I figured I would start a commentary or blog in regards to Electronic Cigarettes. Being that I have been a smoker since about the age of 13, smoked for more than 20 years, and still enjoy smoking as much as I want to quit... If your a smoker, your know the drill, excuses, etc, etc... I had noticed this fad online last year on several forums out of the UK and considered giving them a go as they say. But international shipping leaves a few things to be desired so needless to say, I never ordered. In the last few months, a United States company blu started which I felt more comfortable ordering from, and so I did.

I ordered their starter kit. The starter kit comes with 25 cartridges (little more than equivalent to a carton of cigarettes), The Pack (carries cartridges, and charges your cigarettes), two cigarette batteries, Atomizer, AC Wall adapter, USB Pack charge cord, and a USB cigarette battery charger.

The Pack itself contains a battery and is chargeable so that you can recharge your cigarette batteries while you are out and about. The pack will charge the cigarette batteries up to six times on a single charge. I used to smoke about a pack of analog cigarettes per day and find that I charge a cigarette battery once to twice a day on average so theoretically, I could go three days without charging the pack and using the pack alone to charge the cigarettes though I chose not to press my luck to far and have never gone more than a couple days at a time. I suspect the battery life to increase a bit as I cycle them and get to the sixth or seventh charge on each of them as rechargeable batteries will do. The pack is a plastic case that's fairly close to the same size of a normal pack of cigarettes.It is also available for purchase separately for when it's time to replace as the battery wares out. The life span of the pack is not specified by the manufacturer though if I had to guess, I would think it should be suitable for a couple years and will keep everyone updated on the progress and life cycles of the various components including the pack. The dimensions H/W/D 3 3/4 x 2 1/4 x 1 inches for the pack is right in between the size of a regular pack and a 100s pack. When you use the pack to charge the cigarette battery, a blue LED lights on the left side of the pack to indicate that the cigarette battery is being charged and goes out when the charge is complete with in two hours. The pack has one spot to carry your spare battery and is also the place you charge it. To charge the battery in the pack, you must push slightly on the cigarette battery while screwing it onto the charge port. When charging is done, you need to unscrew the battery from the port so that it just lays there otherwise a safety feature in the pack will start to discharge both your cigarette battery and the pack battery leaving you with no charge in either. Not so good when you want a vape, I guess it was to expensive to put a latch circuit in place to prevent farther charging and engaging the safety or maybe it will be a farther refinement down the road I hope.

The cigarette batteries are 2 1/4 inches long and the diameter is just slightly larger than your regular analog cigarette. It contains a air pressure switch so that when you drag on the cartridge it supplies it's charge to the atomizer to heat up it's element. What would be the cherry end has a translucent piece of plastic with an underlayng blue LED that lights when you take a drag that indicates that it is working and has a charge. When the battery gets low, it will blink 30 times to indicate it requires charging. Charging time for the batteries is about 2 hours. I have found that the blue LED gets some stares and becomes a curiosity when in public. Being new, it does become quiet the conversation piece. The battery will also blink 10 times to apparently indicate that it needs a break for what ever reason, though I have only seen it happen once while I was sharing the experience with several interested persons.

The atomizers are basically just a heating element. It presses into the cartridge and pierces the foil in it to expose the " e-liquid" inside of them. The atomizers screw on to the batteries to join the three pieces. The manufacturer makes no mention of the expected life of the atomizers. Through my research of the use in England, the devices they use which are slightly different, seem to last up to a month though I have seen reports that are as short as a few days. I am currently on my second week with one atomizer. I expect that the atomizers produced by Blu will have a better life span as the type of element used is different and far more robust than the designs used in the UK. If they last at least one month each, the price is negligible at about $10 for two.

The overall length of the blu electronic cigarette with all the bits put together is 3 1/2 inches long. You have the option of white or black cigarette batteries and cartridges when you order.

The chargers consist of several pieces. A USB charger for the cigarette batteries that you can either plug into a computer, or plug into the AC to USB adaptor both of which come in the kit. This allows you to charge the cigarette batteries at home, the office, or on the road through your laptop or your car converter if you happen to have one. The charger lights red while charging and turns blue when it's done. The manufacturers web site slightly conflicts on the color of the LED for a completed charge stating green in some places. I have also noticed that it does not stay lit a constant color during either state and switches back and forth which is not consistent with the manufacturers instructions. Until I cycle the batteries more than ten or so times so that I know they are at full charging capacity, I'll pay more attention to finding out what the consistent changing is. My guess would be the charger is sampling the batteries charge level and is the reason for the changing back and forth. When you start to charge a low battery, the red LED is lit far longer than the blue led and after about 2 hours it is the other way around.

The USB cord to charge the  pack plugs into the bottom of the pack and to either a USB port on a computer or to a USB adaptor like the AC adaptor supplied in the kit. The USB end has a blue LED in it's translucent case to indicate that the pack is indeed charging. When the pack is fully charged the blue LED will turn off.

The cartridges contain what they call the e-liquid. I cut one apart after I sucked it up just to see the components and delivery of the e-liquid. The plastic cylinder inside the cartridge is foil capped and as I mentioned the foil is pierced by the atomizer element. Within that is a fabric filler that basically holds the e-liquid in place. The e-liquid is made up of medical or food grade propylene glycol, Flavoring, and if you ordered the nicotine versions, nicotine.

Propylene glycol is a common ingredient in many products in our everyday lives. It's found in medications, toothpaste, cosmetics, asthma inhalers, and food. Because of it's FDA rating and the fact that it has a lower freezing point and a higher boiling point, it is used in enviroment friendly anti-freeze. It's also used in fog machines that you find at your local dance club. It's fully miscible across many chemicals and has been used in this way for over 50 years as an emulsification agent. It allows for a consistent mix of the flavor and nicotine and as the the vapor to carry these ingredients.

I have found several studies done pertaining to vaporized inhalation. Studies conducted in 1942 by Dr. Oswald Hope Robertson of University of Chicago's Billings Hospital showed vaporized propylene glycol inhalation in laboratory mice may prevent pneumonia, influenza, and other respiratory diseases. Additional studies in monkeys and other animals were undertaken to determine long-term effects, especially the potential for accumulation in the lungs but I have not yet had any luck finding any papers regarding that study but will keep looking. One should also note the recent study of Cyclosporine for use in lung transplant patients which is an inhaled drug that uses Propylene glycol as the carrier agent, as done with asthma inhalers. Also there is a study from the EPA regarding it's use in several products to get EPA approval. I'm sure there is a FDA study some where as there has to be for the many products that it is in but I have not come across it yet.

But it's hard to elude the fact that it is used in many products that we have used for years and especialy asthma inhalers. In lamens terms, it's the glue to combine chemicals that would not normally mix and to do so in a fashon that allows the chemical to be evenly distributed. Ex it could allow oil and water to mix in a evenly distibuted fashon. 

Propylene glycol when heated by the Atomizer basically turns into a water like vapor which carries the nicotine and the flavor. Doing so in this way gives the appearence of smoke yet it is only a vapor. You can get the cartridges in the following five flavors for blu: Classic Tobacco, Cherry Crush, Java Jolt, Magnificent Menthol, Vivid Vanilla, or the Variety Pack

There are some whom would say that this might intise young adults to nicotine as it might be concidered more safe. I pose to you that cigarettes have done the same for years, but yet the e-cigarette has a non-nicotine option. Analog cigarettes do not offer a non-nicotine option. I certainly do agree though that this should only be offered to adults.

The Experience

Okay, enough with all the technical mumbo jumbo, Whats it like? Well the day it showed up at my door, I decided that  wanted to give it a try before I made the transition. The reason being is more phycological than anything and it's better to know what to expect before the cut/transition day. This way I know that I will not or can not be disappointed as I already know what to expect from the experience. With the starter kit, I ordered one of each flavor except Menthol which I substituted for another vanilla in the Variety Pack. The first try was with the Classic Tobacco and I was a bit surprised. The flavor is well different for sure, but the rest of the experience felt much the same, at least to me it did in the since that it felt close enough. When you take a drag, the atomizer heats up turning the e-liquid into a vapor like or simular to smoke. The vapor s visible when you exhale and is even more pronounced if you don't inhale it into your lungs. You can french inhale this by the way if that happens to be your thing. It's not identical to smoking an analog cigarette, but it's fairly close in feeling. I personally am not fond of the Classic Tobacco but as the rest of this article from this paragraph on is going to be personal preference and opinion. I doubt that every one will have the same feeling or opinion and it will be very subjective to each individual. It will also be dependent on the mind set you approach it with, which is why I did the test run before D-day. So for some this will work and others it will not. I figured that the starter kit is about the same price as a carton of cigarettes and comes with the equivalent of cartridges, there is not much to lose to take the chance.

So D-Day, I get up in the morning and inventory my remaining analogs. There are six total left in my analog pack. As it would turn out, this day is also the beginning of a long road trip starting at 5am in the morning Tuesday of last week. I'm thinking perfect, I have six emergency smokes should I start to fit so I don't rip out any traveling companions throats in one of those fits. I treated it like I would any analog cigarette, so any time we had to stop for gas, the camode, or just to stretch, I would sit and Vape instead of smoking an analog. Now remember I'm going though this day Vaping that Classic Tobacco, and yet to have any of the other flavors to compare it too. I made it the entire day, 14 hours on the road without wanting or fitting for an analog. I was stunned at how well this was going. so I decided to have an analog because I still had six to burn. Well yeah the analog did taste a bit better.

Now I have tried the patch in the past, on two occasions actually. The first time I managed to quit for four months and the first three or so weeks was a hourly challenge. After four months, there were still some strong urges but becoming manageable. The trigger that got me back into smoking was the dumbest of all. My roommate at the time, smokes the same brand as I did and she usually kept them in her bag. Then one day, for some reason, she placed her pack where I usually always kept mine. Lighters were always abundant so nothing out of the usual. I get up in the morning, grab a analog out of the pack on the breakfast nook, light it up, go in the kitchen start the coffee, go the the living-room and turn on the news and have a seat to wait for the java when I start wondering how come this cigarette is giving me such a head rush.... OH YEAH! "You quit you dumb arse!" So I put it out, no big deal, it's just one and not really even that half ha. Well with that oops at 6:45am, by 10:30am a co-worker ran out to buy me a pack of analogs, need I say more. An old routine that I mindlessly fell back into. It's not just the nicotine, it the habit and routines you have to break too if you want to quit. Second time around, those damn patches had me so jittery I could not stand it again. I have tried the gum and barely made a day. Cold turkey, well wheres the axe? I got a cold turkey for you LOL. Now these devices are not offered as a quit smoking aid, nor do they claim that. Either way seems a good alternitive.

Okay Day TWO, I go though the day only vaping, End the day with an analog of which I don't even finish because mid-day I switched the cartridge on my e-cigarette to vanilla which I found to be pretty darn tasty.

Day Three, Thursday goes pretty much the same way as day two. I switched to the Java Jolt flavor, not quiet my taste but others my find it suitable, again subject to personal preferences. Having no problems really through the day and go out at the end of the day for an analog, though this night I have three. allow me to explain. I get out side the hotel and spark up the analog. I get about half way through when this guy is being jumped by three other guys.  I get into it and once the dust is cleared, I'm sitting down with drunk Larry while he explains how it is I come to met him. So while my vapes are up in the hotel room, I had my analogs to carry me through our lengthy drunken conversation.

Day four, Back on the road for another fourteen hour drive. mid-day decide to burn the last analog in my pack. The rest of the day is no problem. This evening I give the Cherry flavor a whirl, personal opinion, the Cherry Crush is pretty good.

The weekend comes and goes with out any analogs with the exception of at a party Saturday night where a few smoked mine while I smoked theirs. No urge for analogs other wise. Yeah okay I'm a glutton. Starting this week, I'll cut off all the analogs and stop being er um, lazy about it.

Monday, forgot to recharge the Pack, The spare has nothing left either, oops. Bum a couple analogs till I get the chargers and get charged up. Get charged up and back on track which brings us to today. Today no analogs thus far and no plans to. If I do, I'll let you know next week how things get on and more about the the e-cigs. If all goes well it will just be an update on the e-cigs and not so much about analogs. It will take a while to get time lines together on the life cycles of the Blu components but figure the longer between my blogs about them, the better off the product really is. I am on the second charge cycle on the pack, the third cycle for both the cig-batteries, and still using the same atomizer. I am now on my sixth cartridge. So far this has been far easier than anything else I have ever tried, It almost seems that switching back and forth as I have done has not really phased me to much but I guess we will see how the rest of the week goes with normal days and normal situations. I might have compromised the really good start I had, but I don't think so.

Something that is interesting is the fact that you can start and stop vaping at virtually any whim. Unlike an analog, once you spark it up, most of us decide not to waste any of it and commit to smoking the entire thing. With the electronic cigarette, there is no waste and I often am finding my self only taking a few tokes and going about my business as I'm not concerned about wasting anything.

Another aspect is while I am looking at quiting, it has become common with the chaps in the UK to just replace analog cigarettes with the e-cigarette. Just something to note. Also be aware that there are attempts being made to make vaping illegal, both in the UK and the US. Apparently the unknown issues of vaping are apparently worse than the known cancer your going to get from that analog, thanks FDA, or is it the taxes that will be lost to go to cancer research when you buy a box of analogs, but oh wait, there seems to be no carcinogenic in vaping, so do they need the taxes. If it's so bad why the hell are analog cigarettes still on the market. Things that make you go hmmmmm. LOL. I already wrote my congress men. One hand cancer, the other hand unknown, I like the unknown allot better, at least it will contribute to being known later and the previous studies sound fairly promising. If I could afford it, I would go to a doctor and start the study my self and allow a licensed unbiased doctor make that determination. What say you folks at the FDA?