South Beach Smoke Review
If you’re reading this, than you’ve probably already heard about South Beach Smoke. It’s one of the hottest electronic cigarette brands right now, and that’s practically the main reason I decided to do a review of their product. With new names popping up in the business virtually every day, building a name for yourself is pretty tough, but South Beach Smoke has somehow managed to become one of the most popular e-cigarette companies in the world. But advertising and great marketing in general can be deceiving, and it’s time to see if SBS e-cigs live up to their reputation.
A Look at the Contents
For this review I used the South Beach Smoke Deluxe Starter Kit, the most basic package they have on offer. It comes with two lithium-ion batteries (manual or automatic), a wall charger, and 5-pack of cartomizers. Definitely not the most impressive starer kit I’ve ever tested, especially since it doesn’t even come with a USB charger. You have to either buy it separately or get a more expensive kit. This being he 21st century and all, I can’t understand why the USB charger isn’t included in their basic package, since that’s what’s most vapers actually use to recharge batteries. The wall charger I got was also very different than the standard one most other brands use. It comes with a short cord, making the whole accessory longer than it needs to be. The weird thing is the photo of the Deluxe Kit on the South Beach Smoke website actually shows a USB charger and a normal wall adapter…
The kit comes in a small magnet-top box, branded with the South Beach Smoke logo. I like that it’s smaller than other starter kits I’ve used, makes it easier to carry, but it’s definitely not enough to make me get over its austere content.
Battery Life and Overall Performance
South Beach Smoke and I didn’t exactly start off on the right foot, but I was hoping the batteries would change my initial opinion. The SuperMAXX™ name sounded intriguing, and I was curious if there was more than branding behind it. SBS uses one of the most advanced e-cigarette models, the KR808D, and that right there is a big plus. But that’s not all; while most KR808Ds are regulated at 3.7 volts, South Beach Smoke upped the power of its devices to 4.2 volts, which, depending on the resistance of the cartomizers, makes vapor hotter and requires less draw to produce an equivalent volume of vapor. 3.7 volts is my sweet spot, but I have to admit using these “supercharged” SuperMAXX™ batteries was a welcomed change of pace. You have to be careful what kind of cartomizers you use them with, though. I tried some Green Smoke cartos and got a burnt taste after only a couple of puffs.
The reason I only tried them with Green Smoke cartomizers is very simple – the batteries have the same KR808D-2 threading. What that means is they are not compatible with the much more popular KR808D-1 accessories most e-cigarette suppliers sell. If you plan on being faithful to the few brands that actually use this threading, it’s not going to affect you at all, but this just strikes me as a gimmick some companies use to make sure customers keep buying their cartomizers, exclusively. Otherwise, the battery life was pretty satisfying – I got about 200 – 250 puffs out of the standard battery, and about 350 puffs out of the extra-capacity battery – the switch was responsive throughout the entire testing period, and the recessed crystal tip is a pretty nice touch.
Vapor Production
I expected a great vapor production from the 4.2-volt SuperMAXX™ batteries, and they didn’t disappoint. Practically every KR808D battery I’ve tried so far did very well in this department, and the South Beach Smoke was no exception. The kit I used for this review came with two automatic batteries, so I didn’t get a chance to test the manuals, but the ones we got produced great vapor. Like most automatic e-cigarettes, they perform best after a primer puff, but even without one, the volume and density of the vapor are very satisfying. The user manual and the company’s official site don’t seem to include a list of e-liquid ingredients, but judging by the high vapor production, they might be using a mix of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine.
I really have nothing bad to say about South Beach Smoke’s regarding vapor volume. It constantly produced white clouds, even when the batteries were nearly depleted, I got a nice throat hit from the 12 mg nicotine e-liquid, so obviously two thumbs up on this one.
E-Liquid, Flavors and Cartomizers
Another reason why I was looking for the ingredients in South Beach Smoke’s e-liquid is because I thought their flavors tasted funny. Now, I’ve tried dozens of different juices during my journey in the world of vapor. Obviously, some I liked more than others, but so far I’ve never tasted anything quite like the stuff SBS uses for its electronic cigarettes. And no, unfortunately I don’t mean that in a good way. The first flavor I tried was the tobacco, and I didn’t like it one bit. It had this weird musty taste that reminded me a lot of the taste I got in mouth when my mom forced me to swallow pills as a child. But this wasn’t the first time I had a bad first impression when trying new juice, so I continued vaping the stuff and hoping my taste buds would finally accept it. Sadly, after days of using the e-cigarette, I still got that medicinal taste.
Worse still is the fact that all other South Beach Smoke flavors had the same strange base taste, some more potent than others. The Tobacco Gold, for example, was actually pretty nice, with a strong tobacco taste that actually made the medicinal aftertaste bearable. I know e-liquid contains various chemicals, but I don’t expect it to taste like it too. I even went online and searched for user reviews and their impressions on the e-liquid, but while some very few shared my opinion, most though South Beach Smoke flavors are great. That just goes to show you flavors are a matter of personal preference, and you should always try stuff for yourself.
South Beach Smoke has 10 different flavors you can try, including three types of tobacco, menthol and peppermint.
In conclusion
I have mixed feelings regarding the South Beach Smoke electronic cigarette, and if you’ve read through this review, I think you can understand why. I think their SuperMAXX™ batteries are great, I loved the awesome vapor production and the throat hit, but I couldn’t help but feel let down by the shady taste of the e-liquid (which I recommend they change) and the poor contents of the Deluxe Kit, especially the lack of a USB charger. South Beach Smoke may be one of the most popular e-cigarette brands of the moment, but I can think of a number of less known e-cigarettes that would put them to shame.
South Beach Smoke 10% Off
south beach smoke is a wonderful company when it comes to their products and how they treat their customers. they do everything they claim to and then some. Absolutely a product I will be sticking with! The vapor- its no joke- a little goes a LONG way and the cartridges last me days each. FINALLY an e-cigarette i am happy with. No ELATED with. The smoking is exactly how i wanted it, and I feel just as satisfied as I did with cigarettes.
I’ve been using SBS for a year now and have been quite satisfied in all respects. They even sent me new batteries, chargers and a case for no charge when I mentioned I had been using them for a year my last order. As a former tobacco user, I couldn’t ask for a better product and service.
The feeling I get from these is amazing! its spot on for the nicotine from cigarettes and i can deal with the differences in use for the after affects. i don’t mind the changing of the cartridges and the charging batteries, it was obviously different at first. the flavors are nice, also had to get used. but the feeling is the same. having the e-cig to vape and feel the nice smooth throat hit is much nicer than trying to quit without any help at all. glad I tried them, really glad to be using them, its great to not smoke any more. my body is thanking me everyday! 🙂
the white battery part does not stay charged long I have had to get replacements two times
I got the sensation of sucking on a hollow straw with these-not what you want when trying to replace the solid hit of a cig. The tobacco blue flavor was disgusting chocolate. Vapor production was not impressive at all. Sending it back.
Igot a starter kit which was my first time using such a product since the day I received it i haven’t wanted to smoke a real cig. Vapor is fantastic bold flavore is also great came with 10 carto’s over a week and I still have some left fantastic performer
After so many screwed up shipping orders over the past two years, and then to ships me $600 bucks worth of product, and the Supervisor Amanda says, no problem, you will be given distributor pricing, and replacement…they now have reneged on the agreement. South Beach products are not the problem…it’s the telemarketers who are the problem.
I didn’t like the feeling of not being able to blow more smoke like vapors while exhaling.
The cartomizers are very expensive and attempting to purchase refilable ones that fit is very difficult.
Buy a ecig with a different thread and save yourseld a lot of money.
My rating is a 4 work out these problems i seem to be having… A True 5 for sure./// I smoked regular cigarette s for 35 years, unable to kick the habit, I got the south beach smoke Deluxe starter kit and having had to smoke a regular one in five weeks. I enjoy and recomend the bold or the full flavor Tabaco flavors. At times the batteries seem like they weather don’t burn right or they just don’t last as long. So when I called them about this the person who I spoke with sudgested that after charge ring tap the threaded side of the batteries fairly hard 6 to 9 times so I did and batterie life was better. Tell one day it stopped working all together. At that time I tapped it in the opposite detection and got it back working. It seems to me the contents inside the batteries are not secure and is causing this to happen. I can control the amount of vapor by doing this which I like but I wonder what all the tapping is doing to the batterie life. Ok now for the USB electric smoke. I have two S.B.S. USB wall chargers and two of the USB electrical cigarette’s for some reason the usb electric smoke won’t work with the USB wall chargers that they provide so I half to use my phone charger to make them work. They also don’t seem to produce as much vapor as the batteries do. I haven’t called them on this yet. I will update on this. One last thing I am wondering about xonstency of the amounts of fluid in the filter part of the e smoke this second batch of cartridges don’t ssem to be lasting as long. Even with these problems, Which I am sure they are aware of I will continue to buy the south beach smoke. I also havnt contacted them issue weather. I will also update on this. Than for reaching and vapor on!!!
David Stemhagen
Like the product, but not the service. Extended my recurring shipment and they shipped it 11 days early. I wanted one pack of cartridges and they sent me 7. It was over $200 and they charged shipping. Tried to call and email several times. Call would not go through and the email would not come up. Had to close my credit card account so I would not be charged. Just a warning to let you know no customer service exists.
Thanks for the information.I have been smoking for years and want to change to e cigarettes , but so many different brands exist. I have tried several different ones.What I am looking for is a e cigarette that doesn’t look like a pencil hanging out of my mouth.I want one that is equivalent to the size of a king size cigarette and has the same strength as the light cigarettes that I smoke.Think in have come to the conclusion I should smoke an e cigarette that I can purchase from a local store.So far the brand Blu comes pretty close to that .it produces the same smoke or vapor as my regular cigarette and also is about the same size as a king cigarette .Was wondering if anyone had any suggestions .I would like to try South Beach but want to know a little more about it and would actually like to try the ecigarette before I spend a lot of money on it.
Not happy with battery life and the first two vapor cartridges lasted no more than 140 to 160 draws. Getting accustomed to taste but if the cartridges don’ t give better results cigarettes are cheaper.
Also love the product, but since organising recurring orders customer service is zero.
First order placed is still yet to be filled, with anything, three weeks later.
Phone calls, emails, etc are either ignored or given false promises.
A great Product, severEly let down by the level of customer service.
We purchased two South Beach Smoke air starter kits in October. Both of which chambers broke in less than two weeks. Contacted customer service and was told they have problems with this particular product. The only option they gave us was to spend even more money on a different product. I left a review on their website detailing the issues we had with the air vaporizers which was of course negative. The review was never posted and when I log on to my account it’s gone. This is obviously the method that their company uses to maintain a high rating, just throw out the bad ones.
i have been using sbs now for abt 1 yr or longer. The last batch of juice they sent me suddenly went dark which in turn lasts a lot less than usual. We called them and they offered m discount on my next purchase after requesting to have 3 bottles still sealed to be exchanged they refused to exchange them and issued a discount. Once the juice goes to a dark color it is almost tasteless, renders the filter useless like clogged up, last a lot less than the orange colored one. I have placed a new order and we will see what happens.will keep you posted. I agree customer service needs to be worked on for sure.
I just placed my second order with SBV, I am thrilled with this product, and wish I had found it sooner..Customer Service is excellent, and delivery was fast.I have gone from smoking a pack of cigs a day to two cigarettes a day. I hope to soon be finished with regular cigarettes, and with SBV I have confidence I will be..Thank you for this wonderful product..Mary Ann
The cartridges have little flavor, and taste like plastic. I really like the style and the convenience of getting a long and short battery but they really need to step up the flavor.
Worst e cig I have ordered yet and they refuse to honor their 30 day “no questions asked” warranty.
It’s like sucking air through a straw and the flavors are awful.
I love my E cigarette kit. I love the mgs it’s helping me to slow down on my smoking. Which is a good thing and I appreciate that guys and gals! Keep up the good work. And I was wondering if you guys are ever going to come up with a special travel case for the cartridges besides the charger case?
terible all around , don’t waste your time
They have gone down hill, in the past year. Lucky if their batteries last a month, charging once a day.
The cartomizers come with a burnt taste right out of the box. nothing can fix that. I have had a few carts that were broken when opened.
When I call them and let them know. they do not seem to care, If you try to write a bad review on their website, they do not let it go thru!
I will be looking into different companies, and not vapor fi, since they are the same company!
I joined the whatever it is called, to have them shipped every so often. But I have to call each time, to make sure they push the date back. I can order one week before the next shipment is due to come out and they will still try to send it out. We should be able to change the shipping on our own, not have to call each time. you get up to 4 free batteries. If the batteries were so good, why do they send you free ones then? Because they are junk now.
I started vaping with gamucci. One battery would last me up to 10 months, Not under a month like SBS batteries do!
I wish gamucci was still around. they were the best!
I forgot to mention that you are supposed to get a 20% discount, and when ordering it will not work. I have to call and place the order and they always try to give me a 5-10% discount, I said no, on the page if you are a member you get 20% off all carts. It is a pain in the neck trying to do anything with this company.
And watch the sales tax, for your state. They rip you off. I figure it out ahead of time, and they always charge at least $2.70 more in sales tax than should be charged. Someone even complained to the BBB because of them over charging people for sales tax!
They say they cannot fix it.