Okay. First off -- a warning. This will likely be a very long post as I plan to cover everything about my entire Blu experience and I am usually pretty detailed-oriented to begin with (which makes me long-winded). When I first ordered my Blu I had never had another e-cig. It was going to be my first, but due to the prevalent backlogs it turns out I got my m401 (that I ordered a week after I ordered my Blu) first. I will say that after using both of them I prefer my m401 for various reasons. I will touch on that briefly during this review...but this is first and foremost a Blu review. FYI I have been using my Blu off and on in-between my m401 for about two and a half weeks now. Well, let's get started:
First off.. the Blu is perfectly sized. It is almost identical to the size of a regular cigarette (analog, for the newbies). It does feel slightly heavier than an analog but as far as comparison to my m401 it feels much more natural. This size comes at a price, however. One, the batteries do not last much longer than an hour of consistent vaping. This is largely offset by the portable charging case (PCC) than can supposedly recharge a battery six times. With two fully-charge batteries when you leave home, that gives you roughly 8 hours of consistent vaping. I haven't tested this yet because my PCC hasn't run out of charge yet. I guess I haven't used it for 8 hours, but that ends up being about as long as both of my m401 batteries fully-charged without a portable pack, possibly longer. So in the end, the battery life is basically a non-issue anyways. The other problem caused by the small size of this model is the need for a smaller cart. The carts do not hold much juice to begin with, but being so small means re-filling more often. It has also been said by many people that the atomizer does not use all of the juice in the cart. I have begun to wonder if this is simply the result of how many new people have gotten their start with Blu. In trying to use all of the fluid in my m401, I began to get a very bitter...metallic taste in my mouth. It turns out the nearly-empty cart was leaving the top of the polyfill dry...which then melted and/or stuck to the atomizer. This is what caused the bad taste. So... completely using all the juice in the cart is NOT a good thing. This means a lot of hassle because you have to top off much more often, or switch carts if you use prefilled. I, however, have switched to mostly dripping directly onto the atomizer (or dipping in a contact-lens case with the fluid in it for about 1 second) and vaping without a cart at all (just the mouthpiece). I find I get a better flavor and none of the bitter taste I got with carts. The downside to this is that it doesn't last as long...and it's not convenient when you aren't at home.
But, let's talk about the carts for a bit. We have already examined that they are small, and they are, but the design might leave a bit to be desired as well. There is a flat side to the cart that allows you to drag with the cart in place. I have seen other models that have ridges instead. I find that with the cart designed with the flat side (the way it is on the Blu) I have the nicotine liquid escape and come into my mouth more often. One good thing is that the cart is semi-clear...which means you can actually see how much is in it. Also, I find that I am not a big fan of the aluminum foil. I'm sure they saved money not using the little rubber plungers...but if you just try to stick the cart on the atomizer as-is you have a 50/50 chance at good results. Many times I discovered that I stopped getting good hits after only 3 or 4 puffs. Sometimes the aluminum foil would also stick to the atomizer. When I have new carts I usually use my handy paperclip (most important tool for cart users!) to scrape the foil off. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised that the prefilled carts that they sell are actually not that bad as far as flavor goes.
So we have covered the batteries and the carts...what about the all-important atomizers? I must say that when everything falls into place correctly (full cart of juice, or drip/dip) the atomizer seems to work pretty well. It produces good vapor that is as much as, if not more, than my m401. Getting everything to fall into place seems to be the difficult part. The atomizers have the longer V than some, such as my m401, which may account for the good vapor production. Throat hits are good...but also dependent on the juice I'm using. (Some juices just kick harder than others). There may be a serious flaw with the atomizers, however, but I may have just gotten a bum-wrap. To get to that, I have a final section of detailing:
Problems. I have had some problems with regard to Blu. The first, and most frustrating, has been the shipping and customer service. Most of us that were around when the Blu really started taking off have already discussed this issue. I have had more develop in that regard, however, so I would like to cover it. First...it took an unexpected and frustratingly long time to get my product. When I would call I did not get the extra-friendly experience that most did. The representatives I talked to were the 'required/expected' level of polite...but it didn't seem as if they were trying to go above-and-beyond or anything like that. They also didn't really know anything...except how to apologize. At least they did that. So I finally got my product, and I liked it. I was happy. It didn't take long, however, to realize that a battery was bad. It would cut out after maybe 1 second of inhaling. The other battery did not do this. I contacted Blu on a Saturday evening, actually amazed that anyone answered. I was told that it would be "escalated" to the appropriate party and I would receive a call or email by Monday. I did not. I called back Monday evening and was again apologized to..and told that it would be by close of business Tuesday at the latest. It was not. I called back Tuesday evening and was put on hold for about 45 minutes. Finally the lady came back on and said she would have someone contact me about my order by the end of the week. I asked what order she was talking about....and it was only then that she realized it was about a bad battery and had nothing to do with a new order! She told me I would have to mail the bad one back before they could send out a new one. Now, I know this sounds as if it's to be expected...but I was actually surprised. I had a bad battery on my m401 and that vendor told me to just let him know when it was in the mail and he would go ahead and priority ship the new one to me (which he did). I really expected that, given the backorder problems and the fact that I had already had to wait so long, she would just send me a new one and not even ask for the old one back. If I were running a business trying to retain customers -- it's what I'd do. She acted as though she had no authority in the matter (very politely, as I was being as well). I asked if it would take another month for me to get it since they were still backordered and she just said "I honestly don't know". Half a point for honesty, I suppose. I basically told her, politely as I could, that if I had to wait that long again to receive a replacement for an order I had already waited so long on that I would likely not be ordering anything further from them. She apologized again and we hung up. I did get the replacement battery within a week, however. It seems like they took my honest confession to heart (I wasn't threatening, but being sincere).
Well, the replacement battery is bad too. It does the same thing. I haven't called them back about it yet because, frankly, I'm tired of the hassle. The other big problem that I have is that after only two weeks or so of light to moderate usage, the atomizer seems to be going bad. (Note aforementioned comment about atomizers maybe having a flaw). This is just one bad atomizer and atomizers go bad...but it didn't last long at all. I began to notice a bad, acrid burning taste in my mouth when I vaped that also hurt my throat. When looking closely at the V on the atomizer...I noticed part of it was peeling back as if it had melted. This may have just been one bad atomizer among a sea of good ones that went through acceptable quality control...I don't know. Add it to the other issues I have with the product/company...it doesn't leave me feeling too good about Blu.
I did order another battery (as a backup in case the 3rd one arrives bad as well...or when one eventually dies) and some extra atomizers. I suppose I'll have a better idea after using a different atomizer for awhile. The thing is, even over a month later they are still backlogged. After a week my order hasn't shipped. I don't expect it to anytime soon. I haven't complained or stressed about it -- and I've been polite while on the phone with them. This doesn't ring to me as good corporate management, or even small business management, however. It doesn't take much to put "Out of Stock" on a website underneath a product. Minimal html knowledge and 5 minutes will accomplish it. We know they are capable of it as there is now a message about the backorders on the website. My problem, is that this message doesn't appear until AFTER you place your order and they have your bank charged.
So in summation: I am still on the fence about both the product and the company. I have had issues with the quality control of the product itself, and some minor issues with the actual design of it. The design problems are outweighed by the positives of the product, however (unless my concerns about the atomizer prove to be true). That just leaves quality control and the company to contend with. My experience with quality control leaves much to be desired...receiving a bad part to begin with as well as it's replacement being bad...and an atomizer going out after what would amount to 1 week of consistent use. That's just not good. The companies apparent inability to inform the customer could be one of two things: either they are still having monumental growing pains, or they are not quite reputable. Neither is really excusable at this point in my mind, though. I think they have had ample time to get their act together.
I don't quite feel like I've wasted $60 bucks yet. I think if the atomizer turns out to be a fluke, and they get my battery replaced with a GOOD one, that I will have a decent product to use when I'm out and about. I will probably stock up on atomizers and batteries, though, because I don't really enjoy doing business with them at this point in time. I can buy juice elsewhere. The product itself has it's pros and cons...I hope at least some of the information here has been somewhat helpful to you in making a decision about this product.
When I get my atomizers in and have used the product for even longer I will post an update and address all of these issues again. Perhaps some of the negatives will work themselves out by then. (BTW, I do certainly recommend the m401 to anyone interested in it. I have had a pleasant experience with it.) The above review is nothing more or less than my own personal experience and any logic-using adult would recognize the possibility that others have had better experiences and that, even still, others may have had worse. I wouldn't guarantee these would be your results... you should only take my experiences and weigh them against others' experiences as they report them. Considering all angles as well as weighing the objectivity and validity of the reviewer is how you make educated decisions/purchases.
But then, you knew that didn't you. Happy vaping to you all!
-enrogae
P.S. I forgot one point I meant to make. The sensor that activates the atomizer is extremely sensitive. Sometimes it goes off just sitting in front of a fan...or outside if it's breezy. I have to hold my finger over the tip and shield it or it will puff itself away...sometimes causing me to barely get a hit because of the safety shutoff. It can be annoying, but it's also a double-edged sword. It creates the benefit of making for a really nice-and-easy drag. You barely have to pull at it to get it working...which means you can pull longer and easier to get a better hit. It is a good and bad thing...a lot of the time it seems worth the trade off to me. Anyways, sorry for the last-minute edit but I wanted to mention that and I forgot!
First off.. the Blu is perfectly sized. It is almost identical to the size of a regular cigarette (analog, for the newbies). It does feel slightly heavier than an analog but as far as comparison to my m401 it feels much more natural. This size comes at a price, however. One, the batteries do not last much longer than an hour of consistent vaping. This is largely offset by the portable charging case (PCC) than can supposedly recharge a battery six times. With two fully-charge batteries when you leave home, that gives you roughly 8 hours of consistent vaping. I haven't tested this yet because my PCC hasn't run out of charge yet. I guess I haven't used it for 8 hours, but that ends up being about as long as both of my m401 batteries fully-charged without a portable pack, possibly longer. So in the end, the battery life is basically a non-issue anyways. The other problem caused by the small size of this model is the need for a smaller cart. The carts do not hold much juice to begin with, but being so small means re-filling more often. It has also been said by many people that the atomizer does not use all of the juice in the cart. I have begun to wonder if this is simply the result of how many new people have gotten their start with Blu. In trying to use all of the fluid in my m401, I began to get a very bitter...metallic taste in my mouth. It turns out the nearly-empty cart was leaving the top of the polyfill dry...which then melted and/or stuck to the atomizer. This is what caused the bad taste. So... completely using all the juice in the cart is NOT a good thing. This means a lot of hassle because you have to top off much more often, or switch carts if you use prefilled. I, however, have switched to mostly dripping directly onto the atomizer (or dipping in a contact-lens case with the fluid in it for about 1 second) and vaping without a cart at all (just the mouthpiece). I find I get a better flavor and none of the bitter taste I got with carts. The downside to this is that it doesn't last as long...and it's not convenient when you aren't at home.
But, let's talk about the carts for a bit. We have already examined that they are small, and they are, but the design might leave a bit to be desired as well. There is a flat side to the cart that allows you to drag with the cart in place. I have seen other models that have ridges instead. I find that with the cart designed with the flat side (the way it is on the Blu) I have the nicotine liquid escape and come into my mouth more often. One good thing is that the cart is semi-clear...which means you can actually see how much is in it. Also, I find that I am not a big fan of the aluminum foil. I'm sure they saved money not using the little rubber plungers...but if you just try to stick the cart on the atomizer as-is you have a 50/50 chance at good results. Many times I discovered that I stopped getting good hits after only 3 or 4 puffs. Sometimes the aluminum foil would also stick to the atomizer. When I have new carts I usually use my handy paperclip (most important tool for cart users!) to scrape the foil off. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised that the prefilled carts that they sell are actually not that bad as far as flavor goes.
So we have covered the batteries and the carts...what about the all-important atomizers? I must say that when everything falls into place correctly (full cart of juice, or drip/dip) the atomizer seems to work pretty well. It produces good vapor that is as much as, if not more, than my m401. Getting everything to fall into place seems to be the difficult part. The atomizers have the longer V than some, such as my m401, which may account for the good vapor production. Throat hits are good...but also dependent on the juice I'm using. (Some juices just kick harder than others). There may be a serious flaw with the atomizers, however, but I may have just gotten a bum-wrap. To get to that, I have a final section of detailing:
Problems. I have had some problems with regard to Blu. The first, and most frustrating, has been the shipping and customer service. Most of us that were around when the Blu really started taking off have already discussed this issue. I have had more develop in that regard, however, so I would like to cover it. First...it took an unexpected and frustratingly long time to get my product. When I would call I did not get the extra-friendly experience that most did. The representatives I talked to were the 'required/expected' level of polite...but it didn't seem as if they were trying to go above-and-beyond or anything like that. They also didn't really know anything...except how to apologize. At least they did that. So I finally got my product, and I liked it. I was happy. It didn't take long, however, to realize that a battery was bad. It would cut out after maybe 1 second of inhaling. The other battery did not do this. I contacted Blu on a Saturday evening, actually amazed that anyone answered. I was told that it would be "escalated" to the appropriate party and I would receive a call or email by Monday. I did not. I called back Monday evening and was again apologized to..and told that it would be by close of business Tuesday at the latest. It was not. I called back Tuesday evening and was put on hold for about 45 minutes. Finally the lady came back on and said she would have someone contact me about my order by the end of the week. I asked what order she was talking about....and it was only then that she realized it was about a bad battery and had nothing to do with a new order! She told me I would have to mail the bad one back before they could send out a new one. Now, I know this sounds as if it's to be expected...but I was actually surprised. I had a bad battery on my m401 and that vendor told me to just let him know when it was in the mail and he would go ahead and priority ship the new one to me (which he did). I really expected that, given the backorder problems and the fact that I had already had to wait so long, she would just send me a new one and not even ask for the old one back. If I were running a business trying to retain customers -- it's what I'd do. She acted as though she had no authority in the matter (very politely, as I was being as well). I asked if it would take another month for me to get it since they were still backordered and she just said "I honestly don't know". Half a point for honesty, I suppose. I basically told her, politely as I could, that if I had to wait that long again to receive a replacement for an order I had already waited so long on that I would likely not be ordering anything further from them. She apologized again and we hung up. I did get the replacement battery within a week, however. It seems like they took my honest confession to heart (I wasn't threatening, but being sincere).
Well, the replacement battery is bad too. It does the same thing. I haven't called them back about it yet because, frankly, I'm tired of the hassle. The other big problem that I have is that after only two weeks or so of light to moderate usage, the atomizer seems to be going bad. (Note aforementioned comment about atomizers maybe having a flaw). This is just one bad atomizer and atomizers go bad...but it didn't last long at all. I began to notice a bad, acrid burning taste in my mouth when I vaped that also hurt my throat. When looking closely at the V on the atomizer...I noticed part of it was peeling back as if it had melted. This may have just been one bad atomizer among a sea of good ones that went through acceptable quality control...I don't know. Add it to the other issues I have with the product/company...it doesn't leave me feeling too good about Blu.
I did order another battery (as a backup in case the 3rd one arrives bad as well...or when one eventually dies) and some extra atomizers. I suppose I'll have a better idea after using a different atomizer for awhile. The thing is, even over a month later they are still backlogged. After a week my order hasn't shipped. I don't expect it to anytime soon. I haven't complained or stressed about it -- and I've been polite while on the phone with them. This doesn't ring to me as good corporate management, or even small business management, however. It doesn't take much to put "Out of Stock" on a website underneath a product. Minimal html knowledge and 5 minutes will accomplish it. We know they are capable of it as there is now a message about the backorders on the website. My problem, is that this message doesn't appear until AFTER you place your order and they have your bank charged.
So in summation: I am still on the fence about both the product and the company. I have had issues with the quality control of the product itself, and some minor issues with the actual design of it. The design problems are outweighed by the positives of the product, however (unless my concerns about the atomizer prove to be true). That just leaves quality control and the company to contend with. My experience with quality control leaves much to be desired...receiving a bad part to begin with as well as it's replacement being bad...and an atomizer going out after what would amount to 1 week of consistent use. That's just not good. The companies apparent inability to inform the customer could be one of two things: either they are still having monumental growing pains, or they are not quite reputable. Neither is really excusable at this point in my mind, though. I think they have had ample time to get their act together.
I don't quite feel like I've wasted $60 bucks yet. I think if the atomizer turns out to be a fluke, and they get my battery replaced with a GOOD one, that I will have a decent product to use when I'm out and about. I will probably stock up on atomizers and batteries, though, because I don't really enjoy doing business with them at this point in time. I can buy juice elsewhere. The product itself has it's pros and cons...I hope at least some of the information here has been somewhat helpful to you in making a decision about this product.
When I get my atomizers in and have used the product for even longer I will post an update and address all of these issues again. Perhaps some of the negatives will work themselves out by then. (BTW, I do certainly recommend the m401 to anyone interested in it. I have had a pleasant experience with it.) The above review is nothing more or less than my own personal experience and any logic-using adult would recognize the possibility that others have had better experiences and that, even still, others may have had worse. I wouldn't guarantee these would be your results... you should only take my experiences and weigh them against others' experiences as they report them. Considering all angles as well as weighing the objectivity and validity of the reviewer is how you make educated decisions/purchases.
But then, you knew that didn't you. Happy vaping to you all!
-enrogae
P.S. I forgot one point I meant to make. The sensor that activates the atomizer is extremely sensitive. Sometimes it goes off just sitting in front of a fan...or outside if it's breezy. I have to hold my finger over the tip and shield it or it will puff itself away...sometimes causing me to barely get a hit because of the safety shutoff. It can be annoying, but it's also a double-edged sword. It creates the benefit of making for a really nice-and-easy drag. You barely have to pull at it to get it working...which means you can pull longer and easier to get a better hit. It is a good and bad thing...a lot of the time it seems worth the trade off to me. Anyways, sorry for the last-minute edit but I wanted to mention that and I forgot!
