HAS ANYBODY TOLD TRADING STANDARDS?

With only 2ml of liquid allowed in UK tanks, one leading vape brand says they have found a way of getting the puff count to 800 while remaining firmly within the law.

Words: Oliver Smith

Vapouround Editor Oliver Smith recently attended the new FEELM Max product launch during Vaper Expo UK for what was billed as the unveiling of the ‘world’s first ceramic coil disposable solution.’

Here he gives his thoughts on the event, poses some interesting questions raised by the announcement and discusses recent developments regarding enforcement of existing vape regulations.

Just as it was about universally acknowledged that 600 puffs is the benchmark for a fully-compliant vape device with a regulation 2ml tank…it seems we may have to think again.

Chinese-based FEELM, the flagship brand of atomization tech company SMOORE, say that 800 puffs is the new benchmark for single use devices using their latest hi-tech ceramic heating technology.

It reminds me of the classic TV adverts for a well-known brand of washing up liquid saying their product lasted far longer than their rivals, backed up by a long line of clean plates to prove it.

Closer to home, there has been a lot of focus on vape tank sizes in recent months, following the ELF BAR overfilling incident which led to national media coverage and the withdrawal of their non-compliant products from sale.

FEELM say it has taken five years of intense research to get to the point of launching this ceramic technology to the single-use vape market and the facts and figures they provided at their launch event were certainly.

If you weren’t there, think of the way Apple launch their new iPhones or iPads and you will get the idea.

One key message was that their ceramic heating technology uses virtually every drop of the e-liquid as they do not require the absorbent cotton coils found in many regular devices which trap liquid inside like a wet towel.

The 600-puff benchmark is synonymous with legal 2ml tank size so there is a danger that Trading Standards enforcement officers may regard an 800 puff count device as being noncompliant.

On the subject of enforcement, as we report elsewhere in this issue, a preliminary investigation by Arcus Compliance has shown that in the last three years only two successful prosecutions have been made against retailers for underage/illicit sales across six major UK cities. Two prosecutions in three years! No wonder rogue retailers believe it is ‘open season’ to sell to children because there is virtually no chance of ever getting caught if these numbers are correct.

I also saw UKVIA Director General John Dunne on TV the other day explaining that one retailer was fined just £26 for selling vapes to children. This is madness.

Dunne says the fines should be ramped up to £10,000 and I completely agree. I also welcome Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent announcement of a £3m fund to launch an ‘illicit vape enforcement squad’ to clampdown on underage vape sales.

Arcus Compliance Managing Director Robert Sidebottom makes a very valid point when he says this is a welcome start but is ‘a far cry from the final solution and more intervention is clearly needed’.

Enforcement of vape regulations is very important because you can have all the rules in the world but they ultimately count for nothing if enforcement is weak.

I very much look forward to the release of the full report from Arcus Compliance, and if it as bad as the initial findings suggest, then hopefully this will provide a wake-up call for the government.

To ensure that enough funding is made available so that the new vape enforcement squads are more than just a good newspaper headline.

But if 800 puffs really is the new benchmark for single use devices powered by FEELM’s hi-tech ceramic technology let’s hope that somebody has thought to tell Trading Standards.