The Vaping Vibe

By Jay Galletly

I don’t know if you have been paying attention to the variety of vaping devices that have been hitting the market lately.  It seems that every one of them strives to be more over-the-top than the last.  I continue to see new devices with numerous “bells and whistles” that go way beyond alternatives to traditional smoking.  I suppose at some point we’ll see vaping devices with flashlights, laser pointers, and even GPS.  Smartphones will have nothing on vapor technologies. What I want to know is, “Are we trying to smoke, or are we trying to devise a Swiss Army Knife for smokers?”  Below is a video that pokes fun at this concept.

All we ever wanted to do was to create a safe and reliable eCig that offered “A New Way” to smoke.  Nothing fancy, nothing too cute, but something that truly offered a replicated smoking experience that could be sold only to committed smokers of legal age.  We have developed our products to appeal to America’s smokers…not kids and others who don’t smoke today.  That’s why we don’t offer exotic flavors and technical gizmos that can appeal current non-smokers and, worse yet, our youth.  

Having been in the electronic cigarette industry since its inception I can tell you that this business has exploded, sometimes literally (see “Batteries that Go Boom” below).  From just a handful of vaping and e-cigarette manufacturers in 2007, suddenly hundreds of vaping entrepreneurs have sprung up.  Some of these like us use high quality control standards.  Unfortunately there are others who do not.  Like it or not, all it takes to get into the industry is contact with any of a number of foreign manufacturers.  When we were creating the VIAe brand, we personally toured a number of factories across the globe before settling with a manufacturer who we could rely on to produce a quality product.  I can tell you that these trips make a huge difference in the quality of our product line.  The problem is that many of the brands that you see online or on store shelves are being manufactured by the factories that we passed up.  As a result, there have been a number of incidents involving vaping devices that have made the news.

Batteries That Go Boom

Case in point: In England, the fire chief of Bartley issued a warning after a resident reported that an e-cigarette that had been plugged into a USB port on his laptop exploded, sending burning fragments across the living room, scorching both the sofa and the carpet.

While the fire investigation officer reported that the owner had followed the instructions for charging the unit, other incidents involving vaping devices that caught fire were the result of the devices being plugged into the wrong charger.  My advice for those who vape is to only use the charger supplied with the kit.  Never use the charger from one manufacturer to charge a unit manufactured by another company. 

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It Takes an Engineering Degree

Not all vaping devices are created equal.  In fact, there are so many components involved in a number of them that it practically takes an engineering degree to smoke many electronic vaping devices.  In a recent scan of the web I came across a number of vaping providers that were touting everything from anodized aluminum tank holders and atomizer adapters, to voltage indicators and dual coil cartomizers.  There’s nothing that makes your vaping enjoyment more pleasurable than having the proper voltage being sent to your dual coil cartomizer.  Are these guys serious?

The Giggle Factor

On a recent excursion to a local watering hole I spotted several patrons and even one bartender puffing away on a bizarre array of vaping devices.  Some of these contraptions looked like a cross between a digital thermometer and a soldering iron.  After ordering another cocktail, I couldn’t resist telling the bartender, “Dude, what are you smoking?!  Try one of these…it’s so much easier.”

Having been one of the pioneers in e-cigarettes, I sometimes wonder where the industry went off the rails.  The benefits of vaping are many.  But when it comes to smoking satisfaction, you don’t need a lot of complicated bells and whistles.  What you need is a way to enjoy a smoke without spending a fortune or irritating those around you.  You also need a manufacturer that is dedicated to producing a quality product at a price you can afford.  Everything else is nothing more than smoke and mirrors.  

Jay Galletly is the CEO and one of the founders of VIAe in North Carolina. He is one of the pioneers of the e-cigarette industry and was instrumental in the growth and success of other e-cigarette companies before starting VIAe.