My first impressions of the eCig

It finally came! I should have made this post yesterday, but I was too excited playing with my new toy. I ended up home from work early, so I was here when the package arrived. I carried it inside and bounced in my chair as I pulled open the tape and dug through the Styrofoam peanuts.

My V2 ultimate kit included:

• 1 regular-sized manual battery
• 1 extra-long manual battery
• 1 regular-sized automatic battery
• 1 USB charger that plugs into the computer or:
  • - 1 wall charger
  • - 1 car charger
• 1 power eCig that plugs directly into a USB port and gets continuous power
• 1 hard-sided carry case
• 1 hard-sided carry case that is also a portable charger
• 25 cartridges (I chose a mix of menthol and peppermint)

The bottom line is: I love it! The vapor is amazing. The taste is absolutely wonderful. I'm glad I changed to two manuals instead of two automatic since I like the control of the button. This product lived up to all of my expectations and made me seriously thankful that I bought it.

Of course, I wouldn't be human if I didn't have a couple of things that I found less than perfect. The most obvious one has already been taken care of by V2cigs.com. The power eCig had too much power, causing it to run continuously whether I pushed the button or not. I didn't notice it at first hooked to my computer, but when I got in the car to pick up my son, I could hear it running and saw that vapor was leaking out of the little hole. After about a minute, the battery started getting hot and I unplugged it. When I got home, I contacted customer service through their live chat and the rep offered to send me a new one ASAP. My other complaints are just logistics. I don't like that I have three options to charge my battery (wall, car, or computer), but only one cord to attach to them, therefore leaving me no option to charge multiple batteries at once. I also don't like that the XL battery won't fit into either the carrying case or the charging case. It would have been my obvious favorite due to the longer battery life if not for that detail.

Today I got the second package I ordered: 35 cartridges from Vapor4Life.com. I ordered every sample pack that looked yummy. With flavors like French Vanilla Ice Cream, Caramel Mocha Frappe, Kiwi Apple Strawberry, and Peach Cobbler, they sounded too good to resist. Half of the flavors were even available in what they called Wow Vapor, which is supposed to have an amazingly thick vapor and throat hit. When I opened up the first one to sample, I was disappointed right out of the gate. Although it's true that if I had tried these before the V2 carts, I probably would have raved about them, they just couldn't hold a candle to V2. It seemed to be a quality difference. The flavor was much lighter, making it hard to tell one from the other despite the mouth watering names. And the vapor? I had to blow into the light to make sure it was there at all. I've tried about 10 of the carts so far and was beginning to compile a like and dislike pile. But when I put my V2 menthol cart back on, I knew without a doubt that I would not be ordering from V4L again. I'll save these carts as a back up in case I run out and set a date to try them again when my taste buds have healed since I won't be coating them in tar anymore. Maybe the lighter flavors will appeal to me then.

Now I'm compiling a list of items I want to order during V2's Easter Sale (20% off). I hope to get my new Power Cig before placing the order, because I suspect I will love it due to my experience before realizing it wasn't turning off between puffs. The extra power it can pull made the flavor and vapor even stronger. And I love the idea of saving the battery life for when I'm not in the car or at the computer. Unless I'm disappointed with the replacement, I plan to order a Notebook-Cig, which is the same concept with a slightly shorter cord and $5 lower price. That way I can keep the Notebook Cig attached to my computer and the Power Cig in my car. I'm thinking of ordering another charger kit. Although I don't need another wall charger, I do need another charging cord, so it's probably worth it (they don't sell the cord separately. I asked). I'm considering another battery or two, but think I'll hold off until I see if I'll need it and which length will be my favorite. I'm definitely getting a cartridge sampler kit so that I can try the other sweet flavors: vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and cherry; and so that my dad can try the tobacco flavors. But since I know I love the menthol and peppermint, I plan to order an 80 cart supply split between the two flavors.

So I've officially been a vapor for just over 24 hours. I smoked two regular cigarettes last night, mostly for comparison's sake, and haven't smoked any analogs today. Due to a nifty counter I found online, I know that if I didn't have the eCig, I would have smoked 33 analog cigarettes. I've saved $8.33 and can now plan to live 2 hours and 45 minutes longer. Whoo hoo!