E-cigs and other atlernatives becoming more mainstream

[Vocalek]

About a year ago I noticed that 7-11 was selling a disposable e-cig. A few weeks ago, I noticed a big poster on the door of the Sheetz gas station, advertising that they are now selling Blu Cigs.

I received the Walter Drake catalog in yesterday's mail. They have been in business since 1949. Their catalog contains household gadgets, health aids (e.g. things to help folks pull on their socks), and promotional items such as calendars.

Guess what I found in this most recent catalog? I went searching on their web site to show you the two items:

Smoke Assist - As Seen On TV - Walter Drake

SmokinGel - Eye, Ear & Throat - Health & Wellness - Walter Drake

I note that they are also selling this:

http://www.wdrake.com/WalterDrake/Shopping/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=0000149725&ICMP=Search

I tried something similar many years ago, but found the effect no different from smoking fewer cigarettes per day. Sure did not help me quit.

 

[jtpjc]

Those e-cigs are of course still ridiculously expensive. And what's this SmokinGel? Is that like a patch in gel form? But you're right, it's good that more people learn that there are alternatives to smoking.

 

[dordas23]

The SmokinGel is intriguing. Maybe nicotine in a jelly-like solution.

 

[DaveP]

Thanks to ECF, I never spent a dime on a crummy ecig. It is nice to see ecigs becoming more widespread in places we never saw them before. Things like this expand suddenly once the potential market begins to promise profits. When Walmart starts selling ecigs (and they have), you know it's a mainstream product. I've even seen ecig ads on TV (before they became a tobacco product).

 

[jacquelyn]

They are in almost all of the gas stations I go to. It is getting more attention thats for sure. I went to sushi with a friend who has a vapeage brand I showed her my lavatube and provari. She is still in the it needs to look like a cigarette mind set. I still laughed that she spent more for her cig2o then I did for my lavatube and buzzpro

 

[jamentertainment]

im gonna try and put that smoking gel in my carto lol

 

[Vocalek]

The carts especially...$3 each? I tend to disbelieve "One cartridge equivalent to about 20 traditional cigarettes or 150 drags."

 

[minigoat]

Confused about the gel.

Since it is listed as an eye/ear/throat thing that would mean you are supposed to squirt it in your ear or rub it in your eye?

I hope nobody actually tries this

 

[Vocalek]

Confused about the gel.

Since it is listed as an eye/ear/throat thing that would mean you are supposed to squirt it in your ear or rub it in your eye?

I hope nobody actually tries this

No, no, no. That this the category and sub-category of products under which the gel is classified by Walter Drake.

But you know that, right? ;-)

 

[kristin]

Please tell me how they can sell that SmokinGel and the FDA isn't all over them? (It's on Amazon, too, BTW.) It says it's made "with the same ingredients as those in cigarettes," so they must mean nicotine, too.

 

[Spazmelda]

I'm going to get that and fix myself a peanut butter and smokin' gel sandwich!

 

[Vocalek]

Please tell me how they can sell that SmokinGel and the FDA isn't all over them? (It's on Amazon, too, BTW.) It says it's made "with the same ingredients as those in cigarettes," so they must mean nicotine, too.

My guess would be that they have Smoking Everywhere and NJOY to thank for that. The SE & NJOY v. FDA oral arguments in the appeals court discussed the other products containing nicotine that the FDA quashed in the past. Even though the case was specific to e-cigarettes (and even to just those two brands) it pretty much sets a legal precedent for all products that contain nicotine to be free of regulation as a medical product under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FDCA) unless the sellers or manufacturers make a health claim.

 

[Midcoast]

The carts especially...$3 each? I tend to disbelieve "One cartridge equivalent to about 20 traditional cigarettes or 150 drags."

The carts are refillable- that's what I use ever since wasting my money on a 510...

 

[kristin]

My guess would be that they have Smoking Everywhere and NJOY to thank for that. The SE & NJOY v. FDA oral arguments in the appeals court discussed the other products containing nicotine that the FDA quashed in the past. Even though the case was specific to e-cigarettes (and even to just those two brands) it pretty much sets a legal precedent for all products that contain nicotine to be free of regulation as a medical product under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FDCA) unless the sellers or manufacturers make a health claim.

Man, they work fast! LOL!

 

[Vocalek]

The carts are refillable- that's what I use ever since wasting my money on a 510...

Actually, 510 carts are not only refillable, they have a Tank version that eliminates the need for a space-sucking, juice-wasting filler. It requires a different atomizer, but uses the same batteries as the regular 510.

I found the 510 to be a huge improvement over the mini that I started out with.

The cartridges for the re-branded RN 4081 (mini) that I started out with barely held 10 drops of liquid, making their capacity about 1/3 of a mL Vendors tend to label liquid and cartridges based on the mg of nicotine per gram (mL). But most fail to add "per gram" or "per mL" after the statement of nicotine mg. So folks think that there is 18 mg of nicotine in an "18 mg" cartridge, not realizing that a cart with a capacity of 1/3 mL contains only 6 mg of nicotine.

That's one reason why we are urging vendors to stop labeling their liquid or cartridges based on the mg of nicotine per gram and instead to tell us the percent of nicotine in the liquid. So cartridges or liquid currently labeled 16 mg (per gram) would be labeled 1.6%, 24 mg would be 2.4% etc.

I suspect that the consumers who buy the model sold via the Walter Drake catalog will not be told that the carts can be refilled and will spend a ton of money at $3 per cart before they find out. Just eyeballing the unit, it looks quit a lot like the first model I used that only held 1/3 g of liquid in a cart.

 

[Midcoast]

-I just hated the 510, and I find it ironic that after searching around for something that works for me, I found happiness in a cheap convenience store e-cig- I don't mind having to refill the carts- I carry around my Swiss Army Knife and use the corkscrew to pry off the end- it gives me something to fidget with...
I love that ecigs are sold in more and more brick-and-mortar stores- but of course they don't advertise that the carts are refillable, and spout that nonsense about a cart= a pack. Many convenience stores around here have an ecig rack on the counter, selling one brand, carts, and accessories, but no juice. You can get juice at a few smoke shops, though, but even the employees (who all invariably smoke analogues) don't seem to know that they can be used to refill carts (those shops usually sell a 510 model, can't remember which one, which is why they carry juice)

The problem with the web, and even this forum, is the amount of information can quickly become overwhelming, and may turn people off. Having them visible in stores helps them become a lot more mainstream. I think most people are much more comfortable getting information face to face.

 

[rothenbj]

It's funny. Just two or three years ago the 510 was a huge step above many of the e cigs that were available at that time. My gf has been slowly working herself off cigarettes using some of my older 510s and I just heard her sister and her sister's bf are using convenience store e cigs to stop smoking. Must be a revolution.

Yes, there are major advances, but that doesn't make the old stuff invaluable. Heck, how long has the Screwdriver been around? I've settled in on an SD with the tank conversion and I couldn't be happier. For someone looking to an entry level, let's try these gizmos out, the 510 isn't a bad starting point.

 

[Vocalek]

And quite affordable.