Posts tagged Reviews

It seems like I’m always leaning more toward writing product and service reviews these days, aren’t I? Well I have a lot to say, so expect everything from food and movie reviews,  and even my letter to president Obama. You heard me. LETTER. OBAMA. TO.

So today I will discuss Blu Cigs. It’s not a topic I’ve discussed before, because it was a product I was very cautious about. I was cautious mostly about the long waiting periods for shipping, mostly, and most importantly – do they work?

Most people don’t know about these. Let me explain. They’re cigarettes… KIND of. But not really. There’s no smoke, no ash, no tar, hell, no flame at all for that matter.

They work as such. The longer part of the device is basically just a battery. That battery connects to an atomizer, which is in turn connected to a flavor cartridge at the end, which if the business end you puff on.

Sounds silly I know. This little guy even has a blue led on the tip that lights up when you take a hit. Cool!

I wanted to try it, but I wanted someone else to try it first. In came one of my oldest and bestest friends, Stevo, to give it a crack, since he’s always looking for some “must stop smoking SOMEHOW scheme” himself, and we usually follow the same path. Well, after showing him, he ordered the starter kit off their web site. I just happened to stop by his house the other day to discover he had them. He was kind enough to let me try one.

I. was. amazed.

I’ve tried the patch, nicotine gum, nicotrol inhaler, special prescription pills, even the old practice of “you only smoke what you roll yourself” (that last one is actually pretty effective if you don’t buy a 20lb bag of tobacco)

They all had flaws. The patch gives you nightmares and itches and never sticks on properly. Nicotine gum is disgusting and overpriced. The nicotrol inhaler WORKS, but it takes 20 minutes from a hit until any nicotine is in your system. Those pills? Forget it, waste of money. They did NOTHING for me. I did quit once using the “only smoke what you roll” method, successfully, but I was an idiot and started 3 months later due to a death in the family that stressed me out.

Why is this any different? Because it’s still smoking. Kind of. Only very different at the same time. It’s the eCigarette. I’ve always wanted to be able to call something that.

It has all the best stuff of smoking with none of the bad. It comes in delicious flavors including coffee, vanilla, and cherry. Of course you can have regular tobacco flavor or menthol if you want. The starter kit comes with a carton (a CARTON!) of each.

But here’s where it changes. First, it’s electronic, you charge it by a wall outlet or (and this satisfies the geek in me) usb adaptor on your pc or laptop.

It does not produce smoke. It does not heat up. It takes a small dose of nicotine (and only nicotine, plus whatever flavor you choose), and makes it into a water vapor. Steam, if you would, but without all that heat.

Folks, it is truly: the safe cigarette. There are no negative side effects, no additives or other addictive or dangerous substances. Nicotine itself is safe in controlled doses, just addictive. And these are certainly better than the Camel Snus I switched to.

The Snus is good, it tastes good, and provides a constant, high level of nicotine.

The downsides: It’s now costing just as much as smoking, it causes sores on my inner lip and gums, irritates my throat, and now has cause horribly bad heartburn.

Bye bye Snus, it’s been un a fun ride, but once the Blu arrives, I’m kicking it all else to the curb.

The best thing that will help me with the Blu? The cartridges come in varying nicotine strengths, from full (16mg) to (GASP!) 0mg nicotine free. It will let me step down the easy way. Hell I may keep doing the stuff even without the nicotine in it if it tastes that damn good. And it does taste good!

I had concerns over my order status today and contacted customer support for a half-heartedly humorous discussion. Apparently right before Christmas is a bad time to order stuff in the mail!

But it seems confirmed after discussion with support, they DO ship out within 72 hours (business days, of course) of the order being placed. I hope to get mine by the end of the week, but I doubt it.

I will post more once I get my kit and get to fully experience it all!