I was approached by the company for an opinion on their electronic cigarette. I told them I would do it and ordered myself, their starter kit from their official website.
Their standard starter kit, consists of 2 batteries, cartomizers, 1 Wall & 1 USB charger, flavor “Regular” (if that is what you chose), 16mg nicotine strength (also customizable, ranging to 16mg), goes for $39.95, which is a good price. This is the only type of kit they offer, but it is more than enough, because in my opinion there is no easier kit to start with. Other companies bundle different number of components in various combinations (some of the components you may not need), but it all boils down to these basic components of the SmokeTip starter kit. That is why I always say to anyone who asks me: “Always order the simplest kit offered by the company! In this way you’ll save money!”. For cartomizers (either soft tip or hard tip) depending on the quantity the price is from $15.95 per pack (if you order 5 or more packs, each pack has five cartridges) to $19.95 (for just one pack). Smoketip is automatic in terms of how it is functioning and it is two-part model (power device and cartridge).
First, I’ll start with the shipping. The package arrived in 2 days in a stuffed box, ensuring good protection during transit. Inside was the packing box. Its size is larger than the standard used by other brands as you can see from the picture below. It is properly secured and can be used for storing later. I opened it up and, being anxious to try it, immediately started puffing. Battery had already been charged.
The Eazy-Drag system (as they call it) is no lie. The pull is really easy. The inhaling is smooth and you can feel it on the back of your throat. A natural feel. The “Regular” flavor resembles tobacco and the vapor volume is average. They offer 19 flavors including several tobacco variants, etc that all come with different nicotine levels. My favorites are the Regular, Cowboy and the Clove flavor.
The batteries are heavier than other brand’s. I think this is how it is designed on purpose, so that there is more power for longer use without recharging. I find one battery to last about a day, which is pretty good, though my friend needed two per day of this type. In addition, there is the 350mAh battery they offer, at double capacity for heavy vapers, and my friend likes it very much. In terms of design it is like most of the ecigs on the market (combination: white, pink, black, and chrome with either orange, blue or green LED).
I see myself using this brand, however I got used to V2Cigs and I am not changing them for now.
What is also worth noting here is their lifetime warranty of batteries. If perhaps (which is unlikely) your battery stops working you can get free replacement with your next cartridge order. But I think that you will never need a replacement since they give you 1 battery free per order of 3 or more 10-packs of cartridges. You will have plenty! I have not seen such deal offered by any other company on the market. Do note that this part is the most expensive item in the industry (everywhere) and having free replacements will save you tons of money over other brands, over long period. Aside of the lifetime warranty, they give you 30 day money-back guarantee in case you do not like their product, you can return it within 30 days of purchase and you will be refunded.
In addition, they have additional free offers (currently):
| Num. | Info |
| six 10-packs | you get free wall charger and usb charger, and free battery |
| ten 10-pack | free 16mg regular kit. |
That is just awesome. Such offers are not available at any other company.
Update:
The company has recently introduced a new kit. The second that they offer is the SmokeTank, that might save you more money over the long run, as compared to their regular one (though these savings have not been proved by any kind of study). This one features a refillable vaporizer, atomizer and 12ml of e-liquid, and chargers. The technology that they have included in this product is highly sophisticated. It provides bigger vapor volume and more puffs per tank, and the parts are made of high-quality components as compared with other cheaper vaporizers out there in the market. But, I will not recommend it for starters, due to the advanced technical steps needed for refilling (which includes dangers of spilling the e-liquid, as well as other potential dangers of keeping the e-liquid in proper places, and other).
Other products that they offer are disposables and e-cigars. I have not tried them so I can’t comment on their features.
The company also offers wide range of accessories including travel charger cases, lanyards, USB Passthroughs, various types of chargers (wall, USB, etc), which is standard on the market. Passthroughs which are actually connected to USBs, are for those users that spend most of the time sitting in front of the computer, kind of like me. And for just $6.95, you can buy the Cleaning Kit(included inside: medical grade cotton swabs, alcohol prep pads, t-pins), that will help you clean your SmokeTip for up to several months (instructions included inside the product). The purpose of this kit is to help you keep clean the contacts between the power device and the cartomizer, which will ensure smoother puffing. My friend (more below) said that the Cleaning kit is very easy to use and does its job.
I have not tested their customer support (though I can say that their order process on the website was simple and straightforward). Reading from various sites on the Internet, it appears that this brand is overlooked by many people, and in my opinion it is because the company does not have a flashy logo or awesome website design. Instead of spending money on marketing, they spend more money on continuously making improvements and what it really matters – their product, which is cheap and great, and that is more important!
Starting from their website, through their order process to the product in your hands there is no such other order process that is so simple! And it’s not just that, their products are very simple too and very easy to use. This reminds me of Albert Einstein quote “Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler“.
Just wanted to let you know that I am not using this product regularly so that I could notice some problems (IF they exist) that appear of more everyday use. One thing I noticed though as I was reading the various reviews on the Internet is that their customer support may not be as good as that at those costlier brands, but hey why would you need one? As long as they have a good product and regularly supply you with free batteries (when you buy cartos), the only two things that are expendable (over time) at e-cigarettes, then you are all set. There is really no need to pay “extra” money by paying higher prices so that you can get ultra customer service. I am up for discussion on this, let me know by posting a comment or review. Also please share your experiences with their customer support.
UPDATE:
My friend is using this brand and he likes it. He told me that he had not had any major problems, except on few occasions with the battery going dead for no reason. But, this should not be considered as a problem because as I said previously you get one free each time you buy cartos, if you have problems with the current one.
Update 2:
I had given Smoketip for “testing” purposes to one of my friends. He said he would return it to me in a day or two, and I was surprised when I found out that he would keep it. When I asked why, he said that this is his type of e-cig – cheap and simple with great taste. I said: Great! You can have it as a gift from me. He replied that a birthday gift of at least 10 pack cartomizers from me to him would be cool.
Also, one of my cousins also tried it one evening when he was guest at my house and said that the Clove flavor tasted really good. And he was quite surprised at the number of flavors the company was offering.
Conclusion
If you are not sure with which brand to start I with, you can try this one (the regular kit). In my opinion, on the price level and quality of the product, it is the best budget electronic cigarette in the industry. Shipping is free for orders over $59, and all orders are shipped via USPS. Use the coupon “10offstarter” and save 10% on your order by clicking here.