3 months no Tobacco, all BLU

[sailorman]

I have found my perfect place for Blu. I quit smoking almost 2yrs ago with Blu. I used them for 6 mos then of course moved on. I have had many Ego's with multiple tanks, atties, carto's, mega this and that. I have 808's, 801 sticks, regular 510's and 901 stuff. I even went all out and spent for a alpha ultra which I love but sits on the shelf and stares at me most of the time. I used all of these large pv's to quit nic now here I am down to 0mg and I still want to smoke. I just bought a new Blu kit a few weeks ago and they are better than they used to be but they ARE still a super mini. If people know what they are getting when buying the Blu and don't need the high nic and huge vapor anymore then I think Blu works great or if you are a social smoker again Blu works great. If you are a 2-4 pack a day smoker you would go broke buying cartos and batteries to keep Blu alive not to mention how much hair you would pull out trying to keep everything charged up. I loved my Blu then and I love it now more than ever I was and am not ready to quit smoking, I like it. My body just kept telling me that it didnt want nic anymore but my brain keeps saying "hubby is going out for a smoke go with him" or "oh is that a beer and a ciggy yum". I think Blu has its place. I have told many smokers about vaping and always steer them away from Blu even though I use one. I tell them the truth MOST people will not be successful in vaping unless they try other products. Some just really like Blu and will keep using it. Other people I know have bought it to help keep themselves from going crazy while quitting smoking. If thats all you want to do it is a good product that is easily available to the public.

See, that's the thing. If you had never found ECF, would you have tried anything but Blu? If you had only ever had Blu, would you have stayed quit? Maybe, maybe not. Probably not if you were a moderate or heavy smoker or if you couldn't afford to keep up with Blus operating costs.

I agree, Blu probably has its place. But that fact is ignored by Blu's greedy company. Call them up and tell them you're on a fixed income and smoke 3 packs a day. You'll get the hard sell. It's like the doctor who prescribes 1/4 the dose of Chantrix you should be taking. What impression of Chantrix would you walk away with? What would you think of people who swear by it?

BTW, how much do you wan't for that Alpha?

 

[sailorman]

my opinion...blu's advertising is everywhere now and it helps everyone either way, you spend the money to buy it. 80% of people within the first week of using it realize its not hacking it, find ECF and prob upgrade to something better...I had no plan on quiting untill i ran into the blu website, I bought it, tried it, it sucked, found ECF, and bought a ego,...so go blu!!

There's where I disagree. If that were true, I'd have no problem with Blu. But the sales of Blu in a couple months probably exceeds the number of registered members of this forum. Blu puts itself out as the pinnacle of e-cigs. They spend million in marketing and have huge market penetration, just like Beats by Dre. The majority of Blu users gauge their opinion of e-cigs based on their impression of Blus or whatever brand they think is the best and that brand is usually the one that gets marketed the most. You are the outlier in finding ECF, just like the kid who bought Beats before finding Head-Fi was the outlier.

In the last year, how many people here have started with Blu? A thousand? A couple thousand? Multiply that by 5 or 10 to account for people who never register. How do you think that compares to the number of people who try and fail with Blu every month? It certainly isn't close to 80%

 

[flbutterfly1]

Blu does work for the "typical smoker" but I think only as a starting point. I had decided after i received my Blu and used it for a week threw it in a drawer for a month then found it again that I had spent the money for it and damnit i'm gonna use it. I came into vaping knowing that no matter what I was not gonna smoke again. If ALL Blu's customers thought this way then it would surely be the biggest success in the quitting world. Most do not think this way though so you would be correct in saying Blu will not work for ALL but it will work for some. So saying that it is the worst product in the world is not correct it is a well thought out product for what it is a super mini meant to emulate a cigarette, not a cigar, not a mod, just a simple little cigarette. I think that just because I don't like the way a Buger King Whopper tastes that means that I will never eat another burger again. I will just from another restaurant. That doesn't mean I am going to tell everyone I know that the whopper is the worst product ever and just because you eat it that must mean you are trying to peddle your weasel meat to me. Same for Blu some people like it some don't. Personally I think that the pro this and dar that are all ridiculous and I would never use one for myself but I am not putting the people down that do use one. I think that the OP was and is very excited about how well they are doing using the Blu and if/when they are ready to use another product they will. By the way my alpha is not for sale it is my trophy of vaping. I camo wrapped it the day I got it in the mail and it is my baby.

 

[Zer0Kewl]

So, based on this thread a lot of you would rather have people stay on analogs than smoke Blu's.

I really dislike people that are dismissive of the form factor of Blu also.

Whether you like it or not, lugging around something as large as a provari or darwin or box mod is going to look a lot weirder than something like a blu.

For some people they WANT, yes WANT something that looks like an analog because that is a huge part of the mental gap for them in getting them to switch.


I am using an ego style now and have a provari on order, but when I was smoking if you had tried to get me to get one of them, regardless of how much better they perform, I would have just thought you were a weirdo and kept on smoking analogs.

Blu is a great entry level product and I had no problem with their vapor production, throat hit, flavor, or anything else other than battery life.


Also, I guarantee you that when the crap hits the fan and legislation starts really coming in from the tobacco companies to try and restrict PV's it will be LARGER PROFITABLE companies like Blu that can and will do the lobbying to try to prevent it.

If you think the chinese manufacturers are going to care then you are sorely mistaken.

Also, as far as I'm concerned all of the hatred towards Blu should instead be directed at the scam companies that offer "free trials" attached to huge payments and monthly orders.



Again though, if there was a battery the size of a blu that lasted all day, I guarantee a lot more people would quit the cancer sticks. Battery life is their biggest drawback.

 

[deach]

Blu does work for the "typical smoker" but I think only as a starting point. I had decided after i received my Blu and used it for a week threw it in a drawer for a month then found it again that I had spent the money for it and damnit i'm gonna use it. I came into vaping knowing that no matter what I was not gonna smoke again. If ALL Blu's customers thought this way then it would surely be the biggest success in the quitting world. Most do not think this way though so you would be correct in saying Blu will not work for ALL but it will work for some. So saying that it is the worst product in the world is not correct it is a well thought out product for what it is a super mini meant to emulate a cigarette, not a cigar, not a mod, just a simple little cigarette. I think that just because I don't like the way a Buger King Whopper tastes that means that I will never eat another burger again. I will just from another restaurant. That doesn't mean I am going to tell everyone I know that the whopper is the worst product ever and just because you eat it that must mean you are trying to peddle your weasel meat to me. Same for Blu some people like it some don't. Personally I think that the pro this and dar that are all ridiculous and I would never use one for myself but I am not putting the people down that do use one. I think that the OP was and is very excited about how well they are doing using the Blu and if/when they are ready to use another product they will. By the way my alpha is not for sale it is my trophy of vaping. I camo wrapped it the day I got it in the mail and it is my baby.

Excellent point of view. Thank you!

 

[sailorman]

Blu does work for the "typical smoker" but I think only as a starting point. I had decided after i received my Blu and used it for a week threw it in a drawer for a month then found it again that I had spent the money for it and damnit i'm gonna use it. I came into vaping knowing that no matter what I was not gonna smoke again. If ALL Blu's customers thought this way then it would surely be the biggest success in the quitting world. Most do not think this way though so you would be correct in saying Blu will not work for ALL but it will work for some. So saying that it is the worst product in the world is not correct it is a well thought out product for what it is a super mini meant to emulate a cigarette, not a cigar, not a mod, just a simple little cigarette. I think that just because I don't like the way a Buger King Whopper tastes that means that I will never eat another burger again. I will just from another restaurant. That doesn't mean I am going to tell everyone I know that the whopper is the worst product ever and just because you eat it that must mean you are trying to peddle your weasel meat to me. Same for Blu some people like it some don't. Personally I think that the pro this and dar that are all ridiculous and I would never use one for myself but I am not putting the people down that do use one. I think that the OP was and is very excited about how well they are doing using the Blu and if/when they are ready to use another product they will. By the way my alpha is not for sale it is my trophy of vaping. I camo wrapped it the day I got it in the mail and it is my baby.

I would never say that Blu is the worst and cannot work for anyone. I never said that. I feel happy for the OP that it worked for him and more happy he found this site and is now aware of alternatives, which he likely will use in the future.
So, I am not slamming Blu for not working. I'm slamming them for their over-hyping, one-size-fits-all maketing tactics.

The fact is that most people who try Blu and fail will never try another e-cig or find this forum. If you were inundated with marketing for Burger King and unaware that anyone else made hamburgers, your entire impression of hamburgers would likely hinge on your opinion of Burger Kings burgers. No one else you know had even tried a hamburger. You hear no credible advertising for any hamburger that sounds any better than Burger Kings. Some people LOVE Burger King, but it's not your taste, so you decide hamburgers are not for you. In the real world, that's what happens. This is not a market where the best product gets used the most. It is a failure of the free market system where the product that gets the biggest marketing budget rises to the top in terms of sales, even though it's not the best. It's not effective for the majority of smokers. If it were, it would be the most used e-cig on the planet, long term. As it is, it's simply the best selling. Not because it's the best, but because it's so heavily marketed.

If Burger-King dominated the market and most people heard of no one else, the hamburger market would be given a black-eye. That's what Blu and his ilk do. They give the entire industry a bad reputation.

 

[deach]

So, based on this thread a lot of you would rather have people stay on analogs than smoke Blu's.

I really dislike people that are dismissive of the form factor of Blu also.

Whether you like it or not, lugging around something as large as a provari or darwin or box mod is going to look a lot weirder than something like a blu.

For some people they WANT, yes WANT something that looks like an analog because that is a huge part of the mental gap for them in getting them to switch.


I am using an ego style now and have a provari on order, but when I was smoking if you had tried to get me to get one of them, regardless of how much better they perform, I would have just thought you were a weirdo and kept on smoking analogs.

Blu is a great entry level product and I had no problem with their vapor production, throat hit, flavor, or anything else other than battery life.


Also, I guarantee you that when the crap hits the fan and legislation starts really coming in from the tobacco companies to try and restrict PV's it will be LARGER PROFITABLE companies like Blu that can and will do the lobbying to try to prevent it.

If you think the chinese manufacturers are going to care then you are sorely mistaken.

Also, as far as I'm concerned all of the hatred towards Blu should instead be directed at the scam companies that offer "free trials" attached to huge payments and monthly orders.



Again though, if there was a battery the size of a blu that lasted all day, I guarantee a lot more people would quit the cancer sticks. Battery life is their biggest drawback.

Exactly correct. It will be those companies that help the most. The Chinese companies won't care. The short battery life is the only thing I'd correct but then, it would have to get bigger physically and take from some of the attraction. When I talked to my daughter about trying to stop smoking she said she thought it was a lot of the hand to mouth and ritual that kept her smoking. At work she can chew on a straw or whatever till she can get out and smoke. I seriously doubt a bigger device would work in her case.

 

[flbutterfly1]

There are other companies advertising out there. Maybe not big companies with big advertising but they are out there. Also at our local flea market there are people selling egos, and small starter kits. All the C-stores around carry one or more brands. We even have that Ploom thing at our local tobacco store. So there is enough places out there to peak peoples interest and keep them thinking about a few different options. Most people will realize that there are other brand choices out there just for the fact that no matter what the product you are looking for is there is usually more than one manufacturer.

 

[sailorman]

So, based on this thread a lot of you would rather have people stay on analogs than smoke Blu's.

No one said that. The issue is Blu's rate of turning off people to e-cigs.

I really dislike people that are dismissive of the form factor of Blu also.

I haven't heard so much of that directed at Blu. That applies to any e-cig. I have mixed feelings about that. But, most people who are successful with the Joyetech or other look-alike, end up moving beyond that. Even if they don't, at least those products are more than overpriced hype

........Also, I guarantee you that when the crap hits the fan and legislation starts really coming in from the tobacco companies to try and restrict PV's it will be LARGER PROFITABLE companies like Blu that can and will do the lobbying to try to prevent it. If you think the chinese manufacturers are going to care then you are sorely mistaken.

Oh, yeah? Where was Blu during the long fight with the FDA that just ended? If I recall, it was Joyetech and SA that spent millions to keep e-cigs from being classified as a drug. Where was Blu? You are seriously wrong there. The Chinese manufacturers have a goldmine here and they know it. They'll do whatever they can legally do to keep it going.

Also, as far as I'm concerned all of the hatred towards Blu should instead be directed at the scam companies that offer "free trials" attached to huge payments and monthly orders.

I'm with you there. The free-trial companies are even worse. That doesn't make Blu good.

Again though, if there was a battery the size of a blu that lasted all day, I guarantee a lot more people would quit the cancer sticks. Battery life is their biggest drawback.

I quit a 35 year 3 PAD habit with a Joytech 510. Yet, Blu doesn't seem to be effective for heavy smokers. There's something besides battery life at work here.

 

[sailorman]

.....


I don't know why people keep telling me to re-read posts. "anyone that tells you otherwise"....it is what you said. Perhaps not the literal meaning of what you meant but it is what you said. ....

This is what I said: When the subject of e-cigs comes up among their smoking friends, they'll be the ones to pipe up and say they've tried them but they don't work and anyone who tells you otherwise is a paid shill or a fluke.

I should have used quotation marks so it would read like this: When the subject of e-cigs comes up among their smoking friends, they'll be the ones to pipe up and say they've tried them but "they don't work and anyone who tells you otherwise is a paid shill or a fluke."

So, what I was saying is that people who tried an inferior ecig and failed often say that other people who advocate them are shills. I was not personally saying that people who say ecigs work are shills. I myself know they work.

I hope that's more clear.

 

[flbutterfly1]

If you quit with a 510 then maybe you were filling your own? Flavor and nic level are 2 factors (and the wanting to quit) that make someone successful in quitting. I learned with Blu that refilling my own with Blueberry was my heaven. Once I realized I could fill with what ever flavor and nic level I wanted my road to being smoke free was a beautiful path. Blu's nic level is not very high. That may be one reason that some smoker feel they are not successful with Blu. It might not be the hardware. Blu makes quitting easy as far as prefilled, nice PCC for on the go, descent flavors( i have had better but from a custom made bottle). Some people dont want to fill and make a mixing mess and all that. Blu is just simple that and the size is what draws most people in to start using their products. If all vaping was as simple as going into their local walgreens and picking up a pack of cigs, i mean cartos then I think another brand would be at the top of the selling chart which in turn would give them more money for advertising which would give them more customers and so on....

 

[sailorman]

There are other companies advertising out there. Maybe not big companies with big advertising but they are out there. Also at our local flea market there are people selling egos, and small starter kits. All the C-stores around carry one or more brands. We even have that Ploom thing at our local tobacco store. So there is enough places out there to peak peoples interest and keep them thinking about a few different options. Most people will realize that there are other brand choices out there just for the fact that no matter what the product you are looking for is there is usually more than one manufacturer.

This is true and perhaps it is the failure of other companies to get their marketing act together that's also at fault. Meanwhile, I'd feel better about Blu if the didn't imply that their product is suitable for all smokers, just to squeeze that extra profit.

Funny you should mention flea markets. I own a booth at a huge flea market near my home and I'm at the e-cig guys booth a lot. He sells ego and Joytech clones mostly. I constantly hear people remark to him that they're not interested in his e-cig because they've already tried them and they didn't work, or they cost too much, or they didn't like them. In the cases where he was able to solicit more information, the person always said they had tried Blu or the free trial or some 7-11 brand. I never heard anyone say they tried starting with an ego or Joyetech and now they don't like e-cigs. I've heard this story at least 2 dozen times. Granted, most of them got stung by the free trials, but Blu was responsible for their share as well.

 

[crbrown]

In general, I agree with you. I have recommended mini-battery models to new members who state they are light or social smokers. As you have stated, there is no way for us to really know the smoking habits and needs of a new person asking for advice since we really don't know them. With that in mind and after reading thousands of posts on what works best for the majority, combined with my own experience over three years, I am going to recommend models that statistically have a better chance of helping a person transition to vaping. When I read on average 100 negative posts on the Blu vs one positive post, it makes little sense to me to recommend the Blu.

Only problem here is I don't believe the OP was asking for recommendations.

 

[sailorman]

If you quit with a 510 then maybe you were filling your own?

Actually, I started with prefilled carts, then prefilled cartos, then empty cartos, then DIY juice. Since I quit the first day, you could say that prefilled carts of nasty old tobacco flavor did the trick. The vendor, however, made it clear what strength would be appropriate. That's something Blu doesn't do.

Flavor and nic level are 2 factors (and the wanting to quit) that make someone successful in quitting. I learned with Blu that refilling my own with Blueberry was my heaven. Once I realized I could fill with what ever flavor and nic level I wanted my road to being smoke free was a beautiful path. Blu's nic level is not very high. That may be one reason that some smoker feel they are not successful with Blu. It might not be the hardware. Blu makes quitting easy as far as prefilled, nice PCC for on the go, descent flavors( i have had better but from a custom made bottle). Some people dont want to fill and make a mixing mess and all that. Blu is just simple that and the size is what draws most people in to start using their products. If all vaping was as simple as going into their local walgreens and picking up a pack of cigs, i mean cartos then I think another brand would be at the top of the selling chart which in turn would give them more money for advertising which would give them more customers and so on....

Couple good points there. But Blus not interested in educating people about the appropriate nic level they need. They're not interested in making a variety of nic levels available. They use their marketing clout to dominate an entire market, yet they are only appropriate for a relatively small slice of that market, i.e., the light social smoker.

And I don't know this for sure, but my knowledge of distribution would lead me to suspect that they do the same thing the cigarette, candy, chips, beer, soda and other companies do. They dis-incentivize the placement of competitors products on the prime shelf space. Ever notice how prominently Marlboros and Winstons are placed on the cigarette rack at the convenience store? Ever notice how the obscure brands are semi-hidden? That's not an accident. I got to give the devil his due. Blu is a master at promotion and marketing. Too bad they can't channel all that skill into a product that doesn't turn off as many people to ecigs as it turns on to them.

 

[sailorman]

Only problem here is I don't believe the OP was asking for recommendations.

I don't believe wv2win was referring to the OP.

 

[flbutterfly1]

But out of all the Blu people with that story actually put their mind to "I WILL quit using tobacco products" ? As I stated before Blu is a good starting point for most people or for people that want to quit. I have turned off quite a few people from vaping because they have seem my "rather large cigar thing". That is when I have to tell people that this large cigar thing is just a choice I like using it but there are other alternatives but they may not produce as much vapor or the battery does not last as long. It is a trade off look like you are smoking or look like you are a weirdo with a pipe bomb in your mouth. Face it as much as we all like our tanks and things most people do not want to stand out or be asked "what is that thing" some just like to take things the easy way and Blu does that for some, others get a taste and want more. It is all about the reality of quitting Blu is like the Patch or Gum it will work for some because those people have decided that they WILL be successful and others will bomb at it. I have come across people that have tried an ego and said they still smoke because they felt like people were rude about the weird device they were using and just decided they would rather smoke. It is a personal preference and I like that Blu advertises everywhere it brings people to realize that the "smoking" of yesterday can be a thing of the past and there is something different out there. Before vaping and Blu our choices were snuff, chew, dip, or smokes whatever the c-store sold unless of course you wanted to quit then it was gum or patch or some psychotic drug.

 

[ambition]

Only problem here is I don't believe the OP was asking for recommendations.

Lol. They just can't let a happy Blu user continue to be happy with Blu.

 

[flbutterfly1]

When I go to the Blu website it shows social vaping so I think that their marketing is true to thier product. I dont see where it says will work for ALL smokers. I see Blu's pics and people at bars and social places.

 

[wv2win]

Only problem here is I don't believe the OP was asking for recommendations.

And my comments were not directed to the OP but to other posts within the thread. So I don't see that there is a problem.

 

[wv2win]

As I stated earlier, if Blu or SomeEverywhere were honest and stated explicitly that their models were for light social smokers and might be ineffective for the typical pack a day smoker, I would be less critical. Also, as I stated, if they offered a "step-up" option such as a Kgo for longer term, pack a day smokers, I probably wouldn't be critical at all.

But about a year ago I wrote an email to Blu's company President, Mr Healey (if I am remembering correctly) about why they didn't didn't offer an additional model that worked better for pack a day smokers. He replied that the Blu is "the best" model on the market for all smokers and all other models are inferior knock-offs of his product. He stated how great their sales were as evidence that their product was superior assuming I was too stupid to figure out that sales has everything to do with marketing and nothing to do with product performance.

He just confirmed what sailorman and I already know, that Blu is only about making money and not about improving their product or offering better alternatives. These are not the type of people I want advocating for vaping to the general public. Do you see Blu or the trade association they control fighting for vaper rights like CASAA does? No.

And as I stated earlier and in line with sailorman's experience, for every one Blu, Njoy, SomeEverywhere user who comes here to ECF looking for a better alternative, there are easily 100 who just go back to smoking and view vaping as just one more scam.

I do understand that for some new people, form factor is an issue. I recommend the Volt, which is definitely better than the Blu. if the person just can't get past the "looks" issue. But I do not see the Kgo/eGo category that much bigger that it would turn off many people if they could try them side by side and realize the difference in performance.