Get ’em while they’re legal!
Nanny Bloomberg may now be gunning for e-cigarettes, but the burning question is: Do they hold a candle to the real thing?
The Post put five of the most popular e-cigs (each emits flavored nicotine vapor and lasts as long as two packs of regular cigs) to a jury of true experts — hard-bitten, chain-smoking tabloid journalists. Their verdict, on a scale of zero (plain sucks) to 5 e-smokes (alive with pleasure!):
Njoy OneJoy
This disposable e-cig — $26.97 for a three-pack — is made by a firm backed by Silicon Alley’s Sean Parker. It’s comparable in size to a longer 100, but bulkier. The all-white cigarette with a gold band looks like a Marlboro Light with an ashy tip that reddens as you inhale. But similarities to the real thing end there. Smoke and taste are nearly nonexistent. Overall, OneJoy offered no joy.
Rating: Zero e-smokes
Njoy King
Njoy makes up for its dismal OneJoy with the King, which runs $26.97 for a three-pack. And with Courtney Love as its spokeswoman, what could possibly go wrong? The e-cig comes in a lighter-like case, which sets the right vibe for the pseudo-smoking experience. The body is white with a red tip, it’s the right size, and the shaft and filter feel papery and pliant — like a real butt. Though it produces a near-perfect puff of vapor, it has a slight sweet-vanilla flavor.
Rating: Four e-smokes
Smoke Stik
Leonardo DiCaprio favors this $40 rechargeable e-cig. Inside the uncrushable flip-top box are a USB charger, two cartridges of tobacco-flavored nicotine and the cigarette itself. The sleek black filter reminds testers of 1920s cigarette holders. But it creates too intense billows of vapor, and a “too sweet” taste. Cartridges must be replaced at a cost of $14.99 for five, and it takes three to four hours to recharge the shaft’s battery.
Rating: Three e-smokes
South Beach Smoke
Uma Thurman, Katherine Heigl and JWoww are reportedly big fans of this disposable cig, which goes for $40 in a four-pack. It’s like a cigarette on steroids — longer, wider, heavier and awkward. The vapor is milder, and nearly everyone complained about the taste. “Tropic fruit,” according to one journo.
Rating: Two e-smokes
Blu
Carrie Fisher and Lindsay Lohan might have problems — but being able to smoke wherever and whenever they want isn’t one of them (at least for now). Both are fans of this $11.99 disposable with a black body and a blue tip that lights up when you inhale. The smoke level is just right, but the taste is cloying and sweet. They may stand out aesthetically, but they don’t offer realistic tobacco flavor.
Rating: 2 1/2 e-smokes