Lies, Damn Lies, and Vaping

Author's Note: So.... I wasn't going to publish this because it's just a vent, way too snarky, and doesn't really fit with the tone of this blog. Then again, not fitting the tone of this blog seems to be a trend lately. hmmm... Anyway, I'm going to publish it anyway. :) This is pure editorial content. Your thoughts welcome, of course.

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I've thought about doing some sort of news roundup about e-cigs, but to be honest, there's already plenty of folks out there doing it way better than I could. Sometimes, though, it just gets to be a bit much and I have to vent.

Here's two recent "news" articles about vaping that are just astonishing. I completely get that I'm singling out two particular news stories so, in the interest of fairness, let me state that these are just examples that are representative of the misinformation floating out there. Bing that Thing or Google that Shit for plenty more.

First is an excellent example of fictional reporting on limaohio.com titled E-cig Craze Harmful to Pets.

http://www.limaohio.com/news/business-news/50290643/E-cig-craze-harmful-to-pets

Let's play a game. Here are my personal favorite quotes. See if you can find your favorites!

"The Pet Poison Hotline reported early this month that it has had an “uptick” in calls about pets getting into e-cigarettes."

Alas, I could find no actual standardized unit of measure that includes "uptick." Quick poll, without looking, what does "uptick" mean?*

"Shattuck said the clinic she works at ... hasn’t seen any confirmed cases of nicotine poisoning in dogs, but said she “absolutely” expects to see some."

Psychic veterinarians are "absolutely" a reliable source.

"The e-cigarette trend seems to bring along with a trend of nicotine poisoning in pets as during the past six months, cases of the poisoning have more than doubled in pets."

It is quite shocking and concerning that cases of nicotine poisoning has more than doubled in pets in the last six months.  Wait... double what? Is that 2? or 10,000? Hmmm... Inquiring minds.

  

"Pets may eat the cartridges that e-cigarette juice comes in, ingesting harmful nicotine and possibly damaging their esophagus, stomach and intestinal track in the process with sharp edges of chewed up cartridges, said Bill Collins, a veterinarian at Shawnee Veterinary Hospital."

True, Bill. Pets of unmindful owners eat lots of things that they probably shouldn't. Absolutely true. This is obviously happening with alarming frequency because Bill seems very familiar with the consequences of chewing up an e-cigarette cartridge... right? Right? Bill? Diane? Anyone?

"Collins hasn't seen any of the cases either, but expects some as well."

Dafuk??? Okay. This is no longer news. This is comedy. Enough. You're on your own for the rest of the article.

This one from the Daily News Journal by the editorial staff is just packed full of false information and blatant ignorance. 

http://www.dnj.com/story/opinion/2014/09/14/fda-raises-concerns-use-e-cigarettes/15638919/

The one quote that pops out, though, is this:

"They're still cigarettes and represent all the dangers of tobacco wrapped in paper – with a filter or not."

This single statement is so ignorant one wonders . . . I honestly don't know what one should wonder. It's simply impossible with that anyone with any amount of integrity or commonsense would make such a statement without even cursory research. Mindboggling.

The worst part of this crap is the disregard and disrespect these "journalists" show toward vapers. Labelling vaping as a "craze" is irresponsible and dangerous. Stating that PVs are the same as cigarettes is ignorant. Over the years these so-called "journalists" have gotten so wrapped up in the bash smokers bandwagon that, now that cigarettes are on a steep decline, they've lost their punching bag. With no boogeyman to vilify, vaping has become a convenient target to pick up the slack. Accurate reporting and the truth be damned! 

E-cigs are a legitimate way for smokers to quit killing themselves with tobacco products. That's your headline. Belittling that purpose is crass and despicable.

Vape On! Vape Right!

-Cris

* "Uptick" means a small increase. 

E-Juice 2 Die 4's Death's Delight

Seriously? How could I not grab a juice called "Death's Delight?"

Just take my money, damn it.

My local vape shop (Vegas Vapors) is going to stop carrying this one, but it's available online if you want to tango with Death endorsed banana flavored delight. It really is delightful. With the wickedly decorated dropper bottle, skull charm hanging off the cap, the whimsical angel o' death reclining on the label, and the name, well, I just had vape this one. I sampled it in the shop and got hooked right there.

The Vape Data

Liquid Name: Death's Delight
Produced By: E-Juice 2 Die 4
Blend: PG/VG 50/50
Nicotine: 12mg
Producer's Description: 'N/A'

Taste: 5

Vapor/TH: 4.5

Presentation: 2

Vape Right Score: 4.38

Taste

Banana. On inhale and exhale, that's what you get. What I liked, though, is that it's not that syrupy, candy flavored banana you get with many juices. This has a more natural flavor to it. It's creamy and slightly sweet, not too overpowering but not drab or subtle either. There's a soft nutty factor, as well, an almond flavor, that covertly enhances the banana flavoring.

Juice 2 Die 4 did a great job of getting the cream and the almond to blend into the background to create a definitive banana flavor that makes a deliciously sweet vape. Death's Delight doesn't chuck you into the coffin head first, it lowers you in gently and sweetly with a blissful banana filled smile on your face.

Vapor/TH

There's no indication what the PG/VG mix is, but the online vendors I looked at are pegging it as a 50/50 blend. If so, it's been cut with something because it's not a terribly thick liquid I'd expect with a heavy VG component. It worked nicely in the Kanger T3E tank. It produces considerable and pleasant amounts of vapor and TH, as expected.

At 6 to 8 watts it did nicely, with the flavor dropping out the higher I went. At 8.5 watts I started getting a slightly hard tang indicating that it was getting close to burning, or the atty just couldn't feed the juice fast enough at that temp. If you're vaping at high voltage you'll want to pop on a higher resistance atty in the 2.5 to 3.5 ohm range. Overall, though, it performed well at average temperatures. If this is a 50/50 blend, E-Juice 2 Die 4 did a great job making it perform well in wick fed tank systems.

Presentation

With Death's Delight, two well earned points go for pure presentation factor. The packaging itself is a delight; from the brown glass bottle to the little skull charm that dangles down the side. I'm not huge fan of dropper bottles because I find them to be a bit messy, but this one works well. We all appreciate glass bottles and the price is quite reasonable for this level of packaging and 15ml of juice.

Alas, major points off for labeling. The basic "Keep out of reach of children and pets" is present. The bottle cap, however, is not child proof. While the level of nicotine is indicated on the side of the label, there's no nicotine warning. The word nicotine doesn't even appear on the bottle at all. No list of ingredients other than the rather vague "Contains USP Grade PG & VG and artificial flavors." Excellent presentation does not excuse poor labeling, unfortunately, so in this category I have to rate low.

Verdict

Dubbing this juice "delight" is spot on. I'm not a huge fan of fruit flavors, but E-Liquid 2 Die 4 converted me, at least as far as creamy banana goodness goes. Based on this one, and the level of craftsmanship shown here, I'll be trying more of their flavors. I'll also be keeping the bottle to use as decoration for Halloween! Very cool stuff.

At the time of this writing, I could not find an operating direct website for E-Juice 2 Die 4 (I linked their Facebook page above.) However, several online shops carry the line of juices, including Death's Delight. Since I haven't ordered from any of them I won't link them here, but a quick Bing or Google search on the company and juice name turn up several vendors.

Vape Right Says: Death's Delight is delicious, creamy banana juice perfect for all day vaping or after dinner dessert vape. Two enthusiastic dead thumbs up! 

Vape On! Vape Right!

-Cris

As always, your comments, thoughts, rants, and suggestions are welcome. Just comment below, post to FB or G+, or Tweet!