As July comes to a close…

July 31st, 2009

Well, the month of July 2009 is nearly over, and so is my first week of being tobacco free! It’s been a very easy week, and I’ve had my E8 close at hand and ready for use at a moments notice. The first week has taught me a few things that I will share with you in this post, so be sure to read the whole thing to ensure that you get the most benefit from my findings so far. Also, I have an update from our friend Glenn. You may recall he is the one that was waiting for his Blu order – and actually received it 10 days ago. Well… I received an email from Glenn this morning, and I’ll share some of his thoughts with you as well. So…

First I’ll let you in on Glenn’s note. It’s been 10 days and Blu Cigs are Terrible! His words… After waiting the better part of 7 weeks to get his product in hand, in less than 10 days he’s already got two (YES – Both!) batteries overheating. So he’s hoping for a refund of his money from Blu and call that the end of the game for them. I still don’t have a personal experience with Blu, and at this point in the game I’m not likely to. I mean… they failed to deliver… They had to shutdown orders for most of July to catch up… They just got around to sending an email telling me that my order to Canada can’t be shipped (a fact I’ve known for SEVERAL days now)… and Glenn’s experience with them is not a good one. There are a few more reasons which are actually part of my discussion coming up. But I am quite sure that I won’t be restoring my affiliate links with Blu in the near future. What Glenn DID like is his new KR808D (Vapor King). And the reviews I’m reading on this little gem have me wondering if this is a solid choice for me as well… but more on that later.

I am actually Very happy with my E8 except for the battery life. Frankly – the batteries (long or short) really suck! In fact, I’m quite glad that I have the ability to charge my batteries in my car as I can have one charging in car while I’m touring around during the day, and the other is in the case in my pocket. So I’m never that far away from a fully charged battery. With that in mind, I am considering another spare batter – or perhaps moving to the slightly larger KR808D-1 (Vapor King) or perhaps the E9 from e-cig.com.

But here are a few tips that I’ve come to fine useful. Of course these are based on MY likes, styles, use and experience – Your experience may differ in practice.

1. Learn the fine art of Primer Puffing. It’s quite necessary in my experience. I find that the vapor cloud from a fresh battery and fresh cartridge are pretty good, but with a little primer puff the second mouthful is stunning. My little E8 does an amazing job of replicating a smoke – except for the black coloring and lack of all the killer chemicals in the ‘smoke’.

2. I LIKE Disposable Atomizers – When I first heard about these I had actually considered them wasteful. But there are a couple of large advantages to these! First – the ability to change flavour mid-cartridge! Want some menthol – pull the cart – bolt it onto your battery and enjoy menthol. No atomizer to clean or smoke off the remainder only to have to do it all over again when ou switch back. Of course – you could have multiple batteries – but the Cartomizer concept is certainly easier. Then – and this is a key part to me – I don’t have to worry about my atomizer quitting mid cartridge with no spare on hand. Or having a spare that turns out to be a dud. Replacements could be WEEKS away, and I’d be forced back to Analogs for the duration.

3. e-Cigs ARE effective. Here I am – nearly a week into my personal experiment, and I am handed a LIT Cigarette to hold while my friend has to go inside for a couple minutes. I took two puffs of my E8 and handed back the cigarette to my friend with not so much as a sniff of the smoke. It was impressive how easy that was!

4. There are – and will be – 100 businesses or more popping up offering an e-cig solution online. Be wary! Many of these come from the same company. Look at the specs. Look at the price and look at the offerings. Big money will have a wider range of product and selection, while those with shallower pockets at startup with have fewer models and flavours to choose from. Be mindful of the smaller sites – they run the greatest risks of being out of product and delaying shipment. Look for a website that SHOWS their on-hand quantity. Then act fast!

5. STOCK UP! With the FDA, Health Canada, and other organizations setting the sights on e-cig controls and shipments, you may find yourself with product with no notice. So I’m planning to stock up for a while so I can continue to enjoy the product of my choosing for at least a month or so at a time.

6. Try the flavours! I like the e-cig.com cherry cartridges in my E8. As well as the Flu Cured, and Menthol. With the different strengths of nicotine, I’m finding that the strong or full-bodied variety are my preference.

Well… if I write anymore tonight I won’t have anything to add for another week! So for now I’ll just pull a couple more puffs off of my E8 and head to bed. Tomorrow is a full day!

G’night!