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Posted January 15, 2012 by Jack Keenan in Electronic Cigarette Reviews
 
 

Safe Cig Micro Electronic Cigarette Review

Safe Cig Micro Electronic Cigarette Review
Safe Cig Micro Electronic Cigarette Review

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Safe Cig Micro Electronic Cigarette

Click the link above to view this product at the manufacturer’s website.

Bonus: Be sure to check the bottom of this review for a Safe Cig coupon code!

I stumbled upon the Safe Cig website not long ago and was immediately drawn in by its quality. Some electronic cigarette websites have a bit of an amateurish appearance; I wonder sometimes if that doesn’t scare potential customers away. Not so with the Safe Cig website; everything is cleanly laid out, and the product descriptions are exciting and make me want to try everything. I wrote to Safe Cig and asked if they would be willing to send a review sample, and shortly thereafter I received my Safe Cig Micro Pack along with a few refill packs. I have spent the days since putting the Safe Cig Micro through its paces, and my experience has left me pleased and surprised.

Safe Cig Micro Pack Review

Safe Cig Micro Pack, batteries, cartomizers and USB charger

Safe Cig Micro: The Bottom Line

I have never been particularly fond of the “micro” electronic cigarette. I have always said that the smaller an electronic cigarette is, the more poorly it works. The Safe Cig Micro is an exception; it works exactly as advertised, and I have no problem recommending it to anyone who wants an electronic cigarette that resembles the real thing as closely as possible. If you are a light or social smoker and are looking for something that you can take out in public without raising too many eyebrows, the Safe Cig Micro is a good solution for you.

Safe Cig Micro Review

The first thing that struck me about the Safe Cig Micro was how closely the packaging resembles a real pack of cigarettes, right down to the “crinkle” noise when I peeled off the shrink wrapping. The Safe Cig Micro Pack is made from the same type of card stock used for real cigarette packs, which is a nice touch. The pack may not travel well, however; I suspect that after a month or two of carrying it in your pocket, it’ll start to look a little beaten up. Safe Cig does have a nice solution for carrying the Micro e-cigarette, though: the Blink portable charging case, which is not included with the Safe Cig Micro starter kit. I’ll discuss that a bit later.

Safe Cig E-Cigarette Review

Safe Cig Micro and Turkish refill pack

What’s Included

The Safe Cig Micro Pack includes two automatic batteries, a USB charger and your first seven refill cartomizers. The packs are color-coded according to the refill flavor included, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy all of the starter kits to experience every Safe Cig flavor available; each starter kit is compatible with all of the different Safe Cig refill flavors. The packaging has a foam rubber divider at the top, allowing it to hold two fully assembled Safe Cigs plus an additional five refill cartridges. The package has a side panel that flips open to reveal the USB charger.

Cartridges Vs. Cartomizers

When shopping for a micro electronic cigarette, you have to be careful because many manufacturers still sell a three-part electronic cigarette that has fallen out of favor with the public due to poor performance. The three part design uses a stationary heating element or “atomizer” that remains on the battery when you change cartridges. The cartridges contain nothing but filler material and e-liquid. This design has several downsides; the cartridges tend to work poorly, either failing to deliver enough liquid to the atomizer to create vapor or squirting pure e-liquid into the user’s mouth. The Safe Cig Micro does not use this design; each refill cartridge is an enclosed unit that includes its own atomizer. This type of cartridge is called a “cartomizer.” Cartomizers are far more reliable than the old-style cartridges, delivering vapor consistently until they are empty. You’ll know that a cartomizer is done when the flavor and vapor production begin to drop. When the cartomizer reaches that point, simply unscrew it, throw it away, screw on a new one and continue puffing. If you are looking for a micro e-cigarette — regardless of the one you select — I strongly suggest looking for one that uses cartomizers rather than old-style cartridges.

Safe Cig Micro Refill Cartomizers

Safe Cig’s Micro cartomizers are color-coded according to flavor.

Safe Cig Micro Performance

The thing that blows me away about the Safe Cig Micro is its reliable performance — something I’m not accustomed to with micro e-cigs. Usually, you have to be really careful with automatic batteries; you have to inhale just hard enough to turn the light on. If you don’t puff hard enough, the battery keeps turning on and off and you don’t get enough vapor for satisfaction. If you puff too hard, you get e-liquid in your mouth rather than vapor. I experienced none of these problems with the Safe Cig Micro; the battery turns on immediately when I puff, stays on as long as I want it to and shuts off immediately when I stop. The Safe Cig Micro delivers vapor consistently until the cartomizer is empty, and I never got plain e-liquid in my mouth during testing. In addition, the quantity of vapor that the Safe Cig Micro delivers is truly impressive for such a small e-cigarette.

Safe Cig Micro Battery Life

While testing the Safe Cig Micro, I counted the number of long puffs that I was able to get from the battery before it died. Each puff was more than five seconds long, and I performed this test several times to get an average. I found that the automatic battery of the Safe Cig Micro lasts an average of 40 long puffs before it needs to be charged, and charging the battery takes an average of 55 minutes. So, one battery charge gives you the equivalent of smoking four or so real cigarettes. Overall, I consider the battery life of the Safe Cig Micro to be more than adequate for an electronic cigarette in this size range. Also, the sensitivity level of the battery is perfect; I have found that some automatic batteries remain on for several seconds after you finish a puff. I have also found that some automatic batteries turn on just by being shaken, which can lead to some unfortunate accidents when you carry an e-cig in your pocket. I had none of these problems with the Safe Cig Micro.

Safe Cig Electronic Cigarette

The Safe Cig Micro is the same size as a real cigarette when fully assembled.

Safe Cig Blink PCC

Some micro electronic cigarettes come with a Portable Charging Case — or PCC — that you can use to charge the battery on the go. The Safe Cig Micro does not — however, a PCC is sold separately for $49.95. While the lack of a PCC is a drawback for the Safe Cig Micro, the upside is the fact that the Blink is a much better PCC than I’ve seen from other companies. The standard PCC has some problems; they usually have under-powered batteries. They’re also overly large and create an unsightly outline in your pocket. The biggest problem I have with most PCCs is the fact that they are often made of a slightly rubberized material that collects lint and makes them difficult to remove from your pocket.

The Blink, in my opinion, is a much better take on what a PCC should be. It holds one battery and just three refill cartomizers, allowing for a slim design that doesn’t create a bulge in your pocket. It has a large battery with over 1000 mAh of capacity, able to charge the battery of the Safe Cig Micro as many as seven times for all-day use. The best part about the Blink is the fact that it doesn’t just charge the Safe Cig Micro; it also has standard USB, mini USB and micro USB ports, enabling it to charge most common mobile devices such as iPods, iPhones and BlackBerry phones. This makes the Blink a great device for the mobile road warrior.

Safe Cig Blink Charging Pack

The Safe Cig Blink charging pack holds one battery and three refill cartomizers.

Safe Cig Micro Refill Packs

Safe Cig charges $16.95 for each pack of seven refill cartomizers, and 14 different flavors are available. My favorite thing about Safe Cig is the fact that the flavor selection sounds so incredibly enticing; each flavor is based on a tobacco variation and is designed to make the user think of some exotic location. In the group of refill packs that Safe Cig provided, my favorite was the Turkish flavor. It’s a rich, nutty, slightly sweet tobacco flavor with notes of dark chocolate and coffee that somewhat resembles Turkish tobacco. The other flavors available are equally exotic; I am particularly looking forward to trying Madagascar, an Oriental tobacco and green tea blend. The Brazilian flavor also sounds exciting; it’s a Burley tobacco flavor with notes of raspberry bramble and red wine.

Each refill cartomizer holds about .7 ml of e-liquid, allowing you to use it for up to approximately 250 puffs. Nicotine-wise, each cartomizer is the approximate equivalent of a pack of light cigarettes. So, your first pack should last quite a while before you need to pick up some refills. However, if you are making the switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes a full-time one, I highly recommend picking up a refill pack or two with your first order so you won’t be tempted to buy a pack of cigarettes if you run out and need to wait for a refill pack to be shipped.

It is worth noting that you may see lower prices for refill cartomizers when shopping for electronic cigarettes online. However, most refill packs contain five cartomizers, while Safe Cig’s refill packs contain seven. In addition, Safe Cig does not charge shipping fees on orders shipped within the United States. With other companies, you’ll spend about $2-5 for shipping each time you order. Between the lack of shipping fees and the larger refill packs, the prices even out. If you tend to buy one refill pack at a time, Safe Cig is an ideal company to purchase from.

Safe Cig Micro Refills

Each Safe Cig Micro refill pack holds seven cartomizers.

Safe Cig Coupon Code

If you read my Safe Cig review all the way to this point, thank you! As a token of my thanks, use the coupon code MYNEXTBAT when checking out to get a 30% discount on your order of a spare battery for your Safe Cig Micro.

Note: This review contains affiliate links. Purchases made through these links result in small commissions that help fund the continued development of eDripping.com without increasing your price. The affiliate relationship between eDripping.com and Safe Cig does not influence the opinions expressed in this review.