Puresmoker Mod Blows Up

[Uma]

this is so sad in so many ways! ::: shudder:::

[drummerjims]

This is so sad... Why would he use radio shack batteries. I do feel sorry for him for being injured but I am also sorry because he thought using radio shack batteries was a good idea. It only takes 1 person to mess everything up for the vaping community. I work at a volcano kiosk and I still have people that come in and ask about the original explosion. I am not looking forward to explaining this one.

[twelveday]

With the internet out there and mass amounts of information out there, I still can see how people can screw things up, not out of stupidity but of plain ignorance. I still feel the it was the consumers fault and him suing puresmoker is just plain stupid. People who are not technologically savvy as others might have problems like these. Do they have the right to sue the companies for themselves screwing up? no. One thing that I hope comes out of this are more detailed explanations and manuals, especially with mods. They should come with detailed instructional pamphlets on usage etc. I know for a fact that there are not many companies out there that include detailed instructional pamphlets with their mods. The e-cigarrete/vaping world is getting big, and we as well as companies out there should start being more professional about business and products just like any other big $$ industry. We need to demand that these safety measures are put into place, not just to prevent horrible accidents like this happening again, but to protect the community and devices that have saved our lives.

All in all, I think this should be something the entire community should be worried about. Companies should start taking safety precautions so this kind of stuff doesn't happen again, and to protect themselves from consumers. Consumers should also demand readily available and accompanied information with products they buy. If we both do our part the only place to go from here is up with better service and a more informed consumer base. If we don't do it ourselves then the FDA will do it for us, and I don't think anyone wants that.

Edited April 19, 2012 by twelveday

[Retriever]

Looks like from the paperwork that they are going after the battery manufacturer as well as PS. I just don't get it. At some point personal responsibility has to come into play.

[blucavvy]

we should get a group email going to them to see if they need any ideas (like the one's we've been throwing out here) to help them defend themselves. i'm sure they know all this but ya never know.

[Christopher]

Though I think Pure Smoker had the necessary information in the manual to ensure safe operation, someone on ECF made a good suggestion. The suggestion was for suppliers to place a small piece of paper rolled into the tube of the mod. On the paper would be a warning "Use only Pure Smoker batteries" or something similar to that nature. That way the user must read the paper before placing batteries into the unit.

Personally I think certain mods should only be purchased by advanced users. Back when we sold the Joker in our store there was an agreement and a check box that was required to be selected before checking out. (You could not add the item to your card with reading the information first) It ensured the user knew what type of batteries to use and what type of batteries NOT to use. It wouldn't be a bad idea for Pure Smoker (and other mod creators) to do the same thing.

[blucavvy]

for serious.

[Landion]

Greaaaaat.... I'll be getting a call from my mother telling me to go back to analogs so that I won't blow my face off....

I do hope he's ok - but more importantly I hope that this makes newer users more aware of battery safety. I've not been vaping for even 2 full months yet and I've read enough posts and watched enough vids that have warned against stacking and improper battery use. I feel it's my responsibility to look out for my safety - not "average Joe" behind an e-comm site who is trying to make a living...

Research, Ask, make an EDUCATED purchase!

[JustVape]

Wow this is sad. I hope Ignition properly defends it's self as well as Puresmoke. I hope every one new to vaping takes a good look at what can happen when you don't buy PCB(Protected Circuit Batteries) They're protected for a reason. I have tried to make them explode and have never been able to as long as they're protected you have a 99% chance of safety, I'll give the other 1% to stupid people. Another thing stacking batteries without built in safety measures is idiotic. If you never did well in electronics class back in high school or you don't do proper research on the proper way to build mods you deserve what you get. Most tube mods as pretty as they look are just a simple 510 connector with one wire going to the positive inner post of you connector and straight to the switch with the other end going straight to the battery This is a direct connection device with the ground being the tube it's self, no cut off, no circuit protection and no short protection. It's simple if your battery isn't protected you have no fuse and when a short happens the electricity will attack the weakest point which is the battery. My best mod is a big copper bomb made with 3/4inch pipe and it works perfectly and i would put it against Puresmokes $100 mods anytime.

[synthros]

Interesting, I can certainly see two sides to this issue though.

Sure these are APV's with the emphasis on the "A". People definitely need to do their homework and should get as much information as possible.

Having said that it's way way way easier to buy an APV than to get truly educated on the subject. Also the use of warnings and crystal clear disclaimers is ubiquitous now, in my opinion it wasn't that way just a few years back.

Yeah I know it's easier to buy a gun than get truly educated on its proper use, the difference is that the dangers/risks are widely known.

A few years ago when I first found vaping, probably the way a lot of people have, at an insanely overpriced mall kiosk it wasn't long before I went looking for something better, it wasn't long before I bought a V3 which came with 2 rcr123a's. I certainly didn't know about any potential concerns, I don't think a lot of people did. They don't sell them that way anymore ,do they? Now there is TONS of information available. Virtually every ecig website I am aware of has highly visible, very clear warnings about batteries and the use of APV's. That's a good thing in my opinion. Bad event, definite end user errors involved. On the whole there is ALOT more information ,discussion ,debate and awareness on the subject of apv risks,safety. Battery safety, quality , do/dont's, etc ,there is an entire library of information out there that is far more disseminated and readily accessible than it was a few years back. This is just my subjective impression , I'm truly sorry for the injured party, and I certainly think that he bears a substantial part of the responsibility for what happened. I'm however glad that the industry as a whole(again my impression) is vastly more safety focused than it was back when. That ways to reduce potential risks is in the forefront , not buried in the marketing/hype. It is easier to be well informed now, and that's a good thing.

I agree with twelves comments we should demand comprehensive detailed manuals and information.

With vaping having taken on such a home-grown approach, the amount of variation in devices and mods is staggering, I don't think it would hurt the industry as a whole if they could agree on some basic standards. I saw a mod the the other day that warned that this device required you to put the battery in positive down, unlike most devices. I thought wow surely that cant be a great idea to float out there with the rest. Again just my 2 cents and impressions.

[jmhester]

Isn't this the same as saying I installed the wrong, after-market battery in my Ford car and it caused the car to catch on fire, so I sue Ford?

[joe2003]

^^^ Exactly!!!

When will people start taking responsibility for their own actions

[HenleySmoker]

This kind of **** is going to kill the industry. It really urks me when I see articles like this because I know it's a matter of time before mass media picks it up and spins it faster than a dancer on a stripper pole. It's why I recommend units like the Pro Vari or Lava Tube to new users. They're idiot proof. Now, my heart goes out to the vaper that was injured, but here's what I think...

The Prodigy unit is a 3.7 volt unit. It states that the user purchased "batteries" I'm willing to bet he stacked non OEM batteries in order to obtain a higher voltage. (In a device not meant to be used over 3.7v) He wouldn't be the first to try this and it's scary how often this happens. I also wonder if the the vaper was using protected batteries.

If this was indeed the case, well what did you expect. If he was using correct batteries (which somehow I doubt) then the fault lies in the hands of Puresmoker. But I have a sneaking suspicion some battery "stacking" was going on here. If you purchase an $80 mod use fork out the money for the correct $11 batteries. And you do NOT try to stack batteries. Especially if safety measures are not in place.

If you buy a Mercedes requiring premium fuel and pour in some regular to saves a few pennies well...

By the way I wrote up a quick article on the front page here: http://www.vaportalk...are-not-a-joke/

Comments on this would be appreciated. I have a feeling if this story goes mainstream potential new users are going to be reading. It's important people know this is an unusual case.

It was good of you to respond. I just talked to a smoker a few minutes ago and she said that these things are "dangerous"! Wow that news spread fast and it is very unfortunate that people would consider smoking cigs safe and an e-cig dangerous.

Thanks for taking the time Chris.

[Poppa]

Happily for Darwin and evolution, you can't make people smarter.

As long as we can buy solder and batteries, I'm not overly worried about idiots trying to blow their faces off. You can't protect folks from themselves and frankly, getting them out of the gene-pool before they perform bodily-functions in it is Mo Betta.

Nothing we can do about the docs sad because they don't get their fee for visits to prescribe - and nothing to be done about a behemoth looking for more greenbacks from consumers in a "minority".

I'm just wondering how one acquires flavors and nic-liquid from a "black market"/"dealer".

("Cheer up! It could get Worse! - And, I did and they did.")

[Schizophretard]

The thread is labeled wrong. It should say,"Radio Shack batteries blows up Puresmoker Mod." Radio Shack should be the one to get sued by the man and Puresmoker. They advertise that you have questions, we have answers. They also won't let you leave without trying to get you to buy batteries. They don't have the answers and they don't sell the right batteries.