Outside the Box

The VFolk is using quality materials and innovative design to try to stand out in a crowded market.

By Timothy S. Donahue

Pod systems are popular. They are so prevalent that nearly every vapor industry hardware manufacturer and brand has a pod system on the market. It isn’t easy to stand out in such a crowded field. However, that is exactly what Sunny Lee set out to do with her VFolk Pro closed pod system.

“As a global company, we are working on providing a healthier alternative for 1 billion smokers,” said Lee, who started the company in 2016 and now serves as its CEO. “Every day, we go to work hoping to do two things: share great flavor with our friends and make the world a little better.”

VFolk began in the U.S. with a focus on producing hightech vapor products. VFolk has increased in size by 30 percent year-over-year and has offices and/or factories in the U.S., U.K. and China. The company has grown from only Lee to a staff of 58 today.

Lee hired several designers from the U.S. and the U.K. in an attempt to find a device that would help the everyday smoker switch from combustible cigarettes. She brought on team members that served as executives, senior product engineers and scientists from some of the most successful technology companies on the planet, including Philips, Schneider, Facebook, WhatsApp, Google, YouTube, Sonos, IBM, Oracle and Lenovo.

Lee challenged her team to design the best possible pod device that overcame many of the issues other pod devices haven’t been able to fully overcome. These challenges included not providing enough flavor and pods leaking liquid. The design they found that worked best in tests was an elongated spherical stick that was the same length as a traditional cigarette, according to Lee.

“It also needed to be about as wide and thick as an average-sized adult index finger while being easy to carry and use,” said Lee. The first test the team faced was finding a coil atomizer that provided a better vape and more flavor than other pod devices on the market. The VFolk engineers settled on the Feelm coil produced by Smoore in China. Smoore is one of the oldest heating technology companies in the world.

Designed primarily for prefilled pod systems, the Feelm atomizer uses no cotton or wicking material and has a large surface area that comes in contact with the e-liquid. The Feelm atomizer uses a ceramic base that has a flat, medical-grade stainless steel metal film material on top of it. The circuit is also on the top, and it works very well, especially with prefilled pods, because of the increased surface area, which allows for a better vaping experience, according to Lee.

“Feelm is also a very efficient coil. It uses up to 20 percent less battery life, which can be a huge benefit to closed-pod systems,” says Lee. “Right now, Feelm coils set the standard for atomization technology in the vape industry. As we know, the most important part of a quality vape is atomization. We choose Feelm coils because we wanted to use the highest quality products. The VFolk pod uses the world’s most advanced trapezoidal funnel-shaped honeycomb ceramic core, which costs much more than a general ceramic core. Atomizing to 0.01 mm and evenly heating tens of thousands of honeycomb holes helps to maximize the conversion rate, which ensures VFolk’s consistently smooth, mellow and continuous taste.”

By using such advanced ceramic atomizing technology alongside a battery with a 350 mAh capacity, the VFolk easily lasts through a full day of heavy use, according to Lee. “You can fully charge it through USB in less than 60 minutes. A 1.2 mL pod can last the average vaper approximately 2–3 days,” she says. “The 5 percent nicotine concentration is strong enough to satisfy smokers with a strong habit but light enough to keep infrequent smokers away from throat irritation.”

The second major challenge for the VFolk team was minimizing leakage. There is an adage in vaping: Everything leaks eventually. It has been an industry issue since the very beginning. Closed pod leakage is very hard to fix, harder even than fixing leaks on an open tank system. The pod connection must fit right with the battery while still allowing the vapor to come from the top. The VFolk team knew they needed a pod that could outperform the other pod systems on the market alongside having the lowest leakage rates available.

“VFolk uses an advanced double-sealed design to separate the pod and atomizer,” says Lee. “There will be no e-juice leakage with this device even when the device is violently swung, tilted or placed on different surfaces. The VFolk pods also use an advanced magnetic lock technology to secure pods into place. The process is intuitive and user-friendly.”

In order to further stand out from the crowd, Lee wanted to offer customers variety in how their pod looks. Currently, the VFolk comes in eight different color coats, including classic black, space gray, navy blue, scarlet ruby, live coral, champagne gold, pine green and lavender violet. She says the VFolk is also available in several markets.

“VFolk products are not only just for selling in China but also for the worldwide market. For the EU, we are a TPD2 registered brand,” she says. “In the U.S., we were on the market before Aug. 8, 2016 and are preparing to file for a premarket tobacco [product] application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Our products passed CE, RoHS [and] FCC certification, [and] we also have more certification plans for other major markets.”

VFolk offers seven pod flavors that include tobacco, mint, mango, cucumber, mung bean, lychee and coffee. “Users can choose tobacco and mint flavors to satisfy the craving of traditional tobacco products and mimic how they taste. They can also try something special like fruit or a coffee flavor to bring that extra kick into your day,” says Lee, adding that there may be more flavors coming in the future. “VFolk will launch products according to customers’ requirements periodically. For example, we are looking at launching new flavors, a new refillable pod, 0 mg nicotine e-liquid pods, and even functional e-liquid pods such as a collagen pod, a vitamin C pod or a melatonin Pod … etc.” The company is also considering pods for cannabidiol and THC oils.

Moving forward, Lee says she understands that closed pod systems are quick and convenient, but e-liquid choices are limited. Open systems, however, allow vapers to use any e-liquid they want. Having the ability to choose between the best of both worlds is another way that VFolk plans on helping smokers make the switch from combustible cigarettes. That is why VFolk is launching a refillable pod in its next-generation system.

“Our next generation will see a major improvement in flavor production and cartridge capacity. We will also offer a new system that is both refillable and a closed system,” says Lee, adding that if you want a VFolk, it depends on where you are located. “For some countries, which already have VFolk distributors, we will hand over the distributor contact to a client. If you come from a blank market, we will support you with product and keep moving the business between us,” she says. “The vapor industry is getting bigger and bigger, and it’s only just beginning. We believe VFolk is unquestionably a shining star in the industry.”