The nasty consequences of fake vapes are revealed in a video of manufacturing workers in China trying out electronic cigarettes by inhaling on them.
Men are shown ‘testing’ dozens of disposable ELFBARS before they are wrapped and delivered in a video from last year that has become widely popular recently.
The factory in the video “does not belong to Elf Bar, and is not affiliated with ELFBAR in any way,” Shenzhen-based ELFBAR told DailyMail.com.
Another video showing employees handling mouthpieces without wearing gloves was stolen from Pairyosi Vape, a Chinese maker of disposable vapes.
Other images captured inside these fictitious workplaces show dirty restrooms, sinks, and surfaces that are close to the vapes that are covered in cigarette ends.
The video was captured as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) battles to control the unauthorised fruity vapes that are flooding the country from China.
An ELFBAR spokeswoman told DailyMail.com, “ELFBAR prides itself on offering quality products to our users worldwide.”
However, some dishonest producers are producing and selling fake e-cigarettes for their own gain, endangering the reputation of the sector and endangering the safety of users.
‘To further address the issue, firstly, ELFBAR has been battling illegal vapes for a long time, with a weekly updated intelligence dossier to track fraudulent items.
“Second, users are able to globally verify product authenticity on our official website with the aid of unique security codes.”
The representative added that the clone factor was terminated soon after the manufacturer received a letter from the attorney for ELFBAR.
Flavoured, disposable vapes, which are particularly popular among kids, have been warned against by health organisations.
ELFBARS, which have been connected to conditions like lung and heart damage, were banned from 180 US retailers by the FDA in June.
According to a research released earlier this year, outlawing fruity and menthol vapes might reduce teen e-cigarette use by as much as 70%.
These restrictions can be causing a significant flood of illegal factories and goods.
Following a recent lawsuit for trademark infringement in the US, ELFBAR is now known in that country as EBDESIGN.
Consumers would be horrified if they saw the conditions in which these products are created, and quite properly so, according to Victor Xiao, Chief Executive of ELFBAR, in November.
“The criminals behind these counterfeit goods care nothing about consumer health or product safety, and they take any opportunity to increase their profits.”
The working conditions at these facilities, where employees operate manufacturing lines in filthy surroundings with little regard for cleanliness at all, are quite literally appalling.
Retailers must avoid handling these products at all costs because doing so exposes them to significant hazards.
There is no way to tell what health hazards these items pose because they haven’t undergone any formal testing or safety inspections, and we worry that they could be very deadly.
Images of ELFBAR clone factories show filthy, abandoned smoking facilities.
The 2022 video prompted ELFBAR to share pictures and videos of its official factories in Shenzhen, southeast China.
The video depicts a white building with personnel wearing white safety equipment and gloves.
Additionally, smoke suction devices rather than human mouths are used to test the vapes.
ElfBars that have just been built are put in a suctioning machine that pulls on them for about a second to make sure they function properly.
Online forums have been used to share accounts of those who unwittingly bought bogus elf bars.
One TikTok user shared a picture of an almost identical counterfeit and genuine e-cigarette.
So a client entered this morning and claimed that the last ELFBAR she purchased was from a bogus petrol station, the user wrote.
She brought it in and told me I could use it as a model to follow in the store. If you look closely at the print on the BC5000, you can see that the font and bold are different from those on a regular one.It also doesn’t match the colour scheme. The one at the bottom is the real one.
The substances in the bogus ELFBARS are not FDA-approved, and the batteries are weak or toxic, which might cause them to blow up.
In the wild, there are techniques to recognise a fake.
According to Aroma Vape, a retailer of electronic cigarettes, “look for signs of counterfeit products, such as a significantly lower price than the retail price, poorly designed packaging, and spelling errors or inconsistencies on the packaging.”
Any product that seems too wonderful to be true should be avoided.
According to ELBAR’s website, it began an anti-counterfeiting initiative in June 2021 with the goal of locating and shutting down clone factories.
In a statement, ELFBAR said that the crooks responsible for these counterfeit goods “care nothing about the safety of the products or the safety of consumers, and they cut every corner possible to maximise their profits.”
In these plants, people are forced to endure appalling working conditions and total disregard for hygiene.
“We wouldn’t sit idly by as counterfeiting spreads, tarnishing the reputation of the reputable manufacturers and seriously jeopardising the safety of consumers.”
As counterfeiters become more skilled and effective, “We are cracking down hard on the illegal vape market and are building up an intelligence dossier on fake products.”
The genuine vaporizer has a single EAN barcode printed on the side of the box next to the anti-counterfeit holographic sticker, which is one of the telltale signs to recognise a fake ELFBAR.
Ryan Horace published the Pairyosi Vape video last month on YouTube.
Before the wire is assembled in bulk and the electrical testing is done, viewers are introduced to the computer design of the vape label and package in the video.
The items are then assembled and put into their cases on a production line before a worker attaches the mouthpiece to the top.
Many people comment on the lack of cleanliness practises used during the process as a result of how uncomfortable this particular moment is making them feel.
‘That’s horrible no gloves when putting the top on that you breathe through – no thanks stay away from vapes entirely,’ commented one horrified user.
The excessive amount of plastic used to make the vapes was quickly noted and criticised by other users who care about the environment.