A Brave New World? (1/2016)
Things sure change fast in the vape world…
Remember that one flavor that you love? I know a guy in his garage who makes one just like it.
You know that 75 watt boxmod you bought? They just came out with an 80 watt version of it. Sorry.
Every day there is something new to sift through – and sifting through “new”, means separating what is now considered “old”.
It’s really amazing how fast hardware in China can be churned out. I promise not to be shocked if I see Sigelei products on sale at Harbor Freight. These manufacturers are literally producing version 2 of something before the 1st version is out of the door. How do I know this? I own multiple regulated box mods that contain misspelled (English) words in the menu system display. Really? Nobody at that company owns Microsoft Word? You’re not going to spellcheck this shit before you make 10,000 of them?
It’s not all bad though. There are some hidden gems now and then. When you feel yourself saturated in a pool of bandwagoners, you look for ways to stand out – and this is what the little guys are good at. Interesting things get a nod. Interesting things that work well get noticed. Nothing is out of reach.
Every vape giant can fail.
Innokin knows this. Joyetech knows what could have happened. Wismec worries not.
I look at an iTaste MVP 1 the same way I look at a Polaroid camera, which is to say I don’t bother looking. Being a creator is not the same as being an innovator. I guess a lasting impression is a hard thing to make. It’s easier to make something new. You only need to be “good enough” these days, and it’s hard to be mad at that.
I think we have reached a power limit that most of us are comfortable with. I said the same thing a year ago and I was wrong. I’ll probably be wrong next year as well. “200watts of power isn’t enough” is something you will hear from someone’s mouth this year. I guarantee it.
It’s not just the gear either. Consider the people who vape.
As more beginners discover what a vape is, the knowledge gap between the uninformed and the informed will grow wider. This means that over time, chances are higher that the most experienced veteran will have to speak/explain/be punished for the actions of the inexperienced. It’s frustrating, but also hard for someone who has been at it to understand that not everybody out there wants to build coils and check battery voltages. Sometimes we have to get over ourselves as well.
Things that are valued about vaping has seen its own change as well. Most will value variety, not utility. Most will value cost, not creativity. Most will value newness, not meticulousness. There are, however, a select few who will have nothing less than a custom job – like the people reading this right now. However, will the custom market follow the same trend?
To fight the change would be silly, and to ignore it would be dangerous. In 2016 we must think ahead and play where the puck will be.
