Okay, so, I recently got my hands on the new IQOS ILUMA. I’ve been using the older IQOS devices for a while, and I was pretty pumped to try this new one out. I mean, induction heating? Sounds fancy, right? The box says it’s only compatible with these new TEREA sticks, which is a bummer because I still had a bunch of the old HEETS lying around. But hey, gotta move with the times, I guess.
So, first thing I did was grab a pack of TEREA Blue sticks. I heard they were good, and Blue is usually my go-to flavor anyway. The sticks look a bit different, kinda sealed at both ends. I popped one into the ILUMA holder, and it slid in real smooth. No more stabbing the tobacco with a blade like the old days!
Next, I pressed the button on the holder to turn it on. The ILUMA has this auto-start feature, which is pretty neat. It detects when you insert a stick and starts heating automatically. You can also turn it on manually, like I did. I watched the lights on the holder blink for a bit – that’s it warming up. It’s supposed to be quicker than the old models, and I think it was, but it’s not a massive difference. You’re still waiting around for a bit, you know?
Here’s a quick rundown of the steps:
- Get your TEREA stick – make sure it’s TEREA, not HEETS.
- Insert the stick into the ILUMA holder, the sealed end faces down.
- Turn on the holder – either manually or let the auto-start do its thing.
- Wait for the vibration and the lights to stop blinking – that means it’s ready.
- Start puffing!
Once it vibrated and the lights were solid, I took my first puff. The flavor was definitely cleaner, I’ll give them that. It felt smoother, too. I guess that induction heating thing does make a difference. The draw was pretty consistent throughout the whole session, which is good. With the older models, it sometimes felt like the heating was uneven.
I’ve been using the ILUMA with the TEREA sticks for a few days now, and I’m pretty happy with it. It’s definitely an upgrade from the older models. No more broken blades, no more cleaning, and the flavor is better. It’s a bit of a pain that you can only use TEREA sticks, but I guess that’s how they get you, right? It’s a whole new system. Overall, I think it’s worth checking out if you’re already an IQOS user or if you’re thinking about switching from cigarettes. It’s not perfect, but it’s a solid device.
Oh, and one last thing – I tried sticking an old HEETS stick into the ILUMA just to see what would happen. It didn’t work, obviously. The device just didn’t start. So yeah, they weren’t kidding when they said it’s only for TEREA. Don’t even try it!
