I started vaping a few years ago with first-gen stuff, but the draw was horrible, worse than trying to suck air through a coffee stirrer. A couple years later, I tried a newer model, but it was still fairly complicated, it was still very difficult to draw, and it leaked concentrate out the mouth-hole. No good, went back to smoking actual tobacco.
Today, I started work for an office where real tobacco is strictly forbidden and you can vape inside but not outside (yes, it's weird, but awesome -- we also have a free bar, but you can't bring your own alcohol). HR lady suggested I go to the gas station and buy a vaping kit. After rolling my eyes at the teenager terminology (I blush even thinking the word "vape"), I ended up going to the gas station and awkwardly asking about what I was supposed to buy for this (I walked around the gas station without thinking they'd be behind the counter - I'd always ordered everything online), and the clerk told me she used a Vuse. At this point, I was confused because there were only $3.50 refills and $9.50 kits, which clearly couldn't have been an actual kit because I'd never seen a rechargeable model under $50 (original was >$100 for the kit). She insisted it was the full kit, so I bought it (it's only $10 and it'll let me see how bad the cheap models are these days) and had a couple puffs in our IT office. It tasted pretty much like nothing but menthol, which is great, IMO (I was never much for the smooth, smoky flavor of burnt sandpaper and .... scabs).
The smell isn't offensive and doesn't seem to stick to clothes - and it isn't shooting off giant smoke plumes (but it's more than enough to let you know it's doing its job), which is obviously a benefit in a "professional environment" (where you can vape and drink... ... this job is pretty awesome, too). I read here about how hard it is to draw on these, but either I'm smoking with some new model RJR steath-intro'd or people have way higher expectations than I did (it seems slightly easier to draw than actual cigarettes, leaps and bounds better than expensive last-gen models I'd used). The charger's completely adequate for the job, refill costs are about on par with RYO costs considering how much cigarette I'd otherwise waste by not being able to really stop when I wanted (usually didn't have a place to put half-smoked cigarettes, so either smoked more than I wanted or smashed it all in the ashtray). I haven't had to charge the battery yet, but I've only had this ~8 hours (and since I can plug it in at the office or at home, it doesn't really matter).
The pricing model of Vuse has me convinced vaping is at (maybe even a little past) its critical point and it's amazing I hadn't seen these devices when I lived and worked in MI. I don't like how high the nicotine concentration is in the cartridges, but assume they'll introduce lower concentrations when they realize there's demand for it. That's my only kinda-sorta complaint. I wish I could say this was introducing me to some "vape culture" where now I'm going to go march against anti-vape laws or patronize "scene" vape-sellers (okay, I'm lying here), but honestly, this $10 stick will probably be with me until it dies, and then I'll probably buy the same as a replacement.
I guess my point is that these cheap models are likely to bring in many new vapers (oh, my God, please push for a new term), and while there aren't really any principles to speak of with regard to the product and company, it's practically impossible to argue against as an improvement over actual tobacco. It seems like e-cigarettes are at their AOL moment; I think products like the Vuse are most likely to bring e-cigarettes into the mainstream as just something people do rather than having stigmas attached to users similar to an oxygen bar.
ETA: The AOL moment is very important because that becomes the point where law-makers are not only going to have to fight more lobbyists, but where anti-vaping laws are likely to become more unpopular among average folks who've experienced these devices.
Today, I started work for an office where real tobacco is strictly forbidden and you can vape inside but not outside (yes, it's weird, but awesome -- we also have a free bar, but you can't bring your own alcohol). HR lady suggested I go to the gas station and buy a vaping kit. After rolling my eyes at the teenager terminology (I blush even thinking the word "vape"), I ended up going to the gas station and awkwardly asking about what I was supposed to buy for this (I walked around the gas station without thinking they'd be behind the counter - I'd always ordered everything online), and the clerk told me she used a Vuse. At this point, I was confused because there were only $3.50 refills and $9.50 kits, which clearly couldn't have been an actual kit because I'd never seen a rechargeable model under $50 (original was >$100 for the kit). She insisted it was the full kit, so I bought it (it's only $10 and it'll let me see how bad the cheap models are these days) and had a couple puffs in our IT office. It tasted pretty much like nothing but menthol, which is great, IMO (I was never much for the smooth, smoky flavor of burnt sandpaper and .... scabs).
The smell isn't offensive and doesn't seem to stick to clothes - and it isn't shooting off giant smoke plumes (but it's more than enough to let you know it's doing its job), which is obviously a benefit in a "professional environment" (where you can vape and drink... ... this job is pretty awesome, too). I read here about how hard it is to draw on these, but either I'm smoking with some new model RJR steath-intro'd or people have way higher expectations than I did (it seems slightly easier to draw than actual cigarettes, leaps and bounds better than expensive last-gen models I'd used). The charger's completely adequate for the job, refill costs are about on par with RYO costs considering how much cigarette I'd otherwise waste by not being able to really stop when I wanted (usually didn't have a place to put half-smoked cigarettes, so either smoked more than I wanted or smashed it all in the ashtray). I haven't had to charge the battery yet, but I've only had this ~8 hours (and since I can plug it in at the office or at home, it doesn't really matter).
The pricing model of Vuse has me convinced vaping is at (maybe even a little past) its critical point and it's amazing I hadn't seen these devices when I lived and worked in MI. I don't like how high the nicotine concentration is in the cartridges, but assume they'll introduce lower concentrations when they realize there's demand for it. That's my only kinda-sorta complaint. I wish I could say this was introducing me to some "vape culture" where now I'm going to go march against anti-vape laws or patronize "scene" vape-sellers (okay, I'm lying here), but honestly, this $10 stick will probably be with me until it dies, and then I'll probably buy the same as a replacement.
I guess my point is that these cheap models are likely to bring in many new vapers (oh, my God, please push for a new term), and while there aren't really any principles to speak of with regard to the product and company, it's practically impossible to argue against as an improvement over actual tobacco. It seems like e-cigarettes are at their AOL moment; I think products like the Vuse are most likely to bring e-cigarettes into the mainstream as just something people do rather than having stigmas attached to users similar to an oxygen bar.
ETA: The AOL moment is very important because that becomes the point where law-makers are not only going to have to fight more lobbyists, but where anti-vaping laws are likely to become more unpopular among average folks who've experienced these devices.
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