The Evolution of Electronic Cigarettes: Review of the JUUL Device

JUUL is a successful project with a share of more than 70% of the e-cigarette market in the United States. The e-cigarette company, JUUL Labs, spun out of Pax Labs in 2017. Now it is partially owned by the American tobacco holding Altria, of which the large tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris is also part. Ukraine has become the 14th country where JUUL is officially sold. We now have the opportunity to review JUUL and tell you how the device works.

What is this?

JUUL is a sub-system for delivering nicotine to the body. It uses cartridges (JUUL Pods) with liquid containing nicotine salt. Therefore, ideologically, JUUL is very close to electronic cigarettes, which use a similar principle. The company itself calls its device an alternative to conventional cigarettes.

How does it work?

The case has the shape of an elongated parallelepiped and resembles a stylish flash drive. Apparently, the company deliberately used a cubic shape to avoid the analogy with cigarettes. But if you prefer, JUUL can be used hands-free. While holding the body with your lips, you need to ensure that there is a flow of air into the cartridge.

The main part houses a battery, which is charged through contacts at the bottom. On the opposite side of the case, from above, the cartridge is inserted. It contains contacts, a small evaporator and liquid. Power is supplied to the vaporizer automatically when inhaling and no buttons need to be pressed. The remaining liquid can be seen through the transparent cartridge body.

The device has one LED that lights up when a puff occurs. There is not much steam, almost like from tobacco heating systems. With JUUL it is even less than with cigarette vape setups.

You can find out the charge level by tapping anywhere on the case several times. The diode will light up green, yellow or red, respectively.

Charging is done via a dongle with a USB Type-A connector. The JUUL case is magnetized to the contacts on the charger. On the positive side, if you accidentally catch a vertically charging device, the contacts will not be damaged. The disadvantage of this format is the risk of loss. It’s probably worth buying another one over time as a spare, or leaving one at home and at work, for example.

As for autonomy, the battery capacity is enough for about a third of the evaporated liquid from the cartridge. It can be emptied in one day, so you will have to charge it several times. So you should carry the charger with you. The built-in battery is recharged in 30-40 minutes.

About consumables

Cartridge capacity 0.7 ml. Fluid consumption traditionally depends on the owner. You can evaporate one in a day, or two. On average, a cartridge will last for one to one and a half days if used by an active smoker.

The liquid is produced using a proprietary formula based on salt nicotine. It contains propylene glycol, glycerin (PG to VG – 30/60) and flavorings familiar to vapers. The non-standard component here is salt nicotine. It is stated that the technology makes it possible to reproduce the sensations closest to smoking regular cigarettes in comparison with electronic cigarettes from other manufacturers.

For our part, we can say that the puff is really close to that of a cigarette. Approximately the same can be implemented on vapes, but JUUL allows you to simultaneously draw in air, which is again closer to traditional smoking.

Cartridges are available with liquids of different tastes: menthol, mango, vanilla and tobacco. All of them are quite pronounced, at times, perhaps even excessively. Some are not for everyone. To briefly describe each: The fruit flavor is not very distinguishable in terms of what kind of fruit it actually is – sweetish. Vanilla is sharp and tart. Mint is like mint – very rich. Virginia tobacco and mango are the most interesting and soft for my taste.

It is worth noting that in Europe there is a limit on the nicotine content in the product – no more than 20 mg. In Ukraine there is no such restriction, so our official JUUL cartridges will be sold with the same amount of nicotine as in the USA – 59 mg. In more familiar milligram/milliliter ratios: 20 mg is 1.7%, and 59 mg is almost 5% nicotine. In any case, JUUL is intended for users 18+.

Interestingly, you can find cartridges from third-party manufacturers with alternative flavors like watermelon, strawberry, peach, lime, blueberry and others. They are a little cheaper than the original ones, but traditionally they should be used at your own peril and risk, at least in terms of performance.

You can try to refill original cartridges if you wish, but the manufacturer reserves the right to void the device’s warranty. And after such a procedure, the cartridges themselves begin to “spit” and “snot” with liquid. So all the magic of the process is lost.

What I would like to add to the set of officially offered cartridges are versions with a lower amount of nicotine. It is clear that this can be partially achieved by buying them in the EU.

Cost

A package with four cartridges will cost 350 hryvnia. A starter kit with a JUUL device and four cartridges will cost 1,150 hryvnia, the device itself will cost 950 hryvnia. It is worth noting that at first stores will inflate prices and it is worth looking for official points of sale (“Tobacco and Gifts”, “Vape2Go”, “TTC” and “Tabakerka”) that comply with recommended retail prices.

In general, JUUL is more affordable than heated tobacco systems, but its cartridges are more expensive. Comparisons with vapes are more difficult due to the variety of models. But in terms of consumables, JUUL Pods are again higher in price compared to most e-liquid options.

Impressions from the operation process

The ergonomics of JUUL as a device are excellent. Start-up occurs in three movements: charged, removed the cap, inserted the cartridge, began to pull – simple and clear. No need to bother with changing evaporators and adding liquids. There are enough flavor options to not get bored. In addition, the manufacturer plans to add new options. And the compactness of the device itself is a big plus, the main thing is not to lose the charger.

In our personal opinion, the best thing about JUUL is that it is a clear and user-friendly product. The consumable cartridge uses liquid familiar from vapes. Salt nicotine has previously appeared as an alternative to liquid nicotine. We can say that nicotine saturation occurs quickly. The so-called feeling of being “high” is an order of magnitude higher than with vapes and, especially, tobacco heating systems. The intuitiveness of the operating algorithm and the components of consumables ultimately inspire more confidence. Smokers who want to switch to a “digital” format and not lose the motor skills of the process will certainly like it.

Rating:

+ device ergonomics

+ ease of use

+ variety of flavors

-price of original cartridges

Dmytro Tabakov
hi-tech.ua project manager

       

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