JUUL is a great e-cig for beginners: it delivers a more satisfying nicotine hit than any entry-level device I’ve tried, it’s unrivaled in ease-of-use, puts out a respectable amount of vapor, and charges quickly. The flavors could be better, but overall it’s a fantastic option for smokers.
Is Juul worth buying?
The JUUL Vapor e-cigarette is an excellent device specifically for smokers and even vapers who are looking for something more compact and discreet to use when they’re out and about.
The flavors could use some improvement, but they’re certainly not bad, and coupled with everything else the JUUL offers to smokers – plenty of nicotine in a super-easy to use and portable format – it’s a great overall offering.
If you’re looking for something simple, satisfying, discreet, and enjoyable that will help you put down the cigarettes, the JUUL genuinely is one of the best options on the market. It might break the mold when it comes to e-cigarettes, but it does it extremely well.
Juul Review
JUUL is an e-cigarette like you’ve never seen before. With its appearance, resembling a USB stick rather than a combustible cigarette, and its simple, beginner-friendly operation distinguishing it from most devices on the market today, it seems like an ideal option for smokers or vapers looking for a discreet way to get their nicotine.
JUUL Packaging and Design
The JUUL Vapor comes in a fancy, understated white box with two slide-out trays encased by a sleeve that bears a picture of the device on the front and all the information about what’s inside on the back.
One of the trays has two slots – one with your JUUL vaporizer sitting inside, and the other with its unique magnetic USB charger – and the other features four small windows showcasing your JUUL pods, held in a plastic insert.
There are also some basic instructions on the inside of the outer casing.
The design of the JUUL device is certainly interesting. It’s a rectangular device about 9.5 cm long with the pod inserted, and it’s pretty much bare apart from a diamond-shaped window where the pod meets the battery, and a JUUL logo and serial number on the underside of the device.
The only other design element is an LED light at the top of the front face that glows white when in use, flashes white when charging, and can also be used to give you an idea of the remaining battery.
All of this comes together to give the JUUL e-cig a definitely sleek look, and although it’s very unusual when placed next to other e-cigs , I have to say that it looks pretty cool overall. You might even get the occasional strange glance from other vapers, but it definitely has its own aesthetic appeal.
It’s also very simple to put together and use. The JUUL pods are partly covered by a colored cap, and you just remove this to reveal the metallic contact points that connect into the device.
You just push this tip into the opening at the top of the JUUL and push it in a little until it clicks into place. Then you’re ready to vape: just inhale from the mouthpiece like you would from a cigarette (but smoother and slower.
Juul Nicotine Levels
The nicotine content of JUUL pods is always the same: 3% or 5% (30 or 50 mg/ml).
Now, this seems like a huge amount of nicotine – at least twice as much as most other e-cigarettes – but this is one area where comparing to other devices doesn’t really work well with the JUUL.
The different type of nicotine is one factor, but the design of the pods only provides 0.7 ml of juice in each, and as a small device, it clearly can’t get through juice in the quantities a sub-ohm tank can.
So the nicotine level should be thought of more in terms of satisfaction. This is one area where I struggled to be completely reliable because I don’t normally use high-nicotine juices, but based on my experiences – and trying a few high-nicotine liquids to compare – the nicotine level of the JUUL pods gives a very satisfying nicotine hit. It’s a bit too much for long-term vapers like myself to use for extended periods, but for a smoker just making the switch, it would be absolutely perfect.
It’s hard to say whether the nicotine salts really make a difference, but based on my experiences, I can certainly say that – it’s a more cigarette-like nicotine hit than you get with most e-liquids. Since I couldn’t get such a satisfying amount of nicotine without turning myself into a portable fog machine, I do take it with me when I know I won’t have too many opportunities to vape.
JUUL Flavors and Vapor
Vapor production is one area where experienced vapers like myself would expect the JUUL Vapor to fall flat on its rectangular face.
It has the size of a cigalike, and compared to contemporary devices, that just sucked when it came to vapor production. However, the JUUL is pleasantly surprising.
You shouldn’t expect mod-like clouds from the JUUL e-cigarette, but the vapor production is still substantial and comparable to eGo-style devices.
For a smoker considering making the switch, suffice it to say that you won’t feel like the JUUL is a poor substitute in terms of nicotine hit or vapor production: it’s genuinely great on both fronts.
The flavors are what let it down a little, though. When I got the JUUL e-cig, only four varieties were available – Cool Mint (menthol), Fruit Medley (peach, grape, and berry), Creme Brulee (vanilla cake, custard, and creme brulee), and Virginia Tobacco (American tobacco) – and they’ve since added Mango, with more to come soon.
The short version is that most of the flavors don’t quite hit the mark. Creme Brulee has a vague vanilla flavor with some possible creamy hints, Virginia Tobacco has a moderately accurate but essentially foot-like musty tobacco flavor you get from a cheap e-liquid, and Fruit Medley is dominated by grape, which is well-captured, but the other elements get a bit lost in the mix, even though you get occasional touches of peach.
Cool Mint is a pretty excellent menthol – offering a sharp, refreshing mint hit that takes me back to my menthol smoking days.
The general problem with the flavors is their robustness. The flavors come through, but they’re all a little muted and more comparable to the cartridge flavors you got on early cigalikes than the rich, multi-tonal "premium" juices that dominate the market today. Don’t get the wrong idea, though – they were all definitely vapeable, and Cool Mint and Fruit Medley, in particular, were quite enjoyable, but they were definitely the main disappointment of the whole package. JUULpods are also a bit pricey, at $15.99 for a four-pack, but this should last most users for four days, so it's still much cheaper than smoking.
So, for vapor production, it’s a big hit for the JUUL, but for flavors, it’s a more cautious, “ good enough to be enjoyable”. However, the flavors could easily be improved in the future, and most smokers would probably like the Tabaac in addition to the Mint and Fruit that worked for me.
Juul Battery
The battery life on the JUUL vaporizer is limited by its size, but when working in conjunction with the high-nicotine liquids and satisfying hit from each puff, it’s actually not that bad.
For most cigarette-sized devices, you have to pretty much chain-vape to get a satisfying amount of nicotine, but the JUUL e-cig can be used comfortably in small bursts, much like a cigarette.
It’s difficult to estimate the overall battery life for an average smoker because I was getting enough nicotine from a handful of puffs at a time, but with moderate use, I’d say most users would get through a day.
The biggest bonus when it comes to battery life is the charging: the JUUL goes from running low on battery to fully charged in under an hour . This is nothing short of excellent.
There are also some nice touches on the JUUL worth mentioning. First, the JUUL’s charger and base are magnetized so you can pretty much just drop the JUUL into place to connect it. You just pull the cover off the charger to reveal the USB connection and insert the bottom of the JUUL into the slot (either direction) to set it to charge. The white light will periodically fade in and out to let you know it’s charging.
Another nice extra is the battery life check function. By gently tapping the top of the JUUL e-cigarette (the mouthpiece of your pod) twice, the LED light will flash green, amber, or red to tell you your charge level. It might be simple, but it’s a great little feature that I’m very impressed with.
Manufacturing and Warranty
One thing that’s not in doubt is the manufacturing quality on the JUUL e-cig. It’s a simple device, but it’s clearly well-made, and everything works as it should. The compact design and metallic body mean it’s pretty robust, so you don’t have to worry about dropping it. You also get a 3-month warranty when you purchase the JUUL Vapor e-cigarette, so you’re covered in case of any mishaps. As Trelektroniksigara, we provide a 15-day company warranty.
To find high-quality vaporizer pens like JUUL, check out this list of the best vape pens .
