Electronic Cigarette Journey and Reviews Part 2

Like most people, I can't be randomly tossing out a hundred bucks a pop just to "try out" a new product, so on the evening of October 13, 2014, I began searching for e-cig companies that offer free or nearly free samples.

I was careful to make sure I didn't order any that were "free" but would begin to charge me 2 weeks later for a huge amount.  Lots of them do that if the "sample" is a rechargeable kit, so if you want to try some out, make sure you read the fine print, and if you aren't absolutely certain, talk to their customer service through a messenger type chat or through email so you can screen shot/save whatever you learn just in case you are mislead.

I did find a number of companies that offered samples that fit my criteria and ordered from three of them that evening.  I saved the websites of a few more to order later on.

The ones I ordered, what I received, and my experience with them in the ordering process were:

Greensmoke.com This was an  "intro kit" that consisted of a rechargeable battery, 2 Red Label Tobacco Cartridges, and a USB battery charger. Also included were a 3 pack of Absolute Tobacco cartridges, and a 3 pack of Menthol Ice cartridges.

It shipped on 10/14/14 and it arrived in my mailbox on 10/16/14.  The samples themselves were free and I paid $1 for shipping plus tax for a grand total out of pocket of $1.08.

I did contact this company's customer service chat to ensure that I wouldn't be charged for a kit later on as I couldn't readily find it on their website, and they reassured me I would not be. The sample is a flat out sample not an enrollment.


Apolloecigs.com  This sample was one dsposable e-cig that was free by putting in a code upon checkout.  I could choose from Regular, Menthol, or Watermelon flavor.  I chose regular. I did have to pay $2.32 for shipping.

It shipped out on 10/15/14 and I received it on 10/17/14.

It did not enroll me in any future charges or membership.

21stcenturysmoke.com  This sample was an e-cig Express Kit. (Two cartridges, one wall charger, one battery.) I could choose Regular or Menthol. It was TOTALLY free.  I did not even have to pay shipping.

This company did have some difficulty verifying my age (which makes me wonder if they are the only ones who actually tried?), but after a couple email exchanges I offered to send them a picture of my license (I blocked out my license number with a little post-it so only my name, address, picture, and DOB were visible) and that fixed the problem.

They shipped within an hour of me providing my license picture.  The sample shipped out on 10/17/14 and was in my mailbox on 10/20/14.

Their site made it very clear I would not be charged more later on. "Get the 21st Century Smoke Express kit for FREE! No strings attached. Please select if you want Regular or Menthol below. Offer limited to one menthol or regular express kit per customer."  




By the time all of these arrived, BluCigs had fixed their shipping error and I had all four brands in hand.  (They have not released the Blu Plus+, so I don't yet know if that will be sent to me as promised, or if so if it will arrive properly.  Ever the optimist, I can still hope.)  

With four brands ready for sample and review for Part 3, and approximately four more I intend to order and review at a later date, I better get a move on!  I am hoping to get at least one more person to sample these with me for a more accurate review. We shall see if I can manage that.

Come back in a few days for the actual product reviews of these four brands of e-cig!

Electronic Cigarette Journey and Reviews Part 1

A number of people I know switched to e-cigs (electronic cigarettes) a few years ago, and without exception, they all tried to convince me to do the same because they are supposedly "healthier".  A few of them even convinced me to try a couple puffs of theirs.  Some weren't bad.  Some were downright nasty tasting.

I'm not foolish enough to think that e-cigs are flat out healthy, but I do think they are probably the lesser of two evils. With e-cigs you inhale water vapor instead of smoke.  Compare mentally to sitting in a steam bath or sitting in the smoke path from a campfire. Obviously steam is less nasty.

Yes, either way (analog cigarette or e-cig) one is still introducing chemicals to their bodies, and quitting entirely is the best option of all; but, I do believe e-cigs are likely to be a good path to quitting, or at least a somewhat better option.

If one wanted to use e-cigs to quit, they could buy them in decreasing amounts of nicotine until they got to the point where they were vaping on a nicotine free e-cig in a manner similar to using the patch without having the struggle of breaking the hand/mouth habit that often causes quitting smokers to eat more and gain weight.

If one really had no true desire to quit smoking, but wanted an option with no second hand smoke or smoke smell on themselves, e-cigs are again a reasonable option.  I probably fit in this category.  I don't drink.  I don't do drugs. I do smoke.  It's "my vice".  But, I hate how it makes my house smell, and I hate that it bothers other people with the smoke and smell.

In August of 2012 I caved, and after reading online reviews of several brands, I decided to buy a Blu disposable and I actually really liked it.  The flavor was mostly regular cigarette, with just a hint of something sweet like maybe mocha.  It had a sufficient amount of nicotine that I didn't die for a regular cigarette while I was using it.  That one disposable lasted me about two days, and I was pleased enough with it to feel it was worth buying the Blu Rechargeable Kit and 4 packs of cartridges.

In September 2012 I did just that, and forked out $108 for it all. I was so excited to get it.  I had such high hopes based on how much I loved the disposable one.

Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed pretty quickly.

About half the cartridges didn't work properly and crackled and popped and spit droplets of the "juice" into my mouth and then ran out much faster than they were supposed to.

The "pack" wouldn't charge the batteries most of the time (I think it didn't apply enough pressure on the battery to maintain sufficient contact with the charger.) which left me with only the usb charging option.

Worst of all, they didn't taste the same as the disposable.  They still had the traditional tobacco flavor, but none of that "hint of sweet" that had caused me to buy Blu over other brands.

I called customer service with my complaints, expecting to be able to exchange my obviously faulty products, and was given what I felt was a brush off.  Regarding the bad cartridges, I was sent ONE replacement pack.  Mind you, at least half of my 4 packs were no good.  Regarding the pack itself not charging the batteries, I was told "don't move it around so much" even though I had been charging and storing it flat on a table.  Can't really move around less than that, right?  It's not like I had it in my pocket while doing aerobics. As for the flavor difference, I was told it was simply that the cartridges didn't come in as strong a nicotine content as the disposable, but was otherwise the same, and if I didn't like it I should just buy disposables instead.  I think not.  I seriously doubt nicotine tastes like mocha cappuccino, and I would not be buying a $10 disposable every two days when I normally pay $20 a carton for regular "analog" cigarettes.

I felt awful about the money I spent, especially given that it was a LOT more than I spend on regular cigarettes for a month, so I waded through as many cartridges as I could manage to get to work before giving up and going back to regular cigarettes. I didn't buy any more because I felt the customer service and the product were poor.

Fast forward two years, and in September 2014, I recieved an email from Blucigs offering me special pricing on a pre-purchase of the new Blu Plus+.  It claimed to be better than the previous products and to have fixed a lot of the old faults.  That got me to thinking about the reasons why I had tried to switch in the first place, and to how much I had liked the disposable one, and I couldn't help but wonder if they really HAD fixed it.  I dragged out my old pack that still had 4 unused cartridges (2 regular and 2 java jolt) and charged it up to see how I felt about shelling out more money for a possibly improved product.

I couldn't get the pack to charge the batteries again, and used the usb charger.  By now, the batteries had gone completely bad, and wouldn't hold a charge at all.  They went from fully charged to dead in two puffs.  I had only used them for about a month. I gave up and ignored further emails until...

On October 6th, BluCigs posted an article on their Facebook page about their great customer service.  I couldn't resist replying that my experience had been anything but stellar.  Surprisingly, I was replied to very quickly by the author of the actual article, Jonathan.  He apologized for the service I had received, and offered to make it up to me and asked me to message him.

In Private message, he offered me a Premium 100 kit and 5 packs of cartridges in any flavor I wanted AND that I would be sent the Blu Plus+ upon it's release to try to win me back as a customer.  I offered to return the Kit I had and the few remaining cartridges but he said that wasn't necessary.

The next day Blu Cigs called me to verify my age and address and said my Premium 100 Kit would ship in 1-2 days and I would get an email with confirmation and tracking.

I never got that email, but my package came on October 14th.

I knew as soon as I saw the package in my mailbox that something was wrong.  The package was flat.  It was supposed to have a kit in it similar to my original one.  That certainly wouldn't fit in a flat package.  I took pictures of the package and what I found when I opened it.

I was right.  The 5 packs of cartridges were there, but no kit.  Just a lone battery in a saran baggie. This is not helpful.  How am I supposed to charge it?  I certainly can't use this.

Back to customer support I went.  This time I used their CS chat on their website and told them what had happened with my delivery.  I offered to return it or to provide the photos I had taken. The rep could not fix the issue because the shipping order and packing slip both said the kit was in there.  He told me a supervisor would call me back.

It turned out the person that called me back at 5pm was the one that had verified my address, and he didn't seem quite as friendly this time.  I explained what had happened, and that the packing slip said the kit was in there but that only a battery was in there instead.  I offered to return the entire package.  I offered to message or email the pictures if he wanted immediate evidence. He told me that he had considered having me send the pictures, but that he "supposed he wouldn't after all".  That's about as close to saying you think I am a liar trying to scam a bunch of free stuff as possible, without actually saying it.  Gee, thanks, guy. I'm not the one who started this whole thing trying to win back a customer, Blu was.

He ended up telling me they would ship the kit in 1-2 days, and that I would get a confirmation email.  I, again, never got that email, but I did get the tracking number after I requested it from a customer service person on Oct. 19.  The package arrived on October 20th.  This time the kit was in it.

This series of problems with Blu caused me to decide to begin a search for a different e-cig company while I waited to see if they "fixed" the problem enough to win me back as a customer, or if I would be going elsewhere permanently.

That journey, and the conclusion to this one, will be found in later posts. Hope you'll join me!!

Hot Designs Review

 I had been eyeing these for some time, but never ponied up the $14.95 a box, in fear of it not working.  When I saw them marked down to $9.88 each, I decided to go for it. I bought both the color sets that were on sale.
Hot Designs, here I come!

 Of course, my nails were super short at the time, so I figured I'd just wait a couple weeks for them to grow out before using these for blog pictures and review.  My daughter was going insane seeing the boxes just sitting here on the end table, so on a day when her brothers were being "big jerks" to her, I decided it was time for a Girly Day and opened them up.  (Turns out that was a good thing because my nails are still awful 2 months later.)

The tip I broke by not reading instructions

I have to admit that I didn't read the instructions that stated " if no product comes out use the included pin to remove any possible clog" or something like that, and I ruined the white pen by pressing it on the table trying to get it going.  THAT was when I looked at the instructions and quickly fixed the three others that didn't work straight out of the package.

You can twist the pen open at the middle to get to the standard nail polish brush, or remove the end caps to get to the pens.  Some of the polishes were good with one coat, some took two, but all dried swiftly and didn't require a long wait before starting in with the art pen portions.

 I did one of her hands as closely as I could to what was in the pictures, and she did the other hand herself.  I have to say they worked pretty good!  Even the nails my 6 year old daughter did came out halfway decent, and she loved them all.  Definitely easier to use than standard nail art brushes.

I will say they do leave a rather raised effect to the designs which may seem odd if you are new to nail art which absolutely requires a good layer of top coat.  Without it, my daughter's designs only lasted a couple days.  (She was tired and over it by then so she didn't want to wait for top coat to dry.)  I do think that if I had used a good base coat and finished off with top coat they would have lasted a lot longer.

All in all, I think these are a good buy for novices in nail art, girls, or for a special occasion like a holiday or festival.  I totally plan on using these again to rock some cool Halloween and Christmas nails because they only need to look nifty for a day or two.

Cra-Z-Loom Vs. Fun Loom etc.

$5 on clearance. normally $9.88.

approx $10

These are recommended for ages 8 and up.
Both came with a loom, 600 loops, a hook, instructions, and 24 fasteners.
I got these for my 6 and 7 year old kids.  The instructions for the simplest bracelet are the same.  I was able to understand them easily and to walk my kids through how to place the loops on the looms with no problems. They both got pretty quickly how to hook and move the loops properly, but both needed help if a loop popped off or went wonky.  That's ok.  I expected to have to help fix errors.  For the most part though, they can make the simple bracelets themselves. I don't think they are ready for the more difficult ones, and I kind of doubt the average 8 year old would be either.

$1.97 ea.

Loops:  Cra-Z-Loom comes with latex free rubber bands that are thinner and look like regular rubber bands.  Fun Loom comes with silicone bands that are thicker and semi transparent. Bracelets made with the rubber bands come out somewhat bigger and are by far stretchier. Neither would influence my buying decision, as refills can be purchased in a variety of colors and styles from solids, to see through, to glow in the dark, to tie dye, sparkly, and even scented.  Personally, I prefer the silicone bands against my skin, but obviously that's totally a matter of opinion.

Looms: The Fun Loom has more rows across (4x15) which allows for more complex patterns without having to buy another loom, but the recesses in the pegs of the loom are harder to fit the hook in.  Cra-Z-Loom (3x14) pegs are numbered  making instructions easier to follow, but the hooked tip of the pegs makes it harder to move the loops from one peg to another in all but one direction. Both allow for additional looms to be attached at the sides or the ends.  (longer or wider)

Hooks: Fun Loom has a shorter more ergonomic handle, but a smallish hook which you need to be careful to not drop loops off of.  Cra-Z-Loom has a much longer handle than needed, making it a bit awkward to use, but the shape of its actual hook makes it work well with the loops.

Other looms on the market:
Wonder Loom: $11.59  3x13 cannot add looms to the sides
Rainbow Loom: $14.99   3x13 cannot add looms to sides. This is rumored to be the Cadillac of looms, but the hook looks difficult to use to me.
Cra-Z-Art Shimmer & Sparkle Loom: $12.99  identical to the Cra-Z-Loom but is pink
Cra-Z-Art Super Loom: $18.75  (6x14)  the same as if you put 2 regular Cra-Z-Looms together side by side

I used both looms for the simple bracelet, and the fishtail bracelets here to make my decision.

If you are buying one of these for a younger child

Fishtail Pattern

who is likely to be only making the simplest bracelets, I would recommend the Cra-Z-Loom because both my younger kids had an easier time with it.

If you want one for a teen or even yourself, and plan on making the more complex bracelets, I would absolutely recommend the Fun Loom instead.  It's smaller tipped pegs make the more complex patterns (where loops need to be pulled in multiple directions) simpler to complete.  With the Fun Loom I felt I was fighting against the pegs when I needed to move a loop in any direction but one.

Also, I should probably warn you.  These things are kind of addictive.  My 7 year old son made several bracelets a day for at least a week.  I needed to buy refills after a few days.  I found myself breaking the looms out and making bracelets several times as well, and I still want to try to make one or two of the super complex patterns.

Forever Fragrant Fresh Sticks Review

In the box:  Round glass jar, 20 "fresh sticks" in a ziplock type bag, instructions (Place sticks in jar and put in a well ventilated area), and an ad for another product.

Simple enough!!

Claims: Eliminates odors for up to 2 years.  No oils.  No mess.  Eliminates odors from smoking, pets, cooking, musty rooms, and more.

Cost: $9.99 at my local Rite Aid


I bought the linen scent.  It smells like pretty much every other linen scent air freshener on the market which is good.  I hate when things don't smell like I expect them to.

The fresh sticks themselves feel like regular plastic.  There is no oil to soak into the sticks.  No spray to put on them.  No need to plug it in.  Just these plastic sticks in a jar.  There is no oily residue on them so I did not feel any need to wash my hands after setting this up and placing it on the mantel in my 14'x18' (252 sq.ft.) living room.

We have 3 cats, a dog, and smokers in our house so we should theoretically be the ultimate test for this item.

1 week check in:
I did have to move it from my mantel after only a few hours because it was only a couple feet from my favorite seat on the couch and the smell was a bit overwhelming and gave me a headache.  I instead put it on top of a short book case across the room.  Unfortunately, from there I can't smell it at all.  I felt certain anyone walking in our door would be well aware there are pets and smokers living here.

I can smell it as I walk by it, but it has never filled the room with the linen scent and doesn't seem to be doing much, if anything, more than a few feet away.  I suppose if I bought 3 or 4 and spread them around the room we would smell them all the time, but it just feels like it should be doing more. Then again, lets face it, as far as I can tell, nothing other than Febreeze can trump the smell of cigarettes and wet dog.

2 week check in:
After the disappointing first week I moved it to the porch to test it in smaller room and see if it was any better. Ours measures about 11'x7'. (77 sq.ft.) Three sides of it are almost entirely glass so it gets very hot in there on sunny days, and quite cold in there at night.

Usually when I empty the kitchen garbage, I tie the bag shut and put it in the porch for hubby to toss in the outside tote when he gets home from (or leaves for) work.  This does not make for a nice smelling porch.  Especially if we do the same with a bag of used cat litter for a couple hours. Again, this should be a good test of the product.

I have to say it actually worked pretty good in the porch!  Yes, in the heat of the day, sometimes the garbage still won the war; but, for the most part, the linen scent was still detectable, and the porch definitely got non-stinky a lot faster than normal once the garbage actually went out to the toter.

3 week check in:
By now I was determined to see just what size room this thing can handle, so after the week in the porch, I moved my Fresh Sticks to my teen son's messy room.  It measures 10'x14' (140 sq. ft.) and comes equipped with all the usual nasty teen boy smells: feet, armpits, dirty laundry that is always on the floor instead of in a basket, and probably some kind of old food lost Lord only knows where.

We can't even smell them in there.  Not unless you put your face right up to the sticks.  I don't know for sure at this point if it's just another "too big" room, or if they have just worn out already.  I think it's the latter of the two.  Less than a month.  How disappointing. I don't know if this is the norm for Fresh Sticks or if the heat of the porch accelerated their demise.

All in all, I would say these are worth a try if you wanted to put them in a small room like a bathroom or large closet, but I would not recommend them for much more.  I will definitely not be buying enough for my 2,000 sq. ft. home.  If you want to deodorize larger rooms, I would stick to something like the Febreeze Noticeables or Air Wick Freshmatic. Personally, I'll probably stick to buying a can of Glade or Febreeze every month or two and having one of the Noticeables in my living room.

Touch Purse Review

The other day I was perusing the As Seen On TV section in my local Rite Aid and found the Touch Purse.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE purses, and although this was not my usual bright and blingy style, it certainly seemed like it would be a USEFUL purse... if it worked.  Since it was only $9.99, of course it ended  up in my basket.

In the box were the purse, a wrist strap, and a shoulder strap (both detachable). Its features claim to be 6 inside pouches, zipper closure, a phone pouch with clear plastic cover that touch screens work through, a belt loop on the back, and a pen/stylus loop.

The box says you can use it with "any phone".  This claim is not true.  My Samsung Galaxy S4 with its thin plastic cover was definitely the largest the phone pouch could take.  I had to force it in there, but it did go.  If I took the cover off I would have to be careful to never flip the purse upside down or risk the phone falling out.  I would never have been able to fit a Note 2 or any of the larger phones in there. I would be perfectly accepting if it stated "most phones" instead. I think the majority of phones are the size of mine or smaller.  An iPhone 4s or older would have a good deal of extra room.

With my phone, the bottom buttons were covered by the fabric, but it still worked just fine anyhow. I could touch where the button is and it would respond.  The same was true for the screen. It responded properly. I was quite surprised at how well my phone still worked, in fact.  The only drawback to the phone pouch would be that (obviously) you cannot take photos without taking the phone out of the pouch, and that I could not fit any pen or stylus in the loop, but that may be a manufacturing error.  I wasn't terribly bothered by this as I could put either one of those inside the purse itself.

I tried a variety of items in the purse to see just how much I could potentially carry and still zip it up.  I did find that the box claim that it will hold a checkbook was blatantly false.  My standard checkbook with no cover on it was almost an inch too long to fit in there; but, again, not a big deal.  How often does anyone actually use a checkbook while out and about any more?  I could easily tear a couple off and fold them in half to carry for emergencies.

I could easily fit 10 credit cards and all 5 of our social security cards with room for some cash (that wold also have to be folded up);  a pack of cigarettes and half a dozen cards and cash; or an inhaler, contact case, half a dozen cards, and some cash.

The one thing I was bummed I couldn't fit in were my EpiPens. Clearly this is not an issue for most people, and could probably be resolved by getting that new Auvi-Q which is much smaller and rectangular.

This one problem prevents this from being the PERFECT vacation/festival/craft fair purse for me because I always have to carry my EpiPens.

I will still likely still use this for mall shopping and other times I want a small purse but feel safe that I wont have a severe allergic reaction, or when I have my husband with me and he can carry my EpiPens on his belt.

For most people, I would definitely call this a win.