Lifestyle

Product standards, advertising and official public health support are just some of the things that separate the USA vape culture from the UK.

We've all heard the arguments before. The anti-e-cig crowd cries that there hasn't been enough research on the effects, that the hypothetical issues with the manufacturing process could lead to catastrophic consequences for users or that they are as dangerous tobacco outright. However, an old rationalist analogy from philosopher Bertrand Russell teaches us that it is the anti-e-cig crowd – not researchers who understand the amazing potential for harm reduction – are the ones who should be offering evidence.

Whether you’re looking for something cool for an eclectic mod collection or just want to see how downright insane some e-cig mods are, here are ten of the coolest/most horrendous.

An underlying distrust of anything resembling smoking leads some of those in tobacco control to claim that we don’t even need e-cigarettes, and to look for any reason to cast doubt on the value of vaping. But the reason we really do need vaping becomes obvious as soon as you consider things from the perspective of a smoker.

Manufacturers are continuously working to improve their offerings, but in which direction might things have gone by the turn of the next decade? Pinning down future events is not an exact science, but some improvements to the technology are to be expected because of the huge potential they hold.

Most people who use tobacco, and there are plenty of them, have no idea that this plant is a relative of potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant, just to name a few. This plant, Nicotiana tabacam, is originally from America but is now cultivated in different parts of the world because of the immense demand for it.

Do you think e-cigs pose a risk to bystanders? Studies have shown that the vapor of e-cigarettes is less harmful than the air you inhale on a regular basis.

One of the biggest advantages of electronic cigarettes is how easy it is to switch between different cartridge flavors. For smokers, tobacco and menthol are essentially the only options, but vapers have a cornucopia of flavors available, ranging from coffee and chocolate through to more exotic tastes such as mango and grape.

It is a brand new year and with 2012 in the rearview mirror, there is no doubt that 2013 is going to be an interesting year for the electronic cigarette industry. While there is no guaranteeing that any of these predictions will come true, we do believe that we will see a number of changes in the upcoming year.

The Huffington Post has uploaded a 24-minute video debate in response to Contra Costa County’s decision to ban vaping in no smoking areas. The move also means that any sellers have to obtain a tobacco retailer license in order to sell any e-cigs. This is a controversial move, since e-cigs are not smoking and release nowhere near the level of chemicals you’d find in a tobacco cigarette, but the fierce debate still rages on.

E-cig devices like Joyetech eVic and Smokio offer plenty of stats on your vaping habits, but how useful can these stats be to the average vaper?

The anti-vaping movement, or more broadly the anti-smoking movement, is driven by ideology, and ideology is downright awful at science.

February saw the release of several excellent new mods and a ton of ceramic-coil sporting sub ohm tanks, using the unique wicking material to produce atomizer heads that last for much, much longer without needing replacement than anything we’ve been using so far. Check out the full post to see what February brought us!

Scam companies and bogus free trial offers are unfortunately common in the world of e-cigs, and if you want to avoid falling prey to one of them there are several important tips you should keep in mind.

The vaping community has been pretty successful in shattering various myths about e-cigarettes. There’s a ton of research out there...

The growing popularity of electronic cigarettes in California has attracted the attention of lawmakers, Big Tobacco and pharmaceutical companies. In an ongoing battle to defend their customers, many southern California e-cigarette businesses have joined forces in a friendly yet groundbreaking coalition.

If the United States government is to go down this route of heavily restricting quality products, then they inevitably push consumers to acquiring lesser ones by other means.

So Cal, and more specifically Orange County, has been hit by another phenomenon in recent months. As an OC resident, it seems as though the rising popularity of electronic cigarettes is especially strong in the area, where the market has absolutely exploded. There are currently over 30 brick & mortar shops in the county alone and a ever-growing number of "vapers" that will soon outnumber smokers.