Here at Heat Not Burn UK as we have said before we are very interested in all kinds of heated tobacco products from all around the world. Well we have managed to find a heated tobacco product from China that is called the iBuddy i1, and it is an interesting bit of kit.
It is supposed to come with some “iBuddy sticks” that are specially designed for the unit but so far we haven’t been able to find any! Now as luck would have it the tobacco sticks from the iQOS actually fit into the iBuddy. What are the odds of that happening? In truth we have a sneaking feeling that it was designed for the HEETS that go with the PMI iQOS, we would like to be proved wrong so if any of our readers have actually seen any then please let us know.
Our effervescent staff member Fergus has managed to do a excellent unboxing video where we will show you what the iBuddy i1 is all about and what exactly comes with the kit. How will it measure up to the iQOS? Wait and see in our next video in a couple of weeks time.
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I look forward to seeing how the iBuddy performs. The most frustrating aspect of the iQOS is that it shuts off so quickly. If you fire up a Heet stick whilst concentrating on something else, before you know it your session’s over and you’ve only taken four or five puffs! That 40 pence worth of product half wasted and a six minute wait for a recharge before you can have another go with a new stick.
I’ve let PMI know that their stingy time/puff limits on iQOS are very unsatisfactory (especially so given the price for a packet of Heet sticks). I would be most happy to have a slightly larger holder and longer Heet which provided a minimum of 8 minutes usage… only then would the company’s claim to be a worthy cigarette substitute be justifiable.
Still, some of the Japanese video reviews of the iBuddy appear to suggest that it allows for longer sessions – per-Heet – than the iQOS does. If this is the case, I’ll be first in the queue to get one!