Newbie Questions - Blu & Tornado

[symorebutts]

So I figured I'd try the ecigs for the first time - about me: ex-cig smoker (1 to1.5 packs a day for 10 yrs, switch to black & milds at 3 to 4 a day for 6yrs) and now it's time to stop this silliness.

So , I just got my Blu ecig about a 4 days ago, I ordered it on a sunday (19th) and had it by Friday (23rd), 5 business days shipping, not bad in my opinion. Once I got it, I read the instructions, went online to check out the tips and tricks of the device, charged up the batteries fully, and was all ready to fire this thing up. Well, honestly I thought it wasn't too bad, however, something didn't seem right. I mean, I could taste the nic (got med carts & removed foil seal on carts) but the vapor production just lacked. So back to the internet to find more buffing tricks or alike.

Some people suggested "priming the atty" with 2 small buffs and then a 3rd big inhale. Others had all kinds of buff, wait a second, then big inhale stuff. One even suggested blocking the air intakes to heat up the atty to get more vapor. This all seems like way too much work...

Well, interestingly, on one atty, I get what I expected in vapor and on the other, it's sporadic, but the bottom line is that I thought the Blu would have more vapor in general and not be such a chore.

I thought researched this and other products enough and thought this was the product for my smoking style and price. Well, perhaps I can chalk this up in a lessons learned box. I need more vapor, especially after the black and mild habit. Therefore, I have decided to purchase the Totally Wicked Tornado E-NI. The vapor put out seems to be more me and I'm not so worried about battery life as I am always near a charger and I can wait 3hrs or more as it won't kill me to wait.

Now, when it comes to the Blu, I'm not sure if I should send it back, heard about the new return policy, but maybe I can use this as a back up to my soon to arrive Tornado. Any thoughts here folks? I suspect when I want to sneak in a little vap, the Blu might be the perfect little quickly product.

Also, advice on the Tornado would be great - I have read threads and see all kinds of stuff which has been great, but I haven't found a good place to explain,

A) a good how to do the e-liquid mixing after the supplied carts are gone, do I need to get another cart or can I reuse one of them taht came with the starter-kit.

and B) what are good mixtures/products, Flavors & nic levels, how many drops to put in, and Etc. - it seems the artistry is in the mixing and so forth..

and C) should I think about getting the Mega-atty?

Thanks

 

[BiffRocko]

There is a forum for DIY mixing. Read the stickies in there and it should answer your questions.

I initially bought the mega attys, but I went back to the 510s. The advantage to them is that you can use the mega carts. If you already know what type of juice you're going to use on a daily basis, that's a good thing because you can get 2.5ml into one cart. If not, there's not much advantage. They are also a pain to drip with since no one currently makes a drip tip for them.

I would suggest sticking with the 510 attys for now and change when you have a good reason to do so.

 

[reeftivo]

I'm pretty new to posting on this forum but I've been lurking for a while now.

The Blu was my second e-cig.

I have 5 mods and two of the standard models.

My Blu still works fine but the daily use deal breaker for me was the atty and battery life.

What I did on mine was to get a small rubber o-ring and slide it onto the blu up to where the atomizer screws onto the battery. I had it covering just enough of the vent holes to restrict the draw enough to pull more air over the switch. It extended the battery activation and cooked the juice more for a much better vape.

Others have used a small rubber band or just their fingers to cover some of the vents and that works too. The black o-ring looked better to me and was easily slid up or down to change the battery or cart without having to mess too much with ugly rubberbands.

You can buy an assortment pack of o-rings or just bring your blu to Home Depot or Lowes and match it up to the right size.

I'm sure there will be more to come but here's my primary mods

Happy Vaping!

Tivo

 

[blutoday]

Blu was my first and my go to ecig. I really like it, but I know I am one of the few. I love the lightweight feel of it, and by refilling my carts with a vg/pg mix I get tons of vapor. You have to break in your atty's too. So either send it back so you don't mess up their return policy, or give it a few more days of work. You have to putz with it a little bit, but I don't really mind that. People are jealous of the way mine "poofs"

 

[precipitous]

I own a Blu, and am actually very happy with it. I have no problem getting consistently good vapor production and throat hit. I also like the small and light feel of it.

The key to getting the most out of the Blu is to fill your own carts, and take long slow drags.

Try the following and let me know how it works:

1. Order a flavor of e-juice you think you will enjoy from a trusted vendor (check out the reviews on this forum).
2. Order some pre-cut blue foam from a trusted vendor (check out the reviews on this forum).
3. Take apart a Blu cart, toss the filler material and wash both the inner cup and outer sleave.
4. Dry well.
5. Fill the inner cup with your e-juice to about 3/4 full.
6. Trim off a tiny sliver from the top and side of a blue foam piece.
7. Fold the blue foam in half, then take a good set of tweezers and gently insert it into the juice filled inner cup, making sure to keep it flush with the top.
8. Using tweezers, turn the cup upside down for a few seconds (don't worry, the juice won't drain out).
9. Turn the cup back over and add a tiny drop of juice to the top of the blue foam to make sure it is moist.
10. Put the cart back together and vape to your hearts content, taking long, slow, gentle drags.

The only problem you might encounter is if you get the blue foam too wet, it may flood the atty. If this happens, dab the foam with a paper towel and try again. It takes a little time to get it all just right, but once you do, I think you will really see a difference.

 

[symorebutts]

Hey all,
Thanks for the replys and all your hands experiences. Perhaps I need to give my Blu a few more days of work here, I am not even one week into it, and the mods by reeftivo... holy cow, your insane, very impressive. Doubt I will get that involved in mod'ing...

BiffRocko, thanks for the DIY link... will reviewing all that over the next few days and I think the 501's will be enough to start.

Maybe I'll keep the Blu for the quick fix and the fact that carrying case does rule. It completely makes very mobile. I am just excited to stop taking in all those carbons and etc.

Thx

 

[Jonmo1]

If the $60 investment hurts your wallet, return it.
If not, keep it. It makes for a fine functional backup.

Try some 510 cartomizers, they work quite well on the Blu batteries.
That's what I did before I got my Riva.
But I still have the Blu for backup..

 

[Sadtreesong]

I own the blu and I only have good things to say. I'm not an all day vaper, so I could not accurately comment on heavy/extensive use.

I take slow and long drags and I get a wonderful cigarette like throat hit and a decent amount of vapor; battery (not to mention the pcc)/cartridge life has surpassed my expectations; small and light to hold between the fingers; and it's aesthetically appealing. I'm sure there are better e-cigs, but the blu isn't one of the 'bad' ones either. You be the judge. I've noticed that a lot of people enjoy knocking on the blu because of it's popularity.

 

[jeremyh]

I started out w/ Blu, but was quickly disappointed as it didn't curb my oral fixation with analogs. Then I moved on to Revolver's version of the Joye 510, which I love but still smoke 3-4 analogs per day. Then I bought an "Ego" battery and cone from Tasty Vapor. Now we're talking! Awesome battery life + more voltage than a 510 battery (3.7v vs. 3.2v).

Long story short, I've discovered that if you're going to buy a Joye/Janty knock-off or clone for the same price that Janty is asking, why not buy from the creators? BTW, I'm not affiliated w/ Janty/Joye in any way, this is just my opinion. Janty is the developer and Joye is the manufacturer and another retailer. The only difference is that Janty offers customer support and a warranty. My next hardware purchases are going to be a mega atty & carts for the Ego, and Janty's USB Ego battery. Maybe a Janty LR atty.

Of course, I still haven't found that perfect replacement for analogs (used to smoke 2+ packs/day), and I'm vaping at 24mg, constantly! So it's got to be more of an oral fixation than a nicotine addiction.

One more thing - I still have my Blu kit that I use when my other batteries are dead, and Blu's battery will rock a 510 atty!

 

[BiffRocko]

Hate to burst your bubble, but the Joyetech eGo batteries have an internal voltage regulator and they run at the same 3.2V as the 510 batteries.

 

[symorebutts]

jeremyh,
The Joye 510 may be an option if this TW Tornado ( I already ordered) doesn't work out. For what I have been reading, so many of these parts can be mixed and match/mod'd it can make this whole thing very confusing. Voltage won't matter as I'll always be close to somewhere I can recharge. I am just looking for more vapor and a little more taste then the Blu.

You advice about Blu, to use when my other batteries are dead, and Blu's battery will rock a 510 atty, is great - Thanks.

I think I'll keep my Blu, besides I have used up 3 carts already... stupid RMA policy. Oh well.

Thx

 

[symorebutts]

UPDATE - just checked online and USPS is saying that my new TW Tornado is "Out for Delivery" right now.... Yay... like a child waiting for Santa Clause, I will leave milk and cookies next to the mailbox for the mailman...

I am ready to get off my mixture of Blus and analogs...

I"ll check back here to follow up on things..

Thanks

 

[BiffRocko]

Congrats. You'll love it.

The Joye 510 may be an option if this TW Tornado ( I already ordered) doesn't work out.

They are basically the same thing. The Tornado (aka eGo) has a bigger battery and can accept eGo attys and cartomizers.

 

[Turbo_CRX]

if interested i have a blu for sale, comes with everything the starter kit comes with, i have 2 extra atomizers, the case, usb cable to charge case, usb adaptor to charge battery, 2 batteries, (i got to find the 2nd one but i got it somewhere and i may have a broke battery you can send to them and they will replace it for free so you'll have a spare). and i have some cartridges from volcano which is basically the same things as blu just a different brand, the flavors are menthol and watermeloon.. if interested email me at anthony12389@msn.com and i can give ya a good price on it.. we can go through paypal an we are both protected from fraud and all that good stuff, but shoot me an email, i got some blank cartridges as well that will work with the blu and some liquid i cound include as well.. feel free to email if interested ill do you a good deal, just dont need it anymore, it just sits, id rather it go to a good home.

 

[zzxyz]

my friend was a light smoker (1/4 pack/day) and he has been 100% satisfied with blu, however.

the blu is a nice little package -- batteries adequate (with the charging pack), the atomizers are quite durable (mine have lasted a couple months already), plus the warranty (1yr) and the customer service is great (i returned a DOA battery with no difficulties). i recommend the blu for light smokers.

for a heavy smoker, the blu is not going to cut it for you.
i smoke 1/2-1 pack/day and the blu doesn't quite satisfy me, even though i refill with 24mg/ml ejuice. it helped me reduce my smoking but sometimes when i crave a cigarette, i have to suck on that blu for 1/2 hr, which is inconvenient and annoying, particularly since the cartridges don't hold much and sometimes don't wick efficiently (even with removing the foil and the "shredded lipton pyramid tea bag mod").

i'm now shopping around for a higher voltage juice box. i'd recommend the same to heavy smokers.

So I figured I'd try the ecigs for the first time - about me: ex-cig smoker (1 to1.5 packs a day for 10 yrs, switch to black & milds at 3 to 4 a day for 6yrs) and now it's time to stop this silliness.
...
and C) should I think about getting the Mega-atty?

Thanks

 

[sherid]

if interested i have a blu for sale, comes with everything the starter kit comes with, i have 2 extra atomizers, the case, usb cable to charge case, usb adaptor to charge battery, 2 batteries, (i got to find the 2nd one but i got it somewhere and i may have a broke battery you can send to them and they will replace it for free so you'll have a spare). and i have some cartridges from volcano which is basically the same things as blu just a different brand, the flavors are menthol and watermeloon.. if interested email me at anthony12389@msn.com and i can give ya a good price on it.. we can go through paypal an we are both protected from fraud and all that good stuff, but shoot me an email, i got some blank cartridges as well that will work with the blu and some liquid i cound include as well.. feel free to email if interested ill do you a good deal, just dont need it anymore, it just sits, id rather it go to a good home.

I may be interested. PM me with your asking price.

 

[symorebutts]

Another update:
So I got home and there was my TW Tornado in the mailbox.. YAY...
The first thing I did was fully charge the battery before I let it rip... I waited about 40 mins and bam, the light went from red to green, and it was fully charged. I loaded it up (med cart just to start) and got ready to vap away. I was certainly nervous that this was going to be another eCig let down...
Well all I can say is, Thanks for playing Blu, you are the weakest link!

The vapor off this is more like what I expected being a newbie to vaping/ecigs. The throat hit is solid and I can really see why others get off on mixing around with flavors and alike. Unlike the Blu, I finally really tasted something so now I can't wait to start mixing my own brews.
This will certainly replace my Blu and while I'm not sure if or when it will allow me to go fully off my black and milds (analogs), I really think this is an amazing step on the right direction. I am very relieved that it didn't let me down like the Blu's did. I keep hitting off this thing and it just gets better. Man has the technology changed over the years...
Other stuff to note.. I ordered this on a Monday and it was in my hand by 5pm that same Thursday (of course I live on the east coast and they ship out of FL). So I'm really happy with the timely shipping so far..
Up next, time to get sample flavors, VG, another cover cone, mixing bottle/dropper, and USB charge (as I hear it charges faster). Of course now I have more questions, like is it better to have the drip tip or use the classic carts? Direct dripping seems like a very veteran thing to do and very messy for me.
Also I have read that some suggest getting new "blank" carts vs cleaning and drying the old used ones out is the best. Does it really make that much of a difference?

Thanks