Issue 26

LETTER FROM THE

So now we know.

The CDC has finally revealed that vitamin E acetate - a thickening agent used in many black market THC vape products - has been found in lung tissue samples taken from a number patients.

And a leading US doctor who has treated more than 30 victims of the vaping-related lung injury cases has an interesting theory about the cause of the outbreak.

Critical care pulmonologist Dr. Scott Aberegg said: “It may turn out there are only two kinds of people who get this disease: those who vape THC and those who won’t admit it.”

The sad thing is that that this news comes far too late because the damage has already been done.

Many ordinary Americans now fear vaping and want nothing to do with it. They would much rather continue smoking than ‘risk’ switching to an e-cigarette instead.

Only a few days ago the American Medical Association called for a complete ban on all vaping products and it wants any future vape devices to be available on prescription only.

Thankfully President Trump reversed his decision for a federal flavour ban…at least for the time being. Maybe there is hope for the US vape industry yet. It is not all doom and gloom though. In this issue you can read all about the October Vaper Expo UK event which was one of the best yet.

I loved the music-free business-to-business day and top of my Christmas present list would be for this to become an industry norm. There was also a huge energy and buzz about this event and a real feeling of optimism, despite the troubling news which continues to come from the US.

We also attended the Next Generation Nicotine Delivery conference in London last month where the recent events in America were discussed and debated. It looks as though there will continue to be change in the global e-cigarette industry but we are used to change by now and have even come to embrace it. Enjoy this final edition of 2019 and I wish you every success for 2020 where we will be back with all the latest news and views from one of the most exciting industries around today.

Guest Writers

Our panel of guest writers for this issue give you the science behind all-things-vape, their take on the current vaping scene and put some of the latest juices and hardware under the spotlight.

Dr Richard Cunningham

Dr Richard Cunningham has a PhD in medicinal chemistry from Queen’s University Belfast, where he also worked as a post-doctoral researcher. Dr Cunningham is a former research instructor at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Cancer Institute, where he was assistant professor for a time. Among his areas of expertise are organic synthesis, nucleosides, nucleotides, cellular biology, vitamins, aminoglycosides, drug delivery, phosphorous chemistry and chemical analysis.

Victor Mullin

Victor Mullin is the impassioned vaper behind the Vaping with Vic YouTube channel and associated social media. With a wealth of vaping knowledge and an enviable hardware collection, there’s probably nothing going on in this industry that he’s not heard about. Vic writes with enthusiasm and humour every issue in his column, occasionally giving us a glimpse into his life as a wellknown YouTube reviewer.

Benedict Jones

Benedict is Vapouround’s very own reviewer and vaping expert. Anything that Ned doesn’t know about vaping isn’t worth knowing and you’ll be hard pushed to find a more passionate advocate for the industry. He always gives us his honest take on the newest hardware, accessories and juices so that readers are well-informed about what is on the market right now. Flick through to the ‘reviews’ pages to see which products have his seal of approval and check out his Hobbyist Corner section in the magazine too.

Short Fills

Chinese e-cig ban announced Trump’s flavour ban U-turn Vaping is NOT a teen cigarette gateway drug

Mental health hospital offers e-cigarettes to help smokers quit Philippines: vapers face arrest FDA approves oral tobacco products AMA calls for ban on e-cigarette sales Dutch physicians on vaping ban

SHORT FILLS

US CONSIDERS UNDER 21 VAPE BAN

US President Donald Trump is considering raising the age to buy e-cigarettes from 18 to 21.

Around one third of all US states have already raised the legal vaping age to 21 but this move - which would require congressional action - would apply on a federal level.

The president’s hard stance on vaping may come back to bite him during next year’s election season. Protestors adopting the slogan “We vape, we vote” are keen to remind him the vape community remains united in dire times.

NAME THE DATE

Three charities are urging the Welsh government to set a target to eradicate smoking in Wales.

ASH Wales, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation Cymru all want plans to entirely eliminate tobacco use to form part of Welsh Government’s new Tobacco Control Plan.

England wants to reduce smoking to five percent or less by 2030 while Scotland aims to become a tobacco-free nation by 2034.

Adam Fletcher, Head of BHF Cymru, said: “It’s crucial that Wales doesn’t become the only part of the UK which doesn’t set a clear target to end smoking.”

‘MORAL PANIC’ THREATENS UK’S SMOKE-FREE GOALS

Think tank the Adam Smith Institute says the recent ‘moral panic’ over e-cigarettes could endanger the government’s aim of a smoke-free society by 2030.

It criticised the US response to the recent lung illness outbreak as a “moral panic without scientific evidence” and urged the UK government to “take a liberal approach to harm reduction” and “combat misinformation about the harm of e-cigarettes.”

Tens of thousands of UK smokers use e-cigarettes to quit smoking each year but the Institute fears Britain risks “going backwards” if it fails to embrace vaping as a safer smoking alternative.

SOUTH KOREA CONSIDERS VAPE BAN

South Korea is warning people not to use e-cigarettes in the wake of the US lung injury crisis.

The country’s health minister Park Neung-hoo said the government would now speed up its own studies to determine if there was a scientific basis to ban sales of e-cigarettes.

Vaping has become increasingly popular since 2017 and accounts for 13 percent of South Korea’s tobacco market. The health ministry also plans on strengthening customs procedures for imported e-liquid.

DON’T VAPE - DRINK TEA INSTEAD

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says he will never allow e-cigarette production in the country and has urged Turks to drink tea instead. He said tobacco companies were “getting rich by poisoning people” and told an anti-smoking event in Istanbul that he has ordered his Trade Minister “never” to allow e-cigarettes in Turkey. The President added: “These companies want to invest in Turkey…I say go and make your investment elsewhere. Let’s put down cigarettes and drink our Rize tea.” While vaping is not illegal, purchasing or distributing e-cigarettes is, yet many Turks buy e-cigarettes online.

Two pages filled with short vape-related stories and research making news from around the world.

VAPING “ILLEGAL” IN INDIA

India’s e-cigarette sales ban also implies that their use is also banned, according to reports.

Reuters news agency quoted court papers from the Indian Health Ministry which said: “Once the import, production, manufacture, distribution and storage of e-cigarettes is prohibited, it is implied that the use of e-cigarettes is also prohibited.”

India banned the import, manufacture, sale, advertisement, storage and distribution of e-cigarettes in September.

However it is understood that while no action will be taken for “personal use,” vapers still fear police action if they continue vaping.

VIRTUAL REALITY CAN HELP SMOKERS QUIT

Virtual reality has proved to be an effective smoking cessation tool, according to new research.

The study by the University of Catania in Sicily, involved inviting smokers who had no intention to give up, to assess their motivation to quit after viewing different stimuli.

The most motivating was a VR experience that showed the development of smoking-related illnesses.

Lead researcher Professor Pasquale Caponnetto, said: “The most important aspect underlined by this research is the connection of psychology to technology and the possibility of using the appeal of innovative technological systems to encourage a healthier lifestyle.”

KEEP IT TICKING

Chronic smokers who switched from cigarettes to vaping saw a significant improvement in markers of heart health after just a month, researchers have found.

The University of Dundee study concluded that switching to vaping could lead to significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Jacob George, a professor of cardiovascular medicine, said: “By switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes we found an average percentage point improvement of 1.5 within just one month.

“To put that into context, each percentage point improvement in vascular function results in a 13 percent reduction in cardiovascular event rates, such as heart attacks.”

APPLE AXES VAPE APPS

Apple has removed all 181 vaping-related apps from its online store and will no longer accept any new apps related to e-cigarettes.

The apps had allowed users to interact with vape devices, provided vape-related news and social network interaction.

Apple said it took “great care to curate the App Store as a trusted place for customers, particularly youth, to download apps” and said the apps it offered were constantly evaluated.

Existing users will still be able to use their apps and install them on new devices.

CALIFORNIA SUES JUUL

California is suing Juul Labs, alleging that the company deliberately marketed and sold its pod devices to young people.

The lawsuit argues that Juul´s past marketing efforts online and in major US cities used bright colours and youthful-looking models to attract underage users.

It also alleges that Juul previously failed to adequately verify customers’ ages and identities on its website and distributed free products at concerts and festivals.

A Juul spokesman said the company’s intended customers are adult smokers, adding “we do not intend to attract underage users.”

CHINA BANS ONLINE E-CIGARETTE SALES

Words : Patrick Griffin

On the final day of the IECIE expo in Shanghai, with somewhat ironic timing, China effectively banned all sales of e-cigarettes online.

With more than 7.4 million e-cigarette users in China, this is a huge blow for the country’s vaping industry.

China’s e-cigarette market was estimated to have been worth US$718 million last year, an increase from $451 million in 2016.

A large percentage of those sales took place online from a variety of sources including manufacturer websites, e-commerce platforms, social networking sites and online streaming channels. The move, announced by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and State Administration for Market Regulation, says it is aimed at “protecting minors from electronic smoke.”

It calls for all websites and apps selling e-cigarettes to be shut down, all online marketing campaigns halted and also ordered online shopping platforms to remove e-cigarette products from their sites.

The announcement said: “Minors buy and smoke electronic cigarettes [bought] through

Move deemed necessary to protect the “physical and mental health of young people.”

the Internet. Publicising, promoting and selling e-cigarettes through the Internet poses a huge threat to the physical and mental health of minors. “In order to further strengthen the protection of minors’ physical and mental health and prevent minors from purchasing and smoking electronic cigarettes (bought) through the Internet, we urge electronic cigarette production and sales enterprises or individuals to close the electronic cigarette Internet from the date of issuance of this circular.”

An official at the tobacco regulator told the Xinhua news agency that many e-cigarette companies deliberately targeted young people in their online campaigns.

It accused them of using words such as “young” and “fashion” to tempt minors into buying vaping products and said many parents were worried that their children could buy vaping products online.

After the announcement was made there was speculation over whether it would, or could, actually be enforced.

Ou Junbiao, head of the Electronic Cigarette Industry Committee of China, told the New York Times: “There is no law or regulation in China that forbids the online sale of e-cigarettes yet.”

However just hours after the notice was published, vaping products were swiftly removed from at least three online platforms.

Seven of the leading e-cigarette brands also issued statements on social media to say they fully supported the move.

RELX - the most popular Chinese brand with 60 percent of the market share - said it “resolutely supports” the decision and added: “We will fully act to terminate all sales and advertising on the Internet.”

In September vape products from Juul Labs were removed from Chinese e-commerce sites Tmall and JD.com just a week after going on sale, without any explanation as to why.

“China’s e-cigarette market was estimated to have been worth US$718 million last year, an increase from $451 million in 2016.”

WE’RE MOST EXCITED ABOUT IS CUBID”

TRUMP VETOESflavour ban

FOR NOW

Words : Kashif Hussain

US President Donald Trump has declined to sign a bill that would ban flavours in the US despite weeks of pressure from anti-tobacco groups to do so.

The Trump administration originally prepared the ban on the sale of flavoured e-liquids in September and was awaiting guidelines from the FDA before introducing it at federal level.

Pro-vape activists and industry members staged protests around the country and on the internet with the slogan #WeVapeWeVote, which may have caught the president’s eye and influenced him to reconsider the ban.

On a flight to Lexington, Kentucky in November for a press conference the next day, Trump was handed a memo to sign that would move the proposed ban one step closer to becoming legislation.

But an anonymous White House advisor, speaking to the Washington Post, claimed that Trump decided to pull the ban after considering

the potential job-losses that he could get the blame for. This could hurt not only his promises of economic growth, but also his hopes for re-election.

Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, which has continued to fight the vape industry in court and in the media, said: "In critical respects, he is getting bad political advice and bad public health advice.

“[A flavour ban] won’t cost him votes but backing down probably will because only 3.2 percent of Americans use e-cigarette products and a lot more parents are terrified about the effect on their kids, and they vote too."

Another anonymous senior White House administrator told the Post that Trump ‘didn’t know much about the issue and was just doing it for Melania and Ivanka.’

The First Lady has taken a special interest in the ‘teen vaping epidemic’ and previously met with teenagers to hear more about their personal experiences with vaping.

The President voiced his personal stance regarding vaping on Twitter in September.

He wrote:

US President has last-minute change of heart following backlash from vapers

“While I like the vaping alternative to cigarettes, we need to make sure this alternative is SAFE for ALL! Let’s get counterfeits off the market and keep young children from vaping!”

In an interview with Yahoo Finance, American Vaping Association (AVA) president Gregory Conley said that America needs to have ‘rational policy, not prohibition.’

Conley said:

“Banning flavoured nicotine vaping products will do nothing to stop teenagers from buying illicit THC cartridges off the street…that is what is making people sick.”

While vapers celebrated the news, this may not be the end of the flavour ban.

Several cities and states still enforce bans on the sale of flavoured vape products, such as Michigan, Massachusetts and New York.

And White House spokesman Judd Deere also said that Trump may switch positions on the ban once again.

Deere wrote: “President Trump and this administration are committed to responsibly protecting the health of children.

“At this time, we are in an ongoing rulemaking process, and I will not speculate on the final outcome.”

Even if the President doesn’t go through with a ban, at least one 2020 Presidential opponent has strongly hinted at his intent to use the flavour ban as an election issue.

Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has long been a thorn in the side of Big Tobacco and the vape industry.

Bloomberg wrote on Twitter: “Today we learned that [Trump] has walked away from his commitment [to ban flavours] and caved to tobacco lobbyists. American families deserve better.

“If President Trump won’t take steps to protect our children, then we need someone in office who will.”

Bloomberg backs The Village, a network linking businesses with high-profile entrepreneurs and investors.

One such business is Hava Health. The company is developing a ‘pharmaceutical-grade’ nicotine vape device that will require FDA approval as a medicine rather than a tobacco product.

“We are in an ongoing rulemaking process, and I will not speculate on the final outcome”

E-cigarettes ARE NOT A TEEN GATEWAY DRUG

Words : Lucy MacKinnon

An analysis of over 12,000 US middle and high school students found that vaping should not be considered as a gateway drug.

The study published in the medical journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research used an unconventional method: considering pre-existing factors in teen lifestyles.

This research argues that influences, such as being around tobacco smoking at home, could have an effect on the likelihood of a teenager becoming a smoker.

The methodology has been praised as smoking figures are well known to differ depending on other demographics such as race, gender and behavioural characteristics.

Factors such as how often an individual teenager took risks and how often they were disciplined were considered when the data was presented.

These characteristics or influences were coined ‘shared risk factors’ in the research paper.

Lead author Arielle Selya explains this research undermines the hypothesis that e-cigarettes are a gateway drug to smoking conventional cigarettes.

The data demonstrates that although vaping teenagers were more likely to try a tobacco cigarette, they were not necessarily more likely to become regular smokers.

The research paper concludes:

Survey reveals teenage vapers are “not more likely to become smokers”

“E-cigarette use does not appear to be associated with current, continued smoking.

“Instead, the apparent relationship between e-cigarette use and current conventional smoking is fully explained by shared risk factors, thus failing to support claims that e-cigarettes have a causal effect on concurrent conventional smoking among youth.”

As tighter regulations are being enforced upon the vaping industry, such as the flavour ban, this type of evidence should be considered.

The initiative behind multiple states enacting an e-liquid flavour ban was due to the belief that vaping is inciting more teenagers to become addicted to nicotine. However, this large-scale study proves otherwise.

Selya, an assistant scientist at Sanford Health in South Dakota, said: “It’s really important to hold off making policies on e-cigarettes until we have a more solid understanding of its effects.”

Dr Nicholas Chadi, a specialist in addiction medicine and assistant professor of paediatrics at the University of Montreal, underlined the importance of the research.

He said: “Several published studies show a significant association between e-cigarette use and current and future smoking [and so] these findings would need to be replicated.”

He argued that lifestyle factors could be the explanation behind papers from 2015 and 2016 that contradict this new evidence.

Dr Chadi explained products with high levels of nicotine such as JUUL were new to the market and were “just starting to become popular on a large scale at that time.”

He added: “So, it’s possible that the same study conducted today would show different results” as e-cigarettes are no longer a new product and are not rapidly increasing in usage rates amongst teenagers anymore.

Moving forward, monitoring these same study participants over a lengthier period of time has the potential to strengthen this evidence.

This year, Action on Smoking and Health released figures

that showed over 83 percent of 11-18-year olds in Britain had never tried an e-cigarette.

They also discovered that not a single ‘never smoker’ teen reported using an e-cigarette on a daily basis, and that almost 50 percent of teenagers tried smoking a cigarette before trying a vaping device.

This challenges the conception that there is a teen vaping epidemic in the UK.

There are also findings published in the leading medical journal Thorax that demonstrates e-cigarettes are not a gateway drug to tobacco usage.

One such study into teenage vaping concluded:

“Our research does not support the hypothesis that e-cigarettes ‘renormalised’ youth smoking during a period of growing, but largely unregulated use in the UK.”

“This research undermines the hypothesis that e-cigarettes are a gateway drug to smoking conventional cigarettes.”

MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY TO ISSUE FREE STARTER KITS TO SMOKERS

The VPZ and Lewisham Hospital partnership is the first of its kind

Words : Gordon Stribling

The UK’s largest mental health facility has teamed up with VPZ to offer free vape starter kits to patients who smoke.

The Ladywell Unit at Lewisham Hospital will issue the 100 Hexa kits and VPZ hopes to roll out the programme across the UK.

Nurse Consultant Mary Yates from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Smoking traps vulnerable people in poverty because it is so expensive.

“This collaboration with VPZ has the potential to transform the lives of our patients, taking them off cigarettes, giving them more money and transforming their health.”

Around 40 percent of people with mental health conditions smoke, according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). This is more than double the rate of the general population.

Smokers with mental health problems die an average of 10 to 20 years earlier than those without mental health problems, the NHS has said.

ASH conducted a stop smoking survey of mental health professionals from 33 trusts earlier this year. The responses reflected the ongoing debate amongst the medical community about the effectiveness and safety of e-cigarettes.

ASH has recommended that NHS trusts ‘ensure that staff receive education and training about evidence-

based interventions (including on e-cigarettes and stop smoking medications) to help manage clients’ tobacco dependence and encourage them to quit.’

The new partnership is the latest initiative to bring e-cigarettes into NHS hospital settings.

Ecigwizard opened stores in two Birmingham NHS hospitals in July as part of a wider move to make the sites entirely smoke-free.

VPZ director Doug Mutter said that the Lewisham partnership was a ‘huge step forward’ for the industry and NHS in the fight against tobacco.

He said: “Quitting smoking can be a challenge for any long-term smoker but mental health patients face an even tougher battle with their abilities to access services reduced considerably.

“We will work closely with [the unit] to monitor the impact of the project and aim to roll-out the scheme throughout the UK as we work towards transforming the health of the nation.”

“We aim to roll-out the scheme throughout the UK as we work towards transforming the health of the nation”

PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT ORDERS POLICE TO ARREST VAPERS

Duterte evoked the rhetoric of his deadly war on drugs ahead of clampdown

Words: Gordon Stribling

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered authorities to arrest vapers ahead of an executive order that would outlaw the use and importation of the devices.

The news came days after the country saw its first case of e-cigarette-associated lung injury which lead to a sixteen-year-old being hospitalised.

Duterte said: “Last night I ordered the local law enforcement agencies and the military to arrest anybody vaping or even smoking in public.

“The safest way to do it [vape] is in your house but when you do that, you contaminate all in the family, including your children.”

The President said that an executive order ‘will come’ and he will take full responsibility for the actions of the armed forces in the meantime.

He referred to his previous statements relating to the war on drugs, which has seen 25,000 people killed since 2016, many by masked gunmen in the street.

He said: “You are protected because I’m ordering you a legal order preventing injury to the Filipino children.

“That is what I meant when I say do not destroy my country because I will kill you.”

There are around a million vapers in the Philippines, according to the Department of Health.

While Duterte is determined to punish people caught vaping in public, a Philippine National Police (PNP) top official said that there is no legal basis for filing the cases.

However, asked why the police would go ahead and arrest vapers, Lieutenant General Archie Gamboa said: “Just to implement the directive of the President. Under the police powers of the state you can do that.”

Gamboa said that he had ordered police to arrest, but not detain, vapers as there was no clear course to do so. Instead, their names will be listed in on a charge sheet before they are released.

Of the charge sheet process, Gamboa said: “It doesn’t even have a probative value. You cannot even use it in court, and it cannot prejudice the person later on.”

“Do not destroy my country because I will kill you”

“The FDA is essentially endorsing the product as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, while also giving the consumer comfort the product meets strict standards.”

FDA FIRST

Swedish Match can promote snus smokeless tobacco as less harmful than cigarettes

Words: Patrick Griffin

In a US first, The Food and Drug Administration has approved a tobacco product to be marketed as less harmful than smoking cigarettes.

It has authorised Swedish Match to say that eight of its General snus smokeless tobacco products “puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis” than smoking.

Snus is a type of smokeless tobacco, typically sold inside a pouch, which is placed under the lip.

This is the first time the FDA has approved a modified-risk tobacco product application and now the wider vaping industry hopes it will pave the way for more products to follow suit.

Analyst Owen Bennett welcomed the move as “positive for the industry” adding: “It is essentially the FDA endorsing the product as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, while also giving the consumer comfort the product meets strict standards.

“Such endorsement could prove very valuable in the current environment where there is an increasing consumer demand for less harmful products, while at the same time there are many fears around the safety of vaping.”

Companies seeking to market their products as

less harmful than cigarettes must go through a time-consuming process where the FDA scrutinizes the scientific evidence and evaluates the company’s claims before ultimately making its decision.

Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless said: “While we are authorising these specific modified risk tobacco products, it’s important for the public to understand that all tobacco products — including these — pose risk. Anyone who does not currently use tobacco products, especially youth, should refrain from doing so.”

The UK’s Action on Smoking and Health has said that snus is “over 100 times less harmful” than smoking, however it is currently banned here under EU law.

At October’s Vaper Expo in Birmingham, to provide UK smokers with a legal alternative to snus, Swedish Match, launched its tobacco-free ZYN nicotine pouches to the UK market.

The company says ZYN offers a legal alternative to snus and says it could particularly appeal to vapers who could use the pouches in situations where they cannot normally use their e-cigarettes, such as on public transport or at the office. Swedish Match is independent of the big tobacco companies.

AMA CALLS FOR TOTAL VAPE BAN

The American Medical Association wants to ban non-FDA approved vaping products in the US.

Words: Phoebe Fuller

The American Medical Association (AMA) has called for a ban on all vaping products that do not meet the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval as smokingcessation tools.

In a press release dated November 19, the AMA cited the recent lung illnesses in the US, as well as the spike in youth e-cigarette use, as the reason for their decision.

AMA President Patrice A. Harris said: “The recent lung illness outbreak has alarmed physicians and the broader public health community and shined a light on the fact that we have very little evidence about the short and long-term health consequences of e-cigarettes and vaping products.”

Members of the US medical community came together at the AMA’s House of Delegates interim meeting to develop and adopt new policies that would ‘prevent another generation from becoming dependent on nicotine’.

Alongside calling for the ban of non-FDA approved vaping devices, the policies included advocating for research into the devices; and calling for studies into the treatment of tobacco-use disorder.

Dr Harris added: “We must keep nicotine products out of the hands of young people and that’s why we are calling for an immediate ban on all e-cigarette and vaping products from the market.

“With the number of young people using e-cigarettes spiking it is not only critical that there is research into nicotine addiction treatments for this population, but it is imperative that we continue efforts to prevent youth from ever using nicotine.”

The AMA says that it’s been ‘championing seminal anti-tobacco efforts’ for the past five decades and has been actively involved in calling for smoking to be prohibited in public places.

They have also been involved in calling on tobacco companies to stop ‘targeting children’ in advertising campaigns; a call they are now making to e-cigarette companies, too.

In addition to the above policies, the AMA says they have asked media organisations to reject any advertising that markets e-cigarettes to young people.

“For decades we have led the public health fight to combat the harmful effects of tobacco products, and we will continue to support policies and regulations aimed at preventing another generation from becoming dependent on nicotine,” said Dr Harris.

“We will continue to support policies and regulations aimed at preventing another generation from becoming dependent on nicotine.”

DUTCH PHYSICIANS WADE IN ON VAPING BAN

Words: Phoebe Fuller

Dutch lung specialists have called on authorities in The Netherlands to ban vaping, as they believe e-cigarettes cause lung illnesses and don’t help people give up smoking.

Leon van den Toorn, chairman of the Association of Physicians for Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis, said:

“We cannot recommend the e-cigarette under any circumstances.”

Citing results from a survey among its members, the association said they’d seen an increase in the number of Dutch people reporting problems with lung function after vaping.

Mr van den Toorn also cast doubt on the legitimacy of Public Health England’s ’95 percent less harmful’ statistic.

He told the European Pulmonologist Congress in Madrid:

“The frequently-heard comment that the e-cigarette is 95 percent less harmful is not based on any scientific evidence.”

But Dutch consumer advocacy group the Active for Vapors Foundation (Acvoda) has responded with frustration, saying there is “absolutely no justification” for banning e-cigarettes in The Netherlands.

Acvoda member, Hans Molenaar, said:

“Mr van den Toorn is basing his case on very one-sided and selective slides presented at a conference in Madrid […] from people ideologically opposed to any harm reduction alternatives and has discounted the widely-

reported health opportunities which reducedrisk products can offer.”

Meanwhile, The Netherlands’ state secretary for health, Paul Blokhuis, has also responded to say that he is “very curious” about van den Toorn’s comments, but is unable to issue a total ban as he is bound by EU regulations.

A spokesperson for the Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA) told Vapouround:

“Banning e-cigarettes and vaping products will seriously harm smokers who want to stop smoking and have not succeeded with nicotine patches or similar products.

“Latest studies show that e-cigarettes are twice as successful for quitting than conventional nicotine replacement therapy.

“The IEVA calls for adequate legislation for vaping products. This is the best way to ensure any concerns regarding vaping and consumer protection that would be raised by governments on a national and EU level can be addressed.”

“Banning e-cigarettes and vaping products will seriously harm smokers who want to stop smoking”

Lung specialists in The Netherlands have called for a country-wide ban on vaping.

TH

FEBRUARY 13 2020

OMNIA NIGHTCLUB TERRACE, CAESARS PALACE

The Cannavist has emerged as the leading publication in the world of CBD and medical cannabis.

One year after launching as the first magazine of its kind in the UK, we are proud to announce the launch of our sister publication: The Cannavist USA.

To mark this momentous occasion, we will host an exclusive, invite-only launch event in the US party capital, Las Vegas.

This unforgettable gathering will take place February 13th at OMNIA Nightclub Terrace at Caesars Palace, on the world famous stage that is the Las Vegas party strip.

This upmarket, highly sought after location is the ideal place to launch the USA edition of The Cannavist, and the night will feature world renowned entertainment, DJs and maybe even a famous face or two.

Guests and VIPs will network over fine food and drinks and dance the night away at one of the world’s top nightlife spots, as we celebrate the launch of The Cannavist USA in true Vegas style.

Vaping w

WITH ALEXANDRE SCHECK OF ENOVAP ENTREPRENEUR

From a university project to a ground-breaking addition to the vaping technology market, meet the Enovap. Words: Phoebe Fuller

While studying for a degree in engineering, Alexandre Scheck and five friends created the Enovap: a ‘smart’ e-cigarette. The six of them were all smokers at the time, so they wanted to create a product that was not only going to replace cigarettes but be effective at encouraging other smokers to quit them altogether.

“The idea started with me,” says Alex, who’s CEO of the company, “I was smoking one packet of cigarettes every day. When I discovered vaping, I saw the potential immediately.”

Alex knew that he could use this device to reduce his nicotine intake, but then he thought: what if he could create a device that reduced nicotine automatically? So, that’s exactly what he did.

He says: “The tipping point was when I went from smoking 20 cigarettes a day to 10 while using a traditional vape. I then realised I had different nicotine needs throughout the day, so I wasn’t satisfied with vaping alone and this became our focus for the Enovap.

“We developed the revolutionary technology of a double pod system. The vaper fills one pod with zero mg nicotine and the other with a higher level of nicotine, they select the dosage they want and then the device instantly adjusts to get the perfect nicotine concentration.”

This system also facilitates flavour mixing, so the user can fill each pod with a different juice for a truly personalised experience.

But what makes the Enovap a truly ‘smart’ device is that it uses artificial intelligence. The device ‘reads’ how much has been vaped throughout the day and adjusts the nicotine level accordingly.

“After 28 days, the device knows its user’s behaviour and will automatically adjust to cater to their nicotine needs at any moment. This is revolutionary because it has the ability to decrease your nicotine intake day by day, helping you quit altogether.”

Users are also able to track their usage and nicotine intake through the associated mobile phone app, which collects data that can then inform future device updates.

Alex says: “A big advantage is that we’re able to collect this data and understand our users’ behaviour. Understanding how they use the device is the key to evolving and being efficient in helping them reach their smoking-cessation goals.”

And the Enovap is tried, tested, and approved by Alex and the team themselves – as they all used it in the final stages of their smokingcessation journeys.

But what has it been like trying to encourage French smokers to give up the habit of a lifetime?

Alex says: “Yes, 33 percent of the French population are smokers; but that hasn’t made it difficult. We’re actually perceived in the French market as THE smoking-cessation solution.

“In the early stages, the Enovap was presented with an award by French President Emmanuel Macron, at a ‘top ten success stories’ award ceremony. It’s since grown immensely and is now available at over 700 shops in France.”

Alex and the team now want to see the Enovap available at a similar number of stores in the UK, but first they must find the right distributors who truly appreciate their vision.

“We are confident that the Enovap can become the industry leader in smoking-cessation, though we must first find a distributor that will properly market the product; it’s a hi-tech tool, not just a new hardware device.”

They’ve already picked up a whole host of awards; including Innovation of the Year, and Outstanding Contribution to the Vape Industry at the Vapouround Awards 2019 and are looking forward to building on that success throughout 2020.

Diary OF A VAPER

Selfless Darren Pomfret had to make some serious lifestyle changes after being viciously assaulted by a gang of thugs. He was targeted after coming to the aid of a defenceless pensioner who was being attacked in the street.

As a result of his injuries, Darren, who had been smoking since he was a teenager, suffered a stroke aged just 25. Shortly after this he heard about vaping as an alternative to smoking and in 2008 he decided to give it a go for himself.

Darren said: “Vaping worked like a charm for me and I had no difficulty in making the switch and cutting out cigarettes completely.

“Vaping improved my health; I could breathe easier and I was able to do more. With the health conditions I had, I wasn’t able to move about properly and everything was a strain. But it didn’t just improve my physical health, it improved my mental health because it gave me something to do, as I learned how to fix vaping devices.”

Darren now fixes mods, builds his own devices and feels a strong sense of pride in belonging to a vaping community of like-minded people.

He added: “Building mods was a big part of my recovery from the stroke. It wasn’t just the hand-to-eye coordination,

it also helped with the mental frustration I’d get when I couldn’t accomplish something. Things as simple as being able to say a word or finding myself not being able to speak properly, it was just overwhelming, and this gave me an outlet. “Vaping also gave me a community when I first got involved with the scene and I can’t even begin to describe the level of help that I have received from them. I have made so many friends from vaping and it has had a hugely positive impact on my life. I wouldn’t be here without that; it’s saved my life.”

Darren, 38, from Manchester, said he is appalled by the current vaping situation in America and said we were so lucky to have a different regulatory climate in Europe. He said: “Hearing of shops having to close down so the people running them aren’t able to provide for their families anymore, it’s heart-breaking and absolutely disgusting.

“It’s sad that everything boils down to money and that somebody’s life isn’t worth anything. That’s what vaping does: vaping saves lives. But, because I can make my own vapes from parts, even if they stopped selling e-cigarettes here I’d still go and make my own, there’s no way I’m giving this up. Not a chance.”

With Darren Pomfret

ASK THE SCIENTIST

How does chemical testing of e-liquids happen?

How are e-liquids tested? How do you know how much nicotine is in your e-liquid? Columnist Richard Cunningham, PhD, explains the intricacies of chemical analysis for nicotine vape products. icotine e-liquids come in a variety of strengths up to a maximum of 20mg per millilitre across EU states, while this can be even higher in other countries. Basically, this is the amount of nicotine in milligrams for every millilitre of liquid. For a 20mg-strength liquid in a standard 10ml bottle, there would be a total of 200mg nicotine.

NSo how can we determine nicotine content?

The simplest method for testing nicotine content is acid-base titration. This is where an acid is used to neutralise a basic solution, or vice versa, wherein by knowing the volume of liquid and its exact concentration added we can calculate the quantity of substance under study.

In order to visualise the end point, which is when neutralisation has occurred, there are multiple methods available, but a simple way is through the addition of an indicator solution. One example is bromothymol blue. Under basic conditions the solution will appear

blue, while under a pH of <6.0 it will appear a straw yellow.

Nicotine is basic, which means it can receive protons (H+ atoms) whereas an acid can donate protons. So, by adding an acid, nicotine accepts protons, forming what is known as a salt.

For example, with hydrochloric acid, nicotine will form a nicotine HCl salt. As the nicotine is more ‘reactive’ than bromothymol blue, it will consume all the H+ ions first. Once all the nicotine has been converted to its salt form, excess H+ ions are then free in the solution to react with the indicator compound. Due to the chemical structure of this compound when it reacts, it changes colour from a deep blue to straw yellow, so we can determine at that point that all the nicotine has been neutralised.

This process is also reversible: if we added more nicotine, the solution would turn back to blue, as nicotine is able to ‘pull’ the protons from the indicator, reversing the colour change.

Problems can occur where the liquid under study contains acidic flavourings. This will affect the overall accuracy of the result. Bear in mind, this method would not work at all in the analysis of nicotine salts. Salt-based nicotine has already been neutralised and so will not react with an acid. In this instance, a method using a basic titrant such as sodium hydroxide could be used instead.

Although this is a very basic description of titrations, more complex systems exist, which can determine nicotine content without the addition of water or an indicator and is determined potentiometrically.

What other methods are there to test e-liquids?

High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

In this method, a portion of the substance under study is solubilised into a solvent (mobile phase) and passed through a column (stationary phase) while under pressure. Depending on the type of column and solvent utilised, the individual components separate at different rates and can then be detected and quantified. After passing through the separation column there are varying methods that can be used for detection and quantification of the components. Methods of detection include UV-VIS, Mass Spectrometry (MS) and fluorescence. The detection method used is dependent on the physical and chemical properties of the components being examined.

This method is not just limited to nicotine. HPLC analysis can be used to detect other impurities in e-liquids, such as aldehydes, nitrosamines and other related substances.

GC-MS

Gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer as the detector. GC is useful for volatile and thermally-stable organic compounds. This method uses an inert gas (such as helium) as the mobile phase. GC-MS is a commonly employed and reliable method for testing nicotine content and levels of other impurities.

Analysis of e-liquids

Titration, HPLC and GC-MS are the main techniques most commonly used. However, there are many more techniques than can be used in e-liquid analysis, such as infrared spectroscopy for nicotine, Karl Fischer analysis for water content and even NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance.)

For TPD submissions, a combination of GC-MS and HPLC are used to get a full analysis of an e-liquid’s composition. Techniques such as titration, while limited, are useful for rapid analysis of nicotine content in e-liquids in production situations before having third party analysis carried out for verification.

Goodbye Pod Systems

HELLO AIO KITS

Goodbye 2019. Hello 2020.

As the year of 2019 draws to a close and vape shop owners and vapers reading this are dragging out the Christmas decorations and thinking of what to stock for the upcoming holiday season, reviewers like myself are looking back at the previous year and thinking…what comes next?

Looking ahead to the coming year is something a lot of us as vapers do, more so shop owners and reviewers as we try and pin down what may be coming up for at least the first half of a new year and the first half of a new release schedule.

Without a doubt 2019 was the year of the pod, there is no getting around it. The pod market exploded in 2018 and that ever-increasing bubble expanded in 2019, but with any market bubble, it was bound to burst, and burst it has.

With a marked decrease in the number of new pods coming out, and with the closure or mergers of some smaller pod companies over in China happening over the past few months, I think it’s safe to assume that the pod market expansion is now over. The pod market is now retracting.

The big question is, what will replace it for 2020?

Well, we have already seen the first signs of it happening. With the release of AIO (All In One) systems now taking over from the pod market, the larger companies like Lost Vape, Aspire, Geek

Vape and the likes, have switched tactics from the pod market, to a reinvention of what used to be the hobbyist side of things, the all-in-one system.

Gone are the days of the large, bulky, and sometime heavy, AIOs of 2015 and 2016, replaced with lightweight, easy-touse modifications of a pod-based system, but without that disposable pod and, in its place, a disposable coil head with better battery life.

For 2020’s first half, the AIO will reign supreme, but the AIO reign won’t last as long, or make as much money, as the pod market has done. Along with the AIOs however, the cyclic market of vaping will turn its attention and marketing back to the one thing us reviewers enjoy, the hobbyist side of the market.

RTAs, RDAs, high powered mods and the likes have been on a decline on the releases since January of 2019. There has been a very marked decrease in the amount of rebuildable devices being released on the market in 2019 compared to 2018 and that market will make a comeback - not in the first half of 2020 though, but in its latter half.

A return to the “traditional” starter kit is also seeing the first signs of appearing with mini pen-style kits (Berserker S for instance) being produced with full 510 fitted tanks, which will be something for the vape shop owners to look out for as new pod releases become few and far between.

To finish off the article, I just want to wish everyone reading this a safe and prosperous New Year, and whichever holiday you celebrate at this time of year, I hope it’s a good one.

Vapouround columnist Victor Mullin predicts the major trends of 2020... and it is good news for AIO fans and hobbyist vapers.

Words : Columnist Victor Mullin

EVALI outbreak

CDC ZEROES IN ON VITAMIN E ACETATE

Diluent found in all 29 lung disease samples tested by CDC

Words : Gordon Stribling

There have been 2,290 cases of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (‘EVALI’) as of November 20. The serious lung condition has the appearance of pneumonia, with symptoms including chest pain, nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath. After many months of cautious updates, the CDC is now finally willing to point to at least one potential cause, vitamin E acetate, often found in black market THC oil cartridges (although it hasn’t ruled out that other products or chemicals may be involved.)

If this sounds like old news, that’s because it is. The diluent has been implicated in the outbreak since early September. However, the case now seems so clear that the CDC has specifically tested for it.

In November, they tested 29 fluid samples collected from the lungs of EVALI patients. Vitamin E acetate was found in all of them. They also tested for a range of other chemicals that might be found in (mostly cannabis) vape products, including MCT oil, plant oils and terpenes. None were detected.

Victoria Derbyshire, deputy director of the New York state lab that tested the samples said: "We are under the impression that vitamin E acetate

is being used to dilute cannabis oil and stretch it and make it go further so that you can sell more products and make more money.”

Cannabis oil, not nicotine e-liquid. It seems a moot point to our industry that uses PG and VG and avoids oils knowing that they are not safe to vape. But whether through ignorance or intent, the media and even public health bodies often fail to make that distinction.

Vaping is a relatively new concept in the cannabis space. Back in 2012, THC vape products were pretty much unheard of, but by 2018, they accounted for a quarter of all cannabis products sold in the US, according to BDS Analytics.

And it makes sense that cannabis consumers would adopt vaping as the technology improved. As well as the convenience, vape devices provide a stealth alternative to dry herb smoking as it barely emits that distinctive cannabis smell.

Naturally, as vaping became more popular, black market manufacturers began looking for ways to get on the market and make a few savings by using diluting agents like vitamin E acetate, which gives the oils the appearance and thickness of a pure THC product.

Current CDC statistics state that THC was identified in 82 percent of all EVALI lung samples tested, though the real number is likely to be higher.

Despite ongoing reform, marijuana remains federally illegal, so many patients may be reluctant to admit that they have used a THC product, especially a blackmarket ‘street’ THC cartridge.

And even if their THC is legal, some may fear that their drug habits will be put on their medical record which could affect insurance premiums or employment.

Dr Ram Koppaka, a medical officer at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases who is working on the EVALI cases, said: “Each individual patient might have reasons why they don’t want it known they’re vaping and specifically what they’re vaping.”

This is such a concern that the CDC’s own guidance urges patients to be honest with their doctors when presenting with EVALI symptoms.

Even though the CDC now seems fairly certain that EVALI is a THC oil issue, it still sadly remains under the umbrella of ‘vaping’ in name and in the public consciousness.

Perhaps the handling of the EVALI outbreak will be a lesson to the CDC and the media how not to communicate during a serious case such as this. It’s not just the e-cigarette industry that’s been hit by this storm. Cannabis consumers may not have realised that this was likely a THC oil issue until recently and continued to use black market products.

Dr. Scott Aberegg, a critical care pulmonologist at University of Utah Health, who has treated more than 30 patients with EVALI, said: “It may turn out there are only two kinds of people who get this disease: those who vape THC and those who won’t admit it.”

“It may turn out there are only two kinds of people who get this disease: those who vape THC and those who won’t admit it”

#NOTABOT BACKLASH

Authors appear to backtrack after vapers attack social media bot report

Words: Gordon Stribling

What was once seen as a huge leap in cross-cultural connectivity is now considered by many to be nothing more than a hotbed of attention-seeking and negativity. The pitfalls of social media have only been magnified as politics has become more polarised, though the two almost certainly feed into one another. Twitter is perhaps the most notorious of all the major platforms. The rolling feed and political usership are a recipe for hot-headed conflict. And there are countless politicallyminded vapers on the platform attempting to combat the daily slew of misinformation.

But a new report has suggested that many of these accounts are just automated social media ‘bots.’ These programs generate content, follow users, collect followers and share messages.

On October 14, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the federal government was investigating whether bots were misleading the public about the safety and health effects of vaping.

According to a Public Good Projects (PGP) report cited in the story, bots generate more than half of Twitter’s vaping content.

Researchers analysed 1,288,378 twitter messages posted between February 1, 2019 and June 1, 2019 and found that

nearly 80 percent were posted by ‘suspected or highly likely bots.’

Many of these bots promoted switching from smoking to vaping, often making pro-vape comments in anti-tobacco conversations. Others said that scientists were hiding the truth about vaping and that the likes of the CDC were lying about e-cigarettes.

The press release said: “At face value, bot messaging can appear to be anti-tobacco, anti-smoking, and pro-health. However, what appears to be messaging highlighting the transgressions of the tobacco industry may actually be pro-vaping content generated by bots.”

The WSJ story picked up a lot of traction on Twitter, and soon the #NotABot hashtag went into overdrive, thanks to the outraged, but often amused, Twitter vape army. The mood was captured by an indignant Grimm Green, who said:

“They downplay our numbers.

“They call us bots.

“They suppress information.

“They confuse.

“They mislead.

“They lie.

“We aren’t going anywhere.”

But in true Twitter form, many vapers responded with dry wit and sarcasm, including tongue-in-cheek comments like ‘bleep, bloop, vape bot checking in!’

One user also shared a screenshot of bots that had retweeted the WSJ article. The irony.

Vapers are often accused of being shills or bots on social media. The ‘shill gambit’ is an easy way to shut down an opponent’s argument. It implies a conflict of interest, alluding to a cover up or the account’s apparent financial motivations.

The fact that vaping may have helped the users in question to stop inhaling carcinogens every 20 minutes isn’t motivation enough for some detractors.

PGP was forced to respond to the #NotABot hashtag with a series of tweets that appeared to reframe the original story.

They explained that bots were defined on a 1-100 scale. 100 percent robots post no original content and just auto-retweet, for example. But there is some overlap with these accounts and some human-run accounts that schedule or amplify posts.

Far from being an army of bots, PGP noted that vape advocates are just better at marketing and are more techsavvy than the anti-vape accounts and pro-vape messages are easier to find ‘because of a united front.’

PGP shared a chart that showed the increase in hashtags

that followed the original story.

“Notice #notabot jumps after our report was released on 10/14.

“We took the first few dozen accounts that referenced our account after the release, and used the same methods used in our report.

“None are full bots. Some use a degree of automation.”

What began as a story about an automated army ‘promoting misinformation about nicotine and e-cigarettes’ actually said more about the tech-savvy community of human advocates defending the health innovation that has changed their lives.

Not for the first time, it seems that the government and mainstream media are out-of-step with technology and the wants and motivations of people using it.

“None are full bots. Some use a degree of automation”

SAFER IS SAFE ENOUGH

Words: Phoebe Fuller

You’d be hard pushed to find anyone in this industry who would advocate for non-smokers to take up vaping. E-cigarettes are a necessary alternative to combustibles for most of us, while for others they have taken on a secondary appeal as an interesting pastime.

The common thread among most vapers is that they’re consuming nicotine in a way that is undoubtedly safer than getting it from tobacco. Yes, e-liquid does contain chemicals; but it’s a far cry from the some 60 cancer-causing chemicals found in cigarettes.

Let’s focus on the big one: tar. Tar is what happens when tobacco smoke cools and condenses. It is the sticky brown sludge that coats the lungs of a smoker and eventually causes respiratory failure, cancer or both. E-cigarettes do not produce tar and therefore they don’t lead to tar build up in the body.

E-cigarettes also do not produce carbon monoxide and are free from the harmful chemicals and compounds which are produced when cigarettes are burned.

Public Health England (PHE) have long attested to vaping being 95 percent less harmful than smoking and, in the midst of lung illnesses falsely attributed to vaping in the US, they’ve remained steadfast on that assertion.

But the key word here is ‘safer’ because no onenot PHE, the NHS or any vaping association - has declared vaping to be completely safe; only safer than cigarettes. And, in the context of being better for you than puffing on a product as harmful as a cigarette, safer is safe enough.

However, Greg Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, says that people are often hardwired to ignore this distinction. He says: “In general, many people think of risk as fitting into one of two boxes: safe or not safe. When people think of having sex using a condom, wearing a seatbelt or undertaking other harm-reduction measures, they’ll assign it a value of ‘safe.’

“But when you add to that the fact that vaping is primarily done with nicotine, a substance for which people have rampant misperceptions, it makes accurate and truthful understanding about

Why has the media become so hung up on whether or not vaping is safe? It’s far safer than smoking, which, for a smoking alternative, is safe enough.

that product much harder to obtain.”

It’s true that many anti-vapers will cite nicotine content as the reason that e-cigarettes are inherently unsafe, but they’re completely ignoring the fact that nicotine is never the ingredient in cigarettes that kills smokers.

Greg believes the mass-media has more of a responsibility to inform the general public about the harm-reduction potential of e-cigarettes, instead of getting hung up on their supposed ‘dangers’ with baiting headlines such as: ‘Are e-cigarettes really safe?’

He said: “You expect that the general public are going to find it difficult to understand what harm-reduction is, but you expect a lot more from the news media.

“You’d think that a journalist who spends more than 30 minutes looking at the topic would understand that it is a debate about harm-reduction, not harm-elimination.”

Greg believes that the key to changing this narrative is for vaping advocates to pitch journalists with their own stories of success or delicately approach them when they get the story wrong, so they have the opportunity to learn and get it right next time.

After all, we only want to see the news headlines stop asking whether vaping is safe, because that’s the wrong question to be asking. Instead, we should be asking: is vaping safer?

And the answer to that question is, unequivocally, yes.

“In general, many people think of risk as fitting into one of two boxes: safe or not safe.”

CAMPUS Banned

Words : Phoebe Fuller

In September, the University of Limerick president Dr Des Fitzgerald called for all university campuses – and other educational institutions in Ireland - to ban vaping.

According to a University press release, Dr Fitzgerald believes that vaping is an “urgent health risk for students in particular” and says that banning vaping on campuses is a “matter of urgency.”

But Alicia Maher, a PhD student at the Irish university, says that the vaping ban has had little effect on students vaping on campus and says she thinks that the ban is a mistake.

She said: “I was very disappointed when I heard about the vaping ban as I vape medical cannabis for chronic pain.

“Banning vaping and e-cigarettes is not advancing public health, it’s merely a reaction to media sensationalism.”

Alicia says that as e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes aren’t the same, vaping should be exempt from campus smoking bans and people need to be aware of the differences between the two.

“E-cigarettes aren’t completely risk free but carry a fraction of

the risk of smoking and are helping thousands of smokers to quit and stay smoke free.

“There’s also the issue of denying patients the right to using their medication on campus, if vaporised medical cannabis has been prescribed by their doctor,” Alicia says.

For Joe Dunne, spokesperson for Vape Business Ireland, Dr Fitzgerald’s plea to Irish universities is the symptom of an antivape attitude in Ireland, generally.

He says: “As soon as a bit of negative vaping news comes to Ireland everyone’s on it; yet when the report came out saying that the cases of ill health in America were caused by THC, that didn’t even make the newspapers.

“So, we’re fighting a very tough battle here in relation to vaping and people jumping on the bandwagon whenever they see any negative story.”

Joe also doesn’t believe that a campus ban will stop students from vaping, as he regularly sees people flouting no-smoking rules at campuses and hospitals so anticipates the same will happen with vaping.

“At the end of the day, university students are not stupid,” Joe

An Irish university president has called for all campuses to ban vaping “as a matter of urgency”

says, “they’re a lot cleverer than I was when I went to school and they surely have enough time and the wherewithal to go and research as much as they can about vaping?”

This seems to be the approach that many UK universities have taken, by allowing staff and students on campus to make up their own minds with comparatively lax rules on campus vaping.

Of the top 10 UK universities in the Guardian’s 2019 league table, none have completely banned vaping on campus –though all operate either a total or partial smokefree policy.

For example The University of Leeds has a campus smokefree policy, with lighting up prohibited between the hours of 8am and 6pm. However, they are “for the time being, sympathetic to vaping” and allow it on the smokefree campus.

Lancaster University takes the harshest stance on vaping out of the top 10, with their smoking policy detailing vaping’s potential to “cause lung disease” and pose a danger to “secondary vapers” but, despite this, they permit vaping on campus as long as it’s done outside buildings.

This difference in approach is something that Joe is critical

of, as he wishes Ireland would treat vaping similarly to the UK. He says: “I don’t understand why certain NGO’s or societies don’t have the same mandate; when you compare Cancer Research UK and Ash UK to Cancer Research Ireland or Ash Ireland, they’re on completely different wavelengths.”

And, like many supporters of vaping in Ireland, it’s the UK that Joe believes people need to look to for expert advice and reasonable policies.

“Banning vaping and e-cigarettes is not advancing public health, it’s merely a reaction to media sensationalism.”

FUTURE For the

Words: Phoebe Fuller

For Cissa Rejo and her team at Paradox Vaping in Bournemouth, environmental sustainability is a big deal. But managing a vape shop with this in mind is no easy feat. Like all industries, the vaping business produces its fair share of waste, from 10ml plastic bottles and disposable pods, to coils and even single-use batteries. So Cissa decided to do something about it and Paradox’s take-back recycling scheme was born. “The global environmental situation has been very close to our hearts for quite some time.

“Before the TPD we used to have glass bottles for e-liquid and it was very uncommon to see plastic bottles inside cardboard boxes.

“But since then it’s just became tons and tons of plastic waste and now the disposable devices and disposable tanks are a big thing. So we’re trying to reduce that a little bit which is why we decided to do the recycling scheme.”

People passing by can drop into the shop to hand over their used bottles, coils, batteries and even pods in exchange for store discount.

“We try to encourage people to bring their bottles, regardless of where they came from. We don’t care whether or not you bought the bottles or your coils in Paradox, just bring whatever you have.” Once they have enough of each – be that bottles, coils or batteries – the Paradox team take the items to the correct facility for recycling or repurposing.

“The pods are quite new, so we haven’t received a lot of them but it’s

just a case of getting a pair of pliers and opening them up and then separating the plastic from the metal.

“We recycle the coils as part of our recycling scheme as well, so when we have enough coils, we take them to the scrap yard.”

And the scheme has been a roaring success so far. Paradox receives around 30 to 50 coils and over 200 bottles every week.

“Some people come back here just for the recycling scheme, because they get a little bit of a discount and they have tons of bottles tossed aside in their houses.

“This is a concern for a lot of people, so we hope that other shops will feel inspired.”

In the meantime, Cissa can rest easy knowing that – in Bournemouth, at least – vaping is greener.

“This is a concern for a lot of people, so we hope that other shops will feel inspired”

How a Bournemouth shop is taking on the industry’s waste – one juice bottle at a time

VAPE FOR

A new brand from the people that brought you Six Licks is putting sustainability front and centre, by planting a tree for every bottle of e-liquid sold

Words: Phoebe Fuller

Born out of the desire to do something a little different in the industry, Wild Roots is the juice brand with a conscience.

By focusing on the carbon footprint of e-liquid production, the brand has been able to put a unique measure in place to offset the environmental cost of both production and consumption.

“There are so many different juices and from how they’re produced to how they’re disposed of, we wanted to create something different that gives back. Wild Roots is all about eco-friendly sustainability,” brand marketing director, Lewis Felstead, said.

With their core campaign ‘#onebottleonetree’, Wild Roots has made a commitment to planting a tree for every single bottle of e-liquid that they sell – no exceptions.

To uphold this promise, they’re working with the Eden Reforestation Projects: a non-profit organisation that allows individuals and businesses to offset their carbon footprints.

Eden Reforestation Projects employs local people in poor and deforested areas of the world to plant trees on their behalf, restoring nature and fighting poverty at the same time.

Lewis said:

“When a store purchases bottles of Wild Roots e-liquid, we plant the trees. So, for the end user, the consumer, there’s no action involved.

“They can walk into a store to buy a bottle and they know that with that single bottle a tree has been planted. They don’t have to do anything more.”

In the short amount of time since Wild Roots launched, they’ve already had close to 33,000 trees planted on their behalf. Their goal is one million. Keeping the whole brand as sustainable as possible is the ultimate goal, so all of their packaging is either recycled when it gets to the consumer or recyclable when it’s been used.

“Vaping is a bright, bold and loud industry,” Lewis said.

“In the rush to create new things, sometimes where things are sourced from and how they’re sourced aren’t necessarily taken into consideration, so we wanted to be one of the first to take those things into account.

“This young industry is developing very quickly and spreading globally, so as it grows, we begin to learn. And as we’re now learning and developing as an industry, that’s why we’re starting to make these decisions.”

“Vaping is a young industry developing very quickly and spreading globally, so as it grows, we begin to learn”

CHANGE

Words: Gordon Stribling

The year 2019 will go down as one of the most tumultuous in the history of vaping. A slew of studies further reinforced that not only are e-cigarettes far less harmful than combustible tobacco, they are far more effective than nicotine-replacement therapy. But the positive stories were soon eclipsed by an ever-increasing vape panic over in the States. And by the time the year drew to a close, the previously pro-vaping UK was at risk of following America’s lead.

JANUARY

Study shows vaping is twice as effective as patches or gum

The randomised controlled trial was the first of its kind to compare traditional nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) to e-cigarettes.

By the end of the year, 18 percent of the e-cigarette users on the study had successfully quit smoking, compared to 10 percent of the NRT group

MARCH

Gottlieb steps down

FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced that he was to step down and after months of conflict with the vape industry. He would go on to land a job at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer three months later.

FDA seizure investigation

The first big scare story of the year came when the FDA announced their investigation into seizures linked to the use of vape products. The agency received 35 reports between 2010 and 2019.

APRIL

Study finds that flavours may help reduce cravings

An American Psychological Association study found that inhaling pleasant aromas can decrease a smoker’s urge to light up.

All the participants reported a reduced urge to smoke after smelling each odour. However, the greatest reduction was found with pleasant odours rather than tobacco.

MAY

Vaping three times more effective than NRT University College London’s cross-sectional survey of almost 20,000 quit attempts revealed that vapers were 95 percent more likely to successfully quit smoking than those who went cold turkey. Traditional nicotine-replacement therapy such as patches and gums had a quit rate of just 34 percent.

Royal College of Midwives urges smokers to switch Royal College of Midwives (RCM) guidelines advised pregnant smokers to switch to vaping if unable to quit cold turkey. “If a pregnant woman who has been smoking chooses to use an e-cigarette and it helps her to quit smoking and stay smokefree, she should be supported to do so.”

JUNE

FDA issues final PMTA guidance

The Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) requires manufacturers to prove that their products are ‘appropriate for the protection of public health.’

No nicotine vape product has yet been authorised by the FDA. ASH survey finds youth vape numbers remain very low

Just 0.8 percent of 11-18-year-old never-smokers in the UK vape, with only 0.1 percent of this demographic vaping more than once a week. Zero never-smokers reported vaping on a daily basis.

Flavour bans, the PMTA deadline and EVALI shaped the narrative this year

San Francisco announces sales ban

The ban also prohibits the manufacture of vape products which forced pod manufacturer JUUL to relocate.

JULY

FDA issues 10-month PMTA deadline

A US federal judge ordered the FDA to impose a 10-month deadline for submission of PMTAs on all e-cigarette products sold on the US market.

The judge stipulated that the FDA should finalise approvals for submitted products within one year.

Ecigwizard opens NHS hospital shops

The company said:

“Vapers! If there was any doubt in your mind about vaping as a healthier alternative to smoking, may we have the absolute pleasure to announce that we have just opened two stores inside two amazing NHS Hospitals in Birmingham.”

Facebook announces vape content crackdown

A spokesperson for the tech giant, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, said:

“The new policy will prohibit all private sales, trades, transfers and gifting of alcohol and tobacco products on Facebook and Instagram.”

AUGUST

VTA sues FDA over PMTA deadline

The VTA also called for the FDA to hold back on enforcement actions against non-compliant products ‘until a reasonable period of time after the actual foundational rules are finalised.’

First US lung illness cases

The biggest story of the year continues to dominate the headlines months later. But despite black market THC vape

cartridges being largely to blame, the damage to the industry may have already been done.

SEPTEMBER

Michigan bans flavoured e-liquids

Michigan became the first US state to ban flavoured e-liquids in an effort protect youth from using the products. New York flavour ban takes effect

Vapers can only buy tobacco and menthol flavours. However, officials will consider extending the ban to include menthol, health commissioner Dr Howard Zucker said.

OCTOBER

Lung illness patient speak out against misleading report

A man hospitalised after using THC vape cartridges claimed that ABC 7 News edited a news report make it look like he was talking about e-liquid flavours when he had only ever used THC products.

NOVEMBER

Trump vetoes flavour ban sign-off

It looked like the President would buckle from pressure from the likes of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the First Lady to ban flavours. However, he granted the industry a reprieve.

CDC finally zeroes in on vitamin E acetate

CDC laboratory testing found vitamin E acetate in all 29 fluid samples it obtained from patients with vape-related lung injuries.

Vitamin E acetate is commonly found in black market THC oil vape cartridges, not commercial nicotine e-liquids.

A VAPING YEAR IN

Review

Re-fillable Pod System – Uwell Caliburn

Uwell is best known for its enthusiast products, so it was a surprise when it dropped the Caliburn earlier this year. To the delight of veteran vapers and new users though, it provides one of the best pod experiences available, with fantastic flavour production and coils that can easily run through 30ml of nicotine salt e-liquid before needing to be replaced. Perhaps the ultimate basic pod.

AIO System – Smok Nord

In many ways 2019 has been the year of the AIO and the Smok Nord has surely been the most popular of the lot. With a stealthy form factor, solid coils and good battery life, this device has cemented itself as the ideal step up from a more basic pod system.

Advanced AIO System – Aspire Mulus

Aspire has been one of the leading manufactures for years and the Mulus is a great example of why. It has a pocket-friendly design, accepts external 18650 batteries, features full wattage control and is compatible with Aspire’s Nautilus and Tigon coil fittings, some of the most reliable and widely available.

MTL Tank – Innokin Zlide

Many vapers started off with Innokin products and the company still remains focused on newcomers to this day. The Zlide is one of the best stock coil MTL tanks on the market, with a wide range of flavourful coil options that should cater to just about any vaper who wishes to use higher strength e-liquids with a tighter draw.

Vapouround’s Benedict Jones takes a look back at some of the products which caught his eye over the last 12 months.

Without any doubt I can say that 2019 has seen the release of far too many good vaping products to count. The hardware market is now ferociously competitive and for consumers, this is fantastic because the majority of off the shelf products now perform fantastically.

Here - in no particular order - are ten of my favourites, covering a wide range of different vape products.

Subohm Tank – Horizon Vape Distro Raptor

Horizon Vape Distro and EHPro teamed up earlier in the year for the Raptor tank and in our view, it’s still the top dog when it comes to flavour performance from stock coils. The minimalistic looks, fantastic coil longevity and Falcon compatibility all make for a tank that performs consistently with zero fuss.

MTL RTA – Svoemesto Kayfun Lite 2019

German manufacturer Svoemesto has ruled the roost of the high-end atomiser market for many years now and the Kayfun Lite 2019 is arguably its best product to date. With incredible flavour production, an easy build deck and an ultra-smooth draw, this is the pinnacle of mouth-to-lung vaping at the time of writing.

Dual Coil RTA – Dovpo Blotto

Vaping Bogan and Dovpo teamed up to make the Blotto and we’re very glad they did. Its innovative airflow design creates a super smooth draw with incredible flavour and the post-less deck design is quite straightforward to build. Throw in some Vaping Bogan aesthetics and you’ve got a top tier RTA.

Dual Battery Mod – Vaporesso Gen

Vaporesso has become one of the best loved brands in vaping and the Gen is a great example of why. It was the first device to feature their new Axon chip, which manages to compete with and even surpass some high end chips, for a much more affordable price. Pair that with nice build quality, a scratch-resistant finish and minimalist looks and you’ve got yourself a winner

Ruggged Mod – Geekvape Aegis X

Geekvape’s Aegis line has been its most successful project to date and the Aegis X is the newest full-sized device. It has the same shockproof, water-proof and frankly life-proof design that we’ve come to know and love, with the addition of a massive colour screen, which makes navigating the menus a little easier and somehow doesn’t impact battery life. One for the clumsy vapers.

Squonk Mod – Hippovape Kudos

Hippovape is a newcomer to the vaping industry and the Kudos 80W was released with little fanfare. At first. It quickly became apparent that this is one of the best mods of the year. It’s certainly the smallest regulated squonker ever made and still manages to boast a convenient side-fill system, great build quality and classy looks. For the frugal vapers amongst us, it’s also priced rather affordably too.

IN IT TOGETHER

laid out the challenges ahead

The sixth Next Generation Nicotine Delivery conference touched down at the Amba Hotel in London on November 5 and 6. The event featured delegates and speakers from both the independent vape and tobacco sectors of the industry, and disciplines from product development to advocacy.

It also provided a great networking opportunity and the chance to connect with familiar faces more commonly found on an expo floor. Charles Hamshaw-Thomas spoke about the challenges the industry faces as we edge into a new decade of vaping.

The first point he addressed was admittedly a tough pill to swallow for some. He said that many companies are driven by self-interest which has led to division and infighting. This has meant that there is no ‘true coalition’ that unifies the industry. There are numerous trade bodies and advocacy groups in the UK but Charles argued that we need a single unifying voice to defend and represent vaping in the media and from long-time detractors such as Martin McKee and Simon Chapman.

Charles was very critical of the reporting on vaping on both sides of the Atlantic. He accused the US media in particular, of scaremongering which he believes has contributed to a 60 percent drop in starter kit sales, suggesting that smokers are continuing to use a far more harmful product despite the overwhelming evidence supporting e-cigarettes.

It is often said that we are very lucky in the UK to have a public health system that largely supports e-cigarettes as a harm reduction initiative. However, Charles is concerned that the pro-vaping perspective may be at risk of being hijacked as the US continues

to weave its ‘vaping is as harmful or worse than smoking’ narrative. As well as the recent THC vape scare story and the FDA’s seizure investigation that preceded it, Charles believes that America’s antivape sentiment is driven by ideological opposition from certain figures in public health and tobacco control such as vape adversary, Stanton Glantz.

However, he was keen to highlight just how far public health bodies and anti-tobacco groups have come in the UK in showing their support for vaping.

Deborah Arnott of ASH was initially sceptical of e-cigarettes but now frequently defends vaping in the media. But the greatest turnaround of all has been Martin Dockrell of Public Health England. Dockrell now advocates for vaping and is highly active on Twitter where he shares the latest research backing e-cigarettes for tobacco harm reduction. The TPD was a frequent point of discussion throughout the event and Charles was not alone in referring to the regulations as ‘arbitrary.’ Like everyone else in the room, he was on tenterhooks as we await Brexit and the inevitable review of the TRPR.

Charles believes that one of the main reasons that vaping is continually attacked is that it’s a huge disruptor. This point was addressed by a number of speakers throughout the day, some of whom were keen to point to the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) payments that US states are now having to start paying back.

JUUL divides opinion in the vaping industry. But wherever you sit on the debate, it’s a huge financial success story now worth $24bn. Charles said that new and established companies should look to JUUL as an example of the opportunity available to companies that are in it for the long-haul.

Words: Gordon Stribling

Industry advocate Charles Hamshaw-Thomas

StormEYE ON THE

soffered his insight into the US problem

A slew of largely unfounded scare stories and the implementation of PMTA regulations have made the US a hostile place for vaping. The situation is such a minefield that attendees were grateful that an American expert was on-hand to help explain exactly what the US industry currently faces.

Azim Chowdhury is a regulatory and public policy attorney at Keller & Heckman LLP. He specialises in vape, nicotine and tobacco product regulations and works with many of the major industry players.

Azim revealed that the story of the flavour ban goes much further back than the ‘teen vaping epidemic’ of 2018 and 2019. Tobacco companies introduced flavoured tobacco products in the late 1990s. These included fruit, berries, coconut, desserts and chocolate – many of the flavours now found in e-liquids. Big Tobacco came under fire from public health bodies which argued that these were an attempt to attract minors. And a 2004 survey showed that consumers of flavoured cigarettes were in fact younger, with 20 percent aged between 17 and 19, with the lowest use among smokers over 40.

Azim said: “The products were pulled from market in 2006, three years before the Tobacco Control Act (TCA), because the

Master Settlement Agreement already prohibited companies from targeting youth.

“Their position was that words like ‘sweet flavour’ were marketing tactics to attract minors. Only tobacco and menthol were left on market.”

In the lead-up to the enactment of the TCA, congressional reports on flavours highlighted the impact ‘deceptive advertising promotions’ such as cartoon characters had on youth initiation.

This fed into the TCA ban on the characterisation of flavours other than tobacco and menthol. This included special authorisation for the FDA to research the use of menthol in combustible cigarettes.

“The question now becomes: How much of that history of Big Tobacco and flavoured tobacco products is applicable to less harmful vape products where flavours could actually have a public health benefit in terms of helping smokers switch to less harmful alternatives?”

A draft version of the Deeming Rule published in 2014 would have resulted in a ban of all flavoured e-liquids. But stakeholders pushed back, arguing that flavours presented a public health benefit and a ban would shut down, the by then, well-established vape industry.

Attorney Azim Chowdhury

Azim argued that different rates of youth use in the US and UK could be, in part, attributed to the availability of high nicotine pod systems.

The likes of JUUL are readily available in convenience stores and gas stations. However, even JUUL products are regulated in the UK and required to stay within the 20mg nicotine limit.

He believes that it’s also a matter of perception. In the UK, e-cigarettes are seen as harm reduction tools. However, to say something is less harmful than smoking in the US, companies are required to follow even more rigorous FDA regulations than companies going through PMTAs.

Azim pointed to the example of Swedish Match’s snus. It took years and millions of data points built over decades to prove that a non-combustible product that isn’t even inhaled was safer than combustible tobacco.

“As you can’t market a product as reduced harm, you need more gimmicky advertising and funny flavour names to attract adult customers.

“You can’t market it for what it’s intended for.”

This has resulted in what many detractors consider to be childtargeting. However, Azim noted that the young people in their mid to late teens who vape are likely to be more attracted to alcohol branding than childish cartoon imagery.

The FDA wants adult smokers who would otherwise not vape to be able to access easy-to-use devices. But while this might be the intended audience, straightforward devices also make it easier for high school kids to vape.

With PMTAs, health scares and flavour bans showing no signs of abating, Azim concluded that the industry will likely look very different in two to three years.

“There will be a handful of products that have been through the PMTA process that will be tobacco and maybe menthol flavours and they will dominate the industry.

“The current industry where there are thousands of small businesses, vape shops, products… I don’t think that will exist.”

“As you can’t market a product as reduced harm, you need more gimmicky advertising and funny flavour names to attract adult customers”

CBD Innovation

innovate with purpose

Words : Gordon Stribling

CBD is so firmly entrenched within the vaping world that it seems like it’s been around for years. But CBD e-liquids have only really been widely available for about 18 months, if you discount the handful of trailblazers who, dare I say, sowed the seeds.

Now, most of the big names have a CBD product of one type or another. The question is: how can companies stay ahead of the pack in this ever-evolving market?

Oliver Mammon, chief infusionologist at Taylor Mammon, shared his own experience of pairing traditional vaping with CBD, explaining that he uses CBD to offset the jittery effect he gets from vaping nic salts.

However, he noted that there were some key differences between the two industries despite the recent overlap. With traditional vaping the goal is simple – a product that delivers a hit of nicotine that replicates a cigarette. However, a CBD consumer could be using a product for any number of medical reasons. Oliver explained: “They want relief but the process is a lot more complicated and it does require a bit more thought.

“But it’s also really fun because understanding something as complex and versatile as the cannabis plant and its multitude of purposes and abilities, makes you feel like a mad inventor sometimes.”

Oliver believes that education is essential to innovation and he cited the example of companies assuming that CBD e-liquids could be used in the same way as nicotine e-liquids.

However, as cannabinoids are alkaline and metals are acidic, the CBD is degraded when heated up which can reduce the efficacy, which is why companies should develop CBD-specific devices that use ceramic coils, for example.

While vaping is the fastest route of absorption, it is not the appropriate way to target all ailments. For example, vaporised CBD will not relieve muscle pain as it does not target the right receptors. As an advocate for the whole plant, Oliver highlighted the importance of the ‘entourage effect’ where CBD, other cannabinoids and terpenes combine to create a full-spectrum product.

“CBD works better when paired with other things which is why the full-spectrum argument is so vital. It combines to give an effect from the product, making something a patient can rely on.

Oliver Mammon urged the industry to

“You should target what you’re designing to best hit that receptor and focus on the problem.”

It’s also vitally important that manufacturers and consumers are aware of the importance of mathematical accuracy. Vapers can’t just use any old CBD e-liquid for any ailment and expect it to work, which is why people can come away disappointed if they don’t do their research. Oliver explained: “If an individual buys 1,000mg tongue drops and they know that they need five drops, as long as that product maintains consistency and mathematical accuracy, they can always go back to that product.

“It’s really important because in order to innovate and be smart the patient needs to educate themselves. They will only know if that’s what they need if they maintain the regular supply to it.”

The ever-growing vape market has given rise to some huge and lasting innovations, such as nicotine salts. But we have also seen our fair share of gimmicks. Oliver argued that it’s not enough to innovate for innovation’s sake. Instead we should be developing new products that serve a purpose. “It’s only worth innovating if people want to be innovated for and it’s only worth creating a product if they’re going to follow it and they’re not going to follow it if it’s not going to work.”

“Understanding something as complex and versatile as the cannabis plant makes you feel like a mad inventor”

BAD NEWS IF YOU WANT LIFE INSURANCE…

Words : Patrick Griffin

One of the most frustrating things about being a vaper is…still being treated as a smoker. Vapers feel so proud of themselves that they have finally found something to help them quit cigarettes and yet society shrugs its shoulders and seemingly couldn’t care less.

We have regularly reported how vapers are being forced to join their smoking colleagues in the designated smoking area when they want to have a quick vape.

The same is often true in public places and on transport networks and the common complaint from vapers is: “It’s not fair!”

Now it seems vapers are being hit in the pocket when they try to find life insurance policies. When it comes to paying their annual premiums many e-cigarette users are horrified to find out that as far as many insurance providers are concerned, they are still classed as smokers. It seems that the well-documented health benefits of swapping tobacco for e-cigarettes are simply not taken into account by many insurance providers.

Smokers typically find that their life insurance premiums are double those paid by nonsmokers so the cost difference is substantial.

For example, Zurich recently announced changes to the way they assess the risks of insuring e-cigarette users.

Zurich used to charge vapers more than non-smokers but less than tobacco users, (presumably to reflect the view that vaping is considerably less harmful than smoking but not completely risk-free), but now treats them equally.

It says on its website: “Most insurers consider vaping (as well as chewing nicotine gum or using a nicotine patch) to be the same as smoking. So the effect on premiums is likely to be the same.

“This could change in the future – the jury is still out on the long term effects of vaping –but, for now at least, insurers are proceeding with caution.”

Uncertainties about the long-term effects of

“Most insurers consider vaping (as well as chewing nicotine gum or using a nicotine patch) to be the same as smoking”.

Many (but not all) providers will still treat you as a smoker

vaping and the fact that not all vapers quit smoking entirely are factors in the decisions of many leading insurance companies when it comes to assessing risk.

John Geraghty, chief executive of LA Brokers, told the Sunday Times: “Most life insurers ask applicants if they have smoked cigarettes, cigars or pipe tobacco or used nicotine replacement products or e-cigarettes in the past 12 months. If the answer is yes, their premiums are loaded.”

However not all insurance companies load premiums for e-cigarette users.

New provider reviti has announced it will offer e-cigarette users discounts on their life insurance premiums of up to 50 percent of the rates paid by smokers.

The discounts will apply to customers who buy directly from their website and who use e-cigarettes exclusively.

It said vapers could expect 15 percent discounts where they quit smoking entirely and switch to TPD-compliant vaping products exclusively.

The company added: “[Smokers] who make the best decision and quit tobacco and nicotine altogether for 12 months will receive a discount of up to 50 percent off life insurance premiums.”

reviti CEO Dan Pender said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer this great discount to people who use e-cigarettes exclusively. This is an important milestone for reviti and demonstrates our recognition of the role played by e-cigarettes in helping people quit smoking.

“The response we’ve had so far from customers has been great and we are continuing to develop a range of insurance offers to incentivise better lifestyle choices.”

Meanwhile in the USA, smokers typically pay 50 percent extra on their premiums compared with non-smokers and many insurers still offer discounts to vapers.

However the recent THC-linked vape crisis may change this; the nation’s fourth largest insurance provider Prudential, has announced that it will now treat vapers the same as smokers.

A company spokesman said: “Prudential will reclassify users of e-cigarettes to treat them as smokers. Smokers typically will have higher-priced policies.”

Vapouround

Editor Patrick Griffin

gives his verdict on the October 2019 iteration of The Vaper Expo UK

As soon as I arrived at The Vaper Expo UK event in October I knew there was something missing. The only problem was that I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

I was about half way down the red carpet when it struck me. It was the music. There was none. The music had been turned off to allow exhibitors a greater opportunity to do business without having to compete against the PA system. Exhibitors were also asked not to play music from their stands until the consumer days.

Friday saw a steady stream of business visitors throughout the day and there were people from all sectors of the vape industry at the show. The atmosphere was professional and increasingly now, stand designers are being briefed to build for functionality as companies no longer feel the need to show off how big they are.

Seating areas and dedicated business zones within stands are now common and this is a sign that the industry is evolving and getting more professional.

Saturday saw the atmosphere change dramatically as the focus shifted to the consumer side of things. This was the opportunity for vaping enthusiasts to get their hands on the latest hardware and juice lines and for exhibitors to gain valuable insight from the buying public about what they were looking for. Once again I noticed a much more professional feel

to this expo for the two consumer days and this was most welcome indeed.

Of course there were giveaways from the main stage and from individual stands but Vaper Expo has always been about much more than getting free stuff.

This is an opportunity for consumers to see what the new market trends are, to buy the equipment which suits them best and to ask questions about vaping. It is also the place for smokers to get their first introduction to the world of vaping and I can’t think of a better way to do so.

This Expo also had a much enlarged media area which, in turn, attracted more content creators - the influencers, YouTubers and reviewers - and it will be interesting to see their take on the Expo as they play such a key part in raising awareness about the vape scene.

The Modders and Builders Gallery was also very much expanded and it was always very wellattended throughout the three days.

The combined knowledge of the experts in this area was off the scale and anyone who spent time there and asked questions, walked away with a wealth of information.

Vaper Expo has grown to be one of the key live events in the international vaping calendar and it is great to see that the enthusiasm and energy which was present at the first show has never diminished.

“The atmosphere was professional and increasingly now, stand designers are being briefed to build for functionality as companies no longer feel the need to show off how big they are.

unity @ THE EXPO

The vaping industry has taken a battering recently, there is simply no other way of putting it.

We’ve been hit with a mass of negative press and fake news; culminating in flavour bans and all-out vaping prohibition in many parts of the US.

For James Parnell, Together We Are Vape’s cocreator, the time has come to say: enough is enough.

“The aim of Together We Are Vape is, first and foremost, to have a global online hub of information; so that individuals and advocacy groups around the world can arm themselves with the knowledge that they need to stand up for our industry,” James says.

Though in its early stages, James hopes that Together We Are Vape will become something of a global foundation or a union for the vaping industry. He says: “People will be able to sign up to Together We Are Vape and then they’ll have some industry backing if - and when - they need to lobby governments or otherwise defend the industry.

Words: Phoebe Fuller

“Technically, we’d be a governing body but only conceptually. Together We Are Vape is going to be more of an umbrella for existing advocacy groups, who will then have that added support from us.”

The minds behind Together We Are Vape were bringing the people of this industry together at the Expo, but the work doesn’t stop there.

At October’s Vaper Expo, James and the team used every available opportunity to speak to vapers and business owners about forming Together We Are Vape, they were met with a hugely positive response. James said: “We had an exceptional response at the Vaper Expo. From the US to China, we’re one industry. The clear takeaway from talking to people at the Expo was that Together We Are Vape is a much-needed institute that will protect the future of vaping.” It was unity that was being put front and centre at the Expo; anyone visiting the Together We Are Vape stand were asked to provide a donation in support of business owners in the US.

“I think that Together We Are Vape can go a long way in educating people, both in and out of the industry, about the benefits of vaping – in particular, the deaths caused by smoking versus the deaths caused by black-market ‘vape’ products,” says Quyen Pham of Jucce E-liquids.

She adds: “There’s still a massive market of people who are interested in vaping and who want to vape, they may better understand how safe vaping is and we need to spread this message beyond current vapers.”

Matthew Pickering, of Premier E-Cigs, says: “I think Together We Are Vape is fantastic and it’s good that we can get the industry to band together and show people that this is a good industry.

With so many shops being shut down, there are people out there who are now without jobs or money to support their families so all of the money raised is going directly to US advocacy groups, who can use the money raised to further their efforts in fighting the situation.

“Just because there are people out there who are operating in the black market, we as a genuine industry can fight back.”

Brian Watts of Vape Dinner Lady, says: “We do need to have a singular voice and we need to be unified in what we’re saying to everybody about this industry, it needs to be one voice.”

“We had an exceptional response at the Vaper Expo, people acknowledged that unity has been the main cog missing from advocacy, so far”

So, what does the industry think of this initiative?

Snapshot VAPE BUSINESS

Vapouround caught up with exhibitors at the Vaper Expo, to hear their thoughts on the situation in the US and fi nd out how they’ll be weathering this storm.

Words: Phoebe Fuller

Luke Van Dijk - Group Head of Sales for Vampire Vape /Flavour Warehouse

“We are seeing a drop in consumer confidence which is affecting the whole industry as consumers and retailers come back to trusted brands. We’re a fairly stable business so we can ride this out, we’re in a position to hold steady and I have every confidence that the market will pick back up and as it does we’ll be well-positioned to continue to grow in it.”

Mark Egan - Director, Firehouse Vape

“Even though we don’t sell in the US, we’ve felt the impact of the misinformation circling around which is very frustrating. It is amazing how much the media has warped things to allow people to believe that vaping is bad for them. From our perspective, all of our short fills are fully emissions tested so we’ve been able to reassure consumers that there are no nasty chemicals in our juice and there’s nothing in it that’s related to what’s been happening in the US.”

Wes Brown - Owner, Barista Brew Company

“When it comes to the regulations and taxation, as well as outright flavour bans, we’re seeing decreasing sales in the upper 60 percent but it has never wavered our emotions and passion for the industry. We’ve been very successful outside the United States and that’s carried us this far and there’s nothing better that I’d like to do with my life – and business – than to keep this train going. I’m an optimist, but in this scenario we have to prepare for the possibility that it’s going to get worse and that’s why we have started our brand in other countries and put so much emphasis in the European, Asian and South American markets to really try and help balance out the books.”

Lewis Felstead - Brand Manager, Six Licks

“We live in this world of clickbait sensationalism where it’s only headlines that are read and then that concept is taken and held as a belief, so a lot of what’s happening in the States is that people just read the word ‘vaping’ and then run with this belief that it’s all negative. At Six Licks, we’re entirely transparent with all of our information for anyone who asks for it but, for anyone who’s an end-user, they’re not looking into that they’re just seeing two words: vaping and illness. It’s important that as an industry in the UK, we’re banding together to educate the consumers.”

Quyen Pham - Head of Marketing and Communications, Jucce E-Liquids

“The situation in the US is a huge shame as it’s brought a massive grey cloud over our industry on a global scale. For many in the vape industry, we now get very defensive about what we do because people who don’t know about vaping have read things in the press and they believe this. I think many people are now quite apprehensive and maybe they’ve put vaping on hold just while they learn a bit more about it, but the harder we work as an industry I think that stigma will go away.”

Brian Watts - Business Development Manager, Vape Dinner Lady

“We’ve not seen a massive impact at Dinner Lady as a result of the trouble in the US. They didn’t put any regulation in place in the US, like the EU did with the TPD. The US haven’t had any of that consumer protection or business protection and now they don’t have anything they can fall back on to help them. The US is a part of our business but it’s not a part of our business that’s in jeopardy so, for Dinner Lady, we’ll carry on doing what we’ve been doing.”

James Anderson - Product Director, Red Box

“A lot of the processes that we’ve put in place in response to the situation in the US are marketing related. We’re putting blogs out there to talk about how certain media outlets are providing misleading information and how they’re tying together the black-market THC vaping with the youth vaping in America and trying to then use those to justify a vape ban. So, we’re coming from a position of re-education and trying to help people understand that vaping is still a better option than cigarettes.”

Matthew Pickering - Retail Manager, Premier E-Cigs

“The customer base is obviously worried and people have been asking questions about whether vaping is safe. For me, it’s about educating the consumer about the black-market THC cartridges, rather than it being targeted as vaping. For Premier E-Cigs, the plan is to carry on with what we’ve always done and what we do best: the customer service side, educating our customers, giving them the information that they need to go on their vaping journey feeling safe and knowledgeable.”

Rhett Morrissey - Social Media Manager, IVG

“We have a writer that works for us and he’s put out a number of articles on our social media channels about his knowledge and what he’s found out about the situation in the US. A lot of people are getting the idea now that it is more a US-based problem and not a UK-based problem and I think that the more we keep pushing that, the better it’s getting. Our plans are to keep adapting, that’s what we always do.”

TRADING PLACES

The IBVTA’s Liam Humberstone had scathing words for the CDC

Words: Gordon Stribling

The Independent British Vape Trade Association has been integral to the industry since its inception in 2015. The IBVTA represents 300-plus vape shops, as well as manufacturers and distributors.

Liam Humberstone was tasked with representing the organisation. He also shared his views on the state of the UK’s industry in the context of the ongoing situation in the US.

Liam argued that Europe’s once-controversial TPD had succeeded because it helped maintain a competitive market and a level playing field. He believes that the US situation shows what happens when this balance isn’t maintained.

“The problems stem from a lack of regulation up until now but will be followed by brutal PMTA regulations from May 2020.

“This didn’t happen here because we had a responsible and credible industry sector that represents itself to government and regulators.”

The IBVTA has links with Public Health England, the MHRA and the Department of Health which it has been able to develop thanks to its independence from the tobacco industry. And if the UK media was to approach these organisations, they could vouch for the IBVTA and the UK’s regulated industry.

Liam was highly critical of how American public health bodies dealt with the recent THC scare.

“The CDC was very irresponsible in dealing with the issue.

“If their announcement was sensible, it would have protected public health for people who do use THC and not affected those who legally vape nicotine products in the US.”

Liam also had some practical advice for vape shops in the UK looking to attract their share of the remaining six million smokers yet to make the switch. Firstly, show that they were responsible and credible, not just behind-the-scenes but by making their shops attractive.

This means keeping the shop clean and making it welcoming to smokers. He said that it’s okay to have an area at the back for cloud-chasing but there shouldn’t be a fug of vapour in the shop scaring smokers off. After all, 90 percent of walk-ins are smokers wanting to quit.

The Totally Wicked technical director also had advice for stores looking to develop relationships with NHS stop-smoking services.

“If you have smoking-cessation services nearby, give them a call.

“They may ask if you’re an IBVTA member because this shows that you have signed up to trading responsibly and have nothing to do with the tobacco industry.”

PASSING THE TEST

Why UK and EU e-cigarette testing standards ensure product safety for consumers

Words : Patrick Griffin

The American lung disease crisis which saw hundreds of vapers admitted to hospital with serious breathing problems is unlikely to be seen in Europe, says a leading scientist.

Dr Chris Proctor, from Vype, told the Vaper Expo that the robust monitoring and testing requirements of the TPD allowed far greater protection to the EU vaping community.

The Group Head of Potentially Reduced-Risk Product Science said the US vape-related deaths and illnesses were not normal cases of lung disease that would be seen in a smoker.

Dr Proctor said: “These are acute cases where the lung has been infected by bacteria which can lead to people of all ages getting ill quite quickly.”

The American Centres for Disease Control and Prevention had not definitively determined the cause of the outbreak at time of writing, but named vitamin E acetate, an ingredient commonly found in black-market THC vape products, as a “chemical of concern.” Vitamin E acetate had been found in all of the fluid samples taken from 29 patients who were being treated in hospital for the vape-related lung illnesses.

Speaking before the CDC’s announcement about vitamin E acetate, Dr Proctor said a possible route to infection was from microbes contained in cannabis oils which could lead to pneumonia taking hold very quickly but he predicted the crisis may not be long lasting as more became known about its cause.

He added: “We are getting close to concluding that this is an issue where people are getting sick from buying cannabis oil off the street and using these oils in their vape devices.”

He said the most rigorous tests were carried out on all Vype products to ensure that contaminants did not get into their e-liquids.

While many vapers prefer using open pod systems where they can refill the liquid themselves, Dr Proctor said, from a scientific standpoint, closed systems were best.

He went on: “In a closed system I know exactly what is going on there from a scientific point of view. I know exactly what has gone into the liquid and I know precisely how it functions because we have done thousands of hours of product testing.

“We go way above what is required by the TPD because in this emerging category we feel it is our duty to know more about our products than anybody else and then publish the results of our research for the scientific community to review.”

He said it was a result of the rigorous testing of vape products in the EU that consumers could have real confidence in the products on the shelves.

WE ALL HAVE OUR PART TO PLAY

A conversation between three key industry players proved to be the biggest draw in the seminar area on the Friday. Chaired by Ashley Hansen, the panel with Dan Marchant of Vape Club and Vape Base, John Dunne of UKVIA and Martin Cullip of the NNA touched on a number of key issues.

But the main topic of conversation was the differences in perception of vaping in the UK verses the US and how US hysteria is changing the narrative in the UK.

John explained that regulators view nicotine differently in the US. The UK government targets smoking specifically whereas the US lumps all nicotine products together as ‘tobacco.’

Martin agreed, noting how Stoptober showed that the government sees vaping as a route out of smoking rather than another form of tobacco.

Dan said: “The argument always goes back to vaping as ‘a gateway to smoking.’ But if smoking is the bad guy, why are there no debates about banning tobacco?

“Smoking kills 50 percent of people who do it. We’re letting the narrative change. We should be talking about the positives of vaping verses the negatives of smoking.”

The TPD’s 20mg limit on nicotine was briefly discussed. While many in the industry were initially sceptical, Dan believes that it’s actually turned out to be good for vaping. However, everyone agreed that the nic limit should be increased to 2.5-3 percent.

The UK and US also look at statistics differently. This has led US regulators to ‘overinflate’ the so-called youth vaping epidemic.

John said: “They look at regular use as having vaped within the past 30 days, whereas we say one week.

“But that is the same pattern of experimentation that you see with

alcohol and other things. Plus, there’s overlap with cannabis vaping and most teen vapers previously smoked.”

He also noted that JUUL’s market share has skyrocketed since the FDA began pushing the ‘epidemic’ narrative, whereas in the UK, vaping isn’t seen by teens as harmful or rebellious, which means they are less attracted do it.

Dan made some great points about the panic over flavours and said that rather than demonising products, we should be going after the people and businesses who put them into the hand of kids.

He said:

“Youth access has nothing to do with flavours. There are not millions of kids in America who are unable to resist the taste of anything mango flavoured.

“Adult vapers go for sweet flavours because tobacco just doesn’t taste very nice. There are no other tobacco-flavoured products on the market because tobacco tastes terrible.”

As our government is supportive of vaping for smoking-cessation, it’s easy for us in the UK to be complacent. However, Martin believes that this could change if the US situation gets worse or the government starts thinking that the industry is trying to attract kids with childish packaging.

Martin said:

“No politician wants to defend an industry that looks like it’s selling to children. We need to be advocates for our industry.”

While Dan doesn’t believe that kids are enticed by packaging, he acknowledged that it looks bad for the industry and we should not be ‘adding fuel to the fire.’

John believes that vape shops can do more to protect the industry’s reputation. This includes improving online verification systems and adopting a ‘challenge 25’ policy in-store.

However, he noted that Trading Standards has seen the same issues with other age-restricted products like alcohol and knives, suggesting that this is not an issue that’s exclusive to vaping. It’s about enforcement of existing laws.

Advocacy was a major theme at the show and not just with our Together We Are Vape campaign.

Martin wrapped up the panel by calling on everyone to stand up and defend vaping.

“The only thing that stopped the UK government banning vaping in 2010 was thousands of vapers writing to the consultation. They had to listen.

“The most powerful people in the debate are consumers so everyone needs to get that message out.”

Thank You

Greg and Norma of eCigs2go Castle Bromwich Birmingham, would like to say a big thank you to the people and companies for their kind generosity, help and support after the recent break-in at our Castle Bromwich shop where we were stripped of virtually all our stock, our safe, our charity box and CCTV system through a steel security door and metal shutter.

WHY (ALMOST) EVERYONE LOVED THE SOUND OF

Silence b

Banning music on business-to-business day hailed as major triumph for Vaper Expo

October provided us with the best business-tobusiness day of any Vaper Expo I have ever attended… and I should know because I’ve been to them all.

This time around the organisers tried something new. They pulled the plug on the loud music and asked all the exhibitors to cut out the music from their stands. I have been waiting for something like this for years and I became genuinely excited when expo co-founder Jay Cox explained this plan to me in the run-up to October’s event.

I remember thinking that this was the best single change ever implemented in the history of Vaper Expo and, having experienced it in action, I hope this now becomes a permanent feature of the show. However, at the end of the day, my view is not what counts, so on Music Free Friday I set out to find the views from people at the show and this is what they told me:

Marc Curtis - MD, Zeus Juice

“Today is the most important day for so many exhibitors at the Expo. It is vital that we can do business deals so anything which can help facilitate this is a welcome move.

“Everyone I have spoken to prefers the peace and quiet as it is now possible to talk without having to raise your voice to be heard. Two days with music and one which is music-free is exactly the right balance. This worked for me.”

Wes Brown - Owner, Barista Brew Company

“When I heard about this change before the show opened, it was music to my ears because this is exactly what exhibitors wanted to happen. The business-to-business day is such an important part of the Expo because we are here to meet new partners, expand our brands and do business throughout the day.

“To be able to do all this without having to compete with pounding music all day long is something we all very much appreciate.”

Kenny Smith - Retail Director, Red Box Vape

“It is a lot better without the music because you can hear people without having to shout at the top of your voice.

“When the music is playing non-stop you leave the expo with your throat dry from all the shouting you had to do to get your point across. This change has made things more relaxed and we got a lot of business done, so saving the music for the consumer days works well as far as I am concerned.”

Greg Cox - MD, QCIG

“Quite simply, this worked. We have had the best trade day at this show than at any of the previous four shows we have done.

“We always like to be near the stage as this is a good spot for us but it can get very loud in this part of the hall. Having no music at all allowed everyone to talk in our normal conversational voices and this is always much better than having to shout at your customers in order to be heard.

“I am very much in favour of this change. It’s a winner for sure.”

Rhett Morrissey - Social Media Manager, IVG.

“Friday is always about talking to people and it is much easier to do business with people when you can actually hear what they are saying.

“You don’t need loud music to create an atmosphere on the businessto-business day so I very much welcome this move. It was a good decision and I hope this will be a permanent fixture at Vaper Expo.”

Victor Mullin - Vaping with Vic

“This is an awesome move. I loved it and the vendors loved it. People could sit down and have a damn good chat with no intrusive, thumping noise getting in the way.

“I do not want to scream in people’s faces in order to communicate with them and exhibitors who paid good money to do business deals at the expo certainly don’t want to do so either.

“Maybe splitting the halls into quiet and loud sections like they do at Hall of Vape is a good idea but I am not sure this would work with the Vaper Expo layout so cutting out the music on the Friday probably is the best solution. Long may it continue.”

Johnnie Lovell - Vaper Expo Host/BHVape Owner

“I am the loudest voice at Vaper Expo although I am not sure that my co-host Ashley would agree with that.

“Music plays a key part in creating an atmosphere and setting the overall tone at events like this so I am not a big fan of music free days. When exhibitors come to the expo they know it is different to meeting clients at their office so I don’t think a bit of music is a problem. As long as the overall volume does not overpower things then it should always be part of the expo experience.”

Music Free Friday was a big success and everyone wins when organisers of events like this work with exhibitors to facilitate successful trade days. Hopefully this is a trend which will be replicated at more live vape events around the world.

LONDON’S Vaping

Words: Phoebe Fuller

I t has been five glorious years since the Vaper Expo UK first graced our Second City, bringing with it clouds and crowds the likes of which Birmingham’s NEC has never seen before.

Such a roaring success means that two sell-out shows a year just don’t cut it anymore, with vapers far and wide wanting more and more of their Expo fix.

“Following feedback we’ve had from our visitors, B2B customers and exhibitors, we wanted to bring them a great experience in London,” says Sheridan Garbett, one of the Expo’s organisers. “We’ve found there’s a need to bring our show and our brand to London, to cater for that different market.”

These are plans that have been in the pipeline for well over a year and, after careful consideration, Sheridan says that bringing the Expo to London was the right thing to do – for the Expo itself and for all its many visitors.

Sheridan says: “We want to further the reach for our exhibitors and customers within this industry; in order to do that we felt that

bringing the show to London, as well as keeping it in Birmingham, was the best choice.”

Sheridan and the team are conscious that many would-be Expo attendees may not have yet had the chance to attend because of travel constraints, so they’re pleased that they can now give vapers in the south a more local option.

Yet, for those who are travelling, London Olympia is the perfect venue – as it’s close to many of London’s travel links.

Sheridan says: “The venue is smaller than the NEC, but we don’t think that will impact on us because how we’ve laid it out is suitable for that venue and it’ll look great.

“We’ve still got our feature areas within the venue, as well. There are things that will stay the same but there are also brand-new things that we’re going to include at this show.”

So, what can seasoned Expo fans expect of the new show? “We always aim for a community feel at our vaping shows, so they can expect that same atmosphere,” says Sheridan.

But new additions will include different exhibitors and brands, with

…or it soon will be, at least. The Vaper Expo UK is getting ready to hit the Big Smoke.

even more help, support and advice; plus, some additional on-theday offers.

“It’ll just be a great day out, like all our shows,” Sheridan says.

For B2B visitors, the London show will have a dedicated B2B networking lounge which will make it easier than ever to do business. The lounge is going to remain open for a while after the show closes to the public, so that businesses don’t have to squeeze important chats in during the busiest times of day – consumer opening hours.

“Our branding and our profile of the Vaper Expo UK speaks for itself but, with each and every show, we always try to add another aspect so they’re never the same,” Sheridan says.

She adds: “There’s a lot of excitement for the London launch, because we’ve been around for five years now and this is something new, people are excited to see what it’s all about.”

“There’s a lot of excitement for the London launch, because we’ve been around for five years now and this is something new.”

Six ideas to keep vapers happy that won’t break the bank

We vapers are an easy bunch to buy for: a new tank or spare mod and you can’t go wrong! Speaking of which, check out our Year in Review feature in this issue for hardware inspiration. But what do you buy your vaping friends that have it all? If you’re fresh out of ideas, we’ve got six for you right here. And the best bit? They’re all under 20 quid…

1. Vaper to a T

A perfect gift for the vaping nerds in your life. They can proudly show off their love of vaping while pledging allegiance to the Dark Side.

Darth Vaper t-shirt, £14.99 @ funnyteeshirts.co.uk

2.

Power Up!

Simple, but essential. No vaper wants to be caught short when they’re out all day, now they don’t have to be.

Duracell 6700 mAh Power Bank, £19.99 @ Argos

3. What’s in Store?

We can’t be the only ones with vaping paraphernalia littering every surface of our homes.

Personalised storage tin, £10.99 @ Duke Gifts on Amazon

4. Festive Flavours

Christmas isn’t the time to be puffing away on a piña colada. A seasonal e-liquid makes for the perfect stocking filler. Dr Frost Candy Cane Original short fill, £18.99 @ ultimatejuice.co.uk

5. Vape Day Out

A vaper’s haven. Give the gift of a great day out, with a one-day ticket to the Vaper Expo UK in London on February 15-16, £15 @ vaperexpo.co.uk

6. For the Whole Year

The news never stops, so keep them in-theknow with six issues of Vapouround with an annual subscription, £19.99 @vapouround.co.uk

Words: Phoebe Fuller

VA PO URO UND O N TO U R

Vapexpo - Paris Vape South America - Peru I EC I E - Sha n g ha i VTC CDM X - Mexico City Va pi tal y P RO - Ro m e H all o f Va pe - H am b u r g

VAPEXPO PARIS

OCTOBER 5-7 PARIS-NORD VILLEPINTE

Words : Baz Bassra

Paris is a capital city known for its culture and gastronomy and while its famous monuments attract tourists from around the world, it also has a thriving vape scene.

It plays host to VapExpo Paris which has become a specular vaping extravaganza and the three-day event I attended in October certainly lived up to is renowned high expectations.

Sensitive to ecology and aware of the amount of waste generated by their events, Vapexpo has implemented a number of actions to reduce waste and unnecessary consumption at shows.

For example, the carpet is fully recyclable, the partitions are reusable, just like the cotton that covers them, and the free bags distributed at the entrance are made from eco-friendly fabric. More events should be like this and I think we could all learn from this great example set by the event organisers here.

On entering the arena, I was immediately greeted by Patrick Bédué,

founder and president of Vapexpo, together with his entire warmlywelcoming and friendly team.

Once inside, it was great to see familiar faces from the industry such as IVG, Nasty Juice, and Vampire Vape. I was particularly pleased to also meet a number of exhibitors who were new to me and learn about the stories which led to them being at this event.

E-liquides Curieux was one that stuck in my mind, with its classy and well-designed French boutique-style booth. This unmissable stand had, as its centrepiece, a tall, female mannequin in a glitzy long red dress, alongside a life-like stunning stallion.

CEO Mathieu Czernichow said the feminine luxury design was all down to his wife who created each of the distinctive designs for every flavour in the e-liquid range.

I then had the pleasure to meet the FP Flavour Power team led by marketing director Charlotte Vicat Pedurand who proudly explained

that everything they use to manufacture their e-liquids is sourced entirely in France.

It was also a huge pleasure to talk to Alexandre from Enovap who always speaks with so much passion and enthusiasm about the industry and his company. Finally, we met Robb Hackett, the CEO of GRN CBD. He explained that the company was born out of a burning desire to provide high-quality CBD without the high price tag that usually comes with it. Created in 2016, GRN produces products that are packed with cannabinoids and flavonoids to ensure the highest consistency of quality.

Everyone here was so friendly and knowledgable about vaping and it is clear that vaping has a very active following in France. This was a thoroughly enjoyable show and I am already looking forward to my next visit.

Book the bus to your store

Why should you book the bus to come to your store? As part of the smoking cessation promotions, we will give away free open pod starter kits and, with the help and expertise of your shop sta , find the perfect liquid to help people looking to quit make the conversion from smoking to vaping and, in turn, generating new customers for your store!

For your regular customers who have already made the change to vaping, they will have the opportunity to sample liquids from our sponsors as well as getting invaluable advice and peerless service from our team. As if that wasn’t enough there’s the chance to chill out in our seating area surrounded by music, gaming station and impressive video displays.

VAPE SOUTH AMERICA, PERU OCTOBER 19-20 DOMOS ART, LIMA.

Words : Alyson Guiel

As we touched down at Lima Airport some seventeen hours after leaving the UK, it dawned on me that I’d never ventured into the southern hemisphere before and here I was representing Vapouround at Vape South America Peru.

Downtown Lima at rush hour is probably as frenetic as any other capital. The one overwhelming difference was the constant noise of car horns blaring - it was deafening! Apparently, drivers don’t believe in using their indicators. They choose to use their horns to let fellow drivers know they are moving lanes or overtaking!

After just over an hour of being jostled around we were glad to reach the haven of our hotel. At this point it’s worth mentioning the weather (wouldn’t be the British way otherwise). We were just coming out of winter, a time during which the sun rarely emerges and when the

garúa, a kind of constant mist, creates an eerie, slightly oppressive backdrop. The Peruvian people, however, made up for this with their friendly, open and hospitable manner.

The following day we set off for the Domos Art Peru, an unusual venue consisting of several interlocking high domes, creating a light and airy setting for the event – a welcome contrast to the gloom outside!

But the biggest surprise was at the rear of the building, literally just feet away, the Pacific. You don’t see that at many venues!

The vibe inside was friendly and relaxed, like a group of friends meeting up again. It was great to see so many regulars – brands such as Dinner Lady, Ultimate Juice, Nasty Juice, Riot Squad and IVG, along with other familiar faces such as Ohm Boyz, Element, Sad Boys, Twist and Barista Brew.

The main show sponsor Mad Man had great presence throughout, along with other sponsors Arc, Vape Guys and Diamond Vapor. It was

also a pleasure to meet some new companies, such as the guys from Take Off Liquids and Cali Pods.

Visitors, typical of most vape events, seemed to be of different ages but noticeably they seemed even more enthusiastic, almost awestruck to be in an environment totally dedicated to all things vape. Think of a kid in a sweet shop times 100, meeting his vaping gods for the first time in vape heaven. You could sense the excitement and buzz amongst both visitors and exhibitors. Vaping is a relatively young concept in parts of South America which, no doubt, fed into the great atmosphere within the dome. And as testament to any good vape event, visitors wanted to linger on well after the show was over.

On our final day, we thanked our hosts and headed back to Jorge Chávez International Airport again amongst the throng of battling vehicles. As we said goodbye to Lima, typically, the sun came out…

IECIE SHANGHAI

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 1. SHANGHAI NEW INTERNATIONAL EXPO CENTER

I arrived at IECIE Shanghai to find organiser Carlos Chi waiting for me at the entrance. He gave me a quick orientation tour before the doors opened to the public which was very helpful indeed.

The stands were laid out logically in equal-sized square sections throughout the two halls, making it one of the easiest expos I have ever attended to navigate through. Clear, logical stand numbering and an easy-to-read floorpan made the layout design virtually flawless. Other expo organisers should certainly take note.

The first thing which was obvious to me was this show was nowhere as hectic as the IECIE expos in Shenzhen but this allowed exhibitors more time to talk to customers and trade visitors.

Shenzhen is the world centre of vape hardware manufacture and naturally draws in huge numbers of visitors from around the world so it would be unrealistic for Shanghai to attract the same numbers as its bigger brother.

However some exhibitors expressed disappointment at the overall attendance numbers which were good for the first two days but diminished significantly by the final day.

While IECIE Shenzhen is a big international event, this show was able to focus a lot more on the Chinese and Asian market. It was good to see a large number of new companies at this event which were currently big enough to be represented at a show like this but not yet ready to expand further afield.

Many people told me that while the prospect of getting into the European markets greatly appealed to them, they were some way from achieving that goal yet.

Words : Patrick Griffin.

It will be interesting to see if some of the companies I met here for the first time grow to become international players of tomorrow and I feel there were some who will do just that.

Everyone I spoke to was incredibly friendly and I lost count of the number of times I was snatched away for a quick picture for social media. In fact by the end of the first day I had added so many new contacts to WeChat (A Chinese version of What’sApp) that my account was temporarily disabled due to “unusual activity.” A big thanks to Carlos for helping get my account unblocked so I could continue networking with the exhibitors for the rest of the expo.

I met so many great people here over the three days which seemed to fly by in an instant and I want to thank everyone I met for making me feel so welcome. All in all this was a very impressive event.

Wales: high hopes for vaping as a quitting aid

E-cigarettesare the most popular tool among Welsh adults to help them quit smoking, according to new official figures.

This is one of the key findings of the 2018 19 National Survey for Wales on adult smoking and e cigarette use, carried out by the UK Office for General Statistics in November and based on 5,900 interviews conducted betwe en April 2018 and March 2019

The survey found that nearly five out of ten smok ers who tried to quit in the past year had used e cig arettes, followed by nicotine patches and inhalers (22%)

Smokers accounted for 17% of the adult population surveyed, and of those, almost half (45%) had tried to give up the habit in the past year.

In 2018 19, 6% of adults reported currently using e cigarettes, equating to approximately 150,000 peo ple. This is a stable trend if compared with 2016 17, when the survey estimated the vaping population at 7%

Of all the vaping users, 50% are smokers and 49% ex smokers, with only a residual percentage of re spondents approaching e cigarettes for the first time having never smoked before

The most common reason for using e cigarettes among current users was to help stop smoking to bacco (76%); other common reasons were because they were perceived to be less harmful than tobacco (36%) or cheaper than tobacco (34%), and to reduce tobacco used (31%)

About ECigIntelligence

Only 1% of people surveyed said they had taken up e cigarettes because they’d been attracted by advertising

Among the adults surveyed, the percentage of com bined smokers and ex smokers was higher among 65 74 year olds, followed by the 35 44 age group.

The Tobacco Control Action Plan for Wales set out a vision of a smoke free society for Wales, with an aim of reducing adult smoking prevalence levels in Wales to 16% by 2020.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Wales CEO Suzanne Cass welcomed the figures and said that e cigarettes are proving to be “a vital weapon” against traditional tobacco

past year,

“The fact that so many Welsh smokers are switch ing from tobacco to vaping proves just how popular this quit smoking tool is and what an opportunity there is to reach the remaining 30% of smokers that have yet to give it a try,” she said

The bottom line is that although e cigarette consumption in Wales seems to be stable in com parison with the last survey, e cigarettes are one of the country’s favourite smoking cessation tools

Of course, it is yet to be seen if Wales will achieve the target of 16% smoking prevalence by next year But with 17% of Welsh adults currently smoking, there is not too far for the principality to go in achieving its goals

ECigIntelligence is the leading provider of detailed global market and regulatory analysis, legal tracking, and quantitative data for the e cigarette, heated tobacco and combustible alternatives sector worldwide. Customised research and consultancy are also available.

We offer tools to navigate the complex market and regulatory landscape through inde pendent, analytical and actionable data insights, in depth country reports, regulatory trackers and legal analysis. We also publish CBD Intel.com for the European CBD sector.

In the

nearly half of attempts at quitting had involve d e cigarettes

VTC - VAPE TRADE CONVENTION MEXICO 1-3, NOVEMBER.

By Adolfo Breitling

On November 1-3, the 6th edition of the Vape Trade Convention “VTC” was held for the third time at the World Trade Centre in Mexico City.

At this event there was an influx of more than 6,000 visitors and the participation of 200 national and international exhibitors, presenting a diversity of more than 400 brands. The exhibitors at shows like this help reinforce our position in the industry and all work hard so that we can move forward as a ‘vape community.’

During this weekend of madness, the established tradition of rewarding the most prominent exhibitors of the event cannot fail..

Here is the list of the winners for each award category:

Best National Liquid - Hale and Xale

Best International Liquid - Riot Squad

Best Fruit - Smoking Bullet

Best Store Track - Smoking Bullet

Best Pod System - Smok Fetch mini

Best Brand - Umy

Best Brand Presence - Blvk Unicorn

Best YouTube Channel - “Vapeando Sabores” by Javier Hernández

Best Stand - Drip More

Best Tobacco - Royal Cen

Best Dessert - Sadboy

Best Customer Service - Good Vibes

Best Mint - Solace

Like many of us, the organisers couldn’t miss the opportunity to help right some of the misinformation that has been spread in various media. For the first time at this event we had a medicalscientific presence such as Dr. Roberto Sussman from ProVapeo, and specialized legal advice with expert lawyers such as Mtro. Juan José Cirión Lee from Mexico and the Vaping World, reinforcing with talks about the root of the misinformation we are going through in mass media and how the community has the right tools to fight it.

VTC, as expected, had the presence of international references, highlighting a figure already very well known in the Latin American Vaper community; Julio Ruades better known as “El mono Vapeador” who served as Master of Ceremonies on the main stage and who naturally did a great job.

He ensured that the conversations they had with doctors and

specialists about the situation that the industry is going through right now were able to take place without letting the event lose the tone of celebration that has characterised it in its three years of existence.

Without limiting itself to informing attendees and exhibitors, a booth was set up so that everyone who was present at the event could record a brief report about how vaping has helped them in the different aspects of their lives, in order to deal with the misinformation that prevails.

Nowadays the industry is going through a sensitive time and we believe that it is of utmost importance that these events for the community are supported by all the members of this industry such as distributors, manufacturers, consumers and specialists who have made studies supporting vaping as a tool to reduce the damage caused by tobacco.

VAPITALYPRO

November 9-10. Fiera Roma Exhibition Centre

Words: Zeahna Young

This November, our travels took us to the classically stunning Rome for Vapitaly PRO –The B2B Connection, and I can’t think of a more aptly chosen locale for a business networking event. Every detail, down to the music played at the stage throughout the expo (Jazz, my favourite!), was elegantly attended to by the organisers.

The two-day show featured such carefully-curated conversations regarding topics such as what to do when a smoker enters your store, how to communicate to the online and offline sector without making mistakes and how to behave when the Guardia di Finanza (the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance) enters your business. And, of course, no current forum would be complete without a discussion on a look at vaping in America and its possible impacts in Europe. Overall, the sessions proved

to be quite informative for expo visitors and the first day culminated in a chic networking evening for its exhibitors.

While the Pro edition of Vapitaly was smaller than the spring edition, there was a plethora of brands and distributors alike exhibiting in Rome. Bringing some fun to visitors was Svapo Web, one of Italy’s top online vape stores. My colleague and I teamed up with two of their staff for a quick game of foosball (table footy) between meetings, and I must say, nothing breaks a language barrier quite like table sports. We definitely made some new friends in Svapo Web, be sure to check out their site for the best brands in Italy.

A major highlight for me was getting to try so many Italian flavours. This had to be one of my favourite shows ever for sampling new

flavours. Hands down, the La Smorfia collection from King Liquid blew my mind with No. 71, which had to be the most accurately delectable s’mores flavour I’ve ever had. The brand just launched ten new flavours in the La Smorfia Line, and they are absolutely worth seeking out. For cereal fans, the Devil’s Cup flavour from Drip Shot was a fantastic find, with a well-rounded blend of cornflakes with sweet milk that was unique and delicious. Drip Shot features an entire range of Italian-inspired desserts, each blend as enjoyable as the last.

My greatest privilege over the weekend was getting to sit down with Mattia Sparacino, owner of Ribilio, one of the first and most-respected distributors in Italy. Founded in Sicily in 2013, the company has since grown and operates out of both Italy and Croatia. They brought top quality brands over from the US initially, and to this day, brand identity remains their most important criteria when taking on new partners. Their own brands, Vaplo and Supreme, are two of the strongest brands in Italy. Ribilio also campaigns for vaping advocacy with their Vaping is Not Tobacco campaign.

A pioneer in this eld, Vapexpo is the international destination and a major exhibition for all national and international players on the market.

HALL OF VAPE, HAMBURG

NOVEMBER 16-17

Words : Baz Bassra

Hamburg is known as an elegant, modern city and a cultural centre. It is widely known for its opera, theatre and book publishing houses but now it can add vaping to that list.

For two days in November trade visitors as well as consumers had the opportunity to visit the Hall of Vape 2019 in Hamburg for the first time ever.

The visitors had the chance to marvel at a unique exhibition on e-cigarettes, liquids and accessories.

Hall of vape Hamburg lived up to my high expectations because after visiting Hall of Vape Stuttgart earlier in the year, I knew I was arriving to a well-organised show full of great energy.

On entering the large, modern expo centre, we were greeted by the friendly Hall of Vape team, and immediately made to feel welcome.

The ambiance automatically made me feel at home and when I saw familiar brands and faces, I was ready to hit the show.

The first few hours, being business to business, enabled me to introduce myself to new and existing brands from the vaping industry.

It was nice to have time to freely speak to clients without having to compete with all the hustle and bustle of the public.

Within this time I was introduced to many German brands who were happy to discuss their products and business needs. With so much passion and pride, it was a pleasure to hear how their hard work and efforts were paying off for them.

I had the pleasure to meet some great German companies such as Feal Vape Distribution, Flavour Smoke, Statement Vapours and Marble Arch Agency, just to name a few.

When the show was opened to the public, it was an amazing sight to witness the waves of consumers filling the hall. The turnout was immense, especially on the second day of the show, and the consumers lost no time in visiting as many stands as they could.

To think this was the first-ever vape show in Hamburg, I was so impressed with the organisation structure throughout the weekend.

It was a great pleasure to be a part of such a renowned vape event, and I definitely look forward to being a part of this excellent vaping extravaganza again.

VAPOUROUND BUS ON Tour

As usual we’ve been taking to the streets up and down the country with our Vapouround Bus and here are some of our recent highlights…

September 22 – City Centre,

Derby

We had a busy evening in Derby with plenty of people on the bus and lots of free starter kits given away.

Some people were already vapers and interested in seeing what was on offer, but most were smokers looking to quit.

We had a gentleman on board who smoked a whopping 80 cigarettes a day and was worried it was too late for him to quit, but he walked away with a Vladdin kit and a healthier future.

The clouds and showers didn’t stop Leicester from showing up as we kicked off the Together We Are Vape campaign, with lots of support from the staff at UK Vape Kings.

The bus was getting a lot of attention from passers-by too, with many climbing onboard to learn more about vaping.

We also gave out free Vladdin starter kits to smokers, including one man who wanted to quit smoking after recently spending some time in hospital.

September 24 – UK Vape Kings, Leicester

September 28 – Birmingham City Tour

The Vapouround Bus was met with enthusiasm when it kicked off the Birmingham City Tour at Solihull’s Vape HQ, with the lovely lady behind the counter really wowed to see us pulling up outside.

Throughout the day, we had a lot of interest from non-vapers who were very curious about what the bus had to offer. We love it when people ask questions and we certainly had plenty of them throughout the day!

October 1 – Premier E-Cigs New Ollerton

Torrential downpours didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits during our visit to Premier E-Cigs, with plenty of current vapers taking a lot of interest in the bus and enjoying the flavours on offer at the testing station.

It’s always a good vibe when we visit Premier E-Cigs’ stores and we were given the usual warm welcome. The highlight of the day though, as always, was helping smokers to quit with the help of a free

It’s always a pleasure to support a new business and this time we were part of a grand opening! Vapour Distillery is the new home of Cider Farms e-liquid, and owner Steve Hoskins now has a shop of his very own to showcase these own-brand products - among other industry favourites.

Steve was delighted that the Vapouround Bus made the launch so special, he said: “The bus put us on the map in the Cardiff area that day and it helped massively with getting people into the shop.”

October 19 – Vapour Distillery, Cardiff

October 25-27 – The Vaper Expo Birmingham

What a fantastic atmosphere we had all weekend, with the bus being nothing short of a proper vape hangout at the Vaper Expo. There was a huge amount of interest from

businesses and consumers alike, with tons of positive feedback about our cessation service and the bus itself. There were plenty of non-vapers in attendance at this year’s

Expo, so we had the opportunity to give them a taste of vaping with a free starter kit

– bring on next year!

THE SALE OF VAPING PRODUCTS IS NOW LEGAL IN THE UAE

The World Vape Show will be the first international vape expo in the UAE, opening up a new market in a region where the e-cigarette industry is experiencing rapid growth. Build brand recognition and meet thousands of buyers in Dubai.

MEET NEW CUSTOMERS

Day 1 and 2 are dedicated to B2B buyers and day 3 will welcome thousands of consumers. Use that opportunity to meet retailers, find distributors and test products with end-users.

YOUR GATEWAY TO THE MIDDLE EAST

Dubai’s liberal trade regime makes it the commercial capital for the MENA region and a popular destination for re-export. The World Bank has ranked it 1st in the region for ease of doing business.

November 5-6 – Vampire Vape stores, North West

We had a great couple of days visiting the guys and gals at the Vampire Vape stores in Manchester, Burnley and Oswaldtwistle. There was a huge amount of interest in the bus from the massive student population, all of whom were really enthusiastic about making the switch to vaping. There were even requests for us to come back for a night visit so that we could have a party on the bus.

November 6 – Hemp HQ,

Stapleford

Another new business for the Vapouround Bus to support, Hemp HQ at Stapleford had only been open for a week when we visited.

The shop was fantastically well stocked and we received a very warm welcome from staff and plenty of passers-by who were keen to climb aboard. One lady had come out specially to see us so that she could pick up a starter kit and some quitting advice for her nan, who had recently been diagnosed with COPD.

V A P O U R O U N D R E V I E W S E-liquid Hardware

Sikary is best known for its frequently co-opted disposable Nunu tank. Since the Nunu’s development, Sikary’s offerings have been eclectic, from unusual pod systems to old school pipe-style starter kits. The Amand is its first fully-featured box mod in some time. Construction, fit and finish are all impressive. Save for the stainless steel 510 connection and a few screws, this is an all-polycarbonate device. Though very lightweight, the Amand feels solid in the hand and tolerances are on-point, with a sturdy battery door that snaps into place nicely with no play. The buttons are also nicely done, with a pleasing tactile click and no rattle.

I’m a big fan of the ergonomics here, too. The curved design on the front and back panels make it rather comfortable in the hand and when combined with the 88g weight, it makes for a great “out and about” device for when you want the functionality of a box mod without carrying a slab of zinc alloy around.

The chipset allows for wattage output, temperature control, TCR and power curve settings. This is more functionality than I would expect from a device at this price point. Advanced settings are accessed with three clicks of the fire button and the menu system is basic but intuitive.

I found the pre-configured TC settings to be quite conservative, but tinkerers can play around with TCR settings if they so desire. I doubt most people looking for a device like this are too concerned with temperature control performance. The power curve settings are quite comprehensive and allow for a great degree of control over how the device performs, which is particularly useful for users who enjoy exotic builds in their atomisers. The Amand allows for 21700, 20700 and 18650 cells to be used. I found battery efficiency to be good, with a 4000mAh 21700 cell

AMAND By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Construction: Polycarbonate, stainless steel - Weight: 88g

- Dimensions: 125mm*44mm*30mm (height includes Nunu tank)

- Battery capacity: 1x 21700/20700/18650 external cell

- Power output: 7W-100W - Charging: Micro-USB

easily lasting a full day’s vaping at 45W on single coil atomisers, or almost three days’ use at 15W on MTL atomisers. With up to 100W of output available for the 21700 and 20700 cell settings, you can certainly push the mod harder with a large dual coil atomiser but run time will of course suffer.

My only real issue with the device is the ring of coloured LEDs that runs around the 510 connection. They activate whenever you fire the mod and you can’t turn them off completely. I hope Sikary can address this with a future firmware update.

The Sikary Amand is a solid single 21700 mod that feels great in the hand and performs nicely for an affordable price point. If there was a way to disable those LEDs, this would be a near-perfect beater mod for those who need something lightweight and powerful.

PROS

- Lightweight construction

- 21700 compatible

- Good ergonomics

CONS

- LED ring cannot be disabled

- Polycarbonate construction will not be for everyone

TOPSIDE LITE KIT By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 97.5mm*58mm*28.2mm

- Materials: Polycarbonate + PCTG - Power output: 5W-90W

- Display: 0.96” OLED

- Battery capacity: 1x 21700/20700/18650 external cell

- E-liquid capacity: 10ml squonk bottle

Last year Dovpo and Brian, AKA The Vapor Chronicles, made huge waves with the world’s first top-filling squonk mod, the Topside. Now, two iterations later, comes an update to the original design in the form of the Topside Lite.

Construction, fit and finish of the Topside Lite are all good. The main differences between the Lite and its predecessor are material choices and a modular design. The all-metal chassis has been replaced by a mix of polycarbonate and PCTG. In other words, the Topside is now available as an all-plastic mod. Though this may be off-putting to some, the result is a significantly lighter device, which is preferable to me as the original Topside was rather heavy for a single cell squonker. Seams are minimal and overall this feels like a nicely put together mod. I like the decision to use PCTG for the body, since it’s highly resistant to scratches and should hold up for a long time.

The Topside Lite offers a simple but feature-rich chip, which appears to be the same as the one found in the original, albeit with temperature control firmware pre-loaded. Holding the fire and – buttons accesses the menu, where you can select from wattage, bypass, temperature control and TCR modes. The top-fill mechanism has been simplified and can be threaded on or off without applying pressure. As before, it remains the most convenient way to fill a squonk mod. The Lite’s party piece is its modularity. The user can pull the mod apart and replace the enclosed squonk assembly with a battery door, converting it into a much slimmer single 21700 mod, sans squonk functionality. Though it ends up being rather tall for a single cell mod, versatility is never a bad thing and the ergonomics are on point.

Power delivery is snappy and accurate across the board, though if you’re using the full 90W, expect to be switching cells frequently. Having 10mls of e-liquid capacity is great and matches up with the capacity of a good 21700 nicely. In terms of temperature control, I found the default settings to be a touch conservative but TCR is there for those who want to dial in the experience.

Bundled with the kit is the new Variant RDA, also designed by The Vapor Chronicles. Fans of Brian’s previous RDAs, such as the Drop

and Drop Dead should feel right at home, since for all intents and purposes, this is a refined version of those designs.

The Variant is a relatively simple RDA that lends itself to those who are less experienced with rebuilding atomisers. The deck features an open postless design, with plenty of room to build. Sporting a generous chamber and airflow, I feel this RDA was intended for larger dual coil builds, such as fused claptons and aliens, though lower gauges of round wire should still work a treat.

Coil placement is key with the Variant, you’ll want the coils to sit at the same level as the top airflow inlet, or even a touch lower. The coils should also be pushed slightly toward the inlets, in order to avoid spitback. When built properly, the Variant is a solid all-round dual coil experience, with smooth airflow, huge vapour production and good flavour.

In summary, the Topside Lite kit is a great entry into high wattage squonking. The mod is a more portable version of its predecessor, without making any notable sacrifices. Considering how good the original Topside still is, this must be seen as an achievement. The Variant RDA is based on a tried and tested design and performs accordingly, so it’s a good place to start rebuilding. All around, this is a solid kit for enthusiasts and will, no doubt, be making its way into

PROS

- Still the most convenient squonk refill system

- Super lightweight design

- Modular

CONS

- The all-plastic design will put some users off

MOTIVAPE MOJO By

Specifications:

- Materials: Polycarbonate

Benedict Jones

- Dimensions: 73mm X 20mm X 11mm

- E-liquid capacity: 1.2ml pre-filled cartridge

- Battery capacity: One time use internal cell, capacity unknown

Over the last year or so, we’ve seen manufacturers attempt to make vaping as accessible as possible to smokers, with a surge in the use of pre-filled pods and stripped back AIO devices. Among this wave of beginner devices are disposable pod systems – one time use devices that are intended for the simplest possible vaping experience. The Mojo is Motivape’s new disposable offering.

Construction, fit and finish are fair for a disposable device. Each Mojo is designed to last for about a day’s use, so premium materials wouldn’t make sense here. The simple polycarbonate frame is solid, with just one seam at the bottom which is barely noticeable. This is an incredibly light and inconspicuous design which can easily be carried in the smallest of pockets without being noticed. Motivape have achieved a modern utilitarian look with the Mojo which works for this type of device.

User experience couldn’t be simpler. Each Mojo is sealed in foil packaging and once you’ve removed the rubber seal from the mouthpiece and sticker from the bottom, you’re ready to vape. This is a draw-activated system, with a single LED on the bottom to indicate when the device is firing. Since the Mojo is disposable, there’s no charging port or way to re-fill the 1.2ml cartridge. For particularly stubborn long-time smokers this does a good job of emulating the experience of smoking but the disposable nature of the device does pose environmental concerns.

The Mojo provides a moderate MTL draw, with relatively cool vapour and average flavour intensity. I found the non-rechargeable internal cell to last for a full day of moderate use, which is quite impressive, though.

We tried four flavours during our testing. Here’s a quick rundown: Menthol: A simple menthol, with hints of more natural mint. Unoffensive and likely to prove to be a good starting point for smokers.

Classic Tobacco: Despite the name, this tastes like an RY4 blend, with hints of caramel, vanilla and nuts accompanied by a light tobacco accent.

Cool Melon: A pleasant natural melon medley, with a moderate coolant on the finish.

Ice Pineapple: A mild candy pineapple with a moderate coolant finish. In summary, the Mojo is a competent disposable pod system that does a good job of delivering nicotine in the simplest possible way. I don’t see it as a replacement for traditional pod systems, MTL tanks or AIOs but perhaps that’s not the point. For extremely stubborn smokers, or occasions that prevent the use of a fully fledged setup, the Mojo is a solid option.

PROS

- Extremely simple CONS - Cool vapour

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 93.2mm*50mm*10mm - Materials: Polycarbonate

- Power output: Direct power output

- Battery capacity: 930mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 3.5ml/2ml (TPD edition) - Charging: 1A USB-C

Since the release of the original Air in 2017, Suorin has focused solely on the starter kit market, with a range of pod and AIO systems. The Air Plus is its latest offering and is something of a back-to-basics device, bucking the trend of continuously more feature-rich pods that we’ve seen this year.

Construction, fit and finish of the Air Plus are fair but not outstanding. This is an all-polycarbonate device and while there aren’t any apparent flaws in how it’s been put together, it doesn’t feel quite as sturdy as the new wave of zinc alloy stealth devices. There is some give and take though, since this makes the Air Plus extremely lightweight and allows it to have the same form factor as a debit card, without sacrificing too much in terms of battery life.

User experience is as simple as a refillable pod system can be. The 3.5ml/2ml cartridge is refilled via an opening at the bottom, sealed with a removable stopper. The fill port is large enough that I encountered no problems with overflowing e-liquid and unlike many single port designs, you needn’t even be cautious when filling, since there’s plenty of room for air to escape.

There are no settings or power adjustment levels to play with here. This is a direct output device, so wattage will be decided by the resistance of your chosen pod and the charge left in the battery. There are five levels of battery feedback though and I’m glad that Suorin included this because it means you’ll always have a pretty good idea of when you need to top up the device. The Air Plus may be basic, but it implements essential features properly.

In terms of vape quality, there are two pods to choose from. The first is a 1.0Ohm build, which provides decently warm vapour, with a moderate-loose MTL draw. Considering the direct output of the device, I was surprised by the flavour output and warmth of this pod throughout the charge cycle and this makes it ideal for 20mg/ ml nicotine salt e-liquids. As far as simple refillable pods go, the

1.0Ohm pod easily competes with the best. Coil longevity was good also, running through 20mls of moderately sweet e-liquid before a replacement was needed.

The second pod is a 0.7Ohm build and it has the same draw, with a substantially warmer vape and improved flavour. Strangely, I found myself gravitating to 20mg/ml e-liquids here too, taking shorter puffs. I found this pod really impressive in terms of vape quality but the higher power output does impact battery life, so this is something to take into account.

The 930mAh internal cell performs nicely, all things considered. I’m impressed that Suorin were able to fit such capacity into a system that can slide into a wallet and when using the 1.0Ohm pod, you can expect a full day’s vaping on a charge. With the 0.7Ohm pod, this run time is cut almost in half, which is to be expected. The device charges from flat to full in approximately one hour, which is well within acceptable bounds.

In summary, the Suorin Air Plus is a sleek, simple pod system that provides great vape quality and packs it into a very stealthy form factor. The battery life, coil longevity and easy re-fills make for a convenient little pod that’s perfect for when you’re on the go.

PROS

AIR PLUS By Benedict Jones

A-FENG POD AIO By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 78mm*44mm*22.5mm

- Power output: “Intelligent” 16W-22W output

- Battery capacity: 1x 18650 external cell

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

- Charging: 1A USB-C

Veteran manufacturers Sigelei has been one of few companies to take its time with pod-style releases this year and the result has been devices which feel quite well thought out, such as the Wocket, which we reviewed recently. The A-feng is the company’s offering, so is it another winner?

Construction, fit and finish of the A-feng are all great. The metal chassis feels very solid and the only apparent seam is found at the door, which is held in place firmly by four strong magnets. This device is a little larger and heavier than most box-style AIOs but it makes up for this by providing the build quality we would expect from a fullyfledged box mod.

In terms of user experience, Sigelei have chosen a beginner-friendly design, which feels appropriate for the device. A single fire button powers the device on/off with five clicks and the IFV chipset tapers the power output automatically in order to produce the best possible vape quality from the available coil heads. Removing and reinstalling the 2ml e-liquid cartridge is very simple, with a press-fit design and spring-loaded contacts that secure everything in place nicely. When it comes to vape quality, the A-feng handily competes with the best in its class. The IFV chipset will initially provide a boost of 22W before tapering down to 16W during each puff. This isn’t something I’ve seen before and I was concerned it might result in a cool vape but in practice it works very well.

The initial 22W burst gets the 0.6Ohm mesh coil up to an ideal temperature and the taper ensures continued vapour production, without overloading the coil with heat. The coil base features fullyadjustable airflow, which is quite smooth across the board and can go from restricted direct lung, all the way to a tight MTL draw if desired. I was already quite impressed with the Wocket’s x-grid coils and the coils bundled with the A-feng deliver much the same experience. Despite the adjustable airflow, it must be noted that these coils shine with the airflow opened up, due to the warm output. This is my only gripe with the A-feng kit. It would have been really nice to see a true MTL coil bundled here and at the time of writing there is

still not an MTL option to purchase separately. I’m really glad to see that Sigelei are staying with the same coil fitting, since this is great for consumers but more options are a must, especially when the devices that they are compatible with are so well-rounded. A 1+Ohm round wire head would be great for those who prefer a tighter draw and higher nicotine levels.

The ability to use an external 18650 of your choosing will be the hallmark feature for many consumers and it certainly elevates the A-feng above many of its competitors. When using a high-quality 3000mAh cell, I am easily able to get a full day’s use from the device with 6mg/ml e-liquids. This is more than can be said for almost any AIO or pod system when vaping above 20W and I hope more manufacturers follow suit.

The 1A USB-C charging is admittedly slower than I would like to see. We know that the USB-C platform can easily support 2A charging and this is something we should therefore expect. At a pinch, it’s still serviceable but will take approximately three hours to charge a 3000mAh cell from flat to full. As always when it comes to external cells, I recommend using an external charger.

In summary, the A-feng is a great little AIO system with solid coils, great battery life and build quality. This kit is just an MTL coil head or RBA section away from being my AIO of the year.

PROS

- 18650 compatible

- Good flavour production

- Nice build quality

CONS

- No true MTL coil option

- No RBA base

iSTICK T80 By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 78mm*36mm*28mm

- Materials: Aluminium, stainless steel - Power output: 1W-80W

- Battery capacity: 3000mAh internal cell

- Charging: 2A USB-C

The Eleaf iStick range is one of the most iconic in all of vaping. It began in 2014 with the original iStick 20W, which changed the game forever by introducing a pocketable variable wattage device to the mass market, at an affordable price. Since then, we’ve seen dozens of iStick variants and the new T80 looks like a return to the original vision, so is it worth checking out?

Construction, fit and finish of the T80 are great. This is an affordable mod, so you shouldn’t be expecting to see any premium materials like carbon fibre or abalone, but the simple aluminium and stainless-steel frame feels very sturdy. Seams are minimal and the three buttons have a pleasant tactile click, only rattling when the mod is shaken vigorously. Pro tip – don’t shake your mod vigorously.

This is a tiny device with a smooth elliptical shape, which means ergonomics are fantastic. The device is comfortable even for those with smaller hands and it easily fits into pockets or purses.

In terms of user experience, Eleaf have kept things simple but the chipset still provides enough functionality for all but the pickiest of vapers. Three clicks of the fire button opens the menu, where you can choose from variable wattage, bypass, temperature control and TC memory banks. Holding the fire and + buttons opens a second menu, where you can set up a basic preheat, enter stealth mode and change display preferences. Holding fire and + when in one of the TC memory banks allows you to lock coil resistance and even change TCR values. Despite its modest looks, the T80 boasts a vast array of options and presents them intuitively. Impressive.

When it comes to performance, the T80 is solid. Power output is responsive and accurate and the preheat function, while basic, does its job. Eleaf’s temperature control is very solid out of the box and can be further configured with TCR values, so this makes the T80 a great option for TC fans on a budget.

The 3000mAh internal cell performs as I would expect, and its run time will depend entirely on your chosen atomiser and power output. With an MTL atomiser set to 16W, I can easily get two full days’ vaping on a single charge. With a mesh tank set to 50W, it gets through most of a day, which is still very respectable for such a small device. Down time is kept to a minimum by the 2A quick charging, which takes the cell from flat to full in 1.5 hours, another impressive feature.

In summary, the Eleaf iStick T80 is an outstanding miniature mod, boasting great build quality, a feature-rich chipset and fantastic battery life for the size. This is a great option for any vaper in need of something compact that doesn’t sacrifice in terms of features or run time. Long may the iStick line continue.

PROS

DEGREE By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 90.5mm*41.5mm*16.5mm

- Materials: Zinc alloy, polycarbonate

- Battery capacity: 950mAh internal cell - E-liquid capacity: 2ml

- Power output: Variable wattage, range depending on coil

- Charging: 2A Micro-USB fast charging

Construction, fit and finish of the Degree are all top tier. One of the advantages of the box pod form factor is that it allows for sturdier designs and Vaporesso hasn’t cut any corners. The chassis is made of zinc alloy, which gives the device a nice weight and the brushed finish on our review unit is understated but attractive. A resin panel on one side adds a touch of flair to the aesthetic but doesn’t detract from the industrial design too much. Tolerances are spot on across the board.

In terms of user experience the Degree is a basic device but it does offer more functionality than most pod systems. A stripped-back Axon chip sits inside, which provides several benefits and some adjustability. Five clicks turns the device on of off and when powered up, the + and – buttons allow the user to scroll through wattage levels. Vaporesso have locked the wattage ranges to each coil, meaning you won’t accidentally burn out a high resistance CCELL pod by setting the wattage higher than it’s capable of handling. The device can be refilled from the top with Vaporesso’s valve system and this works fantastically.

The feature which will come in handy for most users, though, is the automatic dry hit prevention. This is an always-on temperature control that will detect when there isn’t enough e-liquid on the coil and I’m a big fan of this feature. For new users, it means less burntout pods, which is great. During my testing, this feature was almost flawless, though I was able to make it activate early when using a mesh pod and cutting the airflow right down to the smallest possible setting. This was a slight nuisance but doesn’t happen often enough to be a major issue.

At the time of writing, there are two pod options for the Degree and they vape quite differently. The first is a 1.3Ohm CCELL, rated for 7W-12.5W. I found this pod to vape best at the highest recommended setting, with airflow closed down to a tight MTL draw. It’s a relatively cool MTL vape, with good flavour production. Coil longevity was particularly impressive and I was able to run 20mls of moderatelysweet e-liquid through the pod before it needed to be replaced. Though a pleasant vape, I would like to see a CCELL with slightly

PROS

- Great build quality

- Great performance from 0.6Ohm mesh pod - Super quick charging

CONS

- Replacement pods, not coils

- CCELL provides slightly cool vapour

higher wattage capabilities, to provide a warmer vapour. The second pod has 0.6Ohm mesh internals and, for me, this was the clear winner. Rated for 16W-22W, this pod can easily provide an MTL or direct lung vape, depending on wattage and airflow settings. I enjoyed it most at 18W, with the airflow closed almost entirely but it still performs nicely wide open at 22W. I found flavour intensity to be greater with this pod and coil longevity approximately matches the CCELL variant.

Herein lies my only gripe with the Degree – it uses replacement pods, rather than coils. I understand that this decision was made for the benefit of new vapers who look for the simplest possible experience but replacement coils are less expensive and less wasteful than pods. I sincerely hope Vaporesso intends to launch a cartridge with replacement coils in the near future.

The 950mAh internal cell performs as you might expect, meaning a full day’s use with the CCELL pod and about half a day’s use with the mesh pod, when using higher strength e-liquids. Vaporesso’s 2A charging means the Degree will charge from flat to full in around 30 minutes so downtime is almost non-existent.

In summary, the Degree is a nicely-built pod system, with excellent performance. If you don’t mind replacement pods then this is a near flawless device, though I do think this design choice will put some users off.

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 70mm*39mm*11.6mm

- Materials: Zinc alloy, polycarbonate - Weight: 72g

- Battery capacity: 620mAh internal cell - E-liquid capacity: 1.2ml

- Power output: 9.25W, decreasing to 6.4W as cell depletes

- Charging: Micro-USB

Veteran manufacturer Teslacigs is best known for its large, high power box mods which mostly cater for enthusiast vapers. It has ventured into the pod market a few times though and the Punk Pod is its latest entry-level offering.

Construction, fit and finish of the Punk Pod are all excellent. The device features a full zinc alloy frame, with the same steampunk engravings found on the fully-featured Punk series mods. Seams are minimal and a moderately-strong magnetised connection means installed pods have no play at all. I’m glad that Teslacigs didn’t cut any corners here because the result is a small pod system that feels very rugged.

In terms of user experience, this device is basic. There are no buttons or power adjustment, simply install your pod and draw to activate it. In a move that may surprise some, the Punk Pod offers both pre-filled and refillable cartridges, which is something we don’t see very often. In the early sample provided to us for review, only a single closed pod was included however, so we are unable to comment on the filling mechanism or longevity of the refillable pods.

Vape quality is about average for a system of this nature. On a full charge, the device is supplying just 9.25W of power to the coil, though it’s still a moderately warm vape. This is partly due to the true MTL draw, which is much tighter than most modern pod systems. The airflow is smooth and quiet, which is always a nice bonus.

It’s difficult to comment on flavour production, since we were supplied with just one closed pod, which appears to be lemon. It’s not

the brightest lemon we’ve tried in a pod system but it does a decent job of conveying the flavour, though perhaps a slight boost to the concentration of flavouring in the blend would help things out. The throat hit is pleasant though and it provides a good level of nicotine satisfaction.

The 620mAh internal cell performs as I would expect, lasting just shy of a full day’s use on a single charge. That’s about as much as you can hope for from a cell of this size at 9W and when we consider how small the device is, I think that’s a fair run time. The device charges from flat to full in just over an hour, which is admittedly longer than I would like to see, though you can vape while charging, so down time isn’t too bad.

From what we’ve seen so far, the Punk Pod seems like a competent, if basic, little pod system and with any luck the re-fillable pods will only improve the experience. The build quality is noteworthy among miniature pod systems.

PUNK POD By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 91mm*28mm (widest point) – Tapered to 25mm

- Construction: Solid brass

- Weight: Approx 155g

- Switch: Constant contact design with brass plating

Making a mechanical mod compelling in 2019 is a tall order. It takes great performance, build quality, aesthetics and ease-of-use to really stand out. AMC are newcomers to the mech market and the Haka mod is their first release.

Construction, fit and finish are all flawless. The tube itself is solid brass, coming in at approximately 155g. With thick walls and a relatively short 91mm height, this is a nice compromise between weight, resilience and size. Threading on both the 510 hybrid connection and switch is buttery smooth, so no issues here. The mod features a series of deep engravings, inspired by Mauri culture, a heritage that is shared by AMC’s founder Acapella. This is a personal touch with sincere meaning to the modder and that’s something we can all appreciate. Make no mistake, the Haka looks and feels like a top shelf mech mod.

Ergonomics are key with a traditional bottom-firing configuration and AMC have done well here too. The mod tapers out in the middle, which allows the user to hold the device in a variety of ways and stops it from slipping when in use. This is a simple solution and we’ve seen similar designs in the past but it’s been implemented particularly well in this case, since the extra weight in the middle makes the Haka very stable when set down on a surface.

AMC’s approach to the switch assembly design clearly prioritises simplicity. This is a constant contact device, which means maintenance should be performed on the internals, rather than the external contact which interacts with the battery. Unthreading the self-adjusting Delrin insulator reveals a chunky spring and internal contact. You can then disassemble the rest of the switch by compressing the button and unthreading the internal contact. As far as constant contact switches go, this is one of the simplest designs I’ve seen and any experienced mech user should have no trouble with

regular maintenance. You should take care when reassembling the Delrin insulator, since cross threading is possible, but I had no issues during testing, due to the precise tolerances of the threads.

The Haka can accommodate 21700, 20700 or 18650 cells (with an included adapter). Those looking for optimal performance should, of course, use a quality 21700 cell, since these boast lower internal resistance and higher amp limits. The Haka handily competes with the hardest hitting mech tubes I’ve tested, with no noticeable voltage drop. Even when using an 18650 with the included adapter, I did not experience any substantial loss of power. This is impressive and may come as a surprise to some veterans, who swear by solid silver contacts. I was not able to detect any difference in power output between this device and one using 99% silver. Due to the venting design, we recommend orienting your battery positive down but there is room for gas to escape down the sides of the tube, so positive up isn’t out of the question.

In summary, the AMC Haka is a phenomenal mech mod. It’s built very nicely, has great performance and can accommodate all of the most common battery sizes. Knowing that there’s a personal story behind the design also adds to the appeal in my view and dealing with a small, independent company for after purchase care is always a huge bonus. The Haka should be near the top of any mech head’s list of mods to buy.

PROS

- Great build and finishing

- Minimal voltage drop

- Simple to maintain

- Affordable

AMC MODS HAKA By Benedict Jones

HUSTLE FUN SIZE

Specifications:

By Benedict Jones

- Dimensions: 60mm*25mm (diameter of widest point)

- Materials: Brass, copper 101 (stainless steel and copper tubes available soon)

- Battery capacity: 1x 18350/20350 external cell

- Switch: Bottom fire action constant contact

If you’re already a mechanical mod fan, Morningstar MFG should need no introduction, but for the uninitiated, they’re one of the top names when it comes to small batch, UK-made devices. Their machining skills are so highly regarded, in fact, that they’ve already produced mods for other UK brands. Earlier this year they impressed enthusiasts with their 21700 Reactor mod and now comes the Hustle Fun Size, a tiny 18350/20350 tube aimed at those looking for something a bit more pocket-friendly. Construction, fit and finish of the Hustle Fun Size are all flawless. The tube itself has thick walls and though small, has a reassuring weight. Threading on the switch housing and bottom of the tube is buttery smooth, perhaps the nicest I’ve seen in six years of vaping. They catch the first time, every time and simply ooze quality every time you replace a battery. CNC-milled engravings around the 510, switch housing and on the bottom of the switch are all fantastic and add some welcome flair to the reserved silhouette of the device, whilst also incorporating the functional ventilation found at the top and bottom of the mod into a pleasing look.

The threadless constant contact switch is a unique but user-friendly design, which allows for easy regular maintenance. Simply remove the press fit copper contact and surrounding ultem insulator, depress the switch and give it a slight turn to disassemble the whole unit. Historically, constant contact switches have been a little large and often more complex to disassemble but neither of these things is true for Morningstar’s design. As a bonus, the Hustle Fun Size switch is cross compatible with the Reactor switches, so you can mix and match if you own switches that use different materials or have alternate engravings.

Performance is always a key selling point for mech fans and the Hustle Fun Size doesn’t disappoint. Of course, since the currently

available cells compatible with the device are for low power vaping only, there shouldn’t be a time when voltage sag is hugely apparent but it’s clear that the power delivery on offer here is top notch. The current gold standard for 18350 cells is the EXO18350S (commonly rewrapped by Vapcell and Aspire) which boasts a 10A amp limit and approximately 1100mAh capacity. With one of these cells and a 0.85Ohm build, the Hustle Fun Size makes for a compelling stealth mod. I find two cells to last a full day’s vaping, which brings the overall footprint of things you need to carry down to a bare minimum for a top tier MTL experience. With the aforementioned build, I did not notice any performance problems to speak of, which shouldn’t be surprising because the Morningstar constant contact switch has already proven to be one of the hardest hitters in their 21700 Reactor. Of course, if you build to the edge of that 10A limit, you will be switching out cells very often and in that case I would likely recommend an 18650 or 21700 tube. Morningstar’s decision to include 20350 compatibility is something of a futureproofing feature, since there aren’t any 20350 cells on the market that I can recommend yet. In summary, the Morningstar Hustle Fun Size is one of the very best miniature mech mods available right now. From its precision machining, to classy aesthetic and high performance design, it’s at the top of my list of recommendations for any mech head in need of a stealthy setup.

PROS

- Outstanding build quality

- Simple switch design

- Beautiful engravings

CONS - None

GALAXIES KIT By Benedict Jones

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 121mm*19mm (height includes drip tip)

- Battery capacity: 1400mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 1.8ml - Power output: 3.3V, 3.7V, Bypass

- Charging: Micro-USB

For many vapers, the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Vapefly is their range of well-made and interestingly-designed rebuildable atomisers. They’ve been making an effort to break into the starter kit market recently though and the Galaxies Kit is one such offering.

Construction, fit and finish are great for such an affordable device. This is a simple stick-style kit but the all-metal body feels sturdy and there are no egregious seams or button rattle to speak of. I like the fact that Vapefly have opted for minimalist styling and have avoided the audacious decals that often appear on kits of this nature. In terms of user experience, Vapefly have kept things simple whilst still allowing for some user adjustment. The fire button powers the device on or off with five clicks and also cycles through three power settings with three clicks. You can choose from bypass mode, which simply works from the resting voltage of the internal cell, or fixed 3.3V and 3.7V settings. I’m a big fan of this, since most stick kits like this offer bypass mode only, which results in declining power output as the battery drains. With regulated voltage settings, new users can find a level of power they enjoy and experience that for the entire run time of the internal cell. Of course, using the 3.7V setting will deplete the battery more quickly but this is to be expected.

The 1400mAh internal cell provides an impressive run time and charges from flat to full in about 1.5 hours, which is perfectly reasonable. I found the Galaxies kit to easily last a full day’s charge with either of the included coils, at any of the settings, though this run time can be pushed even further with the 1.2Ohm coil.

The Galaxies kit is bundled with the Galaxies MTL stock coil tank and I feel that this is an atomiser which has flown under the radar of many vapers. It’s a very simple design, incorporating top fill and a range of MTL airflow options that leave quite a few competitors in the dust. You can choose from one of five individual inlets, or open as many as you wish at once, depending on your preferred draw. At the tightest setting, this is a traditional MTL draw that many atomisers fail to provide these days and even when fully open, you can expect a moderate MTL experience that’s more similar to a modern pod

system. The Galaxies tank is smooth and quiet on any of these settings, which is fantastic. The kit comes with two replacement coils. The first is an 0.8Ohm mesh head, rated for 13W-17W. I personally enjoyed it most at 3.7V, with the third largest airflow setting but really it performs fantastically at any of the recommended wattages or airflow settings, with punchy flavour and a pleasant throat hit. This makes it a cut above most stock MTL coils and other manufacturers should take note. Longevity was good but not outstanding here and I was able to run 20mls of moderately sweet e-liquid through the mesh coil before it deteriorated significantly.

The second coil is a 1.2Ohm round wire build rated for 9W-12W. It provides a very similar vape experience to the mesh coil, with marginally less poppy flavour, though it makes up for this with less power and e-liquid consumption. I found the longevity to be just about the same as the mesh coil, so there’s no clear winner and I think it’s down to personal preference.

In summary, the Vapefly Galaxies is a very solid starter kit and serves as a nice introduction to vaping for new users. The combination of practical run time, good build quality and a really nice MTL tank make for a device which should especially appeal to smokers.

PROS

FRAGG By Benedict Jones

Fragg Specifications:

- Dimensions: 78mm*36.5mm*22.9mm

- Materials: Stainless steel + polycarbonate - Charging: Usb-C

- Battery capacity: 2,000mAh internal cell - Power output: 5W-60W

Casto Specifications:

- Dimensions: 52.5mm*22mm - E-liquid capacity: 2ml

Vaptio have been producing simple, affordable devices for a number of years now, though in recent times their focus has shifted to lower power MTL vaping. The Fragg kit is their first subohm venture in a while, so how does it stack up?

Construction, fit and finish of the Fragg are solid but falls just short of best in class. The stainless steel and polycarbonate chassis feels rugged and seams are minimal, with a nice faux leather veneer wrapping around the body. Tolerances are on point too, with rattle-free buttons and a firm spring-loaded 510 connection that accommodates all of my 22mm atomisers with no gaps to speak of. The user experience is very basic but covers everything a new subohm vaper should need. Five clicks powers the device on/off and when powered on, three clicks activates the menu, where you can choose from VW, VV, CBD, PRE and bypass modes. Variable wattage, voltage and bypass modes all work as you would expect, though the CBD and PRE modes are new to me. Both lock the device between the 9W-15W range. Presumably the CBD mode is intended for CBD cartridges, which generally can’t handle much power, so this is a sensible option but the purpose of the PRE mode evades me at the time of writing.

Power delivery from Vaptio’s chipset is snappy and smooth, feeling accurate across the board. The internal 2,000mAh cell is quite impressive considering the small size of the mod and run time will depend entirely on your choice of atomiser and power level. I found it to last well over a day’s use on a charge when vaping low power MTL atomisers, or between 3-5 hours when using the bundled subohm tank.

All in all, this is a basic, but solid, miniature mod and its simplicity makes it ideal for new users.

The Casto tank is what makes the Fragg Kit stand out though. Vaptio have gone with a coil design that’s quite different from anything I’ve seen before. The bottom half of the tank is a sealed unit, which does not unscrew. This is because coil replacement and refills are both

done from the top, in a novel way. Each Casto coil has a small lever attached to the top, which can be pulled to release the coil. Installing a coil is a simple – align it with the chimney and press down.

I was a little sceptical of this design at first but in practice it’s easy and mess-free. I can certainly see the appeal for new users. The chimney also features juice flow control. Turning the chimney section can entirely close or open the juice ports and this allows the user to change out a burnt coil, even when the tank is full to the brim. This is another nice feature that we don’t see often enough in subohm tanks. In terms of vape quality, the Casto is good but not outstanding. The bottom of the tank features three large cyclops inlets and in my view, they provide far too much air for the relatively small single mesh coil. Thankfully, this is easily remedied by cutting the airflow down to approximately 1/3 open, which feels much more appropriate. With this airflow setting, the Casto G1 coil provides decent flavour intensity anywhere between 40W-55W, though 55W does feel like an upper limit. Airflow is quite smooth across the board, though at it’s best when closed down slightly. Coil longevity is fair but not outstanding, as I was able to run 40-50mls of moderately sweet e-liquid through each coil before it needed to be replaced.

In summary, the Vaptio Fragg is a solid little kit, ideal for new subohm vapers. The novel tank design is user-friendly and even if the mod is basic, it performs its duties without any hiccups. A nice affordable option.

PROS

- Good build quality

- User friendly tank design

- Simple but functional mod

CONS

- Coil longevity could be improved

Cream Queen – Cookie Da Bomb

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

The cookie element is rich and complex in equal measure. There are light notes of bakery cinnamon, along with a mild nuttiness and some heavier butter and cookie dough notes. This is supported by a dense vanilla cream base which adds volume and substantial mouthfeel to the profile. The cream element also works well to prevent any of the dryness that is often associated with cinnamon and other bakery notes. A fantastic cookies and cream blend.

Slushy Queen – Indigo Flow

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Cream Queen – Lemon Macaron

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Sweet baked lemon is the top note here but unlike many other blends of this nature, it doesn’t completely dominate the mix. This is a more reserved lemon curd, and while bright, it’s perfectly balanced. It gives way to a moderate vanilla cream base which adds volume and sweetness without muting the lemon notes. The mix is finished with a mild bakery layer that is reminiscent of meringue. One of the very best lemon dessert profiles available today.

This is billed as a mix of dark berries, blackcurrant, grape and ice. The prominent candy grape is dark and syrupy, not unlike the American-style concord grape. This note is complemented by a medley of forest fruits, with notes of blueberry, blackberry and even a mild strawberry present. A light blackcurrant accent finishes the fruit mix off and they work well together to give the grape top note depth. A moderate coolant runs through this well-balanced dark fruit profile.

Just Jam – Berry Shortbread

VG/PG Ratio: 80/20

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Cookie

I’ll admit it. I’m one of the many vapers who is obsessed with the Just Jam range. At this point it’s an extensive one but we haven’t seen any new additions in some time. Berry Shortbread Cookie is The Ace of Vapez seasonal offering, so is it worthy of the Just Jam name? The dominant flavour here is an intense berry medley. This is more akin to the baked filling found in confectionary, rather than a traditional jam and I’m picking up notes of strawberry, raspberry, cranberry and perhaps even blueberry here. There’s a good balance of sweetness, florals and texture which makes for a very convincing fruit compote style flavour. This is complemented by a rich, buttery biscuit base which adds a slight savoury dimension to the profile, along with more depth. Berry Shortbread Cookie is a well balanced, if slightly heavy, dessert vape that I can see myself coming back to for a long time.

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Mango Indian Special

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 3.5% at 70/30

Mango is one of the most popular flavour profiles in e-liquid and yet it has always been tough to mix correctly. Most offerings are potent and present some unforgiving off notes or dominant flavours that aren’t always desirable. Enter Mango Indian Special. This is a bright and sweet soda-style mango that tastes excellent at a wide range of percentages in the mix and scales nicely, whether you want it to be the star of the show or a light accent. Expect a lot of new mango e-liquids to come to market in the very near future, because this one’s a winner.

Blueberry Fruity Candy

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 3% at 70/30

There’s always room for more blueberry flavourings, since it’s such a complex aroma and many of the currently available options need help to work in bolder mixes. Blueberry Fruity Candy lives up to its name partially with a pleasant candy sweetness and mouthfeel but it also delivers substantial florals and earthy notes that give this flavouring a more natural connotation overall. This is quite close to being a complete all-in-one blueberry but funnily enough it actually works best to add authenticity to a candy blueberry mix which uses a sweeter blueberry.

Mango Fruity Juicy

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 3.5% at 70/30

Another new mango from Flavour Art. While this is certainly a pleasant flavour, I feel the name is misleading in this case. There are some mango connotations to be found here but for the most part I’m picking up citrus notes, predominantly lime, at any percentage. I feel this concentrate is best used as an accent to fruit or beverage mixes that need some extra zest and tropical sweetness. Treat this as a tropical enhancer rather than a mango cornerstone.

Rhapsody

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

Part of Flavour Art’s blended tobacco range, Rhapsody is certainly an interesting flavouring. This one has an intense woody flavour, along with some light golden tobacco and moderate herbal notes. There could be a little fruit in here too, but this may also just be the inherent sweetness of the tobacco. There’s a lot going on here and it may not be for everyone but it can be a useful tool for creating intricate tobacco mixes.

Blueberry Juicy Ripe

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 3% at 70/30

Another new blueberry from Flavour Art. This is quite different from Blueberry Fruity Candy. The easiest way to describe this flavouring is that it’s absolutely spot on to the flavour of blueberry juice, from the mild sweetness, to the earthiness and moderate bitterness on the finish. This is one of the most complete blueberry additives I’ve tried to date and will immediately add depth and authenticity to any berry mix which is lacking those qualities. Again, I do not see this as a standalone blueberry but it will be a very useful tool for advanced mixers.

50/50 – Silver

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild (3mg/ml)

Silver is IVG’s take on a sweet honey tobacco. This is a fairly straightforward tobacco blend but that’s no bad thing. A distinct honey is the top note here. It’s more akin to a honey syrup than an authentic honey but it’s still pleasant and sticky, adding some nice body to the profile. This is complemented by a moderately dark tobacco, which has a mild smokiness, along with hints of wood and sweet aromatics. I see this as a good option for newer vapers looking for a sweet tobacco that’s not completely a dessert blend.

50/50 – Purple Slush

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling (3mg/ml)

IVG describe Purple Slush as a blend of grape, bubblegum, lime and coolant. Concord grape is the dominant note for me. It’s rich, sticky and sweet, exactly as you would expect from an American-style grape candy. This is complemented by a milder bubblegum base, reminiscent of IVG’s highly popular bubblegum profile. A light citrus tang contrasts with the rest of the fruits and helps enhance the grape with some brighter notes. The profile is finished with a subtle coolant, which keeps things light. An interesting fruit mix.

50/50 – Neon Lime

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling (3mg/ml)

Described as a blend of lemon and lime, with a cooling kick. Interestingly, lemon is the dominant flavour here to me. It’s sweet and very bright, almost spot on to the flavour of lemon hard candy, rather than a more natural lemonade or lemon curd flavour. This is complemented by a moderate lime, which gives the profile even more tartness but not to an overbearing extent. A mild coolant rounds off the mix and makes for a simple but refreshing candy fruit vape.

50/50 – Spearmint

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling (3mg/ml)

Though this blend is simply called Spearmint, there’s more here than meets the eye. Spearmint is, of course, the main note and it’s quite loud. It has plenty of sweetness and moderate herbal notes, leaning more towards a spearmint candy than a true herbal mint. This is supported by IVG’s popular bubblegum base. Though this is slightly less forward than usual, it still amps up the sweetness and adds further candy connotations to the mix, along with mild fruit medley notes. A simple but refreshing candy vape.

50/50 – Strawberry Sensation

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling (3mg/ml)

Another simple fruit and mint profile from IVG. An intense candy strawberry takes centre stage in this one. It’s very bright and sweet with a substantial sticky body. I can’t quite put my finger on it but this strawberry is even more “candied” than what you might usually expect from an e-liquid. This top note is contrasted by a light mint coolant, which stops it from becoming cloying or sickly sweet. A basic profile that should be ideal for new vapers.

Timekeeper

VG/PG Ratio: 80/20

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Timekeeper is described as a sugar biscuit with vanilla. The dominant note here is a rich, slightly dark and buttery biscuit. It is moderately sweet and very similar to the flavour of shortbread, with an authentic bakery flavour. The biscuit is supported by a mild vanilla cream, which gives the blend more volume and smoothness. The profile is finished with a light accent of bakery cinnamon, which adds some extra depth, without overpowering the biscuit and vanilla elements. An outstanding biscuit flavour that can easily be vaped all day.

Magnificent

VG/PG Ratio: 80/20

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Magnificent is Steam Train’s take on the classic cupcake. The main flavour here is a decadent and fluffy cake batter flavour, reminiscent of an American-style yellow cake. It’s a fair bit sweeter than the bakery flavour found in Timekeeper, but not overbearingly so. This is supported by a bright vanilla buttercream layer, which complements the cake nicely without over sweetening the mix. A simple but very moreish dessert, ideal for vapers with a sweet tooth.

Whistle

VG/PG Ratio: 80/20

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Whistle is a blend of lemonade and brown sugar. Admittedly, I was sceptical of this combination at first but it works very nicely. The lemonade top note is quite possibly the most authentic I’ve tried to date, with bright citric sweetness and an almost effervescent quality. Think homestyle lemonade, rather than the commercial kind. The brown sugar note is quite subtle in the mix but it does balance out the acidity of the lemon with its dark sweetness, creating a rich but tangy beverage flavour. A moderate coolant finishes the profile without interfering with the balance of flavours. A must try lemonade.

Signalman

VG/PG Ratio: 80/20

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

If you’re a dessert vaper, chances are you’ve tried countless strawberry and cream blends. Signalman is a simple strawberry and cream but it may be one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of trying. The two elements are quite balanced in the mix, though strawberry comes out on top. It’s somewhere between a natural and candied strawberry, with soft sweetness and very mild earthiness working in tandem. This is supported by a thick vanilla cream, which lends plenty of volume to the profile. A must try for strawberry and cream fans.

All Aboard

VG/PG Ratio: 80/20

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

A classic combination of grape, green apple and ice. Grape is the dominant flavour here but it is quite different from most on the market. It’s a darker grape but not candied, in the American Concord style. Instead, it comes across as a more natural grape juice, albeit a touch sweeter. This is contrasted by a sharper green apple which again leans more towards authentic fruit than candy. The contrasting flavours make for an interesting profile that seems to change throughout the day. The blend is finished with a moderate dose of coolant, making for a refreshing and light fruity vape. Another winner.

Railroad

VG/PG Ratio: 80/20

Additional sweetener: Minimal

Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Cola profiles almost invariably taste like candy rather than a beverage. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing of course but finding the right cola can be hard. Steam Train might be the one you’re looking for. The top note is a sweet cola, which does carry some candy connotations, but it also has a slight herbal flavour that makes it taste more similar to the drink than many of its competitors. A mild lemon accent lends some additional brightness to the profile, before it is finished with a moderate helping of coolant. An impressive cola vape.

Acai Pomegranate

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Acai takes centre stage here. This candied portrayal is a cross between blueberry and blackcurrant, with a deep sweetness, mild earthiness and sticky texture. This is contrasted with a brighter pomegranate note, which adds an almost citric tartness to the blend. The balance and simplicity of this blend makes it a good candidate for all-day vaping and it’s quite unusual, too.

Juniper Mangosteen Apple

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Juniper berries are the most prominent flavour for me. It’s moderately sweet, with mild florals. You’d be forgiven for thinking this was a berry medley but there’s something distinct about the flavour that doesn’t quite fit the bill of conventional forest fruits. This is contrasted with a much brighter green apple that adds some juicy mouthfeel and tartness. The light mangosteen adds a mild tropical sweetness and rounds off a very interesting fruit profile.

Lemon Lavender

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Something I’ve never seen in e-liquid before. The lavender here is reminiscent of lavender syrup or cordial that is sometimes added to mixed drinks, and though authentic, this will be a divisive flavour. The top note is contrasted with a bright zesty lemon that cuts through the lavender and stops it from becoming overbearing. A simple yet sophisticated blend that will appeal to more adventurous vapers.

Pear Elderflower

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

This is quite a mild flavour, but pear is the more prominent part of the mix. It leans more towards a natural portrayal, with bright sweetness and moderate tartness. The elderflower here is more subtle than I would like. It’s a good representation but could be pushed higher in the mix. I feel this is a slight missed opportunity since there are so few elderflower e-liquids on the market.

Starfruit Cactus

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Starfruit takes the lead, with its tropical sweetness and slight musky earthiness. It also has some sticky body but not so much that it becomes cloying. Cactus is normally a very dominant flavour, but it’s been tamed in this case. Even still, it brings an intense juicy texture to the profile along with a mild vegetal sweetness and effervescent sensation. Along with Pear Elderflower, this is a milder profile overall but it’s well-balanced and unique.

Cucumber Cantaloupe

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

A natural, juicy cantaloupe is the dominant flavour here. It’s moderately sweet and has a nice brightness that replicates the real fruit very well, without leaning on heavy candy notes. This is complemented well by a subtle cucumber accent which freshens the mix up and adds a slight vegetal note. The mix is finished with a mild coolant, which does not interfere with the balance of flavours but does cement this as a refreshing fruity profile that can easily be vaped all day.

Black Woodruff

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Woodruff is a plant used to flavour various food products in Germany but it’s not well known elsewhere in the world. I can’t comment on authenticity, since I’ve never tasted the real thing but Black Woodruff is certainly an interesting flavour. The top note is mildly herbal and aromatic, with a good level of sweetness. This is complemented by a mild confectionary vanilla, which adds some body and further sweetness. The profile is finished with a dash of menthol, keeping things light. One to try if you’re looking for something different.

Peach Ice Tea

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

We don’t often see iced tea profiles in the world of vaping and Wanna Vapor’s offering is an interesting take. Surprisingly, black tea is at the forefront here. It’s rich, with subtle earthy notes and a mild sweetness that lingers after vaping. This is accented by a light, authentic peach flavour, which lends some additional sweetness to the tea, without taking over. A moderate helping of coolant finishes the mix, making for a simple but sophisticated beverage vape.

Indian Summer

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Wanna Vapor describe Indian Summer as a mild tobacco blend and once again they’re spot on. This is a light, sweet tobacco blend that serves as a good introduction to the world of tobacco-flavoured vaping. There’s a distinct honey note here, which adds a slight dessert connotation to the mix, along with a mild mixed nut accent for texture. The tobaccos here are quite subtle and shouldn’t be too intimidating for new vapers. A good option for vapers who previously smoked lighter tobacco.

Fresh Berry

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

A simple mixed berry and ice profile. Raspberry is the dominant flavour for me. It has candy and natural properties but leans more towards candy with its bright sweetness. This is complemented by subtle notes of dark berries such as blackcurrant, which add some depth without bullying the raspberry top note. The blend is finished with a moderate dose of menthol, which adds a welcome cooling kick. A good choice for new vapers..

Panama Blend

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Wanna Vapor describe Panama Blend as a strong tobacco profile and they’re not kidding. This is a dark, heavy tobacco, not unlike Latakia. It has moderate earthy and leather notes, with a mild smokiness and even a slight pepper note on the finish. The blend has a good amount of sweetness but nonetheless, this is not for the faint of heart and most likely intended for the die-hard tobacco fans.

Nina Havana

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Nina Havana is a medium-bodied tobacco blend from the Wanna Vapor range. I was expecting a full-flavoured cigar from the name but this is actually less heavy than that. The top note is a mix of woodiness and leather, with only a very mild hint of smoke on the finish. There’s a good level of sweetness on offer here, which should make this profile a good option for new vapers.

Eclypse – Mega Mango Lemonade

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

A simple blend from the Eclypse line-up. The top note here is a bright soda-style mango. It’s moderately sweet, with mild tartness and a lingering sticky body. This is contrasted with a sharper lemonade note, which cuts through some of the density of the top note, without dominating it. While present, the lemonade is well-balanced in the mix, allowing the mango to take centre stage. The profile is finished with a light dose of coolant, making for a refreshing beverage vape.

Eclypse – Strawberry Kiwi Lemonade

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

A classic beverage profile. A moderate candy kiwi is the top note here, with mild sweetness and a good helping of tartness. This is complemented by a mild candy strawberry note which adds further sweetness and some sticky body. The lemonade base is more present than in other offerings from the Eclypse line and this is welcome considering the inherently sweeter nature of the top notes. The lemon brings additional tartness to the mix without overshadowing the more delicate kiwi notes. The profile is finished with a light coolant, making for a simple but refreshing vape.

Eclypse - Gushin’ Guava Limeade

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Guava seems to be growing in popularity among vapers, so is this one worth checking out? The guava in this case is more intense than the usual fare. It covers similar candy guava notes, with a dense sweetness and mouth-feel, but it also has some of the more pungent florals that are found in the real fruit, giving this profile added authenticity. This is contrasted with a mild limeade which adds some tartness to the finish without detracting from the guava, though I do feel it could be a touch higher in the mix. The profile is finished with a light coolant, which stops the top note from becoming overbearing.

Eclypse - Melon Medley Lemonade

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Melon blends can be tough to get right, especially with the off notes that some of these flavourings carry. In this case, Eclypse has done well. A combination of candy cantaloupe and watermelon are the main notes. These melons are bright and sweet, with substantial juicy texture. This is contrasted with a moderate lemonade base that brings some tartness to the mix, without dominating it. The profile is finished with a light coolant that does not interfere with the balance of flavours.

Eclypse - Cheeky Cherry Limeade

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Cherry profiles have historically suffered from heavy medicinal off notes but Cheeky Cherry Limeade seems to be an exception to the rule. The top note is an intense candy cherry, without any of the cough drop connotations. It’s sweet and mildly tart, with a pleasant candy mouth-feel that lingers for a while after vaping. The limeade note is quite subtle but does add some citric tang to the mix. The profile is finished with a light coolant, which adds to the beverage connotations.

Eclypse - Burstin’ Blue Lemonade

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

A simple blend of blueberry, raspberry and lemonade. Blueberry tends to be rather hit or miss in e-liquid but Eclypse have nailed it here. The blueberry top note has a balanced mix of candy sweetness, mild tartness and authentic floral notes, without becoming overly heavy or cloying as it often can do. The raspberry element is quite subtle but provides additional sweetness. The lemonade base is quite pronounced but makes a perfect pairing with the blueberry, offering some welcome citric tang that contrasts wonderfully with the florals. A mild coolant rounds out the mix nicely, making for a simple but moreish beverage vape that has become my personal favourite of the Eclypse range.

Titano

VG/PG Ratio: N/A

Additional sweetener: Moderate

Throat hit: Mild

Titano is described as a classic apple pie profile. This is a staple of dessert e-liquids, so how does it hold up? The top note here is a sweet baked apple. It’s mildly tart as you would expect, but also brings a slight juiciness to the blend, along with a good balance of sweetness. This is complemented by a light bakery cinnamon, which has been placed nicely in the mix so that it adds a little spice without becoming dry or overbearing. The profile is finished with a moderate pastry layer, which adds some substance to the profile but does not weigh it down at all. A very nicely balanced apple pie.

Rampage

VG/PG Ratio: N/A

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Rampage is King Kong Vape Juice’s take on smores, traditionally a blend of toasted marshmallow, chocolate and biscuit. The dominant note here is a lightly toasted marshmallow. It’s thick, sweet and has a true-to-life fluffy texture. There’s a mild vanilla in the background too but it doesn’t transform the marshmallow into a vanilla cream, as can often be the case. This is supported by a light bakery layer, reminiscent of graham cracker and this lends some grainy texture and dark sweetness to the brighter marshmallow. I do not detect any chocolate here but I’m not sure it’s necessary since this is a simple but moreish dessert profile as is.

Kikonga

VG/PG Ratio: N/A

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

A key lime pie profile. Normally with this kind of blend I would expect lime to really dominate things but in this case the pastry notes come out on top. The pastry here is rich and buttery without becoming overly sweet, which is quite the accomplishment. This is complemented by a moderate cream note, which adds volume to the profile. The lime is very much present among the flavours but isn’t the main feature and I actually quite like how this has been done. It works to add intrigue to the pastry and cream layers, without overstaying it’s welcome. A different take on key lime pie.

Gorilla

VG/PG Ratio: N/A

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

A blueberry pancake blend. Where so many blueberry e-liquids struggle to moderate the strong floral notes, this one does not. Blueberry is certainly the dominant flavour here but it comes across as a sweet blueberry jam rather than the fresh fruit. This pairs nicely with the light maple syrup flavour that accompanies it and gives the profile an extra kick of sugary sweetness. The blend is finished with a mild bakery layer and though I wouldn’t necessarily identify it as pancake, it certainly fits the bill. A lighter take on the pancake profile.

Bamboo

VG/PG Ratio: N/A

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

A blend of cola, vanilla ice cream and mint. Cola profiles are quite common but it’s rare to see a cola float attempted. I’m happy to report that King Kong Vape Juice have nailed it. Cola is the dominant flavour but it’s not a heavy or sticky as you might expect from a more traditional cola gummy-style blend. This is joined by a moderate vanilla cream layer that adds volume to the profile and complements the cola top note perfectly, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The blend is finished off with a mild minty coolant, which keeps things fresh and doesn’t distract from the sweeter elements at all. One of the best cola-based profiles I’ve tried.

Sweets – Maple Butter

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

This maple syrup pancake blend is a simple but rather heavy dessert profile. The top note is an authentic maple syrup, with substantial sticky texture, plenty of sweetness and an aftertaste that lingers after vaping. This main note is complemented by a more subtle pancake layer which stops the maple from becoming too cloying and delivers a simple dessert flavour. One for sweet toothed vapers.

Sweets – Iced Mango Berries

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Strawberry and raspberry are most prominent in the mixed berry top note. These are certainly candied but do still have a slight earthiness. This is accented with a moderate kiwi, which adds some tartness to the berries. The mango acts as an accent, providing some mellow tropical sweetness to the blend. The profile is finished with a light coolant that doesn’t interfere with the balance of flavours.

Blueberry Banana Muffin

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Banana is notoriously difficult to pull off in e-liquid but this one has been done well. The moderate banana top note tastes as though it has been baked for the sugars to caramelise. This is contrasted by a very mild baked blueberry, which lends some tartness to the profile but does not become a main feature of the mix. This is set over a rich cake base, which adds volume to the blend along with a fluffy texture and some additional sweetness. A simple but expertly balanced dessert.

Blood Orange Mango Snow Cone

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Blood orange is most prominent in this ambitious fruit mix. It’s more akin to a soda-style, with plenty of bright sweetness and a hint of bitterness that sets it apart from a standard orange. This is accented with a kick of additional citric tartness from the candy lemon and lime. The mango is quite subtle compared to the bolder citrus flavours but is still present, providing a mild tropical sweetness that stops the blend from feeling too one-dimensional. A mellow fruit profile.

Passion Fruit Orange Guava

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate

Throat hit: Mild

This is an incredibly popular fruit profile. The flavours are quite equally balanced, but a thick candy guava really stands out. This is contrasted by a brighter, tarter orange which contrasts with the heavier sweetness that the guava provides. The passion fruit is subdued but certainly noticeable. This profile should be familiar to long-time vapers and this version is one of the best I’ve tried.

Classic Series – Tropical Mango

VG/PG Ratio : 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate

Throat hit: Mild

Mango is one of the most popular flavours in vaping and yet it’s always difficult to get right, so how does Billionaire Juice’s version fare? This is a bright, intense soda-style mango. There’s plenty of tropical sweetness here, paired with traces of the rich earthiness you would expect to taste in the real fruit. Unlike a lot of stronger mango flavours, this one doesn’t bring any unpleasant off-notes to the party, which is great. There seems to be a very subtle coolant on the finish, which keeps things fresh. A solid, simple mango vape.

Classic Series - Lime Rancher

VG/PG Ratio : 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate

Throat hit: Mild

Another simple blend from the classic series. I think this is going to be a love it or hate it situation, because Lime Rancher doesn’t pull any punches. This is a fully-saturated lime hard candy flavour, with plenty of sweetness, a good helping of tartness and substantial sticky body. If you’re a fan of classic candy lime, you’ll likely enjoy this one but be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart!

Salt Series – Watermelon Ice

VG/PG Ratio : 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate

Throat hit: Moderate, with coolant (20mg/ml salt nicotine)

Watermelon Ice is a simple but well executed blend from Billionaire Juice. What it may lack in variety, it makes up for with a strong, trueto-life candy watermelon that’s ideal for low power vaping. Where some watermelon flavours carry an almost perfume-like off note, this one just brings fresh, juicy sweetness to the palate. A moderate helping of coolant complements the flavour well and makes for a refreshing MTL vape.

Salt Series – Strawberry Bubblegum

VG/PG Ratio : 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate

Throat hit: Moderate (20mg/ml salt nicotine)

A sweet shop favourite from the Salt Series. Despite the name, bubblegum is the dominant flavour in this case for me. It’s of the fruit medley variety, reminiscent of a certain leading brand, known for its juicy flavour. The bubblegum note is on the sweeter side of the spectrum, which is to be expected. This is contrasted by a slightly tart candy strawberry, which brightens up the mix a little but does not overtake the bubblegum as a top note. A simple but nicely balanced candy vape.

Salt Series – Berry Heaven

VG/PG Ratio : 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Moderate (20mg/ml salt nicotine)

A classic forest fruits profile. Candy blackcurrant is the most prominent flavour here, with a deep sweetness and substantial sticky texture. This is complemented by the milder tart and sweet notes of strawberry and raspberry, which brighten up the mix and cut through the heavier blackcurrant nicely. The blend is finished with a mild blueberry accent, which accentuates the deeper blackcurrant notes without dominating the mix.

Salts - Pink Pyro

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild (10mg/ml nicotine salt)

Firehouse Vape describe Pink Pyro as a summer fruits blend. The top note is a bright candy raspberry. It’s sweet, with a syrup-like texture, not dissimilar to the flavour you would expect from raspberry sorbet. It has some mild tartness but it’s not quite as pronounced in the salt formulation. This is complemented by moderate mixed berry notes, with traces of candy strawberry and a more natural blackcurrant. The mix is finished with a hint of something mildly citric, and to my palate, It would appear to be pineapple, which provides further tartness without overshadowing the raspberry top note. An ideal mix for low power devices.

Salts - Blues And Twos

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling (10mg/ml nicotine salt)

Blues And Twos is a spearmint bubblegum blend, which has always been a popular profile in the UK. The top note here is a moderate candy spearmint, which is full flavoured but does not pack any of the herbal notes that you might expect from a more natural portrayal. This is supported by a sweet bubblegum base. As ever, this is a rather ambiguous flavour but it should be familiar to anyone who has tried a certain fruity bubblegum in the past. This is a simplistic, unpretentious mix that should suit new vapers nicely. It’s apparent that Firehouse Vape have upped the flavour concentration for the salt version, which in my view is a good choice.

White Watch

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Firehouse Vape describe White Watch as a secret blend of fruits with a menthol finish. Any veteran vaper will immediately recognise this as a twist on the classic Heisenberg profile. The top note here is a moderate candy grape. It’s sweet and provides the mix with plenty of sticky mouthfeel. This is supported by a more reserved candy berry mix, which gives the blend some tartness and additional sweetness, without overpowering the grape top note. Normally in Heisenbergstyle blends we expect a good helping of aniseed but in this case I’m not detecting any. The profile is finished with an intense menthol, making for a refreshing and familiar fruit medley vape.

Salts - Lemon Blast

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild (10mg/ml nicotine salt)

Lemon Blast is the Firehouse Vape take on the classic lemon tart profile. The top note here is a reserved bakery lemon. It packs some of the tartness you would expect from the real thing but is tamed by slight creamy notes, reminiscent of a lemon curd. This is supported by a mild bakery vanilla, which gives the blend a boost of sweetness that you would expect from a lemon dessert. The mix is finished with a moderate bakery base, adding further buttery sweetness to the profile without weighing it down too much. Compared to the original formulation, I found the lemon to be more prominent, which may be due to the low power devices it was designed for.

Salts - Green Watch

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling (10mg/ml nicotine salt)

Green Watch is described as a tropical medley blended with watermelon. The top note here is a moderate candy watermelon. It brings plenty of sweetness to the mix, along with mild juicy mouthfeel. The main note of the tropical medley is a sweet mango to my palate. It’s more akin to a soda-style mango, rather than the more pungent south-east Asian flavour that is found in many other e-liquids. There may well be other tropical fruits in this supporting medley but they are difficult to discern as the mango is much more punchy. The mango also seems more prominent in the salt formulation compared to the original.

Salts - 999

VG/PG Ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling (10mg/ml nicotine salt)

999 is an unconventional blend of mint and custard. The top note here is a heavy candy peppermint. It brings plenty of sweetness to the mix, along with some very mild herbal notes. This is supported by a moderate custard base, which gives a nice boost to the sweetness of the profile, along with voluminous mouthfeel provided by the mild vanilla and dairy notes. Though pleasant, this mix reminds me more of a toffee mint hard candy than a minty custard, since the mint is much more dominant than the custard element. An enjoyable if unusual vape.

Carousel/Carousel Ice

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild/Mild, with cooling

Innevape describe Carousel as a fruit smoothie blended with cotton candy. From the moment you open the bottle, it’s apparent that there’s a lot going on here. For me, the top note is a bright candy pineapple. It has some of the juiciness and sour tang that you would expect from an authentic portrayal but also brings some sticky body to the profile. There also appears to be a sherbet-like citrus medley complementing this note, which elevates the profile’s overall tartness and creates a pleasing aftertaste. I’m almost certain that there are more fruits present in the mix, but they aren’t quite strong enough to individually identify. The cotton candy layer works as an accent to sweeten the mix and provide volume but isn’t the main feature in my view. This is an unusual but nicely executed fruit mix. Those who prefer a more refreshing vape can opt for Carousel Ice, which adds a dash of mentholated coolant to the mix. It doesn’t interfere with or change the balance of flavour, so this choice is entirely down to personal preference.

GY-4

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

GY-4 is Grizwald’s take on the classic RY4 profile, a blend of tobacco and dessert elements. Unlike most RY4 mixes, this one focuses in more on the tobacco top note. It’s a little darker than I would usually expect, with mild smoked notes but not as pungent as a pipe tobacco. This is complemented by a subtle caramel accent which pairs nicely with the inherent sweetness of the tobacco. The profile is finished out with a mild vanilla which smoothes out the tobacco and amplifies the overall sweetness, without making this a true dessert tobacco blend. A different spin on a classic profile.

Menthol Tabac

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal

Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Country Store

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Grizwald’s enigmatically describe Country Store as a blend of subtle flavours including biscuit, dairy and popcorn. The main note here for me is a buttery biscuit. It has a good amount of dark sweetness and texture but is not as sweet as we might normally expect from a bakery profile. This is complemented by hints of vanilla and cream, which add volume but not much sweetness to speak of. There’s a slight bitterness on the finish, which is reminiscent of a light tobacco but this note is quite subtle and difficult to define. An interesting bakery blend for those who prefer their e-liquids to be less sweet.

An extremely simple tobacco blend. Menthol and mint dominate this mix. There’s a good helping of natural mint here, which provides a baseline of herbal sweetness that quickly gives way to a moderate dose of menthol. The tobacco takes a back seat and is a tad more potent than something mild like a sweet virginia but not quite as dark or aromatic as an Asian tobacco. The result is a beginner-friendly tobacco menthol blend that should be ideal for those seeking something less sweet than most commercial offerings.

Bubblegum Queen – Peach

VG/PG Ratio: 60/40

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

A simple peach bubblegum blend. Candy peach is the dominant flavour here. It’s reminiscent of gummy candy style peach but does have some hints of the earthiness you would expect from a more natural portrayal, which makes for a more interesting top note. This is complemented by a mild candy bubblegum base which should be familiar to vapers who have tried other bubblegum profiles. The mix is finished with a light coolant which doesn’t interfere with the balance of flavours but does a good job of cutting through the sweetness. A simple but nicely balanced candy blend.

Bubblegum Queen – Grape

VG/PG Ratio: 60/40

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Whenever a Malaysian style grape e-liquid makes its way to me I get excited, because historically the Malaysian flavourings of this type are great. This one is no exception. Grape is the star of the show. It’s quite heavy, almost syrup-like, with an unmistakable deep sweetness of grape hard candy. This is complemented by a bolder bubblegum base, which works well in this context to provide a fruit medley connotation. The mix is finished with a light dose of coolant and the result is a refreshing grape candy profile that can easily be vaped all day, if you’re a fan of sweeter e-liquids.

Bubblegum Queen – Watermelon

VG/PG Ratio: 60/40

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Watermelon has always been popular in vaping but can be difficult to balance, since many of the flavourings are either mild or carry substantial off-notes. In this case, Cloudy O Funky have done a good job because this is a bright and bold candy watermelon, without any of the undesirable perfume aftertaste which is found all too often in such profiles. The bubblegum base is very mild here but does prevent the flavour from becoming too one dimensional. In any case, it doesn’t need to be stronger since that watermelon is doing the leg work. The mix is finished with a light coolant, which doesn’t get in the way of things. A simple but moreish candy profile.

Bubblegum Queen – Pineberry

VG/PG Ratio: 60/40

Additional sweetener: Moderate

Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

A blend of pineapple, berries and bubblegum. Candy pineapple takes the lead here. It’s bright and quite sweet but has a good helping of sharpness, which makes it unlike most candy pineapple offerings. This is complemented by the softer sweetness of a berry medley, which is low in the mix but still adds some depth to the pineapple. The bubblegum base is very mild here but does add more to the sweet shop connotation without making the profile overbearing. The blend is finished with a subtle coolant, keeping things fresh. An unusual but enjoyable candy mix.

Bubblegum Queen – Strawberry

VG/PG Ratio: 60/40

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Strawberry is certainly the top note in this blend but it’s more mild than some of the other fruits offered in the Bubblegum Queen range. It’s a candied portrayal and is mostly notable for its tartness, rather than anything else. The bubblegum base is much more apparent here and it’s a good replication of the mixed fruit bubblegum often found in sweet shops. I would have liked to have seen more defined fruit flavours here but perhaps the idea was to keep things simple. The mix is finished with a light coolant, resulting in a pleasant if slightly safe candy profile.

ISSUE 6 OUT NOW

HOBBYIST

MODDER’S PROFILE

b Noname Mods

Italian manufacturers Noname Mods have been producing some of the most highly sought-after devices since 2012, including some truly unique designs. As a result, they’ve become a cornerstone of the high-end vaping community. We spoke to Andrea Pontiggia to find out a little more about the method behind their madness.

Q: What was the first product you made and why were you inspired to join the vaping industry?

We started a little for fun and a little for passion, around an old forum for electronic cigarettes and around our first brainstorming the NoName was born. We went for a big battery around a small chipset, with a tube form factor. Giuseppe and I met online in 2012 and at that time the community was small, with few products that really worked. The alternatives were: Cisco, cartomizers or phantoms.

Q: What are the primary challenges of small batch manufacturing? How have you overcome them?

The biggest challenge was to find the right suppliers. An electronic cigarette has many components and it is basically impossible to find a single mechanical workshop able to make all the individual components.

The most complicated part is always to imagine something new and to transform the vision into a functional product without flaws, but luckily we had some skills and a technical background that provided us with a considerable competitive advantage.

Q: Many boutique mod companies operate exclusively through Facebook groups. Do you feel this is a good thing for the high-end scene?

It is now five years since our passion became work and our products are sold through selected stores around the world.

Vaping is a world closed on itself and promoting publicly is very difficult if not impossible, especially for a micro company like ours. The only way to do so is by carving out a corner in some shops that have managed to secure a slice in the high-end market and with our support they want to stay there.

Facebook is important and strategic, especially in terms of speed, contact management and as a mirror of market trends, as are trade shows, but in a different way.

Q: Often when talking about high-end mods, consumers think of companies based in Europe. It seems Italy has a particularly large share of the popular boutique companies, why do you think this is?

In reality it is a much broader phenomenon if we talk about customers - Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mexico and China are all perhaps even bigger markets than the American, French or Italian markets.

If we talk about production absolutely yes, Italy, France and Greece are still the countries with the highest concentration of microcompanies that produce devices aimed at the most esoteric market but I believe it is a cultural fact, a simple reflection of the consumer culture in which they developed.

Q: Over a year after release, your Checkmate is still one of the most desirable high-end squonk mods on the market. Why do you think this is?

Basically, even if I shouldn’t say it, because it was madness to imagine it, crazy to prototype it and an insane thought to produce it. But an unquestionably unique and iconic object has emerged, an object that consists of about 50 custom-designed pieces, all made by us, nevertheless it is so simple to use.

Q: Since Noname Mods was founded, the high-end market has become more competitive. Have you made changes to your business to ensure continued success?

We try to do it every week, but the market is not only more competitive, the problem is that it changes every day; new stores, new emerging countries, countries in which particular restrictive regulations no longer allow for sales, trends that vary, arise and die faster than a butterfly. It is a difficult market and in this last period it is decisively in trouble. I believe it needs to find its collective power and fully mature.

Q: Do you or your team own any high-end devices made by other companies? If so, which are your favourites and why?

I always try as many devices as possible and I think I have over 50. Even if there are many more that I’ve tried and owned in recent years , I love Art & Mod, SVA, I’M, C&C, Lukkos and many more. We are a group of friends and colleagues, so I think the choice was simple.

Q: For the last couple of years, the high-end scene has focused heavily on squonking. This year, smaller mods have become more popular again. What do you predict will be the strongest trend over the next 12 months?

The high-end market influences and reflects the mass market. There is no doubt that these last few months have not been easy for anyone. The decline has been felt, passing from the shopkeepers to the multinational throughout the whole chain.

Vaping needs some great players who can stabilise it. Today it is still a volatile and fluctuating market. There have been many moments of change (clouds, MTL, bottom feeder, pod) but innovation is constantly needed.

The vaper is not a customer who remains forever connected, but there is a percentage of those that carry on for longer. This is one of the challenges for companies like us.

Q: You have recently announced your next atomiser, the BF-99 Cube. Can you tell us a bit more about this?

It is a reimagining, a new version of our first RTA, probably the first top coil bottom air on the market. However, none of the parts are the same as the old project, we designed it from scratch.

It can work with mesh, cotton or both. The diameter is 22mm, with a length of 33mm (a record for a top coil). If you want to test it, you can find it in one of our reseller shops or say hi at any of the exhibitions that we attend.

Q: Finally, what is next for Noname Mods after the BF-99 Cube?

Hopefully many new and different products. We always love to explore every aspect of vaping and we will never stop doing it.

DIY E-LIQUID

Making your own e-liquid is a great way to fine tune your vaping experience and recently it’s become more popular than ever. With thousands of flavourings on the market, there really aren’t any limitations to what you can create, which is why thousands of people share their recipes online. In this feature we’ll be highlighting some of our favourite recipes, from beginner-friendly mixes to advanced profiles that should satisfy even the pickiest of vapers.

Fizzmustard’s ‘Nana Cream

Creator: /u/Fizzmustard (Reddit)

Difficulty: Beginner

Recipe:

• The Flavor Apprentice Strawberry – 7%

• The Flavor Apprentice Dragon Fruit – 3%

• Lorann’s Banana Cream – 5%

Fizzmustard started posting e-liquid recipes to Reddit over five years ago and quickly gained a reputation for simple but delicious mixes that newcomers could easily enjoy. ‘Nana Cream was intended to mimic the iconic flavour of the same name from Bombies, though this version doesn’t taste quite the same. The result is a simple and almost perfectly balanced blend of strawberry, banana and tropical fruit with a mild cream accent. After allowing this to steep for a few days, you’re in for a treat.

Kreed’s Kustard

Creator: Kevin Reed AKA Kreed

Difficulty: Beginner

Recipe:

• Capella Vanilla Custard V1 – 6%

• Capella NY Cheesecake V1 – 4.5%

• Capella French Vanilla V1 – 4.5%

• Ethyl Maltol (10% solution) – 1%

Dessert profiles don’t get more classic than vanilla custard and Kreed’s Kustard is widely

regarded as one of the best. Using all Capella flavourings, it’s easy to pick up your ingredients in one go and provided you have the patience to let this one steep for a few weeks, the result is a decadent, creamy vanilla custard profile that still holds up over four years after the recipe was originally shared. You can easily add fruit layers to suit your preference, so this is not only a great custard, but an easy starting point for new mixers to experiment with.

Fiestas and Fiascos

Creator: Concreteriver (alltheflavors.com)

Difficulty: Intermediate

Recipe:

• Capella Sweet Guava – 5%

• The Flavor Apprentice Vanilla Swirl – 4%

• Flavorah Yamika Hops – 3%

• Lorann’s Cream Cheese Icing – 2%

• Flavorah Pink Guava – 1%

• Inawera Cactus – 0.5%

Concreteriver is a legend of the DIY e-liquid community, having shared countless recipes and flavour notes over the years. Their ability to take unusual ingredients and turn them into all day vapes is really quite impressive. Fiestas and Fiascos is unlike anything commercially available and so is a great example of the benefits of mixing your own e-liquid. A rich, full-bodied guava is the main note here, supported by moderately funky hops and a milder vanilla cream layer. The Inawera Cactus adds a fresh juiciness to the recipe which makes it all the more intriguing. This may be one

for the more adventurous vapers but those who give it a try will be rewarded greatly.

Mayan Milk

Creator: Folkart (alltheflavors.com)

Difficulty: Advanced Recipe:

• Flavour Art Meringue – 2%

• Capella Double Chocolate V2 – 1.5%

• Flavour Art Butterscotch – 1%

• Flavorah Cream – 1%

• Liquid Barn Vanilla Ice Cream – 1%

• Hangsen Chocolate Cream – 0.75%

• Capella Super Sweet – 0.75%

Folkart has created something of a cult following over the last 18 months and it’s hardly a surprise, considering the variety and complexity of their recipes. Mayan Milk was created with the intent to conquer one of the final frontiers of e-liquid; chocolate. For whatever reason, chocolate has always been difficult to recreate in vaping but this recipe just about nails it. Some of these ingredients are a little harder to source, which is why we’ve marked it as advanced in difficulty. But if you go to the trouble of getting everything you need, the result is a rich and creamy chocolate milk that has to be one of the most authentic chocolate vapes we’ve tried. The original recipe uses Super Sweet at 0.75% to capture the sweetness of chocolate, so if mixed as intended, your coils may not thank you but this can be toned down if you wish. A stunning recipe.

Q: Who introduced you to vaping?

That credit goes to a few folks I knew who had been concerned about my health after a visit to the hospital with fluid on my lungs from a common cold I couldn’t kick.

Q: What was the first device or setup that really made you believe in vaping?

That would be my Manhattan mech mod with a Patriot RDA. Yeah, you know the ones. We would customise our own air flow! (R.I.P to the many drill presses in the back of the shops.)

Q: The Profile RDA was one of the best-selling RDAs of 2018 and is still very popular today. What inspired you to create a mesh RDA in the first place?

After seeing countless reviews from others who’d had bad experiences with mesh as a heating element in vaping, particularly one live show of the Vape Team, where VapnFagan had a monster dry hit and threw the RDA he was using in the trash. At that moment my mind went into overdrive. The surface area of mesh, the rapid heating and low battery sag all make for an almost perfect vape, except for one thing - cotton collapse creating a void between the

Meet the

DESIGNER

- MR.JUSTRIGHT1

Joel AKA Mr. Justright1 has been an active vape YouTuber and community leader since 2017 but last year he had a breakout success with his first hardware design, the Profile RDA. We wanted to find out more about the man who brought mesh rebuildables to the masses.

cotton and mesh. The answer was a simple one: spring load a platform to keep that contact consistent!

Q: What were the primary challenges of your first collaborative project?

The major manufacturers in China have a hard time understanding that with great risk comes great reward. Convincing them to try something that others had failed at is almost impossible. It’s why we see so many similar designs of products on the market. Most of the companies are waiting for the other to risk it and if it sells, they will copy it. That is hands down the biggest challenge. On that project, Wotofo believed in not only the idea but in me and for that I will forever be thankful.

Q: Was there anything that could not be realised in the end product?

If I had to say one thing, that would be the warmth of typical coils in an RDA that many folks expect. But have no fear, I’ve been working on that.

Q: These days there’s a style of vaping to suit anyone. If you could only use one hardware setup from today onwards, what would you choose and why?

My style of vaping is reflected in the Profile. I want massive flavour so I’d have to say the SQ Topside from The Vapor Chronicles, Signature Tips & Dovpo, paired with the Profile. Why? It’s 12.5 ml capacity and paired with a 21700, the battery life should get me through the whole 12.5ml. That’s very important to me. The perfect combination.

Q: Your latest project is the Ohmage subohm tank, in collaboration with Dovpo. What made you want to work with them this time around?

Having worked with The Vapor Chronicles on the Profile Unity RTA and seeing so many hand checks of the Topside and the Profile, it was destined to happen. Speaking with them and seeing that they care about this community, it felt right. “Just Right” to be exact!

Q: After chatting at Vaper Expo, we learned that there’s a personal story behind this project. Could you tell our readers a little more about this and what your main objectives were in its design?

Having designed and co-designed two of the hottest products, one would think I’d feel accomplished but there was a big void in my life. One the most important people in my life, my mother, has been battling cancer for years and she vapes but she couldn’t use the devices I designed.

I asked myself, what I have I really accomplished if my own mother couldn’t use my products? Absolutely

nothing in my book! Without the beginner market, none of us would be where we are today.

This is often overlooked when it comes to innovation because it’s not the cool thing or won’t get loads of hand checks on social media. I’ve been there, done that.

I want to ensure that when a converting smoker picks up the Ohmage, they have the very best chance to kick that nasty habit. So, we include five coils, so they don’t get discouraged after just two coils.

Q: Aside from your own designs, which are your favourite products that have come from collaborations between manufacturers and creators and why?

Two projects come to mind. The Twisted Tripple mod, with my brother from another Twisted420. Why? He showed the world no matter who you are or what your background is, you are in control of your life and what you get is all dependent on how hard you work! Second would be the TM-150 with Twisted Messes and Dovpo. The reason for that would be the fact that it would fire down to .05Ohms. I used that thing as a build stand for years after retiring it from use.

Q: You’ve had the opportunity to attend quite a few vaping events in your time. Which has been the most memorable for you?

It is a toss-up between the Vaper Expo UK and ECC Ontario, both held this year. ECC had long been the Mecca of vape expos for me, so to finally go thanks to Wismec /JFFairbanks design Team and Damion, much respect. The Vaper Expo UK was a blast. If you would’ve asked me just a few years ago if I would ever need a passport or ever leave the United States, I would’ve laughed at you. Being able to attend and experience all the love the UK showed was surreal. I will cherish that trip and the memories to my dying day.

Q: You’ve designed an RDA, an RTA and now a subohm tank. Can you give us any hints on what we might expect for the future?

My end goal is to make it to a point where I can help others who have unique ideas to get them to the right companies and hopefully soon #JustRightEditions of existing hardware, much like Project Subohm has been doing for years.

I leave you with this: if you have ever felt like you are not a somebody, I want you to know you are a somebody in somebody’s eyes and that somebody is me. I love each and every one of you!

Thank you all, I am forever humbled and grateful for all the support and motivation! Much love to my babies Elyssa, Maryssa, Madisyn, Joel and Stephen.

WORTH THE HYPE? 5A’S BASIC 1.1 TI

Basic 1.1 Ti Specifications:

Dimensions: 22mm*25mm (height including drip tip)

Materials: Titanium, delrin, gold-plated stainless steel

Build deck: Single coil

If you’ve ever delved into the “high end” vape scene, you’ll know that critically acclaimed products are often nigh on impossible to get your hands on. This is a result of extremely high demand, coupled with the limited quantity of units that smaller manufacturers are able to produce. The Basic RDA, from Filipino modders 5A’s, has been one such item since the release of the Basic 1.1 in early 2018. At this point, though, supply and demand have reached equilibrium, so we were finally able to get our hands on the version that’s still in production – The Basic 1.1 Ti.

The Ti edition is virtually identical to the standard 1.1, except for the fact that it boasts a titanium deck. In theory, this makes the core of the atomiser more durable but in reality, it mostly imparts bragging rights. We are partial to some bragging rights, though. Construction, fit and finish of the Basic 1.1 Ti are simply gorgeous. There’s not a single visible flaw in the machining and Youtube Reviewer Geekayvapes even put the device under a strong macro lens to confirm just how well 5A’s finish their products. O-ring tolerances are on the stiff side out of the box but this becomes a non-issue in use, as the atomiser comes into contact with lubricating e-liquid.

The build deck isn’t revolutionary, nor should it be. Two gold-plated stainless-steel grub screws on opposite sides of the deck secure the leads of your coil and they work exactly as you would expect.

Due to the airflow design, it’s easy to find the ideal height and horizontal placement of your coil, so no issues there, either. This may be a tiny 22mm RDA but it can still accommodate a wide

range of builds, from simple round wire, all the way up to multicore exotics. The deck is roomy enough that it should be a breeze to build, even for those with less experience. Extreme high mass coils will run too hot for the small chamber but that should be expected. The airflow design is what sets the Basic 1.1 apart from other single coil flavour chasers. Four small inlets in the top of the deck feed directly into two channels at the sides and bottom of the coil. The result is a super-short atomiser that manages to be almost entirely leak proof, a great feature for the squonkers that this RDA was clearly designed for. Normally, we might expect airflow such as this to cause turbulence or a loud draw but the Basic 1.1 somehow avoids this, with a smooth, restricted and quiet hit. What about flavour performance? Although flavour intensity seems to have reached its natural limit with RDAs such as the Haku Venna and MissionXV KRMA, the Basic 1.1 handily keeps up with the market leaders in this regard. Essentially, when it comes to restricted direct lung vaping, you cannot get a better flavour experience than what the Basic is able to provide. We’ve been enjoying it most when using two or three core fused Clapton coils, between 35W-45W, but there’s plenty of room for experimentation with other builds.

In summary, the 5A’s Basic 1.1 Ti is a masterclass of an RDA. It’s built beautifully, refuses to leak when squonking and puts out some of the very best flavour we’ve experienced in vaping. For those who like to personalise, there’s even a wide array of aftermarket top caps to choose from. Coming in at $100 + shipping, this is most certainly worth the hype.