i know who you are talking about. ..... coming soon!..... state of the art!......changing vaping as we know it!.....life changing!.......we designed it!......youll we the first to get it!.... and it wont work!....... lol !
the guys telling you they are designing stuff are full of ...
They may ask for a change (like I do) here and there but they are NOT R&D. They are not sending CAD models over there.
Think about it, how many items come out looking the same or similar? The Ce2, Ce4, E1, on and on, the design is constantly changing. If people here were designing items for sale they would be improving existing good sellers and branching out from there, not dreaming up completely new designs. The Chinese do that to differentiate themselves for a month or two until the knockoffs come out. The Chinese may be difficult to deal with but they are hardly stupid, they know change is good and a shiny new bling bling can fool a lot of people. No one in the US is big enough to dictate what they make. (well maybe a few LOL)
If it were up to me, I would have just stick with one good looking model, tweaked it until it was perfect and then thrown a boatload of different threadings and resistances on it.
The vendors claiming design are just the first to order 10,000 and for that they get the "exclusive" first look and naming rights for the USA
("rights" is a misnomer as the name they come up with just sticks). I know this for a fact as I talk to the guy who's been making the most recent new items and he shows me products he's working on months ahead of time to build interest, then he tells me after they are designed and "tested" (LOL) that someone has bought 1000 or 10,000 and I better jump in on it.
I don't know why he's taken a shine to me but he knows I can't buy much and yet he still gives me the scoop 
Take the Lava for instance, I told LRider 8+ months ago before I even had it that oHm detection and a higher amperage and a longer "memory" for removing the battery would go a long way... does that make me a designer? Hardly. I've also been harping on vendors about ECF's new requirements for "mods" and I am sure we'll see those come out soon enough.
And further about the Lava.. I had a deal with L-Rider to buy them before you know who got them, he bought 10,000 or so and signed an exclusivity deal, so.. none for me and all of a sudden it was "theirs". Not.
But back to tweaking and suggestions...
All vendors do this, not just me, we
all make suggestions and for the most part they are heeded. But none of us is in on the design process. Take the E1 ReVive for example
(ReVive is a name another vendor came up with and I agreed on) they very first thing I said is I will not buy them unless the wick was longer.. so.. version 2 of a new product LOL. Someone else has them now with shorter wicks. The CE5 (which I should have tomorrow) was also similarly tweaked before I would buy it.
It's all a game and anyone telling you they designed something or something is the best vape ever is almost assuredly completely full of you know what.
(I could always be wrong but doubt it) Honesty is the key. Maybe that's why I'm not so big? who knows, but I won't do it... can't do it.
Like the version 1 CE4 I have on special, I clearly state the manufacturing issues with it and not going to snow anyone over, they are version 1, they have some glue on the base and they are not quite as good as the V2.. I think telling you all the facts is a lot more important than building up hopes and having you spend all your money on a so-so product.
::rant over::
-- as always take what I say with a grain of salt, I am no expert just explaining what I've learned and what I assume in some cases. MY wife is very fond of telling ME I am full of that same stuff LOL 
