5BB Telephone +44 1643 709251

Amesbury Vapourium

22 Salisbury St, Amesbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, SP4 7HD Telephone +44 7548 933336

Hazy Trails

19a Station Rd, Tidworth, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, SP9 7NR Telephone +44 1980 258081

The Puffin Hut

18 High St, Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, SN4 7AA Telephone +44 1793 850200

Choice E-Cigs

16 Maryport St, Devizes, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, SN10 1AH Telephone +44 1380 698170

SOUTH EAST

Ecigwizard

75 High St, Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, MK16 8AB Telephone +44 1908 766396

Socialites

Midsummer Arcade, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes United Kingdom, MK9 3GB Telephone +44 845 340 3899

Oxford Vapours

142b London Rd, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, OX3 9ED Telephone +44 1865 751666

Carmichael’s Vaping

11 Swan Walk, Thame, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, OX9 3HN Telephone +44 1844 216551

Evapo

198 Terminus Rd, Eastbourne, East Sussex United Kingdom, BN21 3BB Telephone +44 7388 995053

Ejuiceology

14 Queens Road, Hastings, East Sussex, United Kingdom, TN34 1QY Telephone +44 1424 547085

ESAUCE

1 Heath Buildings, High Street, Oxshott, Leatherhead, Surrey United Kingdom, KT22 0JP Telephone +44 1372 849789

Coffee and Clouds

Vape Shop

5c High St, Caterham, Surrey, United Kingdom, CR3 5UE Telephone +44 7955 585740

Cheeky Smoke

4 Coronation Buildings, Ham Road, Worthing, West Sussex, United Kingdom, BN11 2NN Telephone +44 7500 015475

IdealVape

249 London Rd, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, United Kingdom, RH15 9QU Telephone +44 1444 628758

Every Cloud Vape Shop

105a Commercial Rd, Portsmouth, United Kingdom, PO1 1BQ Telephone +44 2392 815342

There’s No Place Like Ohm

7 Northern Buildings, Northern Rd, Portsmouth, United Kingdom, PO6 3DL Telephone +44 7940 057485

Lucid

111 East St, Southampton, United Kingdom, SO14 3HD Telephone +44 2380 636636

Totally Wicked

127e Above Bar St, Southampton, United Kingdom, SO14 7FN Telephone +44 2381 781020

Anglo Vapour

42 Market St, Eastleigh, Hampshire, United Kingdom, SO50 5RA Telephone +44 2380 615692

Cloud Vapers

Unit 20, Regent Trade Park, Barwell Lane, Gosport, Hampshire United Kingdom, PO13 0EQ Telephone +44 1329 283552

Steampunk Vape Lounge

18 St Thomas’ Square, Newport, Isle of Wight United Kingdom, PO30 1SN Telephone +44 757 250 0135

The Vapour Room

18 St. Thomas square Newport Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, PO30 1SG Telephone +44 1983 716110

Solvape

48A High St, Gillingham, Medway, United Kingdom, ME7 1AZ Telephone +44 1634 855736

101 Vape

34 High St, Gravesend, Kent, United Kingdom, DA11 0AZ Telephone +44 1474 878906

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No. 1 Ejuice

50 Guildhall St N, Folkestone, Kent, United Kingdom, CT20 1EE Telephone +44 1303 259333

Premium Vapes

72 Northgate, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom, CT1 1BB Telephone +44 1227 780544

WEST MIDLANDS

The Vaper Expo Shop UK 8 Alexandra Road, Halesowen, Birmingham, B63 4DJ Telephone +44 7425 687458

Switch Xpress

58 High St, Bristol, United Kingdom, BS11 0DJ Telephone +44 117 336 1278

VapeClass

384 Filton Ave Bristol, City of Bristol, United Kingdom, BS7 0BE Telephone +44 117 904 9752

The Vapour Hut

70 Regent St Bristol, City of Bristol, United Kingdom, BS15 8JA Telephone +44 117 961 5522

The Vapour Place 86 West Street Bristol, City of Bristol, United Kingdom, BS3 3LL Telephone +44 117 939 8665

E-Vapor 58 Union St Bristol, City of Bristol, United Kingdom, BS1 2DL Telephone +44 7473 731198

Black Country Plume 118 Walsall Street Wednesbury, United Kingdom, WS10 9BY Telephone +44 121 448 7245

White Mist Vapours 9 Kings Rd Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, United Kingdom, B73 5AB Telephone +44 121 439 1717

Vapes R Us

125 Graingers Ln Cradley Heath, West Midlands United Kingdom, B64 6AH Telephone +44 1384 910844

UltraVapour

68 Long Ln Halesowen, West Midlands, United Kingdom, B62 9LS Telephone +44 121 293 5786

Grey Haze

163a High St Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom, B12 0LD Telephone +44 121 306 9296

Vape Shack

1a Shirley Rd Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom, B27 7XU Telephone +44 121 792 9004

Clowdz Coventry

3 City Arcade Coventry, West Midlands, United Kingdom, CV1 1DG Telephone +44 24 7622 5515

Sky Blue Vape Lounge

274 Walsgrave Rd Coventry, West Midlands, United Kingdom, CV2 4BL Telephone +44 24 7644 0055

Warwick Vapes - Vape & Coffee Shop

13C Smith St Warwick, Warwickshire, United Kingdom, CV34 4JA Telephone +44 1926 257390

VapeHQ

41A The Tything Worcester, Worcestershire, United Kingdom, WR1 1JT Telephone +44 1905 25565

Turtle Vapes

80 Edinburgh Place, Cheltenham, United Kingdom, GL51 7SE Telephone +44 1242 702484

EAST MIDLANDS

Vapouround Vape Lounge 3 Market Place, Derby, DE1 3PW

Vapouround Vape Lounge @ Delboys 35 Roosevelt Ave, Derby, DE21 6JR

Vapouround Vape Lounge Unit 2, 4 Croft Road, Arnold, Nottinghamshire, NG5 7DX

Vapouround Vape Shop 4A Market Street, Draycott, Derbyshire, D372 3NB

The E-Cig Shop

26 Chesterfield Rd, Staveley, Chesterfield, United Kingdom, S43 3QF Telephone +44 1246 472295

The Vapourist

Brimington Rd N Chesterfield, Derbyshire, United Kingdom, S41 9AP Telephone +44 800 195 0077

888 Vapour

17 Sheep Market Spalding, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, PE11 1BE Telephone +44 1775 720205

Phoenix Electronic Cigarettes

18 Maiden Ln Stamford, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, PE9 2AZ Telephone +44 1780 764585

Vapers Place

38 Elizabeth St Corby, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom, NN17 1PN Telephone +44 1536 269622

Audacious Vapes

1 Piccadilly Buildings, Sheep Street, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN16 0AN Telephone +44 1536 628070

Electro Mist

7 The Parade Northampton, United Kingdom, NN1 2EA Telephone +44 7497 593231

Right Vape

88 Kingsley Park Terrace Northampton, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom, NN2 7HJ Telephone +44 1604 313789

VapeWorks

13 & 14 Market Street Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom, LE11 3EP Telephone +44 1509 231457

NGVape

2-4 West End Arcade Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, NG1 6JP Telephone +44 115 998 5582

E Liquid Paradise 47 Bramble Dr Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, DE22 3AF Telephone +44 115 998 0847

Vape-X

162 Nottingham Rd Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, NG16 3GG Telephone +44 1773 687201

Eco-Vape

82a Seacroft Rd Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, LN2 2DR Telephone +44 1507 477268

888 Vapour

3 Lincoln Rd Sleaford, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, NG34 8AB Telephone +44 1529 307045

Vapors Mansfield

19a Ratcliffe Gate, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom, NG18 2JA Telephone +44 1623 237577

VapeHQ

6 The Forum North Hykeham, Lincolnshire United Kingdom, LN6 8HW Telephone +44 1522 687427

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Liberty Flights

23 Cornmarket Derby, Derby, United Kingdom, DE1 1QH Telephone +44 1332 297052

Vapourbay 74 Outram St Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, NG17 4FS Telephone +44 1623 555750

The Vape Cave 33 Queen St Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, LN8 3EN Telephone +44 7821 794095

Vaping Worx 25-27 Mercer Row Louth, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, LN11 9JG Telephone +44 1507 604350

EAST ANGLIA

Peterborough Vape Lounge 5 Wentworth Street, Peterborough, United Kingdom, PE1 1DH Telephone +44 1780 764585

Another Vape Shop 69 Ledbury Rd Peterborough, United Kingdom, PE3 9RF Telephone +44 7745 631959

Make My Vape 21 George St Luton, Luton, United Kingdom, LU1 2AF Telephone +44 1582 722223

The Vape Guru 32-34 Queensway Stevenage, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, SG1 1BS Telephone +44 7570 254629

Liberro Electronic Cigarettes

14A High St Buntingford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, SG9 9AG Telephone +44 800 111 4753

Vape and Juice 71 High Street Southend-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom, SS1 1HZ Telephone +44 1702 339 536

Vapeology Lounge 41 Ness Rd, Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom, SS3 9DB Telephone +44 1702 625581

Urban Vapor 259 Broomfield Rd Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom, CM1 4DP Telephone +44 1245 255477

The Vape Hut

63 High St Maldon, Essex, United Kingdom, CM9 5EP Telephone +44 7969 759965

Sheppards - Tobacconists and Vape Specialists

15 Eld Ln Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom, CO1 1LS Telephone +44 1206 578201

The Vaping Emporium

10 Northgate St Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom, IP1 3BZ Telephone +44 1473 871380

Vvapour 8 Hall Rd Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom, NR1 3HQ Telephone +44 1603 948957

The Alchemists Cupboard

12 Charles Watling Way Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom, NR5 9JH Telephone +44 1603 396906

Huff n Puff

47 Regent Rd Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, United Kingdom, NR30 2AL Telephone +44 7802 693425

Total E-Cig Vape Shop & Cafe 125 High St Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, United Kingdom, NR31 6RE Telephone +44 1502 588788

LONDON

Vapouround Vape Shop 56-57 Barking Road, Canning Town, London, E16 4HB

Vape and Volts 30 Chalk Farm Rd, London, United Kingdom, NW1 8AH Telephone +44 2037 583777

D-VAPE SHOP 142 Southwark St, London, United Kingdom, SE1 0SW Telephone +44 7778 727800

Vape Superstore 51 Rupert St, London, United Kingdom, W1D 7PG Telephone +44 2072 874524

Smokin Sin 21 Borough High St, London, United Kingdom, SE1 9SE Telephone +44 7752 505544

UK ECIG STORE 30-32 Fleet St, London, United Kingdom, EC4Y 1BW Telephone +44 2034 754885

VapeHut UK 35 Oxford St, London, United Kingdom, W1D 2DT Telephone +44 7771 557799

Le-Vap 196 Edgware Rd, London, United Kingdom, W2 2DS Telephone +44 7435 094979

Noble Vaping 36 Great Eastern St, London, United Kingdom, EC2A 3ES Telephone +44 2034 870612

Vapester 34 New House, 67-68 Hatton Garden, London, United Kingdom, EC1N 8JY Telephone +44 3030 311020

Vapourcore 274 Old Brompton Rd, London, United Kingdom, SW5 9HR Telephone +44 3333 052822

Tower Vape Shop 111 Abbey St, London, United Kingdom, SE1 3NP Telephone +44 2072 376343

EzCloudz

17-19 Stockwell Rd, London, United Kingdom, SW9 9AU Telephone +44 2077 337641

Peckham Vape 80a Rye Ln, London, United Kingdom, SE15 4RY Telephone +44 7577 580171

House of Vapes 494 Fulham Rd, London, United Kingdom, SW6 5NH Telephone +44 2073 865049

Otherside

261 Portobello Rd, London, United Kingdom, W11 1LR Telephone +44 7802 335476

Hyde Vapes 53 Queensway, London, United Kingdom, W2 4QH Telephone +44 2035 385858

Vapor Works

167 Stoke Newington Rd, London, United Kingdom, N16 8BP Telephone +44 2079 231016

Vape Emporium 87 Heath St, London, United Kingdom, NW3 6UG Telephone +44 2076 937279

CS Vaporizers 9b Perry Vale, London, United Kingdom, SE23 2NE Telephone +44 7399 491451

Vape Shop London 108 Charing Cross Rd, London, United Kingdom, WC2H 0JN Telephone +44 2072 403513

F&S Electronic Cigarettes 114 Newgate St, London, United Kingdom, EC1A 7AE Telephone +44 7592 927485

The Global Vape Store Directory.