I've only had mine for a few days but I really like the Blu. I almost canceled my order too. The cartridge flavors are really good (loving the Java). The battery life is adequate- when I take it to work, a single battery will last me through the shift (I still go outside because I don't want to push it). My son has been begging me for the Blu in trade for the 510 he originally decided he wanted. Shipping was less than a week. I'm sure that one of these days, I will want a Chuck but for now, I'm happy. It is pretty close to the feeling of smoking an analog.

This is an exciting day here in Johnson Creek.  We’re proud to announce our new partnership with the good folks over at blu electronic cigarettes.  Later this Spring, all of blu’s starter kits and cartridges will be shipped with custom flavors made by us right here in Johnson Creek. Read the formal press announcement here. Many of you have heard of blu, but some may have not.  Either way, you may be asking with all the e-cig options out there, why them?  While it is true that there are many brands of e-cigarettes available today, we believe blu offers a premium product with great features – and does so at a better price than many lesser competitors. Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice was started in order to create the best tasting vapor available and to do it with premium ingredients.  Throw in expertise, passion and friendly service to get the core of what we’re all about.  As we began exploring the possibilities with the team at blu, we realized that while some e-cigarette companies are content to let their hardware run on bad-tasting import liquid, devils or angels, the folks at blu share our same values.  We know they’re excited to offer their customers greatly improved flavor, vapor and quality by using Johnson Creek Original Smoke Juice.  We’re just as thrilled that our customers who rely on the first American-made, quality e-liquid brand will have the convenience that blu offers. We know some of our most loyal customers get worried when we start changing things and we love hearing your thoughts on how we’re doing. But don’t worry, you’ll still be able to order all the great Original Smoke Juice and Red Oak flavors you’ve grown to love right here at johnsoncreeksmokejuice.com. We’ll all be working hard in the coming weeks to get everything perfect for this unprecedented joint venture.  In the mean time, you can learn about the blu electronic cigarette on their website. Otherwise, head over to our shop to pick up your favorite JC products while you wait for the next revolution in e-smoking. As always, thank you for your time, your business, and your support. Regards, Christian Berkey Chief Executive Officer

FDA smoke screen on e-cigarettes

At a time when the government is ostensibly trying to cut health costs, why is it trying to ban something that might help people quit smoking tobacco, perhaps the most devastating health problem in the U.S.?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a press conference late last month to scare Americans about the so-called "e-cigarette" -- claiming it was loaded with harmful "toxins" and "carcinogens." The agency was implicitly saying: Stay away from these newfangled, untested cigarette substitutes -- better to stick with the real ones, the ones that we are more familiar with, the ones that cause over 450,000 deaths annually in the U.S.

In making its distorted, incomplete and misleading statement, FDA was violating its long-cherished tradition of sticking to sound science as the basis for its policies. And in doing so, it is putting the lives and health of millions of Americans at risk.

The truthful part of the FDA statement was that e-cigarettes have not been through formal efficacy and safety tests at the FDA, and they have only been around a few years. But in the press conference, here is what the FDA did not tell you but should have:

c Traditional cigarettes are lethal not because of the trace level presence of specific "carcinogens" and "toxins," but because by using them, smokers inhale enormous amounts of smoke -- otherwise known as "products of combustion." It is the inhaled smoke that kills in so many ways -- from cancers, cardiovascular and lung disease, and more.

c The cigarette was a relatively obscure product in our society until the invention of a cigarette rolling machine, and sales rose quickly prior to World War I.

Before that, tobacco was used relatively safely -- in chew, pipes, cigars -- because little if any smoke was inhaled. Cigarettes changed all of that.

c The e-cigarette -- a cigarette-mimicking device made up of a battery, an atomizer and a cartridge -- allows smokers to inhale, getting a dose of the nicotine they crave, and then sending steam out the other end (with little or no odor) to mimic the ritual and feel of smoking normal cigarettes.

c The FDA complained that the e-cigarette was a "nicotine-delivery system." Well, it got that much right. But again, it's the smoke that kills, not the nicotine. Yes, nicotine is highly addictive, and it is what keeps the smoker hooked. But getting the nicotine without the smoke is an enormous health advantage for cigarette smokers (the nicotine inserts come in various strengths and the users can adjust them downward as they wish).

c The FDA has approved other nicotine-delivery systems in the form of gums and patches -- and they have been abysmal failures. The smoking cessation rates using these devices is less than 15 percent after one year, condemning millions of addicted smokers to a lingering death. We desperately need other alternatives. But the FDA has now joined a long list of so-called public-health organizations -- including the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and the American Lung Association -- whose collective motto seems to be "quit or die." Not only do they reject e-cigarettes, but they also condemn other smokeless products like snus, which have a mere fraction of the health risks associated with smoking cigarettes.

c More than 1 million smokers are now using the e-cigarette -- a product that offers some, if not all, of the "social amenities" of the real thing -- holding the cigarette, taking a drag, seeing a plume of "smoke." The FDA, lacking data that e-cigarettes pose a health hazard, was so desperate, it called on consumers to phone in adverse side effects of e-cigarettes so they could begin to build a case against them and proceed with their intended ban. They neglected, however, to request smokers who successfully quit using the e-cigarette to also call in.

Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States today. Any alternative acceptable to addicted smokers should be taken seriously. Instead of condemning the e-cigarette, the FDA should be sponsoring studies to evaluate its safety and efficacy -- leaving it on the market in the interim.

Dr. Elizabeth Whelan is president of the American Council on Science and Health.

Source:http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/06/fda-smoke-screen-on-e-cigarettes/