As someone who FINALLY got my Blu yesterday (yeah, I was one of those on back order) I will give you my review of it. I will first say though that I ordered a 901 (from esmokeyshack.com) AFTER I ordered my Blu, got it LONG BEFORE my Blu arrived, and I was so pleased with my 901 and the customer service that I had gotten that I then ordered a second 901 (from esmokeyshack again), and also got that one BEFORE the Blu got here. So, I am kind of comparing the Blu against the 901 -- in both performance and customer service.
I will start with Customer Service since it will be quicker.
In the Customer Service dept. -- Blu KNEW that they were in over their heads, and that they didn't have the product to send out, and yet they couldn't even give customers the common courtesy of putting it up on their web site that they were back ordered. This lost them MAJOR points with me. If they are more concerned with the short-term dollars than the long-term customer then what does that say to me about how long they will be around, and about how they will support their product in the future?
The other company I ordered from (esmokeyshack) had the items in stock, shipped it out immediately, I had it in two days, and when I had an issue with one of the batteries I got an immediate reply to my email and a replacement - Great customer service!
I should also mention that during all this I also ordered more juice and a passthrough from rockymountainvapor.com, and their web site clearly listed what they do and do not have (ordering items that are not in stock was not even possible), and my order from them also got here quickly -- in 3 days. Once again, great customer service.
As to performance of the Blu --
Pros:
Small size, very comparable to a regular analog, weight distribution is good, balances almost like an analog.
Good vapor.
Carrying case is nice, especially since I have been trying to figure out how to tote around all this new paraphernalia that goes with vaping. One warning on the case though -- there are 5 holes in the case for cartridges, one to put your battery to charge, and on the far right hand is another hole where it looks like one would logically put an assembled e-cig. DO NOT try to fit an assembled e-cig into that far right hand hole, as no matter which way you put it you will either lose your cartridge or your battery as the hole is too snug, and it will come apart when you try to pull it out.
Yeah ....I have a cartridge sitting down in there right now (quit laughing!).
Having two charging choices is nice (the case, or the USB charger).
Cartridges: If one intends to be just be a cartridge user the cartridges are packaged nicely, very compact -- with the foil lining there would be no muss -- just pop a cartridge in, use it, toss it.
Cartridge shape: I really like the round shape, feels more like an analog.
Cons:
Throat hit is weak compared to the vapor -- would be considered a plus though if one were looking for a milder hit.
The atomizer -- ewwwwwwww, I was wondering what everyone had been talking about concerning atomizers with some kind of nasty taste due to primer fluid ... well, I found out with Blu (my 901's didn't have that nasty taste at all!).
Too Sensitive -- The Blu is more sensitive than a teenage girl watching the Hallmark channel. Literally, if I blow on the blue LED light even a tiny bit it causes the battery to start up, and it starts to vape it's self! Even putting the battery/atomizer together was enough to trigger the battery. Putting it in my purse also triggered the battery.
This was kind of a bonus to try to get rid of that nasty primer stuff, as I took off the cartridge, blew on the LED light, and dropped e-liquid on the atomizer and just let it burn it's self out (that helped it a bit).
Other than that though it scares me -- Today was the first day that I had the Blu, and I took the battery and the atomizer/cartridge apart when carrying it around in my purse for fear that it would just keep vaping all on it's own.
On the cartridges -- OMG, they are a b*^%# to fill!!!!! First you have to look up on here how to even do it (use a paper clip - straighten the paper clip out, put it in the hole in the bottom of the cartridge, push up, the internal clear plastic cartridge will pop up, remove the foil covering, drip in some fluid, push the clear plastic cartridge back down -- make sure it is down all the way). When the cartridge is full -- you end up with liquid in your mouth. When it's not full, you get more burnt taste. Yum Yum. It's like there is no in between.
All in all, I plan on keeping the Blu I ordered as my "backup." It's not a bad little unit, but their approach to customer service has kind of soured me, and I doubt that I will be ordering parts to keep it going, especially since they have made refilling a PITA.
Erised
