Disposable electronic cigarettes are common fare these days. Brands tend to vary widely as do the locations disposable e-cigarettes show up for sale. blu Cigs is attempting to change that around by selling their blu Cigs disposable model nation wide at all Walgreens drug stores. You never know when this might come in handy, so perhaps a little blu Cigs disposable e-cigarette review may come in handy.
Uses for Disposable e-Cigarettes
These disposable e-cigs may be the first (and sometimes last) e-cigarettes people new to vaping try out. Regular vapers may not pay much attention to disposable e-cigarettes. However, during the holiday season, things happen. Perhaps you are out and about visiting family, or plain carousing (you know who you are) and your trusty ProVari falls into aunt Jackie’s spiked eggnog.
After you get over the initial crying fit, you realize you have 4 more hours of family scrapbooks to sit through before you can get home to your
backup Lavatube. You do have a backup, right? Perhaps you can sneak out to the Walgreens down the street and plop down around 7 bucks to pick up one of blu’s disposables.
Of course you don’t need an elaborate story, maybe it’s just handy to have disposables readily available for a number of reasons. And remember, lots of people might get their first e-cigarette experience from one of these devices since they’re so accessible. I’m guessing that’s what blu Cigs is hoping for. The question is, are they any good.
e-Cigarette Design
blu Cig’s disposable is naturally packaged in a small package designed to show well on a store shelf. The clear box showcases the glossy black e-cigarette contained inside. Closer inspection reveals there’s actually an elegant little swoopy kind of pattern to the finish. The box is full of the usual marketing stuff you’d expect on a retail package, including a Johnson Creek logo to let you know they use USA made e-liquid.
The marketing text on the pack brags that the e-cigarette is equal to over one pack. I’ll just come out and say that probably doesn’t hold true for everyone. It’s hard to tell exactly but the vape and toss blu probably has a payload of around 1.2-1.5ml. The battery as is typical in disposables is fairly long and is close in size to the 280mAh XL batteries a lot of e-cigarettes have.
I ran the device off and on for a few days, average users can easily get several good hours out of this device
The battery is, of course, an automatic. I’ve never seen a manual disposable. The tip of the battery lights up with blu’s signature blue LED. The entire unit is a single, sealed tube. This isn’t one of those disposables that’s simply a regular battery that won’t hold more than a couple charges.
Cutting open the disposable e-cigarette, I found a somewhat interesting cartomizer design. The unit featured a horizontal coil located midway up the length of the cartomizer area. The coils had a wick as well as being surrounded by batting similar to regular cartomizer designs. It seems designed to soak up as much liquid as possible before burning out.
32 Comments
Tony
(12/27/11 - 8:17 am)Good review, I tried the blu disposable and loved it, used them for a few weeks then grabbed the Premium 100, which I love
Steve K
(12/27/11 - 8:50 am)Thanks. Now that there's more choice available at physical stores, I figured doing some reviews of disposables might be helpful
Casey
(12/27/11 - 3:31 pm)Count me in the category of "yegods what rat died in this tube that I'm vaping". Also count one of my customers who asked me why my ecig tasted soooo good, while their blu tasted like, and I quote, "dead donkey ass".
Also…7 bucks for a disposable, at least here in Denver, is a flat out ripoff, and WILL turn people off. A pack of brand name smokes here costs nor more than 6 bucks, and usually 4-5 on average, so there is no 'savings' from the wallet's point o' view. I KNOW this is not the case everywhere, but there are still plenty of large metropolitan areas around the country that AREN'T New Socialist City…er NYC. ;-)
Tony
(12/27/11 - 5:44 pm)Do the math, the blu disposable is a pack and half at least (I get more) so that comes out to $9 even in Denver….
Steve K
(12/27/11 - 4:40 pm)Sorry about that, the new comment system appeared to dislike you for some reason. I had to manually approve your comment.
Haha goes to show how tastes vary. As far as price, 7 bucks seems to be about average in retail locations. Walgreens sells another brand alongside the Blus and those are 10 bucks. I've seen disposables cheaper (for a while MyFreedomSmokes had one under 3 bucks), but they seem to hover around that under $10 range.
Casey
(12/27/11 - 5:05 pm)Its all good Steve. :-) And yep to the taste…although me n' the customer had a similar reaction…perhaps a bad batch o' juice? :-D
Steve K
(12/27/11 - 5:08 pm)I didn't think the disposable had a very strong taste at all either way. Maybe I just have no taste although the disposable I did for the UK article a while back tasted like hate in vapor form :)
Teri
(12/27/11 - 9:36 pm)I have to agree with Casey about the disposables not doing well in Colorado. Until I started vaping, and reading forums, I had no idea that cigarettes cost so much more in other states. The disposable ecig would cost more than cigs. Saving money (lol) is part of the draw for some people to try ecigs.
Steve K
(12/28/11 - 5:38 am)Even if you live somewhere where smokes are closing in on that $10 range, disposables aren't very cost effective. They're more of a temporary solution in my mind.
Tony
(12/28/11 - 8:38 am)You guys must be using the 'New' math because when I times $6 by 1.5 (1 and half packs) I get $9 which is pretty cost effective, plus there's the whole you'll die thing with regular cigarettes, but you keep your $1 savings and I'll raise you your death
Steve K
(12/28/11 - 8:47 am)It depends a lot on your style as well. Once people settle into using e-cigarettes, the average I see for e-liquid consumption is around 3ml per day. When first using e-cigarettes, smokers tend to take short puffs like they do with cigarettes. e-Cigarettes are more effective in terms of nicotine delivery with a longer puff (which consumes more liquid). The equivalency claim most manufacturers make tends to be a little on the high side as it is. This blu holds about 1.5ml.
Giving the benefit of the doubt and going with the manufacturer's suggestion, disposables are still way more expensive than going with a kit and buying replacement cartomizers. And much less cost-effective when comparing that to refilling cartomizers with e-liquid multiple times of course.
Disposables have their place of course, but if someone is going to vape long-term, buying some kind of starter kit and supplies would certainly be the way to go.
Tony
(12/28/11 - 11:47 am)Definately agree there, disposables are a great introduction to ecigs to try to see if you are going to like it, I started on the blu disposable and then got the blu 100
Casey
(12/28/11 - 4:23 pm)So YOU get 1.5 packs worth. I do/did NOT get that much. As Phil Busardo has coined…VAPE PACE will vary usage. So for me old math/new math or sideways math, the blu isn't cost effective. And stacks even worse compared to reusable battery + ejuice purchases.
Jacob
(12/28/11 - 12:48 pm)Walgreen's. San Francisco bans Walgreen's & other pharmacies from selling any tobacco products at all, period. So I wonder if they will ban them from selling e-cigs retail. My bet is that they will ban it. They are also grandfathering out all retail tobacco licenses, when one sells a shop, the tobacco license is not allowed to carry, thus devaluing a lifetime's worth of business built up by someone moving into their retirement years by devaluing the worth of the business. They could at least allow the retail sell of e-cigs, but since they already banned tobacco sales, then I assume they will do the same with e-cigs. (P1)
Jacob
(12/28/11 - 12:48 pm)UCSF & Stanton Glantz is headquartered in SF, is their largest employer & taxpayer, with influence on government & will not want the e-cigs sold to interfere with J&J sell of patches, gums & lozenges, thus protecting the SF market entirely for themselves. Will be interesting to see what happens. I personally emailed Walgreen's several times suggesting they carry e-cigs if in SF they are banned from selling tobacco. It is nice to see they will attempt selling retail, if only in other parts of the country where smoking is still legal. It's a $500 fine of course for outdoor smoking in SF & will be interesting to see if they begin fining $500 for outdoor e-cig smoking next. (P2)
Steve K
(12/28/11 - 1:00 pm)I'm trying to recall, I know I covered this in an e-cig news update a while back. I think SF has already rolled e-cigs into its regular smoking ban. Not terribly surprising since the city is sort of on the bleeding edge of nanny-type policies.
kim
(04/19/12 - 9:44 am)I am using the blu as an alternative to smoking but I was curious if you have seen a disposable, vegetable glucose with 0 nicotine, sold in stores or gas stations. I want more of the vaping without the nicotine and I am higly sensitive to propylene glycol.
Steve K
(04/19/12 - 10:06 am)To be honest, I don't know if there's a 100% vegetable glycerine 0 nic disposable out there. The companies try to aim the disposables at the widest audience, and I think there'd be less demand for that. In fact, I'm not sure if any of the major brands carry 100% vg in their carts (though 0 nic is an option). I think you may have to go with a full kit with blank cartomizers and then get your e-liquid from an e-liquid vendor that can do 0 nic VG (there are plenty of those).
tall paul
(11/07/12 - 7:25 pm)Wow…just got the blue disposable tonite…I wanna know how to hack it and keep using it forever. Love.
tall paul
(11/07/12 - 7:27 pm)Although I did pay 10.86 for it at Walgreen in Fremont, can.
Michael Parker
(01/06/13 - 12:43 am)I just wanted to let you know that Square 82 has manual disposable e-cigs.
Blu disposables in southeastern VA cost $10.
Justin
(01/07/13 - 11:47 am)Maybe everyone here should try to break their nicotine addiction instead of caving in to it. That was the original intention of the e-cig was. I know it's not easy i still fiend for a cigarette every so often and I haven't smoked in 6months.
Ama
(01/31/13 - 2:48 pm)Because some of us still ENJOY smoking, Justin.
tommy
(01/08/13 - 1:53 pm)You're no fun Justin, lol :)
I just finished a Blu menthol. Loved the design but the taste literally gagged me. It lasted all week because I was driven to bum real smokes from my buddy. Doing a fin menthol now, it's OK till I find something I like better. Was doing the Metro kit for a good while, taste was alright but my battery units would either die quickly or I would lose the ones that worked.
Steve K
(01/08/13 - 2:57 pm)Truth be told I'm not a menthol fan anyway, so I couldn't tell you a good menthol if I were forced to. Heck, I'm not a big plain tobacco fan either, sometimes I judge disposables on how unoffensive the flavor is to me :)
nico
(01/19/13 - 11:48 pm)Just bought a blu disposible . Peeled off the sticker and removed cap. It wont light up which im pretty sure means its not working! What am I doing wrong!!??
Steve K
(01/20/13 - 6:45 am)I think you're right and you got a dud :(
s.lewis
(01/24/13 - 1:20 am)i love my Blu i tried the start up set then went to the premium 100 love it just doesn't quite hold up for a full day, but for a first time its great. now i'm moving up with the real vapors trying to decide which one though. i love the idea of refilling my own just hard to find what flavor i like. i have used Blu java mocha is great– pipe domestic —is great but high in nicotine , but very satisfying, as their vanilla . i did not use the disposable sorry i just dived in. its a good introduction e cig.
Goob
(02/16/13 - 10:30 am)So far the blu was the best tasting one ive tried, over njoy king and cig2o
Pissed Off Jen
(03/01/13 - 12:50 pm)Well I see many of you like these Blu e cigs, but I definitely have to disagree!! Although I will admit the Magnificent Menthol tastes the most like a real menthol cig than any other e-cig I've tried, but I'm completely dissatisfied with every thing else about the Blu cig and customer service!!! I bought 2 Blu disposable, opened one and did exactly as the directions read. No vapor came out no matter how hard I inhaled. I called the customer service line, waited about 10 mins, Message came on and said it couldn't answer at the time. It gave me an option to leave a message, I was displeased but was going to leave the message. then another message came on saying that I could not leave a message at this time. I then went to customer service wed site left a message expecting a reply, still no answer!!! that was 6 days ago!!!!! I decided I would open the other yesterday, same thing with that cig and the customer service line. I'm going to send a message/complaint on the website, but I'm pretty sure I'll get the same as I've gotten already….. NOTHING…. I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!!! :@:@
chris
(03/05/13 - 10:10 pm)I smoked Newport 100's, and I've had the menthol blu cig for 2 days. The taste is not that bad, but it definitely leaves a hookah aftertaste. Here in N.Y. Blu is cheaper than Newports by 2 or 3 bucks. I definitely want to get anothet, but how do I know when this disposable is finished? Overall, great experience away from cigarettes, but the goal is to not have any nicotine.
Steve K
(03/05/13 - 10:19 pm)either it will stop working because the battery is dead (no light, no vapor) or the liquid inside will run out and there will be very little vapor and possibly a sort of burnt taste.
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