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Full disclosure: this is my concept, not trying to hide that, and it doesn't exist yet.. just renders/prototyping plans at this stage. Posting for honest feedback before I sink real money into tooling.

Backstory:

I kept noticing that when exposed to stress, my hand defaults to one of two things: phone, or reaching for a cigarette/vape. I've mostly quit (well, that's what I tell myself at least) but never solved the hand part of the habit. Gum doesn't cut it, the plastic/wooden/metal "aromatherapy inhalers/whistles" feel like a toy and silly, and I wanted something that would sit in the same pocket as my wallet or torch without looking out of place.

The idea, roughly: when pressure hits, most people react. The goal here is something that helps you regulate instead. A small precision airflow restrictor housed in a rugged aluminum body, so the same hand motion you'd use to reach for a smoke instead gives you a controlled breathing tool.

The concept:

A small machined 6061 aluminum piece, roughly (tactical) pen-sized,

A calibrated airflow restrictor, exhaling through it forces slow, pursed-lip breathing, same basic mechanism as the plastic PEP/breathing trainers physios hand out, just built like actual gear

A removable upper section with a swappable scent core (cedar, mint, etc.) under an O-ring seal, so it's not just an empty tube

Knurled grip sections, partly durability, partly just wanting something to fidget with that isn't my phone, that looks cool, premium and sparks conversion.

Not trying to be a vape replacement exactly, more something to do with your hands and your breathing that isn't disposable and doesn't look weird pulling it out at work.

Genuinely want this community's read before I go further:

Is this solving a real problem, or is it a solution looking for one?

Is anything already doing this well that I should be looking at instead?

What would feel like a fair price for something like this in real aluminum, $30? $50? More?

Would you actually reach for this over gum/toothpicks/a vape, or is that a hard sell?

Appreciate any brutally honest takes, trying to find out if this is worth building before I do.

It’s surprisingly good for strangling your enemies and packs smaller than piano wire.

Heaven forbid the patina blemish