Bo One and Bo Plus Review

Product introduction

The Bo One has been available since 2016, but initial batches seemed to be having some issues with leaking pods and poor overall performance—which led to JWell removing the product from the US market for a while. The device has since re-entered the market and, judging from the samples we tested, the issues seem to have been completely resolved.

While the Bo One and the Bo Plus don’t look much alike, they are very similar from a performance perspective. But outside of the design and the much higher battery capacity of the Bo Plus, there are some other features that set these devices apart—such as the lifetime warranty of the Bo One!

So, will you find between these two devices the vape that will get you off the cigarettes? Keep reading to find out!

Prices:
Bo One: 22.90€-29.90€ (depending on color)
Bo Plus: 29.90€
Bo caps: 6.50€ for a pack of two pods
Bo Discovery pack (includes a Bo One and one Bo Cap of each flavor): 49.90€
Bo Power (charging station for the Bo One): 39.90€

Size, weight, and feel

The same can be said for the Bo Plus, although it looks like a product that belongs to another category—it is almost twice as wide and twice as heavy as the Bo One. We tested the black edition; part of the device is soft textured (same material as the soft-touch Bo One) and part is a matte black that feels very nice to the touch. Plus, you get a leather pouch to carry it in, which is always a good thing. The pouch can be attached on your belt, but we had some trouble removing the device from the leather pouch, so we wouldn’t advise using it like that. But it works well as a protective pouch for the device.

All in all, the two Bo devices pass the build quality test with flying colors. Out of the beginner vapes we have reviewed, these are by far the most impressive ones.

Getting started

It is worth noting that terms of the lifetime warranty may vary depending on what country’s website you buy the Bo One from. If you purchase it online, you will have to ship the product to Bo for a replacement to take place. If you buy it from a physical location, your vendor will most likely handle the process for you.

The Bo Plus on the other hand, comes with a USB type-C cable, the leather pouch, and a user manual. That’s it, no lifetime warranty on this one but you do get the advantages of a type-C connection.

Using both devices is very straightforward:

• Make sure your device is charged.
• Take a Bo cap out of its plastic cover.
• Remove the colored cap.
• Remove the silicon gaskets from the top and bottom of the cap.
• Insert the cap in the device by pushing it gently inside the opening.

That’s it. Both devices are draw-activated so you don’t need to press a button to vape—just inhale on the mouthpiece. When the Bo cap is empty you can dispose of it and replace it with a new one.

Note that there is no way to check for juice levels without removing the pod from the battery—there is a small window on the Bo One, but it is not going to help much. If at any point you feel that flavor is deteriorating or that the vapor is feeling drier, we suggest removing the pod to check if there’s still e-liquid inside. This way you will avoid a nasty burnt hit. The pods are also dark tinted, so being near a light source will help.

How does it hit?

The devices vape similarly, but we did notice that the Bo One is a little bit tighter than the Bo Plus. It’s not a big difference, and some of us think that the difference comes from the Bo Plus having a slightly weaker sensor. What this means for you, is that you may need to get your lungs involved a little bit when using the Bo Plus, although the draw on both devices is not far from the draw you’d get from a cigarette.

We noticed some drops flying out when taking the pod out of the device while there’s still some juice left inside, but no leaking inside the contacts or spitting through the mouthpiece.

Are the flavors any good?

It is also worth noting that Bo recently introduced a CBD line, but we haven’t had a chance to test it yet.

American Tobacco (Tobacco line)
A great tobacco flavor with just a little bit of sweetness to it, to make it more palatable. This one was the team’s clear favorite and we all felt that it is excellent for an all-day vape. It’s at a similar level to some of our favorite tobacco pods, the Logic Tobacco and blu’s Gold Leaf. Two thumbs up.

Complex Tobacco (Tobacco line)
This is a tobacco and honey mix. It is not much sweeter than the American Tobacco and doesn’t give the unpleasant odor that’s sometimes associated with honey vapes. Most of us really liked the flavor, and it is worth noting that this is one of the rare cases that a beginner vapes comes with more than one solid tobacco option.

Butterscotch Tobacco (Tobacco line)
A mix of tobacco and butterscotch, this was by far the sweetest of the tobaccos. This is very common pairing in vaping and if you like a bit of sweetness, you’ll probably enjoy this flavor. We found it to be more of a dessert vape than a tobacco vape, which may not a bad thing depending on your palate.

British Berry (Ice Fruit line)
This was our least favorite of the Bo flavors, but not so much because of the flavor per se—which was cool and fruity as expected. It just left an unpleasant lingering odor to the room. The flavor itself was passable, but we strongly recommend vaping this one outdoors, just to be safe.

Polar Mint (Mint line)
That’s a great mint flavor with a very strong menthol cooling sensation; it’s by far the strongest menthol we’ve tried in a pre-filled beginner vape. Most of us don’t love menthol here, but if you do, chances are you are going to like this one. Just be prepared, it’s going to ice your throat big time.

Lemonade (Sweet and Drink line)
Bo describes this as an aloe-lemonade mix, which sounds just about right. A very refreshing and lemonade flavor, laying somewhere between a lemon soda and a homemade lemonade. There is also some cooling effect in there, but nothing close to the Polar Mint flavor. This was our favorite outside of the tobacco line.

Vanilla (Cream line)
This is a complex flavor that, according to Bo, also has some caramel and tobacco in the mix. Some of us liked it while others found it a bit too lackluster for their taste. If you are a vanilla fan, it may be worth a try to see for yourself.

All in all, we were very satisfied with the options Bo offers. There’s a fair bit of variety and some really good flavors to pick from, and it seems that JWell has really worked on their recipes. Plus, the highlights are the tobaccos, which is always great when it comes to vapes that are aimed towards the transitioning smoker.

Battery life and charging

The Bo Plus on the other hand, comes with an impressive 800 mAh battery. We managed to vape around three and a half pods in one charge, making it the longest lasting beginner vape we have tested to date. On top of that, the device is said to charge in around 20’ using a quick charger—but at the same time, the manual states that it should be charged at a maximum of 1 amp. We suggest following the advice of the manual. Testing it on a laptop USB port, it needed approximately 75’ to charge fully. For an 800 mAh battery that’s not bad at all.

Both devices use the same battery indication LED system, with the light exhibiting battery levels while you vape. According to the manual, the blue light will turn white when the device has 50% of battery left, and red when it’s time to charge. The device’s light pulses white when charging and turns off when it is full.

Pros / Cons

Verdict