Proliferation of Large-Puff Vapes in U.S.: Why Are Manufacturers Producing "Big Mac"s?

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Summary:

💨💼 The e-cigarette market is constantly evolving, and now there are 30,000-puff disposable products, sparking discussions on consumption trends.
🇺🇸🔍 The US market has introduced 25,000-puff products, driving the advancement of e-cigarette technology, but there is controversy over the exaggerated puff counts.
🔬👄 The supply chain has introduced dual-core technology to solve the taste problem, with the industry focusing on taste and quality.
🌍🛠️ With the rise of environmental awareness, disposable e-cigarettes are facing resistance, and Germany's increase in consumption tax is causing market changes.
💭📉 Consumers and industry insiders are concerned about the long-term impact of high-puff e-cigarettes and are calling for the rational development of the industry.

In 1967, McDonald's introduced the Big Mac, which became a flagship product worldwide due to its widespread popularity. In 1986, The Economist proposed the "Big Mac Index," an informal economic index comparing the price of the Big Mac in various countries as a reference for whether the currency values ​​of different countries are overestimated.
 

In the field of e-cigarettes, since being invented in China, the form of its products has continuously evolved, from simulating cigarette e-cigarettes to open e-cigarettes, and then to pod-system e-cigarettes. Now, there are already many 25,000-puff and even 30,000-puff disposable e-cigarettes on the market, and the number has rapidly increased this year.

Does this mark a new beginning rather than the end?

Before the launch of the 30,000-puff product, a batch of 25,000-puff products has already appeared in the US market, with most entering the market this year. Does the leap from 10,000 to 30,000 signify a significant breakthrough in disposable technology? Why are disposable e-cigarettes getting bigger and bigger like a "Big Mac"? What are the risks behind e-cigarettes with even larger puff counts? So, is there a possibility that the market value of ultra-high puff count e-cigarettes is being overestimated?

Rise of Large-Puff E-cigarettes

The product that has attracted attention this time is a disposable e-cigarette jointly launched by the e-liquid brand Pod Juice and the e-cigarette brand OXBAR: Pod Juice x OXBAR Magic Maze 2.

This product is equipped with 13ml of e-liquid and is equipped with two suction modes. In regular mode, it can be used for about 30,000 puffs, and in boost mode, it can be used for about 15,000 puffs. In terms of the number of puffs per milliliter of e-liquid, in regular mode, 1ml of e-liquid can provide 2300 puffs, and in boost mode, it can reach 1154 puffs.

However, Pod Juice x OXBAR Magic Maze is not a completely new series. As can be seen from the "2" mark, this is the second product in this series. Its first-generation product, Pod Juice x OXBAR Magic Maze Pro 10K, was launched in December 2023, with a 12ml e-liquid, which equates to 833 puffs per 1ml of e-liquid, and a total of 10,000 puffs. With the addition of 1ml of e-liquid, its maximum usage has increased to 20,000 puffs.

Four months later, the subsequent product, Pod Juice x OXBAR Magic Maze 2, also added a side screen to cater to the US market.

Pod Juice x OXBAR Magic Maze 2's similar products also reflect similarities, seeming to suggest that the increase in the puff count in today's US e-cigarette market is endless.

The RAZ DC25000, which was launched almost simultaneously with the product, gave the slogan "The bigger, the better." With 16ml of e-liquid, its regular mode can reach 25,000 puffs, and it can provide 1563 puffs per 1ml of e-liquid, just as this product slogan declares: BIGGER IS BETTER.

2FIRSTS had previously conducted a survey of distributors in the US market. Some US distributors confessed that disposable e-cigarettes are extremely convenient and have lower costs than pod-system e-cigarettes. When pod-system e-cigarettes faced regulatory crises and flavor restrictions, disposable e-cigarettes promptly filled the market gap.

"This will make disposable products more and more popular," said one distributor.

And the number of puffs in disposable e-cigarettes almost doubled in a year. 2FIRSTS found a disposable product page from Demand Vape in March 2023. At that time, the product with the highest puff count was an 8,000-puff product, and the mainstream product in the US market remained between 5,000 and 8,000. Currently, the highest puff count has reached 30,000, and the mainstream product puff count is between 12,000 and 30,000.

Mystery of Large-Puff Count Disposables

In recent years, the "upgrade" of e-cigarette capacity has continued, and, in fact, in comparison to pod-system e-cigarettes, the daily expenses for consumers will be even lower. On the e-commerce website of the representative brand of pod-system e-cigarettes in the US market, JUUL, the combination of device and pods (4 pods) is priced at $40.98. However, each pod contains only 0.7 milliliters of pre-filled nicotine salt e-liquid, which is only equivalent to 200 puffs. This means that consumers can exchange 800 puffs for one box of pods.

On the other hand, disposable e-cigarettes are much cheaper in price. The SNOWWOLF EASY SMART EA9000 disposable e-cigarette, which comes in a 10-piece pack with 9,000 puffs each, is priced at $39.99, and the total usage reaches 90,000 puffs.

With 90,000 puffs versus 800, it is obvious that, only from a single price perspective, the "cost-effectiveness" presented by high-puff disposables is superior to pod-system products.

For people who have already developed a habit of using e-cigarettes, disposables may not be as playful as DIY open-systems, but they are convenient enough.

On Reddit, which is referred to as the "American BBS," an e-cigarette enthusiast asked:

"Why do people use disposables?"

In his opinion, these products have no advantages other than better flavor. The reasons he gave were:

"They have no upsides other than they 'taste better.' They are way more expensive long term, way worse for the planet, unsafe since they are made in sweatshops and just wasteful."

One of the most upvoted responses was:

I think its just easier for most people, it like a pack of cigarettes. Buy it from the gas station, open it and start smoking. Whereas with a pod system you actually have to set it up a little with the charging and filling.

On the other hand, the "harmful to the planet" mentioned by this enthusiast is the main reason why disposable e-cigarettes are facing "resistance" globally. Although some disposable e-cigarette brands have launched green and environmentally friendly packaging and established their own recycling systems, this is a drop in the bucket compared to battery waste and plastic pollution.

A reflection of a similar sentiment may be the rise of green environmentalism in the new generation globally. On Reddit, a marijuana product forum (Trees) with two million participants, someone asked what everyone thought about disposable e-cigarettes. One person answered:

"I can't wrap my head around it. Why aren't re-usable vapes more popular? I'd choose that 10 times out of 10 over disposable."

A new survey by the American polling organization and think tank Pew Research Center shows that Generation Z (usually refers to people born between 1995 and 2009) is especially likely to express anxiety about the future. Among social media users, nearly seven in ten members of Generation Z (69%) said they felt anxious about the future when they recently saw content related to addressing climate change.

It is worth noting that this demographic is highly overlapping with the group of consumers of disposable e-cigarettes. The annual National Youth Tobacco Survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States found that disposables are the most common type of e-cigarettes among American youth.

In the future, more e-cigarette consumers may consider low-capacity and environmentally unfriendly disposable e-cigarettes unsuitable for repeated purchases, and public awareness of disposable e-cigarettes has prompted the upgrading of e-cigarette capacity. Manufacturers are willing to add e-liquid for competition and for better promotional effects.

The exaggerated puff count has become an almost unspoken fact. 2FIRSTS previously purchased a disposable e-cigarette boasting 16 milliliters of e-liquid. The product claims to provide up to 15,000 puffs in regular mode. However, after actual testing, it was found that the actual usage was only around 3,000 puffs.

In response, some long-term observers of the e-cigarette market pointed out that the puff count, exaggerated by the brand or manufacturer, may also be a protection for e-cigarette merchants. He observed that in an environment where the puff count has increased from 1,000 puffs to 10,000 puffs, and the product price cannot increase substantially, the previously high-density repurchase rate has decreased, and users are buying products that they need to use for a longer time.

In the current trend, "the larger puff count 'rolls up' the repurchase rate, lengthening the usage cycle. If the industry all manufactures high-puff-count products, everyone will earn less."

Arms Race from Supply Chain

If the current consensus is that high-puff disposable e-cigarettes will still be the future trend, then behind it lies the technological advancement that drives it forward, and as disposable e-cigarettes have initiated a technological upgrade, the e-cigarette supply chain has also entered into an arms race.

For example, to address the issue of deteriorating flavor in high-puff e-cigarettes, supply chain companies have been intensively launching dual mesh coil solutions since last year. The feature of this solution is that it alleviates carbon accumulation on the heating sheet, which can slow down the wicking rate of the cotton, thereby affecting flavor. Dual mesh coils alternate heating, creating a larger surface area, which reduces the likelihood of carbon buildup on the heating sheet.

From the current release of technologies, many leading manufacturers have already introduced their own technology brands:

• In May 2023, ALD Group launched FRESOR MAX, claiming it to be another intelligent dual mesh coil technology that provides excellent flavor and large vapor clouds.

• In July 2023, Mason Vap introduced NEXCORE DUAL BOOST, claiming it to be the industry's 10,000++ puff dual mesh coil solution.

• In August 2023, HQD introduced the all-new COTTONX PLUS dual mesh cotton coil, claiming to continue the advantages of future cotton coils and upgrade them. The dual mesh coil provides double the power, enhancing the vaping experience.

• In February 2024, Smoore successively launched POWER ALPHA 2.0 and FEELM TURBO. POWER ALPHA 2.0 is said to support a non-rechargeable solution with over 15,000 puffs, while FEELM TURBO claims that the technology is also perfectly compatible with both disposables and pod systems. "In FEELM TURBO solution products, the same amount of e-liquid can reach over 18,000 puffs."

From mesh coils to battery life technology, the technology supporting the high-puff vaping experience is still evolving. In the market economy, the efficiency and cost of the supply chain directly affect the final product's price. If the supply chain efficiency is high and costs are low, then the final product's price is more competitive. Conversely, prices will remain high. With the development of supply chain technology, the difficulty of integrating technology into products has rapidly decreased.

Some brand manufacturers even combine dual mesh coils to introduce quad mesh coils (Quad Coils, Dual Screens: How Far Have Disposables Gone in US?). The characteristic of this batch of products is that they all boast starting at 20,000 puffs in their promotional language.

"This is not a Long-term Solution"

In response to this issue, 2FIRSTS conducted relevant conversations with industry practitioners. Some people said, "This doesn't feel like the norm." Regarding the choice of flavor and puff count, he said, "Flavor is the key."

Coincidentally, at the TPE24 exhibition this year, 2FIRSTS visited e-cigarette stores on the West Coast of the United States in Los Angeles. At that time, a staff member of a store said that the selection criteria were first quality and flavor:

We believe that the key to e-cigarette products being able to sell well in the long run is quality and flavor, not design.

From the perspective of distributors, Tim, the senior sales manager of Demand Vape, said:

I know that durable batteries are very popular among customers, but I also know that stores are not enthusiastic about them because they want to see customers again.

He then added,

Being able to save larger lithium batteries and use them for several months is a huge benefit to consumers. I hope the market itself will move towards a more environmentally friendly direction because this has become a problem we are facing.

Regarding comments on high-puff e-cigarettes, some people pointed out that a way to regulate market exaggeration is to tax based on e-liquid capacity, and then puff count and capacity will return to a rational state.

This seems to be learning from the EU model. For example, in Germany, the tobacco substitute tax has been continuously raised, from €0.16 per milliliter in 2022 to €0.32 per milliliter in 2026. The price of e-cigarette products in Germany will double, and the consequence is that the survival space of disposable products in the market will be continuously squeezed. Currently, two other major e-cigarette consumer countries in Europe, the UK and France, have proposed timetables to ban disposable e-cigarettes.

Due to the uniqueness of US regulations, disposable e-cigarettes have grown rapidly in the gap of time, and within a few years, it has become the largest single market for Chinese e-cigarette manufacturers. The intense competition in the market has spawned products of various forms, and the speed of product iteration and updates is confusing. Does the market really need such products?

2FIRSTS posed this question to an industry practitioner, who responded, "This is not a long-term solution, but there is definitely demand for it."

Many years after the introduction of the Big Mac, it has been regarded as a symbol of American culture and even modern fast food. However, with the development of dietary science, dozens of studies have shown that consuming fast food is closely related to weight gain, obesity, and obesity-related diseases. According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, more than one-third of Americans are considered medically obese, and fast food consumption has been identified as one of the important factors. Its original large size has become the original sin, becoming the source of health risks. As consumers begin to reassess their dietary choices, the Big Mac has also been downsized, launching the "Little Mac," which gives those who want to control their weight but cannot give up "junk food" a choice, convincing themselves to eat a smaller portion and reduce their health anxiety.

Similar consumer products, in line with the times and consumer demands, may be the secret to a brand's lasting youth.

2FIRSTS also sent a communication email to OXBAR, the brand behind the 30,000-puff product, but had not received a reply at the time of publication.

2FIRSTS will continue to monitor the latest trends in the US e-cigarette market.