Wednesday, May 1, 2013

If It Ain"t Broke, Break It


If It Ain"t Broke, Break It

Logic CEO on Altria"s E-Cigarette Bid





In our third video installment for the day, Fox Business News’s Stuart Varney interviews Logic Technology CEO Eli Alelov. The subject: Marlboro maker Altria’s announcement of an upcoming entry into the e-cigarette market.


Frankly, the interview is overflowing with fluff and misinformation about Logic’s position in the market, with Varney stating that that Logic is “bigger than Blu,” when they are, in fact, trailing market leaders NJOY and Blu by a very wide gap.


Alelov, who claims to run Logic with only a single partner, warns tobacco companies that the e-cigarette market is a different game, and their talents may not work well in the e-cigarette arena.


“We all fly on planes, but that does not mean that if you give us the keys, we can fly the plane.”


Alelov has previously drawn fire from the e-cigarette community for parroting the anti-tobacco zealots’ unfounded claim that flavored e-cigarettes are designed to appeal to young people who don’t smoke. Logic’s e-cigarettes are only available in tobacco and menthol flavors.



Logic CEO on Altria"s E-Cigarette Bid

Video: Another Ohio Casino OK"s E-Cigarettes




Responding to customer requests after an article published in the Columbus Dispatch showed mixed policies on whether or not to allow e-cigarettes in local casinos, the Scioto Downs Racino in Columbus, Ohio has dropped their policy of banning the use of the devices indoors.


Of the six casinos in Ohio, four now allow the use of electronic cigarettes.


Electronic cigarette debate continues among Ohio casino customers – newsnet5.com.



Video: Another Ohio Casino OK"s E-Cigarettes

The Anyvape CVI

One of the things people need to be aware of when joining co-ops is that they are not good for people who want instant gratification. With retailers you place an order, and usually within a few days, you’ll receive a shipping notice. With co-ops, things are a bit more unpredictable.


Take the co-op we joined for the Anyvape CVI v1, for example. We signed up for the co-op on ECF around the beginning of January, and paid for the mod January 16th. That’s the point in a co-op where the waiting begins. An order needs to be placed with the supplier, goods need to be shipped from overseas, and generally it’ll be weeks before you see anything. Or, in the case of the Anyvape CVI, it may turn out to be months… several of them.


Anyvape CVI

Anyvape CVI


A series of quality control problems, material shortages, payment problems, and other delays kept pushing the delivery date back farther and farther. How many of these delays were just stalling tactics from the vendor, we have no idea. However, just when we’d all but forgotten we’d even ordered it, our Anyvape CVI finally showed up on our doorstep a couple days back, well over three months since we’d signed up for it.


The Anyvape CVI v1 is a variable voltage/variable wattage mod, a bit like the Joyetech eVic in appearance. Available in a variety of colors, the CVI allows the user to adjust voltage from 3 to 6 volts in .1 volt increments, or 3 to 15 watts in .5 watt increments, and has a maximum current output of 4 amps. A version 2 of the CVI is also available, with a different, more eVic-style look and an increased maximum current of 5 amps.


Anyvape CVI v1 with Kanger ProTank

Anyvape CVI v1 with Kanger ProTank


The Anyvape’s variable wattage system uses RMS (root mean square) to calculate output, as most variable wattage devices do these days, as it produces a much more consistent vape then the “mean” method used by some devices. There’s some boring math involved in explaining the differences between the two, but if that’s your thing, you’d be better off Googling it than taking our word for it. Frankly, anything that looks like algebra tends to make us dizzy, and could potentially put us into comas if we continue past that point, and we’ve got a review to finish here.


The Anyvape CVI features a single-button interface, much like that of the Provari or ZMax, where pressing the button a certain number of times will bring you to a menu option. After pausing a second, you can then change the value of that option.  Using this interface, you can increase or decrease power output, lock the power button, check battery voltage, enable or disable the LCD display, and switch between variable wattage and variable power modes. The display is somewhat similar to that used by the Green Sound GS Sub 2.0 we previously reviewed, in that it uses two lines of seven characters each to display menu options and settings.  This can lead to some confusing displays, such as the “3. LOCK ATOMIZE” option which disables the power button (and which, oddly, one of a few all-uppercase option on the menu, while others are mixed-case). On the plus side, the display is quite bright and easier to read in daylight than some other mods, like the Joyetech eVic, we’ve used previously.


Anyvape CVI v2

Anyvape CVI v2


While the CVI is designed so that pressing the button five times brings you to the first menu option, we’ve found it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes it takes five, and more often it takes eight, since the first few presses bring up the operating mode and “Anyvape” name on this display. This can be a little annoying. While we’re used to this sort of interface on things like a Provari, predictability makes the interface easier to use over time, to the point that the display is no longer needed and it can be done by feel. Not knowing how many presses it’ll take to get to a particular option on the CVI means you won’t be changing settings without looking, since you’ll never know what you might be changing.


The Anyvape CVI comes with a tube to fit an 18650 battery, and an 18350 tube is available as a separate option.


The Scores


Build Quality: 7/10


The aluminum build of the Anyvape CVI seems sturdy enough, if not particularly noteworthy.  Threading is smooth and the finish is consistent throughout, though the whole thing maybe feels a bit too lightweight. The button works and fits well, with no play or rattle, but the display does have a bit of a low-tech look to it.  Inconsistencies in the way menu options are presented also give the mod a bit of a not-completely-polished feel.


Looks: 8/10


Those who like some color in their mods have several to choose from in the Anyvape CVI, including silver, black, .blue, orange, green, red, and pink, all with silver-toned accents. The color is carried all the way up to the top cap, giving the mod a very consistent look overall. The slant top of the mod is a good fit for 19mm atomizers.


Flexibility: 6/10


While there are some welcome features with the CVI, such as the use of eGo and 510 threading to allow a wide range of delivery devices, and variable wattage is always a plus as far as flexibility goes, an atomizer resistance display is something we would have liked to see. You are also limited to 18650 batteries exclusively unless you also get the optional 18350 tube.


Performance: 7/10


The Anyvape CVI did a respectable job of keeping voltage and wattage levels where they had been set, only varying by .1 to .2 volts across the range of the mod.  It should probably be noted that we were unable to push the mod past about 10 watts without using two 18350s, and even then we could only really approach 15 watts with the newer CVI v2.  While stacked batteries are a supported configuration of the CVI, it’s not one we generally recommend for safety reasons.


Price: 7/10


We’ve found the Anyvape CVI selling for $50-$60. While it’s possible to find variable wattage PVs like the Vamo selling for slightly less, the CVI  is still priced lower than most such mods. However, ongoing shipping delays may make it difficult to find in stock at retailers.


Overall Score: 7.0



The Anyvape CVI

SaoTD: E-Cigs May Have More Risks than Benefits

In what is basically just a repackaging of the video we posted yesterday from KSDK-5 in St. Louis. USA Today has managed to take the stupidity and crank it up a notch, with their wide distribution and sensationalist headline: “electronic cigarettes may have more risks than benefits.”  In doing so, they’ve earned the award for Stupid Article of the Day.





The video starts off sanely enough, showing how e-cigarettes help people quit cigarettes, and don’t contain the toxins and carcinogens of cigarettes… but it all goes to hell from there, when they interview Michelle Bernth of the American Cancer Society.


“Right now there’s a lot of misinformation about electronic cigarettes. The first is that they’re not harmful to your health which is not true because nicotine which we know is harmful to your health.”


This isn’t your typical no-nothing politician here. This is a representative of the American Cancer Society, making the laughable claim that nicotine is harmful to your health. While it’s true that nicotine is addictive, there are no serious health risks attributed to the substance. It is, as if often cited, no more dangerous than caffeine.


But it gets worse as Bernth goes on:


“As long as you’re inhaling nicotine and other toxic chemicals into your lungs, you’re still smoking.”


Again, this is a representative of a group that claims to be concerned with public health, and cancer in particular, effectively telling people that switching to an alternative with almost none of the carcinogens and other toxins of cigarettes is the same thing as smoking. That is plainly false, deceptive, and dangerous. Essentially, the American Cancer Society is making the claim that there is no point in switching to a safer alternative, ignoring the obvious fact that doing so could literally save millions of lives. In pushing people away from e-cigarettes, they are actually promoting cancer.


That’s not just stupid; it’s dangerous. Frankly, it really makes us wonder what motivates the American Cancer Society. Plainly, it is not an interest in sparing people from the deadly disease in their name.


Electronic cigarettes may have more risks than benefits – USA Today



SaoTD: E-Cigs May Have More Risks than Benefits