Vaping has been a long, probably a lot longer than many people realise with the first commercial e-cigarette being patented back in 2003 with some earlier developments dating back all the way to 1963! Of course as with everything the further and further we get into the future, The more technology and advancements manufacturers can utilise to give us as vapers a more user friendly experience. The easier and more enjoyable the experience is for everyone, This further creates more opportunities for beginners and smokers to get off of cigarettes and make the switch to vaping full time.
As someone who has been a part of this industry and community for quite some time, I have noticed a recurring pattern in people not thinking that we have had much in the way of major or even innovations for a good amount of time… But this couldn't be any further from the truth, Which is the exact reason I am writing this blog. Innovations can come in all different shapes and sizes, But one thing I know for sure is that these innovations are most certainly there. Where some of these may not be so big to a lot of you, It's worth noting them all as with someone just entering the world of vaping there has NEVER been more options for ease of use vaping than there is now. So let's roll into it and take a look at some of these innovations both big and relatively small that have made a majorly positive impact on the way we vape today!
Batteries
When we are going to be talking about batteries, A fair amount of this will be regarding kits with Internal Batteries of which come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. The thing that fascinates me is that this is one of the more “in your face” innovations that are right there in front of us but we kind of just skim past it. Not only are Pod Kits seemingly not getting any larger, They are managing to cram some quite hefty battery capacities into them too again.. With zero size and minimal weight increase if any at all.
These batteries aren't always of the cylindrical variety either these days with manufacturers such as LVE for example, Using an internal LiPo Battery in their extremely compact and slim new Orion II Pod Kit, With a more than generous capacity of 1500mAh with the ability to charge in a miniscule amount of time thanks to the 2AMP capable charging speeds. There are even Pod Kits that have a larger battery capacity now with the Vaporesso LUXE XR Max Pod Kit having an impressive 2800mAh Internal Battery without being an absolute brick of a device in your pocket at the same time. We even have 21700 batteries that only came into rotation in the industry in 2017 giving us more options and extended battery life for many different devices thus creating a whole new league of vapers who would gladly accept 21700 batteries over the traditional 18650, And there's still many like this today.
Auto Draw Functionality
This is definitely something that is overlooked and underappreciated in a good many ways. Yes auto draw functionality has NOW been out for quite some time, But even if that is the case, My word has improved over time. Above all else when it comes to people seeking out a Pod Kit, They will actively seek out a device that either does auto draw by itself OR with both manual button pushing as well as auto draw, But never JUST manual activation any more. The Vapefly x Dampfalot TV TIM Pod Kit is an excellent example of this.
The auto draw function isn't just restricted to just your small MTL focused kits any more either with other pod kits leaning into Sub Ohm territory such as the Aspire BP Stik Pod Kit meaning that pretty much all styles of vaping can be catered for, Which takes us to the fact of simply put… How damn easy it is when we have this function regardless of your experience level. It also opens up vaping as an option for those trying to quit smoking as it has pretty much made everything hassle free and fool proof to use, Making it a far less daunting swap as it takes any minor complications away. We have more to thank this functionality than we give it credit for.
USB-C Charge Ports
I think because we are so used to seeing these everywhere now we have kind of just gotten used to it, But I will say on many occasions if it wasn't for Type C’s faster charging capabilities, I would have been pretty stuffed. The speed at which you can charge your devices now has completely changed how long we have to go without vaping, And if you have never experienced how long Micro USB charging used to take at times depending on the device, Oh boy are you lucky.
Vaping could have quite easily stuck with those older styled ports and we would have just had to have sucked it up and gotten on with it, But the fact that vaping also moved with the times when a lot of other things started shifting over to USB C charging makes things a lot better for everyone. Especially with a fair amount like the Vaporesso Luxe Q2 Pod Kit as well as the Lost Vape Centaurus B80 AIO Vape Kit for those moments you get caught short out and around with low battery, Although the second named here I would still recommend charging external batteries in a dedicated Battery Charger for more long term charging of your cells.
Stock Coils
Stock coils have drastically improved over the years. Not only have we shifted from using round wire alone, But we now have the inclusion of Mesh Coils which have drastically changed the way we experience vaping as users for both flavour, clouds and overall lifespan. FreeMax were one of the first to incorporate mesh into a stock coil back in 2017 with the FireLuke Mesh Tank, But there were of course those within the DIY that were being creative in their practices beforehand and it was clear that Mesh was able to bring a whole new direction to the way we use our devices.
Mesh isn't the only thing we have to thank for increased flavour production however, Although it is a highly contributing factor with its larger surface area and faster heating times. We can also look to those companies that have even gone through great measure to create new wicking materials for inside the stock coils improving our favourite e-liquid flavours even further than we could imagine with manufacturers such as HorizonTech going as far as to use Wood Pulp and Bamboo Pulp as well as FreeMax themselves using a Tea Fibre as part of their wicking materials in their coils, Which for a Stock Coil is pretty damn innovative and has proven to improve flavour by some margin.
AIO / Boro Devices
Probably one of the more innovative parts of our industry in recent times in terms of high functionality and variety of compatible vaping styles per device is the AIO/Boro market with further innovations taking place even at this time of writing. The AIO and Boro style of device was born with the Billet Box but has really taken off in the last 2 years or so with more and more companies creating far more affordable solutions with increasingly excellent quality with the likes of Ambition Mods, Vandy Vape and Aspire really pushing the boat out and going all in on their releases in terms of quality and actually listening to what us vapers want or need. There's even devices like the Zaion that is quite literally an all-in-one with the ability to use it as a standard mod thanks to the included adapters making it literally a one stop device.
The best thing that will only improve over time is the ability to adapt to exactly what each individual vaper needs in terms of MTL, RDL or DL vaping experiences with many different RBA's available now and even new stock coil Boro Tanks like the Vaperz Cloud Shift making an appearance. The fact that these devices for the most part manage to stay incredibly compact and pocketable while maintaining ALL of their abilities is the most innovative part to all of this and from what i've seen with the likes of the Bantam Box V3, These AIO devices can get REALLY damn small too! I don't believe we have seen the last of these innovations in this part of the industry yet either, Which makes it quite enjoyable to watch unfold over time.
To Round Things Up..
We have had plenty of innovation within the industry in the past years and we do in fact continue to have these innovations, Yet unfortunately the ones we’ve come most accustomed to tend to get overlooked. We are incredibly lucky to have had the advancements in many areas of vaping that we have as not only has it helped us long term vapers keep going while making things easier, The ease of use also transfers over to those that are looking to pack in the cigarettes to which we can only be extremely thankful for.
As much as many of us like to complain that we are seeing the same old stuff, Improvements keep being made in the background and although they are not completely in our face or forever the most visible of changes… These small innovations are helping to create an even more diverse industry and probably more so than it ever has been. In my personal opinion, Vaping is in a really good place where technologies and advancements are concerned. May it long continue!
If you can think of any other things we can add to the “Innovations In Vaping We Take For Granted”, Please let us know in the comments as to what you feel is a worthy addition to the blog in the comments beneath this blog or alternatively via our socials.
