We Might Have to Stop Calling It Smoking

If your house smells like a smoke shop and your friends steer clear of anyplace you perch, consider the probable cause: You’re a cigarette addict who pollutes the surrounding air.

Maybe not anymore. The Smokeless Smoker is a new invention that allegedly “captures smoke before it can escape” and allows you to puff away anywhere. That’s the claim of Reiner Lenzen, engineer-inventor of the patented gadget. Just light up, pop your cigarette inside the anodized aluminum case and take a drag through the onyx plastic mouthpiece. Voila! The only smoke you see is what escapes from your mouth when you exhale. “The smoke that comes off the cigarette tip is held inside the case and never gets out. That eliminates about 90% of the dangerous stuff,” Lenzen says.

The product is based on a ball valve that closes when tipped, to keep smoke inside. When held horizontally, enough fresh air enters to keep your cigarette ablaze.

Lenzen, 47, a retired engineer, used to design seat belts and air bags for TRW in Detroit. These days, he and partner Kara Seitenspinner sit around Coral Bay, Fla., dreaming up useful new ideas. Their next product is a ceiling fan that lowers to human height for cleaning. For more information: (800) 531-5334.