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The Disposable vape has taken over the vaping world recently. Extremely easy to use, with no set up or maintenance required, smokers who want to start vaping and regular vapers have been buying them in droves. But, what is better, a disposable or a refillable e-cig?
As with anything in life, there are pros and cons to either choice. Let’s take a look at them both in more detail.
What is a disposable vape?
A disposable vape is a single-use e-cig that has no set up or maintenance. They are pen style e-cigs, pre-filled with e-liquid and come with a charged battery. It cannot be refilled or recharged. You simply remove it from the box and vape it until the e-liquid runs out or the battery becomes depleted. Once it has stopped working, you dispose of it.
Most disposable vapes will last around 500 puffs, this is roughly equivalent to a 20 pack of cigarettes. They come filled with nic salt e-liquid with higher nicotine strengths, anywhere between 16mg – 20mg. The nic salt means that there is virtually no throat hit and they are a very smooth vape.
Pros and cons of disposable vapes.
Pros of disposables
Easy to use – This is especially important for new vapers. Smoking is easy, you just light up your cig and you are done. Vaping can take a day or two to get used to. It can be a factor in people deciding to make the switch to vaping, with disposables that factor is gone.
No maintenance – Disposables require no maintenance at all. Everything is pre-filled and pre-fitted.
No charging – The battery in a disposable vape is fitted into the body and is already charged. You can’t recharge the battery so there are no cables required.
Cheaper up front – Cost is a factor when choosing your e-cig and disposable vapes are cheaper upfront, with the price being anywhere from £4.99 to £8.99.
No commitment – If you are a smoker who wants to try vaping, disposable vapes are a great option. There is no long term commitment and if you don’t like a flavour, you can pick up a new one.
Cons of disposables
Much more expensive long term – While they are cheaper up front, in the long run disposable vapes are much more expensive. You are essentially paying between £4.99 and £8.99 for 2ml of e-liquid. Whereas our UK made Red Label e-liquid is £4.99 for 10ml. You can see how this quickly adds up, especially when heavy smokers or vapers can go through multiple disposables a day.
Less choice – There is much less choice if you go for a disposable. You are stuck with certain looks, limited e-liquid flavours and very limited e-liquid strength.
Weaker draw – Disposable vapes have no way to alter airflow or vape coils, this means that the way it vapes cannot be altered. If you want more throat hit, more vapour or more flavours, there is nothing you can do.
Eco impact – The clue is in the name. There is nothing reusable, once it runs out you dispose of the whole device. Most of these will end up in a landfill and with millions of people using disposables, that is a lot of waste. This is the time to say that we here at Totally Wicked understand the potential impact of disposable vapes, so we will safely recycle any brand of disposable vape for free, just pop them into one of our stores.
What is a rechargeable e-cig?
A rechargeable e-cig is any ‘traditional’ e-cig. They are made up of four main parts which they need to work. A battery, a tank, a vape coil and e-liquid. These vapes can be recharged, refilled and have a huge amount of styles and features.
They range from pre-filled pods, vape mods with large batteries and high power, vape starter kits and everything in-between. You can tailor every part of your vaping experience and they can be filled with e-liquid. There are hundreds of e-liquid flavours and strengths to choose from, which means you never get bored.
Pros and cons of rechargeable e-cigs
Pros of rechargeable e-cigs
Higher quality – Rechargeable e-cigs are built to last, as they are recharged and refilled multiple times. They are a much higher build quality and stand up to day to day life.
Much more cost effective long term – When you stop smoking and start vaping with a traditional e-cig, you will save somewhere in the region of £3200 a year. To maintain and run there are small costs each week, including e-liquid. But compared to disposables…well there is no comparison.
Better vaping performance – You can tailor your vaping experience to get the best performance. Adjust the airflow, change the e-liquid, pick a new vape coil, alter your settings. The list goes on.
Eco friendly – Again in comparison to disposables, there is no comparison. You will use bottles of e-liquid, but these can be recycled and you aren’t throwing away your whole e-cig when the battery runs out.
Choice – E-liquid flavour, e-liquid strength, e-liquid nicotine type, vape coil resistance, output wattage, vape style, e-cig size and shape, airflow. There is just so much choice.
Cons of rechargeable e-cigs
Maintenance – There is maintenance required. They need filling up with e-liquid, the battery needs charging and the vape coil will need changing periodically.
Higher up front costs – To buy your e-cig kit, with e-liquid, the cost is much higher up front that a disposable. For a vape starter kit, you will pay anywhere from £14.99 – £34.99. But, to maintain in the long run it is so much more cost effective.
This was a look at disposables vs rechargeable e-cigs. There are pros and cons to each type of vape, but the most important thing is this. Whether you choose a disposable vape or a regular e-cig, as long as it stops you smoking and you can comfortably vape it, that’s all that matters.
