Blu ecig buyout--boycott??

[stanpontiere]

Has anyone considered a boycott of Blu as they have recently been bought out by our arch enemy-big tobacco. With their powerful lobby in DC, it seems likely to me that any moves they make might not be in the best interest of small manufacturers and retail outlets and might really damage the inovators who have done so much to shape the e-cig industry.
let me know what you think?

 

[imsoenthused]

They boycott themselves naturally by making a terrible product. Also, big tobacco is not my enemy. I was their happy customer for years, by my own choice. Pretending otherwise is pretty sad.

 

[elfstone]

I think even if I wanted to boycott them I couldn't

I bought one disposable Blu once. That's it.

On the other hand, regardless how their product is (and it's not really bad, just a tad overpriced and totally insufficient for a dedicated vaper) they have made a contribution by making their product visible and present on shop shelves. They probably reached more people than any other vendor; and a lot of those people end up here inquiring about better alternatives, buy a mod and become happy vapers. So, there... it works

With Big Tobacco owning it, on the one hand philosophically I have an objection, of course. BT has killed many people through false advertising and unethical additives. On the other hand, one can hope that with such financial and lobbyist backup, Blu will help prevent a total ban or excessive restrictions. Obviously, it also points to a less desirable future where (1) the antis will be able to point at BT being behind e-cigarettes and (2) vaping supplies will almost certainly now be subject to tobacco product regulations and taxes

 

[wv2win]

Anyone with any sense boycotted the blu product due to it's terrible performance. I don't think there are many on ECF who use blu, so it's a mute point anyway.

 

[Caridwen]

They boycott themselves naturally by making a terrible product. Also, big tobacco is not my enemy. I was their happy customer for years, by my own choice. Pretending otherwise is pretty sad.

I signed on to smoke cigarettes. I didn't sign on for the ammonia, arsenic, benzene, lead, cyanide and the other 3,995 chemicals in cigarettes. I most definitely didn't sign on for the MAOI's that they put in cigarettes to keep us addicted. For that, they should be in jail with the other drug dealers. Sorry, I was unaware that they were putting drugs in cigarettes intentionally to mess with my brain.

 

[Harplayr]

I think even if I wanted to boycott them I couldn't

I bought one disposable Blu once. That's it.

On the other hand, regardless how their product is (and it's not really bad, just a tad overpriced and totally insufficient for a dedicated vaper) they have made a contribution by making their product visible and present on shop shelves. They probably reached more people than any other vendor; and a lot of those people end up here inquiring about better alternatives, buy a mod and become happy vapers. So, there... it works

With Big Tobacco owning it, on the one hand philosophically I have an objection, of course. BT has killed many people through false advertising and unethical additives. On the other hand, one can hope that with such financial and lobbyist backup, Blu will help prevent a total ban or excessive restrictions. Obviously, it also points to a less desirable future where (1) the antis will be able to point at BT being behind e-cigarettes and (2) vaping supplies will almost certainly now be subject to tobacco product regulations and taxes

I agree with what you say here.
There's a great thread on this topic posted in the news section that discusses almost every angle to this development.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/media-general-news/290817-lorillard-purchases-blu-e-cigs-13.html#post5926840

I for one am hoping this is a good thing as it brings vaping into the mainstream.

To me, the more backing, knowledge and muscle to combat the anti-vaping community and their laws trying to restrict or stamp out vaping the better.
Yes, it spells the beginning of the end to vaping as an underground industry, but with the dollars that BT can bring to the table, I look for massive R&D and innovation to make even better, more reliable and consistent products. We can now expect real studies on the effects of vaping, and standards for the ingredients.

I didn’t get into vaping to join an exclusive underground movement, nor was I looking for a new hobby. I wanted to quit analogs, and live a healthier (and hopefully longer) life. Blu did this for me, and introduced me to the world of vaping. It is the first product that enabled me to actually quit analogs, and did a fine job in doing so.

Since then I have moved on to better devices, and will continue my quest for the best PV and juice that will satisfy me. Is Blu a great product? That depends on your perspective. There are certainly better products out there, but it has helped many quit analogs, is generally consistent and reliable, extremely portable, and a fantastic transition product. So in my eyes it is a good product. I’m happy to see them do well and wish them success in bringing vaping to the masses.

While my Kgo is my mainstay vaping device today and I will most likely continue to experiment and graduate to VV and other nifty things, I never leave home without an “emergency Blu” in my pocket for those times when the battery unexpectedly dies on me or I want to vape in a more stealthy mode that doesn’t make people think I’m pulling out some sort of (Other Item)

 

[imsoenthused]

The MAOIs in tobacco are natural alkaloids, not additives.

 

[wv2win]

......While my Kgo is my mainstay vaping device today and I will most likely continue to experiment and graduate to VV and other nifty things, I never leave home without an “emergency Blu” in my pocket for those times when the battery unexpectedly dies on me or I want to vape in a more stealthy mode that doesn’t make people think I’m pulling out some sort of (Other Item).

This is the kind of dumb, idiotic comment that we do not need in the vaping community. You obviously have no clue what that kind of device looks like. What we do need is PV's that look NOTHING like a cigarette so we can clearly and visably separate ourselves in the publics mind from smoking.

 

[Harplayr]

This is the kind of dumb, idiotic comment that we do not need in the vaping community. You obviously have no clue what that kind of device looks like. What we do need is PV's that look NOTHING like a cigarette so we can clearly and visably separate ourselves in the publics mind from smoking.

The point is that I DO have a clue to what these devices are, but most people don’t.

Prior to my taking up vaping and learning what these “strange looking” devices are if I saw somebody taking a hit off of one, my first reaction would have been anything BUT an e-cig and that he's doing something drug related.

I’m sorry if that reality bothers you, but it is a reality none the less.
That is why in many situations where I am publically vaping, I choose to use a “cigarette looking” PV. They don’t raise an eyebrow, where other PV’s might.

Until vaping becomes more mainstream, that is not going to change. Maybe with BT getting on board, it will accelarate the general public knowledge of what we're vaping and what the various PV's look like.

 

[sailorman]

....
With Big Tobacco owning it, on the one hand philosophically I have an objection, of course. BT has killed many people through false advertising and unethical additives. On the other hand, one can hope that with such financial and lobbyist backup, Blu will help prevent a total ban or excessive restrictions. Obviously, it also points to a less desirable future where (1) the antis will be able to point at BT being behind e-cigarettes and (2) vaping supplies will almost certainly now be subject to tobacco product regulations and taxes

1) They do that right now anyway.
2) That's a foregone conclusion regardless if BT was in the game or not.

My fear is that they'll propose or advocate the kind of restrictions that can only be overcome by companies that have can put out huge amounts of capital or have very broad distribution channels already set up. That includes acquiescing to very high taxes, sealed disposable cartridge requirements and nicotine content restrictions. You can count on them doing whatever they can to gain market share, and it won't be by improving their product.

 

[Rule62]

No need to boycott Blu here. I've never used them, nor do I know anybody who does. But IMO, this is a good thing for the e cig industry, and for vapers. Big tobacco has the money and experience to fight further regulation. Way more so than the e cig industry. Big tobacco has been fighting regulation for 40+ years. I'd have no problem with BT putting some of their clout behind e cigs, even if it's one particular brand, for now.

 

[sailorman]

The point is that I DO have a clue to what these devices are, but most people don’t.

Prior to my taking up vaping and learning what these “strange looking” devices are if I saw somebody taking a hit off of one, my first reaction would have been anything BUT an e-cig and that he's doing something drug related.

I’m sorry if that reality bothers you, but it is a reality none the less.
That is why in many situations where I am publically vaping, I choose to use a “cigarette looking” PV. They don’t raise an eyebrow, where other PV’s might.

Until vaping becomes more mainstream, that is not going to change. Maybe with BT getting on board, it will accelarate the general public knowledge of what we're vaping and what the various PV's look like.

Sorry, but that just ain't so. I've been vaping for 2 years, in public, everywhere, and I live in a very conservative area. If anyone thought I was doing anything illegal, it is a 100% certainty that I would have been called out on it. I've never received so much as a sideways glance. I've been questioned only a couple times by someone who didn't immediately know what my PV was. Only one person was relatively hostile because she didn't see the device right away and thought I was smoking a cigarette. I didn't feel like explanations, so I told her it was a medical device and she went away happy.
I vape in restaurants and sit my PV right on the table. I never hide it and no one ever says a word about it.

The only place you might be mistaken for a drug user is where it is legal and people associate vaping with drug use, like in California. But, in California, being mistaken for a drug user instead of a smoker works to your benefit.

Your attitude about this is almost exclusively limited to people who have little experience vaping in public, and vaping in general. Sorry, but I've heard this said soooo many times before and it's always a relatively new vaper and a vaper that vapes a cig looking pv. I never, ever hear that sentiment from any experienced vaper who vapes a larger PV in public. I've never heard of a case where a vaper with a large PV was hassled by the police or anyone else. OTOH, there are plenty of cases where cig-looking vapers have been hassled for smoking in an non-smoking area.

If you want to be treated like a smoker, look and act like a smoker. If you want the public to associate vaping with smoking and include us in their bans, go ahead and vape something that is easily mistaken for a cigarette.

 

[sailorman]

We are well past the stage where vaping can be banned by the Feds. Where was BT? They were in the peanut gallery with BP, cheering on the FDA to regulate e-cigs like drugs. Now that the coast is clear, they want a piece of the action. But they're not friends of vaping in general. They don't want to see it cut into their cigarette sales. They're just hedging their bets.

Don't think for one minute that they will use their clout in any other way than to throw as much of the industry as they can under the bus, without risking their own hides. If laws are proposed that all e-cigs look like cigarettes, they'll be for it. If laws are proposed that e-cigs can't be sold online, they'll back them. If only licensed tobacco dealers can sell PVs or juice, they'll be cheering them on. If juice is so restricted that the only mfg. that can meet the regs is JC, they won't lift a finger. In fact, their lobbyists will undoubtedly be right there, handing their own customized bills to your friendly representative in Congress. They did it during the SCHIP tax negotiations when they set the tax on RYO tobacco, they'll do it again.

This is BT we're dealing with here. They are not our friends. If they had their wish, e-cigs would vanish tomorrow, never to be seen again. But they can't do that, so they're reluctantly jumping on board. They will do whatever they can to see that e-cigs are treated exactly like cigarettes, including equal tax rates and inclusion in smoking bans. They do not want to see e-cigs, even their own brands, take market share away from their tobacco cash cow. They are wolves in sheeps clothing and too many vapers seem too willing to go along to their own slaughter.

 

[lowcashvapo]

This is the kind of dumb, idiotic comment that we do not need in the vaping community. You obviously have no clue what that kind of device looks like. What we do need is PV's that look NOTHING like a cigarette so we can clearly and visably separate ourselves in the publics mind from smoking.

while i agree with your comment i myself have had people that think that my simple boxmod was actually a drug pipe also and had to disassemble it just to prove that it wasn't!!!

 

[meds081603]

I've been pulled over 2 times while vaping and driving. The cops even told me it looked like I was doing drugs. Frankly I find it silly to think no one could ever mistake pv's for some type of drug paraphenlia.

 

[zoiDman]

Is there another way to look at Big Tobacco getting into the e-Cig Market?

And that is a Player with Deep Pockets who would have a Vested Interest AGAINST Restrictive Regulations and Taxation.

Hating Big Tobacco is fine, but they do have a Very Powerful Lobby and know "how" to get things done in Government.

 

[sailorman]

Is there another way to look at Big Tobacco getting into the e-Cig Market?

And that is a Player with Deep Pockets who would have a Vested Interest AGAINST Restrictive Regulations and Taxation.

Hating Big Tobacco is fine, but they do have a Very Powerful Lobby and know who to get things done in Government.

But they don't have a vested interest against restrictive regulations and taxation. They're trying to make the best of what they believe to be a bad situation. No cigarette company would rather sell you an e-cig, even one they own, than see you continue smoking. They'll make a pittance on the sale of Blus compared to keeping you hooked on Newport. Vapers don't have the loyalty to a "brand" of e-cig like they do to cigarettes. They might sell a person $100 worth of Blu stuff. Compare that to how much money they'd make off you if you kept smoking.

Yeah, they have a powerful lobby. Look how they almost decimated the RYO market by sitting down with politicians and demanding that RYO tobacco be taxed at the same rate as an equivalent number of cigarettes. Don't be naive. Having BT in the e-cig game will be good for BT, not for the industry and not for us.

 

[badmotivator]

Right off the top of my head, I'd say "who cares who owns Blu?" I think the "industry advocate" hypothesis is solid... They can't kill vaping by buying up companies (extremely low barrier to entry), and they won't want regulation that zeroes their investment.

What is the evidence that BT wants to kill vaping? And by evidence, I mean evidence, not that thing you were about to say.

 

[sailorman]

I've been pulled over 2 times while vaping and driving. The cops even told me it looked like I was doing drugs. Frankly I find it silly to think no one could ever mistake pv's for some type of drug paraphenlia.

Yeah, and I've had cops pull me over because they said I looked like someone on the wanted list, and because they said they thought my tag light was out, and any other cockamamie story they can come up with to cover for the fact that they wanted to pull me over. Newsflash!! Cops lie about why they pull you over.

 

[badmotivator]

Scale: Lorillard spent $135m on Blu, which was 60% of the last quarter's profit. That reads to me like a serious bet on ecigarettes as a profitable and growing business in itself, and does not look like some defensive effort to squash a competitor. Time will tell, though.