End of an Era - Bright Future?

It's been a couple of days since Imeo finally released details of VIR and there has been some interesting discussion going on regarding those details. A lot of talk has concentrated on the restriction on the type of wire that will work with VIR. There have been those that agree with the use of certain wires and those against. Imeo has always stated that safety is an issue that is very important when it comes to GG mods, this is nothing new and has been a concern of Imeo's for some for quite a while now. For this reason Kanthal is no longer suggested for building coils.

With VIR not working with Nichrome or Kanthal the best wire to use now is Titanium. Here is what Vassilis (e-smokeguru) posted about Titanium wires on the thread regarding it.

After some long research we end up making titanium ready wires for the following reasons:
Titanium is the only absolutely biocompatible metal, followed by cobalt and stainless steel which is used only because it is economical material. Titanium is a material that the human body can absorb in large quantities daily with absolutely no impact on health.
We observed during tests the following:
It didnt give us metallic taste at all like nichrome or kanthal does
It didnt hold a lot of residues like other wires do
We observed greater production of steam and better flavor due to greater surface coverage, (titanium has the half of nichrome-kanthal resistance)

So it seems the official standpoint from Golden Greek is that Titanium is the recommended wire to use. Based on Vassilis experiments it scores higher than other materials when it comes to vaping and has more positive points. This means that Kanthal may soon be disappearing from the vaping spares of many users from this point onwards. Bad news for me as I just bought 50 metres of it. :(

DNA 40

Another huge talking point has been the news that Evolv are bringing out a new DNA board with similar features. Pbursado has a video up on Youtube with Brandon from Evolv discussing the features of the DNA40. Phil himself has even popped into the VIR thread to discuss his view on  Evolv's release.

I won't go into all the details of the DNA40, I only bring it up because it's interesting that a product with similar features has been developed. There is also a Dicodes product in the same vein as VIR and the DNA40. There may be others in development and you can guarantee there will be more on the way from other manufacturers.

The stated release date for the DNA40 is Tuesday October 14th so it gets to jump the gun on VIR by a few weeks. It will be interesting to see the feedback from users of the 40, as it also restricts users to certain wire to get full functionality.

Whatever the similarities of all these products to VIR the most important thing is we are now seeing the development of devices designed primarily for safety. This can only be a good thing and benefits all users, providing good ammunition in the war against often ignorant opposition. There is also a report due soon from the eminent Dr.Farsalino on his temperature study. Safety is being pushed to the forefront of vaping, something I see as the number one priority.

We are still waiting for a proper look at VIR and no closer to a confirmed release date but I am betting that VIR will be the best of the rest. Imeo has put a lot of time and effort into VIR and I really can't wait to see what he has come up with. One thing is for sure though, we are witnessing a shift in the e-cig industry that is hugely beneficial to the end user and that is something I am very happy about.

EDIT-Regarding Kanthal use in the first paragraph I mean to say Imeo doesn't recommend Kanthal and prefers to promote the use of alternative wire types. I don't want to convey the message that Kanthal is bad and should not be used or avoided in any way.