1999 -We are all Y2k stressed while the first Audi TT launches and The Matrix hit the big screen. Posh spice was making news by dating David Beckham, and Britney Spears was killing us softly with Baby One More Time. Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial started and the Euro currency was launched. And lest I forget Daryll Cullinan scores South African cricket record 275no in the drawn 1st Test against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland; Gary Kirsten 128
2008 - Black Monday hits and the stock market is set for down turn that would take years to recover, while the first Iron Man movie is released, and don’t forget OJ Simpson is found guilty! But the greatest thing to happen in 2008 was….America elects it's first African American President to office.
A lot can happen in 10 years, but in April 2008 a company was charting new grounds based on the idea of bringing e-cigarettes to South Africa as an alternative to smoking and helping everyone to move away from cigarets…
Twisp celebrated our 10 year anniversary last year, and something cropped up from our archived design prototypes... Something that every MTL lover would immediately recognise as a winner. Now, old school vapers would recollect the days of silica wicking and diminutively thin Kanthal wire coils…the early days of Phil Busardo and, Rip Trippers was playing with cartomisers with RBA’s like the Odysseus RBA entering the market… well Twisp was experimenting behind closed doors as well.
Today we (Twisp) are constantly berated for not offering a rebuildable atomiser, sticking to prebuilt atomiser heads and not offering the mech-life
Well, Twisp, and here is the kicker, where working on an early prototype of a rebuildable MTL pen.
2008 - Black Monday hits and the stock market is set for down turn that would take years to recover, while the first Iron Man movie is released, and don’t forget OJ Simpson is found guilty! But the greatest thing to happen in 2008 was….America elects it's first African American President to office.
A lot can happen in 10 years, but in April 2008 a company was charting new grounds based on the idea of bringing e-cigarettes to South Africa as an alternative to smoking and helping everyone to move away from cigarets…
Twisp celebrated our 10 year anniversary last year, and something cropped up from our archived design prototypes... Something that every MTL lover would immediately recognise as a winner. Now, old school vapers would recollect the days of silica wicking and diminutively thin Kanthal wire coils…the early days of Phil Busardo and, Rip Trippers was playing with cartomisers with RBA’s like the Odysseus RBA entering the market… well Twisp was experimenting behind closed doors as well.
Today we (Twisp) are constantly berated for not offering a rebuildable atomiser, sticking to prebuilt atomiser heads and not offering the mech-life
Well, Twisp, and here is the kicker, where working on an early prototype of a rebuildable MTL pen.
Pictured above with another Popular MTL juice for scale, hint-hint, wink-wink
The Rebuilder
The problem with rebuildable atomisers and our wide gamut of Twisp users, is that only some understand what rebuilding entails, as well as how to properly take the time to build and calculate battery safe coils! Vapers, like you and I, are a smaller selection of users that converted from smoking cigarettes and have transitioned into rebuilding their own atomisers - and 8 years ago proper vapers where even a smaller number!! We all know how with shaky hands we first attempted our first rebuildable, often asking the local vape guru for help - even texting off a sms or, if you where lucky, sending a MMS of your first build for approval!
Many ATS (alternative to Smoking) users where completely content in using cigalikes. For Twisp to suddenly add a rebuildable atomizer/mod into the mix would have potentially opened a can of worms, that would have meant changing the perception of ‘Twisping’ from a dead easy user experience, to something that you will have been a very difficult step up for the average ATS user!
Vapers might think of ourselves as the majority, but that is not the case - the large majority of ecig users are just that, ecig users - people who want to quit smoking and looking for an easy alternative that they can use in a similar fashion - hence the major uptake in Cue users! A simple Pod system is much easier to understand that trying to do the maths of coil building and understanding battery limits and safety.
The “unnamed mod” project was an in-house toe in the water, a thought experiment to see how easy will it be have clients understand the ‘new concepts’.
The Unnamed Mod
The design is an elegant and sublimely sexy 16mm semi-mech. It would be a perfect addition to any serious MTL vapour’s arsenal today! A few technical updates could see the Twisp rebuildable in every vapour’s hand today!
The problem with rebuildable atomisers and our wide gamut of Twisp users, is that only some understand what rebuilding entails, as well as how to properly take the time to build and calculate battery safe coils! Vapers, like you and I, are a smaller selection of users that converted from smoking cigarettes and have transitioned into rebuilding their own atomisers - and 8 years ago proper vapers where even a smaller number!! We all know how with shaky hands we first attempted our first rebuildable, often asking the local vape guru for help - even texting off a sms or, if you where lucky, sending a MMS of your first build for approval!
Many ATS (alternative to Smoking) users where completely content in using cigalikes. For Twisp to suddenly add a rebuildable atomizer/mod into the mix would have potentially opened a can of worms, that would have meant changing the perception of ‘Twisping’ from a dead easy user experience, to something that you will have been a very difficult step up for the average ATS user!
Vapers might think of ourselves as the majority, but that is not the case - the large majority of ecig users are just that, ecig users - people who want to quit smoking and looking for an easy alternative that they can use in a similar fashion - hence the major uptake in Cue users! A simple Pod system is much easier to understand that trying to do the maths of coil building and understanding battery limits and safety.
The “unnamed mod” project was an in-house toe in the water, a thought experiment to see how easy will it be have clients understand the ‘new concepts’.
The Unnamed Mod
The design is an elegant and sublimely sexy 16mm semi-mech. It would be a perfect addition to any serious MTL vapour’s arsenal today! A few technical updates could see the Twisp rebuildable in every vapour’s hand today!
A stunning looker - note the AFC ring with preset 1.2mm - 2.5mm air holes
The whole device in it’s constituting parts, the top filling holes are easily seen above,
with the top cap unscrewing to reveal the filling ports, meant for needle nose bottles.
For those who remember the ‘DNA kick’ you would recognise the little green disk in the above picture, for those who don’t… The Kicker was a small PCB that would act was a safety net between the battery and the mech, and later models allowed for variable wattage to be implemented (5 to 10w) it was THE first variable wattage device ever. The ‘unnamed mod’ had a precursor to the the Kick, acting as a dead short detector and limiting the resistance to 1-3Ω, the proper MTL resistance of choice Those where the days!!!
With Nic Salts defining MTL today, the ‘Unnamed Mod’ could have been developed today. The proportions of the mod is perfect as a little stealth device, it is heavy, solid, and features superb CNC work.
Beyond 2020
Well in 2019 where do we stand now? Twisp is the leading supplier of ATS solutions in South Africa, with 56stores nationwide, and still the most dedicated company to see vaping continue in South Africa. Our Clearo range of devices are icons of their own making, with amazing MTL draw and from Clearo 2 introducing our Smart Button technology and horizontal coils.
The ‘unnamed mod’ was a perfect Wishlist generator, while illustrating the need for a simpler and easier to use device that could compete with the trend of rebuildables. Yet, the question remains, in my mind at least: Would we see a rebuildable Twisp atomiser any time soon?
I don’t know - but what I do know is….. I want a production version of the ‘unnamed mod’!!!!
For a quick rundown on what the history of rebuilding atomisers is, please check the fantastic article from Electronic-Cigarette here, I am so happy to be part of Twisp, and its decade of history. Heck… the Clearo and it’s Kuwako pipe bulb got me off stinkies 265 weeks ago!!!
So the question is... would you go for a rebuildable Twisp?
