SOME OF MY THOUGHTS FOR 2016…

I’m not so sure I want to call this My “Thoughts” for 2016, but rather my “Hopes” for 2016.

My biggest hope is that the electronic cigarette industry and vapers alike are able to work with the FDA and other governing bodies to come up with regulations that are fair across the board to both manufacturers, shop owners, and themselves. These regulations shouldn’t be so impossible to deal with both financially and administratively that we put people out of work and make it more difficult to get the kinds of products we use and enjoy.

I think it important that our industry unites to fight these regulations… and I’m talking everyone! Vendors, shop owners, hardware manufacturers, liquid manufacturers, vapers… ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE! Regardless of where you are in the world. Imagine the power we would have if we were unified under a single organization in both in our voices and our money.

Collectively we have a lot to lose if this goes the wrong way… jobs will be lost, businesses will close, money earned and invested will be lost, but most importantly, LIVES WILL BE LOST.

Let’s just hope we’re not too late here. My fear is that we are.

I am optimistic for the future of vaping, but I certainly don’t think things will remain the same. I don’t think everyone will be able to play in the sandbox anymore. If you’re involved, I encourage you to be prepared for whatever may come (if that’s even possible) if long term sustainability is your goal.

There is a very selfish and narrow-minded view out there. “I have all the mods I’ll ever need and I can just make my own juice.” Sure that may work for you, but what about the smokers? They need access to devices and liquids to make the transition to vaping… the transition to a healthier lifestyle.

From a product review perspective, I believe this will be the year of the “gimmicky” as we hit a wall with the current tech. I can see the release of more and more gimmicky and “me too” products doing anything they can to push themselves to market and getting you to spend your money.

I will do my best to avoid these and look at innovative products with fresh new ideas.

I continue to believe temperature control, even with all of its hassles and headaches to be one of the most important advancements in vaping, but I still don’t think we’re there yet. I’d like to see this get easier to deal with, work with all wire types, not require manual setups, become more accurate, and put in an interface that the smoker can understand and not just the tech savvy vaper.

When my mother can use the tech without issue… we’ve arrived. 🙂

I’d like to see more research into the materials we use and the ways we use them. I’m tired of “I don’t know”. I want to know. I want to know if kanthal is better than nickel is better than titanium is better than stainless. I want to know if cotton is better than silica. I want to know if vaping less liquid at higher nic levels is better than vaping more liquid at lower nic levels. I want to know just how bad DI and AP are and how much is too much? I want to know if vaping at 400 degrees is safer than 500 degrees. I want to know if vaping mouth to lung is safer than direct lung. I want to know how the different ways we vape affects harm reduction. Finally, I want it presented to us in an easy to understand format always comparing it to the traditional tobacco cigarette.

There are two words I’m very tired of in this industry… “sub” and “clouds”. I’m not saying there isn’t a place for it, nor am I condemning it, but I am saying this is not what I want to focus on, nor do I think it’s going to win us any popularity contests.

I’m going to continue to move away from these words and focus more on words like “harm reduction” and “smoker”, which have ALWAYS been my drive to do what I do. I feel we’ve lost sight of the most important vaper out there… the smoker who does not know they’re a vaper yet.

This was once a game of saving or extending lives, creating healthier alternatives to tobacco cigarettes, and tobacco harm reduction. I now feel there is too much emphasis on the cloud and not enough on the previous items mentioned. I would like to focus on the former.

The mouth to lung experience is being overlooked and I think this very sad. Not only for the vapers who still vape the way they used to smoke and enjoys that experience, but more for the smokers. I believe in my heart of hearts that a quality, trouble free mouth to lung experience is imperative for the success of the smoker transitioning to vaping. Where you go from there is all up to you. I personally find no joy or satisfaction in the direct lung vaping experience and even when I do, I’m concerned by the increased consumption of e-liquid required to give me the satisfaction I’m looking for. I’m unwilling to drop my nicotine level at the expense of increasing my exposure to and usage of e-liquid.

I don’t feel the current trend of hardware and software (e-liquids) is conducive to the smoker transitioning to vaping. This may very well be my driving force to move more into the industry with the thought and goal of helping the smoker, and endorsing and/or branding hardware and liquids with that thought and goal in mind.

This will be seen as negative by some in the community. Haters will hate. There’s nothing I can do about that. But I will gladly be labeled a “sell out” if that means helping people move away from traditional tobacco cigarettes into the world of vaping and providing them the support, products, and liquids they need to get there.

Others will understand my need and want to be part of something I am so passionate about.

The one thing that will not change is the information you get from my reviews. I will continue, as I have always done, to provide you with an honest look at the gear we use to vape… and NOT SMOKE.

Wishing you all my best for the New Year. Vape Happy everyone!