Issue 25

UK RESELLERS WELCOME

But our industry is not to blame. Drug peddlers unleashing fatal, black market products onto the market are to blame.

As we report elsewhere in this issue, Professor Michael Siegel from Boston University, said of the current health scare: “The majority of the observed cases are associated with the use of THC oils that were obtained from unlicensed sellers.”

What a mess we are now in. The hysteria, the media scare stories and the flavour bans will force vape businesses to close, turn current vapers back to smokers and see an unregulated black market of untested vape flavours spring up and flourish.

This magazine is dominated by these stories and I urge each and every one of you to read them all, encourage your friends to do so and take acton to save our industry.

We need to fight this madness now, while we still have an industry left to fight for.

Patrick Griffin. Editor - Vapouround.

Patrick Griffin - Editor editor@vapouround.co.uk

VAPOUROUND

Short Fills

Massachusetts vape latest Trump flavour ban outrage

Bloomberg: $160m to combat vaping

US vape-linked deaths Michigan and New York flavour bans

JUUL CEO resigns

UK vape numbers reach record high Thai government says vaping causes cancer

Vaping Entrepreneur Diary of a Vaper Cover story with Vampire Vape Ask the Scientist Victor Mullin Column It’s not easy being green

Stoptober: Give Quitting A Go Vaper Expo preview

What Together We Are Vape is about Ten ways to stand up for vaping US vaping panic

Voices of reason

Stories from the front line

US advocate spotlight: Keith Fairman US lung injuries - what we know

US advocate spotlight: Kara Tibbetts India vape ban helps tobacco sales Do scare tactics help or hinder?

Vapouround MD on US vape bans

A huge mountain to climb

Stop the (bad) Press!

Seven things only vapers understand New Jersey considers nuclear option

Quiz

SHORT FILLS

CANADA: “REGULATE E-CIGS LIKE TOBACCO”

Health bodies are calling on the Canadian government to regulate vape products in the same way as tobacco to prevent “a torrent of addiction amongst young people.”

The call comes as it emerged that there have been four cases of people being treated in hospital for respiratory conditions with “probable or possible” links to vaping. Several provinces have made lung illnesses notifiable conditions that require hospitals to report cases to provincial or national health authorities.

Dr. Andrew Pipe, a smoking cessation physician in Ottawa, said: “We’ve just unleashed a torrent of addiction amongst young people in Canada through our thoughtless disregard of the need for effective regulation of these products.”

He supports calls for vaping products to be given the same advertising and flavour restrictions as tobacco.

BAT TO FOCUS ON VAPING

British American Tobacco (BAT) will cut 2,300 jobs by 2020 as it moves its focus to non-tobacco products.

Chief Executive, Jack Bowles said he wanted to make BAT “a stronger, simpler and faster organisation” that was ready for a future where people moved away from cigarettes.

He added: “My goal is to oversee a step change in New Category growth and significantly simplify our current ways of working and business processes.” The company’s New Category arm includes vaping, heated tobacco and oral tobacco products.

BAT said it planned to cut 2,300 jobs globally in a move which would see 20 percent of the senior roles within the organisation affected.

CLAMPDOWN ON VAPING: TURKEY AND NZ

Turkey wants to ban sales of e-cigarettes and prevent them from entering the country, Health Minister Faruk Koca has announced.

Turkish news site Diken reported that the Minister is currently working on the legal framework for the ban which would soon be brought before parliament.

The country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has previously branded e-cigarettes as “bizarre and addictive.”

Meanwhile New Zealand is considering banning all flavoured e-liquids, allowing only the sale of tobacco, menthol and mint varieties.

Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa said the ban is part of new vaping legislation to be introduced to Parliament soon. New advertising restrictions, both online and offline, are also being proposed to prevent vape stores from offering discounts or promotions.

ARMY VAPE BAN

Teenage recruits will be banned from smoking or vaping during their basic training at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

The smoking ban was imposed last month and it will be extended to include vaping next year in a bid to “develop recruits’ health and fitness.”

Commanding officer Lt Col Richard Hall said it was unacceptable that “most recruits don’t smoke on arrival, yet most do by graduation.”

He said: “I hope that this will discourage smoking amongst new recruits and reverse the recent trend we’ve seen in recruits taking up the habit.”

The college trains recruits aged between 16 and 17 with several hundred junior soldiers being trained at the facility each year.

SMOKING BAN “TRANSFORMED BRITISH PUBS”

When the smoking ban was introduced to pubs in England 12 years ago, critics said it would kill off the traditional British boozer.

However the latest edition of the Good Pub Guide has praised the ban for the transformational effect it has had on the industry.

It says: “Bars full of fug and male chat quickly became a thing of the past.”

Editor Fiona Stapley, said: “Pubs were transformed from smoky and grimy domains of beer-swilling men, serving only scampi and chips, to being family and female friendly, serving excellent wines, craft gins and truly delicious home-cooked food.”

VAPING SAVES LIVES

Protesters gathered outside Spain’s Health Ministry in Madrid to voice their concern about the country’s latest anti-tobacco campaign.

They accuse the government of putting lives at risk by failing to make the distinction between smoking and vaping. Demonstrators said medical officials were “misleading society by equating electronic cigarettes with tobacco” and they chanted slogans including “Vaping saves lives” and “Healthcare, tell the truth,” at the demo last month.

The new government campaign encourages Spaniards to quit smoking and vaping which, it says, are ‘the main preventable public health problems in developed countries.’

$20M VAPE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

California governor Gavin Newsom has earmarked $20m for a public awareness campaign warning about the dangers of illegal vape products.

He also wants new warnings on vape products and accessories to highlight “the hazards of vaping” with similar warnings displayed in vape retail outlets.

Newsom said: “We’ve seen a skyrocket increase in the use of these flavored products by our children. As a father of four, this has been an issue that’s been brought to the forefront of my consciousness.”

The Vaping Technology Association said it supported preventing youth access to e-cigarettes but warned that “legal and responsible vape small business owners” must be allowed to serve the adult vape market.

JUUL SALES BLOW

Sales of Juul products have been abruptly halted in China…just days after the US-based company entered the world’s biggest tobacco market.

It is unclear exactly why the Juul pods and refills are no longer on sale and Chinese websites JD.com and Alibaba’s Tmall have not offered any explanation for the move.

A spokesperson for Juul Labs said: “While JUUL products are not currently available on e-commerce websites in China, we look forward to continued dialogue with stakeholders so that we can make our products available again.”

The company has been aggressively expanding into international markets and no date has been given when Juul sales could resume in China.

VAPE WARS IN MASSACHUSETTS AS STORE OWNERS FIGHT FOUR MONTH SALES BAN

Words : Patrick Griffin

Massachusetts has banned the sales of all e-cigarettes and related products, both those used for tobacco and marijuana, which is legal in the state, because of a “national public health emergency.”

However a lawsuit filed on behalf of a number of vape businesses affected by the ban says it undermines the Food and Drug Administration’s assessment that Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) products and e-liquids are safe to use and distribute.

Attorney Craig O’Rourke, who is representing the shop owners, said: “People are worried they will not be able to cover rent, wages and other expenses. This ban is going to put them out of business. It’s a death sentence. They’re trying to figure out what to tell their families and their employees.

“The declaration was arbitrary and capricious and enforcement of the ban denied my clients and other shop owners notice and opportunity - both

Legal challenge launched as shop owners forced out of business say the ban is a misuse of state authority

fundamental due process rights guaranteed to all Americans.”

Announcing the vape ban, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said: “We will temporarily pause all sales of vaping products so that we can work with our medical experts to identify what is making people sick and how to better regulate these products to protect the health of our residents.”

One of the plaintiffs Behram Agha, 40, from Weymouth, Mass., said his four vape shops have been shut down because of the ban leaving his 11 employees unpaid. He said he will run up $72,000 in operating expenses during the shutdown during which time he will have no income from the businesses.

Vape shop owners estimate that they are losing around $4,000 to $5,000 per week for each store that is closed.

Baker said he stood by the ban and said he was prepared for the legal challenge adding: “Obviously people have the ability to go to court if they wish to and we’ll continue to make our case associated with the public health issue on this.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

is currently investigating a spate of unexplained lung illnesses throughout the country in which 18 people have died and a further 1,080 have been injured.

Meanwhile Washington Governor Jay Inslee has called for the state to impose an emergency ban on all flavoured vaping products, including those that contain nicotine and THC.

The state’s board of health was due to meet on October 9 to discuss the ban which Inslee sees as the first step towards more stringent regulation. Inslee said: “I wanted to go further than this, but I followed our existing statutory authority. We aren’t done in this discussion. What I’m doing with this executive order is a floor, not a ceiling.”

Matthew Myers, president of the advocacy group Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, supported the move saying: “The time is now to end the youth e-cigarette epidemic, and Gov. Inslee’s call for prohibiting flavoured e-cigarettes is exactly what we need.

“The recent spate of serious lung illnesses associated with e-cigarette use has added to the urgency of acting now to protect our kids and, indeed, the health of all Americans.”

Vape store owners will be put out of business and they are trying to figure out what to tell their families and employees.”

OUTRAGE AT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S “MISGUIDED” VAPE FLAVOUR BAN PLAN

Banning flavours would be a “public health travesty” and petition calls for Trump to think again

Words : Patrick Griffin

US President Donald Trump has caused widespread anger in the vaping community by moving to ban flavoured e-cigarettes because of the - totally unrelated - THC vape death crisis.

By apparently confusing one vaping issue with another, the Trump administration could decimate the American vape industry by imposing such a rash measure.

It has been estimated that a federal flavour ban could shut down 10,000 small businesses, put tens of thousands of Americans out of work and cause millions of adult vapers to return to smoking.

Flavour bans, age restrictions and other curbs on the sale of e-cigarettes have, up until now, been proposed to deal with the socalled ‘teen vaping epidemic’ in the US.

However - announcing the new crackdown on vape flavoursPresident Trump said: “We can’t allow people to get sick and we can’t have our youth be so affected. People are dying from vaping, so we’re looking at it very closely.”

It is this statement which has made the vaping community incandescent with rage because it totally misses the point that the recent spate of hospitalisations and deaths in the US have not been caused by people using legal vape products.

The deaths are apparently related to people vaping illegal THC cartridges which have been obtained on the black market and have nothing to do with the flavours used in commercial e-cigarettes.

Mike Hogan, from the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association said: “It’s like having salmonella in Romaine lettuce and calling to ban peanut butter. It is literally public health malpractice.”

The Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association - TVECA - said hundreds of millions of vape products had been sold worldwide in the past 11 years without “a single incidence of harm when used as intended.”

It said that as well as traditional e-cigarettes there were CBD vaping products, aromatherapy vaping products and THC vaping products and that lumping everything together as ‘vape products’ was harmful and misleading.

The TVECA said: “In talking with the industry’s largest e-Vapor insurance company, not a single claim has been filed in regard to harm done by any nicotine e-Vapor product.

“All issues of harm have come from bootleg THC products…if e-Vapor products are harmful or dangerous why are there not similar concerns being raised in the EU and other countries where nicotine e-Vapor products are sold?”

A petition on the ‘We the People” website to stop The President signing the federal flavour ban was quick to receive the required 100,000 signature goal to get a response from the White House.

It said: “Vaping has saved millions of lives with flavors being one of the major reasons [for this]. Legal vape products that have been regulated are 95 percent safer than traditional cigarettes. Bans and

prohibition has never worked, whether it is with cannabis or alcohol or

Vape advocates believe that not only would a federal flavour ban put vape stores out of business but it would play into the hands of Big Tobacco which could most easily survive and prosper in a vape industry where only tobacco and menthol flavours were allowed.

The Vapor Technology Association (VTA) described Trump’s proposed ban as “misguided” and described flavoured vaping products as “one of the most effective smoking cessation tools on the market.”

The VTA said: “There has been no indication that industry standard nicotine-containing vapor products are to blame for recent cases of lung illness. In fact, FDA investigators found that cannabis or THC products were likely the cause.

“Banning flavors would be a public health travesty. More than two million Americans have died from cigarette smoking-related illnesses over the last five years. If a federal flavor ban is enacted, more than 10 million adults will be forced to choose between smoking again or finding what they want and need on the black market.

“We urge this administration to change course before millions of Americans are forced to switch back to deadly cigarettes, small businesses around the country are forced to close their doors, and tens of thousands of people are laid off.”

VPZ, the UK’s largest retailer of vaping products, said the US needs a stricter testing and regulatory framework for its e-cigarette

industry but not a blanket flavour ban.

Doug Mutter, compliance director at VPZ, said: “The plans announced by President Trump do not make any sense. There is no strict testing and regulation landscape in the US, and this has led to a prevalence of inferior and home-made products that don’t meet minimum safety standards.”

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that flavoured vape products - including mint and menthol productscould be fast-tracked for pre-market reviews “within weeks.”

He said: “The Trump Administration is making it clear that we intend to clear the market of flavoured e-cigarettes to reverse the deeply concerning epidemic of youth e-cigarette use that is impacting children, families, schools and communities.”

“If a federal flavour ban is enacted, more than 10 million adults must choose between smoking again or finding what they need on the black market.”

drugs.”

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG TO SPEND $160M TO ‘END YOUTH E-CIGARETTE EPIDEMIC’

Three

year campaign has big name support and calls for nationwide flavour ban.

Just 24 hours before President Trump announced his flavour ban proposal, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged to spend $160 million to help “end the youth e-cigarette epidemic.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies will spend the money on a multi-pronged assault on the vape industry.

It will push for a nationwide vape flavour ban (assuming the President doesn’t get there first) and lobby for the FDA to take an even more aggressive approach to reviewing vape products and imposing standards on e-cigarettes.

The organisation will also actively support local and state governments in fighting any industry opposition or lawsuits for supporting e-cigarette bans.

It said it was responding to the “alarming levels of e-cigarette use among youth in the United States” which has seen “a 78 percent increase among high school students in just one year.”

The official announcement also referenced the current lung illness crisis saying that the initiative was launching on the heels of “33 states investigating more than 450 cases of lung illnesses associated with vaping, many of which involve teens and young adults.”

Just like President Trump’s announcement the following day, it fails to make any distinction between the vaping of illegal bootleg THC products and the regulated e-cigarette market.

The initiative’s goals include protecting kids, banning all flavoured e-cigarettes and stopping Juul and other e-cigarette companies from marketing their products to children.

It said: “E-cigarettes are uniquely dangerous for kids due to nicotine’s

highly addictive properties and its impact on their developing brains: adolescent exposure to nicotine can reduce attention, learning and memory. There is also substantial evidence that e-cigarette use increases the risk of using combustible tobacco cigarettes among youth and young adults.”

The three-year program will be led by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which will partner with other leading organisations including parent and community groups concerned about the nation’s kids and health.

Bloomberg Philanthropies said: “More than 3.6 million middle and high school students in the United States use e-cigarettes, accounting for about one-third of all U.S. e-cigarette users.

“E-cigarettes with kid-friendly flavors such as mint, mango, gummy bear and cotton candy are fuelling this epidemic; 97 percent of kids who use e-cigarettes use the flavoured varieties, and 70 percent report the flavors as the reason they use e-cigarettes. Teen smoking rates in the United States declined by more than 70 percent between 2000 and 2018, but the spike in e-cigarette use among youth threatens to undo a generation’s worth of progress.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies Founder Michael Bloomberg said: “E-cigarette companies and the tobacco companies that back them are preying on America’s youth. They are using the same marketing tactics that once lured kids to cigarettes, and the result is an epidemic that is spiralling out of control and putting kids in danger of addiction and serious health problems.

“The federal government has the responsibility to protect children from harm, but it has failed – so the rest of us are taking action. I look

American Academy of Pediatrics President Kyle Yasuda said e-cigarettes posed a “severe threat” to children and adolescents and described them as being responsible for a “public health epidemic” where e-cigarettes were “enticing children with appealing flavors and, in the absence of meaningful federal regulation, causing serious and fatal injury. “

Bloomberg Philanthropies also wants a ban for online e-cigarette sales until a way is found to prevent children from accessing them online. It accused online retailers of failing to put enough protection in place to stop children buying e-cigarettes via the internet.

HOW US “VAPE LUNG” CRISIS UNFOLDED

Words: Patrick Griffin

The first reports of people being taken to hospital with vape-related lung illnesses came to light in August.

Around 22 people were admitted to hospital with severe breathing problems in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Vaping appeared to be a common factor but doctors could not pinpoint the exact cause of the illnesses.

Many of the patients were young and the vaping of both nicotine e-cigarettes and illegal THC cartridges were reported.

Similar cases were reported in New York and California where there were seven cases of people reporting pneumonia-like symptoms after vaping. All seven of the California patients had recently vaped THC and CBD oil cartridges obtained from unlicensed retailers.

After 11 patients reported vape-linked pulmonary illness in New York, medical investigators identified Vitamin E acetate as a potential cause of the illnesses.

Boston University professor of public health Michael Siegel told USA Today: “It is really starting to look like this is a cannabis vaping issue and that it may not have anything to do with e-cigarettes.”

Within just a matter of weeks more than 350 “vape lung” cases had been reported in the USA and by now there had been a number of deaths reported, albeit in single figure numbers.

It looked like the reported deaths were the result of people vaping cannabis products and the spotlight was starting to shine on black market THC vape cartridges.

Officials in Oregon linked one of the deaths to a vape cartridge bought from a licensed dispensary. Paediatrician Dr Ann Thomas, head of Oregon’s incident management team, said: “At this point, we don’t really know what is safe.”

By early September, the US CDC-confirmed death toll from vaping had climbed to five and each case, symptoms mirrored serious respiratory diseases like pneumonia.

On September 9, the American Medical Association warned Americans against using any kind of vaping device or e-cigarette.

A day later the death toll rose to six when a patient from Kansas aged over 50 and with a history of health issues, died from an an unknown respiratory illness linked to vaping.

Shortly afterwards a high school student from Texas died after reportedly using a vape device containing cannabis and by now there were around 450 vape lung cases reported.

At the time of writing there had been 1,080 cases and 18 deaths but still no official cause of the vape lung incidents. Only time will tell what long-term impact this will have on the US vaping industry.

“It is really starting to look like this is a cannabis vaping issue and that it may not have anything to do with e-cigarettes.”

VAPE SHOP OWNERS FACE JAIL FOR SELLING FLAVOURED E-LIQUIDS IN MICHIGAN CRACKDOWN

Warning that the move will force thousands of vapers back to smoking as vape shops go out of business.

Words: Gordon Stribling

Michigan’s emergency flavour ban will force businesses to file for bankruptcy and thousands of vapers to return to smoking, one vape shop owner said in a moving testimony.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s state flavour ban was announced on September 6 and could already be in place by the time this issue is published. Flouting the ban could mean fines or prison terms of up to six months.

Marc Slis, owner of 906 Vapor in Houghton, travelled 500 miles to speak at the September 12 hearing called by the House Committee on Oversight.

The 55-year-old scientist explained that he finally quit within 20 minutes of entering the shop he now owns after being a smoker for 30 years.

Slis said: “A 19-year-old kid with a high school education did what nobody else could do, what government couldn’t do, what the medical community couldn’t do in 30 years – get me to quit smoking.

“Flavours are absolutely necessary and are the key to quitting smoking. If flavours are banned, I will immediately go out of business and file for bankruptcy. I think my experience will be mirrored across this state. You won’t just be banning flavours; you’ll be banning a life-saving industry.

“Everybody who’s currently trying to quit will be forced back to smoking. The other methods have a 93 percent failure rate. That’s unforgivable. My customers enjoy an 80-90 percent success rate.”

The hearing also featured testimony from Charles Archambeau, Michigan native and European, Russian and African director of sales at Chubby Gorilla.

Archambeau said: “Jumping to a ban is a knee-jerk reaction. We’re going to lead the nation right off a cliff and lead people right back to cigarettes.”

The emergency flavour ban is due to last at least six months and penalties include fines of up to $200 and/or six months in jail per item.

COURT HALTS NEW YORK FLAVOUR BAN

Judges in Albany have temporarily halted a proposed ban on vape flavours in New York state. Vape retailers in New York had been given two weeks to remove all flavoured products from their shelves after an emergency ban was imposed by public health officials.

Only tobacco and menthol flavours would have been allowed under the move designed to curb youth vaping.

A full hearing is due to take place this month (October) to determine whether the flavour ban can be imposed.

Tony Abboud from the Vapor Technology Association said: “We are very pleased with the New York State Appellate Division’s decision, which acknowledges the strength of our claims about the State’s executive overreach.”

Health commissioner Howard Zucker said: “This decision will not deter us from using every tool at our disposal to address this crisis.”

JUUL CEO STEPS DOWN AND COMPANY STOPS ALL ADVERTISING

Altria exec now at the helm

Words: Gordon Stribling

JUUL CEO Kevin Burns has left the company following many months of scrutiny and the recent spate of deaths linked to ‘vaping.’

Burns was replaced by K.C. Crosthwaite of tobacco giant Altria which owns a 35 percent stake in the embattled company.

Crosthwaite was pivotal in PMI gaining the market authorisation for their IQOS heat-notburn device to be sold in the US.

His experience may prove vital as JUUL navigates the PMTA process ahead of the 2020 compliance deadline.

Crosthwaite said:

“I have long-believed in a future where adult smokers overwhelmingly choose alternative products like JUUL.

“Unfortunately, today that future is at risk due to unacceptable levels of youth usage and eroding public confidence in our industry.

“Against that backdrop, we must strive to work with regulators, policymakers and other stakeholders, and earn the trust of the societies in which we operate.”

Burns said it had been “an honour” to work at JUUL and describes the company’s mission of eliminating combustible cigarettes as “vitally important.”

He said: “I am very proud of my team’s efforts to lead the industry toward much needed categorywide action to tackle underage usage of these products, which are intended for adult smokers only.”

Last month, Burns expressed his concern about the recent spate of lung illnesses but said that the company would ‘take very swift action’ if there was any evidence that JUUL products were to blame.

Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating whether JUUL used social media influencers to appeal to youth. An FDA investigation will cover the company’s marketing practices and the high nicotine content of JUUL pods.

JUUL has taken significant steps to improve its image and appease the FDA over the past year.

Kevin Burns

JUUL also announced that it will be suspending all TV, print and online ads and reducing its lobbying efforts.

Only mint, tobacco and menthol flavours are available in brick-and-mortar stores, with a limited number of sweet flavours available online via an age-verification system.

UK VAPE NUMBERS REACH RECORD HIGH

We now have 3.6 million vapers and half of those have given up smoking completely.

Words: Patrick Griffin

The number of people vaping in the UK stands at an all-time high of 3.6 million, according to new figures from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH.)

The UK vaping community has increased by 12.5 percent in the last 12 months and vapers currently make up 7.1 percent of Britain’s population.

This number of UK vapers is now around half of the number of smokers and the majority of e-cigarette users are also former tobacco users.

ASH has been monitoring vaping trends since 2012 and has confirmed something that has been widely known within the industry for years…the main reason for smokers using e-cigarettes is to give up tobacco.

Ann McNeill, Professor of Tobacco Addiction at King’s College London, said: “The ASH Smokefree GB survey is the longest -running survey of e-cigarette use, providing the most up-to-date evidence available on how vaping is evolving in Britain.

“More than half of current vapers are ex-smokers compared with only a third in 2014. However, it’s important that all vapers stop smoking completely, as otherwise they are still exposing themselves to the serious risks of disease and disability caused by smoking.

“Vaping isn’t risk free, but it’s much less risky than smoking, which kills nearly 100,000 people a year in the UK.”

The ASH survey data shows that the number of vapers in the UK has increased from 700,000 in 2012 to 3.6 million in 2019 - and of these:

•54 percent have given up smoking •40 percent both smoke and vape while •6 percent have never smoked

Another interesting statistic from the UK data is that there is no teen vaping epidemic over here. E-cigarettes are most popular among 35 to 44-year-olds, followed by 45 to 54-year-olds but the lowest rates of use are among those aged 18 to 24.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Ash, said: “Although e-cigarettes are now the most popular quitting aid, our survey finds that in 2019 over a third of smokers have still never tried vaping.

“As Stoptober kicks off, we’d encourage smokers who haven’t done so yet, to give vaping a try.

“E-cigarettes have been shown to be a very effective aid for smokers trying to quit, either on their own or with help from stop smoking services.”

THAI GOVERNMENT CLAIMS THAT VAPING CAUSES CANCER

Meanwhile a ban on home smoking comes into force

Words: Gordon Stribling

Thailand’s Department of Disease Control has issued a press release stating that the nicotine in e-cigarettes is a direct cause of cancer.

The statement said that the high levels of nicotine in e-cigarettes ‘negatively affects the brain and nervous system’, weakens the immune system and eventually ‘causes the cells in the body to grow abnormally until finally becoming cancer.’

The statement read:

“Department of Disease Control therefore wishes to inform the public about the dangers of nicotine addiction in electric cigarettes.

“Do not fall for or fall victim to a new type of tobacco product. Especially electric cigarettes which are addictive products and destroy the health of smokers and people around them.”

Two days after the press release was issued, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared that he would not relax the rules around the use of tobacco alternatives.

Gen Prayut noted that tobacco companies were lobbying for blackmarket, non-combustible tobacco products to be legalised because of their ‘substantial value.’

He said:

“Making decisions on this matter, the government cannot simply consider the economic impact. E-cigarettes will also impact people’s health and [create] an extra burden on health-care.”

Philip Morris International (PMI) has been pushing the government to reverse the ban on e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn products that’s been in effect since 2014.

Meanwhile, smokers who light up at home could face a prison sentence after a new law equating smoking with domestic

violence came into effect. While not outright illegal, smokers can be prosecuted if it can be proven that health or family problems were directly linked to second or third-hand smoke in the home.

At a tobacco and lung health conference earlier this year, Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development chief Lertpanya Booranabundit said: “It can lead to two court trials: one in Criminal Court for ‘domestic assault’ via smoke and the other at the Central Juvenile and Family Court.

“This could lead to a court injunction to protect the health of family members, with the smoker being sent to a rehabilitation centre to kick the habit.”

According to a 2018 report by the World Health Organization, 36 percent of adults and 34 percent of children in Thailand are exposed to second-hand smoke in the home.

Vaping w

ENTREPRENEUR

WITH GORAN KRSTIC OF KAPKA’S FLAVA

With one simple idea, Goran Krstic – the much-copied flavourist behind Kapka’s Flava – became a household name in the German vaping industry. Words: Phoebe Fuller

Kapka’s Flava began in 2016 when owner, Goran, who’d been vaping since 2015, became bored of one-note e-liquid flavours and decided that he wanted to literally mix things up on the scene.

He says: “I decided that it’s a bit boring to just vape something like strawberry or blueberry, so I started mixing. I was also trying to do something that nobody else had on the market in Germany: the cooling effect.”

Putting his signature ‘cooling effect’ into three e-liquids – Thorn, Red Death and Mythoclast – with results that he was sure would become a hit, Kapka’s Flava was born.

“People just liked it, they liked my stuff more and more and I knew I had to bring new stuff on the market, so the Kapka’s line has grown bigger and bigger,” Goran says.

This growth has seen Kapka’s build up an impressive arsenal of flavours, with tastes for every palate in mind – from fruits, to desserts and even booze-infused puddings – Goran has continued to innovate and explore unusual flavour combinations.

So popular are his flavours, in fact, that some of his once-limitededition creations have become permanent additions to his evergrowing product line. Enter: Cold Heart, with pomegranate and sour lemon and Storm, mixing vanilla ice cream and syrup.

“Every time, when I brought some new stuff out, people asked me about these flavours, so I decided to give up their limited edition status and make them serial products. So, Storm and Cold Heart are now available forever,” Goran says.

Every single Kapka’s flavour has been thought up and mixed by Goran himself, keeping his team small and his flavour department even smaller, which has earned him an enviable reputation.

He says: “There is no one else coming here and telling me that they have a new idea; the flavours are just from me. Like with my cooling effect, nobody else [in Germany] had it.

“My other big thing was the Drunken Pudding flavour; nobody had a pudding with rum inside, but I created it and, now, other companies have said they could do it also. I’m one of the most copied flavourists in Germany.”

Kapka’s is certainly a small and mighty brand, producing half a million 10ml concentrates for the German market annually, as well as having a presence in France, Italy and Spain. Given this popularity of Goran’s flavours, he’s also started accepting outside projects – putting his mixing skills to work for other brands, who can then sell his flavours under their name. These projects are certainly set to push Kapka’s to greater heights, as Goran is booked solid for the next two years on what he describes as “flavourising” for outside companies. And his next goal? Conquering the UK market, of course.

“There is no one else coming here and telling me that they have a new idea; the flavours are just from me.”

Photo from the Hall of Vape Expo, Stuttgart, Germany

Diary OF A VAPER

With Jase Hodge from Bridgend, South Wales

I started vaping about five years ago, right after the birth of my youngest daughter. For me, that was the main push to give up smoking and start vaping instead.

Since then it’s kind of taken over my life. My habit has turned into a hobby, so now I’m constantly buying mods and looking for the newest things. I work in a vape shop now, Darth Vaper in Pyle, Bridgend and I also work for The Vape Shack in Bournemouth, doing their online and social media content.

I used to hate Facebook and I wasn’t on there at all but then I started working with SAS Vaping and I now present their raffle draws live on Facebook. So, with the raffles we get products out there and give people the chance to get top-end products for raffle prizes.

Doing the raffles live on Facebook has given me a lot of

confidence to do that sort of thing more often. I did start off by doing a few reviews but now I predominantly do the raffle draws.

I was at the Vaper Expo in May, which was my first expo and it was a real eye opener for me. I did the B2B day as well to see that side of things, because as I work in a vape shop, I don’t really get to see the wholesale side of things so B2B day opened my eyes about that.

As far as the impact that vaping has had on my life, I have noticed a difference in my health since I started vaping and I definitely feel a lot healthier.

My current set-up is an Asmodus mod, which hasn’t even been released yet, and I absolutely love it, but, believe it or not, my favourite set-up is a simple Vstick and juice wise it’s got to be Blue Iceberg by Monster Flavours.

It’s been a magnificent year for Vampire Vape and their parent company, Flavour Warehouse, but 2019 isn’t quite over yet. In fact, there’s still plenty more to expect before we ring in the new year…

Words : Phoebe Fuller

A TASTE OF WHAT’S TO COME t

at expos the world over and new products always in development, a lot of work has gone into making them the firm fan-favourites they

Just one year after Vampire Vape launched with their range of 12 flavours in 2012, Flavour Warehouse was established and made them it’s official brand. They now have over 60 flavours, many of which have won esteemed international awards.

Founder Philip Boyle says: “One major highlight for Vampire Vape this year was winning the Best Dessert Flavour at the Vapouround Awards, especially as the winner, Sweet Lemon Pie, had only been on the market for one month.

“We also took home Best Booth Awards at Vape Israel and VapExpo; while KonceptXIX Heisenberg won Best Mint at VapExpo, and Watermelon Mojito from our Shortz range won Best Beverage at Steam Show Mexico.”

It’s not just award wins that have made 2019 so special for Vampire Vape and Flavour Warehouse: an increase in products, staff and even new business ventures have helped to put this year on the map and gives us all a taste of what’s to come.

Philip says: “Flavour Warehouse has had an exceptional year, branching into the CBD market with the new company, Pure Earth, which specialises in CBD cosmetics and oral drops for the open market.

“The company also made its first business acquisition by purchasing Northern Ireland company, Total Vapour. This move will help Flavour Warehouse become a more rounded company that can meet the

So, it’s safe to say that we can expect big things from Flavour Warehouse over the coming months as they develop relationships with the Total Vapour team, while also working on establishing themselves as a trusted CBD brand, too.

It’s a huge undertaking, so the company has been hard at work expanding their teams and strengthening both of their businesses to stay ahead of the pack in these two massively expanding industries.

“Given the market response to new releases and the continuous demand for vaping products, the business is set to develop its team, introducing new members to meet customer demand. Already the company has expanded vital areas to include more staff,” Philip says.

He adds: “It’s with this that both Flavour Warehouse and Vampire Vape will continue to enter new markets and utilise market research to create products that meet the needs of our customers as well as keeping in line with current trends within the industry.”

But let’s not forget that the Vaper Expo is only a few weeks away, so what can we expect from the team that brought you Vampire Vape, at The Return?

Philip says: “We’re keeping a lot of things under wraps this year. We’ve gone all out to astound all those coming to the event and have revamped our style to give us the ultimate wow-factor.

“As always, we’ll have exclusive deals on a range of our notable and popular flavours that will be exclusive to the expo. This October is going to be big and we’re ready to beat the competition!”

Creating a product which makes transitioning to e-cigarettes is pretty much every vaping company’s goal - to make something that’s simple and as close to cigarettes as possible to give customers what they’re yearning for. Closedpod systems have exploded on the market due to their convenience and ease of use. With the wider range of flavors available, refillable pod systems are continuing to grow in popularity.

COREX is made by VAPORESSO, a China-based subsidiary of Smoore Technology, which happens to be the parent company for FEELM. FEELM earlier this year gained great acclaim for their ceramic wicking technology within closed systems and is now the popular choice for many closed systems on the market today. With a lot of people asking for the same quality and feel but within a refillable device, COREX is here.

VAPORESSO promises the closest vapor to cigarettes, clean flavors, no leaking and the most durable core within an e-cigarette device. So to test these, I have used multiple juices and I have used it for a solid month now to really give it a full review. They gave me 4 refillable pods and an unbranded device with 6.5w power output, made solely for the purpose of the review.

Performance

The shape is very similar to the FEELM ceramic heating element. COREX is a completely porous white ceramic mold in the shape of a bowl. There is no cotton or standard wrapped coil in the design. The coil is embedded into the ceramic in the shape of a radiator coil - like a snake, with two metal wires sticking out of the ceramic block for the connection. Juice is filled into the ceramic bowl shape.

COREX is a super smooth vape; the flavor is clean and rich, yet you get more of this dry sensation from the vape. Would I say it’s like a cigarette? Not completely, but how can you truly compare a cigarette’s smell with an e-cigarette’s fruit and dessert smells? However, the vapor itself is much closer than I have ever found in any e-cigarette. Cigarettes don’t have juices or liquids to create the humid flavors you would normally find from vaping. But the COREX seems to vaporize them more completely to achieve such a dry vapor. After comparing with some other devices I have, the vapor production also seems to be much greater than in others at a similar wattage. I feel like I need to be using an output of between 10-15w to get the same nicotine feeling and vapor produced in other devices.

As I said, I’ve been testing the COREX continuously for over a month now, and I’ve got to say that this thing lasts the test of time. I’ve refilled this now 15 times with 4 different flavors and varied PG/VG ratios. I only needed to change the pod to see if this was a fluke – which didn’t seem to be the case.

Verdict

After using the COREX pods for over a month or so, I can certainly say that there is a new force out in the market. The COREX’s flavor and nicotine hit alone can be enough to make this a new favorite. Also the dry vapor production will be a big help towards the people wishing to make the transition to vaping. It’s durability is just baffling and I hope this is brought to the market soon in the right devices that can utilise this technology to its maximum potential.

BY

“...COREX’s flavor and nicotine hit alone can be enough to make this a new favorite.”

ASK THE SCIENTIST Physiological effects of nicotine withdrawal

Words : Richard Cunningham

Smokers and vapers of nicotine-containing e-liquids will all be well-aware of that desire for your next smoke or puff of an e-cigarette and how difficult it is to cut down or quit altogether. So why is it so hard to quit and what effects are happening within the body?

When someone smokes tobacco or vapes nicotine e-liquid, nicotine is rapidly absorbed into the pulmonary system facilitated by the large surface area of the lungs. From there, nicotine enters the arterial bloodstream and into the brain where it interacts with several receptors and pathways causing a physiological response. The first thing people will notice is that their heartrate increases. This is through the activation of the adrenal glands that release adrenaline. This leads to the constriction of blood vessels and increased heart rate and blood pressure, which can give an enhanced feeling of alertness. The body has numerous neurotransmitters that behave as chemical messengers which control signalling between neurons, and neurons to muscles, upon interaction with receptors. Nicotine can mimic the neurotransmitter acetylcholine that is produced naturally in small amounts and regulated by the body.

As nicotine mimics this neurotransmitter, it can bind to the same cholinergic receptors. This results in unregulated stimulation and activation and the body also produces more acetylcholine as a response. The activation and stimulation of cholinergic receptors leads to an increased release of dopamine that would not naturally occur.

Dopamine is involved in several physiological processes such as attention, learning and emotional responses. The release of dopamine also contributes pleasurable experiences including satisfaction and is a part of the mesolimbic pathway (also known as the reward pathway). The dysregulation of this pathway is a known major component in cases of addiction.

Nicotine also stimulates the release of several other neurotransmitters such as glutamate, hydroxybutyric acid (GABA) and endorphins which can have pain relieving effects and lead to a feeling of euphoria.

THE

People who use nicotine-containing products experience many things that they find pleasurable as a result of nicotine’s interaction within the body and its chemical pathways. However, with consistent exposure to nicotine, tolerance to its effects develop rapidly from neuroadaptation. When this develops, the number of binding sites on cholinergic receptors and others increase from desensitisation. When tolerance has developed, these receptors become more active in periods of abstinence causing the sensation of withdrawal and craving.

Cessation of nicotine can cause several withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, anxiety, depressed mood and increased appetite, leading to the basis of nicotine addiction. As soon as you stop taking nicotine your body will soon start to crave it, with that longing for the next cigarette or vape occurring in as little as 2 hours.

Symptoms of nicotine withdrawal usually occur after 4-24 hours and most often peak on the third day before diminishing over several weeks. Relapse is often the result of desire to alleviate symptoms through the administration of further nicotine. It has been demonstrated that cognitive defects occur during the process of abstinence, such as decreased attention and working memory.

Another issue of nicotine withdrawal is the behavioural element, such as routine and other social aspects, such as lunch breaks or nights out with friends that make quitting difficult.

Going through a cold-turkey approach is often difficult due to the strength of withdrawal symptoms. It has been shown through research that nicotine replacement therapies can increase the likelihood of successful cessation. One such approach is e-cigarettes, where the user can start off on an appropriate strength nicotine and progressively over time, decrease the nicotine strength in a tapered approach until replacement is no longer required.

THE RISE…AND RISE OF

The Vaper Expo UK

It is October, generally regarded as the month that the “Expo Season” in the UK draws to a close…and with The Vaper Expo UK at the NEC it really does so in fine style.

Words: Columnist Victor Mullin

The growing scope of The Vaper Expo UK is in stark contrast to what is currently happening in the plethora of expos over in the US and the stark decline of the other expos and meets here in the UK.

Last year there was a much larger Vape Jam, there was Vape Fest, Vape Collective and a handful of other events scattered across the summer months in the UK. This year however, has seen a marked decline in the other events, while Vaper Expo continues to expand.

Over in the United States, a marked decline in footfall into the many events there, has seen some organisers saying on Facebook that there may not be as many expos in the United States next year as there has been this year. So where does that leave folks who are reading this article? The shop owner, the wholesaler, and the general vaper who like to attend these events?

It leaves us now concentrating on the major marquee events and that is exactly what Vaper Expo is. For years this event was the singular stand out expo for the UK and Europe. It attracted a lot of reviewers from the US like Mike Vapes, The Vapor Chronicles and others. They have stated publicly that they enjoy the UK events more than the events in the US.

Others have caught on to the sheer scale of The Vaper Expo UK, with the likes of the Hall of Vape over in Germany being one of the up coming stand-out events for mainland Europe. The good thing is, not only has Hall of Vape learned from the Vaper Expo, but the UK event is learning from the Hall of Vape.

As always the UK reviewers will be showing up in force in, from what I have heard, a revamped and expanded media area for reviewers, vloggers, writers, bloggers and general industry commentators. From a personal standpoint I will more than likely be spending most of my time at that media area, so if you are looking for me, you’ll find me there if I am not wheeling around on my scooter trying not to knock any booths of people over.

The Vaper Expo UK is, for all intents and purposes, more than likely going to be the only major event for vapers in the UK going into the future as I can’t honestly see the return of the number of events we used to have in 2016 to 2018. If you are a vendor, a wholesaler or a general vaper…do yourself a favour, pop into the Expo, even if it is only for one day.

If you have not been to an event like this before, you are in for a treat! Vaper Expo UK takes place at the NEC from October 25-27.

IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

Cigarette butts have made up some 40 percent of all items picked up in annual coastal and urban clean-ups internationally since the 1980s, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Chemical leakage from cigarette butts includes nicotine, arsenic and heavy metals that are toxic to aquatic life. In fact, according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a cigarette butt left to soak in a litre of water for 96 hours releases enough toxins to kill half of the fish exposed to it. But the environmental ills plaguing the tobacco industry don’t stop there. Tobacco growing and curing are direct causes of mass deforestation and the WHO estimates that 11.4 million metric tons of wood is used annually for curing tobacco alone.

Factor in the huge amount of chemicals such as pesticides and growth regulators that are used during the tobacco cultivation process and it’s clear the industry has a mammoth carbon footprint.

So, how does the e-cigarette industry compare? For Yogi Hendlin, environmental philosopher and postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Medicine at the University of California, addressing the end-of-life disposal is the key here.

He said:

“With e-cigarettes, we have a really interesting product because, theoretically, there’s no reason why these products couldn’t be completely recyclable.”

Words: Phoebe Fuller

Recyclability, or the potential for recyclability, is where the e-cigarette industry really beats Big Tobacco. Recycling the devices and their associated components, however, can be hindered by them falling under two challenging categories: electronic waste and hazardous waste.

Hendlin said that this can sometimes make it “virtually impossible” to sustainably dispose of many products, especially those that can’t be washed out before being thrown away, such as pods.

“The question is: well, what do we do with these things? It would be really easy, from an industrial manufacturing standpoint, to use these pods again and there’s no reason why we can’t. “A lot of people get their pods delivered via mail and it would be easy to have reverse logistics, so when you get your next shipment you give back your pods, like milk bottle deposit and collection.”

Making recyclability easier for vapers is also a priority for Liam Humberstone, engagement and stewardship lead for the steering committee of the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA). He said:

“As an industry, we need to figure out what is recyclable and how it can best be recycled. Our business – Totally Wicked – has recently ensured that all components in an e-liquid package are recyclable and we’re having a big push for our customers to recycle these.

“Obviously, the actual e-liquid needs to go into treatment plants and not rainwater drainage, so if there’s a drop of e-liquid left in your bottle you need to wash it out and make sure that you do it in a sink

so that it’s going into the sewers and not into the land.”

Many vapers and eco-aware industry leaders have blamed TPD regulations for creating something of a plastic problem among the industry, which has been compounded by capping e-liquid bottles containing nicotine to 10ml.

Humberstone agrees.

“That’s the obvious environmental own-goal that came from the regulations and I really don’t think it was necessary.

“If there wasn’t a child-locked top that would be a reasonable argument for 10ml bottles but, because there is, I don’t think that 20 or 30ml bottles would be a problem.”

However, though it’s not ideal to be throwing away a lot of plastic bottles, vapers can at least rest in the knowledge that their individual impact is much less than that of a smoker.

Humberstone said:

“When you think about a 10ml bottle of e-liquid at reasonable strength, that’s the equivalent of two to three packets of cigarettes. That’s 50 cigarette butts that aren’t going into landfill or the ocean.

“I think with all environmental issues, it’s more or less a case of finding a better way of thinking about it. Reduce, reuse, recycle is definitely the key to this still.”

“As an industry, we need to figure out what is recyclable of what we produce and how it can best be recycled”

VAPING REMAINS HIGH ON THE STOPTOBER AGENDA

E-cigarettes combined with Stop Smoking support is the most successful quit method

Words : Gordon Stribling

Stoptober is one of the most high-profile public health campaigns in the UK. Since its launch in 2012, the Public Health England (PHE) initiative has supported over 1.9 million smokers on their quit journey.

The message is simple: If a smoker can remain smoke-free for 28 days, they are five times more likely to quit for good.

Since its 2015 landmark evidence review coined the much-repeated ‘95 percent less harmful’ figure, PHE has truly embraced the harm reduction potential of e-cigarettes. But it’s only been in the last couple of years that they have promoted them during Stoptober. PHE has now become something of an ally for the industry, defending vaping from the onslaught of negative press coming in the wake of the US THC oil panic. Their stance is reflective of the growing body of evidence supporting the relative safety of e-cigarettes that informs European policy.

PHE said that in 2018-19, two thirds of smokers who combined an e-cigarette with help from a local Stop Smoking Service managed to quit altogether. Meanwhile, a Cancer Research UK-funded study published earlier this year found that e-cigarettes were three times more effective than nicotine patches and gum at helping smokers quit.

According to the latest Smoking Toolkit Study from University College London (UCL), smoking rates in England are dropping at the fastest

rate in over a decade, with around 200 smokers successfully quitting every hour.

Yvonne Doyle, director for health protection and medical director at PHE, said:

“It’s really encouraging to see these early signs of such a fast drop in smokers, but we’ve still got a way to go to achieve our ambition of a smoke-free society.

“That’s why Stoptober is back and we are encouraging all smokers to take part.”

This year’s campaign highlights the benefits of ‘breaking up’ from a bad relationship with smoking. TV presenter and Stoptober champion Nadia Sawalha revealed how she had framed her cigarette-use prior to successfully quitting.

She said:

“I always knew smoking was bad for me, but I was addicted. “I loved cigarettes and for years I used to joke that giving up smoking was like giving up a bad boy lover.

“You think you’re having the best of times, but the truth is deep down you know they’re no good for you.”

The Netherlands adopted Stoptober in 2014. A recent study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public

Health analysed the effectiveness of the month-long abstinence programme.

Almost 20,000 Stoptober participants took part in a survey, where after three months, 71.8 percent of quitters had stayed smoke-free. The researchers found that Stoptober had positive implications beyond initiating thousands of quit attempts.

They wrote:

“We found favourable changes in attitude towards cessation-related stress, social norms, social pressure to smoke, self-efficacy to quit, smoking habit strength and smoker identity.”

PHE’s Strategy 2020-2025 published in September shed some light on its ambitious vision to further reduce the one-in-six UK deaths currently attributed to smoking.

Key to this is narrowing the health gap and reducing inequalities between the most and least deprived communities.

PHE’s research revealed a 19.3 percent gap in smoking rates between the two groups (27.2 percent vs 7.9 percent.)

Jo Churchill, parliamentary under secretary of state for prevention, public health and primary care, addressed this ahead of this year’s campaign:

“Thanks to our tough action on tobacco, smoking rates are falling

faster than in years – presenting us with the real opportunity for a smoke-free society by 2030.

“Despite this progress, smoking persists in some areas, often those with other challenges and unfortunately remains the single biggest preventable cause of premature death.”

While UK smoking prevalence is at an all-time low, a cohort of UK adults continue to use combustible cigarettes and the recent attacks on the most-successful quit method threaten to slow progress.

Stoptober and PHE’s pro-vaping messages are essential in fighting the tide of misinformation and converting the stubborn smokers for good.

“We’ve still got a way to go to achieve our ambition of a smoke-free society”

LET’S SHOW THEM WHAT WE CAN DO

Change is in the air at Vaper Expo UK

Words: Gordon Stribling

Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths in the US every year. But in the past few months, state and federal government officials have brought in strict measures that threaten to destroy the one thing that keeps millions of Americans from using tobacco – vaping.

Countless livelihoods have already been destroyed and we now face the very real prospect of millions of adult vapers returning to combustible cigarettes.

We have had enough.

Now is the time for vapers and our industry to step up and support one another and the advocacy groups fighting to save one of the most important public health innovations of our time.

The TOGETHER WE ARE VAPE campaign will unite the industry, advocates and consumers across the world in a show of support for American vapers and businesses.

Please show your support by contributing to our £25,000 Just Giving page target, picking up one of our campaign bracelets and sharing the #TOGETHERWEAREVAPE hashtag.

We aim to raise £25,000.

All funds raised from this campaign will go directly to US businesses affected by the attacks on the industry, as well as advocacy groups including the Florida Smoke Free Association (FSFA).

The FSFA is a non-profit advocacy group comprised of vaping businesses and consumers. The goal of FSFA is to support and protect the Florida vaping industry. FSFA works with legislators and Florida health officials to reduce the devastating effects of combustible tobacco products.

What else can I do?

If you’re in the US, make sure your state and city officials know how important vaping is to you. Be politically active and share your story far and wide.

Hard facts are not enough in this post-truth era. We need to change hearts and minds with hard-hitting, personal testimony.

This is not about ‘kids getting hooked on flavours.’ It’s about keeping their parents free of tobacco-related diseases and living healthier, happier and longer lives for them and their families.

Our new campaign will fight for the US industry.

DID YOU KNOW?

480,000

people die each year from tobacco smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services .

“Smoking kills. Vaping saves lives”

Professor John Britton, Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies

WAYS YOU CAN STAND UP FOR VAPING

Practical steps vapers can take to defend our industry

Words: Phoebe Fuller

The vaping industry is, yet again, coming under fire; from members of the public, school administrators, politicians and even health officials. In the US it seems like there is a concerted campaign being waged to demonise the vape industry and it appears that many people now see vaping in a really negative light. Here are some practical steps that vapers can take to help redress the balance.

1. Sign the European Citizens Initiative

You have until February to sign the ‘Let’s Demand Smarter Vaping Regulation!’ European Citizens Initiative, which exists to give the industry its own, bespoke set of regulations. This is an important step for vaping because, currently, it is regulated as a tobacco product and this is an image that we’re all keen to shed. If you want to stand up for vaping, make this your first port of call.

2. Support your local vape shop

While many of us have come to rely on the ease of shopping for vape gear online, it’s high time we stepped out of our front door and into our local shop instead. Standing up for vaping means supporting its existence on our high streets and, with so many smokers still out there, there needs to be a vape shop in every town and city.

3. Get the smokers in your life through that door too

Be an advocate for vaping by talking to the smokers in your life about making the switch. If you have friends and family that are still reliant on a packet of cigarettes to see them through the day, get them up to speed on the myriad choice of vaping products which are on the market. We’ve come a long way since cig-a-likes and pen vapes, there’s now something out there for every type of smoker.

4. Be a considerate vaper

For as long as we’re trying to convince the non-vaping public that vaping isn’t a threat or burden, blowing huge clouds at them is only countering these efforts. Yes, we know that second-hand nicotine exposure from vaping is low, but we also know that this is the first argument likely to come out of the mouth of an annoyed bystander. Let’s keep vaping in good graces with the people we come into contact with and leave the cloud chasing at home.

5. Counter fake news rationally

A train station platform probably isn’t the place to get into a heated debate about the pros and cons of vaping. But us vapers are in a

position to offer first-hand advice and knowledge which can work wonders when countering fake news on social media. If you spot something iffy on Facebook or Twitter, politely point the poster to PHE advice – we all know that vaping is 95 percent less harmful than smoking – but most people out there have absolutely no idea. Many even think vaping is more harmful than smoking.

6. Get political

Okay, we’re not saying you need to don your smartest suit and go door-knocking to hand out leaflets but there are easy ways to affect policy change. Why not write to your local councillor or MP and see if any pro-vape initiatives are being put in place where you live? Or set up a petition to get a vaping shelter at your local hospital?

7. Keep it adults only

Though we’re lucky that, here in the UK, we’ve not seen the same spike in youth uptake as in many states in America, it’s really important that we keep it this way. Many anti-vape activists argue that vaping appeals to children, so it’s down to us to ensure that this fear doesn’t become a reality. As shop owners, don’t become complacent about ID checks.

8. Show your support for YouTubers and Vape personalities

The many ladies and gentlemen of the vaping world often take to YouTube or other social media to raise awareness of vaping and push campaigns, so subscribe and follow as many of these people as you can. You’ll be among the first to know of any developments and you’ll find yet more ways to be entertained during a quiet hour, a win-win!

9. Stay up to date on research

As a vaping advocate, it’s your job to make sure you’re clued up on the comings and goings of the industry. If a scientific study comes out with yet more positive news for the vaping industry, you’ll want to make sure you can tell people about it. So, keep your ear to the ground for research or news stories that support our industry.

10. Keep up to date with Vapouround Magazine

As you’re reading this it is safe to say that you either work in the vape industry or subscribe to Vapouround. We exist to champion this industry and keep readers up to date with what is going on so encourage your friends who are vapers, or who want to know more about vaping, to subscribe to the magazine too. Details are on the Vapouround website.

Panic US VAPING

BLACK MARKET THC OILS BLAMED FOR LUNG DAMAGE CASES

Words :

Vape panic in the USA has now reached epidemic proportions.

The media, self-proclaimed anti-vape commentators and various NGO’s are all shouting from the rooftops about the dangers of vaping. The message is loud and clear: “Stop vaping unless you want to end up in hospital. Everyone must stop vaping now.”

The problem is that this is such a hysterical overreaction which does nothing except promote fear and confusion and which can only lead to smokers thinking twice about quitting.

Over the past year we’ve heard countless stories of supposed vape-related seizures and of evil vape companies hooking kids with flavours. The panic has even somehow eclipsed the opioid epidemic in column inches, which is quite something considering their relative proven death counts. This latest chapter has been unfolding since August and it is very worrying how it has taken traction so quickly and how common sense appears to have been completely thrown out of the window.

On August 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert warning the public of an outbreak of ‘Severe Pulmonary Disease Associated with Using E-Cigarette Products.’

The CDC said that it was looking into 215 cases of severe lung problems linked to the use of e-cigarettes among youth and young adults. The progressively worsening symptoms included cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, diarrhoea and vomiting, with many patients ending up in hospital.

It is all very alarming, especially to the people who ended up in hospital and their worried families who were left wondering exactly what had happened.

By early October the number of cases had grown to 1,080 with 18 confirmed deaths.

Soon the public was being warned not to vape and parents were being urged to stop adolescent offspring from doing so.

Calling for this precautionary vape ban makes as much sense as warning the travelling public to avoid all air travel because a cruise ship has capsized.

While the CDC and the media were quick to cry vape, it soon became apparent that another culprit was largely to blame – black market THC products. THC is one of the compounds found in cannabis that gets users high.

But the CDC alert and ensuing news stories sought to lump all the cases together as ‘e-cigaretterelated’ rather than differentiating between

not being caused by vaping products.

It is clear that the majority of observed cases are associated with the use of THC oils obtained from unlicensed sellers.”

But e-cigarettes are still being vilified as more than 1,000 cases are being investigated

Gordon Stribling & Patrick Griffin

commercial nicotine e-liquids and illegal and possibly adulterated THC oils.

The alert said: “All patients have reported using e-cigarette products and the symptom onset has ranged from a few days to several weeks after e-cigarette use.

“Within two states, recent inhalation of cannabinoid products, THC or cannabidiol, have been reported in many of the patients.”

Michael Siegel, a professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, was quick to make the distinction between commercially-produced vape products and illegal THC use.

He said: “These cases are not being caused by vaping products generally because these products have been on the market for years without any significant problems and because the reports are clustered in specific geographic areas.

“Now that further information is available, it is clear that the majority of the observed cases are associated with the use of THC oils that were obtained from unlicensed sellers.”

Nonetheless, the CDC urged the public to ‘consider refraining from using e-cigarette products’ and instead use FDA-approved smokingcessation products or seek counselling.

The CDC later updated its warning to advise that products containing THC “play a role in the outbreak.”

Commercially available e-liquids contain a mixture of nicotine, flavourings, propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG). Even those most critical of vaping would likely agree that commercial e-liquids are far less harmful than combusted tobacco.

‘THC oils’, however, use a different carrier, likely MCT or coconut oil. Lipid oils are potentially incredibly harmful when vaporised. Oil should never be vaped. Legitimate e-liquid manufacturers are aware of this and would never be associated with such products.

It’s also possible that some of these black-market oils contain synthetic cannabinoids. These dangerous compounds are designed to mimic the effects of cannabis but have been linked to severe illnesses and deaths over the past few years.

On August 12, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued an alert warning of a ‘cluster’ of at least seven healthy adults being hospitalised with symptoms of severe acute pulmonary disease. All seven of the cases were linked to black-market THC vapes, according to Nancy Gerking, assistant director of public health of Kings County.

And on September 4, the StarTribune reported that all eight of the interviewed Minnesota patients hospitalised for severe respiratory illnesses reported using an illegal THC product.

Richard Danila, epidemiology program manager for the Minnesota Department of Health, said: “You can think about how difficult this investigation is. You have a 17-year-old in the ICU. Are they going to tell you they used an illegal product? Are they going to tell you they used an illegal product when mom or dad are standing in the same room?”

However, even if some of the cases can be attributed to e-cigarette products ‘acquired from unknown or unauthorized (i.e., “street”) sources’, as the CDC alert suggested, this is surely a red flag of what could happen if flavour bans and excessive regulation push vaping underground and force an e-cigarette black-market to flourish.

Finally has nobody stopped to ask the most obvious question about this vape-related panic?

Surely if there was something inherently dangerous about using commercially-available e-cigarette products then why are similar cases not being reported throughout the world?

There seems to be a very large and powerful anti-vaping lobby in the USA and this panic is a classic example of where the vaping hate brigade are refusing to let the facts get in the way of a good vaping scare story.

Off The Record Vapor (OTR) was built on the idea that every song has a flavor. Since hitting the world stage back in 2014, OTR has been delivering premium quality e-liquid flavors from the very beginning. Originally founded by a rockstar musician with a background in the culinary arts, he combined both of his passions for music and food to launch this legendary brand.

Over time, OTR fans have come to know us as the producer of flavorful juice that will make you want to rock out with your vape out. In fact, our customers find that they enjoy OTR’s rockstar lineup of flavors best with the sweet sounds of music either for a chill sesh or between gigs. Our current playlist of flavors include:

• B.S.S.M. - Strawberry Watermelon Sour Strawberry and watermelon combine for a sweet and sour symphony. Named after the album that brought the Red Hot Chili Peppers to fame, this juice is a definite fan favorite.

•

Liquid Swords - Berry Smoothie

Named after an album from Wu-Tang Clan members most cerebral artist, GZA, this melody of blueberry, strawberry, and banana mixed with yogurt is the perfect all-day vape.

• L.A.M.F. - Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry cheesecake meets graham cracker crust for a harmonious mix that’s sure to rock your taste buds. Named after the one and only album from The Heartbreakers, this one-of-akind juice will leave you heartbroken without it.

SOUND OFF WITH OTR

In fact, OTR Liquids now have a Spotify playlist of their own. Connecting the flavors to the music that inspired them, there’s no better way to enjoy each of these OTR juices than to listening to music on Spotify. So the next time you vape, scan one of these codes with your phone or follow us @offtherecordvapor

GOING NUTS WITH CRONUTZ

The playlists and three flavors are only the beginning for OTR. We have more planned for the future in addition to relaunching more OTR flavors as well as the Cronutz brand, which taps into an east coast vibe and attitude. Cronutz will release these three flavors:

• Blueberry: Treat yourself to a warm, comforting cronut filled with a delightful blueberry compote meant to curb your sweet tooth. All the indulgence without any of the calories!

• Shamrock: Follow the rainbow to this pot of gold! A magical blend of a flaky croissant and a glazed donut topped with marshmallows and cereal to make all your wishes come true.

• Toasted Coconut: We go nuts for this coconut! The perfect island fruit, toasted for that extra kick of flavor, on top of a delicious cronut and drizzled with a rich glaze that will make you feel like you’re on vacation.

All three Cronutz flavors are a great addition to the OTR lineup. We will keep doing what we do best, and we’re going to continue to rock your tastebuds.

As many of our loyal fans know, OTR took a 2 year hiatus. We’ve taken that time to dial-in and improve our B.S.S.M., Liquid Swords, and L.A.M.F. flavors. We return to the vape world with these beloved e-liquids for a much anticipated encore. Each flavor still encapsulates the music they’re built on; but they’re even better than before.

VOICES OF REASON

UK industry and advocates stand firm as US industry takes a battering

Words : Gordon Stribling

American vape advocates have had a rough time of it since the hotly-disputed teen vaping ‘epidemic’ began to take hold. Barely a day goes by without a public official announcing their intent to crack down on flavours or irresponsible marketing practices.

Despite the latest vaping scare finally being acknowledged to be more of a THC oil issue than an e-cigarette issue, panic has now crossed the Atlantic and the US vape industry is in peril. Public health groups and vape advocates fear that the hysteria and misinformation imported from the US may undo the success of vaping in the UK and lead countless vapers to return to combustible cigarettes.

Former ASH chief executive Clive Bates said that the THC scare should be warning of the dangers of unregulated products, not an excuse to stoke unfounded fears about vaping as a whole.

Bates said: “You’re terrifying people who are benefiting from vaping by not smoking.”

UK businesses, public health advocates and vapers have come together to speak out against the tide of misinformation that threatens the nation’s thriving industry. The last thing anyone wants to see if smokers being forced to go back to cigarettes but if we are not careful it could happen. Here’s what they had to say.

ASH chief executive Deborah Arnott:

“ASH is concerned that the reports from the US will be discouraging vaping in the UK. British vapers can be reassured that there have been no reports of serious side effects from UK e-cigarettes. But they should only be buying from mainstream suppliers who are selling regulated products. To use black market products carries risks that can’t be quantified.”

Prof Linda Bauld, public health expert at Edinburgh University:

“It seems highly unlikely that widely available nicotine-containing vaping products, particularly of the type regulated in Europe, are causing these cases. All the evidence to date suggests that illicit marijuana vaping products (THC oils) are the cause. In particular, a compound called tocopherol acetate may be the culprit.”

Paul Aveyard, professor of behavioural medicine at the University of Oxford: “These cases are worrying and need investigating but advice from all official bodies in the UK is that it is always preferable to vape than to smoke. These reports should not change that advice.”

Dr Lion Shahab, Associate professor in health psychology at University College London: “Banning [flavours] would not have prevented this recent outbreak. It is, of course, unfortunate that people use bootlegged products to vape illegal drugs; however, this problem is not unique to e-cigarettes and similarly applies to bootlegged alcohol and Class A drugs used for recreational purposes.”

Doug Mutter, compliance director at VPZ:

“There have been reports that the majority of the cases have been linked to people using illicit vaping fluid bought on the streets, with some containing cannabis products, like THC. Vaping is already proving to be a key weapon in the UK’s stop smoking strategy and is bringing momentum to the country’s ambition of becoming smoke-free by 2030.”

Jane Johnson, Del Boys Ecig and Vape Store, Derby:

“Seven years ago, I tried a vape. I smoked nearly 40 fags a day. The vape gave me everything I needed: throat hit, nicotine and of course vapour. My smoking days ended within a week. I have never looked back. I feel healthier, I look healthier and more than anything, it gave me the energy to play, run and do other activities with my children that I had struggled to do without getting out of breath. This is why I’m in the industry and why I get up every morning to go to work. If I can change someone else’s life like I did mine, then I’m happy.”

UKVIA spokesman Dan Marchant: “In the UK, we are proud to be a standard bearer for a consumer-driven industry which has already helped millions of people across the world stop smoking. We will continue to work with the public health community in the UK to spread the facts about vaping, which Public Health England [PHE] continues to advise is 95 percent less harmful than smoking and is the most effective way for the UK’s remaining seven million smokers to quit.”

New Nicotine Alliance (NNA):

“Whether it is journalists chasing click-bait or ideologically-driven harm reduction sceptics in the UK health community, they are actively deterring many thousands of smokers from either opting to switch to a far safer form of nicotine consumption or guiding those who may be using e-cigarettes to move back to smoking, based on no proper evidence whatsoever. This is not a game. The crass conflation of vaping with illicit, unregulated and deadly illegal drug-containing liquids will cost lives and they should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.”

Public Health England: “Our advice on e-cigarettes remains unchanged - vaping isn’t completely risk free but is far less harmful than smoking tobacco. There is no situation where it would be better for your health to continue smoking rather than switching completely to vaping.”

“There is no situation where it would be better for your health to continue smoking rather than switching completely to vaping.”

PROHIBITION IS BACK

Words: Phoebe Fuller

Asorry scene is currently playing out in various states across America as the country wakes up to a new era of prohibition.

Vaping - an industry which has done so much to get smokers off killer cigarettes - is the new enemy of the people and vape stores are being forced out of business.

Massachusetts now has some of the harshest regulation in the US – with a complete ban on anything related to vaping. This means no hardware, accessories or juice can be sold in or shipped into the state.

The speed at which this has been implemented has been brutal. Once thriving businesses have been reduced to empty shells overnight.

Wicked Vaped in Mansfield, Massachusetts, was forced to stop trading within two days of the vaping ban coming into effect last month.

Brian Phillips from Wicked Vaped said: “We all showed up for work on the Tuesday morning and, in the afternoon, we were told to shut our doors and clear the shelves.”

For Brian the “biggest wrong” about this situation was that their state completely bypassed restrictions and flavour bans, instead going straight for an all-out ban. And, to top it off, there was no grace period for selling off stock – one minute they were in business, the next they weren’t.

“They’ve plunged us into an absolute era of prohibition,” Brian says, “a huge concern now is black market vapes.

“We’ve had customers come in with tears in their eyes, asking

am I going to do now? and we have no answers for them.”

The huge irony here is that it is illegal black market vapes that got Massachusetts – and the US at large – into this situation in the first place, with contaminated THC cartridges springing up under the guise of cheaper vaping pods.

“Products like this need to be regulated and controlled because there is a huge hole in the market now and somebody –somewhere - is going to capitalise on that,” Brian says.

And this will, of course, put a huge amount of people at risk. For Brian and everyone else affected by this prohibition, the main takeaway is clear: the government’s solution to a black-market problem has been to create a new one.

This new war on vaping will drive people back to smoking and to the black market.

Politicians say they are acting to protect the health of American vapers but the very real danger is that their actions will have exactly the opposite effect.

Almost 100 years since nationwide prohibition gripped the US, it has returned - in a different form.

“They’ve plunged us into an absolute era of prohibition. A huge concern now is black market vapes.”

‘What

DID YOU KNOW?

YOU CAN FIGHT CITY HALL

Keith Fairman of Diamond Vapor believes President Trump may be punished for the flavour ban in 2020

Words : Gordon Stribling

Politics can be a slow process but then the recent spate of US state flavour bans came along and things began moving really quickly.

Keith Fairman is CEO at Diamond Vapor. In the past couple of months, he has witnessed government officials attack his industry, so much so that he’s reconsidered his political allegiances and stepped up his activism efforts.

“I was a huge Trump supporter and most of the industry was because it’s mostly Democratic states that are really against us, so we knew we at least needed Trump in there,” he said.

“But now it’s looking like if he doesn’t change this [flavour ban], he’s going to kick himself right out of the next election.”

Keith traces the flavour bans and the government’s response to the recent THC oil scare back to the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) and a Wall Street deal that offered state governments huge upfront tobacco money that they are now having to pay back.

“Last year alone, Michigan got $2.39bn from Big Tobacco. This year rolls around and they don’t have the money to start paying it back. “They’re going to show that their state went bankrupt and the feds are going to want to bring them in and ask why.

“The states that are most affected by this are Michigan, the first to do the flavour ban, then New York. California has been trying for a while now, too.”

Keith believes that the MSA has put the state government ‘in the

back pocket of Big Tobacco’ and now Big Tobacco is telling them how to deal with vaping regulations. A limit on nicotine levels might be a more sensible approach than a flavour ban, he says, but that would be disastrous for JUUL who are now part-owned by Altria.

Meanwhile, states are cracking down on convenience store sales just months before the PMTA compliance deadline that looms large over the industry. Unlike the independent vape industry, Big Tobacco brands have the capital to pay the millions of dollars required to secure market authorisation for individual products and formulations.

“Getting by the favour ban would be one thing but to get by the PMTAs is another altogether. They’ve already estimated that it’s going to put out about 90 percent of the big companies.”

Keith is already seeing vape businesses take the hit from this multi-pronged attack on the industry. Businesses are being forced to turn to international markets already saturated with products or shut up shop altogether.

“It’s been a real sad two weeks in America,” he said.

“You have all these American businesses supporting their workers. We’ve already had to let some go but thank God we were able to find them another job.

“It’s just really something that should not be occurring right now.” But he’s most concerned about the millions of people who rely on vaping to stay free from tobacco, with headlines and political pointscoring further scaring people off from less-harmful products.

“This is like us blaming Tylenol for the opioid or heroin epidemic. They did this to shrink us down.”

On September 18, Keith rallied in front of the White House where the VTA was due to meet Trump staff members, but the meeting was cancelled. Within an hour of the scheduled meeting, the news broke that Mitt Romney had introduced a bill to ban flavours.

If the current administration continues to ignore their vaping constituents, Keith believes they may be punished by the countless one-issue voters whose right to vape is being taken away. He cites a recent article in the Washington Examiner, which explored the potential implications.

Journalist Paul Blair noted that in 2016, Trump won Michigan by fewer than 11,000 votes in a state with over 400,000 adult vapers, around 113,000 votes in Florida where there are more than 900,000 vapers and Wisconsin by under 23,000 votes where there are 260,000 adult vapers. If vapers come out in force, it could seriously swing the outcome of the Electoral College.

Keith suspects that the Democrats may be playing the flavour ban to their advantage ahead of 2020.

“Right now, the states that are pushing right after he announced a proposed flavour ban are the Democratic states. They’re doing it intentionally because now to us Republicans, it looks like he sided with the Democrats.”

While the White House experience left him frustrated, Keith is determined to carry on fighting and remains a champion of advocacy groups like the Florida Smoke Free Association and the VTA.

“They raised over a million dollars in DC and we’re fighting, which is nothing compared to Big Tobacco, but it’s a start.”

“If President Trump doesn’t change this fl avour ban, he’s going to kick himself right out of the next election.”

US LUNG INJURY CRISIS: EVERYTHING WE KNOW

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CDC reports 1,080 lung injury cases in 48 states and 1 U.S. territory with 18 deaths across 15 states

Words : Patrick Griffin

In an October 3 update to the the medical crisis that has gripped America, the CDC revealed that the vast majority of cases (78 percent) involve THC products.

It also confirmed that ALL patients had a history of using vape products with 17 percent reporting exclusive use of nicotine-containing products.

While these figures certainly help put things in perspective, they may come far too late to save the American vape industry from the sort of excessive regulation which could bring it to near extinction. The latest update from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) includes the following new information.

What we know:

• About 70 percent of patients are male.

• Nearly two thirds (65 percent) of patients are 18 to 34 years old; with 21 percent aged between 18-20.

• 16 percent of patients are under 18.

• All reported patients have a history of using vape products.

The latest findings from the CDC investigation suggest products containing THC play a role in the outbreak.

Data obtained from 578 patients revealed that in the three months prior to symptom onset, 77 percent reported using THC-containing products while 37 percent reported exclusive use of THCcontaining products.

About 58 percent reported using nicotinecontaining products with 17 percent reporting exclusive use of nicotine-containing products. No consistent evidence of an infectious cause has been discovered leading medical experts to conclude that chemical exposure is the most likely cause.

What we don’t know:

The specific chemical exposure(s) which are causing the lung injuries. Whether there is a single common denominator. No single product or substance has been linked to all the lung injury cases. More information is needed to know whether one or more products, substances, or brands are responsible for the outbreak.

The CDC said: “Unlike nationally-reportable conditions, these cases require clinicians and public health professionals to interview patients to determine product use and individual

“This complex investigation spans many states, involves hundreds of patients, and involves a wide variety of substances.

“Anyone who uses an e-cigarette or vaping product should not buy these products off the street and should not modify or add any substances to these products that are not intended by the manufacturer.”

The CDC has also provided detailed briefing notes for the public, health care providers and health departments. The briefings give specific advice for each of the three categories and clinicians are advised:

“As this investigation continues, CDC encourages clinicians to report possible lung injury cases of e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury to their local or state health department for further investigation.

“If e-cigarette, or vaping, product use is suspected as a possible cause for a patient’s lung injury, a detailed history of the substances used, the sources, and the devices used should be obtained and efforts should be made to determine if any remaining product, devices, and liquids are available for testing.”

Kara Tibbetts

Island. In this article she explains why she believes it’s up to the US government to send the right message to smokers – that vaping is not the enemy.

It was vaping that led me to quit smoking cigarettes when I was 18 years old. I’d started smoking when I was 15 but when I found vaping I never looked back. I actually got a job at my local vape shop and that was my start in the industry, then I just started getting more heavily involved in it.

I felt a real sense of passion when it came to vaping because I’d watched my mom almost die from five different types of smoking-related cancers, so whenever I lit up I felt guilty thinking about her. Honestly, it’s hard for me to find the words to explain how I feel about the situation in the US right now. This whole thing goes a lot deeper than vaping. It’s a blatant violation of our rights as American citizens and this is not what being an American is about; this is not what our country was founded upon.

Our government has been blatantly lying to the public and it makes me sick that government bodies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can put out headlines lying to their citizens. They apologised but that’s not good

asking them: “What do you know about vaping? What do you think about vaping?”

I think the most important thing is we need to start getting people who are not smokers and who are not vapers involved. I have actually educated a lot of people who didn’t have any idea about vaping before. It blows my mind that people just believe anything they hear. We’ve had 13 states file for flavour bans since Trump’s tweet went out. But I think that without flavours, there is no vaping; because that’s the whole point of vaping. Vaping was invented to move people away from cigarettes. So, how are you going to sit there and tell me I can only vape a tobacco flavour? You want me to vape a flavour that reminds me of the thing that I’m trying to quit?

It just makes me think that the government’ is trying to push an agenda or something. Cigarette sales are at an all-time low and I can’t help but think that this has something to do with it. I wish they would realise that the vaping industry in America actually wants to help America - what we’re against is unjust regulation. We’re not against regulation and we’re not against taxation, we want to help the economy but they’re trying to ban us left, right and centre.”

DID YOU KNOW?

POOR DIETS

were responsible for 10.9 million deaths, or 22 percent of all deaths among adults in 2017 - Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington (2017)

“Smoking kills. Vaping saves lives” on, Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies

TOBACCO INDUSTRY BUOYED BY INDIAN VAPE BAN

AVI says ordinance ‘will put lives at risk’

Words : Gordon Stribling

To see how America’s attack on vaping is affecting the worldwide industry you only need look to India. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the country is the second-largest consumer of traditional tobacco products, with 35 percent of the population using some form of tobacco. Yet the central government has seen fit to issue an executive order banning the production, manufacture, import, export, sale, distribution and advertisement of e-cigarettes. The ban is likely to be challenged in court.

Offenders face penalties of up to a year in prison and fines of up to 100,000 rupees (£1,133) for a first offence and three years and 500,000 rupees for repeat offences.

Sixteen states have already passed laws banning vaping products. The decision to ban e-cigarettes was made on the back of data coming from the US and not the global consensus that is largely supportive of vaping as a less harmful alternative that helps smokers quit.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: “The decision was taken in light of the impact e-cigarettes are having on youth.

“These e-cigarettes come in over 150 flavours, and it’s become a fashion. The reason is it’s odourless.

“However, the smoke that is exhaled by the users has a high level

of residual nicotine in it and those who passively inhale them are also affected.”

(Let’s park the ‘odourless’ and ‘smoke’ comments and arbitrary ‘150 flavours’ figure for now.)

The ban has, of course, met with frustrated opposition from the country’s fledgling vape industry and passionate advocates. E-cigarettes remain a fairly niche product despite JUUL’s rumoured plans to launch in the country.

Samrat Choudhery, founder of Association of Vapers India (AVI), drew attention to the government’s ties with the powerful tobacco industry.

“The government owns 28 percent of ITC, a leading manufacturer of cigarettes, which means it is directly profiteering from the cigarette trade, along with earning thousands of crores in taxes on cigarettes.

“The Association of Vapers welcomes regulation and taxes, but a ban will kill conversation surrounding its health effects which are still unclear.”

The value of the government’s stake in ITC surged by 1,800 crores (£204 million) following the announcement of the ban.

The tobacco industry is frequently painted as the antagonist in vaping’s fight for legitimacy and the promotion of harm reduction. There is little doubt that India’s tobacco industry wields significant power over the nation’s government as the world’s third-largest producer of tobacco.

Around 45.7 million people rely on the tobacco industry for work, with around £1bn worth of tobacco exported each year.

The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) represents farmers across all Indian states.

The union welcomed an outright ban on e-cigarettes, arguing that the tobacco used for nicotine-extraction is grown abroad, so the country’s tobacco farmers cannot profit from it.

Jagjit Singh Dallewala of the BKU said in a statement:

“If e-cigarettes are allowed in India, it will have a devastating effect on the tobacco farmers in India.

“The main reason is that the e-cigarette companies who are trying to open shops in India are of foreign origin and do not use Indian tobacco.” A number of developing countries rely heavily on growing tobacco. The lack of profitable alternatives is often cited as a barrier for the industry to be embraced in Africa.

US-driven vape panic aside, the Indian government is in a tricky position. Sadly, India’s combustible tobacco users stand to lose the most if the government continues to appease the powerful tobacco industry and ignore the huge harm reduction potential that vaping presents.

The AVI’s Chowdhery said:

“The ordinance will put lives at risk. The haste shown by the government in enacting a ban indicates it is more concerned about protecting the cigarette industry than improving public health.”

“The government is more concerned about protecting the cigarette industry than improving public health.”

DO SCARE TACTICS WORK?

Graphic anti-smoking and anti-vaping messages may do more harm than good

Words : Gordon Stribling

Most readers will be all too familiar with fear appeals, having sat through some awkward or painful educational videos, plays or performances during their school years.

From smoking to drugs to speeding to unprotected sex, these messages aim to strike fear into the hearts of young people tempted to push the boundaries of what society deems acceptable behaviour.

Since the ‘teen vaping epidemic’ narrative began to spread a few years ago, several campaign groups and public health bodies have adopted this approach to deter teens from using e-cigarettes.

The FDA’s ‘Real Cost’ campaign featured a creepy video dubbed ‘vape worms’, with the so-called vaping epidemic characterised as a parasite that bores into the brains and bloodstream of careless teens.

To be fair to the FDA’s creative team, the narrator did not claim that vaping causes parasites. However, if conventional wisdom is to be believed, the alarming image should have made teens think twice before using e-cigarettes.

The ‘vape worms’ campaign harked back to ‘This is Your Brain on Drugs’, an iconic anti-drugs campaign from the 80s depicting the drug-addled

brain as a fried egg. The ad has been revisited a few times over the years, most recently in 2016, and continues to inspire memes and parodies decades later.

There was also shades of the widely discredited 1980s Drug Awareness Resistance Education (DARE) program.

In 1994, the Department of Justice conducted the first study of its kind evaluating the effectiveness of the DARE campaign. The study revealed only short-term reductions in tobacco-use, but not alcohol or marijuana.

The researchers concluded: “DARE had no statistically significant main effects on drug use behaviours and had few effects on attitudes or beliefs about drugs.”

The issue with these campaigns was that the messages were easy to discredit. The brutal simplicity of ‘Your Brain on Drugs’ was its undoing. ‘Drugs’ as a single entity do not literally fry the brain. Meanwhile, DARE’s claim that cannabis had no medicinal value and causes insanity, in the 1930s propaganda film, Reefer Madness, was easy for science to dismiss.

Even indisputable messages such as graphic warnings on cigarette packages have their critics.

A 2018 study published in the journal Plos One compared the effectiveness of graphic warnings

to text-only warnings in reducing smoking behaviour. The results showed that not only did graphic warnings not make daily smokers, occasional smokers or non-smokers view smoking more negatively, daily and occasional smokers actually viewed smoking more positively after seeing the graphic warning.

A 2017 study into the effect of graphic anti-tobacco posters at point-of-sale on adolescents’ likelihood of future smoking found similar results, with an increase of susceptibility among teens already at a high-risk of future smoking.

Experts have theorised that graphic warnings make smokers feel that their freedoms are under threat, causing them to react defensively and ignore the harsh truth. Research has also suggested that repeat exposure to the same graphic message is far more effective than short-term exposure to individual images.

In 2003, the UK government launched their ground-breaking FRANK national anti-drug information service. Rather than just attempting to drive home the ‘drugs are bad’ message, the website and confidential phone and online chat services provide a platform for teenagers and young people to ask questions about drugs.

Educating youth about smoking and e-cigarettes is no easy task. But history has taught us that young people are smarter than Reefer Madness and DARE gave them credit for. Public health groups and anti-tobacco NGOs could learn a lot from the factual, harm-reduction approach of vape advocates.

“Especially with teens, you’ve got to be credible,” Michael Slater, an anti-drug campaign expert at Ohio State University, told Vox. “They’ve got great BS thermometers.”

“With teens, you’ve got to be credible. They’ve got great BS thermometers”

In this article Vapouround Managing Director Paul Caplin gives his personal view about the current vape crisis in America.

America has become a powerhouse of innovation in the vape industry. Where it has led, the rest of the world has followed.

Now - in the space of just a few short weeks - the US industry has been brought to its knees by greed and corruption and this is sickening to witness.

In 2016 the US e-cigarette industry generated $2.4 billion and last year that had jumped to around $3.6 billion.

But now politicians jumping in with their flavour bans and the near constant attacks on vaping have tarnished the US vape industry’s reputation, possibly beyond repair.

What they have done will have terrible consequences. An entire industry could collapse, thousands of businesses could be forced to close and tens of thousands of individuals could be left without jobs.

All this is even before we pause to consider the inevitable increase in deaths which will happen when vapers are forced to switch back to smoking.

This is madness and we are already seeing this spread across the rest of the world. India has announced a vape ban backed up by jail time for offenders and China is also looking towards new e-cigarette regulations with several Chinese cities extending smoking bans to include vaping.

This could be the tip of the iceberg which could see the greatest aid ever to helping people quit smoking being gradually abolished. Millions of lives will be lost because of corruption and greed.

WHY THE AMERICAN VAPE CRISIS WILL AFFECT US ALL Together

To rub salt into the wound, the US illnesses and deaths are the result of people vaping illegal THC-based products and not the legal e-cigarette products for which we are all so proud. I have made many friends in this industry over this years and now they face the prospect of their lives being turned upside down and their livelihoods lost.

It is with this in mind that we launched the #TogetherWeAreVape campaign to stand up for what is right. We are showing the support of the international vaping community to this abhorrent and unconscionable injustice. Even if you don’t smoke or vape you will know people who are smokers or who will be smokers because of this. We must stand up to injustice and unite as an industry in support of our friends and colleagues in the USA.

we are stronger

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A HUGE MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB

It saddens me when I constantly come across ignorance about vaping from amongst the general public.

One recent example was a tweet which simply said: “Vaping is the trendy way to get cancer.” The very idea that contracting cancer could be trendy is perverse and it is smoking tobacco which causes cancer - not vaping nicotine.

However, as we reported in our last issue, a recent survey conducted by a GP found that one-in-five UK healthcare professionals wrongly believed that nicotine caused cancer. So can we really be surprised if members of the general public are equally ill-informed?

As we can see in America right now, misinformation about vaping is constantly being reinforced by legislators, the media, commentators and the general public.

Current EU advertising restrictions - where vaping is regulated in the same way as tobacco - only serve to make the problem worse.

If we cannot get the message across to the public that vaping is 95 percent less harmful than smoking, then it is no wonder that people are confused.

This selection of tweets is just the tip of the iceberg and it won’t take much time to uncover many other similar examples.

One tweet read: “If I am going to die from nicotine, I would much rather it be at age 60 from cancer than at 24 from my lungs exploding.”

For pity sake - using legal vape products will not cause your lungs

to explode and dying from cancer aged 60 is really not something to look forward to.

It is wrong to blame people for expressing these views when they are bombarded with negative and false reporting about vaping but it does highlight a really serious problem. Smokers are being put off vaping because the messages they are constantly receiving on the subject are overwhelmingly negative.

If I didn’t know anything about vaping, I too would be scared. Given the torrent of false news and comment about the e-cigarette industry, is it any wonder that so many people think that smoking is the safer option?

Smokers know that smoking is bad for them and many want to quit, but nothing they have tried so far has worked. Millions of smokers have heard about vaping and that has successfully moved them away from tobacco for good.

But given the recent barrage of reports from America about vaping putting people in the intensive care unit or the morgue can we blame smokers from concluding that sticking to cigarettes is the preferable option?

Unless we can effectively stem the tide of misinformation about vaping then many smokers will continue to die needlessly from their habit.

Social media comments like the ones shown here are a symptom of the problem but they also act to reinforce the negative message about vaping.

It is up to each and every one of us to fight for vaping and help reassure the public that it is a far better alternative to smoking and not a worse one.

If each week we can all help just one friend or family member understand the truth about vaping then that would be a huge start.The time to spread the message is now.

Vapouround Editor Patrick Griffin gives a personal view on the overwhelmingly negative message presented to the public about vaping and discusses the potentially devastating impact this is having on the lives of smokers.

I now understand why so many smokers are frightened to switch to vaping

If there’s one thing we can be sure of in this industry, it’s that we’ll be on the receiving end of negative media coverage every so often.

Unfortunately, we’re now back in the throes of this very scenario.

Once again, the ugly side of the mainstream press is rearing its head and latching on to stories borrowed from the US about ‘killer’ vaping. They’re whipping up a frenzy of fear among the public, despite UK-based evidence that – time and again – refutes these health scares.

But why?

“It’s this whole ‘clickbait’ scenario,” says Dan, “when they publish something positive about vaping, the only people that tend to engage are the vapers; but negative articles get a huge amount of interaction.”

It is these negative articles that appeal to people’s emotions, carefully constructed to incite a response – be that negative or positive.

Dan adds: “You’ve got the people who are provaping that will interact and put across the correct view and you’ve also got the anti-vapers who are commenting like ‘yeah look, I told you!’

“The problem is that it’s all based on advertising revenue. So, the reason that the negative stories become so much more high profile is because the interaction drives that revenue.”

This, of course, is only really relevant in the context of online news but, these days, all news is online. You’ll see a front-page story on the newspaper stand, but that very same story will also have been published online – gaining social media attention, too.

“We need to stop engaging directly with all of these negative stories and try to take away that advertising revenue for them and I know it’s very

frustrating, because you want to correct the mistruths,” says Dan.

He adds: “What we need to be doing is PR, using the vaping associations and media companies like Vapouround to push out the correct story, rather than engaging and making these other media companies a lot of money out of righteous indignation – and it is righteous.”

However, our industry has one major hurdle to overcome: advertising restrictions. These restrictions leave us with an inability to counter bad press on a wide scale, because we can’t get information out there with the same reach as mainstream media outlets.

“It’s the biggest Achilles heel we have as an industry, that we don’t have a channel to right the wrong information being put out there,” Dan says, “I think it’s ridiculous that we’re not allowed to mention the Public Health England statement about vaping being 95 percent less harmful. How is that information going to get across to your general smoking members of the public otherwise?”

The ASA’s hands are somewhat tied when it comes to implementing new advertising restrictions though, because TPD regulations also restrict advertising for the vaping industry. For now, it’s a waiting game and one we’ve been playing for three years: Brexit.

Dan says: “We’re waiting to see what the outcome with Brexit is, because we’d then have a big opportunity to work with the regulators and come up with what is a sensible and robust policy that ensures the message can be communicated to adult smokers.”

In the meantime, we can make sure that we’re not lining the pockets of media corporations that seek to destroy us: so, let’s not take the (click)bait.

“It’s the biggest Achilles heel we have as an industry, that we don’t have a channel to right the wrong information being put out there.”

Seven THINGS

THAT ONLY VAPERS UNDERSTAND

We’re sure that this list will have you nodding your head in agreement.

Words : Phoebe Fuller

Ask virtually any vaper about their vaping journey and they will probably speak at length about how it has changed their lives for the better.

Vaping can come with its own, unique set of minor annoyances –dry hit, anyone? and we are still forced to use the ‘smoking area’ by many establishments who are happy to treat smokers and vapers in exactly the same way.

How many of the following can you identify with…

1. Pockets full of paraphernalia

For non-vapers, leaving the house is as easy as a quick ‘phone, keys, wallet’ check and a dash out the door, but for vapers? We’ve got to make sure we’ve got our device, a spare battery, extra juice, a replacement coil (just in case) and, if you’re really prepared, a portable charger. But you’ll undoubtedly forget at least one of these, which leads to…

2... Arriving at your destination to find you’re out of juice

The absolute worst, especially for those of us that aren’t lucky enough to work in a vape shop. I’ve certainly been caught short a few times and, have had to ration my dwindling supplies until I could find more e-liquid.

3 . The fear of a dwindling coil and being far from a shop

It’s always the way, isn’t it? You’ll install a fresh coil and then go away for a few days, thinking you’ll not need to pack a stash of fresh ones, when said new coil decides to give up the ghost early. This never seems to happen when you’re holidaying somewhere with vape shops galore, no, it’s only when you head out to the sticks for a get-away-from-it-all break.

4. Becoming a nicotine dispensary for smokers

“Damn, I’m out of cigarettes, can I share your vape?” go the infamous words spoken to vapers on any night out with smoking friends. While we’re sympathetic to their nicotine needs, we have been pestering them for months to get their own device. Besides, we’ve probably forgotten our spare bottle of juice anyway, so conservation is key here and, no, you can’t share our vape.

5. Educating non-vapers

Nope, we’re not “smoking a vape” and we’re not “getting high” on the contents, either. Actually, vaping is safer than smoking; and, no, we’re not doing this to be ‘cool’. Also we despair every time we see signs and hear intercom announcements that proclaim: “No smoking and this includes e-cigarettes.” For the last time of telling you - smoking is not the same as vaping. It just isn’t.

6. Still having to act like a smoker anyway

The ‘designated vaping areas’ in many hospitals/pub or restaurant gardens/literally anywhere, are quite often...the designated smoking areas. We are vaping because we’ve stopped smoking so would like to avoid it where possible, but suddenly we’ve got to stand in a smoking area? This hardly seems fair. You wouldn’t hold an AA meeting in a pub after all.

7. Having to constantly defend vaping

Beyond correcting people who think vaping is the same as smoking, all vapers know the pain of reading yet another fear-mongering headline about the ‘safety of vaping.’ Some people really get bent out of shape about us giving up smoking but we are a passionate lot and if we constantly have to defend vaping to smokers then so be it as we are sure to convert one or two along the way and that is a big win all round.

NEW JERSEY CONSIDERS NUCLEAR OPTION

Words: Patrick Griffin

By the time you read this, laws may already be being drafted to make it illegal to buy any form of e-cigarettes in New Jersey.

State Governor Phil Murphy has signed an Executive Order to create a special task force to report on the risks associated with vaping which he describes as an “all-too-common practice.”

The Electronic Smoking Device Task Force has been asked to make a series of recommendations about vaping in the wake of the lung disease illnesses and deaths in the US.

He has given three weeks for the task force to publish its recommendations but in the meantime he wants vapers to stop using e-cigarettes anyway.

In what vaping advocates see as more than a little alarmist, he said: “As of this moment there is no safe vape. The only safe alternative to smoking is no smoking, period.”

Referring to the vaping task force he said: “Over the course of the next three weeks [it will] identify and recommend actions we can take both administratively and legally to protect New Jersey residents, especially kids, from the hazards of vaping.”

In New Jersey, there are three cases of vaping-related illnesses

that have been confirmed by the state’s Department of Health while 19 others are under investigation.

And in yet another blow to the vape industry, legal moves are already underway to ban flavoured e-liquids in New Jersey.

Senate President Steve Sweeney supports the flavour bans but wants to go further.

He said: “The health and safety and even the lives of young people are at risk. The flavoured products are targeted at teenagers and young adults with the intent of luring them into addiction.

“We should not allow another generation to get addicted to a product that lowers life expectancy and seriously damages their heart and lungs. Here is a product that we know is seriously harming the health of users, especially our youth.”

He has described the flavour restrictions as “the first steps towards a total ban on the sale of all vaping products, including e-cigarettes,” adding: “I will propose a plan to phase out the sale of all vaping products over the next few years.”

So what are New Jersey vapers to do if this happens? They could take the ferry across The Hudson to New York, and if the proposed flavour ban goes ahead, they could at least buy tobacco-flavoured e-liquid.

Garden State Senate President wants total ban of ALL vaping devices while the Governor sets up special task force to issue recommendations

Or, as many are bound to do, they could go back to smoking because this will be the inevitable effect of such a rash policy decision.

The American Vaping Association is clear about what will happen, saying that a ban “will remove life-changing options from the market that have been used by several million American adults to quit smoking.”

AVA President Gregory Conley said: “We understand why Sen. Sweeney, as well as the governor, are concerned about youth usage. No youth should vape but to keep deadly cigarettes legal on the market while removing harm reduction products simply doesn’t make sense.

“Just getting rid of these products is going to do nothing to combat the black market-contaminated THC products that are causing lung illnesses and will actually just open up a brand new potentially multi-million-dollar black market.”

Mr Conley cautioned against rushing to legislate against legal vape products adding: “We know that over 2.5 million ex-smokers have been created in America because of vaping, and we shouldn’t overreact to illnesses and deaths that are clearly being caused by contaminated THC cartridges sold by drug dealers.

“Smokers smoke for the nicotine but they die from the tar, and we need to give them options — smarter options — but we also need to do more work to keep these out of the hands of youth.”

So while a black market economy will only serve to put more dangerous products on the streets, law-abiding vape businesses will be forced to shut down and the New Jersey vaping community is left wondering just how any of this is even slightly helpful.

@governorphilmurphy

VAPOUROUND

VA PO URO UND O N TO U R

VAPE SHOP EVENTS

AUGUST 20-22, WESTIN PALACE, MADRID

Words : Baz Bassra

Vape Shop Events Madrid was like no other vaping event I had previously experienced.

At a regular expo you walk up to exhibitors and see if they have the time or inclination to talk to you but here you attend a series of more intimate pre-determined appointments in luxury surroundings. I was a little apprehensive to say the least because not only was it my first time at an event like this but I was on my own in Madrid and outside my comfort zone.

However I was not out of my comfort zone when it came to the choice of venue. Normally a vape expo will take place at a vast exhibition hall

but this was held at The Westin Palace Hotel which was built by order of King Alfonso XIII in 1912.

It is situated in one of the best locations in Madrid and its lavish interior is quite literally fit for royalty. Close to the Prado museum, historical monuments and some of the best tapas restaurants in town, this hotel is a very interesting mix of both history and innovation. When I met the Vape Shop Events team on set-up day my apprehension disappeared as they made me feel at ease straight away. Everyone was friendly, full of smiles and could not have been more helpful as they talked me through the process for the next two days.

The first evening we were all cordially invited to the Cortes room for a formal meet and greet along with dinner and drinks.

This was a very intimate vape event, with a select number of companies from the vaping and CBD worlds.

It was nice to see like-minded people from the industry here to do business, face-to-face in the comfort of our own 5-star bedroom suites.

Throughout the course of the two days, I was given the opportunity to discuss the marketing and advertising in detail with buyers without the hustle and bustle of the vape events I’m accustomed to.

The format here was very similar to what you might find at a speed dating event - buyers were given 20 minute slots with each exhibitor and rotated around the different rooms to meet people during the two days.

Vape Shop Events in Madrid was a huge success with lots of great people, an ideal venue in which to do business and a relaxed environment without all the distractions of a traditional expo.

The Vape Shop Events team all did a fantastic job and worked extremely hard to ensure that this was well-executed from start to finish.

YOU

6.5 BILLION

metric tons of greenhouse gases were emitted by the United States in 2017Center for Climate and Energy Solutions

Professor John Britton, Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies

ECC ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA

AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 1, ONTARIO CONVENTION CENTER

: Pom Kaila

Over the past three years I have attended many vape conventions within the UK but I had never been to one abroad. So when I found out I was attending the ECC I was very excited as this was to be uncharted territory for me.

I was intrigued to see the approach taken by vape expos on the other side of the Atlantic and especially whether they followed a similar format to home shows or whether I could expect to see something completely different.

The first major difference was the travel time as this was no 45-minute car journey up the A38 to the NEC in Birmingham. For home shows a trip to London would see me at the destination but this time round it was the starting point for a three hour flight to Pisa, followed by a short transit at the airport and a long and tiring 11-hour flight to Los Angeles.

The convention itself was, in many ways, very similar to the UK ones I was used to and I immediately felt at home within the ‘vape expo’ environment as soon as I walked through the doors.

There was one massive difference though and I found something which I really did not expect to see at a vape event.

The expo boasted a 20ft bar which was offering vodka, whisky and even Champagne. For a moment I felt it was a great shame that I am not a daytime drinker but I had a job to do and hitting the bar at 11am was certainly not on my to-do list.

It was great to see the usual faces at this show doing what they do best as the likes of Nasty Juice, Charlie’s and Jwei were all instantly recognisable, as well as many other regulars from the vape show circuit.

While it is always great to meet old friends, for me, it is making new contacts and seeing new brands which is always really exciting and I was surprisingly impressed to see how many new companies were showcasing their brands out here. A few companies that really caught my eye were Pod Juice, Hitt, Take Off E-liquid and Hybrid. Take Off, in particular, stood out to me the most. I love the name, love the stand and most of all, I love their Apple Strudel vape juice, it was a definitely a winner for me.

Overall the show was well laid out, well organised and I’m glad I managed to get the chance to visit. Thank you ECC, thank you to the kind people of Ontario. I hope to see you all again soon.

VAPECON SOUTH AFRICA 2019

Words : Baz Bassra

Driving through the long, isolated roads off Thaba Tshware, I was struck by the safari-like scenery and very little else around me. This was quite a derelict location and I was just wondering whether I had taken a wrong turn when the huge Heartfelt Arena suddenly came into view.

This arena was vast and the atmosphere inside was absolutely electric with a huge energy emanating from the large crowd of vaping enthusiasts.

I immediately felt right at home at this show which boasted more than 100 exhibitors including many South African brands which were new to me, including White Snow, Vape Republic, Twisp, Steeped Juice and Liquid Kiss. These companies sat alongside more familiar household names including Riot Squad, IVG, Zap, Smok, Dr Vapes, Dinner Lady and Ruthless. This was a two-day event which attracted a really enthusiastic crowd of vapers from all walks of life who were all united by a love of vaping. The care and respect we received during the two days was amazing and the VapeCon team worked extremely hard to pull off such a vibrant event.

Vape tricks and cloud competitions played a big part here and the competitors were of a very high standard indeed.

Whilst walking the vape floors of VapeCon I came across many extraordinary people and their stories which lead them to the path of vape. I met many really interesting people at the show including Steeped Juice CEO Joshua Peterson who created the company with his brother Matthew to bring more affordable juices to the market.

Business has grown from strength to strength to the extent that Steeped Juice is now one of South Africa’s leading juice brands.

I also met another pair of brothers - Akeel and Farheem have worked very hard as a family duo to grow Vape Republic into South Africa’s leading vape distributor. They also have their own juice line 8 Ball Liquids which picked up a VapeCon award for Best Local Juice 2019.

I have so many amazing memories from this great event and even had some time to visit a safari park with Riot Squad, Chubby Gorilla and Ultimate Puff which made for a fantastic end to my trip to South Africa. I can’t think of a better way to round off the trip than enjoying a South African safari with people within the vaping industry who share the same passion for vaping as we all do here at Vapouround.

VapeCon South Africa has truly been an amazing experience and I am already looking forward to next year’s event.

VAPEXPRO ATHENS

TAE KWON DO & HANDBALL OLYMPIC STADIUM. SEPTEMBER 21-22.

Words : Paul Caplin

September 21-22 saw the fourth edition of Vapexpro Athens. Vapouround has been proud media partners of this event for the last two years and due to other commitments we were unable to attend the expo last year. This year was different and we winged our way to Greece for a show we were excited to attend for the first time.

We arrived on the Saturday and I must say it was one of the most relaxed hospitable check in processes we have ever encountered over the four years of attending expos throughout the world. We were welcomed by the organisers, who then proceeded to escort us to our stand. They then offered us coffee and water and asked us what we needed. Although we always receive a warm welcome wherever we go, we don’t usually get that level of personal assistance by the organisers as usually they have a lot going on with organising the expo. This was a lovely touch that we appreciated.

We set up our booth, and took a walk around the expo hall. A handful of familiar faces graced the hall, and smiles from the usual suspects such as Nasty Juice, Red Box, Kilo and Charlie’s Chalk Dust were a welcome sight. One of the most noticeable things were the large numbers of new companies that were exhibiting, as well as a plethora of Greek juice brands and distributors that added a welcome mix to what was looking like a interesting international exhibition.

The first day was steady, with a constant drip of attendees coming to sample the juice on offer and try the new hardware on display by these companies. After speaking with a handful of exhibitors, the general mood was good and people seemed happy and content with day one.

If people enjoyed day one and did nice business, on day two they were all in for a treat and a nice surprise.

The day was far busier and the vibe was a lot more energetic and what we have grown to expect from various international vape expos we have seen previously. Every booth had lots of people queuing around it to see what was on offer. There also didn’t seem to be too many freebie hunters as you may see in some other countries. Everyone seemed to be there to purchase something and they were genuinely excited and interested to try what was on offer. Again day two was a roaring success and the exhibitors I spoke to were very happy with the turnout.

The only negative for me was the extremely loud music which

sometimes made it difficult to hear yourself think, but overall this was a very well-executed professional expo that was a joy to attend and support. Athens is a beautiful city and it was a pleasure to spend some time there and I can’t wait to attend next year’s event. I highly recommend anyone wanting to exhibit to attend this show next year as this market is only going to get stronger and stronger.

Finally I would like to give a special mention to our media partners and organisers of the expo Christos and Gabriel and their entire team for their hospitality and a thoroughly enjoyable expo.

VAPOUROUND BUS ON Tour

All aboard the Vapouround Bus!

We’ve been hitting the streets up and down the country and here are the highlights from our most recent visits…

July 16 – Golden Harvest,

We headed to the wonderful Steel City on a cold and cloudy July day but we received the warmest of welcomes from Louise Boone and her team at Golden Harvest on Abbeydale Road. We played host to a steady stream of smokers and vapers throughout the day and introduced many smokers to the world of vaping.

Former expat Dean, who has recently returned to the UK from Spain, told us how he started smoking while working abroad. He said the Vapouround Bus was the final push he needed to quit and was delighted with his new vape starter kit.

Louise from Golden Harvest said it was fantastic to have the bus in Sheffield and said the information on board was very helpful for smokers and vapers alike.

July 25 – The Vape Box,

This was an insanely hot summer’s day with the sun shining for the entire duration of the event. The people of Burton loved the bus and we couldn’t have asked to host a more friendly crowd wanting to learn more about vaping and try the excellent e-liquids on board. We answered people’s queries about vaping, gave away starter kits to smokers and enjoyed the hot weather while doing so. One former smoker proudly told us that he had just started vaping the previous week and was so pleased that he hadn’t been tempted to smoke a single cigarette since. His main reason for visiting was to persuade his wife to quit too so that they could both lead healthier lives and enjoy spending quality time with their grandson. The good news is that his wife left with a starter kit too so good luck to the pair of them in keeping tobacco free.

July 31 – Phoenix Vapes, Stapleford

Our visit to Phoenix Vapes was a huge success and we were welcomed with open arms by owner Lee, who is a dedicated vaping advocate. The bus was a vape hangout all day, as people were keen to stay on board chatting and enjoying the many flavours at the taste station. Talking of which, Juccier’s Black Lychee flavour was the hands-down winner of the day, so if you’re fancying a fruity new addition to your collection then why not give this one a go? The Vapouround Bus team was also over the moon to welcome a man who had been smoking for 40 years to the vaping family. After answering his questions about vaping we were delighted to give him a free Vladdin starter kit to help him kick the habit and he particularly loved the flavour of Premium Labs Ever Cloud Honey Tobacco which we set up with the kit.

AROUND 1 IN 1000 black men and boys can expect to die at the hands of

police–Rutgers University study (2018)

“Smoking kills. Vaping saves lives”

Professor John Britton, Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies

August 5 – Crown and Arrows Pub, Derby

Most people enjoy a good night down at the local and the Vapouround Bus team is no exception. To help celebrate our Events Manager’s birthday we took the bus to the Crown and Arrows pub in Shelton Lock, Derby. It turned more than a few heads when we parked up in the car park and it wasn’t long until regulars and locals alike checked out the imposing double decker. This was a beautiful summer’s evening and the event was so successful that we had people queueing to get their free Vladdin starter kits.

Smokers would come out of the pub to light up, see our bus in front of them and happily swap their cigarettes for shiny new vape kits. One of the highlights was a relapsed smoker who found himself back on the cigarettes after giving up for 15 years. He snapped up our offer of a free vape kit and said he was determined to give up for good this time round. This was such a great event we may head off down to the pub again if we can persuade the boss to let us do so.

August 12 – City Centre, Stoke on Trent

For our Stoke on Trent city centre stop, we set up shop near the busy farmers market in the square. We welcomed a wide range of people on board including shoppers, smokers, business people and existing vapers. Our free starter kit offer was a huge draw and as word-of-mouth spread about the Vapouround Bus we were able to introduce dozens of people to the world of

August 19 – Cheeky Vapers, Mansfield

There was a great atmosphere on the bus and it was clear that many smokers wanted to learn more about vaping. It is always great to be able to introduce people to e-cigarettes and help dispel some of the myths that have

developed around the world of vaping. The smokers we saw loved the idea that they could still get nicotine from vaping without the foul smell of smoking and they were excited to give vaping a try for themselves.

Smoker Martin Neil, 47, sampled every juice on our tasting stations and said he absolutely loved the Juccier flavours. This was a really great day.

August 30 – September 1 – Vegan Camp Out, Newark

This was a first for the Vapouround Bus and we are so glad we attended this fantastic event. We soaked up the atmosphere as everyone enjoyed a splendid, sunny weekend in Newark.

The members of the vegan community we encountered over the weekend were really keen to find out what we were all about. We

must have played host to more than 200 visitors over the weekend and they all had so many questions about vaping and what it was all about. It was great to see such an enthusiastic group of people and we were so pleased to give away so many vape starter kits. For many, this was their first experience of vaping and they were amazed

at the variety of vape flavours they could try at our vape stations. Existing vapers at the event were also keen to show their smoking friends around the bus and were delighted that we were there to help educate the vegan community about vaping. Overall this was an amazing weekend and one of the highlights of the year so far.

September 6 – Nottingham City Tour, Nottingham

If this was a cricket match then rain would most definitely have stopped play but it takes more than a bit of bad weather to stop the Vapouround Bus. It never stopped raining for the entire day but we were still able to welcome slightly-damp smokers on board to check us out. Some people climbed on board to shelter from the weather and they got to learn more about vaping during their time with us and try some of the great e-liquids on board. While we can always find a silver-lining in every cloud we certainly hope the weather is a little nicer the next time we visit Nottingham.

September 11 - HempHQ, Ilkeston

Hemp HQ had a steady stream of customers throughout the day and they were delighted to have the bus on site. This was different to many locations because a lot of our visitors were already seasoned vapers but they wanted to look around our bus and try the

e-liquids on the test stations. Hemp HQ had promoted the visit on social media and the interest in the bus was phenomenal, helping bring in double the number of customers to the store.

We were able to give visitors to the bus

some free samples and vape starter kits for their friends who were still smokers. This was a great day out for all concerned and we will be back again for their grand opening of their new store in Stapleford later in the year.

88,000

people die each year as a result of alcohol –National Institutes of Health

“Smoking kills. Vaping saves lives”

Professor John Britton, Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies

V A P O U R O U N D R E VI E W S E-liquid 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 criteria depending on the style of products received

AEGIS X By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 90mm*56.1mm*31.3mm

- Battery capacity: 2x external 18650 cells

- Charging: 2A Micro-USB quick charging

- Power output: 5W-200W

Some mods become so popular that they create a wave of copycat devices. The original Geekvape Aegis and Aegis Legend are prime examples of this and opened the floodgates for other manufacturers to release “indestructible” hardware. Approximately one year on from the release of the Aegis Legend, comes Geekvape’s newest full-sized Aegis.

Construction, fit and finish of the Aegis X are outstanding. Anything less would be disappointing, since the success of this series of mods is almost entirely due to their rugged build and IP67 water resistant rating. This is by no means the smallest dual 18650 mod and it’s certainly not the lightest but it makes up for this with construction that makes you feel confident in the longevity of the device. Tolerances are spot on, with no visible gaps in the seams, rattle-free buttons and a very sturdy battery door. Despite being large for a dual cell device, the Aegis X feels a touch slimmer in the hand when compared with its predecessor, making for a more ergonomic device.

The user experience on offer here is intuitive but feature rich. Three clicks of the fire button take you into the menu where you can adjust a variety of settings, including preheat functions, temperature control, power and temperature curves and memory banks. Holding the + and – buttons when in the menu takes you to the UI control centre, where you can choose from a number of themes and colour settings, along with Geekvape’s ABB balanced charging feature.

The bright 2.4” OLED display makes all of this less confusing for new users and is a great quality-of-life feature for those with poor eyesight. In fact, of the many mods I’ve used over the years, this has to be the clearest and most user-friendly display. Some people were concerned that this screen would be a weak point in terms of durability but I’ve had no issues with it during my stress tests, since it’s covered with a thick protective shell. This layer has stood up to

multiple shoulder-height drops over concrete, with nothing more than a few scratches to show for it, so I am confident that this device will be every bit as durable as the Aegis Legend.

In terms of performance, the Aegis X is a joy to use. The original AS chip was no slouch but the all new AS 2.0 is a step up. Power delivery is snappy and very aggressive if set to the powerful preheat. Temperature control appears to be unchanged from the original AS chip, which is fine since this is one of the best out-of-the-box TC experiences at this price point. Despite the huge display, battery life is good for a dual 18650 device and I was easily able to get a full day’s vaping at 70W from one fully-charged pair of cells. The ABB balanced charging appears to work as advertised, with both cells reading the same voltage on an external charger after use but I would still recommend always charging cells externally as best practice.

In summary, the Aegis X is an iterative upgrade of the Legend, which was one of the best mods of last year. The X brings that same build quality and pairs it with a more responsive chip and stunning screen. This is a fantastic option for vapers who need a device that can withstand an unreasonable amount of abuse.

PROS

- Great build quality

- Responsive chip

- Large, clear screen

CONS

- Battery door can be fiddly at first

TEROS ONE By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 80mm*29.5mm*15mm

- Battery capacity: 650mAh - E-liquid capacity: 2ml

- Weight: 64.5g - Charging: USB-C

- Power output: Three levels, variable output.

Hardware veterans Joyetech are one of the biggest names in the starter kit market, having already produced a number of pod devices in the last 18 months. The Teros One is their latest offering, but does it stand out in this increasingly saturated space?

Construction fit and finish of the Teros One are outstanding for such an affordable device. Although light at 64.5g, the metal and glass build of the chassis feels notably more premium than most pod systems. Tolerances are tight here, with minimal seams and a strong magnetised pod connection towards the top of the device. The USB-C charging port at the bottom of the chassis is embedded properly and feels as though it will stand up to extended use. The high gloss finish and fractal design may not be to everyone’s taste, but it is wellexecuted and gives the Teros One an interesting aesthetic. User experience is simple. A single button powers the device on/off and cycles through three variable power settings. The LED embedded into the button also provides three levels of battery feedback. The disposable mesh pods incorporate the same valve re-fill system first introduced by Vaporesso. This is one of the most convenient designs on the market, allowing for mess-free re-filling whilst eliminating leakage.

As standard, Joyetech supply the Teros One with a single 0.5Ohm mesh pod. This is my first gripe with the kit, as a bare minimum of two pods should be supplied with any starter system like this. The mesh pod lists a recommended wattage of 9W-13W. Though Joyetech do not specifically state the three power output levels of the device, it is safe to assume that they correspond to these wattage recommendations.

The 0.5Ohm mesh pod provides either a loose MTL draw, or restricted direct lung draw, depending on your method of inhalation. I found flavour output and vape quality to be best at the highest power output setting, where vapour is warm and saturated. Those who prefer a cooler vape can choose the medium or low settings, though I did find flavour to be diminished in this case. At the highest setting, flavour output is among the top performers in the pod market, though

not head and shoulders above others in its class. I was able to run 20ml of moderately sweet e-liquid through the mesh pod before its performance significantly declined, which is well within acceptable bounds.

Though the 0.5Ohm pods provide great vape quality, I would still like to see some higher resistance options made available for the Teros One, with a smaller inner diameter. This would result in a true MTL experience that is often preferred by new users and suits high nicotine strength e-liquids.

The 650mAh internal cell performs exactly as I would expect considering the power output of the device. When filled with 20mg/ ml nicotine salt e-liquid, I was able to get just shy of a full day’s vaping on a charge. The USB-C quick charging allows the Teros One to charge from flat to full in approximately 30 minutes, which minimises down time and mitigates any concerns I would usually have about the device not lasting a full day.

In summary, the Teros One is a polished pod system that should be ideal for those who enjoy a loose MTL or restricted direct lung vape at low wattages. For me, this device shines with high nicotine strength e-liquids, as this maximises the run time of the internal 650mAh cell, so low nicotine users should keep that in mind. An extra pod provided with the kit, as well as the option for a true MTL experience would make for an even more compelling package and Joyetech should consider this for future batches.

PROS

- Great build quality

- Warm, saturated vape

- Quick charging time

CONS

- Only one pod included with kit

- No true MTL option

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 102mm*19.3mm

- Power output: 7W-10W

- Battery capacity: 550mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 1.5ml - Charging: 1A Micro-USB

Acrohm are newcomers to the hardware market but have already made a splash in the vaping community with their FUSH mod, an unconventional direct output tube device that was equal parts semimech and glowstick. It’s 2019, so naturally a pod system variant was inevitable, but is the FUSH Nano a compelling choice, or a flashy gimmick?

Construction, fit and finish are among the best in class for pod systems. With a combination of thick polycarbonate and stainless steel, the Nano is light and robust. Finishing throughout the chassis is immaculate and smooth, resulting in an end product that feels more premium than many of its competitors.

User experience is very simplistic, with some additional LED functionality, as you would expect from an Acrohm product. You can either use the FUSH Nano as a draw-activated device at 7W or press the bottom-mounted firing button to bump the power up to 10W.

Aside from this, you can press the button three times to power the huge array of LEDs on/off and shake the device to switch between colours. Refilling the 1.5ml pods is easy and mess-free with the bottom-mounted valve mechanism, though I am told the final retail model will do away with this method in favour of threaded top-fill. In any case, I’ve not experienced a single drop of leaking from my pods during testing and they keep up with 50/50 e-liquids without issue, though I would be hesitant to use more viscous blends since there’s not much room for wicking.

What about vape quality, though? When using the FUSH Nano as a draw-activated device at 7W, expect to get a cool vape with a loose MTL draw and moderate flavour production. I feel this output is best suited to markets that allow for 20+mg/ml e-liquids. Firing the device with the bottom-mounted button provides much warmer vapour at 10W, with superior flavour.

Filled with 20mg/ml salt nicotine e-liquids, I found this method to produce a satisfying throat hit and, as a result, I did not find myself going back to the draw-activated power setting. I wouldn’t say this is one of the top performing systems in terms of flavour, but it’s no slouch either.

The 550mAh cell lasts a touch longer than I would usually expect, likely owing to the conservative power output of the device. I found the FUSH Nano to last just shy of a full day’s vaping on a charge when filled with 20mg/ml e-liquids and the device charges from flat to full in just over half an hour, which is perfectly fine considering the run time.

In summary, the FUSH Nano is a competent, if slightly novel, pod system. I’m not personally a fan of the LED light show functionality but fortunately that can be disabled rather easily. The construction, combined with vape quality, make for a competent stealth vape that I can see becoming quite popular. This is a good option for those who want to try something a little different to the standard fare.

PROS

- Great build quality

- Impressive run time considering size of internal cell

CONS

- Light show functionality may be seen as a gimmick

FUSH NANO By Benedict Jones

IQ VIVA KIT By Benedict Jones

Mod Specifications:

- Dimensions: 75.1mm*26.5mm*17mm - Battery capacity: 1100mAh internal cell

- Power output: Three power settings (Low/Medium/High) - Charging: Micro-USB Tank Specifications:

- Dimensions: 55.9mm*14mm (height including drip tip)

- Materials: Glass, stainless steel - E-liquid capacity: 1.3ml

E-liquid giants Hangsen have pushed to make an impact on the hardware market in recent times and until now that has taken the form of several pod systems of varying sizes. The IQ VIVA is their first traditionally-styled tank and mod kit, so how does it measure up to the competition?

Construction, fit and finish are good. This is an affordable, beginnerfriendly kit so it would be unfair to expect top-tier, rugged construction, but the device feels nicely put-together. Seams are minimal, there is no rattle or play to speak of and the mod is comfortable in the hand. The chassis material is not stated but from the relatively low weight it’s seemingly aluminium and the finish is nicely done.

Ease-of-use is critical with starter kits and Hangsen have done well in this case. The device features just one button, which acts as a firing mechanism, cycles between three power settings with three consecutive presses and powers the device on/off with five clicks. A simple set of LEDs indicates the current power setting and tells the user when the device is charging, when there is a connection problem or when the battery is depleted. I would like to see a greater range of battery feedback, warning the user of different levels of charge, but this is a minor complaint.

In terms of performance, the VIVA kit is very respectable when compared with the other miniature mods and pod systems that it is competing with. I found the 1100mAh internal cell to easily accommodate a full day’s use on one charge regardless of power setting when used with 20mg/ml nicotine strength e-liquids. Vapers who use low strength e-liquids may have less run time, though the device charges from flat to full in just under 1.5 hours, which is entirely acceptable considering the size of the internal cell. The VIVA tank is a sensible pairing for the mod. With its tiny 14mm

diameter, e-liquid capacity is small at just 1.3ml, but the intended audience for this device is clearly those who use high strength e-liquids, so this shouldn’t be too much of a concern and it does result in a very slender package. The tank features a simple child-resistant top-fill mechanism with generous fill ports and an airflow control ring at the base which offers a good range of options, from tight MTL when fully closed off to a restricted direct-lung draw when fully open. This should cater to most new vapers, though I found flavour performance to be best with the airflow closed all the way down.

Vape quality is commendable for such a small device, though it doesn’t compete with fully-fledged MTL stock coil tanks. But this is to be expected and I thoroughly believe that the VIVA coil heads provide a good experience for new vapers.

In summary, the Hangsen IQ VIVA kit is a solid miniature device with extended battery life for new users who want something that performs like a pod system. If simplicity, affordability and an inconspicuous size are your priorities, this is a good option.

PROS

- Build quality

- Battery life

- Wattage adjustment

CONS

- Only one coil option, not true MTL

TYRO NANO By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 105mm*19mm (height including drip tip)

- Battery capacity: 900mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 2ml

- Charging: Micro-USB

Vaptio is a company known for its focus on affordable, beginnerfriendly kits. The Tyro Nano is its latest device for new vapers and this is how it stacks up.

Construction fit and finish of the Tyro Nano is solid. This is a light device but it doesn’t feel flimsy and seams are kept to a minimum. I found that the o-rings which hold the tank section in place are very snug. This is a good thing when the device is set up and filled with e-liquid but out of the box, with no lubrication, it’s rather difficult to disassemble. Removing the tank section for the first time to install the coil, forces the user to exert quite a bit of pressure on the glass and for this reason, it would be better if the device was fully disassembled when new.

User experience here is very simple. The single button on the Tyro Nano acts as a firing mechanism and also powers the device on/ off with five clicks. Unlike some other stick AIOs of this size, the Tyro Nano does not have variable power, which may be preferable for some users. The top fill mechanism is well designed, with a quarter turn revealing two fill ports covered by a membrane. Despite the relatively small size of the fill ports, I have experienced no overflow issues when filling and the membrane does a good job of preventing any leakage.

In terms of vape quality, the Tyro Nano does not live up to its full potential. This device is compatible with Vaptio’s Cosmo coils, along with the Aspire Nautilus fitting, both of which are tried and tested low wattage options. The problem here is not with the coils, which are proven performers but with the airflow.

The Tyro Nano features two large, non-adjustable airflow inlets at the base of the tank section. This allows far too much air into the system, which then meets a bottleneck via the small inner diameter of the 1.6Ohm Cosmo coil. The result of this design is a loud, turbulent and

rather open draw for a coil that is clearly optimised for low power MTL vaping.

This turbulence and excessive airflow produces cool vapour with somewhat muted flavour. Vaptio will need to rethink their airflow inlets in order to solve this problem but this is a really easy fix – a single 1mm hole on either side would be much more appropriate than the current cyclops style.

Battery life is good for such a small device and I found the 900mAh internal cell to easily last a full day’s vaping, when filled with 20mg/ml nicotine salt e-liquid. The device charges from flat to full in just over an hour, which is well within acceptable limits considering run time.

In summary, the Tyro Nano certainly has a lot of potential and I think the Cosmo coils will really shine for MTL vaping if the airflow design can be modified.

PROS

- Good battery life

- Well-executed top fill

CONS

- Poor airflow design

- Cool vapour

- Muted flavour

WOCKET POD SYSTEM KIT

Specifications:

By Benedict Jones

- Dimensions: 93.6mm*40.5mm*15.4mm

- Construction: Zinc alloy, PCTG - Battery capacity: 1150mAh internal cell

- Power output: 5W-25W - E-liquid capacity: 3ml/2ml (TPD edition)

- Charging: 1A Micro-USB

With a slightly larger footprint than traditional pods, box pods can pack in more functionality and battery life. The Wocket is Snowwolf’s take on this new style of device.

The zinc alloy frame certainly feels premium and the wide range of accent materials means there should be something for everyone. Seams are kept to a minimum and tolerances are nice, with a firm press-fit pod connection that has absolutely no play. Box pods tend to aim for a slightly more luxurious build than their smaller siblings and the Wocket is no exception.

Snowwolf have kept things very simple, though the Wocket is slightly different to most of the competition in that it features a fully regulated chipset and LED display. The larger button towards the top of the device acts as the firing mechanism and powers the device on/off with five consecutive clicks.

A smaller button below the screen cycles through wattage settings in 1-watt increments. Each press pushes the wattage higher, until it reaches the maximum 25W, where it circles back down to the minimum output. The battery bar and puff counter included on the screen may be simple features, but it’s great to have live feedback on how much life you can expect from your system and puff counters are a good way of gauging nicotine intake.

Battery life is excellent for such a small system. Vaping 20mg/ml nicotine salt e-liquids at 18W, I found the Wocket to consistently last a full day’s use on one charge. The internal cell charged from flat to full in just over an hour, which is well within acceptable bounds considering run time.

The pod configuration of the Wocket should be very familiar to fans of other box pod systems such as Geekvape’s Frenzy. Thankfully, this device supports replacement coils rather than disposable pods, which reduces waste and maintenance costs. A threaded cap at the top of the pod acts a filling port and I had no issues with this system during my testing, since the opening is large enough to accommodate the inlet of e-liquid and escaping air without overflow problems occurring.

The Wocket comes packaged with two of Snowwolf’s new 0.7Ohm X-grid mesh coil heads. With the airflow closed almost all the way off and power set to 18W you can expect a warm MTL vape, with respectable flavour production. However, it doesn’t feel as though these coils were made with true MTL vaping in mind, since closing the airflow down to this level results in slight turbulence. Opening the airflow any more than a pin prick results in a restricted direct lung draw and though the coils perform admirably for their size, I just don’t think it’s possible to get a truly satisfying direct lung vape from such a small, low power coil. I was able to run approximately 20mls of moderately sweet e-liquid through each X-grid coil before experiencing a significant decline in performance.

I feel a higher resistance coil with a smaller inner bore is needed for the Wocket to reach its full potential. I do find it slightly confusing that the device has been launched with a sub-ohm mesh coil as the only option and hope that this is addressed in the near future. The Snowwolf Wocket has a lot going for it, with nice build quality, full wattage control, great battery life and replaceable coils but it needs

PROS

- Build quality

- Battery life

- Wattage adjustment

CONS

- Only one coil option, not true MTL

TARGET MINI II By Benedict

Specifications:

Jones

- Dimensions: 63mm*37.2mm*25.7mm

- Weight: 112g - Battery capacity: 2000mAh internal cell

- Power output: 5W-50W - Charging: 2A Micro-USB fast charging

- VM Tank 22 Specifications: - E-liquid capacity: 2ml

It’s been over three years since the original Target Mini was released, so is this new iteration a worthy sequel?

Construction fit and finish are outstanding. This may be a tiny mod but from flawless seams to tactile buttons and an attractive metallic finish, it exudes premium quality. At 112g without a tank installed, it’s relatively heavy considering the small footprint, but this only adds to the premium feel. The micro-USB charging and update port is located on the side of the device and embedded into the chassis properly: a small detail but one of vital importance for an internal cell device. In terms of user experience, Vaporesso have struck a nice balance between simplicity and advanced features. The Target Mini 2 boasts the Omni Board 4.2, meaning this is a full-fat mod, despite the small size. The up/down and fire buttons work as you would expect on any miniature mod and novice users can stop there, adjusting wattage to taste and ignoring the rest.

The Omni Board’s more advanced features are accessed with three clicks of the mode button and surprisingly, this includes every setting available on Vaporesso’s previous flagship device, the Luxe.

The intuitive menu layout includes variable wattage preheats, wattage curves, variable voltage, voltage curves, several temperature control modes, super player mode, memory banks and even UI customisation. I was amazed that Vaporesso managed to fit such a feature-rich chip into such a small frame. The mod performs as you would expect any Omni Board-based device to, meaning great accuracy, solid temperature control, instant power delivery and good battery management. Since version 4, it’s fair to say that the Omni Board is the jack of all trades and the master of them, too. I found the 2000mAh internal cell to last approximately 1.5 days’ worth of vaping when using low wattage MTL tanks, or a few hours when bumping up the power to 40W with a single coil RDA. The 2A quick charging means downtime is minimal, charging from flat to full in just over an hour, which is outstanding considering the size of the internal cell.

The bundled VM Tank 22 is less exciting than the mod but is a very suitable pairing nonetheless. It’s built nicely and features a simple top-fill design, with a generous kidney-shaped port and a rather versatile airflow system that allows you to properly dial-in your restriction from a single tiny hole, all the way to a large cyclops inlet. The VM Tank 22 is compatible with Vaporesso’s long-running EUC coil fitting. This should please many vapers, since these are known to be reliable low power coils, which are widely available. The kit comes with two EUCs, which both seem to be new. The first is an updated 1Ohm CCELL coil, utilising ceramic wicking. This coil provides a good, if not outstanding, MTL vape with reasonable flavour production and I ran 35ml of moderately sweet e-liquid through it before noticing a serious decline in flavour output.

The second is a 0.8Ohm mesh coil. Even with a maximum recommended power of 22W, I found this to shine with the airflow cut down to moderate MTL, where it has excellent flavour production, rivalling other top MTL stock coilers on the market. Longevity wasn’t quite as good but still well within acceptable limits.

In summary, the Vaporesso Target Mini 2 is an outstanding kit for any low power vaper. Whether you’re looking for your very first device or are a veteran who would like something small but advanced to pair with an MTL RTA, this is a fantastic option that I wholeheartedly recommend.

PROS

- Great build quality

- Fully featured chipset that doesn’t get in the way of new users

- Solid stock coil tank included in kit

- Great battery life and quick charging

Dovpo have been producing hardware for over five years now but it wasn’t until 2018 that they had their first runaway success with the Topside series of squonk devices. They’re primarily known for intermediate and hobbyist-level equipment, so when they announced a pod system, it came as something of a surprise. Does the D-Salt stand out from the crowd?

Construction, fit and finish are all excellent here. Make no mistake, the D-Salt is very large for a pod system, but it capitalises on this footprint with an all-metal construction that feels very robust. This is practically a seamless device by design, so the only tolerances to look at are the threading and drip tip, which are both on point. The glossy metallic finish on our review sample is nicely done, though after a month of extensive use and abuse there are some small scratches and areas of wear, but this is hardly surprising as it has been put through the ringer. The included 510 drip tip firmly snaps into place and allows you to use any other 510, provided it has double o-rings.

In terms of user experience, the D-Salt is surprisingly stripped back considering its size. Many pod systems and AIOs of this form factor feature variable power, but in this case, we have a draw-activated, button-free system, with replacement pods instead of a built-in tank and coils. I would prefer to see replacement coils as they are less wasteful and expensive, but that caveat notwithstanding, Dovpo have executed their pod solution very well. The 2ml pod has a generous top-fill port which hasn’t caused any flooding or over-flow issues during my tests and the top airflow system means you can’t get the D-Salt to leak, even if you try.

At the time of writing, only one pod option is available for the D-Salt; a 0.5Ohm mesh coil. You might expect a restricted lung or loose MTL draw from this kind of spec, but again, Dovpo subvert expectations. The pod provides a moderate MTL draw, with warm

D SALT

By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 118mm*22.2mm (height including drip tip)

- Battery capacity: 1500mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 2ml

- Charging: 1A Micro-USB

vapour, exceptionally smooth airflow and excellent flavour. The vape quality here is head and shoulders above most pod systems and competes handily with the best stock coil MTL tanks, though perhaps this should be expected from a pod system that is the same size as a more traditional starter kit. Coil longevity is great, too. I was able to run 25mls of moderately sweet e-liquid through the pod before a serious decline in vape quality was noticed.

Battery life is great, as you would expect from a 1500mAh internal cell. Using 20mg/ml nicotine salt e-liquids, I was able to get 1.5 days’ worth of vaping on a single charge, and the device takes approximately 1.5 hours to charge from flat to full, which is well within acceptable bounds considering the run time.

In summary, the Dovpo D-Salt is a great performer, though I feel comparing it with pod systems is slightly disingenuous, considering the large size of the device. But even when pitted against larger traditional starter kits, this is one of the best on the market. My only gripe with the device is that a single pod is included with the kit, which is always an annoyance. Two should be the bare minimum.

PODSTICK By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Construction: Aluminium, PCTG - Dimensions: 111mm*22mm*18mm

- Battery capacity: 900mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 2ml - Power output: Variable voltage, three levels

- Charging: 1A Micro-USB

We’ve seen a surge in AIOs, stick kits and box pods this year. The Vaporesso Podstick is a mishmash of these trends. But can you teach an old pod new tricks?

Construction, fit and finish are good but not best-in-class. The device has a sleek minimalist design, with the kind of footprint you’d get if you stacked two smaller pod systems on top of each other. The aluminium chassis is very light but feels solid, with just one seam that would likely be invisible were it not a different colour to the body. The satin metallic finish is nicely done, the singular button is both tactile and rattle-free and the PCTG pods are rather robust. My only concern with the build is the thin aluminium walls that surround the pod connection, which feel as though they might not stand up to extended use.

Vaporesso have kept things very simple when it comes to user experience. Pods firmly slide into place with a satisfying click and can be refilled via a valve located on the top of the cartridge, which is revealed with a firm sliding mechanism. Of the many top-fill solutions we’ve seen over the years, this remains my favourite and does not cause any flooding or overflow issues, provided you fill the pod with relative caution. A single button powers the device on/off with five clicks, toggles through three voltage settings with three clicks and fires the device when powered on. A strip of five individual LEDs provides simple but effective battery feedback. The pods come in two varieties at the time of writing and provide legitimately different vaping experiences. The first is a 1.3Ohm CCELL pod. This provides a smooth and tight MTL draw, with cool to moderately-warm vapour, depending on your chosen power setting. I found this pod to perform best with voltage set to high, where it puts out respectable flavour for a pod system. I was able to run an impressive 25mls of moderately-sweet e-liquid through this pod before it needed replacing. I found this pod shone with bright fruit profiles and high nicotine strengths.

The second pod contains a 0.6Ohm mesh coil. The larger inner diameter and airflow inlet provide a loose MTL or restricted directlung draw, depending on how you use it. In either case, I found this pod always needed the voltage to be set to high, as the other settings resulted in a very cool vape.

When set to high, the mesh pod provides a saturated, flavourful vape that is quite versatile. I personally preferred this pod with 20mg/ ml nicotine salts taking short draws, but others may prefer it with 6mg/ml liquids, taking longer, direct-to-lung draws. In any case, the mesh coil provides one of the most flavourful vape experiences of any pod on the market.

The internal 900mAh cell performs as expected. Using the 1.3Ohm pod, with 20mg/ml salts, I was able to consistently get a full day’s use on one charge. With the 0.6Ohm pod, it’s going to depend on the e-liquid you use. With the same 20mg/ml liquid, taking short draws, I was able to get a full day’s use on a charge but when filled with 6mg/ ml liquid, it was closer to half a day. The device charged in just under an hour, which is great considering the run time.

The Vaporesso Podstick is an elegant, if simplistic device and a solid choice for any new vaper. This is the 2019 equivalent of an eGo stick and CE4 tank and I predict it will sell accordingly well.

PROS

- Sleek design

- Good coil longevity

- User friendly

CONS - Replacement pods, not coils

MINIKIN 3

Specifications:

By Benedict Jones

- Construction: Zinc alloy - Power output: 5W-200W

- Battery capacity: 2x external 18650 cells

- Charging: 2A USB-C charging/proprietary charging base

- Display: HD colour touch screen display

Asmodus has long been one of the leading producers of premium vaping hardware. The Minikin series has been its flagship range since early 2016 and now that the long-awaited Minikin 3 is finally here, let’s see how it stacks up.

Construction, fit and finish of the Minikin 3 is gorgeous. The Zinc alloy frame with purple metallic finish is incredibly sturdy and feels more than a match for previous Asmodus releases. Seams are minimal, with tight tolerances and once batteries are installed there is no play in the door whatsoever, making for a reassuringly robust device, deserving of the Minikin name.

As is tradition, Asmodus has completely changed up the form factor with the new Minikin and I think this is the best design yet. The new free-form shape favours left-handed use but this is a concession that has to be made if you want to achieve great ergonomics.

The rounded back end and grooved sides result in a mod that fits into the hand perfectly, with the thumb falling naturally on the large firing button. This is the most comfortable dual battery device I’ve used to date.

The new GX-200UTC chipset is exactly the kind of iterative update we would expect from Asmodus. It features wattage, power curve, preheat, eco, TCR, TFR, and temperature control settings, along with some user experience options such as an accelerometer, haptic feedback and password lock. The touch screen controls, which were a tad sluggish on earlier models, are now very snappy and menu navigation is beautifully intuitive. Power output is instant and the TCR function works well for those who wish to fine-tune their TC experience. The now legendary battery life of the GX series boards remains in place and I found two 3000mAh cells to easily last for more than a day at 60W, which is

very impressive. The only other chipset that gives me such longevity is the DNA 250C, customised for low voltage cut-off, so if battery life is a high priority for you, this device should absolutely be on your shopping list.

Unlike the 3S model, the Minikin 3 does not feature the somewhat temperamental fingerprint scanner and I’m glad this was omitted from the standard model, since it doesn’t really add value.

With no major flaws to speak of, I thoroughly recommend the Minikin 3 to anyone who is willing to pay slightly more for their next dual battery mod. It’s built to last, performs like a champion and is extremely comfortable to use. Many questioned whether Asmodus would be able to exceed the accomplishments of the Minkin V2 and in my opinion they have done so convincingly.

PROS

- Great build quality

- Fantastic ergonomics

- Great chipset

IPHA ZING By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 108mm*20mm*12mm

- Battery capacity: 350mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 2ml

- Charging: Micro-USB

Construction, fit and finish of the IPHA Zing is reasonable. The lightweight aluminium frame and polycarbonate pod are both sturdy but don’t feel as premium as some of the competition. Tolerances are on point though, with a rather secure press fit connection that has absolutely no movement whatsoever.

This is the most basic refillable pod design possible, with draw activation, no buttons and a simple, removable rubber seal to accommodate refills. Due to the double port design on the bottom, there’s plenty of room for air to escape while e-liquid flows into the pod, so there’s no overflow or airlock issues here.

When it comes to vape quality, the IPHA Zing is a cut above many other miniature pod systems. The 0.8Ohm pods produce warm vapour, good clarity of flavour and have a moderately-restricted MTL draw. I did find that the pods struggled a bit with deeper dessert and tobacco blends, so bright fruit profiles are likely your best bet here.

Coil longevity falls a bit short of my expectations though, as I was only able to run 10-15mls of moderately sweet e-liquid through each pod before performance substantially declined. Due to the low power output of the device, I recommend high nicotine strength e-liquids for this device and found that 20mg/ ml nicotine salts with coolant provided a pleasant throat hit.

The 350mAh internal cell performs just as I would usually expect, lasting approximately half a day on a charge when filled with 20mg/ml e-liquids. The device charges from flat to full in half an hour though, so this isn’t a huge detriment to the practicality of daily use.

In summary, the IPHA Zing pod is a competent miniature pod system that’s very user friendly, though some improvements could be made to the coil technology in order to increase longevity and flavour intensity.

PROS

- Very user friendly CONS - Coil technology could be improved

EPIPA By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

-Dimensions: 120mm*32mm*40mm (width and depth measurements taken at largest points)

- Battery capacity: 850mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 1.7ml

Sikary may have had their biggest success with their co-designed Preco tank but in the time since, they’ve had a clear focus on unconventional devices. The Epipa, a tobacco pipe-shaped pod system, is the latest such offering, so how does it vape?

Construction, fit and finish of the Epipa are good but not outstanding. The lightweight chassis appears to be some form of polycarbonate. It feels relatively solid but may not stand up to drops and other abuse over an extended time. Seams are minimal though and tolerances are nice, with a strong magnetised connection that keeps pods firmly in place. The metallic finish on our review unit looks great and is quite resistant to scratches, which is a nice bonus.

User experience is very stripped back. Despite the unconventional form factor, the Epipa is essentially a standard pod system functionally. This is a draw activated device, so no buttons or settings to worry about and a small LED on top of the pipe section gives the user three levels of battery feedback, along with alerts for short circuit and low voltage cut off. Pods are filled by removing the mouth piece and rubber seal underneath, which reveals two generous fill ports.

This design allows for mess-free filling, since one port allows for air to escape, whilst the other lets liquid flow freely. This is a simple but highly effective refill design that Sikary should consider applying to their other pod systems.

Vape quality is where I’m most impressed with the Epipa, though. The combination of true bottom airflow and reduced chamber size results in some of the best flavour production I’ve experienced from a pod

system. The tight MTL draw means vapour is warm too, which only elevates the vape quality on offer here. In my view, this makes the Epipa shine with high nicotine strength e-liquids, where the device provides a very satisfying throat hit. The punchy flavour production means dessert, tobacco and fruit e-liquids all work nicely, which is more than can be said for most pod systems on the market.

Battery life is about what you would expect from an 850mAh cell powering a 1.5Ohm coil, easily lasting a full day’s vaping on a charge with power to spare. I found the device to charge from flat to full in approximately one hour, which is well within acceptable limits for the run time.

In summary, the Sikary Epipa is a very competent pod system and there is something quite pleasing about vaping a full-bodied tobacco blend from a device that resembles a traditional pipe. For some, it may seem like a novelty but in reality the performance on offer here is fantastic.

PROS

- Great vape quality

- Good ease of use

CONS - Plastic chassis

NOVO 2 By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 88mm*24.5mm*14.5mm

- Battery capacity: 800mAh

- E-liquid capacity: 2ml

- Charging: 0.55A Micro-USB

The original Novo was SMOK’s first medium-sized pod device and was likely one of the best selling starter kits of 2018. Though popular, the Novo did have a few issues, so has this new iteration eliminated them?

Construction fit and finish of the Novo 2 remain largely unchanged which is a good thing. This is a solid little pod device, with minimal seams, no rattle and nice tolerances, securing each pod properly without fear of a loose connection. The body is constructed from the same mix of metal and resin, which may not be to everyone’s liking but is undeniably more substantial than some other pod systems of this size. The only real change on the surface is that the Micro-USB port has been moved to the bottom of the device.

User experience is dead simple. This is a true pod system, which means once a pod burns out, you replace it with a new unit. There are no buttons or settings on offer here, just a draw-activated firing mechanism, often preferred by new vapers who are transitioning from cigarettes. Refilling the pod is mess free, with a large side port that allows air to escape as liquid enters, preventing any overflow issues. A single LED on the body of the device provides three levels of battery feedback, so you won’t be in the dark about when you need to charge.

The big change for the Novo 2 are the new 1Ohm mesh pods and they absolutely deliver. The original Novo pods were very serviceable but didn’t have the sharpest flavour production and had a rather loose draw for the power output. SMOK has clearly listened to feedback in this case because the 1Ohm mesh pods have a super smooth moderate MTL draw, with warm vapour and fantastic flavour production. The performance of these coils is so good, in fact, that I am willing to say the Novo 2 is up there with the very best true pod systems on the market.

Coil longevity is also a significant step up from the previous model. I was able to run 25ml of moderately-sweet e-liquid through each pod before a replacement was needed.

In terms of battery life, the Novo 2 again exceeds its predecessor. The internal cell has almost doubled in size from 450mAh to 800mAh, which results in a huge improvement to run time. When filled with 20mg/ml nicotine salt e-liquid, I found the Novo 2 to last a full day’s vaping on a single charge, which is impressive considering the size of the device. Charging from flat to full takes approximately 1.5 hours, which is a little longer than I would like but isn’t a deal breaker, considering the run time.

In summary, the Novo 2 is a worthy successor to the original Novo, fixing all of the issues that were previously noted. This is a compelling pod system and an excellent choice for any vaper in need of a simple, stealthy vape.

PROS

- Great vape quality

- Good battery life

- Solid build quality

CONS

- Replacement pods, not coils

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ISSUE 5 OUT NOW

JESTER

By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 91mm*33mm*18.2mm

- Battery capacity: 1000mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 2ml - Charging: 0.8A Micro-USB

- Power output: Three levels of variable voltage output

This is a lightweight device built mostly of polycarbonate, with a rubberised finish on the chassis. Tolerances are good, with a clip-in pod connection that feels secure, despite having a small amount of play.

A single button acts as the firing mechanism and also allows the user to toggle between three voltage settings, ranging from 3.3V to 4.8V. The pods themselves fill from the top via a rubber gromet, which reveals a large fill port that easily allows air to escape, so no overflow issues here. The replaceable pods feature a button and hinge system, whilst the RBA pod is press fit and both work without issue.

At the time of writing, there are two styles of pod available for the Jester. The first is a 0.5Ohm disposable mesh pod. With this installed, only the 3.3V and 3.8V settings are available, which is sensible since the 4.8V setting would be excessive for this resistance. Airflow can be dialled in with a small control ring located near the connection point and though turbulent when open all the way, this can easily be dismissed by dialling the inlet down a touch.

I found the 0.5Ohm pod to provide a flavourful, warm vape at either power setting, though 3.3V is best used when cutting the airflow down to a tighter, MTL draw. At 3.8V, you can open the airflow up for a restricted direct lung experience and in either case, the Jester is competing with the very best pods for vape quality.

Most people looking at the Jester will be interested in the rebuildable pod and Vapefly have nailed this aspect of the device. The build deck is nothing new and should be very familiar to fans of the Kayfun, with two Phillips head screws to secure the leads of your coil. Either side of your coil are two wicking ports which feed into the 2ml chamber below, so essentially this is a miniaturised MTL RDTA.

Vapefly recommend a coil resistance of 0.8Ohms-1.5Ohms for the rebuildable pod and I performed my testing with a standard 8 wrap 26g kanthal build, with a 0.9Ohm resistance. Though there isn’t adjustable airflow on this pod, you can still alter the airflow by changing the positioning or size of your coil. With my standard build, placed approximately 1mm above the air inlet, I found the Jester to provide a warm and extremely flavourful vape at either 3.3V or 3.8V. The higher 4.8V setting was too warm for this build and will be more suited to builds exceeding 1Ohm resistance.

The vape quality of the rebuildable section isn’t just fantastic for a pod system, it’s up there with my favourite RTAs. The classic bottom airflow makes for a smooth, quiet and restricted MTL draw that even die hard Kayfun fans will have to concede is excellent. At the time of writing, the Vapefly Jester is by far and away the most flavourful pod system on the market, when using the rebuildable section.

The built-in 1000mAh cell easily lasts for a full day’s vaping with an MTL-built pod and charges from flat to full in just over an hour.

The Vapefly Jester is currently the best pod system for hobbyist vapers, bar none and the near non-existent running costs are just the icing on the cake.

PROS

- Best flavour of any pod system

- Easy to rebuild

- Variable voltage allows for a variety of builds

CONS

- Device build quality could be improved

WANDERLUST LITE By

Specifications:

Benedict Jones

- Dimensions: 80.5mm*21mm*21mm

- Battery capacity: 1000mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 2ml

- Charging: 0.8A Micro-USB

Chinese manufacturer Advken is best known for its solid subohm tanks and rebuildable atomisers but it’s 2019, so it would be strange if they didn’t release a pod system and the Wanderlust Lite is their first such offering.

Construction, fit and finish are good but not outstanding. The body is lightweight yet solid, with a pleasant matte finish and colour gradient. The only seam on this device is for the pod connection and even this is very snug, securing with a firm press fit.

The pod itself is an odd shape but feels robust, with slightly thicker walls than most. Due to the way this system has been designed, it’s virtually shock-proof, which is great for users who need a device that will stand up to abuse.

User experience is very simple. The pod fills from the bottom via a rubber gromet and I’ve experienced no leaks or overflow issues during my testing. It’s a draw-activated system, so no buttons or settings to worry about and all the battery feedback you could reasonably expect is displayed by a colour-changing LED.

In terms of performance and vape quality, the Wanderlust Lite is middle of the road. The airflow is more restrictive than most pod systems in 2019, providing a moderate MTL draw with slightly cool vapour. This is where the vape quality falls slightly short, since the 1.4Ohm ceramic coil feels like it could do with a touch more power than the internal cell provides on direct output.

The result of this cooler vape is slightly muted flavour. It’s not terrible by any stretch of the imagination but it’s also not as saturated as it could have been. This issue could be fixed with a slight tweak to future batches of pods, aiming for a lower resistance or coil mass.

Due to this, I found bright fruit flavours to be the best option for the system, as more complex desserts simply don’t pop at such low temperatures.

Battery life is quite impressive for such a small device. Advken state a 1000mAh cell and these seems about right, as I was consistently able to get a full day’s vaping on one charge when filled with 20mg/ ml nicotine salts, though I did find performance to drop off towards the end of each charge cycle, likely due to the high resistance coil. I found the cell to charge from flat to full in just over an hour, which is acceptable given the run time of the device.

In summary, the Advken Wanderlust Lite is a solid, but not outstanding, pod system. The main beneficiaries of this design are those who need a rugged stealthy device that can run for a day on a charge and prefer a cooler vape.

Hopefully Advken will release lower resistance pods in the near future for those who prefer a warmer, more saturated vape.

PROS

- Solid build quality

- User friendly

- Leak free

CONS

- Quite a cool vape

- Somewhat muted flavour

FIND S TRIO

Specifications:

By Benedict Jones

- Dimensions: 92.2mm*35.9mm*17mm - Weight: 60g

- Battery capacity: 1200mAh internal cell

- Power output: 6W-23W (dependent on coil and cell voltage)

- E-liquid capacity: 3ml/2ml (TPD edition) - Charging: Micro-USB

Hardware manufacturer Voopoo is best known for its high performance box mods but it was only a matter of time before it entered the starter kit market. The Find S Trio is its take on an AIO system, so how does it stack up in such a competitive bracket?

Construction, fit and finish is good but imperfect and the chassis appears to be a combination of aluminium and polycarbonate. The body has a two tone look, the top half with a metallic shell and the bottom a textured polycarbonate. Build quality is excellent, with tiny seams, a nice finish and a well-placed charging port that feels very secure in the chassis. Unfortunately, tolerances at the pod connection are not as impressive, with some movement in the pod that I would not expect to see from Voopoo. This may not be a widespread issue but is worth noting nonetheless.

Ease of use is always vital with these kits and Voopoo has ensured that the Find S Trio is as simple as it gets. There is just one button, which powers the device on/off and also acts as a firing button when powered up. There are no adjustable voltage settings and the LED strip surrounding the single button shows the battery charge level.

Coils are installed and removed in a plug-and-play style, secured by O-rings. This makes life easy and also ensures that new users aren’t foiled by cross-threading or mis-seating their coils, which is a common cause of leaking and flooding in some starter kits.

What about performance? At the time of writing, there are two coil varieties for the Find S Trio. The first is a 1.2Ohm ceramic round wire head, which provides a moderately tight MTL draw, with warm vapour and great flavour production for a pod AIO system.

The second coil is a 0.8Ohm mesh affair and whilst it does open the airflow slightly, it still provides a loose MTL or very restricted lung hit

draw. Using the 0.8Ohm coil results in a marginally warmer vape, with more vapour production and slightly improved flavour, but it’s not a huge step up from the more traditional MTL option. Either of these is a good choice, so it’s going to come down to airflow preference and I found coil longevity to be great in both cases, running at least 25ml of moderately-sweet nicotine salt e-liquid through each before they declined substantially.

The 1200mAh internal cell is larger than many other similar systems on the market and gives great battery life - I was easily able to get a full day’s vaping out of one charge, when filled with 20mg/ml nicotine salt e-liquid. The Find S Trio charges from flat to full in approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, which is well within acceptable limits considering the run time.

Voopoo has done a great job with the Find S Trio. The only wobble here is the movement in the pod section but this does not affect performance or seriously impact user experience. The coils are flavourful, have good longevity and when paired with a larger-thanaverage internal cell, make for a device that is reliable as a daily carry. One of the better AIO systems to launch this year.

PROS

- Flavourful coils

- Great battery life

- Coil longevity

CONS

- Some play in pod connection

Z Fuel - 01’OG

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Zap!’s caffeinated Z Fuel range takes inspiration from popular energy drinks. And if you’ve ever enjoyed a certain green energy drink, you’ll immediately know what this one is emulating. I’m not quite sure how Zap! have done it, but OG perfectly replicates the flavour. This is bold, fruity and sweet. This is a mixed candy fruit profile, so those looking for a more natural fruit will be best served by other Zap! offerings, but if you’ve ever had the urge to vape your favourite energy drink, OG is the frontrunner by a country mile.

Z Fuel - 04’Pink Punch

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Z Fuel - 03’Citron Freeze

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

The intense Citron Freeze is one of the most bright and bold lemon profiles I’ve ever tried. The sweetness and sticky mouthfeel are backed up by a satisfying combination of bitterness and tartness that truly brings the profile to life. The intensity of the flavour may be off-putting for some, but those who like a blend that incorporates both lemonade and natural lemon zest will enjoy it greatly. The mix is finished with a mild dose of coolant, making for a light and moreish vape.

For me, Pink Punch is the most compelling of the lot. The top note is a full-bodied candy guava, with a dense mouthfeel and plenty of sweetness that lingers on the palate long after vaping. This is contrasted by a mild and authentic grapefruit note that adds a substantial tart finish to the profile without detracting from its sweetness. The balance of these opposing flavours has been struck very nicely and for this reason I found myself continually going back to Pink Punch. This is a fantastic fruit profile.

Cinnamon

VG/PG Ratio: 75/25

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

The top note here is a light but authentic cinnamon spice. This is different from the sweeter confectionary cinnamon usually found in e-liquids and is more reminiscent of the rich, full-bodied cinnamon you would expect from a cinnamon stick. It doesn’t dominate the mix, though, and quickly gives way to the same rich custard base found in OG custard, minus the caramel. There are still traces of a cake batter element, though they are more reserved in this case. Another fantastic custard profile.

Banana

VG/PG Ratio: 75/25

Additional sweetener: Moderate

Throat hit: Mild

OG Custard

VG/PG Ratio: 75/25

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

It’s very hard to stand out from the crowd with a custard profile in 2019, so how does this one fare? The mysterious top note tastes like a syrupy brown sugar caramel. It’s decadent and sticky but not overbearing. This gives way to a rich vanilla custard base that stands toe-to-toe with the very best on the market, with mild dairy and egg notes. The profile is finished with some light bakery notes, reminiscent of cake batter, which further boost the texture and complexity of this custard. A must-try for dessert fans. Outstanding.

All too often, banana comes off as foam candy in e-liquid mixes, but what about in this offering? The top note here is a creamy natural banana. Again, The King’s Collection distinguish themselves from other manufacturers with superior ingredient selection. The banana note is slightly less ripe than I would prefer but I’m impressed with how authentic it is. This is supported by the same custard base found in the rest of the King’s Custard range, though in this case it seems to pack in more dairy notes, which pair nicely with the banana.

Vienna Cream

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 1.5% at 70/30

In my view, this is best suited to advanced mixers, since it’s a dominant flavour that can quickly unbalance a profile if not used with enough caution. Vienna Cream has a potent confectionary vanilla top note, with a light milky base and the slightest hint of a more substantial butter. Vienna Cream does have a slight sharpness when initially mixed but this subsides within 24 hours of steeping. This flavouring certainly has its place in sweetening bakery mixes and adding complexity to creams but it must be used sparingly.

Vanilla Tahity

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 2% at 70/30

Flavour Art offer a huge range of vanilla concentrates, so it can be tricky to find the right one for your mix. Vanilla Tahity is quite complex and is neither a dark spiced vanilla nor a bright confectionary iteration. Instead, it’s a mix of the two and brings a slight nuttiness to mixes, along with a malted dark sweetness and substantial volume to the body of recipes. Due to its complexity, Vanilla Tahity can be used by novice mixers in single flavour e-liquids but I think this is a tool better used as a layer to increase the depth of bakery and cereal profiles. A unique vanilla.

Irish Cream

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 2.5% at 70/30

Are you a fan of a certain whiskey and cream liqueur? FA’s Irish Cream emulates it perfectly. This concentrate brings a mild whiskey top note to any mix, enough to notice but not so much that it dominates the profile or becomes astringent. This is supported by a luxurious cream with moderate sweetness and a mild vanilla note. This can be used in single flavour mixes and works well in that application but it can also add complexity to bakery or coffee profiles if you want to be more adventurous. A fantastic flavouring that’s ideal for autumn/winter seasonal mixes.

Fresh Cream

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 2% at 70/30

A Flavour Art classic. Any mixer worth their salt should have this in their collection. FA Fresh Cream is likely the most authentic on the market and it is used in countless commercial e-liquids. This flavouring brings an accurate dairy base to any mix, without adding much in the way of sweetness. This makes it extremely versatile and allows you to experiment with a multitude of other flavourings, without muting the recipe. You can pair Fresh Cream with virtually any FA fruit offering and vanilla for a simple but satisfying profile. The possibilities really are endless with this one.

Bavarian Cream

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 2% at 70/30

A more recent addition to Flavour Art’s cream line up. Bavarian Cream is decidedly darker than other cream offerings, bringing a slight caramelised sugar note to any mix, along with some light spiced notes. It also has a mild creamy body but I would not consider it the foundation to the creaminess in a mix. This concentrate is best used to augment the other creams and add complexity, rather than being a starting point. When paired with FA’s Vanilla Ice Cream and Custard Premium, the darker notes make for a convincing malted milkshake. Something for the advanced mixers.

Sweet Shop – Blackcurrant and Liquorice

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Blackcurrant and Liquorice is a staple of the e-liquid world, so is Leprechaun Liquid’s take on the profile worth checking out? Here we have a full-bodied liquorice which dominates this blend for me. It is moderately sweet with substantial sticky mouth feel and that strong flavour lingers on the palate long after vaping, which will be a good or bad thing depending on personal preference. The blackcurrant is really a background note here which provides a slight boost to the sweetness of the profile, along with some juicy connotations but it is ultimately bullied by the intense liquorice. A simple but inevitably divisive flavour.

Pudding Parlour – Tiramisu

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Coffee profiles are very difficult to pull off, especially when you add the complexities of desserts. The coffee top note here is a bit thin for my liking but it does bring some dark sweetness and a hint of bitterness to the mix. The coffee notes are accented by a subtle cocoa flavour that unfortunately seems to give the blend a dry texture. The profile is finished with a moderate dairy base, which does some work to counteract the dryness of the cocoa and also lends a noticeable tang to the finish, which may be an acquired taste.

Bling – Raspberry Ripple

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Raspberry Ripple is a classic dessert profile and the top note here is a moderate raspberry syrup which is relatively sweet. It has a mildly sticky mouth feel and a hint of tartness with the raspberry supported by a moderate dairy base. I’m not sure I would describe this as ice cream though, since it’s lacking the sweetness and vanilla notes I would usually expect from an ice cream. Instead this e-liquid provides a more reserved raspberries and cream vape that could be a good option for dessert fans who are looking for something simple.

Dry Ice – Ruby Ice

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Leprechaun Liquids describe Ruby Ice as a blend of strawberry, lemon and coolant. A bright candy strawberry is the star of the show here. It brings plenty of sweetness to the mix, along with subtle hints of a more natural berry flavour, which stops the top note from feeling too one dimensional. This is accented with a mild candy lemon which boosts the tartness of the profile but does not dominate the more delicate top note. The profile is finished with a mild dose of coolant, which does not interfere with the balance of flavours and ensures that this is a light vape.

Fruit Cocktails – Mulligan’s Mix

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Mulligan’s Mix is described as a blend of plum, grapefruit and mint, which is highly unconventional. For me, the dominant flavour is a bright authentic grapefruit which brings an intense brightness to the blend, along with robust tartness. This is supported by a deeper plum note, which boosts the profile’s sweetness, without detracting from the bolder grapefruit top note. The mix is finished with a moderately present mint, which adds a herbal dimension to the profile, along with a small dose of coolant, which keeps things fresh. An interesting fruit mix.

Fairground – Candy Dummy

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Candy Dummy is billed as a strawberry candy profile. Unfortunately, the strawberry in this case is rather muted and thin. It lacks the bright sweetness and natural notes found in Ruby Ice. This is supported by a hard candy base that provides the mix with some sticky mouthfeel and additional sweetness but does not add any real depth to the flavour. A very light strawberry candy vape that may appeal to those who prefer subtle flavours.

Strawberry Heaven

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Wanna Vapor describe Strawberry Heaven as a strawberry cream candy. The top note here is a moderately bright strawberry which strikes a nice balance between candy and natural fruit. There’s plenty of sweetness on offer here along with a very subtle earthiness that one might expect from a more natural portrayal. This is supported by a mild vanilla cream base, which adds some volume to the mouthfeel and overall sweetness, without dulling the tart elements of the top note. A competent strawberry cream vape.

Lemon Tart

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Lemon Tart profiles are a cornerstone of dessert e-liquids, so is this offering worth a look? The top note here is a bright, authentic lemon curd. It brings a mild sweetness to the blend, along with heavier zest notes that are always hard to get right in lemon profiles. This is supported by a light cream base, which does some work to stop the lemon from completely dominating the profile. The mix is finished with moderate bakery notes, which bring hints of butter, dark sweetness and a slight texture to the blend. This is an authentic Lemon Tart profile that should not be overlooked.

Tropic Fruits

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Tropic Fruits is billed as a blend of exotic fruit and ice candy. The top note for me is a candied dragon fruit. It’s relatively mild and only just distinguishes itself from the rest of the tropical medley with it’s juicy mouth feel, moderate sweetness and mild tartness. After this, the profile seems to lose clarity, with a large number of bright tropical fruits that become difficult to define. There seem to be hints of banana, coconut and orange here but it’s impossible to say for sure since they are so subtle. The mix is finished with a mild coolant, which does not interfere with the flavour. An interesting medley that would benefit from more definition.

Caribbean Cream

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Caribbean Cream is described as a passionfruit and ice cream blend, which is highly unconventional. The top note here is an authentic and distinctive passion fruit. In many cases, passionfruit gets lost in the mix but that’s not true here. This is a bright passionfruit with mild tartness and plenty of tropical sweetness. The ice cream base supporting the top note is more subtle but certainly present. It gives the mix a smooth mouth-feel and contributes some very mild egg and dairy notes, giving the blend a noticeable dessert connotation. An unusual but nicely-balanced dessert profile.

Watermelon

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Wanna Vapor describe their take on this staple fruit as a blend of fresh and ripe watermelon. The top note for me is more akin to a hard boiled sour candy watermelon. It brings a mild sweetness to the mix, along with moderate tartness and sticky mouth feel. There are some notes of a more natural watermelon, though, with a mild rind and juicy vegetal flavour on the finish. This is a nice portrayal of watermelon but could perhaps do with slightly more intensity.

Mango

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Mango has become one of the most popular fruit flavours in the e-liquid market, so how does Wanna Vapor’s offering stack up? Unfortunately in my view, this one misses the mark. There is a mild natural mango top note but it is not as rich or full bodied as other interpretations. The tropical sweetness here is rather thin and indistinct, easily mistaken for something more subtle like dragon fruit. Overall, this is a very light flavour, which might be preferable for some vapers but in any case, I’m not getting much mango here.

Fresh Lemonade

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

IVG’s new mixer range all feature a lemonade base and Fresh Lemonade serves as the template. This is a straight up lemonade blend, so how does it fare? The top note here is a bright, sweet lemon. It has some of the bite of home-style lemonade but on the whole gives more of the impression of a commercial, carbonated soft drink. Slight tartness, blended with a bold citric sweetness and an almost effervescent sensation make for a very pleasant beverage-style vape. There also appears to be a subtle coolant in the mix, keeping things light. A simple but competent lemonade.

Citrus Lemonade

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

IVG describe Citrus Lemonade as a blend of grapefruit and orange with their lemonade base. Any veteran vaper will tell you that grapefruit is tough to get right, so have IVG done it? The top note here is a bold, authentic grapefruit. It’s bright, sharp and mildly sweet and in my view near spot on to the real thing. Unlike many other grapefruits I’ve vaped, this one does not seem to carry any artificial off notes, which is fantastic. The orange is much more subtle, which is understandable and bumps the sweetness up a notch, without detracting from the grapefruit. The lemonade base plays a supporting role, adding further citric sweetness and effervescent connotations. A mild coolant keeps things fresh. A stand out grapefruit blend.

Honeydew Lemonade

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Honeydew and citrus is a combination that we don’t often see in vaping, though it is a very popular beverage profile in Japan. The top note here is a mild honeydew melon. It’s quite sweet but comes across as authentic rather than candied, with a pleasant juicy mouthfeel and subtle vegetal notes. Honeydew can easily overwhelm mixes and I’m happy to say that this is not the case here. The lemonade base is an ideal contrast to the softer sweetness of the honeydew, bringing plenty of tang and brightness, without drowning out the top note. There appears to be a mild dose of coolant on the finish, though this could be the fizzy connotation of that lemonade base. A simple but very moreish beverage vape.

Riberry Lemonade

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

IVG describe Riberry Lemonade as a blend of blackcurrants and wild berries with a lemonade base. On paper, this sounds quite similar to Pink Lemonade but the end product is very different. A strong candy blackcurrant is the star of the show here. It has a luxurious deep sweetness and sticky body that lingers for a while after vaping. It has some traces of earthiness but nothing that feels out of place. The other wild berries here are quite indistinct, due to the potency of the blackcurrant note. The lemonade base cuts through the dense blackcurrant, providing nice contrast and a good helping of tartness. A mild coolant ensures that the blackcurrant does not become overbearing. A classic beverage profile.

Pink Lemonade

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Another classic beverage profile. Pink Lemonade blends have long been popular in vaping, so is IVG’s offering worth considering? The top note in this case is strawberry candy. It has moderate sweetness and a substantial sticky body which does not dominate the profile, as it easily could have done. There may be hints of other berries in this mix but they are too subtle for me to identify. The top note gives way to the same lemonade base found in Fresh Lemonade, though it seems more reserved here. Regardless, the brighter sweetness of the lemon serves as a nice contrast to the berry note and also provides some tartness on the finish. This is a more berry-heavy mix than I was expecting but it’s nicely done.

Lucid

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Lucid is a lime tonic, blended with strawberries and Bach flowers. Here Statement Vapors have chosen an unusual mix of flavours and here they’ve certainly created something worth looking at. Strawberry is the top note here but it doesn’t dominate the mix. It has characteristics of authentic fruit and the syrupy sweetness you would expect from a candy. This is contrasted by a subtle authentic lime note, which gives the profile some citric tang. A noticeable tonic note is next and this is spot on, with moderate bitterness that perfectly emulates its real life counterpart. I’ve not tasted Bach flowers before but whatever role they play in this mix, it’s subtle. There is a slight florality to the profile but this could easily be coming from the tonic, so I’m not sure if it’s adding much. A mature fruit beverage blend.

Nude

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Nude is described as a passionfruit, guava and mandarin blend. The dominant flavour here is candy guava. It’s rich, dense and provides a noticeably sticky mouth-feel that allows the mix to linger on the palate after vaping. The deeper notes of guava are contrasted nicely by a natural tangerine flavour. This gives the profile some brightness and a nice helping of tartness on the finish, without detracting from the guava body. There are some hints of passionfruit here, though it’s playing the role of an accent and doesn’t feel like a main feature. This is a nicely balanced tropical blend that’s not overly sweetened. All day vape material for sure.

Classy

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Classy is the most conventional of the line. This is a lemon tart profile, so with such stiff competition, is it worth checking out? In a word, yes. The lemon top note here is bright, sticky and has a touch more zest than is usually present in dessert profiles. It’s balanced, though and results in one of the most authentic lemon curd notes I’ve vaped. This is supported by a moderate dairy base, with notes of rich cream and sweet vanilla, sans spice. The profile is finished with a light pastry base, which gives a boost to the blend’s sweetness, along with some added texture. This is one of the most authentic lemon tart profiles I’ve vaped and it’s also less sweet than most other desserts on the market, which will be a bonus for some. A must try for dessert fans.

Lavish

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Statement Vapors describe Lavish as a raspberry and apple macaroon. This is a notoriously delicate dessert, so how does it vape? A moderate confectionary raspberry is the top note here. Akin to a raspberry syrup or jam, this brings a slight tartness to the profile along with some sweetness and mild sticky mouth-feel. This is contrasted with a brighter bakery apple, which sweetens things up a little without stealing the show. This combination of fruits is supported by a subtle meringue base that gives the blend a fluffy body and further bakery connotations. This is a light, sophisticated dessert vape that many will enjoy.

Lit

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Statement Vapors describe Lit as a honeydew and cantaloupe chai tea. This is perhaps one of the most unconventional profiles I’ve ever seen, so does it work? The top note here is an even balance of honeydew and cantaloupe melons. The honeydew is bright and sweet but still very much authentic. The cantaloupe is more reserved but does have a pleasant, juicy body. This is supported by what can only be described as a milky sweet tea. At first, this seemed very odd but I found that it grew on me the more that I vaped it. The dairy notes and dark sweetness of the tea blend make for an odd partnership with such bright fruits but the result is a truly one of a kind vape that is well worth checking out for those in search of something out of the ordinary.

CRMY Strawberry

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

CRMY Strawberry is described as a blend of strawberry, cake, cream and graham cracker. The top note here is a rich confectionary strawberry. Reminiscent of strawberry syrup, this is sweet, dense and has a sticky texture. The top note is supported by a substantial cream base. The dairy and vanilla notes balance the brighter strawberry nicely and boost the profile’s volume. The blend is finished with cake and graham cracker, which impart some dark sweetness with additional texture. A well-rounded dessert profile with broad appeal.

Uniloop

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Uniloop is described as a blend of dried fruits and cereal. These kinds of profiles have been popular for a number of years now, so how does this one stack up? A blend of candied lemon and lime dominate the mix for me. They’re a little more astringent than I personally prefer but it is a fair replication of the citrus notes which are popular in American cereals. There appears to be an orange accent too but it’s rather subtle. The fruits are supported by a mild cream, which does some work to keep the mix from feeling too dry. The profile is finished with a grainy cereal base, which adds texture and solidifies Uniloop as a competent cereal vape.

FRZNCHEE

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

The simplest of the BLVK Unicorn range that I have sampled. FRZNCHEE is described as a blend of lychee and menthol. Lychee is a unique flavour and rather difficult to execute but BLVK Unicorn have done an excellent job in this case. The potent lychee in this profile is very authentic, with a thick sweetness and the same heavy floral notes you would expect from the real thing. This is contrasted with a moderate menthol finish which stops the heavy lychee from overstaying its welcome. A stripped back but authentic fruit menthol profile that adventurous vapers will enjoy greatly.

Tobacco Pistachio

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

An unconventional blend of tobacco, pistachio and mint. Pistachio is the top note for me. It is moderately sweet and very authentic, similar to the flavour you might expect from a pistachio dessert, bringing a pleasant creamy texture to the mix. This is accented with a subtle tobacco, which is rather light in the mix but does add some complexity with its dark sweetness. The profile is finished with a moderate helping of natural mint. This adds a slight herbal flavour to the profile, along with some cooling on the finish. A unique tobacco profile.

VNLA Custard

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Vanilla custard is the cornerstone of desserts in vaping, so is BLVK Unicorn’s offering up to scratch? A moderate butterscotch is the top note for me. It’s sticky, sweet and permeates through the rest of the profile, without bullying other elements. This top note is paired with a bright confectionery vanilla, reminiscent of frosting rather than an authentic spice. It’s slightly less prominent than in other vanilla custards but complements the butterscotch well. The mix is finished with a thick custard, with heavy egg and dairy notes, making for a heavier profile than some other custards on the market. This is an interesting custard profile that should appeal to those who like bold desserts.

Unicoco

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

An unusual profile from BLVK Unicorn, Unicoco is described as a blend of pear, coconut and dairy. The top note here is a crisp, authentic pear. It’s sweet but not overbearingly so and provides substantial juicy texture. This is contrasted with a sweetened coconut, which adds some dessert connotations to the mix without weighing it down. The profile is finished with a moderate dairy base with notes of vanilla and cream. The result is an interesting and rather moreish fruit dessert profile that’s well worth a try.

Melon-Berry Medley

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Melon-Berry Medley is described as a blend of watermelon, strawberry, kiwi and mint. The top note for me is a bold candy watermelon. It’s sweet and bright but unlike many other watermelon flavours, this one doesn’t carry any artificial off notes, which is a pleasant surprise. This is paired nicely with a moderate candy strawberry, which provides further sweetness and a lingering berry aftertaste. The kiwi element of this mix is quite subtle but still noticeable, adding a little tartness. The mix is finished with a light cooling mint, which results in a refreshing fruity blend with broad appeal.

Fruit Candy

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Described rather mysteriously as a blend of candy fruits, this is a rather odd profile from the Vape Juccier team. The top note appears to be concord grape with plenty of sweetness. This is paired with what seems to be a berry medley, though it is difficult to say as this layer is dominated by the more potent grape sitting on top. The mix is finished with a moderate helping of menthol, which keeps the profile light. In my opinion, Fruit Candy comes across as more of a Heisenberg variation, rather than a fruit candy medley. For this reason, it will likely be a popular blend, though I feel the name is a touch confusing.

Passionfruit Guava Punch

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Fresh Farms describe this as a blend of passionfruit, guava and papaya. All three of these flavours can be very difficult to capture in e-liquid, so how do they work together? The dominant flavour for me is a rich candy guava. It’s quite sweet but also brings hints of tropical earthiness to the mix. This is contrasted with a brighter passionfruit, which cuts through the density of the guava and adds some tartness. The profile is finished with papaya, which is subtle but works to add a creamy texture to the profile without overcomplicating an already vibrant mix of flavours. A well-rounded tropical medley.

Blood Orange Cactus Cooler

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Strawberry Coconut Refresher

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

This is simply described as a blend of strawberry and coconut but there’s almost certainly more going on here than meets the eye. The top note is undoubtedly a bright candy strawberry. It’s sweet, sticky and slightly more tart than you would usually expect but not totally out of character. This is contrasted with a creamy coconut base, which does a good job of adding some volume to the mouthfeel, without over sweetening the mix. There’s an additional tropical tang on the finish that doesn’t seem like either of the two named elements of the profile, it could be pineapple or dragon fruit and in either case, it works to make this an intriguing but simple fruity vape.

A blend of blood orange, tangerine and cactus. An authentic mix of tangerine and blood orange dominate this profile. The two are sweet and tart in equal measure and are easily among the best portrayal of the fruits I’ve tasted in e-liquid, even if they are a little sweeter than their real-life counterparts. The cactus is quite subdued, which is surprising because usually it’s such a bold flavour. It’s still adding that unmistakable juicy texture, but I feel it could be a little higher in the mix, as it would serve as a better contrast to the citrus top notes in that case. Regardless, this is a lovely fruit profile.

STRB

Strawberry, raspberry, rhubarb, ice.

Rhubarb is not often a flavour that you come across when it comes to icy juices so I was interested to try it. I am happy to say that after my experience with the STRB juice from Engage Industries, it’s a flavour profile which should be used a lot more often. It brings a subtle yet satisfying tartness to the inhale that lasts through to the exhale and complements the strawberry well. There is also a good balance of koolada that isn’t overpowering to the final flavour. I did feel that the raspberry got a little lost in the mix but overall this is a really nice and refreshing vape.

BLBR

Blueberry, peach, ice.

The scent of peach hits you straight off the bat the moment you open the bottle and is, by far, the most dominant flavour profile here. It’s the same sensory experience to drinking a cold bottle of a wellknown peach iced tea drink on a hot summer’s day. It does, however, have a well-blended yet subtle undertone of blueberry which is more prominent on the exhale. A very enjoyable summer vape. Again, I was very impressed with the levels of ice in this range. You can tell they have put the time into making sure you get the perfect balance with this one.

CTRS

Citrus, ice.

Another offering from the Engage line comes in the form of what is described as citrus with ice. There is a great swooshing orange flavour that reveals itself as the star of the show on the inhale. You can catch notes of other citrus offerings, but none come through as prominently as the orange. Quite a simple flavour compared to the other more dynamic combinations they have created but one that does not disappoint all the same.

HDGR

Honeydew, grape, ice.

In this day and age is it possible to make a grape juice that actually stands out from the plethora of others that are available on the market at the moment? Well the Engage team have thrown their hat into the ring with HDGR and, I must say, this is certainly a contender. The infusion of ripe honeydew melon and a more natural grape flavour than we are used to with a lot of other similar flavours, makes for an extremely pleasant overall flavour experience.

PAWA

Pear, apricot, watermelon, ice

The combination of pear, apricot and watermelon in PAWA really caught my eye and got me excited. It is definitely an interesting mix that I haven’t seen attempted before. I found that the pear comes through quite well on the inhale but you only get a very subtle lingering note of apricot and the watermelon gets a little lost. While this is a really creative and appealing flavour profile, I would have been happier if the flavours came through a little bit stronger. A good effort though but it didn’t quite work well enough for me.

MPLI

Mango, lychee, passionfruit, ice.

MPLI is described as a mango, lychee and passionfruit ice. The top note is a powerful blast of sweet passion fruit that hits like a train on the taste buds and transitions elegantly into an authentic juicy mango on the exhale. This then lingers on the palate with small hints of lychee mixed in. This is, by far, the stand out juice of the set and the most pleasurable vape which left me wanting more. I could easily see this as being a desirable all day vape for any fruit fan.

MODDER’S PROFILE SvoëMesto

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Russian hardware manufacturers SvoëMesto have been producing critically acclaimed vaping devices since 2011. Today, they are best known for the Kayfun series of RTAs. For this edition of Modder’s Profile, we wanted to find out more about this giant of the high end scene.

Q: Your company is known as one of the longest running manufacturers in the vaping industry. When did you first decide to create vaping products and what inspired your first design?

A: In 2010 a man from Moscow named Sergey Novikov came across e-cigarettes for the first time. While the existing technology did little to help him quit smoking, he still liked the idea. A little later in January 2011 he purchased Golden Greek’s GGTS mod and AVS atomiser. He quit smoking from there. It was this revelation that inspired him to create his very own e-cigarette.

Q: What are the primary challenges of manufacturing that you face at SvoëMesto? How have you overcome them?

A: I bet everyone in this company would answer this question differently, as we’re confronted daily with new and different challenges. Most of them are such that other entrepreneurs and young companies would relate to. Let’s just say that a lot more work goes into making these products than meets the eye.

Q: Your products are readily available to purchase from a variety of online and physical stores. Do you think waiting lists and secret groups on social media are a good or bad thing for consumers?

A: Well, not as readily available as we’d wish. Referring to the question above, maybe having the right stock available at the right time could be one of the biggest challenges we face. I think for most modders who are just starting out, “waiting lists” and “secret groups” are simply born out of necessity. They’re not only creating consumer products, many of them create art, one of a kind pieces that stand out with their beauty, ingenuity or clever design and these cannot be made in quantities that satisfy the demand.

Q: What are the biggest changes you have seen in the vaping industry since your company was founded?

A: Vaping at the core has remained the same. It’s about helping people to quit smoking and to stay off cigarettes. Naturally we have seen the industry develop and the community grow from an underground culture to a mainstream phenomenon. And with that we’ve seen all the positive and negative changes you’d expect. We’ve seen companies becoming more professional, but also more business orientated. We’ve seen vaping getting traction in countries we’d not have expected while the community in other countries suffers under restrictive regulation and the lack of a long term vision of their governments.

Q: What is the product development process like at SvoëMesto? How long does it usually take to go from concept to a market-ready finished product?

A: The development of a new product usually goes through 5-10 prototype stages and each stage is tested in the real world under all kinds of conditions – from the freezing cold to hot summer days, from the valley to the mountain tops. Whenever we find an unwanted behaviour of the atomizer, we analyse it and develop the next prototype from there. During this the changes from prototype to

prototype become smaller and smaller the further we progress until eventually we arrive at the fine tuning, which includes haptic, noise and of course the final flavour profile. Although we have learned a lot with every project, this process still takes up to two years and many ideas and projects we started have never been released to the public.

Q: New MTL tanks are often measured against Kayfun series products as a way of describing their vape quality. Does this increase the pressure on your engineers and designers?

A: When Sergey started making his first mods his aspiration was to create a device that would suit his needs. To a degree this idea has prevailed in that we’re still creating atomizers that we also like to use every day. And we’re incredibly lucky to have a large community that shares our taste. Naturally we have very high standards for our products that we’re continuously try to meet and raise with every product generation and we really enjoy the challenge in that.

Q: What does a typical day for the SvoëMesto team look like?

A: There is no such thing as a typical day here. During a new product release, it’s quite hectic, products have to be made on time, delivery schedules have to be met, photos have to be taken, texts have to be written, videos have to be produced, etc. In the summer months when everyone is going on vacation it usually becomes a bit quieter.

Q: Do you or your team own any high-end devices made by other companies? If so, which are your favourites and why?

A: We do. In fact, Eugen has quite the collection. Beyond that we have a very friendly relationship with our main competitors and regularly exchange atomizers as gifts. We like their work and I think they like ours as well.

Q: It is well known that your company does not rush to release too many products at one time. Is there anything you can reveal about what is coming next?

A: We wish we could offer more products at a time and in the last year we have made a considerable effort to offer a wider palette of atomizers, from MTL to DL, from entry level models all the way to very high end. As of right now I cannot tell you any specifics but we’re working to expand this palette by another product category, which we haven’t had yet.

MEET THE DESIGNER

bVaping Bogan

Sam AKA Vaping Bogan has become Australia’s most popular vaping reviewer after five years on YouTube. In recent times, he’s turned his attention to designing products and we wanted to find out a little more about what that entails.

Q: It’s fair to say that your channel started off as a bit of a spoof, with a heavy focus on the Vaping Bogan as a character. What made you transition towards a more serious, in depth review channel?

A: In the beginning the voice was a bit of a joke, but the no bullshit bogan style is just me. While my reviews have evolved over the years, providing unbiased factual info with some fun has never changed.

Q: Your first project was the Bonza RDA, what were the primary goals of this product?

A: It was pretty simple. To create an everyday workhorse for those that like high wattage vaping. You can’t say no to the opportunity to create your dream RDA.

Q: What were the primary challenges of your first collaborative project? Was there anything that could not be realised in the end product?

A: Like any first, it was definitely a learning opportunity. I worked with a tip top team and together we weathered whatever challenges came up. I’m absolutely chuffed with what we achieved.

Q: These days there’s a style of vaping to suit anyone. It’s quite clear that you favour mechanical

mods, rebuildable atomisers and high wattage vaping. What draws you to these things?

A: I guess I just enjoy the way an unregulated mod feels - the way the coils ramp up compared to a regulated mod. I’m a sucker for the look and feel of raw metals too.

Q: Along with the Bonza, Bonza 1.5 and Bonza Mech, you helped Vandy Vape fine tune the Jackaroo Kit. How was this different, when compared with being part of the design process from the ground up?

A: The Bonza line was my baby from conception. I was very active, I’m sure at times Vandy Vape would have said bloody annoyingly so, in every stage. For the Jackaroo I played an editorial role, tweaking Vandy’s existing design. There is a huge sense of responsibility and almost vulnerability when you put something you’ve created out there, like the Bonza line and hope that everyone loves it as much as you do. There wasn’t that stress with the Jackaroo. I’m certainly happy to hang my hat on all of them.

Q: Now that you have several hardware projects under you belt, has it changed your approach or perspective during reviews?

A: No, it hasn’t changed anything but it has given me a greater insight into how a product is designed, developed and brought to market.

Q: Aside from your own designs, which are your favourite products that have come from collaborations between manufacturers and creators and why?

You’ve had the opportunity to attend quite a few vaping events in your time, which has been the most memorable for you and why?

Without hesitation that’d be Hall of Vape in Stuttgart this year. It was such a fantastically well-organised show with an amazing collection of vendors. There were more punters than I’d ever seen with a super warm, community feel. I can’t wait to go back next year.

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one full set up and e-liquid with you, what would you choose?

A: Blotto RTA, Kennedy Vindicator and my own Duck’s Nuts by Bogan Brews.

Q: Product collaborations between reviewers and manufacturers are now a staple of the industry. Do you think this is a good thing for consumers?

A: Of course. You’re always going to end up with a better product when you have influence from people who have experienced so many different products and are passionate about the industry,

Q: Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to hardware designs? If so, how would you fix them?

A: I can’t stand propriety drip tips. It’s 510, 810 or it’s nothing.

Q: Your latest project, the Blotto RTA, was designed in collaboration with Dovpo. What made you decide to work with a new manufacturer and was it a different experience to working with Vandy Vape?

A: I’ve always intended to work with multiple manufacturers. It is all about the right manufacturer for the right product at the right time. Dovpo is a smaller company so I have direct contact with the directors streamlining the design process.

Q: Now that you have a full e-liquid line and several hardware releases to your name, what’s next? Any projects on the horizon that you can tell us about?

A: Got some super exciting collaborations coming up but right now they’re all hush hush. You’ll have to stay tuned to my YouTube channel for more details.

Topside Dual Carbon from The Vapor Chronicles and Dovpo. A bloody functional product with stellar design.

“You’re always going to end up with a better product when you have influence from people who have experienced so many different products and are passionate about the industry.”

WORTH THEHype? w

Welcome to Worth The Hype? – The feature were we get our hands on some vaping products that are heavily praised by the online community, but not often found in vape shops. In this issue, we’re covering some highly sought after American e-liquids.

Kite in Cloud – Lenola Cream

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Lenola Cream is described as bananas, pies, fruit medley tastes, and creaminess for miles by manufacturers Kite in Cloud. Upon release in 2016, it was the only flavour they offered and it was an instant hit, so much so, that it was often hard to come by.

Kite in Cloud withdrew from the EU market when the TPD regulations came into force, so we imported some from the USA to taste. Lenola Cream is an enigmatic dessert profile. Banana, cream and pie crust are all there but there is also something else going on to give it a unique flavour. Is it peach? quince? mixed berries?

People have long theorised about what’s in the mix but I’m no closer to the truth after having vaped another bottle. Without doubt this is one of the best dessert e-liquids ever made and well worthy of the praise it gets. Hype certified.

Ripe Vapes – VCT Private Reserve

VG/PG Ratio: 60/40

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

If you’ve been vaping a while, chances are you’ve tried, or at least heard about, Ripe Vape’s VCT. The original is touted as a blend of vanilla custard, fine tobacco and toasted almond, which has been met with rabid praise for over five years now. VCT Private Reserve takes an already opulent e-liquid and transforms it into something more likely to be found in Prince Phillip’s whisky cabinet. Private Reserve is made by taking a batch of normal VCT, then steeping it in French oak barrels for three months. The result is an incredibly rich vanilla custard, with a tobacco accent and a moderate helping of toasted almond, finished with a hint of dark sweetness that can only be described as what I imagine French oak barrels smell of. Whether it’s the extended steep time or fancy processing, the end product is a very well-developed dessert tobacco that’s quite unlike anything else. Private Reserve costs more than the rest of Ripe Vape’s offerings but that only makes it more alluring as a “special occasion” vape. Hype Certified.

BIG PICTURE The

Combining

Words : Gordon Stribling

a passion for vaping and photography has netted Phil Wartena an amazing career

We see a lot of creative artwork at Vapouround, from the lifestyle shots and adverts in our magazine to the influencers and products on social media.

But one artist in particular has really caught our eye with his truly unique photography. Phil Wartena aka Vappix.

We caught up with Phil to find out how his childhood hobby and the life-changing effects of vaping inspired his career as a vape photographer. “My father was an amateur photographer, so I grew up around cameras,” said Phil. “In high school he let me use his film cameras and even though I wasn’t very good, I knew then that this was what I wanted to do. We built a darkroom in the basement and I would spend hours in there developing and printing black and white images.

“I went to college at San Francisco State University and majored in journalism with an emphasis in photojournalism. At the same time, in the late 90s, I began documenting the underground rave scene in California. I learned to use an off-camera flash in the dark, on film and that’s where the magic really began to take hold.

“I couldn’t wait to develop the film and see what I had. Back then there was a wait time between taking the photo and actually seeing it. I miss that time. You had something to look forward to, something exciting could be there. It was a little bit of suspense that the digital world of photography has taken away.

“I became a photojournalist and worked for newspapers and magazines in California and Georgia. In 2006 I won the Georgia Press Photographer of the Year award, but newspapers were in decline and eventually I found my way back to doing weddings and family portraits and saw photography really as a hobby.

“I smoked from around 17 years old to 37. I finally quit with the help of my friend Bill Cade and transitioned into vaping in 2013-2014. I’m 42 now and am as healthy as I’ve ever been.

“I was a stay at home dad, and at night I had some time to myself. I noticed the vapour trails coming off the RDAs when the cap was off and thought, I can shoot this with gels. It would be just like my rave photographs.

“Taking all the knowledge I had learned as a rave photographer, I started experimenting with it. I took the photos down to a local shop and they asked me if I had ever heard of Instagram. “You mean the photo filter app?” I asked. I had no idea about the community aspect of IG. I was shown some coil shots and after that I was hooked. I created the name right away, saw the opportunity and I’ve been posting daily ever since.

“Vaping resurrected my life, not only saving me from smoking-related issues, but bringing me back into photography again. Add Instagram to the mix and the rest is history.

“For anyone looking to get into vape photography, my advice is to be creative. Be yourself. Find your angle and use it. Don’t be afraid of critique. And ask questions.

“I share a lot of behind-the-scenes videos and photos because there’s a lot to learn. I’m still learning, I hope I never stop learning.”

Be sure to check out @Vappix on Instagram

“Vaping resurrected my life, not only saving me from smoking-related issues, but bringing me back into photography again"

THE WANNA VAPOR STORY

My vaping journey began when my lovely wife gifted me one of those simple disposables and my curiosity was piqued. ‘How does it function, what is inside?’ I wondered.

I looked online and found some YouTube vaping channels. I purchased a Joyetech starter kit together with five tobacco liquids. I didn’t want to quit smoking, I just wanted to try an e-cigarette. The parcel arrived one Saturday and I vaped all weekend. I didn’t even notice that I hadn’t smoked at all during that time.

On Monday morning in my office, my colleague smoked a cigarette and I thought it was the right time for me to have a real one myself. What can I say? The taste was horrible and I threw it away. I had found something better.

A few weeks later, I was thinking about my e-cigarette and realised that I had unconsciously managed to quit smoking. I had tried every conceivable quit method over the years, including acupuncture, hypnosis and every other kind of quackery. I was amazed how easy it was with the e-cigarette and I took the decision to spread the word. There were more of those poor souls like me who were not able to quit smoking and so the idea of Wanna Vapor was born. My wife Gudrun and I founded the company in 2012. Because I had been an international trader for more than 20 years, it was easy for me to assess the market possibilities and start developing the business. We began with some Kanger Evod kits but I found the juice options really disappointing at the time as none of them satisfied

me. I decided to purchase flavour concentrates to produce e-liquid by myself and that proved to be a great decision.

Wanna Vapor initially specialised in tobacco juices, but we also made some tasty fruit flavours. Our success was unbelievable. We never did any marketing, but the news of our vape store soon made its way around town.

Today, Wanna Vapor is Germany’s number one for tobacco juices. We have approximately twenty different kinds of tobacco, plus 80 other non-tobacco juices. We are convinced that quitting smoking permanently is only possible with good tobacco juices (though not exclusively).

You don’t want strawberry with your coffee or tea in the morning or with your red wine or vodka in the evening. I believe that more than 90 percent of vapers who relapse do so because of alcohol and the circumstances that they drink it and those people only vape nontobacco flavours.

Wanna Vapor now runs eight stores in south-west Germany and two other stores are planned for the end of year. We currently have 25 employees.

Wanna Vapor liquids are special in today’s liquid market and we remain focused on the harm reduction message. Our motto is “a good liquid doesn’t need additives.”

Wanna Vapor liquids, including our short-fills, contain no colourants, cooling agents, sweeteners or flavour enhancers.

WARNING: THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS NICOTINE. NICOTINE IS AN ADDICTIVE CHEMICAL.