Disposable Vapes: the Pros and Cons
October 04, 2021We look at the pros and cons of vaping disposable vapes. One of the most exciting trends to have emerged in vaping over the last couple of years is even more remarkable for how the products resemble the original vape that first brought vaping to the masses nearly two decades ago: the disposable e-cigarette. Although it goes without saying that today’s disposable vape kits barely resemble those unsatisfying and tasteless cig-a-likes of yesteryear, and that’s something we can all be grateful for. Instead, the ludicrous popularity of today’s disposable e-cigs can be pinned almost entirely on the vapes core feature: simplicity.
There are other qualities that make today’s disposable vape bars so sought after, but the fact that disposable vape bars – often called ‘puff bars’ – offer vapers a truly satisfying and delicious way to satisfy nicotine cravings with none of the fuss of more manual types of vape kits is something that deserves to be celebrated. But while the disposable puff bar has many things going for it, there are inevitably some disadvantages that make other types of vapes just as viable for all types of vaper, whether it’s a pod kit sub-ohm vape kit or classic vape pen.
For more information about Puff Bars, read our guide.
Here, then, is a quick guide to the pros and cons of disposable vapes including some great alternatives if you’re still after a simple and satisfying vaping experience.
Disposable Vape Kits: The Pros
There’s no getting around the fact that a disposable e-cig offers the most foolproof method for vaping around. Disposable all-in-one puff bars require no more operation that removing the vape from its wrapper and taking a puff, just as you would a normal cigarette. This simplicity makes the puff bar the ultimate convenience of vaping.
- Highly Portable
Many vape kits shout about how compact they are, but few of them beat the disposable puff bar for packing the most performance into such a tiny vaping vessel. Puff bars are generally no bigger than a lipstick or cigarette lighter, meaning they can travel in any pocket or compartment, ready at a moment’s notice. - Discretion
While nowhere near as noxious or anti-social as traditional cigarettes and tobacco, vaping can still cause unwelcome glances when you’re out and about or in a crowd. Disposable puff bars, however, emit far less vapour than other vapes, because their internal battery fires at a much lower wattage, usually between 8-18w. This makes them far more discreet and inconspicuous than higher-powered vape kits. - Flavour
With all the biggest names in e-liquid clamouring to release their own puff bars, from IVG to Dinner Lady and even heavyweight vaping manufacturers like Smok and GeekVape. You can be assured that nearly all of your favourite e-liquid flavours can be found in puff bar form. - Experimentation
If you’re new to vaping, having a simple, low-cost means of vaping like puff bars opens you up to a world of experimentation. You can easily swap one flavour of puff bar for another, until you find the flavour that’s perfect for you, be it fruits, tobacco, menthols or more.
Beat Cravings Fast
Disposable e-cigarettes don’t just offer delicious flavours in a fuss-free vape kit. Most all disposables contain nicotine salt e-liquid, a formulation that has an advantage over regular freebase nicotine e-liquids in that it can deliver stronger doses of nicotine without the harsh throat sensation that can occur with freebase. That means disposable puff bars can satisfy nicotine cravings faster and more effectively, a real boon if you’ve only just swapped smoking for vaping. Although the same can be said for any vape kit filled with nicotine salt e-liquid
Disposable Vape Kits: The Cons
- Environmental Impact
While an all-in-one disposable vapes might bring extraordinary benefits for the user, the same, sadly, cannot be said for the environment. Being made of non-organic plastic makes disposable vape kits a detrimental and unsustainable product, like much plastic waste. This makes refillable pod kits, which we’ll get to in a moment, a far less wasteful form of vaping. - Cost
Considering the fact that the average disposable vape puff bar costs around £4.99, almost half the cost of a packet of 20 cigarettes and which lasts as long, if not more, than a pack of traditional smokes, then you’d right to assume that vaping disposable puff bars is far more economical than smoking. However, compared to other forms of vaping, puff bars can actually be more expensive in the long run, although still less than a smoking habit. Buying one refillable vape and topping up with e-liquid as and when you need it rather than disposing of the vape every time its’s spent works out far better for your wallet in the long-term. - Limited Use
The simplicity of disposable vape bars is as much their biggest con as it is their biggest pro. You’re kind of stuck with the flavours offered by the manufacturers, rather than free to experiment. Because once you begin to enjoy vaping disposable vape bars, there is a world of other vapes and vaping styles, with features you won’t find with puff bars. There are highly customizable pod kits which let you tailor your vape to your exact preferences through a combination of coils and wattage settings. There is the rich, billowing clouds that are the domain of sub-ohm vaping: high-powered kits that produce dense, satisfying clouds from high-VG e-liquids.
What are the alternatives to disposable vape kits?
If you love the simplicity of puff bars, then you’re only a short, simple step away from the world of pre-filled and refillable pod kits, vapes that mimic the convenience of disposables but offer far more flexibility, performance and save you money in the long-term.
Instead of an all-in-one vape, refillable pod kits use pods with a fixed coil of varying resistances that you can top up at will with your favourite e-liquids. Once your pod begins to lose flavour, it means that the coil has reached the end of its life, so all you need to do is replace the pod rather than throw away the whole vape kit as you would with a disposable. Pref-filled pod kits work similarly but offer pods pre-filled with e-liquids from some of the biggest vaping brands.
See our top picks for refillable pod kits below:
Smok Nord 50w Pod Vape Kit
The latest in the lineup of game-changing pod kits that helped redefine vaping, the newest Smok Nord pod kit features a max power output of 50W giving you the flexibility to enjoy everything from an intensely satisfying MTL (mouth-to-lung) vape experience to a rich and airy DL (Direct Lung) sensation, depending upon the resistance of coil you use. This is powered by a long-lasting 1800mAh battery that can be charged in super-quick time thanks to the Nord 50W’s Type-C USB cable. The advanced chipset brings several safety protections that provide peace of mind.
The Nord 50W is the first Nord pod kit to feature an adjustable airflow switch to help you really dial in to find your perfect draw. A clear OLED display presents all the necessary information such as battery life, coil resistance and puff counter, while Fire button is lit with an LED indicator to let you know when it’s time to recharge your Nord 50W.
Dot Pro vape kit
Double Drip’s most iconic flavours can now be enjoyed in one of the simplest and most satisfying disposable pods around: the Dot Pro vape kit.
The Dot Pro is a super-compact, lightweight and highly portable vape kit that uses disposable pods prefilled with delicious nicotine salt e-liquids, which not only satisfy cravings faster but taste amazing from the first vape to the last. With no buttons or settings to adjust and no tank to refill, you simply click a pre-filled pod into place and start vaping. The flavour is further enriched with the built-in coil’s advanced honeycomb mesh core that evenly absorbs and heats the e-liquid for immaculate flavour and a smooth, warm and satisfying vape. The 350mAh internal battery is powerful enough to see most users through a full-day of use, aided by a 45-minute recharge time.
This collaboration between Double Drip’s award-winning e-liquid flavours and the user-friendly Dot Pro pod kit not only makes vaping more affordable than regularly replacing disposable all-in-one kits, or refilling more advanced vape kits, but with several bestselling flavours to choose from, you can experiment to your heart’s content until you find your perfect flavour.
Uwell Caliburn A2 Refillable Pod Kit
The Uwell Caliburn A2 is as easy and versatile to use as ever, with the choice of operating it via a fire button or simply taking a puff with the autodraw mode, and you can easily lock the pod kit with a few clicks of the fire button.
Two simple additions to the Caliburn A2 mark a welcome improvement over the original, most notably the new recessed fire button to prevent misfires and a clear viewing window that lets you know how much e-liquid is left in your pod.
The new Caliburn A2 Pods now connect to the battery for a simple, secure connection and a tighter airflow ensures a richer, more intense vape than the original Caliburn. The 2ml pods can be refilled by removing the cap which helps to prevent leaks and debris collecting in the mouthpiece. The pods include a 0.9ohm coil built-in for incredible flavour, and with no coil changes to fuss with, simply replace the whole pod when it begins to lose flavour.
Designed for a perfect MTL (mouth-to-lung) experience, the pods are versatile enough that they can be used with high-PG, 50/50, nicotine salts eliquids.
XROS 2
The XROS 2 is an elegantly simple yet satisfying pod kit from Vaporesso, one that offers fuss-free, flavoursome MTL vaping with a luxurious and durable finish.
With its sleek, compact form-factor, the XROS 2 kit feels lightweight yet solid in the hand and is discreet enough to carry everywhere. Its built-in 1000mAh battery ensures all-day vaping, assisted by super-fast USB-C charging.
With no buttons to press or settings to adjust, the XROS 2 kit’s autodraw mode means you only need to take a puff as you would a traditional cigarette, making it ideal for newer vapers. Or you can fire the vapewith the illuminated ‘Halo’ button. A coloured LED light on the fascia lets you know how much battery life you have left.
The updated XROS pod comes with a fixed 1.2ohm coil preinstalled for a superb MTL (mouth-to-lung) sensation and employs Vaporesso’s SSS Leak-Resistant Technology and a top filling system to ensure refills are quick and clean. And when your coil’s performance drops, simply replace with a new XROS 2 pod.
Simple, stylish and long-lasting, the XROS 2 is as easy to use as it is satisfying and is ideal for use with classic 50/50 nic salt e-liquids.
Xlim pod kit from Oxva
The new Xlim pod kit from Oxva is a sleek, compact and highly portable pod kit that oozes quality and style, as well as incredible flavour from its refillable 2ml pods.
Powered by a 900mAh internal battery for reliable, all-day use, the Xlim can reach 25W max power - ideal for MTL (mouth-to-lung) vaping. And with Type-C USB charging, the pod kit can be recharged in super-fast time.
The Oxva Xlim features both a Manual mode that’s operated with the fire button and an Auto mode that works by simply taking a puff on your Xlim as you would a traditional cigarette – making the Xlim an ideal vape for newer vapers and recent ex-smokers. Settings are displayed on a crystal-clear 0.42” OLED screen and a host of safety protections brings peace of mind to the Oxva Xlim kit. An adjustable airflow switch on the side of the Xlim lets you dial in to find your ideal draw, from tight and intense to light and airy.
The included pods feature fixed mesh coils, so rather than change the coils you simply replace with a fresh pod when your current one begins to lose flavour. One pod includes a 0.8ohm coil for a richer, restricted DL (direct lung) vape and 1.2ohm coil delivers an intense and flavoursome MTL (mouth-to-lung) vape experience. You can fill your pod with any e-liquid you like via refill ports revealed by removing the mouthpiece, but we recommend high-PG 50/50 nicotine salts eliquids.
Voopoo
Voopoo practically invented the hugely popular pod vape kit a few years ago with their celebrated Vinci series. Now, with the arrival of a new-look, dedicated Vinci Pod kit, vapers can get their hands on a slim and sleek kit with all the Vinci style and performance but with many improvements
The familiar smooth curves and sleek profile remains, but Voopoo have refined the materials used in the Vinci Pod Kit so that the new colours shine with a hypnotic iridescence and mirror-like brilliance, while being resistant to finger prints and scratches.
The pod kit is autodraw activated, meaning you only need to take a puff as you would on a cigarette to experience rich, silky, flavoursome vapour.
The Vinci Pod Kit is powered by an 800mAh battery for all-day use, and the whole kit runs off of Voopoo’s improved Gene.AI chipset which brings a host of functions like intelligent coil recognition and multiple safety protections. Am extra nice touch is the Gene logo that ‘breathes’ colours from green to red as you inhale to show you how low your battery is getting.
The refined Vinci Pod cartridges have an e-liquid capacity of 2ml, are leak-resistant and easy to fill thanks to a silicone seal. The Vinci Pod uses the latest ITO vaporization tech developed by Voopoo Labs to maximize the atomizing effect of the coil ensuring maximum flavour and a longer coil life. They offer the Vinci range’s simple, genius method for adjusting airflow by turning the pod 180 degrees for either an airy, restricted DL (direct lung) style draw, or a tighter, satisfying MTL (mouth-to-lung) vape experience.
