Editorial
Front Page - Friday, August 27, 2010
What’ll they dream up next?
blu e-cigarettes
Misty S. Brown
Blu electronic cigarettes are a smoke-free way of getting your daily nicotine fix without all the harsh chemicals.
- Photo from blucigs.com
One of my new favorite old movies is “Airplane!” from 1980. Surely you have seen it?
Yes, and stop calling you Shirley?
My apology.
It’s just one of those classic, dumb-funny movies that will make you laugh time and time again with how the zany characters take everything so literally. One funny scene happens when the lovesick ex-military man, Ted Striker, asks for a smoking ticket aboard the same flight of his love-interest, Elaine, who is a crewmember, and is handed one that is literally billowing smoke.
Nowadays, you can hardly take a pair of tweezers onto a plane without the FAA needing to conduct a “random” search on you and your belongings to seize these dangerous items. There is no way you would be able to smoke on an airplane, even if you wanted to. Well, no way unless you owned a set of blu electronic cigarettes.
What it is
The blu electronic cigarettes are an alternative way to get your dose of nicotine without lighting and smoking a traditional tobacco cigarette. You can use electronic cigarettes in most non-smoking venues because they do not bother others with second-hand smoke or leave a lingering odor.
The blu e-cigarettes are for smokers 18 years and older and should not be used as a smoking cessation device.
How it works
The use of electronic cigarettes is called e-smoking or vaping, because, instead of being lit, they vaporize a solution of water, nicotine, propylene glycol, flavoring and a scent. Blu works with a small rechargeable battery and a replaceable cartridge that contains the ingredients exclusive to blu. When you inhale, it makes the blue LED light at the tip glow like a cigarette and also heats the atomizer, which releases simulated smoke in the form of water vapor that you can inhale. The harmless water vapor will disappear in several seconds, similar to a fog machine, but not as dense.
The blu pack doubles as a battery charger and holds additional cartridges and an extra battery. The batteries can also be charged with a USB and standard wall outlet.
Pros and cons
We all know that smoking traditional cigarettes can cause serious health issues – they say so right on the side of the package. We also know about the yellow teeth, fingernails and walls, and how badly smoking makes you and others around you feel, smell and look. The biggest advantage to blu e-cigarettes is that these completely circumvent that whole sucking-on-a-burning-object idea. If you normally smoke a brand of cigarettes that isn’t fire-safe, you don’t run the risk of burning yourself or making holes in the upholstery with these.
There is concern that electronic cigarettes continue to come under legislative fire, especially since they don’t come with an FDA stamp of approval. However, according to the Electronic Cigarette Association, the FDA currently only has jurisdiction to regulate drugs and medical devices, and electronic cigarettes are neither. The fact is that smokers are going to indulge, no matter what the cost to their pocketbook or health is, so they might as well only harm themselves and nobody else around them in the process.
The blu e-cigarettes come in a variety of flavors, including Magnificent Menthol, Classic Tobacco, Java Jolt, Vivid Vanilla and Cherry Crush. They are also available in full-flavor (16 mg of nicotine), light (12 mg), ultra-light (8 mg) and no nicotine (0 mg) strengths.
Each blu e-cigarette is 3.4 inches long and 0.19 inches wide, not much different in size than a traditional cigarette. But be careful not to toss these out of the car window when you are finished like some people do with normal cigarettes. Each cartridge lasts between 80-100 puffs and is equal to approximately seven cigarettes. However, the device won’t let you over-smoke; It will flash blue five times when it is being overused, signaling you to slow down or stop for several minutes.
Do you always have trouble finding a lighter or keeping one lit long enough to start a cigarette? This takes all of that time searching for one out of the equation because you can just pull the blu e-cigarette out of the pack and start using it.
Hate it when people litter, or worse, ever taken a swig from a soda can only to get a mouthful of old cigarette juice? (Been there, done that.) Yeah, that won’t happen with these.
Does your spouse make you take the smoking outside, even when it’s cold, raining, snowing or disgustingly hot? Try one of these and you’ll win him or her over to let you use them inside. You can even use them in other places, such as restaurants and in the workplace, where a traditional cigarette might be prohibited.
If you’re trying to quit nicotine altogether, blu e-cigarettes have a non-nicotine cartridge that will help with the need to satisfy the habitual desires of smoking. However, the makers advise against using these as a smoking-cessation device.
While nicotine can cause stimulation, relaxation, calmness and alertness, it is considered habit-forming and addictive. The carcinogenic properties, separate from tobacco smoke, still need to be evaluated. There is a risk that non-smokers might become addicted to blu e-cigarettes if they use them since the smoke from regular cigarettes might have turned them off of the real thing.
Where to buy
A starter kit, which includes: one pack that holds five cartridges and charges the batteries on the go, one electronic cigarette battery and a spare battery, one atomizer and a spare atomizer, one wall charger and a USB charger, 25 cartridges in the strength and flavor of your choice and a 30-day money back guarantee with a one year warranty, is $59.95 on www.blucigs.com. You can choose to have your e-cigarettes and charging pack in a matte white or matte black color.
For replacement cartridges, one carton of 25 cartridges (equal to more than 175 cigarettes) is $25. When you buy four cartons at a time, you receive a $5 per carton discount.
Be aware that processing and shipping of your order may take some time with this particular company, so it is important to be patient since they process several orders daily. It could take several weeks to receive the product and begin your transformation to e-cigarettes, but I have heard it is worth the wait.
Submissions
Send your funny Airplane! movie quotes, comments and concerns to misty@dailydata.com.
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