My e-Cigarette Experiences…

Posts Tagged ‘choice’

I got my dreaded letter from Canada Customs on Friday letting me know that my latest order from my supplier has been rejected for import.  You read about it from time to time, and you place each order in the hopes that your small quantity will pass through un-noticed, but still there looms the ever present big-brother watching out for ‘your best interests’ with regards to health and happiness.  But the reality of the fact is that I would be MUCH happier if they let me make my own choices with regard to my health.  I know that there are needs for some items to be controlled and regulated, and as another blogger had noted a while ago my shipment has guaranteed the need for the agent that processed the shipment – at least for a while – so there is another positive in all of this, but it’s frustrating still that my shipment is not going to arrive.  Of course I saw it coming when my latest shipment was handed over to Customs on the 7th and just stayed there.

So now I get to test the suppliers delivery guarantee and see just how well that works.  And hopefully, I will find another option and be able to stock up again before I run out of supplies.  If you’re in Canada, you too will one day feel the same as I do today, but don’t lose hope.  Maybe one day – not too far in the future – we’ll see the e-cig being available right at the corner store.  Could happen!?

Vape-On!

It looks like the folks over at Blu have things running more smoothly, and for our American readers only are able to deliver a solid product at a great price.  So I’ve returned the Blu links to the right hand column for easy access and of course to make my tiny piece of the action when you place orders.  The money raised by this blog is used to test products that I write about, and to help with the cost sharing for the webspace.  If there is anything left after that, I am sure I’ll find a good use for it.  But so far…  I haven’t had to think about that part. 

But this evening I did have a funny thing happen.  The email announcement from Blu that reminded I was an affiliate still and also told me of their new system was delivered 87 times in a matter of seconds.  I don’t know if that was a glitch at their end, or just some karmic advisory that I needed to pay attention.   So I am answering the call and have re-activated my link.

So…  if you’re looking for option, I still recommend the E9 I use, especially if you live in Canada, and for those of you in the US, check out Blu!

Happy vaping all!

And Season’s Greeting!

and I’ll actually get a coupon from my supplier for some free products!  Yes, I admit (and have in the past) that I have an affiliate account with e-cig.com (see the E9 Package link to the right) and that I do make a small (and I mean SMALL!) commission off of your orders that go through that link.  I’ve been using and recommending their product for quite some time now and am finally at the point where I am about to reach the minimum payout level, at which point I will have the option of taking a coupon for their store to purchase more product for my own use.  If you’re curious as to the commission levels, it will take nearly $2,700 worth of sales for me to earn that $100 coupon.  But still, the opportunity to provide information related to the e-cigs that I use, and to my specific experiences with them, is a good thing that I am glad to be in a position to offer. 

I am still happy with my E9 for the most part, except for the battery situation which they have taken care of.  As I mentioned before, I won’t buy the blue tipped batteries again, as I have had a 100% failure rate with them while only one of the red tipped ones from my E8 kit failed.  From what I’ve read, batteries are about the highest point of failure in these devices, especially in the 2 part units like the E8 and E9.  In the 3 part units where the atomizer is separate from the cartridges, atomizers are the weaker link it seems.  While there are advantages to that system (dripping), I prefer the nice clean operation of the cartomizer type systems and will continue to use my E9 for a long time to come. 

My coupon will be used to get a case of some kind likely, and some more flavours to experiment with.  Of course, my flavour testing will also be posted here once I’ve tried a few more. So far, I’ve only tried the menthol and Flu-cured flavours, liking both of them at different times.  And a tip – you can order your cartomizers with different colours…  and it’s a good idea to do so.  I have gold wraps on my flu-cured, and black wraps on my menthol.  If I ordered a fruit flavour of some kind, I’ll likely go red for those.  This way, when I open the case to take one out I’ll know by the color rather than having to try to read the VERY small print on the package.

Happy Vaping!

It seems that a battery issue is now the latest thing to hit Blu as their manufacturer found a problem that initiated a ‘voluntary recall’ on the batteries from the blucig packs.  The Lithium Polymer batteries in the packs also require special handling and processing with regard to disposal, and Blu have sent out detailed instructions on safe disposal for those wanting to DIY, but I would recommend that you find a proper recycling center that are able to handle these batteries.

This will cause yet another 4 to 6 week delay in delivery of packs and products to consumers, but I have to commend Blu for the actions they are taking and for the very detailed information they are sending out on the matter to those customers affected.  While I’m not a Blu user (living in Canada), and not using my Blu affiliate account actively either, I still wanted to share this with my readers in case they haven’t heard through normal channels.

Once again – I wish Blu good fortune in the future – I still like their concepts and marketing - and now I like their customer service even more.

Cheers!

njw

Well, the Blogs have been quiet, but my life certainly hasn’t.  But I thought I would toss out a quick howdy to those of you that are still following and bring you up to date with the latest.  Yes…  I’ve had a few little cigars lately, but only as a sort of guilty pleasure.  I have NOT had any brand of standard cigarette.  Not one.  In the whole time I’ve been on the e-cigs I can honestly say I’ve consumed less than the equivalent of a full pack of cigarettes in tobacco products, which is a massive improvement for me.  This time of year, for a range of reasons, I would be up to 30 cigarettes daily and now I’m only at a flavoured cigarillo or Captain Black Sweet tipped and dipped cigar every few days.  The rest of the time I am vaping and still quite happy to be doing so. 

I’m placing the order for my E9 tonight and going for the larger format.  The E8 has been nice, but it still feels a little weak and I’m hoping that the larger batteries and cartomizers will produce that little extra hit that will make it feel more like the real thing for those times when I REALLY want a smoke.  So far, I’ve been able to kick those cravings by taking several hits off the E8, but I think that the E9 might make it a little easier.  Here’s hoping!  And of course, you’ll be the first to read about it here when I get my kit and give them a comparative test against each other.

So besides being INSANELY busy these past couple of weeks, I’m still vaping and still alive…  and actually planning to stay that way for a LONG time to come.

cheers!  and Happy Vaping!

Well, it’s been over a month.  I’ve set a new record for going the course without a whole analog cigarette!  I’ve gone weeks in the past, but usually with a few smokes along the way, and by this point I’m back up to several per day with every other attempt to quit in the past.  But with e-cigs, yes, I’ve had a few cigarillos (4 in the whole month) but I’m happy to say that I am still not bound to run out and pick up a pack or cigarettes.  So they really ARE working!  And yes, I will continue to use my e-cigs.  Now to the frustration…

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I’ve got a day job that I’ve been on vacation from for a couple of weeks, so there are several people that have not seen me since the first few days that I’ve been vaping instead of smoking.  On my return to work this week, I’ve had a few of those people do a double take and tell me that I actually LOOK healthier!  Younger, and with better skin tone than when they saw me last – just a couple of weeks ago.  Now if that’s not a point in favour of kicking the tobacco habit and getting an e-cig kit, then I don’t know what is!  I really just wanted to share this one with you.  The other point of note here is that I have returned to work – and even after 2 full days of the increased stresses of the day job, I’m happy to report that I am still finding all of the satisfaction that I need from a few puffs of my E8, and have not reverted back to analogs.  It’s been twenty-five days now, and I’m just starting to work on the cartridges I ordered and received last week. 

On another note, I have decided that my next order will be an E9.  I think that the slightly larger batteries, and the larger cartomizers might make the entire experience that little bit better, and of course I will be reporting my comparison between the two different models once I have some time with them both.  The one point that I think will be of greatest interest to me is that the E9 cartridges are larger, and hold more juice, so only come 4 to a box rather than 5, but still equal about the same amount of vaping pleasure.  Fewer changes mean even more likely that I will get a full day or more out of each cartridge as I’m finding that I am using about one and a half cartridges per day on the E8.  The other thing I think I’ll like is that the E9 comes with a blue tip option that the E8 doesn’t offer.  I think that the blue tip will make my public use of the E-cig even more interesting to those around me rather than raising the odd concern with the orange tip.

As always… stay tuned for the latest reviews, thoughts and experiences, and of course GET YOUR E-CIG KIT ordered asap and get off those analogs that ARE killing you.

Happy Vaping!

As the three week mark approaches, I feel that the time is now for me to conduct a more complete review of the E8 model electronic cigarette starter kit that I ordered from e-cig.com.  After a lot of consideration of various models, and a number of false starts, I was finally able to get a product that sounded good in principle, and could actually deliver to my Canadian address.  I’m even happier to report that it looks like my second order will make it through Customs as well, having released this morning, and I expect it to arrive tomorrow (August 13).

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Yes, I got the confirmation and tracking number today via email, telling me that the order I placed on Thursday night (Friday Morning actually) is already processed, packed and on its way from China.  Another great performance from my vendor.  And while I’m bragging about them, I’d like to point out a couple of VERY important things that seem to have been lost in translation in the short history of my e-cig blog.

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Well…  the trip to the asylum is seemingly shorter with each passing day.  I was reading some of the recent news and discussion around e-cigs and found a number of choice articles out there in the recent news.  One reports of legislature pendingthat will force e-cig users (vapers) to join analog smokers in designated smoking areas.  So…  it’s better for all parties if we take those of us that are trying to avoid tobacco smoke and put us in right back into the second hand smoke of a smoking pit?!  Or the article that reports that PayPal are dropping accounts of vendors that are selling e-cigs in the US.  Or my personal favourite - this one you just HAVE to read!  I don’t want you thinking I’m crazy when I tell you that seven of the loudest and most widely recognized anti-smoking associations are actually telling people to use analog tobacco cigarettes over e-cigs – even with clear evidence of the existence of 57 KNOWN DEADLY substances in tobacco smoke that ARE NOT FOUND in e-cigs!  But please… don’t take my word for it!

On the upside of this though, I did find an article that speaks in favour of the e-cig, and speaks of results of a small study into the effectiveness of e-cigs to quit smoking. At least there are some studies starting to show results out there, so there’s certainly hope that we’ll continue to see e-cigs grow in popularity.  Meanwhile – I KNOW they work and are healthier than analogs.  I’m vaping and I’m finding that I don’t get winded as quickly, and I still get my nicotine when I need it.  I feel great and I’m happy… what could be better!?