Author: Staff Writer

  • Duel Identity

    Duel Identity

    ALD’s new XPLLO offers a quality vaping experience for a large segment of the vapor market.              

    By Mike Huml

    The ALD XPLLO is a straightforward pod system device from ALD. It uses both disposable and refillable pods, leaving either option open according to user preference. For anyone looking for something a little more robust than a disposable without sacrificing ease of use, the XPLLO fits the bill perfectly.

    The XPLLO is about average in terms of size compared to similar devices while being slightly heavier than a disposable. This is likely due to higher quality materials and a larger battery that clocks in at 580 mAh. The XPLLO fires a 1.7 ohm heating element at 7.5 watts, so the 580 mAh battery goes a long way due to low current draw. That’s not to say that the vapor is weak—far from it, and without being told the specifications prior, you would never guess it’s only firing at 7.5 watts.

    The pod itself holds 2 mL of e-liquid, and the coil cannot be replaced. Once the coil or the pod is used up, the entire pod gets replaced. It’s held in place with relatively strong magnets that yield a slight amount of play but without feeling janky. Pods are secure once installed, and that can be demonstrated by lifting up the XPLLO while gripping only the pod and shaking it a bit. It stays assembled with no issues. Each mod is made out of translucent plastic, so it’s comfortable between the lips or teeth, and remaining e-liquid can be viewed with ease.

    The XPLLO has a single button that can be used to fire the device or turn it on or off with five successive clicks. However, the XPLLO is also draw activated, making it a good fit for fans of both types of activation. The body is aluminum, contributing nearly completely to the quality difference between two-piece pod systems like the XPLLO and single-piece plastic disposables. The obligatory LED is included here as well, illuminating when a drag is taken or when the device is powered on or off. The color acts as an indicator as to the remaining battery charge.

    Speaking of the battery, at 580 mAh, it can last upward of four hours of use depending on the user’s vaping habits. A USB-C port is located on the tip of the XPLLO, and a full charge can be achieved in under 30 minutes with the right charger or adapter. Thankfully, USB-C ports are becoming more and more common on vapor devices, which not only leads to faster charging and a higher level of compatibility (mobile devices have used USB-C for years) but also alleviates the annoyance of fiddling with the charging cable, flipping it over to make sure it’s oriented correctly.

    When it comes to performance, the XPLLO can compete with the best of them. Flavor is crisp and clean, and vapor production is surprisingly robust given the relatively high resistance of the heating element and low power output. No sacrifices were made in the vapor department, but there are huge gains when it comes to battery life. Like other ALD products, vapor is produced effortlessly with no spitback or gurgling. The airflow is perfect for mouth-to-lung vaping, and few people will miss the ability to tweak the airflow.

    It can be difficult to stand out in the vapor industry now that pod systems and disposables have saturated the market. At a glance, they can all look very similar to one another. Performance is where the standouts can be seen, and the XPLLO certainly stands out. It offers several options not generally available on disposables, such as the dual-activated switch and power toggle functionality, but remains simple enough that anyone can pick it up and get a fantastic vaping experience with no learning curve.

    The XPLLO from ALD represents everything that a pod system should be—simple, reliable and hassle-free. It doesn’t sacrifice an iota of performance or quality to achieve these things. It acts as both a perfect entry point for new vapers and an upgrade for those coming from disposables. It’s also a formidable option for more advanced users who want something quick and easy to carry around when large mods become too cumbersome. It’s a wide and diverse market, and the XPLLO checks many boxes that will appeal to said market.

    All in all, the XPLLO represents great value for anyone looking to pick up a pod system. It pulls no punches and sacrifices nearly nothing to provide a convenient, quality and reliable vaping experience for a large segment of the vapor market.

  • New UNC Report Pushes False EVALI Narrative

    New UNC Report Pushes False EVALI Narrative

    Credit: People Images

    A new report from University of North Carolina researchers pushes the false claim that nicotine vaping products cause e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI).

    “At its core, EVALI is a serious disease that primarily affects the lungs and results in a substantial number of hospitalizations and deaths in a relatively young and otherwise healthy population across the United States,” said Meghan Rebuli, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the UNC School of Medicine, stated in a press release. “This epidemic is largely caused by the unregulated and quickly evolving nature of the e-cigarette industry and certainly highlights the need for continued action by both researchers and government agencies.”

    In 2021, Rebuli co-led a virtual workshop which brought together pulmonologists, public health officials, epidemiologists, and toxicologists from across the U.S. to discuss their latest research findings and recommendations. A new report, with Rebuli as its lead author, was published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society in December 2022.

    The the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that vitamin E acetate used in THC-based vaping products was “more than likely responsible” for causing EVALI. However, Vitamin E acetate wasn’t found in all of the EVALI-associated products, according to Rebuli.

    “So, it is still quite possible that there are other components in e-cigarettes that can cause EVALI,” said Rebuli. “We just have not identified many of those yet.”

    No components of nicotine-based vaping products have been associated with EVALI, according to the CDC.

    In July of 2020, the CDC said states no longer have to track lung-related injuries caused by marijuana-based vapor products, partly because cases have dropped. The CDC said it stopped requiring states to report the numbers after it “pinpointed vitamin E acetate as the culprit in THC e-cigarettes” making people sick. The CDC said it is monitoring EVALI cases and hasn’t seen an uptick nationwide. However, It said the agency will continue to provide assistance to states as needed.

    EVALI and false reporting surrounding its cause has boosted misinformation surrounding nicotine vaping products. A new study led by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) shows perceptions of e-cigarettes as being “more harmful” than cigarettes by adults in the United States more than doubled between 2019-2020 and perceptions of e-cigarettes as “less harmful” declined between 2018-2020, when the EVALI concern was at its peak.

    Dr. Kumar Subaramaniam, a physician based in Malaysia, says he finds the increased usage of the term EVALI worrisome, as it is often discussed in the wrong context, according to the New Strait Times. Kumar said that the issue lies with certain parties, who bring up EVALI at the mention of vaping, while repeating and spreading mistruths about vaping.

    When the CDC identified the real culprit behind the EVALI outbreak, the presence of vitamin E acetate that was added into illegal tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products, Kumar said the CDC’s slow reaction to announcing the cause caused the mishap that left a bad reputation on vaping, which was touted to give many smokers a chance to quit smoking tobacco products for good.

    “So, it was not vaping that was the problem, rather the misuse and abuse of the products. But the damage has been done and the half-baked truths surrounding EVALI live on to this day,” he says. “The EVALI saga should not be used as a ‘boogeyman’ to dissuade us from seeking to regulate vaping and adopt a ‘zero-tolerance’ attitude. In fact, the EVALI saga in the U.S. shows above all the importance of regulations.”

  • Heat-not-Burn Sales Start to Catch Fire in U.K.

    Heat-not-Burn Sales Start to Catch Fire in U.K.

    Credit: Postmodern Studio

    New data from Philip Morris Limited (PML) shows that retailers should stay stocked up on the latest technology advancements in next-generation nicotine products to keep ahead of growing consumer demand.

    Kate O’Dowd, head of commercial planning UK & Ireland at PML, said that data shows that store owner competition in the heat-not-burn category is shifting the landscape, by challenging the dominance of traditional categories (such as e-cigarettes) and accelerating the pace of change.

    “The race to switch adult smokers to alternative products between convenience retailers and large multiples, and the speed with which manufacturers and their brands are developing and commercializing the most innovative products to meet growing demand show everyone is feeling the heat,” she said. “For instance, if we look at heat-not-burn – a relative newcomer to the U.K. market – we see a category growing at over twice the speed of the e-cigarette category, which launched at least a decade earlier.”

    O’Dowd cited data from PML’s first quarter results that found that the firm’s HEETS tobacco sticks accounted for more than 6 percent of the market share of the total industry sales volume for heated tobacco units.

    PML also recently commissioned a survey, which included more than 1400 convenience retailers, to find whether retailers would forego competing with other stores if it meant they could help their community to make the swap to smoke-free options.

    More than two-thirds of the respondents to the survey said they would look beyond competition with other stores to work together to help their community to go smoke-free.

    Aiming to push this potential of the heat-not-burn subcategory further, PML recently rolled out its new IQOS Originals Duo heat-not-burn product, an advancement to its previous IQOS 3 Duo, the comapny said. The new device comes in a kit with a compact, lightweight holder and two packs of HEETS at an RRP of £39.

  • Australia Group Wants Harsher Rules for Illegal Sales

    Australia Group Wants Harsher Rules for Illegal Sales

    Credit: Alexey Novikov

    Health officials in Australia are demanding a crackdown on vaping sales violators with stricter laws and stiffer penalties due to a surge in illegal vape importers, vendors and advertisers.

    Australian shop keepers that have sold outlawed nicotine vapes have been fined more than $730,000 in the last 13 months, up $110,000 from the previous year, according to the Daily Mail.

    New data from the Therapeutic Goods Administration shows the continuous sale of illegal e-cigarettes is taking a massive toll on health budgets. However, fighting the black market trade is a major expense as the suspected illegal e-cigarettes have to undergo laboratory testing to find traces of nicotine.

    Australia took action against the growing epidemic by outlawing nicotine vapes in Oct. 2021, but the products have remained readily available on the black market.

  • Geekvape Inks Deal With Paris Saint-Germain

    Geekvape Inks Deal With Paris Saint-Germain

    Credit: Uslatar

    Geekvape has announced its partnership with the football club Paris Saint-Germain, marking the second time the two parties have inked a sponsorship agreement.

    In a press release, Geekvape, a China-based e-cigarette manufacturer, states that it first became an official partner of Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. The alliance has extended the “Geek” spirit through “spectacular events” that drew a broad international audience.

    “I am delighted that our partnership was so successful last year, and it is an honor to carry on the spirit of healthy sport with Paris Saint-Germain, in the new year, in keeping with our mutual pursuit of excellence and elegance for a great new and exciting season,” said Geekvape CEO Allen Yang. “Geekvape intends to capitalize on the enormous popularity of football as a sport in order to spread the love of sport and the concept of health to people throughout the globe.”

    Paris Saint-Germain is one of the most popular football clubs in the world with superstar players like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr. on its roster.

  • Ohio Governor Aims to Ban Vape Flavors Statewide

    Ohio Governor Aims to Ban Vape Flavors Statewide

    Ohio Governor Mike DeWine

    The governor of the U.S. state of Ohio has called for a statewide ban on the sale of flavored nicotine products. The announcement came when Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a bill that would have barred local governments from making any tobacco rules more harsh than state regulations.

    “I’m just looking at this from a logical point of view,” DeWine said. “I listen to my friends who have businesses. I understand their desire to get uniformity…I just think the easiest way to do this is to have a statewide ban.”

    The provision he vetoed was a legislative response to a ban recently approved by the city of Columbus. The governor announced his decision during a press conference held with his state health director, Bruce Vanderhoff, to specifically talk about the dangers of youth use of flavored tobacco products, according to The Blade.

    “We have an epidemic,” DeWine said. “We are seeing more and more of young people starting to vape at a younger and younger age. This has been going on long enough now that we know that many of them then transition over to tobacco, and we know the long-term consequences of that.”

  • Campaigners Slam Threat to Ban U.K. Cigarette Sales

    Campaigners Slam Threat to Ban U.K. Cigarette Sales

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Campaigners have slammed the suggestion that a future Labour government could ban the sale of cigarettes to eradicate smoking by 2030.

    Speaking to the BBC, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said Labour would consult on banning the sale of cigarettes.

    Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ rights group Forest, condemned the idea.

    “The health risks of smoking are well known but it’s a legitimate habit that millions of adults enjoy,” he said. “Banning the sale of cigarettes to future generations won’t stop people smoking. It would merely drive the sale of tobacco underground and into the hands of criminal gangs.”

    Unlike countries such as the U.S., regulators in the U.K. have embraced using vaping products to curb tobacco use and the strategy has been effective.

    Clark pointed out that current U.K. smoking rates are the lowest on record and an increasing number of smokers are switching voluntarily to reduced risk products like e-cigarettes without government intervention.

    “Given all the problems facing the NHS [National Health Service] and the country at large, it’s laughable to think that tackling smoking might be considered a priority for a future Labour government,” said Clark.

    During the BBC interview, Wes Streeting said more radical options were needed as the U.K. was set to miss its target of being “smoke-free” by 2030

    “One of the things that was recommended to the government in one of their own reviews was phasing out the sale of cigarettes altogether over time. We will be consulting on that and a whole range of other measures,” said Streeting.

    Streeting said he would pay close attention to the results of a recently announced law in New Zealand that makes it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009.

    Under the new rules, which take effect this year, the country’s smoking age of 18 would be raised year by year until it applied to the whole population. Beginning in 2023, those under 15 would be barred from buying cigarettes for the rest of their lives.

    “I am genuinely curious,” he said. “If we are going to get the NHS back on track, we need to focus on public health. 

    Streeting’s comments follow a review ordered by Sajid Javid when he was health secretary which listed 15 measures to give the U.K. its “best chance” of hitting a national target of making the UK smoke-free by 2030.

  • Authorities Raid Shops, Seize E-Cigarettes in Oman

    Authorities Raid Shops, Seize E-Cigarettes in Oman

    The Consumer Protection Authority (CPA) in the country of Oman raided a number of shops suspected of selling vaping products.

    The Sultanate banned the sale and marketing of e-cigarettes in 2015. However, importing, use and possession are legal.

    According to a statement by the CPA, during inspection field visits carried out by a CPA control team to shops and markets in the Wilayat of Shinas in the capital city of Muscat, “a number of electronic cigarettes were seized in shops selling tobacco and its derivatives.”

    The Authority clarified that this behavior is in violation of its rules regarding the ban on the circulation of e-cigarettes and hookahs, according to media reports.

  • Cambodia Wants Crackdown on Online Vape Promos

    Cambodia Wants Crackdown on Online Vape Promos

    Credit: Luzitanija

    Cambodian Movement for Health operations director Mom Kong has called on the authorities to pursue legal action against people who promote the sale of e-cigarettes on social media despite several recent high profile raids.

    Kong said that the confiscation and incineration of e-cigarettes, or vapes, contributes to a reduction in their use among young people, according to Asia News.

    “I applaud the authorities’ willingness to destroy confiscated stock, as it demonstrates the strength of their commitment to the fight against these devices,” he added.

    He issued his statement just days after the Consumer Protection, Competition and Fraud Repression Directorate-General of the Ministry of Commerce – in cooperation with the National Authority for Combating Drugs and the Phnom Penh Municipal Police Commission – destroyed 7,200 boxes, or 288 cartons of confiscated vapes and related products in a Dec. 30 bonfire.

    The products that were incinerated were confiscated during an early November raid on a Phnom Penh warehouse.

  • Altria Accuses Juul Labs of Hiding Payment Details

    Altria Accuses Juul Labs of Hiding Payment Details

    Altria Group Inc, Juul Labs’ largest stakeholder, has asked a federal judge to order the e-cigarette manufacturer to turn over details of its settlement with about 10,000 plaintiffs seeking to hold it responsible for a rise in youth vaping.

    In a motion filed Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, the Virginia-based company said the settlement, reported by The Wall Street Journal to be worth $1.7 billion, remains “shrouded in secrecy” even from other parties in the litigation.

    Marlboro cigarette maker Altria, which took a 35 percent stake in Juul in 2018, was not part of the settlement and remains a defendant in mass tort litigation consolidated before U.S. District Judge William Orrick. Plaintiffs, including individuals and local government entities, accuse it of taking part in shaping Juul’s strategy to market e-cigarettes to minors, according to Reuters.

    Altria said it needed to see details of the settlement, and the negotiations leading up to it, in order to evaluate its own potential remaining liability and explore potential claims against third parties.

    While there may be reasons for keeping the settlement out of public view, the company said, Juul’s refusal to share it with Altria “goes far beyond the protections needed to address those concerns, lack any legal basis, and would severely prejudice” Altria.

    In a separate motion Wednesday, Altria also asked Orrick to put on hold a class action seeking refunds on behalf of all Juul purchasers nationwide while Altria appeals the judge’s order certifying the class. The class action is one part of the larger consolidated mass tort before Orrick.