For a limited time only, get a discount on the Juul when clicking on this link.
*WE NO LONGER RECOMMEND THE JUUL. THERE ARE MUCH BETTER POD VAPES OUT THERE FROM ALTERNATIVE MANUFACTURES. READ OUR BEST JUUL ALTERNATIVES LIST TO FIND OUT WHICH POD VAPE IS BEST FOR YOUR NEEDS*
While advanced vape nerds may turn up their noses whenever they see someone puffing away on a pod vape, it’s undeniable that these devices serve an important purpose in helping people to transition away from smoking cigarettes. The toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke pose a massive risk to your health. Cig-a-likes (disposable e-cigs) are a huge business for Big Tobacco, and it’s clear that they bring in massive profits. But they have a major problem. To put it bluntly, most of them fucking suck.
Enter the Juul. The Juul is a cig-a-like that was originally created by Pax Labs (now known as Juul Labs), the company that is most famous for producing state-of-the-art loose leaf vaporizers. Right out of the box you can tell that they brought the same expertise and attention to detail that they honed with their loose leaf vapes to the cig-a-like market. While it is an amazing vape, is it really the “first great e-cig” as Wired claimed in a recent article? Let’s find out.
Appearance
The stunning design of the Juul is clearly one of it’s major strengths. The straight lines and futuristic flat appearance make this thing look more like a thumb drive than an e-cig. The construction on the e-cig itself feels incredibly solid, and the small size and flat design make it perfect for sliding into your pocket for vaping on the go.
While most cig-a-likes have gone with the small, round shape as a way to help lure former smokers away with something that is as similar as possible, Pax Labs has taken a bold approach with the flat design. While it may not resemble a traditional cigarette, it’s small and light enough to feel very familiar to a cigarette. If you’re just quitting cigarettes, you’ll feel at ease with the similar-but-different design of this device.
The flavor pods that double as mouthpieces have a similar flat design that fits in perfectly with the futuristic aesthetic that is present in the body of the device.
Bottom line: In an industry that is well known for creating cringe-worthy products, the Juul is a beautiful, modern looking device that you won’t be embarrassed to puff on in public.
Ease of Use
One of the major flaws with most vaping products is that they have a steep learning curve which tends to scare off newbies. The Juul is not one of those vapes.
Without reading any online tutorials or instructions of any kind, I was able to open up the box, load a flavor cartridge, and start puffing away in 30 seconds flat. The Juul is as intuitive as it gets.
Once you slide open the package, you’ll remove the rechargeable e-cig (it comes fully charged), take out the piece of cardboard from the mouthpiece portion, slide in one of the four JUULpod flavor cartridges, filled with nicotine salts, that doubles as a mouthpiece, and draw on the mouthpiece. That’s it. It’s literally that simple. No buttons or complicated batteries and 510 threading.
The ease of use is designed to appeal to brand-new vapers who are looking to kick the habit, and the Juul definitely delivers on that front. The long-term health effects of smoking are widely known, and people want something that is just as easy without all the harmful smoke. With this product, there is no technical knowledge required.
Performance
Right before I started vaping on the Juul I was mentally preparing myself for disappointment. After all, I have extensive experience vaping with all kinds of advanced mechanical and electronic mods, as well as having experience with the latest sub-ohm tanks. I assumed that there was no way that I would be impressed by a simple cig-a-like. But I was wrong.
The Juul delivers an astounding amount of vapor for it’s size. While not comparable to an advanced cloud-chasing setup, it’s not designed to be. The Juul is designed to not only replicate but to evolve upon the standard traditional cigarette, so that former smokers won’t feel like they downgraded their nicotine delivery experience in the name of health. They do this by using nicotine salts, which are much more potent than regular e-liquid. In any way imaginable, the Juul is a dramatic improvement compared to both smoking and other cig-a-likes.
Like other similar devices such as the myblu, the Juul is activated when you draw on the mouthpiece, not by pressing a button like more advanced vapes. When you draw on the device a light blueish/white indicator lights up, letting you know that the device is active. When you set it down the light goes off.
To check the battery life, simply tap the Juul twice. If the light green, battery life is high. Yellow means battery life is at medium, and red means it’s low and it might be time to start charging. Just like everything else about the Juul, charging it is extremely intuitive. The device magnetically connects to the included USB charger, which can be plugged into any USB port. Charging time is approximately one hour.
Each standard JUULpod flavor cartridge contains 0.8mL of juice with 5% nicotine by weight. They’ve also recently released a new line of Juul Pods that contain lower nicotine levels. The company created these lower-nicotine versions in response to criticism that they were contributing to nicotine addiction. Pax Labs claims that this is about the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes, which seems accurate according to my completely unscientific testing methods. They come in four different oddly spelled flavors: Miint (Mint), Fruut (Fruit), Bruule (Creme Brulee), and Tabaac (Tobacco). As mentioned previously, these pods contain nicotine salts, so your vaping experience will be much more similar to cigarettes than a normal mod-and-tank setup.
How long does it take a Juul to ship?
If you’re buying a Juul starter kit then you’ll be eligible for free shipping (orders $34 and up are always free at juul.com). Juul Vapor ships their products using USPS First Class Mail (or it’s equivalent). According to the checkout page on juul.com, free shipping takes approximately 4-8 days. If you just have to get your hands on a Juul ASAP, then you can upgrade the shipping for an additional $22 and get 1-2 day delivery.
The shipping options page also gives you the ability to require a signature upon delivery or to require an adult signature upon delivery for an additional fee of either $2.80 or $5.70, respectively. Juul may not have as many shipping options as other websites, but it’s nice to see that they’ll offer free shipping for the more frugally-minded vapers out there and that they’ll also offer expedited shipping for those who are willing to pay for it.
Should I buy a Juul from a reseller?
The best place to buy a Juul is from Juul’s official website. While you can find Juuls for less money on sites like eBay, it’s never worth it. In most cases the device you’re buying will end up being defective, a counterfeit, open-box, or in some other way undesirable. The $49.99 retail price that Juul charges on their website is an incredible deal for the best, most popular pod vape in the world. They could charge way more and still be extremely successful. The low price of the Juul is a testament to how serious this company is about helping former smokers quit.
If you’re not a fan of buying vapes online, then Juul does offer a retail store locater on their site. Simply enter your zip code and the screen will populate with all of the stores that Juul has officially allowed to sell their products. If you buy from any store that pops up in that locator then you can rest easy knowing that you’re getting an official product. Prices will be slightly higher compared to buying online, however.
Can I buy the Juul on Amazon?
Amazon does not carry the Juul. Amazon has a strict no-vaping policy, so unfortunately you can’t purchase a Juul on Amazon.com. Occasionally, you might find a third-party reseller that managed to sneak a Juul into the listings, but it usually doesn’t last long. And if they do manage to get a Juul listed on Amazon, they aren’t going to be one of the most reputable resellers out there. You’re going to run into the same issues that you get when buying on eBay: possible counterfeits, defective products, etc. The bottom line: It’s just not worth it. Buy your Juul from the official manufacturer’s website or from one of the authorized sellers listed on their website. This ensures that you’ll get a legitimate product and that it’s fully covered under Juul Labs’ generous warranty policy.
There are some cool Juul accessories that you can buy on Amazon, however. If you’re looking for a new charger, case, or some cool skins to help personalize your e-cig then Amazon is the perfect place for you.
Why is the Juul so popular?
Vaping is a booming business, and the Juul is dominating it. Recent estimates put the Juul at over 60% market share of the entire electronic cigarette market. What’s going on here? Why did this one particular pod vape come to dominate a multi-billion dollar industry?
A few years ago, larger box mods and mechanical mods were the only way that most people vaped. Those types of devices are still quite popular and will probably always command a sizeable minority of the e-cig market, but they’re no longer the most popular way to vape. Mod-and-tank systems are just too complicated for the average person to use. Hobbyists will always enjoy the ability to tinker with their mod and get their vapor exactly the way they want it. But for most people? They just want something that works with minimal effort. That’s why pod vapes became so popular.
Pod vapes are, as the name implies, a type of e-cig that has a removable pod that you can snap into the battery. Most companies (including Juul Labs) make their pods nonrefilable, meaning that you’ll have to buy brand new pods every time yours run out (although there are ways around that). Since these devices are draw-activated (meaning that you don’t need to press a button every time you vape), they are an easy way for former smokers to transition away from cigarettes.
The nicotine salt juice that Juul uses in their proprietary pods is designed to mimic the feeling of drawing on an actual cigarette. Regular, non-salt-based e-juices don’t have the same mouth feel and lung feel that nic salts have. This is another major reason why the Juul became so popular.
Juul’s trendy marketing campaigns have definitely played a role in their continuing success. Their advertisements were heavily focused on social media platforms and featured young, hip models with colorful backgrounds. While this ad campaign helped to skyrocket Juul’s popularity, it also attracted a ton of controversy. Juul Labs is currently being investigated by the federal government for allegedly attempting to hook underage users on their products to get “customers for life”. The results of the investigation are still pending, and it remains to be determined if they were deliberately targeting youth instead of adults. Juul Labs claims that their products are all targeted towards adult smokers who are looking for a smoking cessation product.
Does Juul cause popcorn lung?
The Juul does not cause popcorn lung. In fact, no vapes cause popcorn lung. Huh? Wasn’t there a huge, famous study a few years ago that went viral proving that vaping causes popcorn lung?
True, in 2015 there was a famous “popcorn lung” study. That study was completely flawed. It involved using e-cigarettes in completely unnatural conditions. The study also failed to mention that diacetyl, the chemical that supposedly causes popcorn lung, is present in much greater quantities in traditional tobacco cigarettes. The study made it seem like vapers were exposing themselves to a brand new chemical threat, when in fact they are actually reducing their exposure to that same chemical by switching to e-cigs.
If you switch to a Juul (or any other vape) then you’re actually reducing your exposure to the chemical that may or may not cause popcorn lung. If popcorn lung is something you’re worried about, then you’re actually better off with a Juul pod than you are with a cigarette. This is a total non-issue.
How much nicotine is in a Juul?
Each Juulpod is available in either 5% or 3% nicotine strengths. Originally, Juul was committed to only offering one nicotine strength: the extremely powerful 5% variety. The 5% nicotine strength is ideal for former smokers who want to quit and still need that huge nicotine kick. If you’re looking to taper down then you can switch to the lower 3% nicotine level. Unfortunately, Juul does not offer any nicotine-free Juulpods at the moment.
Juul’s recent addition of the 3% strength Juulpods was inspired by customer demand. While those 5% Juulpods are great when you’re just trying to get over your cigarette addiction, eventually many customers want something lower. Juul Labs responded to that customer demand by releasing a couple flavors in a 3% nicotine strength. If that nicotine strength ends up being successful, I imagine that we’ll be seeing more options, including a zero nicotine one in the future.
How long does the Juul battery last?
The battery is designed to last a full day or about as much time as one full Juulpod lasts. Obviously this is going to vary depending on your usage. If you’re a hardcore fan of juuling your battery might die sooner, and if you barely use it you could see your battery last much longer.
Each Juulpod is designed to last for about 200 puffs. Since each full charge is designed to last for one full Juulpod, that’s about how many puffs you’ll get after each full charge. The exact number of puffs that you’ll get out of one charge depends on your vaping habits. If you take huge hits each time, you’ll get less puffs. If you’re one of those people who prefers smaller puffs, then it’ll last longer.
Is it available as a vape starter kit or just the device?
Juul is available in two different configurations: a complete starter kit that includes the device, charger, and juul pods; and as the standalone device and charger without pods.
If you’ve never used a Juul before then we recommend buying the starter kit. You’re going to need some pods to go with your Juul anyway, and buying the whole kit gives you substantial savings. If you’re just replacing a device that you lost or broke, then you probably already own some Juulpods and you won’t need the full kit.
Bottom line: is the Juul worth it?
If you’re a current or former smoker who is looking for something that give you a similar experience to smoking a cigarette, the Juul is for you. You’ll find that the experience is oddly familiar but different. In many ways, the Juul is an evolution on the concept of smoking, it’ll make you look back and wonder why you ever wasted your time and money with cigarettes in the first place.
Get the Juul E-cig for $38.99 at FugginVapor.com.
Did this Juul review help you make your decision? Let us know what you think about your Juul in the comment section below!
Read our list of the best e-cigarettes and find out which one best meets your unique needs. There are many competitors to Juul out there, so it’s important that you do your research and make an informed decision.
Be sure to read our review of the new PAX 3 from PAX Labs, a new herbal and wax vaporizer (similar to the Firefly 2) from the same company that originally created the Juul.
