blu vape review: the current range put to the test

Few brands are as visible in British corner shops and supermarkets as this one, which is why a blu vape review draws a different audience from a review of a specialist device. These kits are bought by adults who want something simple from a shop they already visit, not by hobbyists comparing chipsets. This review looks at the current three kit range on those terms, and untangles the pod compatibility question that causes most of the confusion at the till.

How we tested and what we looked at

Each kit was used over several consecutive days, rotating through the pod flavours available for it, and assessed on four axes rather than an overall impression.

Handling covers the format in the hand, the perceived quality of the materials and how readable the battery indication is. Battery behaviour covers a typical day of moderate use and how predictably the kit charges. Vapour quality covers consistency from puff to puff, how faithfully each flavour is rendered and whether anything off appears at the end of a pod. Pods cover how easily they fit, whether the assembly holds and how consistent one pod is against the next from the same pack.

This blu vape review is editorial. Nothing here was supplied on condition of coverage and no commercial relationship shaped the conclusions.

The blu vape range: three kits, two pod ecosystems

The compatibility question first, because it is where money gets wasted. The current range runs on two separate pod families that do not interchange.

The blu 2.0 takes blu 2.0 pods of 1.9 ml, which fit that device and nothing else in the range. The blu Bar Kit and the blu Box Kit both take blu Pods of 2 ml, which swap freely between those two devices and do not fit the 2.0. All of it sits within the UK cap of 2 ml per cartridge and a maximum strength of 20 mg/ml, sold to adults aged 18 or over.

Getting this wrong is easy, since the branding is consistent across the range and the packaging differences are subtle. Check which device you own before buying pods, particularly online.

The blu 2.0 in daily use

The 2.0 is the most widely stocked of the three and the one most people encounter first. Its elongated shape is closer to a cigarette than a modern pod kit, which is the whole point of the design and the reason it draws the audience it does.

It carries a 400 mAh battery charged over USB-C in around thirty five minutes, which comfortably covers moderate use across a working day. The magnetic pod connection is the standout feature in ordinary handling: the pod clicks in, stays put, and nothing came loose across our testing period.

The draw is tight and consistent, and vapour output held steady from puff to puff. The pods use a ceramic wicking arrangement the manufacturer markets under its own name, and each is rated up to around 1300 puffs, a figure that varies considerably with how you vape.

The clearest limitation is the battery indicator, which does not give enough warning to plan a charge. Carrying the cable becomes a habit rather than a precaution.

The blu Bar Kit and blu Box Kit

The Bar Kit is the compact option, noticeably smaller than the 2.0 and easy to keep in a pocket. It carries a 550 mAh battery with a full charge in about an hour over USB-C, and runs the 2 ml blu Pods with a third generation mesh coil rated up to around 1000 puffs per pod.

In use it produced vapour comparable to the 2.0 with a slightly more concentrated rendering of the menthol profiles, and the same tight draw. It is also the kit that most visibly collects fingerprints, which is a cosmetic complaint rather than a functional one.

The Box Kit takes a squatter form with a 560 mAh battery, charging in roughly the same hour, and uses the same 2 ml pods as the Bar Kit. It is the one we would pick for a full day away from a charger, and its build feels the most solid of the three with a clearer battery indication. The trade is discretion: the box format is the least subtle of the range in a professional setting.

Pod performance across the range

Both pod families are prefilled and designed to deliver consistent output from first puff to last. On that specific promise our results were positive: we saw no drift in the flavour profile partway through a pod, which is a genuine differentiator against some rival cartridge systems where the final third disappoints.

The seal held throughout. No pod leaked during testing, including when a kit was carried loose in a rucksack for several days, and the flavour range covers the expected ground of tobacco, menthol and a few fruit profiles. Tobacco and menthol were rendered more faithfully than the fruits, which came across as broader and sweeter than their names suggest.

Pod longevity varies with how heavily you vape, as the stated puff counts acknowledge, and moderate use will usually get through a day. Anyone comparing this system against a refillable device should read our open pod versus closed pod comparison, because the cost structure differs far more than the hardware does.

Living with a closed system

Two weeks with these kits highlights what a closed system asks of you and what it removes. There is no coil to prime, no bottle to carry and no decision to make beyond which flavour to pick up, and for a lot of adults that is precisely the appeal.

The cost of that simplicity is paid in flexibility and in pence per millilitre. Every pod carries its own coil and packaging, so the recurring outlay stays permanently higher than a refillable device running bottled liquid, and the flavour list never grows beyond the manufacturer's catalogue.

Charging is the other daily consideration. All three kits use USB-C, all three reach a full charge inside an hour or thereabouts, and none of them tells you precisely how much is left, so the practical habit is topping up during a routine break rather than waiting for a warning.

FAQ

Do all three blu kits use the same pods? No. The blu 2.0 uses its own 1.9 ml pods exclusively. The blu Bar Kit and blu Box Kit share the 2 ml blu Pods, which are interchangeable between those two devices only.

Which kit lasts longest between charges? The Box Kit, on its 560 mAh battery, with the Bar Kit close behind at 550 mAh. The 2.0 carries 400 mAh and is the one most likely to need a top up during a long day.

Do the pods contain nicotine? They are sold in several nicotine strengths up to the UK maximum of 20 mg/ml, and nicotine free options appear in some retailers. Nicotine is an addictive substance and these products are for adults aged 18 or over.

Is the draw suitable for someone used to cigarettes? The draw across the range is a tight mouth to lung style, which is the closest available to a cigarette draw and the reason the range is designed the way it is.

Where can I buy pods in the UK? Wide availability is the practical advantage here, since the range is stocked by supermarkets, convenience retailers and specialist vape shops rather than only the latter.

What this blu vape review concludes

Judged against what it sets out to do, the range holds up. It is coherent, well assembled and genuinely simple, and the pod systems deliver the consistency they promise. The Box Kit is the most convincing of the three for heavy daily use, and the 2.0 remains the most accessible entry point purely on availability and familiar format.

What the range does not offer is flexibility. There is no liquid choice beyond the catalogue, no coil selection and no adjustment, and anyone who wants those things should be looking at a refillable device and reading our guide on choosing a vape coil instead. Within its own remit, though, this blu vape review finds a range that does exactly what it says and nothing it cannot back up. Our cost breakdown is the place to weigh the convenience against what it adds up to over a year.

Content for adults aged 18 or over. Vaping products containing nicotine are addictive. This article is editorial and is not a purchase recommendation.