This time, it is written more like an introduction, and included contact information about a new manufacturer that is selling e-cigs in much the same manner as the company I use mostly right now (e-cig.com).  What this means is another site that is offering excellent products and pricing, and ships direct from manufacturing in China rather than through a multi-step (increasing costs) channel into the US first and then trying to get the product into Canada. 

Now, I’m not giving any real information at this time, except that I am discussing evaluations or perhaps placing a small order this month to see if they are offering a product that I would use and recommend.  As you know if you’ve been following here, I only post about, and link to, companies that I do or would use (if I could as in Blu – I would use them if I could get them into Canada).

The problem in this market right now is that there are new companies popping up online stores like the weeds in my backyard.  They come up fast, and some even stay a while.  While others just seem to get beat off by the others and vanish.  So I don’t get into the retail battles that are going on in this market.  Just too many of them.  And the other issue I see is that there are maybe a dozen or more product names for some of the same products, and most of those come from the same manufacturing sources that I order from in China.  They just get re-packaged and branded when you order enough product.

So I will continue to order my supplies direct, especially now that I see a couple of these manufacturers offering the choice of Vegetable Glycol juice in place of Propylene Glycol, and in light of the variety of models and styles that are offered.  Add to that the pricing and the delivery guarantees (VERY important for Canadian shoppers!) and you’ve got a winning combination in my books.

So… hopefully I’ll be writing about a new product soon, and perhaps even recommending another site.  But in the meantime, I continue using my E9 kit and loving it.

Stay tuned for news as it comes and of course feel free to read the whole history of my journey into e-cigs from the start.  You’ll find some good and useful advice, and learn a little about how I got to where I am with them now.

Cheers and Happy Vaping!

njw

Meanwhile, I hope that you are still vaping and not smoking!  And that you are ready for the nicer weather that is finally starting to show up…  at least in my part of the world.  Cheers to my global audience and thanks for the continued support.

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!

Vape On!

Battery life is certainly not a great factor in this model, and I do find vapour production reducing sharply after about the equivalent of 6 to 8 cigarettes, but I have three batteries in rotation so I have on in use, one ready to use and one on the charger at any given moment.  This way I know I’ll always have the ability to use my e-cig when I want to.  In short, if you’re looking for a good model of e-cig that uses the 2 piece cartomizer technology, the E9 is a terrific model at the right price, and most importantly it does ship into Canada with only short delays.  I recommend EMS shipping, as they seem to, so far at least, be quick and easy and have had no issues at Customs in Vancouver.

More updates coming soon…  stay tuned!

I’ve been thinking about changing model of e-cig.  I am finding the E8 just a little light in battery life and cartridge life, but I’ve already commented on that.  So I had finally settles on a brand to try (epuffer.ca) and was going to take a look at the pricing and product options one more time only to find a note on their site that reads thus:

“Due to recent electronic cigarette nicotine regulation advisory from Health Canada, we will no longer process or ship new orders to Canadian address until market authorization is obtained from Health Canada.”

Damn!  So it looks like I’m going to stay with my China connection and continue to order my products direct from there.  And… it looks like the E9 will be my next model to try out.  I’m hopeful that the E9 will be a little more robust and provide for more enjoyment from a battery, but will most certainly also be ordering extra batteries to make sure that I always have a charged and ready battery on hand and at least a couple of cartridges.  I like their product and their shipping is so far reliable and fast, but I was hoping for something at least a little more domestic.

Meanwhile, I see a few more orders have come through on the links and I’m happy to report that I’ve converted a few other people in my area from analogs to e-cigs.  I wish every new ‘vaper’ well in their endeavour, and hope that they have the same kind of success I’ve had so far.  I know I’m not posting as often as some might like to see, but I really haven’t had a lot to say.  Once I order and receive my E9, I’ll have to write some comparative review and of course I’m likely to try a few more flavours just to see what all the fuss is about.

Happy Vaping everyone!

Heading on to Month #2!

I started out with the E8 model starter kit Type C which comes with 2 batteries and 43 cartridges (cartomizers) of your choice in both strength and flavour.  While the website could use some tweaking to make selections easier, they do offer a text comment field on the forms that you can fill in with your special combinations of flavours.  In my experience with the starter kit, they really did read the comments.  Of course, when you order more cartridges, you will just order the quantity of each flavour and color you want and order multiple times to ensure that you get the right product.

The first thing you have to know is that you WILL burn a few cartomizers as you learn how to vape properly.  You’ll puff away like a fool for a while, and you’ll over-puff on a few until you get that rank taste, and you’ll end up throwing away a few of your first shipment before getting the full benefit of the contents.  This is QUITE normal.  So I’m happy to see my first kit with 43 cartridges lasting a little over 3 weeks (24 days is the current trend) and even happier to see that my refill order of cartridges is going to arrive a few days before they are needed.  I fully expect that my second order will last a full 30 days, but of course I’ll be ordering more well before that time to make sure that I have a continuous supply.  I’ve also determined that the strong cartridges (16mg) are plenty for me – with no real need to go to the x-strong ones except for the slight chance that I will vape less and get even more time out of the stronger cartridges.  I don’t actually think that this would be the case, but the 16mg ones are plenty it seems to feed my cravings as they come.

The batteries appear to be holding out quite well.  I know that I reported that the batteries are terrible, and still the short version of the battery is prone to flashing LED syndrome a fair bit quicker than the longer version, but it still delivers more than enough actual use time to recharge the second battery before it runs out.  So… as long as I have home, car and laptop chargers on hand I’m good to go.  With my second order of cartridges, I also ordered a spare long battery and a second USB charger adapter so I have one at home and one in the car at all times.  I did – just once – run down both batteries before getting to a charger.   Good thing I was able to get enough charge on the small battery in just an hour to be able to get going again – then it was bedtime so I had the longer battery charging overnight.  One warning I’ve seen more than once – DON’T leave the batteries on the charger once they are fully charged for more than a few hours.  Now this is not normally an issue, but as you acquire more batteries, you might be prone to leaving one on the charger for extended periods.  This can kill the batteries.

Another item that I’ve learned from experience is that the cartridges really DO need to be stored cool.  I’m even thinking of putting them in the fridge and only carrying a few spares with me.  I had a few get warm in the car on a sunny day and they tasted terrible.  Keep them in a cool and dark place as best as you can until you need to use them.

Smoke production and effectiveness of the cartomizers seems to vary a bit from day to day, but this could be more in my usage patterns than in the device.  I find that some days I will vape far more frequently but in smaller doses, while other days I’ll actually take a ‘smoke’ break and have the equivalent of a full smoke.  The E8 seems to prefer shorter sessions to longer ones, and I’m still wondering if I should get an E9 or even a larger model for those heavier days.

The other item that I’m learning is that public use of the E-Cig is more likely to generate interest than tension.  I had a situation just today in a shop where I forgot that I was holding my E8 and walking around with it.  I actually popped it into my mouth, took a long double draw from it, and exhaled.  Moments later, I was stopped by a store clerk and when I explained what it was and why it was ok for me to be using this in his store, he promptly asked for information on where to get them for the other staff (several smokers) that need something like this to make their lives easier, more productive and of course healthier.

So after 19.5 days since my last analog – where am I on e-cigs?  I’m in full support of these amazing little devices that have already made me happier and healthier.  I enjoy tasting the full flavour of my food again, and I really like not getting in and out of a car that stinks of ashtray every day.  I enjoy carrying my camera gear down a trail to a beach and not having to stop for a breath every two minutes.  And I really enjoy the fact that I can take a puff or two while watching a movie in my own living room without getting the family all upset that I’m smoking in the house!  There are a lot of other things that I enjoy, but I don’t need to bore you with the fine details.

If you’re still sitting on the fence here…  the time is NOW to make the move and order your kit.  Each and every puff of an analog is giving you the same levels of certain toxins as – you ready for this? – a full WEEK of vaping (at normal rates for the pack a day smoker).  So a single regular strength tobacco cigarette is the effective equivalent of using the e-cig at full 16mg strength for TEN WEEKS!  A full pack of Marlboro’s will have the same negative impact as up to 4 YEARS of e-cig use!  Granted these numbers are still to be confirmed true, but there’s certainly already evidence that shows they are pretty close.  So just think about that…  for each DAY you delay, you’re doing more harm to your body than you’ll do in the next  3 to 4 years…  can you really afford to delay any longer?

Here’s to your future!

The first thing I need to remind everyone of is that I WILL NOT recommend a product, or link to a product, and most certainly NOT offer an affiliate link to a product that is not up to the task.  I’m not here to make a buck…  I’m here to share my experiences, and yes, if I can cover some of my costs while recommending a product that I WILL OR DO USE, then there’s no harm done.  But if I won’t or can’t use a product, for any reason, then I certainly won’t suggest that you do just so I can make a few dollars on your orders.  The key example here is that I AM A BLU AFILLIATE – but I’m not promoting that link.  I could be making some money off Blu, but I feel that it would be wrong of me to chase that 20% in light of the fact that they appear to be having shipping issues to the US (4 to 6 weeks to SHIP an order), they appear to have an inferior product from the comments I’ve read from real Blu users, and of course the fact that they CAN’T ship to Canada.  So no… I won’t be recommending Blu to anyone. 

I DO recommend e-cig.com and I do so in good faith and in good experience.  I’m using their service for my own personal use.  I’ve received product – and while I had problems at first – I’m enjoying them now.  They have a GREAT Guarantee – just go there and read about it!  Shipping is Guaranteed.  Delivery is Guaranteed.  Product is covered by a great warranty and their pricing is Guaranteed!  How can you possibly go wrong?!

Another thing that I want to clear up is that I am just a small timer here.  I’m a one man show that happens to have a website and blog for my business (njw.ca and blog.njw.ca) and when I learned about e-cigs I decided to put it all down as a journal of my experiences so that I could share this with family, friends, co-workers and more, and do so in a simple manner.  I am not getting free product from anyone (not that I would turn down the chance to try another product or two to compare to my E8) and while there are some great affiliate programs offering 20% and more, I’m making about 5% on orders that go through my affiliate links.  So it’s pretty small stuff really.  Further, e-cig.com is a real leader in the Electronic Cigarette industry, holding a list of patents and being the leading source for many of the other e-cig stores that are popping up all over the world.  When you look at the products they offer, and know that they will do branding and custom packaging, you start to see that there are quite a few stores that are offering the same thing.

What it really comes down to is honesty, integrity and trust.   I don’t want people thinking that I am just here for a fast buck.  I’m here to share my experience in the hopes that you can make a more informed decision.  I know what salespeople are like – I’ve been one – and I know how hard it can be to filter out the noise.  So let me help you to filter it out.  Now that I have that out there in the open, let’s move forward until the next time I have to remind everyone of these little facts and likely more.

Get out there and start Vaping – and I DO recommend you try the E8.  It’s easy, affordable, and really emulates an analog quite well.  And it’s working for me!

Cheers to all!

njw