Heat-not-burn, Marlboro/Phillip Morris iQOS first impression

[Robby Wilson]

Last night at a vape shop I frequent out in the burbs, I finally got the opportunity to try one of these. The shop owner's cousin lives up in Toronto where the product already has wide distribution, and he sent a care package. I had no idea these products even existed until maybe a month or so ago.

The concept of HNB is not that far removed from vaping, with the major difference being you are dealing with real tobacco here and not juice. I actually felt a huge sense of guilt after taking a few drags from it. It felt pretty much like smoking a cigarette. The sensation is about identical best I can tell. Also bear in mind that I am fairly repulsed by anything that tastes like tobacco these days just in general, which likely jades my perspective.

Brushing aside the fact that I am more than a little wary of anyone giving money to any entity owned by Phillip Morris, I must admit that this might well be a game changer for people who are looking to quit and are unable to make the jump because the vaping experience is not 1:1 with traditional smoking. Phillip Morris has forwarded numerous claims about the device based upon their research, but I don't think anyone is willing to take the Tobacco industry at their word.

In any event, yeah, it's pretty much like smoking a cigarette through a technologically advanced "filter" tip.

 

[stols001]

Thanks for the info, and glad you like it. I feel pretty neutral toward the IQOS, it's not something I ever plan to try (happy where I'm at) I could see it helping some smokers transition away from tobacco, and that has to be harm reduction (how much, I'm unsure) but I support all forms of harm reduction including the IQOS, although I doubt it will ever be for me. Etc.

Anna

 

[Ryedan]

Last night at a vape shop I frequent out in the burbs, I finally got the opportunity to try one of these. The shop owner's cousin lives up in Toronto where the product already has wide distribution, and he sent a care package. I had no idea these products even existed until maybe a month or so ago.

The concept of HNB is not that far removed from vaping, with the major difference being you are dealing with real tobacco here and not juice. I actually felt a huge sense of guilt after taking a few drags from it. It felt pretty much like smoking a cigarette. The sensation is about identical best I can tell. Also bear in mind that I am fairly repulsed by anything that tastes like tobacco these days just in general, which likely jades my perspective.

Brushing aside the fact that I am more than a little wary of anyone giving money to any entity owned by Phillip Morris, I must admit that this might well be a game changer for people who are looking to quit and are unable to make the jump because the vaping experience is not 1:1 with traditional smoking. Phillip Morris has forwarded numerous claims about the device based upon their research, but I don't think anyone is willing to take the Tobacco industry at their word.

In any event, yeah, it's pretty much like smoking a cigarette through a technologically advanced "filter" tip.

If it helps more people quit cigarettes, it's all good

It's also not for me, I haven't had a drag from a cigarette since mid 2012. I'm happy with that and wouldn't want to risk enjoying it a bit too much as I still like the smell of a lit cigarette or cigar. Not to mention the nic hit would probably put me on my .... now

 

[r77r7r]

Yeah, I don't think anyone here is buying into that idea. Big overseas tho.

BT can piss off.

 

[alvitae]

Did it make a cloud? Or was it thin? Did you get a nicotine rush? Do you stick a cigarette in it or is it loose leaf?

For me I think it would be a step in the wrong direction. For a smoker I think it would be a step in the right direction.

 

[Rossum]

Yeah, I don't think anyone here is buying into that idea.

I'm a devoted vaper who hasn't had a cig in over four years. Yet there is still something from tobacco that I feel I'm missing. Some occasional WTA liquid helps, but it's not the whole answer. I'm curious whether IQOS can replace what's missing. If so, I could see myself using 'em sometimes if they ever become available in the US.

 

[Rossum]

Do you stick a cigarette in it or is it loose leaf?

They use a special short little cigarette-like thing:

 

[r77r7r]

I'm a devoted vaper who hasn't had a cig in over four years. Yet there is still something from tobacco that I feel I'm missing. Some occasional WTA liquid helps, but it's not the whole answer. I'm curious whether IQOS can replace what's missing. If so, I could see myself using 'em sometimes if they ever become available in the US.

Please think it thru Hard b4 you do. I understand tho. If, like me, you're an addict, that's the part of the mind that is telling you that. Nothing sane about it. GL

 

[Robby Wilson]

Did it make a cloud? Or was it thin? Did you get a nicotine rush? Do you stick a cigarette in it or is it loose leaf?

For me I think it would be a step in the wrong direction. For a smoker I think it would be a step in the right direction.

I got a wicked head rush after the first couple of drags, and yes, you do exhale smoke. The volume of smoke is nowhere near what I exhale from my Mod, but the throat hit and sensation is something I suspect 100% of former smokers would immediately identify with. It was so similar to smoking that it felt downright creepy to me

I would imagine Phillip Morris has the United States in their crosshairs as far as distribution. The guy up in Canada we got it from can hardly keep them in stock they go so fast. After trying it I can see why. I am downright hostile to big tobacco, but I would be amiss if I did not admit it's potential. It will blow up like a high school kegger when it lands in the US retail market.

 

[Ionori]

At least it will acclimate smokers to having to charge their nicotine delivery device, which is an obstacle in some people's minds to transitioning to vaping (surprisingly, they don't eschew smartphones in favor of landlines just because they have to keep those charged too).

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I got a wicked head rush after the first couple of drags, and yes, you do exhale smoke. The volume of smoke is nowhere near what I exhale from my Mod, but the throat hit and sensation is something I suspect 100% of former smokers would immediately identify with. It was so similar to smoking that it felt downright creepy to me

I would imagine Phillip Morris has the United States in their crosshairs as far as distribution. The guy up in Canada we got it from can hardly keep them in stock they go so fast. After trying it I can see why. I am downright hostile to big tobacco, but I would be amiss if I did not admit it's potential. It will blow up like a high school kegger when it lands in the US retail market.

Any tobacco product produced by BT is suspect. If you think about the process of heating the tobacco leaves to a point a few degrees below actual combustion you will get 'smoke'--(ever try burning leaves in your yard after raking them up? they smolder(smoke) first before actual combustion). And if those leaves in the IQOS are the same as they put into traditional cigarettes then they still contain all the same chemicals. If true than I see no harm reduction at all...just another way of robbing folks of their hard earned money and possibly their lives.

just my 2 pennies

 

[bobwho77]

After over five years of vaping, I'm happy where I am now
Thanks, but no thanks.

 

[sofarsogood]

iQOS uses one cartridge as one cigarette. Once the process starts it's just like a cigarette. It heats until it's gone whether you take puffs or not. My vape puffs are spread out over much longer intervals. That's desirable to me for a bunch of reasons. I suspect iQOS is going to cost about the same as smoking. My reuilds and DIY are so cheap vaping is free for practical purposes. If I was immune to health problems with smoking and if you offered me free cigarettes I still wouldn't go back to smoking. Vaping is just a superior experience.I won't be spending 100 times more money for a less convenient bad tasting alternative.

And BTW, the Chinese appear to be coming up wiith heat not burn products that use the tobacco of your choice which will probably work as well and cost a lot less to operate.

 

[DeloresRose]

Any tobacco product produced by BT is suspect. If you think about the process of heating the tobacco leaves to a point a few degrees below actual combustion you will get 'smoke'--(ever try burning leaves in your yard after raking them up? they smolder(smoke) first before actual combustion). And if those leaves in the IQOS are the same as they put into traditional cigarettes then they still contain all the same chemicals. If true than I see no harm reduction at all...just another way of robbing folks of their hard earned money and possibly their lives.

just my 2 pennies

I agree with you, from a vaper’s perspective. But I will say my initial reluctance about ecigs was “I don’t know what chemicals are in e liquid. How can that be safer than tobacco?” And that right there made me hesitate for a couple years.

I always felt the burning and inhaling of the product was the killer, even full well knowing how dangerous the tobacco itself was. I still would have thought not burning would be at least a little less deadly.

I think it could be a great bridge product to vaping or quitting, as much as I hate BT. And I mean, I loathe BT.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I agree with you, from a vaper’s perspective. But I will say my initial reluctance about ecigs was “I don’t know what chemicals are in e liquid. How can that be safer than tobacco?” And that right there made me hesitate for a couple years.

I always felt the burning and inhaling of the product was the killer, even full well knowing how dangerous the tobacco itself was. I still would have thought not burning would be at least a little less deadly.

I think it could be a great bridge product to vaping or quitting, as much as I hate BT. And I mean, I loathe BT.

I too was very leery of that what was in ejuice so early in my journey I started making my own. I had ordered a grape ejuice from china and my lips got numb almost immediately. Needless to say, down the drain that went. DIY-ing has gotten so much easier these days with a lot of flavor makers catering to the vape community. And now with all of ECF's wonderful members at the ready to help you understand how make your own, its silly not to.

 

[DeloresRose]

I too was very leery of that what was in ejuice so early in my journey I started making my own. I had ordered a grape ejuice from china and my lips got numb almost immediately. Needless to say, down the drain that went. DIY-ing has gotten so much easier these days with a lot of flavor makers catering to the vape community. And now with all of ECF's wonderful members at the ready to help you understand how make your own, its silly not to.

I was lucky to know the owners of a vape shop who explained juice making to me. I started vaping with their juice as soon as I learned what the ingredients were. I was absolutely surprised how simple it was. Nothing in there that was scary to me, lol.

And this forum, priceless source of information. I can’t say I know everything, but I sure know enough that I haven’t bought juice in over 4 years. I get it though, if someone doesn’t care to diy, but if they do it’s just not that hard.

 

[Dieseler]

Here is article about iOQS -https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/big-tobaccos-new-cigarette-is-sleek-smokeless--but-is-it-actually-healthier/2017/08/11/60e9fe5a-763e-11e7-8839-ec48ec4cae25_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c3fd8613d014

 

[yakaki]

Smoked this for 3-4 months before converting back to cigs and then to vaping.
Its a much smoother transition from cigs, for sure.
However some things about this put me off:
- tar was building up on the heating blade and needed daily cleaning, if not cleaning it, old tar that is stuck to the heating blade is heating up together with the new cig placed in it.
- it smells like .... and I got complaints from the other sex who actually smokes cigs.
- less smoke then a cig
- nicotine hit is not linear as a cig, its strongest the first couple of hits, then drops down
- everytime you smoke, it limits you to 14 drags or 6 minutes of smoke, then it shuts down and you need to recharge it and place a new cig in it. you cant smoke 2 in a row because of charge time ofcourse
- when the cig broken down after smoking, there's a PLA compound in the filter which is burnt and deformed from the heat, so that had me worried as well
- the battery sometimes does not charge if contacts are bad, so sometimes you pull it from your pocket for a smoke and need to wait for another 5min of charge in order to smoke.
- oh and the most important part. a pack of these small cigs costs as much as a regular pack which is ALOT if smoking pack a day.

pro's:
- I did feel healther after a while, and did not have this sickly feeling in the mornings after a night out like with cigs.

 

[Dieseler]

disregard this blank --------

 

[Rossum]

Here is article about iOQS -https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/big-tobaccos-new-cigarette-is-sleek-smokeless--but-is-it-actually-healthier/2017/08/11/60e9fe5a-763e-11e7-8839-ec48ec4cae25_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c3fd8613d014

Drilling through some links turns up an independent analysis of IQOS aerosol:
https://cdn.doctorsonly.co.il/2017/06/jamainternal_Auer_2017_ld_170021.pdf

Here's the results:

Obviously, it's not as "clean" as vaping (particularly if one is vaping unflavored liquid with coil temperatures below ~450°F), but it's also fairly obvious that it's far better than smoking.