Let the market show what people want.
Failing to self-regulate will destroy the open market.
I am much more than just the outlier. I am representative of a subsection of the vaping community.
Part 1
What percentage of the overall vaping industry do you think you represent? What percentage of people that vape on a regular basis have ever, or will ever change the heating element in their vaping device?
Part 2
How does the number of people currently vaping on a regular basis compare to the number of people that WOULD move to vaping (from cigarettes)? What percentage of the potential market do you think you represent?
I'd be surprised to know that more than 10% of the regular vapers care enough about their devices to modify them. Correct me if I'm wrong. Meaning that, at best, you represent only 10% of the people that vape regularly.
I doubt that more than 1 person in 10,000 would be willing to invest in the amount of knowledge and awareness that you have. Again, I'll say it again, the biggest mistake "people that know things" make is that they fail to appreciate how rare they are. They assume "everyone knows" what they do, and everyone does not. Funny how people here sort of have this "Geez this guy is stupid" undertone to some of their comments, as if "everyone" knows this stuff, while other people (in another aspect of communication) fail to appreciate how rare their knowledge is in other ways (in this specific instance, believing that "most people" would favor an option laden vaping device and also would be open to the possibility of inhaling toxic metals, PARTICULARLY if they can be avoided for a nominal upcharge.). Again, I've seen (and experienced) this on online forums for computer repair. People that know it don't know they know it, and make the mistake that "everyone" has the same level of "common sense" instinct that they do. They don't. They're wrong. And that fundamental mistake of failing to appreciate the special nature of your specialized knowledge has a tendency to skew all your other opinions about "everyone else" and "everything else".
And, in terms of the overall market, the early adopters are NEVER representative of the average consumer. They NEVER are. All you alpha, beta-testing, early adopters are smarter, more motivated and better informed than 90% of the general public will ever be on vaping. The general public sees public service announcements where 10 tons of information is condensed into a meaningless 15 second sound-bite, and if the vaping industry cannot boil down that 10 tons of information into the single sentence "Vaping is completely safe." then you are going to have a toe-to-toe conflict with Big Tobacco and Big Pharma both, and you are going to lose. Self-regulate or die. Never get into an argument with someone that buys ink by the barrel.
In terms of the potential market, well it's my opinion that 90% of the potentially vaping public do not and will not be willing to purchase a vaping device that cannot be considered to be 99.5% safe. Instinctively they understand that nicotine will always have dangers, and also they understand that they have cut-out all the toxins and carcinogens from burning tobacco, but as soon as you say "toxic metals" (in ANY quantity, and at any level) automatically they are going to recoil. Who wants to think about the nanoparticle sized bits of toxic metals coating the inside of your lungs while you are vaping a substance that Big Pharma and Big Tobacco has been telling you is toxic. Better to stay with the devil that you know.
Long term, and in order to pursue HUGE profit (which is what BP and BT are after), the "grassroots" vaping community is going to have to present the average consumer with a "finished product" that is as safe as technology can make it, otherwise the average consumer, being the frightened sheep that they are, are going to wait for the surgeon general, the FDA, the Federal Government, the Tobacco Lobby, Big Pharma, Big Charity to all agree that we need a massive bureaucracy to regulate and control the entire industry (from manufacturing to retail sale and licensing the use of the products) and they will tax the industry to pay for this bureaucracy, as well as to fund whatever other "special projects" they think are deserving.
One recent example for me, is the adoption of Windows 10. MS puts pressure on average people to install Windows 10, but how many people here know how to go about turning off all the spyware and data sharing and uploading capabilities that comes with Win10? I do. I'm a bit of an expert on that. I know where to go, and what questions to ask, and who to ask them from in order to get the software that I need to cripple Win10 to a level of functionality that I can live with. I'd be surprised if anyone here knew what I know. And, on the forum that I learned all this stuff on, all this knowledge is "common sense" there, too. And they're wrong over there, too.
And, as for the comment about the heavy metals and toxins, we are aware of it. Sure, we would prefer that they not be there, but we are willing to accept it. Most of us were smokers prior to vaping. We look at the obscene number of toxins in cigarettes and compare that with e-cigs. We see that the choice is obvious. Sure, vaping may not be harmless, but it is most likely A LOT healthier than what we were using before.
My point is, the "we" that you represent is very, very small, compared the size of the market that is going to be regulated (including you and your segment) if the vaping industry fails to self-regulate.