Vapor Voice

Tag: VFolk

  • Reliability Factor

    Reliability Factor
    The new Vfolk pod system uses a ceramic coil to provide a smooth, consistent vape.

    By Mike Huml

    The Vfolk Pro pod system represents the latest in pod system technology. While it may not appear much different from comparable pod systems, what lies inside each pod is what pushes the Vfolk past the competition. Vfolk has teamed up with Smoore to create an entirely new vaporization system that doesn’t rely on wick and wire, and the result is one of the smoothest and consistent vapes on the market.

    Smoore is one of the largest manufacturers in the vapor industry. For years, they manufactured vaping components for several major third-party brands. More recently, they’ve started manufacturing for their own brand: Vaporesso. For the Vfolk, Smoore has contributed an entirely new atomization system called Feelm. Each Vfolk pod is fitted with this ceramic vaporization chamber that yields voluminous vapor and incredible flavor. Feelm technology is the cornerstone that sets the Vfolk apart from other pod systems, and it works extremely well.

    The Vfolk itself operates much like other pod systems, which is desirable. For pod system users, it retains familiarity and simplicity of use. The device is slightly larger than the Juul but is more rounded and ergonomic. It features an automatic switch to more closely replicate smoking analog cigarettes, and an LED on one side illuminates when the user takes a drag.

    The LED will also turn red when the battery is low in order to clearly indicate that charging is needed. Charging is accomplished via a standard micro-USB connection, and a cable is included with each kit. The 350 mAh battery can be charged from empty to full in approximately 45 minutes and is designed to last for the duration of an entire pod. Each Vfolk pod contains 1.2 mL of e-liquid at a strength of 5 percent, or 50 mg/mL. Some flavors are also available at 2 percent, or 20 mg/mL.

    At 1.2 mL, each pod is equivalent to two packs of standard cigarettes in terms of nicotine. As far as the number of drags, the advertised 500 puffs are slightly exaggerated, but that heavily depends on how each user uses the Vfolk. Longer drags will obviously yield fewer drags per pod. Overall, a pack-a-day smoker can expect between one and two days of use per pod.

    For comparison, each Juul pod contains 0.6 mL of e-liquid, so those familiar with the Juul can expect twice as much longevity from each pod. Pods are simply inserted into the battery, and a magnet keeps them secure. The pods couldn’t be easier to insert and remove, and the magnet is more than strong enough to maintain a stable connection.

    Vfolk offers seven flavors: cucumber, coffee, mint, mango, mung bean, lychee and tobacco. Currently, their sample pack of pods does not include cucumber or lychee, their newest flavors. However, each of the other four flavors is striking and unique. Coffee is reminiscent of a creamy latte, with none of the bitterness that can often plague coffee flavors. Mint is a light and refreshing burst of peppermint and spearmint that isn’t overpowering. Mango has a dash of mint as well that adds a much-needed crispness to the fruitiness of the mango. The tobacco is more of a nutty flavor, which is common with tobacco e-liquids. It’s impossible to recreate the flavor of burning tobacco without burning plant matter, as any vaper who has tried tobacco flavors can attest. However, Vfolk’s tobacco has a very clean taste whereas cheaper tobacco flavors can taste “dirty,” for lack of a better term.

    The vape experience offered by the Vfolk is second to none. Each drag is smooth, and due to the Feelm atomizer, there is no gurgling, crackling or popping. The only sound is the slight sound of air passing through the device. The airflow is just about perfect, riding that fine line between the stiff draw of an analog cigarette and the open draw that other pod systems incorporate in order to “fake” more vapor production. Here, the vapor is dense, flavorful and satisfying while the drag and nicotine level are sure to appeal to those used to cigarettes.

    As far as pod systems are concerned, the Vfolk doesn’t stray too far from the established mold, and that’s not a bad thing. Everything about this device is familiar to avoid alienating a potential market of current pod system vapers. The Feelm technology is where things get interesting as it is solely responsible for keeping the Vfolk from becoming “just another” pod system.

    The ceramic heating system is enough to spark interest in those with even an ounce of vape enthusiast within them. Even vapers who don’t consider themselves pod system users may raise an eyebrow based on a new kind of heating element alone. While mesh coils are starting to find popularity, they don’t seem to be the revolutionary new technology that will overtake standard coils, which are generally cheaper, more readily available and even preferable in some situations. However, this Feelm technology offers an upgrade to every other pod system in that it provides a consistent experience, as well as an arguably better vape, with every drag.

    Even the Juul’s vapor production and drag can vary wildly from anemic to completely over-saturated due to a multitude of factors. It’s an issue so widespread that squeezing the top of the Juul’s pod regularly in order to stimulate juice flow is almost a necessary workaround. The Vfolk with its Feelm heating element provides a better experience with every drag than what the Juul can possibly provide under ideal circumstances.

    The Vfolk advertises an autoship option on the box, much like the Juul, but that service is currently unavailable via the Vfolk website. When this feature does come online, it will add a massive convenience factor that’s almost expected at this point when it comes to pod systems. A starting price of $29.59, with a 20 percent discount code, will buy the Vfolk device, a charging cable and two e-liquid pods.

    The starter kit only offers a choice of tobacco, coffee, mint and mango, but the additional three flavors are available separately for $11.99 for a two-pack. End users can also enjoy free shipping on orders over $35, but this is where things get a bit dicey. Regular standard shipping runs about $17.50 depending on location. That’s significantly more than the price of a pod pack. As such, online buyers are strongly advised to buy in bulk, ensuring each order is above that $35 mark. This is the weakest aspect of the Vfolk brand but could prove advantageous for a retailer.

    Given that shipping is so expensive, and many people still prefer to buy smaller quantities of e-liquids or pods on a more frequent basis, vape shops can offer more convenience and better pricing than online retailers. Generally, the opposite is true in the vapor industry. Due to overhead, smaller order quantities and limited storage space, brick-and-mortar shops often charge more than online retailers. For possibly the first time, retail locations can provide more convenience and value. As the Vfolk brand matures, this is likely to change, so it might be wise to hit the ground running while the opportunity is still presenting itself.

    Other than the double-edged sword of a shipping price, the Vfolk is an exceptional product all around. It’s offered innovation in the form of the Feelm heating element, which offers value to the enthusiast vaper who can’t ignore a new type of heating element as well as the average vaper who only knows that the Vfolk vapes better than other systems and doesn’t care why.

    It retains all the features that make pod systems valuable, including simplicity, ease of use and convenience, while still one-upping the competition when it comes to raw vape quality. Vapor production, flavor and throat hit are all top-notch. The Vfolk won’t chuck clouds, and it’s not supposed to, but it does pump out more vapor than the average pod system, and it does so drag after drag. If there was one word to sum up the Vfolk, it would be “consistent.”

    Not only is this the first vapor device to omit some type of wick and wire system, but it works, and it arrived in the form of a pod system. Innovation usually happens from the top down—it will be interesting to see if ceramic Feelm technology will make its way upward toward more advanced devices, but if it doesn’t, it’s a small miracle that it works as well as it does in a pod system environment.

    Consistency is one of the most important features of any vapor product, and it’s often overlooked or taken for granted. Even for a product with flaws, if those flaws are consistent, it’s far preferable to a product that’s unpredictable or erratic. Thankfully, the Vfolk is virtually flawless, and its consistency only acts to improve everything else that makes it a fantastic product. Consistent is always preferable, and consistently good is the best one can ask for, particularly when it comes to vaping.

    Picture of Mike Huml

    Mike Huml

    Mike Huml has been vaping since 2009 and has been working in the vapor industry for more than five years. He has extensive experience in various industry segments, including purchasing, quality assurance and content creation.

  • Outside the Box

    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.”

    Picture of Timothy S. Donahue

    Timothy S. Donahue