Future of Pipes and Cigars?

I recently discovered that the vaping industry is massive; I never realized it is as large as it is.  There are literally thousands of "vape juices" to choose from, not to mention vape lounges popping up everywhere.  It's interesting how many vape choices there are, not only in terms of flavors, but also equipment.
 
My concern is what is in store for the future of pipes and cigars...  I wonder if the cigar/pipe industry are feeling much of a hit from the vape industry.  What are your thoughts?  I'd definitely like to hear from those in the cigar industry...
 
 

According to some articles I saw, most vapor customers are between the ages of 18-21.  This was one of the reasons cited for including vapor products in the under 21 smoking ban Hawaii just passed.  I would think that most cigar and pipe users are in the higher age brackets but don't know for certain.  In either case, I prefer the real thing.

There's only one legitimate use for a vaporizer and it ain't nicotine. :whistling:
 
Doc

There are far more cigarette smokers than cigars/pipe smokers. I think the vapor vendors are eying the cigarette crowd as their main target demographics. Vaping seems like one way to feed the nicotine addiction without potentially some of the obvious side effects.

But I noticed the huge number of recent vapor stores as well. Just this weekend I was looking for a cigar shop in a larger college town. I found only one and it wasn't even really focussed on cigars. During my search I passed dozens of new vapor stores, some times even two or three on the same block.

I'd be willing to bet the vape industry will have a marginal if any impact on the luxury cigar/pipe market. The reasons outside of nicotine for why I enjoy pipes and cigars are not something that a vaporizer can match. And though it's pure conjecture, I'd imagine the majority of our BOTL's feel the same way. Interesting question though.

I won't be doing any vaping.  To me it is just a convenient way to get your nicotine fix.  I'll bet that a lot of those shops won't be around a year from now. 
 
I have been seriously considering trying out pipe smoking.  I can pick up a starter kit from pipesandcigars for $25. :thumbs:

I'm probably right in that 18-25 age bracket they are targeting. As a cigar smoker I have no interest at all in a vaporizer. Natural well aged tobacco is much more appealing than some juice concoction made in a laboratory.

The hookahs are another thing that I see all over the place nowadays. Even some cigar lounges offer them and you can't go to a regular nightclub/lounge in NYC that does not have them.

I like my nicotine straight from the source as well.

I don't think there's much to worry about, honestly.  Two completely different demographics, as I see it.  

I just got started in the pipe thing so that's still in the experimental stage for me. What I think will be interesting to see is what will be discovered down the road about these vaporizer things. I know the purpose is to get your nicotine fix without coating your lungs with tar but I think in a few years we're gonna find out it does something just as bad of not worse to your lungs.

I work at a bar on the weekends, usually outside. And the number of people using these is starting to outnumber cigarette smokers. And most have these crazy set ups, exhaling huge clouds of smoke that smell like crappy incense. The little single-use e-cig is well outnumbered.
 
In talking with some of them, it's funny that so many swear there's nothing unhealthy about it. "It's just vapor." Read the ingredients on a bottle of that stuff. Few years down the road and we'll start to hear about people getting sick. They also look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them cigarettes started out as "healthy," too. 

Count me in the group that feels it's a matter of time before serious side effects from all these vapes become known. I've tried vapes a few times and while fun for a kick or two, it's never stuck and I don't intend to get seriously into it. Not really my thing.

Vaping should have little or no effect on the cigar smokers. Let's not kid one another, the rituals we follow in smoking them would be tough to duplicate with an electric device filled with some unknown flavored nicotine juice. If you truly are a smoker of either cigars or pipes, it's that ritualistic nature that exemplifies the whole process.  
 
By cigar ritual I mean
 
1) The visual & tactile selection of what cigar we will smoke.
2) The choice of what cutter we'll use to maximize the draw.
3) What lighter we select based on ring size
4) The charring of the foot and the eventual lighting of the cigar....maybe with a cedar spliff. 
5) The taste on our palette of that first draw and the aroma that fills the air as we puff away.
 
I'm not sure a vaping device can match that in terms of satisfaction and personal gratification. Same goes for the pipe smokers. The collecting of the pipes, the seemingly endless varieties of tobaccos, the bracketing of the smoking time out of our day, the packing of the bowl, the lighting, the taste & aromas, etc. 
 
While there are Vaping Forums, vaping lounges, and a new generation of followers...let's see if they can stand the test of time that we have enjoyed for many generations. And if they can achieve a small portion of the passion that we have enjoyed as cigar & pipe smokers, I wish them well.
 
But in the end, I think the vaping phenomenon is a stand-alone with few ties to actual tobacco consumption....nicotine aside. 
 
 

If you search ejuice it's amazing how huge the industry has become. In any case, I agree it doesn't compare with pipes or cigars, just interesting how big the market is. 

Rod said:

If you search ejuice it's amazing how huge the industry has become. In any case, I agree it doesn't compare with pipes or cigars, just interesting how big the market is. 

Click to expand...

 
In a 3 miles stretch of a main road close to where I live, Fischer Blvd, there are 5 vape stores...two of which have lounges. All five are constantly busy. I went into one about two months ago to see what the hype was all about. I couldn't believe the 100s of varieties of that ejuice...showcase after showcase...packed with the stuff. The owner said he can't keep up his inventory of electronic vapes. When you walk the boardwalk in Seaside Heights....almost every stand has vapes, ejuice, and accessories. Dozens of them...it's everywhere. In the clubs on the boardwalk...everywhere you look, dozens of people vaping all over the place. 
 
It's huge...

Vaping is a drug delivery method.  Cigars are a source of enjoyment and relaxation....and a drug delivery device.

Just another fad. The next will be worse, I 'spect. Injecting nicotine, perhaps?

Has it been around long enough  to figure out exactly what side effects may come of it?  Of everyone I know who is a cig smoker and has tried it, they all are back to the real thing now.