The Aegis Solo 2 S100 kit by Geekvape consists of a 18650 battery box and a clearomizer for direct to lung inhalation. Well built, solid and airtight, the box works impressively well. The clearomizer works perfectly too, making this a great kit if you want to move into DL.

An excellent kit

Geekvape has come out fighting with its Aegis Solo S100 kit. The box is sturdy yet stylish. The finish is excellent. The mod menus are simple and comprehensive. The Z sub-ohm that comes with the kit delivers a great direct vape and never disappoints.

Technical specs

 

Mod dimensions	86.4 x 38 x 26.3mm
Mod weight	110.4g
Battery size	18650
Charging	USB-C, external charger
Maximum power	100
Max. atomizer diameter	24
Modes available	Watts, temperature control, curves, bypass
Clearomizer dimensions	56.5 x 23mm
Clearomizer weight	68.8g
Clearomizer capacity	5.5ml
Range of use	45 to 80W
Filling	Top fill

What’s in the box?

• Mod
• Clearomizer
• Spare tank
• Spare parts
• USB cable
• Coils
• Drip tip
• User manual

A sturdy box

The top of the box has a spring-mounted 510 connector. It fits the 23mm clearomizer supplied with the kit, and a 24mm atomizer will fit inside the profile too. There’s one silicone seal under the connection plate that makes it look like the set-up is out of alignment. It’s just a tiny detail and not too dramatic visually.

To access the battery compartment you unscrew a cap on the underside the box. Rather surprisingly, there’s no degassing vent on the model we reviewed. It’s a pity, because having one makes it much safer for the user. But there is a good reason for there being no degassing vent: the box has IP68 protection, which guarantees that it is airtight. Plus, degassing vents and airtightness are pretty incompatible.

The side of the box has a small slider to lock it. It’s very simple to use and particularly practical while you’re out and about. This button won’t move by itself and is effective.

On the top there’s a thick tab to cover the USB-C port for quick charging or future electronic updates. The silicone they’ve used is good quality and will easily stand up to daily wear and tear. When this cover’s closed, it’s still just as airtight. That’s a real plus.

In spite of being totally airtight and really sturdy, the box still looks great. The back of the mod is covered with stitched leather-look material in keeping with the style of the Aegis range. It feels nice, and is soft to the touch. Another casing surrounding it completes the look. They’ve softened the edges and designed them to be very comfortable to hold.

On the front is a colour screen, a fire button and two buttons to adjust the settings. These feel great and press perfectly. There’s no play at all, despite the small size of the bottom buttons. They are easy to press and make a little noise, as you’d expect. It’s perfect in this respect too.

The screen is quite bright. The box delivers up to 100W, in theory. In reality, a 18650 battery is never going to produce that much power. But with the coils that come in the kit, you really don’t need to go that high. The screen shows you the essentials. The mod has a power mode, bypass, curves and temperature control. It’s classic, easy to use and offers enough options to satisfy you as your vaping style develops.

A quality clearomizer

The kit comes with a Z Sub Ohm 2021. It’s an excellent top airflow clearomizer. The air inlets are at the top to ensure total airtightness. This promise of no leaks means it’s easy to live with, whether you’re new to direct vaping or already use this type of kit. It’s perfect for everyday use, especially in situations where you’re out and about. It has a capacity of 5.5ml with its bubble tank.

Changing the coil is always so simple on this type of clearomizer. You unscrew the base and insert the coil – it can only fit in one way. The two little tabs on the bottom of the coil line up with the two slots on the bottom of the atomization chamber. You really can’t go wrong!

To fill it, you just open the top of the clearomizer. The quarter turn system means you can open it fast, and it keeps working well over time. The seals do their job perfectly. The openings are large and most e-liquid bottles will work with the Z sub-ohm. A little lip around the edge prevents the liquid from overflowing if you accidentally squeeze the bottle too hard when you’re filling it.

There are two air inlets on opposite sides of the top of the clearomizer because this is a top airflow kit. We love this type of system – it never leaks. The Z sub-ohm is designed for direct to lung inhalation.

The kit comes with two Kanthal coils – one at 0.25ohm and one at 0.2ohm for at 45 – 80W. In our tests, both coils performed well. They deliver excellent flavours, and lots and lots of dense vapour. Another bonus is how long the two coils last – they keep on working, refill after refill. They will suit any flavour, although we thought they performed better with fruity flavours.

The Aegis Solo 2 S 100 is an excellent kit. The box is solid, lightweight and well finished. The menus are simple and easy to access. The lock button on the box is especially helpful and a real bonus. The clearomizer is just as good. It will deliver the perfect vape for any fan of DL and big clouds.

What we like

• Quality of finish
• IP68 protection
• Reliable electronics
• Top airflow clearomizer
• Coil quality

What we don’t like

• No degassing vent but it wouldn’t be airtight if it had one

Two new studies suggest that some cannabis compounds, including CBD, offer protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. The encouraging findings should lead to additional funding for research on the antiviral properties of cannabis.

A study published yesterday in the journal Science Advances by researchers from the University of Chicago and University of Louisville found that CBD prevents the SARS CoV-2 virus from effectively replicating in human cells.

The researchers also found that patients taking prescription CBD (the FDA-approved drug Epidiolex, prescribed for seizure disorders) were much less likely to become infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS CoV-2 coronavirus.

The researchers first hypothesized that CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties could help treat the “cytokine storm” stage of COVID-19, in which the body’s immune system overreacts to the presence of the virus and triggers dangerous levels of inflammation.

What they found was even more exciting: while CBD doesn’t keep the virus from entering lung cells, it does prevent the virus from replicating once there. Lab experiments on human lung cells and mice confirmed the effect. The researchers also duplicated the result achieved with the original SARS CoV-2 strain on three additional variants of the coronavirus.

“We just wanted to know if CBD would affect the immune system,” said senior author Dr. Marsha Rosner, a University of Chicago professor. “No one in their right mind would have ever thought that it blocked viral replication, but that’s what it did.”

The authors of the study say clinical trials should be planned to study whether CBD could be prescribed as a preventative for COVID-19 or a treatment for people in early stages of the disease.

The researchers used high concentrations of purified CBD (as is found in Epidiolex), and found that CBD mixed with other cannabinoids like THC were less effective. They cautioned that consumer CBD products may not offer the purity or precise dosing necessary to produce the effects their experiments achieved.

But while the researchers suggest that commercial CBD products may not offer the same anti-COVID benefits, the news could nevertheless revitalize the sagging CBD market. The non-intoxicating cannabinoid experienced explosive market growth following passage of the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp cultivation, but faded in popularity as intoxicating THC variants like delta-8 THC and HHC became more widely available. CBD has a number of known health benefits—aside from treating COVID-19—and is generally safe and legal for consumer use in most places in the United States.

The University of Chicago study comes less than two weeks after Oregon State University and Oregon Health & Science University researchers published a study in the Journal of Natural Products showing that the acid forms of cannabinoids CBD and CBG block SARS CoV-2 from entering human cells.

Cannabidiolic acid (CBD-A) and cannabigerolic acid (CBG-A) are the precursor forms of those cannabinoids. They occur naturally in hemp and marijuana plants. When heated (decarboxylated), they become cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG), and most of their known properties are unlocked.

The Oregon State researchers found that the acid forms of those compounds bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and interfere with the virus’s ability to infect human cells. “Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2,” says the study.

“They bind to the spike proteins so those proteins can’t bind to the ACE2 enzyme, which is abundant on the outer membrane of endothelial cells in the lungs and other organs,” said study co-author Dr. Richard van Breemen, a researcher with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, College of Pharmacy, and Linus Pauling Institute.

“With widespread use of cannabinoids, resistant [coronavirus] variants could still arise, but the combination of vaccination and CBDA/CBGA treatment should create a more challenging environment with which SARS-CoV-2 must contend, reducing the likelihood of escape,” the authors write in the study.

A crack vape pen? It could work.

According to a new study published in the Drug Science, Policy and Law journal at the end of 2021, the theory of a cocaine electronic cigarette device could potentially help people who struggle with addiction to the highly addictive substance.

“The aim of this study is to conceptualize a cocaine-e-cigarette (CEC) which could become available via prescription to problematic smokable cocaine forms users unwilling to quit or unwilling to take a less harmful stimulant substitution (e.g. methylphenidate or amphetamine),” reports the study by toxicologist Fabian P Steinmetz and social scientist Heino Stöver.

“The launch of such a medical device may trigger many positive effects: It is an alternative to potentially more harmful black market products, it may reduce drug-related crime (particularly regarding purchase), it may lead to more users accessing the healthcare system earlier, it directly reduces harm by avoiding further lung damage and the built-in setting/formulation is likely to reduce overdoses,” suggest Steinmetz and Stöver.

Filter, a prominent harm reduction publication, reported on the study. A contributor for the publication characterized the concept in the following fashion: The “kind of crack vape pen, yet to be developed, could be a valuable harm reduction tool, mitigating some of the health risks of consuming crack from illicit sources.”

The concept of vape pens featuring liquids with harder drugs than nicotine and THC has popped up all over the world. Vaping Post previously reported on several occasions of black market vape devices that feature vaping e-liquid laced with psychedelics such as DMT. In June of 2020, Vice News featured a report describing the business affairs of a dealer who sells DMT vape pens out of his secret lab around London, in the United Kingdom. The Stranger, an alt-weekly newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, ran a similar column in April of 2018 highlighting how DMT vape pens are the new “hot ticket” item on the local black market.

The Lithuanian Seimas (parliament) has finalized a law prohibiting the sale of vaping products in non-tobacco flavors. The flavor prohibition applies to all products, including those not containing nicotine.

The legislation—which amends the country’s existing Law on Control of Tobacco, Tobacco Products and Related Products—passed by a 92-9 vote (with nine members abstaining), according to LRT. The ban will take effect July 1.

As we reported last year, the Lithuanian government notified the European Union of its intention to ban flavors in summer 2021, and allowed public comment on its draft law until Oct. 11. The Seimas began debating a flavor ban in 2020. Lawmakers decided to prohibit flavors in non-nicotine e-liquid to prevent vapers from using short fills and nicotine shots to bypass the intention of the law.

Lithuania becomes the seventh European country to pass a flavor ban. Estonia, Finland, Hungary and Ukraine have flavor restrictions in place currently. Flavor bans will take effect in Denmark in April and the Netherlands in July. No European country has an outright ban on all vape product sales.

Lithuania is located between Latvia, Belarus and Poland, and is one of the smallest EU countries with just under three million residents. About 28 percent of Lithuania’s adults smoke cigarettes—one of the highest smoking rates in the EU.

Most respondents preferred open-system over closed-system devices, and a regular nicotine level, over a lower nicotine level.

The study titled, “Impact of flavours, device, nicotine levels and price on adult e-cigarette users’ tobacco and nicotine product choices,” consisted of choice experiments to assess the relative impact of several product characteristics to examine differences by smoking status and primarily used e-cigarette device and flavour.

The research team found that on average, participants preferred non-tobacco and non-menthol flavours, the majority preferred open-system over closed-system devices, and a regular nicotine level, over a lower nicotine level.

Responses were influenced by what the respondents used currently

However, added the researchers, these preferences varied by smoking status, demographics, and what type of vape flavour the users primarily used. The also reported that the preference for different product characteristics was larger than the difference among flavours or nicotine levels.

“Participants who primarily used closed-system e-cigarettes exhibited similar preferences for closed-system and open-system e-cigarettes, but those who primarily used open-system e-cigarettes preferred much more open-system over closed-system e-cigarettes. HTP was the least preferred product, much lower than cigarettes in general, but participants living in states where IQOS is being sold had similar preferences to cigarettes and HTPs,” added the study Abstract.

In light of these findings, the researchers concluded that people’s preferences are highly influenced and biased by what the currently use. “People are unlikely to switch to another product/device because of the restriction of flavour or nicotine level. If non-tobacco and non-menthol flavours were banned from open-system e-cigarettes, users may switch to menthol flavour e-cigarettes.”

The Most Popular Types of Smokeless Nicotine Products on The Market

Orange County, CA based e-liquid manufacturer, Juice Head, that is well known for its industry-leading selection of premium, customer favorite e-liquids, announced the launch of its highly anticipated Juice Head Bars Disposables, which are expected to launch this week and showcase at the upcoming TPE 2022 Tradeshow.

Juice Head Bars are available in nine premium flavors, which include the five signature flavors you know and love–Blueberry Lemon, Strawberry Kiwi, Peach Pear, Watermelon Lime, and Mango Strawberry–and four all-new, premium flavors–Peach Pineapple, Raspberry Lemonade, Double Apple, and Watermelon Strawberry.

Available in 5% Zero Tobacco Nicotine® strength, Juice Head Bars boast impressive features including a sleek, attractive design, built-in mesh coil technology, 3000 puff count, 8mL liquid capacity, and a rechargeable 650mAh battery, with a convenient USB charger included with every device.

With the growing demand for vape disposables and a strong reputation amongst the brand’s retail consumers and wholesale partners, Juice Head Bars are well positioned to be a game changer for the industry and an instant favorite amongst consumers.

“We are ecstatic to be introducing Juice Head Bars as the latest addition to the Juice Head product line. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a monumental shift from traditional e-liquids to vape disposables amongst consumers and retailers, and, as an industry leader, we are thrilled to step up and meet the needs of our customers.” – Patrick Mulcahy, CEO of Juice Head E-Liquids.

Backed by a management team with decades of experience in the industry, Juice Head has built a strong reputation as a trusted, industry leader, loved by customers and retailers alike. With the launch of Juice Head Bars, the company aims to grow its customer base, expand its product offering, and provide even more opportunities for its retailers.

Juice Head Bars are supported by an extensive national sales program, strong market presence, and extensive point-of-sales support materials, and are currently available for the company’s wholesale and retail partners to pre-order now. Direct online consumer purchases via the brand’s numerous retailer partners, including Element Vape, Ejuices.com, and Direct Vapor, is expected to become available by the end of January 2022.