BluCigs are a relatively new brand of electronic cigarette and have proven themselves to stand out amongst the crowd. Although they’ve had troubles with demand overwhelming their product stock and a recent issue with battery callback, BluCigs has targeted the electronic cigarette user who is looking to be able to charge his electronic cigarette on the go using the company’s unique charge-on-the-go carrying case. In spite of their problems, BluCigs is a solid choice for your first electronic cigarette.
What comes with the BluCigs starter kit
The BluCigs starter kit is one of the less expensive starter kits out there, costing $59.95 at the time of this writing. The starter kit comes with a bit more than most other electronic cigarettes, and one item really sets BluCigs apart, the charge-on-the-go carrying case. The starter kit includes two rechargeable, lithium-polymer batteries, a wall-wart style battery charger, a USB battery charger, a 5-pack cartridge sampler, each with 5 cartridges and each a different flavor, and a carrying case that also functions as a mobile battery charger.
The Batteries
Similar to most brands, BluCigs starter kit comes with two rechargeable lithium-polymer batteries. Available in white or black, both colors come with a blue LED at the tip of the battery. If you’re unfamiliar with electronic cigarettes, most have an LED at the tip of the battery that lights up when taking a drag. The blue LED on the BluCigs battery is meant to distinguish the electronic cigarette from a real cigarette. The idea is that is that, for those looking to smoke indoors in areas covered by smoking bans, the blue LED makes it easier to explain the fact that you’re not smoking a real cigarette to anyone with questions. And it works. I’ve tested a number of different brands in restaurants and bars and the blue LED does, in fact, make it clear that you’re not smoking a real cigarette and its been very simple explaining the fact that I’m smoking an electronic cigarette, as opposed to a tobacco cigarette, to anyone interested.
The small size of the batteries means that, when completely assembled, the BluCig is just barely larger than a standard tobacco cigarette. This is a big improvement over earlier electronic cigarette models that were the size of a ball point pen.
The battery life is about average amongst the different brands I’ve tested. They all leave something to be desired, but you can expect, with heavy usage, about half a day before you’ll need to swap batteries. For some brands, this means you have to carry extra batteries with you, but the charge-on-the-go carrying case included in the BluCigs starter kit means that when your battery inevitably dies at work or out at the bar, you can quickly swap it with the other battery, fully charged, from the carrying case and plug your dead battery into the case to fully recharge in a couple of hours.
The Carrying Case
I cannot stress enough the convenience of the carrying case. Not only is it small, just a bit larger than a pack of traditional smokes, but it’s able to carry a full 6 battery charges, which means you’ll rarely, if ever, get caught without a fully charged battery. And when it comes to replacing traditional cigarettes, never running out of batteries means never being forced to go back to tobacco cigarettes.
The case can hold and charge two batteries simultaneously, and provides space enough for 5 cartridges in addition to the batteries.
The Battery Chargers
In addition to the carrying case, BluCigs comes with two other battery chargers: a USB charger and a standard wall charger. Both will charge the batteries from zero to full in about two hours. The USB charger is particularly useful if you always have your laptop with you. I keep mine in my laptop case and use it whenever my laptop is plugged in so that I can save my Blu case for emergencies.
The BluCigs cartridges
The cartridges included with the BluCigs starter kit include 5 packs (25 cartridges total) of your choice. This is a real benefit over other electronic cigarette brands. First of all, most brands come with only a few cartridges, maybe 5 in the starter kit. Second, they don’t let you choose which cartridges your starter kit comes with. BluCigs on the other hand gives you full choice over which 5 packs come with your starter kit. Any of the following flavors are available to choose from: Classic Tobacco, Magnificent Menthol, Java Jolt, Vivid Vanilla and Cherry Crush. Each cartridge comes in your choice of 4 nicotine levels: Full flavored (16mg), Light (12mg), Ultra Light (8mg) and Non-nicotine (0mg).
It can be hard deciding what strength of nicotine cartridge to start off with. The answer really depends on your current smoking habit. If you’re a heavy smoker, I’d definitely go with the full-flavored cartridge with 16mg nicotine content. If you’re not a heavy smoker, you can generally match your cartridges up using the following guidelines. If you smoke lights, go with the Light cartridges with 12mg nicotine content, if you smoke ultra lights, go with the Ultra Light cartridges with 8mg nicotine content, and if you’re not a regular smoker at all and are just looking for a substitute to help you quit completely, try the non-nicotine cartridges. That said, you can’t go wrong with the Full Flavored cartridges (16mg nicotine content) because you can always smoke a little less or take lighter hits if it turns out to be too strong for you.
The atomizers
The atomizer is the device that makes electronic cigarettes do what they do, vaporize the nicotine solution. Most starter kits only come with one atomizer and, if experience is a teacher, no matter which brand you purchase you’ll end up replacing atomizers about once every 3 – 4 months. So, it’s really convenient that BluCigs comes with two atomizers so you’re not left out in the cold when your first one inevitably dies. The atomizers are high quality and generate a good amount of vapor.
Replacement parts
Eventually, you’ll have atomizers die or your batteries won’t hold a charge anymore. This is something you’ll find no matter which brand you go with, so it’s important to consider the cost of replacement parts for your electronic cigarette. I found the BluCigs replacement parts to be about average price when compared to other brands. As of this writing, replacement batteries are $9.95 each, replacement atomizers are $9.95 for a two-pack, new USB and wall chargers can be had for $9.95 for both, and a replacement blu charging pack will also be $9.95.
Cost of ownership
You can save a significant amount of money over tobacco smokes by switching to electronic cigarettes. I was a pack-a-day smoker and I calculated I’d save $600 over the course of one year, even factoring in replacement parts. Compared with other electronic cigarette brands, the cost of owning BluCigs is on the lower side. The starter kit is relatively inexpensive and, because of the charge-on-the-go carrying case, you don’t have to purchase a whole handful of batteries to carry around with you to avoid getting caught without a full charge. Also, new cartridges can be had for as little as $0.80 each, and at the equivalent of about 6 tobacco cigarettes, represent significant savings over the life of ownership.
All in all, BluCigs is a very good electronic cigarette and certainly one of the best for those looking to try electronic cigarettes for the first time. If you’re not sure about which flavor cartridges to go with I can tell you that they’re all good, so it won’t hurt to give them all a shot. However, even though I never smoked menthol cigarettes in my tobacco days, the Menthol flavor really stood out above the rest and I thought the Vanilla was another good one. Classic tobacco was pretty good, although I’m partial to the sweeter flavors. Replacement cartridges are inexpensive, so you won’t regret trying all the flavors to make sure you get one you really like and will stick with for the long term.
BluCigs Review
BluCigs are a relatively new brand of electronic cigarette and have proven themselves to stand out amongst the crowd. Although they’ve had troubles with demand overwhelming their product stock and a recent issue with battery callback, BluCigs has targeted the electronic cigarette user who is looking to be able to charge his electronic cigarette on the go using the company’s unique charge-on-the-go carrying case. In spite of their problems, BluCigs is a solid choice for your first electronic cigarette.
What comes with the BluCigs starter kit
The BluCigs starter kit is one of the less expensive starter kits out there, costing $59.95 at the time of this writing. The starter kit comes with a bit more than most other electronic cigarettes, and one item really sets BluCigs apart, the charge-on-the-go carrying case. The starter kit includes two rechargeable, lithium-polymer batteries, a wall-wart style battery charger, a USB battery charger, a 5-pack cartridge sampler, each with 5 cartridges and each a different flavor, and a carrying case that also functions as a mobile battery charger.
The Batteries
Similar to most brands, BluCigs starter kit comes with two rechargeable lithium-polymer batteries. Available in white or black, both colors come with a blue LED at the tip of the battery. If you’re unfamiliar with electronic cigarettes, most have an LED at the tip of the battery that lights up when taking a drag. The blue LED on the BluCigs battery is meant to distinguish the electronic cigarette from a real cigarette. The idea is that is that, for those looking to smoke indoors in areas covered by smoking bans, the blue LED makes it easier to explain the fact that you’re not smoking a real cigarette to anyone with questions. And it works. I’ve tested a number of different brands in restaurants and bars and the blue LED does, in fact, make it clear that you’re not smoking a real cigarette and its been very simple explaining the fact that I’m smoking an electronic cigarette, as opposed to a tobacco cigarette, to anyone interested.
The small size of the batteries means that, when completely assembled, the BluCig is just barely larger than a standard tobacco cigarette. This is a big improvement over earlier electronic cigarette models that were the size of a ball point pen.
The battery life is about average amongst the different brands I’ve tested. They all leave something to be desired, but you can expect, with heavy usage, about half a day before you’ll need to swap batteries. For some brands, this means you have to carry extra batteries with you, but the charge-on-the-go carrying case included in the BluCigs starter kit means that when your battery inevitably dies at work or out at the bar, you can quickly swap it with the other battery, fully charged, from the carrying case and plug your dead battery into the case to fully recharge in a couple of hours.
The Carrying Case
I cannot stress enough the convenience of the carrying case. Not only is it small, just a bit larger than a pack of traditional smokes, but it’s able to carry a full 6 battery charges, which means you’ll rarely, if ever, get caught without a fully charged battery. And when it comes to replacing traditional cigarettes, never running out of batteries means never being forced to go back to tobacco cigarettes.
The case can hold and charge two batteries simultaneously, and provides space enough for 5 cartridges in addition to the batteries.
The Battery Chargers
In addition to the carrying case, BluCigs comes with two other battery chargers: a USB charger and a standard wall charger. Both will charge the batteries from zero to full in about two hours. The USB charger is particularly useful if you always have your laptop with you. I keep mine in my laptop case and use it whenever my laptop is plugged in so that I can save my Blu case for emergencies.
The BluCigs cartridges
The cartridges included with the BluCigs starter kit include 5 packs (25 cartridges total) of your choice. This is a real benefit over other electronic cigarette brands. First of all, most brands come with only a few cartridges, maybe 5 in the starter kit. Second, they don’t let you choose which cartridges your starter kit comes with. BluCigs on the other hand gives you full choice over which 5 packs come with your starter kit. Any of the following flavors are available to choose from: Classic Tobacco, Magnificent Menthol, Java Jolt, Vivid Vanilla and Cherry Crush. Each cartridge comes in your choice of 4 nicotine levels: Full flavored (16mg), Light (12mg), Ultra Light (8mg) and Non-nicotine (0mg).
It can be hard deciding what strength of nicotine cartridge to start off with. The answer really depends on your current smoking habit. If you’re a heavy smoker, I’d definitely go with the full-flavored cartridge with 16mg nicotine content. If you’re not a heavy smoker, you can generally match your cartridges up using the following guidelines. If you smoke lights, go with the Light cartridges with 12mg nicotine content, if you smoke ultra lights, go with the Ultra Light cartridges with 8mg nicotine content, and if you’re not a regular smoker at all and are just looking for a substitute to help you quit completely, try the non-nicotine cartridges. That said, you can’t go wrong with the Full Flavored cartridges (16mg nicotine content) because you can always smoke a little less or take lighter hits if it turns out to be too strong for you.
The atomizers
The atomizer is the device that makes electronic cigarettes do what they do, vaporize the nicotine solution. Most starter kits only come with one atomizer and, if experience is a teacher, no matter which brand you purchase you’ll end up replacing atomizers about once every 3 – 4 months. So, it’s really convenient that BluCigs comes with two atomizers so you’re not left out in the cold when your first one inevitably dies. The atomizers are high quality and generate a good amount of vapor.
Replacement parts
Eventually, you’ll have atomizers die or your batteries won’t hold a charge anymore. This is something you’ll find no matter which brand you go with, so it’s important to consider the cost of replacement parts for your electronic cigarette. I found the BluCigs replacement parts to be about average price when compared to other brands. As of this writing, replacement batteries are $9.95 each, replacement atomizers are $9.95 for a two-pack, new USB and wall chargers can be had for $9.95 for both, and a replacement blu charging pack will also be $9.95.
Cost of ownership
You can save a significant amount of money over tobacco smokes by switching to electronic cigarettes. I was a pack-a-day smoker and I calculated I’d save $600 over the course of one year, even factoring in replacement parts. Compared with other electronic cigarette brands, the cost of owning BluCigs is on the lower side. The starter kit is relatively inexpensive and, because of the charge-on-the-go carrying case, you don’t have to purchase a whole handful of batteries to carry around with you to avoid getting caught without a full charge. Also, new cartridges can be had for as little as $0.80 each, and at the equivalent of about 6 tobacco cigarettes, represent significant savings over the life of ownership.
All in all, BluCigs is a very good electronic cigarette and certainly one of the best for those looking to try electronic cigarettes for the first time. If you’re not sure about which flavor cartridges to go with I can tell you that they’re all good, so it won’t hurt to give them all a shot. However, even though I never smoked menthol cigarettes in my tobacco days, the Menthol flavor really stood out above the rest and I thought the Vanilla was another good one. Classic tobacco was pretty good, although I’m partial to the sweeter flavors. Replacement cartridges are inexpensive, so you won’t regret trying all the flavors to make sure you get one you really like and will stick with for the long term.
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