Smoking causes lung cancer, breathing disorders, makes your hair, skin, breath and nails smell funny, and in the current economic market makes your pocketbook empty.  With my favorite brand of smokes rising again to five bucks a pack, I decided to do some research.

There's a product on the market that is revolutionizing the way smokers, well, smoke!  They're called electronic cigarettes, and there are numerous brands out there for you to try.  I'm going to give you a head's up on the one I like the best - the blu cig.

The blu electronic cigarette is a device made of recycled plastic that looks and feels like a real cigarette, but when you take a drag, the atomizer inside activates and a water-based vapor comes rushing into your mouth. Users get a burst of flavor and nicotine at whatever level they desire, and the vapor contains nothing but nicotine and steam, basically.

blu comes in three parts:

• Battery - this is the part of blu that is in place of where your tobacco would be in a regular cigarette.
• Atomizer - This slips into the battery and dips into the cartridge.
  
• Cartridge - Contains the nicotine and flavoring of your choice, and is what you suck through to take a puff, about filter sized.
  

There are a number of reasons why a smoker (or even a non-smoker, with blu's zero nicotine option) should choose blu e-cigs:

• Price - blu is the best electronic cigarette on the market, and is the lowest priced to boot! Once you break it down, by buying the blu and a carton of cartridges, you are paying roughly $1.25 per pack, versus that five bucks a pack for traditional cigarettes.
  
• Flavor choice - There are five flavor options available to blu customers.  Tobacco, Magnificent Menthol, Java Jolt, Vivid Vanilla and Cherry Crush.  They're all tasty!
  
• Ease of use - Once you charge the batteries, just pop on a new cartridge and take a puff, it's that simple.  No lighters to fumble for, minimal assembly required!
  
• Aesthetics - blu comes in three color styles, all of them featuring the blue LED tip that lights up a bright blue color when you take a drag.  Sleek, small and dignified, blu is much better looking than an actual cigarette.
  

If you're 18 or older and live in the United States or Canada, you can have blu shipped to you after you purchase at the website. Just pick your starter pack, your flavor and the color you want your blu to be (either white or black at present) and tell them where you want it shipped. Bam, you're on your way to using a product that is better than a "traditional" cigarette, is cheaper per carton, and looks cooler than a tobacco cigarette.