Bad Blu experience - need advice....

[Casey_in_Carolina]

Well, had a really bad experience with Blu customer support, the $50 worth of carts I ordered are currently winging their way towards Afghanistan, and they aren't willing to do anything to correct it unless the package gets returned to the shipping facility, then they will forward it to me. After 45 minutes of the same song and dance from them, I'm just done with Blu.

The thing is, I've discovered I prefer the pre-filled carts, to refilling empties myself. I smoked for thirty years, and rolled my own smokes for the last twenty, using high quality tobacco, and top quality cotton fiber papers. I really enjoyed the ritual of rolling my own, but just don't think I'm interested in starting a new ritual with filling and dripping and all of that. I almost feel like if there's going to be a ritual like that involved, I should just go back to the ritual I've been doing the last twenty years.

So, I'm looking for suggestions for a good system that uses pre-filled carts. In the Blu, I preferred the Classic Tobacco flavor, though it tasted more like chocolate coffee than any tobacco I've ever smoked. I can get Blu carts in the grocery stores here, for $15 per 5-pack of carts. I can get the same carts for under $10 ordering directly from Blu, which is why I was attempting to go that route.

Are there any carts out there that work with the Blu, original style batteries? It would be great to be able to keep my batteries and charging system, as it came with a little back-up, on the go, charger that looks like a cig pack.

If that's not going to be an option, then I'm ok with starting over, and would welcome suggestions as to which direction to go. The only problem I ever had with the Blu, was that I wished I could get a stronger, or higher nicotine content, as they sometimes left me wanting more, and therefore, vaping more to get the nicotine I felt like I needed.

So, if possible, I'm looking for affordable carts that would fit the Blu batteries, with a higher nicotine content. Barring that, an affordable, turn-key system, that uses affordable, pre-filled carts.

Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Casey

 

[sessiondrummer]

I don't have any experience with Blu cigs, so I cannot offer any compatible carts for that, but I can recommend a cheap, turnkey setup from EGO. It does come with come pre-filled carts, but you could easily buy a bottle of tobacco juice and top them off, AND, save a lot of money. Used the standard EGO kit for almost 2 years, carts, dripping, etc. Mike sells a complete kit with two so it's a very nice starter kit.

JOYE_EGO_ELECTRONIC_CIGARETTE___BLACK

Backwoods Brew Virginia Tobacco
Copper Creek Voo's Broo

 

[Pappy]

I've never used Blu, but I seem to remember someone saying their thread pattern was proprietary. But I wouldn't guarantee it.

If you decide to switch systems entirely, check out the Volt or X2 from Smokeless Image (SI). SI sells pre-filled carts or, if you decide to try it, you can get their empty carts and refill juices. Smokeless Image | Only The Best Electronic Cigarette | Electronic Cigarettes | Wholesale Electronic Cigarettes | E-Cigarette | Best Electronic Cigarette | Electronic Cigarette

I've never used any Smokeless Image products, but they have a great reputation around here and the company is supposed to have outstanding customer service (unlike Blu).

 

[hnyb0210]

I moved (quickly!) from Blu to a Volt from Smokeless Image. The Blu batteries wouldn't even last an hour for me & it got way too frustrating. I'm finding the Volt somewhat similar to Blu in appearance, charging options, etc. but that's where the similarities end. This is a WAY better experience - no comparison - for someone who wants something that looks/feels like an analog & isn't ready to go crazy w/all the fancy contraptions that some of these folks have I am extremely pleased w/my Volt & the customer service is top notch for sure!

 

[Mroutlaw]

Well, had a really bad experience with Blu customer support, the $50 worth of carts I ordered are currently winging their way towards Afghanistan, and they aren't willing to do anything to correct it unless the package gets returned to the shipping facility, then they will forward it to me. After 45 minutes of the same song and dance from them, I'm just done with Blu.

The thing is, I've discovered I prefer the pre-filled carts, to refilling empties myself. I smoked for thirty years, and rolled my own smokes for the last twenty, using high quality tobacco, and top quality cotton fiber papers. I really enjoyed the ritual of rolling my own, but just don't think I'm interested in starting a new ritual with filling and dripping and all of that. I almost feel like if there's going to be a ritual like that involved, I should just go back to the ritual I've been doing the last twenty years.

So, I'm looking for suggestions for a good system that uses pre-filled carts. In the Blu, I preferred the Classic Tobacco flavor, though it tasted more like chocolate coffee than any tobacco I've ever smoked. I can get Blu carts in the grocery stores here, for $15 per 5-pack of carts. I can get the same carts for under $10 ordering directly from Blu, which is why I was attempting to go that route.

Are there any carts out there that work with the Blu, original style batteries? It would be great to be able to keep my batteries and charging system, as it came with a little back-up, on the go, charger that looks like a cig pack.

If that's not going to be an option, then I'm ok with starting over, and would welcome suggestions as to which direction to go. The only problem I ever had with the Blu, was that I wished I could get a stronger, or higher nicotine content, as they sometimes left me wanting more, and therefore, vaping more to get the nicotine I felt like I needed.

So, if possible, I'm looking for affordable carts that would fit the Blu batteries, with a higher nicotine content. Barring that, an affordable, turn-key system, that uses affordable, pre-filled carts.

Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Casey

Your best bet is to start over. The blu carts dont last that long and are expensive. They are not a standard 510, so finding a cart that fits perfectly and in the pcc may be difficult. I,actually started with blu but had a horrible experience with the customer service as well. For me, I ordered 4 packs of carts and most were empty and burnt.

Take a look at the smokeless image volt. The volt is the most recommended mini on here. Their batteries last 2-4 hours, the cartos last a long time, can be refilled if want and don't burn easily. Their cartos are only $9 for 5 before coupons. All of the products are reasonably priced (almost half of blu$ and there is a 15%off coupon. Their system is far superior to blu. I think you will be happy with it. They also have a promo on their forum for a free battery, pack of cartos or bottle of juice after get your kit. I posted a video below that demonstrates the volt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELM4QhceR7o


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Motoman101]

Sorry to her that. If you paid with a credit card call the company tell them u did not get what you paid for they will refund your money and start a dispute. That what credit cards are for.

 

[hnyb0210]

And many thanks, BTW, to mroutlaw for turning me on to the Volt - he's a smart guy

 

[Iusedtoanalog]

Hi Casey, Sorrty to hear about your issues with Blu. There is a bright side though. I seem to remember that the blu uses a 510 thread, but is smaller in overall device circumfrence..... which means that(if I am correct) you could screw usut about anything 510 to it and vape away. There is a thread dedicated to blu here Blu Electronic Cigarettes and i advise you to pop over there and poke around for a final definitive answer to what thread type they use. Once you have the info available you could get an adaptor for your blu to....say a kr808d.... the 808 has a great following of folks who prefer prefilled cartos and the vendors who support the 808 seem to do the best job at having alot of options available as far as quality flavors in prefilled. Two that come to mind are Smokeless Image | Only The Best Electronic Cigarette | Refill Cartridges and Cartomizers | Vapor4Life .
Keep in mind that the pre filled cartos are much more expensive and also much more limiting as far as what flavors are readily available. So once you get comfortable with being a vaper it would be time well spent to consider filling your own blank cartos with a quality made liquid that suits you specific tastes. I too was hesitant to venture out of the prefilled(carts) and didnt have much faith in my ability to"get it right"..... now at this point in my vaping journey I can fill a cartomizer in about ten seconds...... at about one fifth the end cost of something that is prefilled and will taste better and perform better than anything I have found prefilled. Once you get to 5 posts wait about an hour and trek over to the blu section and find out all the specifics as far as what you should be looking for. Good Luck. Happy Vaping.

 

[dizzytrmpt]

The best think I found leaving blu was the ego. However Blu has recently changed to newer cartomizers and now are available in Walgreens for both the kits and refills which is kind of a cool thing for those in areas who take a long time to get mail. Might be a good back up unit.

Jonas

 

[Casey_in_Carolina]

Thanks for all of the responses. I'm going to look at the Joye Ego, and the Volt, and see which one will fit me better, and place an order today.

Also, good idea about keeping the Blu as a back-up, since the carts are available in grocery stores and pharmacies around here.

Thanks again!

Casey

 

[Bob92985]

Coming from personal experience. Blu sucks... The batteries only last a little while but thats not really the bad part. they are small 510 batteries low life should be expected. But the real problem is the carts. They are cheap. The flavors might be nice but I've never had one last over 30 puffs. The get the burnt taste so incredibly fast and for $15 for a 5 pack is a complete rip. I'm currently using V4L (vapor4life.com) products and I'm completely happy. I DO however fill my own carts.

Another way to go would be to buy a tank or maybe even a couple of em. They are super easy to fill, hold a lot more juice and give you more consistent performance. BUT if even that doesn't interest you. I recommend getting a kit from Green Smoke. A lot of people don't like it just because the price is a bit higher. BUT they only use pre filled carts, their flavors are incredible (especially the Gold Tobacco) the battery life is awesome and the vapor production is awesome as well. I have a green smoke kit that I got just to have something to vape on that isn't a hassle or doesn't require me to worry about filing carts or worrying about which carts working well or which isn't. The starter kit is a little more pricey (the carts cost about the same as blu, i think a few cents less.) but in my opinion its worth it, its great quality.

 

[Mroutlaw]

Thanks for all of the responses. I'm going to look at the Joye Ego, and the Volt, and see which one will fit me better, and place an order today.

Also, good idea about keeping the Blu as a back-up, since the carts are available in grocery stores and pharmacies around here.

Thanks again!

Casey

If you are going to get a ego sized battery, either get the ego twist or the kgo. The ego is only 3.3 regulated. The kgo is 3.7v. And turns off at 3.2-3.3

If you are going to use the volt, you can purchase cartomizers from several companies like vapor 4 life, you are not limited to their 15 Flavors. The smokeless image batteries and kits are much cheaper and last longer. You could use the volt kits and then purchase cartos from vapor 4 life if you like their flavor selection. A volt pro starter kit (which would be equivalent of the blue premium 100 kit) would cost $55 after the 15% coupon. You can then get a free battery, pack of cartos from their faces of volt promo.

 

[Bullette the Cowdog]

Bullette here with Blu experience.
Disposable Blu @ Walgreens contains 24 mg nic. This is a pretty good vape but kinda expensive for everyday. But then the Blu Premium 100 PCC setup uses a MAX prefilled carto that is only 18 mg nic. I found that was not enough nic for this smoker to avoid needing a cig.
Then of course there is the battery issue. Blu batts are lower voltage (not enough "oompf" for a smoker) & VERY little time before needing a recharge.
That said, the Blu got me off cigs for a week then I found ECF. WOW. Glad you guys are here!
My current setup:
Kgo 1100 mah @ 3.7volts
Boge LR 2.0 ohm cartomizers
or
smoke tech 1.7 ohm cartomizers
+ gooood juice.
Simple to fill once a day & top off occasionally. No leaks. No hassle.
Battery lasts 1 - 1 1/2 days
Good luck OP
Try to stay open minded.

 

[Casey_in_Carolina]

So far, I'm liking the looks of the Volt kits. I like the pass through battery, so that I can vape at my computer without waiting for batteries to charge. The customization options offered on the batteries themselves are also attractive.

I wish I'd known about this site before I purchased my Blu. Looks like I can get a much better set up on the Volt, for cheaper than I got my starter kit through Blu.

Oh well, lesson learned...

Casey

 

[Ezkill]

Hey Casey_in_Carolina,

I know you stated that you really don't want to be bothered with refilling carts and dripping as it's just a ritual you are not interested in. I assume some of it has to do with the amount of time it takes.

Out of curiosity have you investigated the "condom method" of filling cartomizers? If you haven't you might want to take a look. It's not as nefarious as it sounds. You just use the condom that comes around the carto to press the juice into the cartomizer. When I get a sample of new juices I generally fill up a bunch of carto's with them for tasting purposes. I think it takes maybe a couple minutes to fill 5 of them with very little mess. No dripping or messing around involved.

Just mentioning it as an option. I too thought that filling carto's would be a giant mess and involve a lot of dripping or syringes. Then I found out there were some pretty easy methods. I realize it just might not be your thing.

 

[CigFreedMike]

Now that you've seen the light I'm sure you'll have good luck with any of the ideas mentioned here. I started with blu, and finally learned that I could actually get a good vape with good flavor by learning from this board. You know, the classic Boge cart is cheap, simple, no bs, put any flavor you want in it and I never thought I'd go for it, but it's the best thing I found. Filling the cartomizer has become ritual to me, and eventually you automatically figure out a way that suits you and believe me, you'll be glad you did.

by the way, I use the ego twist and its a cheap way to get a fine battery with variable voltage. Go for it.

Mike

 

[FlossBandit]

Thanks for all of the responses. I'm going to look at the Joye Ego, and the Volt, and see which one will fit me better, and place an order today.

Also, good idea about keeping the Blu as a back-up, since the carts are available in grocery stores and pharmacies around here.

Thanks again!

Casey

I've had two blu starter kits. After the second I realized how poorly manufactured and unreliable they truly are. The batteries overheat and make new/good carts taste horrible. They also die in 10-15 minutes on average. The carts are equally unreliable. You'll end up spending 2 to 3 times as much on blu as you did on traditional cigs. A lot of times new carts will taste burned or stale and slimy within 5 minutes of putting them on. You will spend several hundred dollars unless you do it right the first time.

You mentioned the eGo. I would highly recommend an eGo twist over the standard eGo. It allows you to change the voltage. Different liquid burns best at different voltages. When you can control this on your own, your vaping experience will be much better.

Also blu carts are filled with Johnson Creek Liquid. Look at the back of the package. It says it there.

If you're like most of us, you switched over from regular cigarettes and want something that looks and feels similar. That was my (probably most of our) first mistake. You'll go through hours of frustration - either because it just tastes awful or dies too quickly, and you'll either find yourself switching back to analogs or getting one of these weird, huge things everybody in the vaping world uses... like the eGo.

I don't think they sell eGo twist starters. You're going to have to buy a cartomizer, tank, or atty yourself. Fundamentally you'd only need a battery, cartomizer, charger, and liquid to get started. Starter kits IMO are a waste because I've hardly ever seen anyone using their stock attys and would probably just skip that step.

Originally, I didn't get something big because I thought it looked goofy and wasn't completely sure how they worked. Hundreds of hours and dollars later, here I am with my twist, which I couldn't like more. It does what I want it too and I've really grown to like how it looks and feels.

Oh, and blu carts have a 510 connection which fits on the twist and other eGo batteries. Use left-over ones from time to time.

 

[macgyverfc]

I don't know if you pulled the trigger on a new kit yet, but, I see that you are in Upstate SC. If you are interested in trying some stuff before you buy and don't mind a road trip, check out iVape in Longs, SC. They are a great shop and have a lot of good knowledge there. A lot of the flavors that they sell are amazing.

 

[CigFreedMike]

I've had two blu starter kits. After the second I realized how poorly manufactured and unreliable they truly are. The batteries overheat and make new/good carts taste horrible. .....

Oh, and blu carts have a 510 connection which fits on the twist and other eGo batteries. Use left-over ones from time to time.

I'm quoting you because, yes, the batteries do overheat the cartridges (granted, dependant on how frequent and deeply you draw), and I got second degree burns on my tongue and throat from them (verified by an ENT and not do to any battery 'defect' since it occured with all three batteries. I'm glad someone finally mentions this because when I posted what happened to me, there was an influx of people saying no no that can't happen. Well, it can, it did and it's something people should know about. Thank you.

 

[shardina]

Also blu carts are filled with Johnson Creek Liquid.

I loved the Blu flavors, so that's how I made a very easy transition from the Blu to the Volt - got my Volt starter kit with blank cartos, and a sampler pack from Johnson Creek. JC's Tennessee Cured is my go-to flavor now.