LincolnBlogs

Designating Vaping was kind enough to send along a Smoktech Ego Mega Carto Kit for me to review and, in a word, wow!

The Smoktech Ego Mega Carto Kit ($55) comes with everything you might need to get into intermediate vaping with serious style. It has 2 900mAh eGo-ish style batteries, a USB charger, a USB mains adapter, 3 (yes three) 1.5 Ohm Dual Coil Mega Cartomizers, and a really nice e-cig carry case. Literally, the only thing you need here is a bottle of e-juice and you are ready to vape, and, boy, do these vape!

Honestly, when I started getting into the intermediate stuff lately, I have sort of been turned off by cartomizers. I mean, they don’t hold much fluid, they get hot, you sometimes get filler taste, etc.. Just not my favorite thing in the world anymore, especially since I discovered how nice clearomizers work. Well, the cartomizers that are included with this kit changed my mind. These are Mega Cartomizers, with a heavy emphasis on the Mega part. Imagine a cigarette, and the filter portion is equivalent to a normal cartomizer in an ecig. Pretty tiny. These, however, are the size of my thumb (no lie). Filling these is a trip. I dropped 120 drops of 100%vg e-juice into one of these and it still wasn’t full. I would have kept going to see how many would really fit but I actually got tired 🙂 If you look around on the net you’ll see people saying that these will hold between 4 and 5ml of fluid with ease. That’s a LOT of juice. For reference, most of the sample juice sizes I have seen come in 3ml bottles 🙂 If you filled up all three of these cartomizers I bet you could vape for a month before you had to refill. It’s just incredible. I am not sure how long it really takes to get the juice all wicked where it should be because I usually fill mine at night and let them sit while I sleep, but for sure, I would give 15 mins to half an hour at least for everything to settle after filling before you use them.

The cartomizers they sent me are black, which I think I would prefer, however, they offer a clear version too, which could be nice, so you can see exactly how much e-juice you have left. The one thing about the design I wasn’t sure I would like was the tip, which is a flat rubber thing, similar in style to a whistle. It seems a little strange at first, but after a minute or two you easily get used to it.

I mentioned before how I don’t like that filler taste in cartomizers. Well, I am happy to report that I haven’t noticed any of that here at all. Honestly, my assumption here is that this thing holds so much juice that the weight of the liquid itself will keep it settled enough so that that just doesn’t happen. It sort of pools inside the wicking material keeping everything nice and moist. Then there is the vapor. You can get a fairly decent vape on a standard cartomizer as long as it is full enough to keep the liquid next to the atomizer. Since this does not appear to be a problem here you can imagine that the vapor production here is gigantic, huge, enormous, thick and luxurious. The thing smokes like a chimney 🙂 I don’t know about you folks, but I *really* like that!

Lastly, I wanted to mention something about the case. It’s a standard eGo case, one of their (I believe) XL versions. This is the *perfect* size case for me to get my misc vaping gear back and fourth to wherever I am going. It easily holds the two batteries they give you, with cartomizers, an extra, a bottle of e-juice and the misc charging bits you may need. And if you are crafty about it, you can sneak a stick-style ecig or two in there as well. Good stuff and well worth a separate purchase even if you already have your own intermediate kit.

If you are in the market for an intermediate vaping kit, or simply wanting to have a fantastic different vaping travel companion, you should really give this a look. I quite like it! Click on over to Designated Vaping and tell them Linc sent ya!

I am sort of breaking my review order here because I thought it was important for those of you who I am sending gently used review kits to be able to see this. The reason for that is the folks at Logic are so completely cool, that they sent me along some disposables for me to send off with my other review materials.

What can I tell you about Logic brand ecigs? Well, first off, my contact there (thanks again Howie) has been in the tobacco biz for a long time and completely knows his stuff. He has a wealth of interesting information about the ecig business and it sure was fun talking to him about it.

Fist I want to talk a little about their disposables. These are sizable 2 piece units. In fact, these are the only 2 piece disposables I have seen yet. They are not cheesy or cheaply constructed whatsoever. They are really solid feeling, made of metal, baked on color with their gold Logic logo. Aside from the model name, they are identical in feel and taste to the starter kit rechargeable version. This is an important distinction because many times the disposable version is way lesser quality and does not taste the same at all.

The taste of these is, in my opinion, fantastic. In fact, these are hands down THE BEST disposables I have tried. There are 2 flavors available, tobacco and menthol in 3 different nicotine strengths. When I was a smoker, I smoked Parliaments and Newport Reds and ever so rarely I would have a menthol if I was dying for a smoke. I have heard people say that menthol in ecigs is a little different and even if you don’t like menthol cigarettes you should try the ecigs because some people like them better than the regulars. Well, that fits me to a T. My favorite is the menthol, which has this delicious minty note to it. It goes great with diet Coke. Yes, I am serious 🙂 I have told you before about my 2 to 2.5 hour round trip daily commute, and even when I have an intermediate or advanced style ecig with me, I still like to have a standard form factor along with me as well for convenience sake. I have been smoking one of the Logic disposables for a week and it is still going strong. Now I chain vape these things like they are going out of style while I am in the car and I have no qualms whatsoever about saying that I got at LEAST 2 packs of smokes out of this thing. As I mentioned before, it is great tasting, produces the best vapor of any disposable out there and the battery seems to last and last. They also make really fantastic steering wheel drumsticks, but do make sure to hold on tight because it really sucks to lose both your ecig and your drumstick on the floorboard while you are driving…. Or so I am told 🙂

Now the pricing on the website for these is $11 for the disposables and $23 for a starter kit. Again, the starter kit is the same great thing, but with a rechargeable battery, a USB charger and 2 cartomizers (4 packs of smokes). Not a bad deal for the price. These are priced a bit steeper than other ecig brands, however, if you pay more for these it is because you are actually getting what you pay for. In fact, if I am ever without my ecigs and need one, I am not buying a pack of cigarettes, I am going to quickly look up the nearest place to get a Logic.

Lastly, I want to mention, for the cigar smokers out there, Logic has a disposable e-cigar called “The Cuban” ($20) and it’s supposed to contain 1500 puffs! This fat little piggy not only looks like a cigar and feels like a cigar, but it sure does taste like one too. The vapor production out of this thing is enormous. This is not a toy cigar for sure 🙂 I cannot wait to give one of these to my buddy Allan, who is way more of a cigar aficionado than I am so that I can see what he thinks of it.

Bloog, the nice e-cig company with the funny name 🙂

Bloog sent out one of their Deluxe Starter Kits ($50) for me to review. This kit came in a nice gift box with a magnetic flap and inside was a manual battery, an automatic battery, a USB charger, a mains adapter, 5 cartomizers, a manual and 2 velvet battery pouches. The batteries that come with the kit are 78mm batteries with a standard 808 connector. The manual battery has a flush mount button and the colors (and there are a variety to choose from) appear to be sort of shrink wrapped on. This is not tacky as you might thing it to be, but the feel is very velvety almost, and that softer feel extends to the covering on the cartomizers as well. The automatic battery I received was a brilliant chrome/silver. Both were very nice. They worked flawlessly while I used them. They charge in less than an hour and discharge in a couple, easily lasting me through my hour long chain vaping commute back and fourth to work. Don’t forget those velvet battery pouches either. That may sound like a paltry extra but they are really nice and keep your e-cig from getting crudded up in your pockets, purse or briefcase!

Bloog actually sent me 2 flavors of cartomizers to try, Red, which is a full flavored tobacco just like you might imagine, and Bloogberry (yes that is the correct spelling), which is a blueberry-ish kind of flavor. Both of them were quite nice with a medium throatiness and a medium-full vapor production. Ahh, there is just something pleasing about hearing the crackle of a fresh cartomizer in the morning while also enjoying your coffee! Also of note here is that Bloog has several other delicious sounding flavors available to choose from on their website *and* they also offer e-liquid, so that you can refill and reuse your cartomizers as well!

A notable inclusion on their website is that of a 35 day 100% money back guarantee. You get a full month to try this stuff and if you don’t like it, you still have 5 days to return for a full refund. This sounds to me like they are pretty certain you will be happy with their product. I am inclined to agree. Visit Bloog today and let them know I sent you. They have a good looking website that is easy to navigate, plenty of good information on there for e-cig beginners, they responded to my inquires quickly and they sent out a really nice product for the price!

The Snozberries taste like Snozberries!

No really! That’s what is really nice here are the flavors. Now, to be honest, I am not sure if part of this is because I am finally getting some of my taste buds functional again after 25 years of smoking, but either way, this stuff has been delicious!

777 sent me one of their Standard Starter Kits and one of their Ladies Signature Series Standard Starter Kits to check out. Like a lot of other companies, these come in a nicely packaged magnetic flap (gift) box. This is really a nice idea because everything fits in this and it makes it easy to keep everything together (along with looking nice and neat). Inside the kit was 2 batteries (a manual and an automatic in my kit), a USB charger, a mains to USB adapter, a car to USB adapter, an owners manual, and 2×5 packs of cartomizers. That’s a good bit of smoking, maybe up to 20 packs worth, for $60.

The batteriess themselves are 4.2 volt lithium ion batteries that, depending on the size you order, can last between 200 and 350 puffs (according to the website). What struck me right off the bat is the variety of colors here. For instance, one of my batteries, the manual one, came in camo, which I found very novel and quite neat. The other, an automatic is a nice dark maroon color. Both have crystal looking ends as opposed to the burning embers looking plastic ends that most companies batteries seem to be sporting. The Ladies batteries are going to be equally entertaining for them as they come in pretty glittering colors, which is smart because, lets face it, when is the last time you saw a hot chick smoking a camo colored e-cig. Wait, that’s a great marketing idea!

Anyhow, the batteries work well and get somewhere around the number of puffs they are supposed to. This, of course, is wholly subjective as some people puff a lot longer than others I am sure. I can tell you that I am a horrible chain vaper in the car and I have an hour (give or take 20 mins for traffic) commute each way to work. One battery is sufficient to last me that trip, however, I *MUST* charge it when I get to my destination. Thank goodness they sent 2!

I mentioned the flavors before. They sent me a couple flavors in my starter kit but also provided me a sampler kit with 16 various flavors in it. These are damn good. Once again, I really enjoyed the tobacco to start off with. To me it tastes like a sweet tobacco flavor. Not a heavy throat hit, which I personally do not like anyway, but they have good vapor production just as long as your battery is fully charged. If you are puffing along and you think your cartomizer is spent, do yourself a favor and swap batteries first before throwing it out, you may be surprised! Speaking of the cartomizers, all my cartomizers are colored black. I like this actually. I feel a little self conscious with a bright green or pink cartomizer and black just goes with everything, right? I also notices that they feel softer in my mouth than most others do, and I am not sure exactly why. Perhaps it is the wrapper they use. It’s more comfortable and less like a metal straw feeling. I also noted that the manual battery (my preference) has a more prominent button, which I like. It’s easy to find when you are not looking at it. That being said, the automatic battery performed really well for me too. Occasionally some of them will stick on or activate at inappropriate times due to motion, loud noises, motion or what have you. This one *never* did that. The only time it turned on was when it was in my mouth and it worked that way every time until the battery drained and needed a recharge. Very nice!

Lastly, they also sent a disposable. Now the disposables are convenient, however, they can suffer a serious problem, and that’s what happened here. You see, when you buy a disposable, they are *not* rechargible, and you really can not tell how good the charge is on them. It’s a poke and hope thing and generally you will be fine. In my case, I only got about 3/4 pack out of the disposable before the battery was just spent. Hey, it happens. That all said, it still was nice while it lasted. The taste was there, the vapor production was good and the build quality was good. Just remember, even at the risk of not getting the whole enchilada out of a disposable, there is something you are not getting that is really important, no smoke, no tar, no carcinogens. Still worth it if you ask me, and since you are here, I am assuming you want my opinion 🙂 As for the reusable kit, now that was just nice and even for a guy with some heavier gauge stuff at his disposal, it’s nice to have a small ultra convenient model in your pocket occasionally too!

ePuffer was kind enough to send me out one of their ePuffer 605’s ($150), which is an electronic pipe. I used to smoke pipe years ago and really enjoyed it, however I was *really* bad at it 🙂 It’s an art form to be sure. You need to find just the right tobacco, you need to pack it just right, you need to get your pipe broken just right, you need to light it right, etc.. It’s more complicated to get a pipe working well than it sounds, and, in the end, I just went back to cigarettes and cigars. Needless to say, I was really excited to see this come because I could get that really nice and comfortable form factor and not have the hassle of keeping the thing going for a consistent and enjoyable smoke.

Let me first start with the presentation. This pipe comes in a beautiful finished wooden box. The interior is a luxurious maroon padded felt with recesses for your pipe, 3 cartomizers and your power adapters. It also has a manual (kudos) and comes with a fabric pipe holder, something to keep your pipe in with you carry it around to keep it from getting all scratched up. This is the most quality presentation of anything I have received to review to date. Very nice indeed!

The pipe itself is pretty good looking. Mine is the walnut looking model, which, you guessed it, looks like walnut. It does not appear to be wood, but kind of bake-lite looking. The brass looking fixtures are also plastic as well as the stem. It’s not really cheapie looking, but up close you can tell this is not the real deal. It feels nice and rugged and solid and sits well in the hand. At the very top of the bowl is a red led that illuminates when you smoke it. The model I received is a manual model, so right close to the top of the back of the bowl, right where your thumb would normally sit, is a small push button. That’s really a good placement for it as opposed to some of the other ePipes I have see reviews for.

The battery in the pipe seems to easily last me all day, and after the initial lengthy charge, it recharges in a couple hours or less. The cartomizers that come with it are really interesting. They are quite large compared to anything in the ecig or mod world and are a stainless steel looking deal which screws deep into the pipe stem. I received 3 strengths of the same flavor, a tobacco flavor. It was really good. That is probably understated. As I have been smoking e-devices this past month I have come to the conclusion that I no longer really desire to smoke tobacco tasting products at all. I am quite enamored with all the flavors available. This is an exception. It is really a pleasant tobacco flavor. It’s not harsh or bitter, smokes easily and leaves plenty of vapor in its wake. I really enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, there were some serious issues with my pipe. It randomly activates by itself. I have no idea why. I used to think it happened when I rested my thumb on the little air whole over the manual button, but I have seen it come on several times by itself now when I was not even holding it. It sure would be unfortunate to burn up one of those delicious cartomizers if you weren’t paying attention to it. The other thing I noticed is that the cartimizer fits inside the stem of the pipe, and when you take the stem off after smoking (I have to because the pipe self activates) you see that there is some moisture on the outside of the cartomizer. I am not sure if this is from juice or smoke or what. I have left a message with ePuffer about these but have not yet received a response. It has only bee a couple days though. I hope to be able to update you with answers about these issues after they contact me.

I would *really* like to smoke this more, but find it time consuming to try and keep track of whether or not it actually shuts off and stays that way, along with constantly pulling out the cartomizer, etc.. While the boxed presentation is pretty fancy and shows pride and quality. aside from mine not working correctly, which I am sure ePuffer will correct, eventually, I am not so sure I would spent $150 on it (even on sale right now at $130).

I have a friend who actually referred me to Sun-Vapers (thanks FoolishTech), so I emailed them and was contacted very quickly by Ed, the owner. He was extremely nice to this newbie and provided me with a pile of information and hand picked what he thought would be some spectacular items for someone with my limited vaping experience to check out. He was right on the money!

The first really notable item they sent was an eGo C Twist battery. This thing looks a lot like other large batteries the vaping crowd uses, however, it has a “twist” to it. That twist (pun intended) is that it is a variable voltage battery, or VV as the vaping crowd prefers to abbreviate it. So why the big deal? Well, I’ll tell you. The atomizers that you use to vaporize your e-juice have different resistances depending on the make/model/type, etc. The e-juice itself requires different amounts of heat to vaporize depending on it’s ingredients. This kind of thing can make for an inconsistent vape at best and at worst, something horribly burnt tasting. This can all be fixed with variable voltage. By adjusting the voltage you can literally dial in and find that sweet spot where you are getting the perfect vapor production out of whatever combination of atomizer and juice you are using at the time. You might not think that makes that big of a difference, but I am here to tell you that you would be wrong. It’s HUGE! For just $24 you can creep into this brave new world and make your vape be all it can be! At that price you get respectable 650 mAh battery or even bump yourself up to 1000 mAh for a measly $1.50 more. The battery is, of course, eGo and 510 compatible and with the twister on the bottom you can adjust the voltage from 3.2 to 4.8 volts. It also provides an on and off feature by clicking the button 5 times. This makes for a very safe and pocketable carry. The only possible negative I found with this device is that it is difficult to actually read the setting on the VV dial, which happens to be the endcap. I have found that can easily be remedied, though, by a couple simple dots made with a sharpie.

The other item Ed picked for me was the Kanger T3 Clearomizer. This is one of those times where I was really glad I had multiple different products from different vendors at my disposal at the same time. If I did not, I would not have known how really nice this little device actually was. A clearomizer is kind of like a cartomizer that you can see through, so when you are looking at this thing, you can see exactly how much e-juice you have at any given time. They are also a lot quicker and easier to refill than a standard cartomizer. This particular clearomizer has a removable and replaceable atomizer that just screws into the bottom. To fill it, just tip upside down, unscrew the atomizer from the bottom and dribble your juice down the inside of the holding tank. Screw the atomizer back on and screw the whole clearomizer onto your battery and you are ready to vape. That simple!

Where this particular clearomizer shines above any others I have tried is that the wick and atomizer are tucked way at the bottom. This means you don’t have rely on wicking against gravity to get your fluid to the atomizer. In other words, you get super solid e-juice delivery. No “dry” hits until you actually run out of e-juice, and that is how things *should* be. You also don’t have to jiggle, shake or invert your clearomizer to get it going well. It just works and that’s it. Well, that and you can also get replacement atomizers for it. Sun-Vapers sells these bad boys for a measly $6 a piece or you can buy a set of 5 for $25. If you vape more than 1 flavor you are going to want the set. Just fill up with your favorite e-juices and you can have a generous 3.5ml ready at a moments notice. No leaking, no juice in the mouthpiece, no cracking due to more caustic juices like cinnamon or fruit flavors (I ran lots of cinnamon in it), it hasn’t gotten cloudy and again, no dry hits or any of that fiddling that goes along with it. I guarantee you’ll like these so go get some today while they are still in stock, and tell the folks at Sun-Vapers that Linc sent you.

If you guys have been reading or listening to me rattle on and on about the e-cig stuff and you actually use them or you are a cigarette smoker, please send me your name, address and DOB to contest at tllts dot org. I have all this review stuff and can’t possibly smoke/use it all and would like to give out what I can to interested listeners/readers. First come, first serve.

I mentioned before that I was going to start making a distinction between E-Cigs and Personal Vaporizors, and this is where things really start becoming apparent as nothing here resembles a cigarette whatsoever.

The folks over at Kingpin were the first at the mailbox to beam me directly into the fascinating world of personal vaporizers. If you think regular e-cigs are cool and work well, wait ’till you get a load of this stuff!

In a nutshell, the basic concept behind this is very similar to e-cigs in that there is a battery, which powers an atomizer, which vaporizes a (for the most part) nicotine infused liquid (e-juice), and you then inhale that vapor (smoke). The devil is in the details here and there are much more efficient ways and some would say pleasurable ways to accomplish this task.

The kit Kingpin sent me was, for the most part, their T-rex starter kit ($50), except they sent me some 510-T stuff instead of the clearomizers you see included. This kit (mine) consisted of that nice looking zippered case, 2x660mAh passthrough batteries (with cones/covers), 2×510-T atomizers, 5×510-T tanks, a usb pin charger cable, a wall outlet adapter and a manual. For me, this was like striking the jackpot!

The batteries, at 660mAh, which is 660 milliamp hours, last significantly longer than standard e-cig batteries. The fastest I have gone through one to date has been 2 days, vaping like a madman. To give you a comparison, most e-cig looking batteries give you around 250mAh, so these are almost 2.5 times that capacity. The particular batteries they sent me are passthrough batteries, which means that I can charge them at the same time I am using them. This can be a mighty convenient feature as you might imagine. Both my batteries have a black rubberized coating for easy grip and are emblazened with the Hitman logo. These batteries have a metal push button to activate and a brilliant blue led ring that glows when the battery is in use. There is also a feature that lets you disable the battery for safe transport in your pocket or what have you, by pressing on the button 4 times in rapid succession. Another 4 presses and the battery is on again and ready to go! These batteries appear to support both a 510 and eGo connection.

The business end of this rig is comprised of a 510-T atomizer and a 510-T tank. This is where I found that I *really* like to vape, and I *really* like to vape using better stuff than a regular e-cig. The atomizer has a needle in it, which allows the e-juice stored directly in the tank, to flow directly to the atomizer without the use of any wicking material, be it fibres or steel mesh or whatever. The tanks themselves are just that, tanks. There is nothing inside them but a cavity for you to fill up with your favorite tasty e-juice. How much easier could this get? Juice to atomizer, powered by battery!

The vape (smoke) here is absolutely fantastic! I mean really fantastic! Using a system like this you get HUGE THICK clouds of vapor. The drag is very easy and the sensation of all that vapor seems to be *just* right, to this long time ex-smoker. There is nothing better than to see that giant vapor cloud when you exhale!

Lastly, you get that instruction manual. That is really an important part because I had *NO* idea how to use any of this stuff, nor did I know anything about the battery safety features. The instruction manual covers all that and more, telling you how to refill your cartridges and cleaning maintenance instructions, etc.. This, folks, is unfortunately NOT the norm with this stuff. Most of this type of review kit I have received does not include instructions and assumes that either you already know what you are doing or are electromechanically psychic or something, so kudos to Kingpin on this one!

The only thing I could find wrong with this starter kit was it does not come with a bottle if e-juice by default, not that you can’t buy that there though (come on, it’s good AND inexpensive)!

Folks, if you have started e-cigs and are ready for the next step in your e-smoking evolution, you could do a whole lot worse than to visit these guys. Also, David from Kingpin wants you all to know that one of the invisible benefits of dealing with Kingpin is their outstanding customer service. I believe him!

Things are getting really good here. Halo sent me *almost* the perfect starter kit!

I mentioned before about how nice the packaging is from some of these companies, and Halo is the most unique so far. They sent me their G6 Basic Starter Kit which comes in this great little round tin. When opened, it reveals a smartly packaged dual battery kit, complete with 2 blank and 5 pre-filled cartomizers, a USB charger, wall adapter, cartomizer case and a manual, all for $55. This really is a smart looking little starter kit that would probably be a big hit under the Christmas tree at this time of year.

I got both an automatic and manual battery with my trial kit, which is nice. I like to be able to check both out. Both work perfectly, of course. I made note that the manual battery’s button is made very flush with the cylinder, which will probably aid in you not catching it on your pocket or pressing it accidentally. The batteries last easily half a day and charge fairly quickly as well, so you won’t be with no e-cig looking for a smoke. The cartomizers worked quite well with no filler taste. Good vapor.

Here’s where Halo has some smart things going on for them. Halo, by providing *blank* cartomizers and GOOD directions on how to fill them up, sort of encourages you to pursue the next step in your e-cig-volution, which is purchasing e-juice and filling your own carts. This is pretty important because the rabbit hole gets WAY deeper, folks, and can also be a lot more satisfying and interesting, and filling your own carts is a good foray.

Halo sells some really good e-juice and sent me a nice sample pack to try. My favorite sample was the Twisted Java. What’s important here for me was actually trying a bunch of different kinds opened up my mind to being able to smoke, and REALLY enjoy flavors other than tobacco! To that end, if they are reading, if they wanted to send me samples of Shamrock, Mystic and Kringles Curse (I love that name BTW), I sure would be happy to let you all know what I think of them 🙂

Halo also sells a decent range of accessories and other goodies on their website, which is good looking and easy to navigate.

Now the reason I said they sell *almost* the perfect starter kit is, in my mind, there are only 2 things missing here. They should include a Portable Charging Case AND a sample bottle of e-juice, both of which they sell separately. Both items are quite reasonably priced separately but it would certainly make the perfect kit to have it all to start with!

Again, good value here. $55 is not bad for 2 batteries, all the charging gear 5 pre-filled cartomizers and 2 blanks, plus that nifty tin to carry it all around in. Go check them out and tell them Linc sent ya!

Eversmoke was kind enough to send me one of their Basic Starter Kits for review. The first thing you notice with this kit, is the gift box. I have been a little remiss about speaking to these but several vendors use a similar box and they are really nice. It’s a heavy cardboard gift box, emblazoned with their logo graphics and it has this nice magnetic front flap to keep it closed. Inside there is a foam top tray that holds your battery or batteries, and then underneath you can find your power charger accessories. It’s a good presentation to be sure.

The kit they sent me contained 1 battery, 1 wall to usb adapter, and 1 usb charger along with my 5 pack of (in my case) Royal Tobacco cartomizers. The battery I received is a chrome manual battery. It may sound funny but I really liked the button on it. It was solid feeling and raised, not recessed, so it was easy to locate when using the device. The finish is not only brilliant with its orange crystal-type tip, but also pretty durable. I had occasion to tomahawk it pretty hard to the sidewalk one day during a rain storm no less. Not even a scratch and still works flawlessly 🙂

The battery charge holds up quite well and I used it all day without recharge. The website says it lasts approximately 250 puffs. The internet says the average smoker takes approximately 10 puffs per cigarette, so, with 20 cigarettes in a pack at 10 puffs a piece, you should be able to smoke slightly more than the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes on one battery charge.

They sent me the Royal Tobacco flavored cartomizers for my trial. I have to say that initially, I thought they tasted a little tinney, however, after a few minutes that taste mellowed out to a very sweet tasting tobacco flavor. After several trials I am convinced that this phenomena was caused by my toothpaste. The reason that really bares mentioning here is after a few weeks of non-tobacco products I find that my taste buds are changing or healing? I am now noticing nuances of flavor I hadn’t before been able to detect. The sweetness of the tobacco taste on my lips with this trial was the first time I had really noticed that.

All in all this is not a bad deal for $60 considering the inclusion of the equivalent of (in my estimation) about a carton of cigarettes within the 5 cartomizers. Note that most places including Eversmoke tell you 1 cartomizer equals about 1 pack of cigarettes, but I stand by my estimation of 2 for reasons stated in a previous post. Even at 1 cartomizer per pack of cigarettes you are going to start making money on your (non)smoking purchases very quickly. Purchasing replacement cartomizers will cost you $2.67 per cart or less. Compare that to upwards of $9 per pack of cigarettes, which is what I paid the last time I went to NY to visit my parents. Stop by Eversmoke today and tell them Linc sent you!