Blu Compatabilty and Other Questions

[wired]

Hello, people, newb here! =D

Anyhoo, I've had my Blu for a bit now and I'm enjoying it but like most of you wish it would produce more vapor and that the carts would last longer. After some reading on here I know how to get the most out of my stock Blu and I just ordered some Ecopure smoke juice to fill my own carts but I have a few questions if some of you would be so kind as to answer them.

Okay, reading about the Lipton tea bags as packing for the carts... who came up with this? How do we know it's safe? Also, is that considered the best filler so far? I mean, what about say, good ol' cotton? Does the atomizer get hot enough to actually born/scorch whatever we use as filler?

I don't see much mention on here about the Volcano cigs. After looking at their site I have to say they seem damn identical to the Blu, yet their carts are around $2.00 cheaper a pack and you don't have to order five packs at once. Does anyone know if their carts compatible with the Blu?

I also see a lot of talk about the 510. I love the convenience of the Blu and would like to stick with it just because of that. The auto-draw, the PCC, all of it. So what makes one brand of e-cig better than the other? Battery size? Atomizer? The juice? All of it? It *seems* like the wick on some of the other atomizers is thicker than the Blu's, would that also make a difference? Sorry if some of these questions have been asked and answered, but Jesus, there's a lot of posts to sort through on here!

Just looking to get the most out of my Blu. Thanks for any help!

 

[hxj]

Hello, people, newb here! =D

Anyhoo, I've had my Blu for a bit now and I'm enjoying it but like most of you wish it would produce more vapor and that the carts would last longer. After some reading on here I know how to get the most out of my stock Blu and I just ordered some Ecopure smoke juice to fill my own carts but I have a few questions if some of you would be so kind as to answer them.

Okay, reading about the Lipton tea bags as packing for the carts... who came up with this? How do we know it's safe? Also, is that considered the best filler so far? I mean, what about say, good ol' cotton? Does the atomizer get hot enough to actually born/scorch whatever we use as filler?

I don't see much mention on here about the Volcano cigs. After looking at their site I have to say they seem damn identical to the Blu, yet their carts are around $2.00 cheaper a pack and you don't have to order five packs at once. Does anyone know if their carts compatible with the Blu?

I also see a lot of talk about the 510. I love the convenience of the Blu and would like to stick with it just because of that. The auto-draw, the PCC, all of it. So what makes one brand of e-cig better than the other? Battery size? Atomizer? The juice? All of it? It *seems* like the wick on some of the other atomizers is thicker than the Blu's, would that also make a difference? Sorry if some of these questions have been asked and answered, but Jesus, there's a lot of posts to sort through on here!

Just looking to get the most out of my Blu. Thanks for any help!

The Lipton Pyramid tea bags (PTB) are made of PET, people have done the research and it's safe at atomizer temperatures-- check the mods subforum for lots and lots of info on PTB, Fluval, polyester batting, and other fillings. I'm quite certain I read there that cotton is bad, but finding the reference and the reason why is left as an exercise to the reader. (Sounds like it would wick terribly, anyway.)

There are several references to Volcano e-cigs on here, you just need to dig. They sell the exact same model as blu (JSB-L88b) but it's branded differently and has red LEDs instead of blue. Feel free to buy from them, the parts are interchangeable. If you continue to buy carts, however, you won't get the best performance out of your blu.

The 510's advantage is that it puts out a ton of vapor and throat hit, due mostly to its far larger battery and its consequently higher atomizer temperature. The downsides to the higher heat, I've found (I do own and use both), are that it sucks down juice and it alters flavors, and apparently the atomizers often don't last long. Also it's much larger and usually has a manual battery, which I dislike. Lastly, the available PCC (analogous to the blu Pack) is far less convenient than blu's, as it only holds two cartridges, one atomizer (with a third cart attached), and one battery, so you have to screw your e-cig together every time you take it out to use it, unless you're carrying a separate 510 around loose.

After two months of using blu, I have found that it can create vapor pretty close to the 510's output if you treat it right, though the throat hit never seems to catch up. Right now I'm using blu batteries and atomizers connected to 306a carts loaded with liquids from Decadent Vapours, Intellicig (ECOpure), and Johnson Creek, and am far happier overall with the blu than the 510 (but it's generally considered heretical on ECF to admit such a thing ).

 

[wired]

Thanks for the reply, hxj!

 

[hxj]

Thanks for the reply, hxj!

No worries. I realize there was another part of your post I didn't address:

So what makes one brand of e-cig better than the other? Battery size? Atomizer? The juice? All of it?

Different people are going to want different things out of an e-cig, so the "best" model is different for everybody. (Makes sense, or there'd only be one model on the market!) The way I see it, a lot depends on the profile of one's smoking addiction. If you're primarily physically addicted to the caffeine, or the internal effects of smoking like throat-hit, then you're likely going to want to stick to high-strength liquids in at least a 510, and better still something stronger like a Prodigy or a Chuck. If you're more attached to the whole ritual/oral fixation/hand-to-mouth thing, something that looks, feels, and operates more like a real cigarette might be more important (which is where blu fits on the spectrum).

And then there's personal style. Some people love to vape using devices that look as little like a cigarette as possible (Janty stick, GG, etc.) and others want to be as inconspicuous among smokers as they can (cig-looking, cig-sized models with orange/red LEDs, e.g. DSE8084 or the Volcano L88b in white and tan). Some people are tinkerers and like to fiddle around with things to eke out better performance, whereas others want a no-nonsense model that just works predictably with a minimum of fuss.

So it can take some soul-searching and a bit of trial and error to find where you fit into this whole thing, and to determine which is the best model for you. I personally really like the blu (once its shortcomings are remedied a bit), and find it's a good match to my needs and priorities. The 510, which I bought as a backup and for experimentation, is nice when I'm just sitting around watching TV, but I find it too much to deal with when I'm out and about or zipping around the house getting things done, or even when I'm sitting at the computer working.

 

[wired]

Where's a good place to get empty carts for the Blu... and what ones do I need, do you know? Thanks again!

 

[hxj]

You can simply empty the ones you got with your starter kit-- 25 carts will last you a really long time, because they don't really wear out very quickly. (I got my starter kit in early July and I still have half the carts not even opened yet.)

You can't buy empty blu carts, but if you want to get a little funky, you can find blank 306a carts and use those. I've just switched over, and I like them a lot, but I'm having a bit of leaking (the 306a atty is a little different than the blu one, so I think that's the issue) so I'm about to experiment with alternative filler materials.

There is also the option of switching to Sidesho carts and atomizers by the same manufacturer-- you can get these at Modern Vapor, and you can buy the carts empty if you like. However, the atomizers are two to three times more expensive than blu's, and in fact the blanks cost more than filled blu ones after shipping. The upside is that the Sidesho carts hold about twice as much liquid. I believe that you can still fit everything into the blu pack, too. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong.)

My personal recommendation is to empty and refill the blu carts you have, first, because they'll work quite well and you've already paid for them.

 

[IanS]

Blu battery with Sidesho atomizer/cart assembled in the Blu PCC lid will NOT close all the way - although it will close most of the way. I personally dont mind this as I dont carry it in my pocket. Even at work it sits on my toolbox since Im always crawling around on the floor under cars (body man).

 

[LABeachBum]

...After two months of using blu, I have found that it can create vapor pretty close to the 510's output if you treat it right, though the throat hit never seems to catch up. Right now I'm using blu batteries and atomizers connected to 306a carts loaded with liquids from Decadent Vapours, Intellicig (ECOpure), and Johnson Creek, and am far happier overall with the blu than the 510 (but it's generally considered heretical on ECF to admit such a thing ).

306a atomizers rock on the Blu/Vulcano and ModernVapor SideSho. And what you speak of is not heresy... but it can seem that way when so many people are jealous of Blu/Vulcano users... ::ducks::