L88B / Volcano / Blu FULL Review - First Dissatisfied (Sort of)...Now in Love

[crazyfl3x]

First a few points to keep in mind while reading my Volcano e-Cig Review:

• The L88B (AKA Volcano e-Cig/Blu e-Cig) is the only e-cig I've ever used.
• I ordered it from Volcano and it took a week for me to get it.
• My order consisted of the following:
  • 3 batteries
  • 5 Atomizers
  • 5 Cartons of cartridges, each carton containing 5 cartridges. (Cherry Lava, CooCoo Coconut, Pineapple Punch, Vanilla Bean & Menthol were the flavors I selected. Each flavor was 16mg nicotine content.)
  • USB Charger
  • Wall Charger
  • PCC
• I've had it for exactly one week.
• I read and researched it for weeks before ordering.
• Even with some of the negative feedback about the model, I saw that there were many people that were satisfied with it after the proper changes (like the PTB mod and refilling the cartridges with better juice)
• I'm a pack/pack and a half a day smoker (Marlboro Menthol)
• Now on with the review.

The packaging is really great. It's a very nice little box that closes (and stays closed) via magnets in one of the flaps. It comfortably holds all 5 of the cartons of cartridges, the PCC and the USB charger. It is also very "attractive" packaging.

I know packaging might not be that important for some, but I'm a sucker for nicely packaged things. I hate getting something in the mail that is wrapped in a ziploc with bubble wrap around it.

After getting everything charged up and I rinsed off my atomizer in hot water, the first cartridge I popped on was the Pineapple Punch. My first instinct was to go with Menthol, as that is what I smoke, but seeing as I now had the opportunity to have flavors I couldn't have before, I just couldn't resist.

I took a few short "primer" puffs to get the atomizer warm, then took a long and slow drag of vapor into my mouth, then I inhaled...then exhaled.

• Flavor: Was weak. I could hardly taste the "Pineapple". It was there, but not really what I was expecting.
• Throat Hit: Definitely a good throat hit. Very comparable to what I get from a cigarette. What I didn't like was that it seemed "harsher" than that of a cigarette. Kind of "scratchy".
• Vapor Production: I thought the amount of vapor was fine. Very near what I get with a regular cigarette. I was most surprised at this because of how many say that they got hardly any vapor at all from this model (this opinion changed quickly though, as I'll get to in a moment).

After just a couple of drags on it, I noticed a steep decline in vapor production. This was more in line with what I'd read about it prior to my order. So, I did what I read people did to fix the problem, and simply put it down for about 10 minutes. I picked it back up and took a puff, and everything was back to normal.

I then cycled through the flavors and I noticed something consistent with all of them:

• A rather weak flavor. It was almost like an aftertaste as opposed to an actual flavor.
• Great throat hit, but very harsh and scratchy. So all in all, the throat hit was very unsatisfying even with it's strong presence.
• Quick decline in vapor production from start of a cartridge to finish of a cartridge.
• There was always "juice" left in a cartridge even after it's apparent "emptying" (signified by almost no vapor or flavor).

The one flavor that seemed to have a good flavor to it, was (ironically enough) the Menthol. My first drag on it immediately put a smile on my face. I went through the 5 Menthol cartridges in two days (I had to work very hard to make them last that long, by limiting the amount of vaping I did).

Battery life isn't terrible. It takes longer for a battery to die than it does for one to charge, so really I have no complaints. If it were the other way around I might have been upset. But since when one dies, I can just pop in a charged one from my PCC, battery life hasn't even ever crossed my mind.

I wasn't "hooked" on vaping. It was leaving me kind of unsatisfied, and without any real urge to pick it back up. It was almost like it was more of a cool new toy, but not serving any real purpose other than to amuse me.

Read On for the Important Stuff

Being satisfied with the Volcano's looks and knowing that improvements could be made to it's performance, I went and decided to look for a "juice" to order. I also went out and bought "Lipton Red Tea Pyramid Tea Bags (so I could perform the PTB mod when I got my juice in the mail).

I finally ordered 30ml of "Menthol Ice" from Halo (I'll do a review of their juice in another thread, but I'll say this now...IT IS AMAZING stuff).

I just got the bottle of it this afternoon. About an hour or so ago I went ahead and pulled the "juice" containing inner cartridge from it's mouthpiece, emptied and rinsed it out. After fiddling with it for 7 minutes or so, I got my PTB mod all set up and finished (it's very easy).

I then filled it up with my new Halo juice (they only hold about .10 to .15 ml's of juice. They are very small cartridges).

I took a puff....

WOW what a difference.

• Flavor: Was absolutely amazing. A very "full" flavor on both the inhale and the exhale. Very, very satisfying and incredibly close to a real menthol cigarette. Not "Vick's Vapor Rub" like at all.
• Throat Hit: This was probably my favorite improvement. The throat hit was perfect. What I mean by perfect was not only that the throat hit was there and could be felt, but now, it was also smooth. I could feel it hit the back of my throat, but not with the harsh scratchiness the original cartridges had. It's even better than that of an analog's!
• Vapor Production: HUGE improvement. I thought I was happy with the first drag before... Now I get a very good "plume" of vapor upon exhaling. The same volume as before, but it has more "substance" to the vapor. It is more opaque up on exhaling (very much like a real cig). You can see the vapor from across the room.

After vaping on it for about an hour or so now, there are many other marked improvements I've noticed.

• Cartridge life has significantly improved. I've had the same one in for about an hour now, and while I haven't been "non-stop" vaping, it is still going strong.
• Sustained flavor and vapor production. I'm sure that the cartridge must be nearly empty, and yet it still is producing the same amount of vapor and the same quality of flavor.
• I don't need to pause between "puffs" to maintain quality of flavor or volume of vapor. I can take 5 puffs in a row in relatively quick succession and STILL not see a decline in any of the qualities you get after waiting 10 minutes.
• Consistency... Using the original unmodified cartridges, I would sometimes set it down for 10 minutes and pick it up, and still not get the right hit. Then take another puff 2 minutes later only to get a good one...then another good one...then a bad one...etc, etc. It wasn't really a consistent experience from one vape to the next. Now, I can take a puff and expect to get the same thing I got on the other 20...very very nice.

I'm not sure which of the improvements were from the PTB mod and which were from Halo's juice, but either way, the improvements were significant and have really hooked me on vaping. I haven't had an urge to have a real cig since I started vaping the new juice from the modded cartridge.

All in all, I would definitely recommend the L88B e-Cig to anybody (along with telling them to be prepared to make some changes to be truly satisfied.)

I've had no experience with Blu (the company), but since I've heard such awful things about them, I'd highly recommend Volcano to anybody. They had great customer service, everything I ordered seems to be working great (I haven't tried all 5 of my atomizers yet though), I got exactly what I ordered and it didn't take long at all for me to get it.

I won't be ordering another e-Cig, as I'm truly in love with my Volcano now. I needed to be patient and wait a bit and make some changes, but it was all well worth it.

 

[crazyfl3x]

I forgot to add this.

One thing that really improved flavor, vapor production and just improved my vaping experience with this overall was:

Making sure to cover at least two of the "air inlet holes" while taking a drag. After doing it on purpose for about a day, it became second nature and I now do it automatically.

 

[crazyfl3x]

After reading this thread (again) http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-three-menthols-cool-newpure-menthol-ice.html and because of how amazing the "Menthol Ice" is, I've decided to also order the Newpure from them.

I'll let everybody know if it works out for me as well as the Menthol Ice did (which at this point, I'm almost positive it will).

Also, I wanted to wait before I posted this to make sure it wasn't a coincidence, and it turns out it isn't. With the PTB (Pyramid Tea Bag) mod, not only are those previously mentioned improvements still very much alive and well, I noticed one more:

Almost complete cartridge emptying. What I mean is, every time I've pulled out the cartridge to refill it when I'm no longer getting vapor/flavor, the cartridge is almost completely dry!

That is really great because I now have 4 other "pre-filled and PTB'd cartridges" topped with atomizers sitting in my PCC (for times when I don't have the time/resources to refill one). Now I know I'm not wasting any juice when I switch from one cartridge to the next.

 

[crazyfl3x]

I've gotten a number of PM's requesting information about how I performed my PTB on the cartridges.

I'm currently working on one (to add to the many that are already out there), and will probably have it posted later today.

 

[asd]

Great review. I am also interested in PTB mod because the liquid keeps dripping in my mouth when I do it. Do you keep the white inner cartridge in or do you take it out ?

 

[crazyfl3x]

Great review. I am also interested in PTB mod because the liquid keeps dripping in my mouth when I do it. Do you keep the white inner cartridge in or do you take it out ?

Yes, you absolutely HAVE TO keep the white inner cartridge in. That is what the PTB goes in. Without that, you'll never not get fluid in your mouth.

 

[angelique510]

Thank you for the review. I really like my blu. (The passthrough from Volcano rocks.)

I could never get PTB to work. (Especially the red tea - it gets little splinters stuck in the PTB material that I have to pluck out one by one. The bluebery white tea is great, though.) Please let me know the mthod you use to get the PTB in the cart.

I have the best results in my other PVs with blu foam. But fluval seems to work the best in the blu. Have you tried either of these mods, and what did you think?

~A

 

[MojoXN]

If you get a chance, please do post a tutorial on the PTB mod for the Volcano. Try as I might, I can't seem to do it correctly...

I'm all out of pre-filled carts, dipping is a huge hassle, and is pretty much impossible when driving. Please, please, PLEASE post your method, crazyfl3x.

Thank you in advance,

MojoXN

 

[LABeachBum]

Probably have seen it else where in the forums, but replacing the L88b atomizer with a 306a atomizer provides greater vapor -- I have def noticed a marked improvement. I no longer buy the Volcano/Blu atomizers anymore.

And yes it fits perfectly to the L88b battery and cart as well, although I also get the 306a carts too since it feels like it pulls the liquid better. You can get them all over the internet. I get mine from rockymountainvapor.com for 8 bucks an atty.

Has anyone else tried the 306a atomizer on an L88b battery yet?

 

[asd]

Nope but I'll tell you what I did. I got fed up with volcano's BS and returned everything and got my refund. Then I ordered a DSE 905 with that money and I am 10000000000 times more satisfied. It is amazing.