Hi all. New to snus and Im wondering what is the advantage to loose snus? Isn't it the same as what's in portions? If so isn't it more convenient to just grab a pouch?

I ask because I have thought about trying it out. I am a bit leery though as I know I will need an icetool (im not patient nor coordinated enough to hand bake) and at $30+ for the tool plus the loose snus and what if I dont like it?

How did you loose snusers out there decide to try it? Any disappointments? Any other input is also appreciated before I decide to give it a try.

The advantage to loose snus is that you get more snus for your money. Portions have 24 grams in a can, and loose has 45 grams per can.

I use both portions and loose. I tend to enjoy loose snus more than portion.

I wouldn't worry about the cost of the Icetool. If you find you don't enjoy loose snus and your Icetool, you could always sell it or trade for lots of snus. Used Icetool's are always sought after, they alos hold their value.

I say, give loose a try.

I tried it for the first time after I'd been using portions for about a month.

I only use Lös when I'm at home, but it's practically all I use at home now. I love it.

You don't need an icetool. Just get a 5 ml syringe from CVS or Walgreens and cut the tip off. That's what I use and it works great.

I would second what Julls said. Give it a try. You may find that you enjoy it.

i have to agree with these guys. i made this very topic awhile back. man was i scared of loose. before snus i had never used any dip or chew product. ewwww. just the thought of it was nasty. anyways i found snus and then of course loose snus. as i sit here i have a nice size portion of offroad frosted loose in and wow does it taste good. the taste is different from loose to portions. its subtle but it is definately there.



oh and also icetools might be nice but dont forget your handy prismaster. that thing saved my life when i first started using loose snus. and dont be afraid of hand baking. it might seem difficult now. but i dont use anything anymore. all loose is use is hand baked. the tools i find are too tight i like the loose stuffing of handbaking. brings the flavor out faster i think.


my thread

to summarize dont be afraid of loose more snus for your dollar. and great tasting to boot.

You do not need an Icetool. a $2 Prismaster will get you started and most everyone can learn to handbake. Buy a cheap can of snus, I suggest a Phantom variety, and by the end of the can you will be able to handbake. Training your lip to contain is a little harder, but it learns fast also.
There are taste differences between loose and portions, they are subtle. I wouldn't say better or worse, just different. The big things with lös are more control over how much you use per lipful, menaing you can use .5 grams or half the can depending on how much nicotie you want. And , for us US snussers right now, cost. Lös ranges from 35-50 grams per can depending on brand, portions are 20-24 grams. A can of lös is generally a few pennies cheaper than portions.

I like others here use portions for work and date night, and mainly lös at home. I started lös because I got a couple cans in a trade and didn't want to waste them. I use about 40% lös now.

95% of the time I use General Sterk portions, but trust me, I've used a LOT of lös in my time. While it's true that you get more snus per ounce when you purchase loose, the trade off is that you have to use more loose to get the nicotine you would from a portion.

The difference is in the way it is processed. Portions have more E500 than loose snus, which boosts the "free" nicotine. Or so I'm told. Either way, if you were to cut open a couple of portions and dump the snus out, and pull out the equivalent amount of lös, the snus that came from the portions would hit you a lot harder than the loose, because it's designed to penetrate through a fiber pouch.

So, while I used to recommend loose due to it that it had more weight per can, I no longer stress that fact because in my case at least, it all evens out. I go through a can of loose just as fast as I do portions, because I have to use more of it to get a nic hit.

YMMV and all that; there's plenty that would probably disagree with me.

Feck, I kinda disagree with you. I think the reason you get a better "hit" from equivalent weights is simply dispersal. A portion spreads out the gum contact more than lös can without self destructing. Meaning a smaller amount of snus covers more area.

I knew that if anyone was going to disagree with me, it was going to be Mick.

feck wrote:
I knew that if anyone was going to disagree with me, it was going to be Mick.

Well, when you are wrong it's my job to point it out. At least I think that's what you told me.

That is correct.

Thanks for the info all.
I have decided to give it try! I think I'll just pick up a can of General at the cigar store (the only real snus they have) and take hwagner's advice of cutting off a syringe.
This way if I don't like it I am not really out anything. If I do like it then I can order all kinds of los and try them out.
So is an icetool simply a metal, glorified syringe? If so why not just do what hwagner suggested?

An Icetool is a precision metal tube, with a plunger and an O-ring to keep everything in place. So yeah like a cut off syringe. It's a Zippo compared to a Bic mini. Both do the same job, but the Icetool does it cooler.

Actually a cut off syringe will leak juice and get dirty faster, need cleaned more often and will not allow as tight a pack as the Icetool. If you like lös snus you should consider an Icetool. For your purposes now a syringe or Prismaster will work just fine.

Well, so much for picking up a can of General loose at the tobacco shop. He doesn't have any and never heard of it but did state he'd order some.
I just placed my 2nd snus order ever and cant wait to try out some new ones. I also ordered a bunch of loose! I cant imagine I'll find it that terrible and if it isn't for me I figured I can always put it up on the snus exchange.

Bigmick, I am in no way against the icetool, I've heard nothing but great things about it. I just dont want to drop $35 on one only to find I don't like loose. I figured I'd use a syringe to start and then if I enjoy it I can grab an icetool.

beaver22 wrote:
I figured I'd use a syringe to start and then if I enjoy it I can grab an icetool.
That's what I did. I still use portion much more than loose, but I finally was using enough loose to justify the Ice Tool.

Be careful with the syringe. The first time I used one, I stuffed so much snus into it that I almost OD'ed on nicotine. Fortunately for you, a lot of people have posted the correct amount for a prilla.....now

Well, I received my order yesterday and gave los a try. I decided on Ettan as my 1st one to try. I had a nice little prilla, but when positioning it with my tongue it fell apart a bit. The little piece that broke off ended up in my teeth (not an impressive look!). The rest stayed in place quite well. I kept it in for about 45 mins, until I had to go to work. I liked the Ettan, nice and smooth. Decent flavor, I would have liked a bit more flavor. Maybe if I leave it in longer I will get more out of it flavor wise. I also need to work on removal. I figured I could just sweep my lip with my tongue (like removing a dip of chew) but found this was not the case. The prilla disintegrated all over my mouth instead.
Need some practice, but I'll get it. Can't wait to try out others too.