While cannabis vape products have never been more popular, the unfortunate reality is that most vape manufacturing processes are not closely audited or regulated for safety purposes. That puts much of the responsibility for consumer safety on vape brands themselves and some, like PurTec, are rising to the occasion with rigorous consumer safety tests.
For this written Q&A, we ask CEO Corey Mangold about why he founded the vape technology brand, the main risks faced by consumers in today’s cannabis vape market, the differences between tobacco vaporizers and cannabis vaporizers, his predictions for the ever-evolving vape industry, and more!
Check out the interview below!
Ganjapreneur: What was the inspiration behind your decision to create PurTec?
Corey Mangold: In 2017 I was using vaporizing products that all had a really awful user experience. My previous engineering experience led me to launch a great cannabis brand (Orchid Essentials) that utilized premium hardware.
What makes PurTec products different from commonly available alternatives on the market?
First and foremost, really the premium user experience is the best selling point. This is because we use eco-friendly materials and unrivaled component quality in our vape hardware. Our disposable options have long-lasting batteries to allow users to get more oil before the need to discard. The μKERA™ technology ensures your customers won’t experience a burnt taste, oil spit-back, harmful additives, or any heavy metal contamination. Instead, they get stronger vapor, unadulterated flavor, and above all, safety.
What are some of the main consumer safety risks that exist in the market today when it comes to vape hardware?
Unfortunately, there is very little transparency for consumers to understand what they are vaping with general products in the market currently. Much of this is due to the lack of regulations for this emerging industry. The risks that consumers face are numerous but include exposure to dangerous heavy metals.
Are vape products required to undergo testing before they can be sold to the consumer? If so, what kinds of tests do they undergo?
Because cannabis has not been federally legalized, the FDA is unable to put in place the necessary regulations to ensure consumer safety. Since this is the case, virtually no testing is done in order to protect the consumer and regulations vary by state.
Do cannabis brands use different technology than FDA regulated tobacco vapes?
Vape products in tobacco are wildly different from those used in cannabis and CBD applications. The primary reason is the thickness or viscosity of the oil. Ceramic is heavily used as the wicking platform for cannabis and CBD where cotton is primarily used for Nicotine because it’s a much thinner liquid. Nicotine products are also much more heavily regulated as the FDA and other international health agencies govern that industry. AFNOR standards for example are the EU standards for aerosol or emissions testing nicotine products. Cannabis doesn’t have such testing but will someday in the near future, hopefully.
How does PurTec read the pulse of the evolving vape consumer market to inform product innovation?
The best way to know what the future holds is to follow the consumer trends in tobacco vape as in the last 5 years we’ve seen the cannabis vape market closely follow nicotine but about 2-3 years behind. For example, disposables and pod’s are the primary products in nicotine where 510 threads are the leader in cannabis. 510 threads were the leader in nicotine until about 5 years ago, and in the last 1 year, disposables have become the leader in nicotine, and we are seeing that trend begin to take place in cannabis.
What kind of testing does PurTec hardware undergo?
Every single material we use gets lab-tested to ensure nothing is harmful for the customers. Once the vape hardware is put together, we emission test our products to help ensure customers use the safest products available to them!
How much of the manufacturing workflow do you oversee, and where are products manufactured?
Our manufacturing facilities are in China, however we have intimate details and oversee production through constant communication to be fully ingrained in the process.
What does the integration process look like for a brand to start developing products using PurTec hardware?
This really depends on the Brand. We believe in making the process as easy for them as possible. So, pending the need from our partners, we can truly tailor our services accordingly.
What are PurTec’s capabilities when it comes to helping brands create custom-branded and custom-designed products?
If you dream it, we can make it. PurTec offers help with design services for full wraps, aluminum metallic finishes, soft touch painted surfaces, and so much more.
How many brands are currently using PurTec pods, disposables, and 510 cartridges — and what markets are they available in?
We would rather not mention the amount of clients we have at this moment but we are happy to service anyone from US, Canada, Central America, and Europe!
Thank you, Cory, for answering our questions! Learn more about Cory Mangold and PurTec at PurTecDesigns.com.
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