SpielByWeb Forum Index SpielByWeb
http://www.spielbyweb.com/
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   Find a UserFind a User   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 Your GamesYour Games   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Counterfeit Vapes What Are They?

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    SpielByWeb Forum Index -> SpielByWeb Chat
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
dorian0



Joined: 02 Apr 20
Posts: 19


PostPosted: Wed May 06, 2020 12:38 am    Post subject: Counterfeit Vapes What Are They? Reply with quote

On Friday, September 13, 2019 President Trump Tweeted about the problem of counterfeit vapes. He is absolutely right and it is about time someone said it. Politics aside, he’s right about this. And it is not just counterfeits, it is the incredible number of unregistered, very high nicotine, disposable pods being shipped to the United States in massive numbers. Millions.

If you are new to vaping, or if you are a reporter looking for information on what counterfeit vapes are, we will get to that in a second. We understand that this subject is not well-known and the President’s Tweet was probably the first time many Americans have ever heard of the idea of fake e-cigs. Most of the information about e-cigs in media is not quite accurate. Vaping is still new and it changes fast. As technology tends to do! So before we get to more details, consider this.

Vape Manufacturing
Most of the world’s electronic cigarettes are made in an industrial park in Shenzhen, China. There you will find some of the finest manufacturers on the planet complete with sterling quality control mechanisms and where they use only the best quality materials. Plus the leading e-cigarette technology. Mig Vapor does work with the best manufacturers as do other vape companies like JUUL. Our R&D designs the device, we make the in the best factories in Shenzhen. Setting up the supply chains is arduous, time consuming work. But legitimate American e-cig companies that serve adult smokers go through the process to ensure that American consumers are able to access quality, reliable alternatives to tobacco.

There are dozens of exceptional e-cig manufacturers in Shenzhen. But in total, all in that industrial park, there are 600 factories making vapor products. That begs the question that is a few dozen are making high quality, original products then what are the several hundred other factories guys doing? Many are copying the successful products and dumping them on the world market, including the US. And when we say copy, we mean it.

The counterfeit vapes look like the real thing. Right down to the packaging. Right now the counterfeit vapes being made usually resemble the JUUL device. Plus they counterfeit everything else, too. That is why Kanger, Aspire and other brands have product verification codes to certify authenticity. But the biggest issue has become the disposable, high nicotine popsicle stick type vapes that resemble a USB memory stick. An e-cig flavor ban is not the solution.

What Is A Counterfeit Vape?
What is a counterfeit vape? The dictionary defines counterfeit as “imitation of something valuable or important with intent to defraud”. Many, likely most, of the 600 factories we just talked about make counterfeit e-cigs and pods. Counterfeits look like the real thing. And are sold as the real thing.

However, by the dictionary definition, hundreds of brands of pod vapes count as counterfeit. Most of the pod vapes mimic the form of JUUL. And JUUL is one of only five pod systems on the market as of August, 2016. Essentially, every pod system except JUUL and a couple of others are counterfeits.

How Many Counterfeits Are On The Market?
No one knows exactly how many counterfeits or unregistered vapes are out there. But look at the number of factories producing millions or products and you can conclude that it is potentially a shocking number. We often advise people to buy from a legitimate American brand, namely Mig Vapor, to avoid counterfeit vapes. That seems self-serving but it is also genuine, sound advice. The counterfeit, fakes, and no-name brands have unknown origins. We can’t trace them to a specific factory because they use someone else’s packaging. Unless we allow only registered companies to import products, the counterfeiters will continue to have a field day.

Counterfeit e-cigs look like the real thing, including packaging.
Factories making counterfeit devices are not readily identifiable because they use someone else’s design and packaging.
The difficulty identifying counterfeits makes it hard to know how many fakes and copycats are out there.
One way to identify a counterfeit reliably is to determine whether or not a registered company is importing it.
Beware Fake JUUL Pods And Disposable Popsicle Vape Sticks
JUUL Vapor is the most recognizable brand in the industry. However, many of the devices sold in stores and online only resemble JUUL. That includes a huge influx of fake JUUL pods. A fake or counterfeit JUUL pod is designed to work in the JUUL device. But it is not a JUUL product. The fake are sold cheaper than JUUL pods. That’s what the counterfeiters do, they undercut the market. The companies in China dumping e-cigs in the US can make incredibly cheap devices by cutting a lot of corners and not caring about quality. And they don’t care. Many are essentially anonymous. Consumers have no recourse. And JUUL, along with the rest of the legitimate industry, get the blame. Wrong target.

Fake JUUL pods are a problem but they are a not the biggest problem. A bigger issue, in our view, are the millions of disposable, unregistered pods. They resemble JUUL in a way, but more like popsicle sticks. Disposable, colorful vape sticks. They cost around $10 in a store. Online, kids can buy them direct from China for a couple bucks a piece without age verification. We know of at least one case of a high schooler buy from a Chinese wholesale website and then selling the counterfeit vapes at school.

NYTS Survey
teens-are-buying-counterfeit-vapes-with-high-nicotine

The disposable pods come in a variety of colors and designs. Many said to appeal to underage individual. Teen vaping has increased from 11.7% in 2017 to 27.5% in 2019, according to the CDC National Youth Tobacco Survey. E-cigs and vape flavors have been around for over a decade. So have vaping counterfeits. That begs the question of what changed to spur the massive increase in underage use in the last two years? It would stand to reason, at least in part, that the increase relates to the increase in disposable vape pods. The disposable, small sticks are cheap and easy to conceal. But what else? The other new element at play is the fact that the disposable pods utilize 50mg plus salt nicotine. These things are loaded with nicotine.

5mg And Higher Salt Nicotine
With a 50mg salt nicotine vape (5%), the “nicotine rush” is almost instant. Though 50mg salt nicotine has its place, especially for heavy smokers. Yet keep in mind that for the longest time the 24 mg was about strongest nicotine level that was used by adult smokers. With salt nicotine, it is easy to inhale large amounts of nicotine without being harsh. If the CDC dug deeper, they will likely find that the disposable counterfeit vapes and disposable pods are at the heart of the issue. And make no mistake, most of these high nicotine sticks are unregistered and many are counterfeit pod vapes.

Going a step further, it is believed that some of the products labeled at 50mg are actually higher. Perhaps 60mg or more. Independent testing may verify for a certainty. But it makes sense. Why wouldn’t the companies dumping disposable pods in the US increase the nicotine? As mentioned earlier, it is not easy to trace where they are coming from. Unfortunately, legitimate companies like JUUL, Mig Vapor, and others take the heat for what others are doing.

If interested in seeing for yourself, conduct an experiment. Find a wholesale or even retail website that sells vapor products. Look at the sites based in China. Search for “vape pods”. You may be amazed at how many pop up. Pages and pages of them. Look at the nicotine levels of the disposables. And keep in mind that overseas sites will sell to US customers without age verification.

Counterfeit Vapes
How can you tell counterfeit vapes from legitimate products? Often, you can’t. A close inspection and comparison is required to distinguish the difference. For example, one of the disposable pods, or vape bars, popsicle sticks or whatever you want to call it, has black tips. The counterfeits of that brand often have white tips. Other than that, they look the same.

Parents, check the internet history. Look for wholesale and retail websites. These sites may sell everything from dog collars to lawn chairs to vapes.

What Can We Do?
In America and around the world, we still have a serious problem with smoking. A staggering 480,000 Americans die every year from smoking. And millions worldwide. In the range of ten million American adult tobacco consumers use vapor instead of smoke. And there is a difference between smoking and vaping. The FDA recognizes the potential value of vaping as it continues to study the issue. Banning vaping is not the answer. So what can we do?

One idea gaining steam is to block the importation of unregistered vapor products. As the President mentioned, get the counterfeit vapes out of the market. The idea makes sense on several levels. First, it targets Chinese product dumping. Then, it blocks a myriad of high nicotine, disposable vape pods that attract teens. Finally, it blocks many counterfeits.

An executive order could block the import of JUUL counterfeits. Perhaps unregistered products as well.
Blocking unregistered products allows legitimate, registered, American companies to serve adult smokers. It allows vape shops to continue to serve adult smokers. We can protect American jobs, consumers, and provide an alternative to adult smokers at the same time we target the products that are targeting kids.

An import ban is a more precision targeted approached aimed at an actual problem. A nuclear approach that targets all vapor products causes too much collateral damage. And that damage will be felt by as many as 50 million Americans including current vapers and almost 40 million still smoking cigarettes.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
DanielLee5



Joined: 26 Jun 19
Posts: 131


PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2020 6:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the explaining, I think restriction in this case is rather reasonable. I use certified vape goods only, from trusted US manufaturers and reputable vape shops, the most recent purchase is Dab and Dip vaporizer to utilize wax and concentrates - Airis Headbanger .
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
donadSilver



Joined: 12 May 20
Posts: 3


PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2020 2:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vapes are good. But it is essential to buy quality ones. Otherwise man I've seen videos of vapes busting in either pockets or on faces, etc.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Georgie



Joined: 20 Jan 19
Posts: 45


PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2020 12:57 pm    Post subject: re Reply with quote

I liked smoking before. It calmed and helped to meet new people. But everything comes to an end. My health no longer allows me to smoke and I decided to quit a couple of weeks ago. It was hard for me. I was inflated and tense. Then my brother advised reading this blog - https://naturalwellnesscbdoil.com/blog/cbd-in-florida/ I did not know that CBD oil could help me stop the craving for nicotine but I had no choice and I tried. Everything went perfectly. I live without nicotine a little more than two weeks and feel good. I don't need a vape replacement now.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    SpielByWeb Forum Index -> SpielByWeb Chat All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group