Over the past few years, disposable vapes have been the most popular vaping devices in the world by a wide margin. They’re also the types of vapes that people choose most often when they first make the switch from smoking to vaping – so if you’re a recent convert to vaping, there’s a good chance that disposables are your vapes of choice.
One thing you may have noticed, though, is that disposable vapes aren’t always significantly cheaper than tobacco cigarettes in terms of the cost you pay per day. That’s especially likely to be the case in regions like the United Kingdom and the European Union, where the e-liquid capacities of disposable vapes can be no higher than 2 ml due to legal regulations. That’s only enough vape juice for one or two days of vaping at the most.
Even in places that don’t limit the e-liquid capacities of vaping devices, though, disposables can be fairly expensive compared to tobacco cigarettes because – let’s face it – the puff counts that the manufacturers advertise are often greatly exaggerated. Even a device with an extremely high capacity only lasts a few days before you need to replace it.
So, do rechargeable vapes cost less than disposables? The answer to that question is typically “yes.” It’s possible to enjoy huge savings, in fact, but you need to choose a rechargeable vape that’s optimized for maximum affordability if you want to save as much money as you can.
Here’s how to switch to a rechargeable vape and keep your daily costs as low as they can possibly be.
How Much Do Rechargeable Vapes Cost?
A good rechargeable vape typically costs around $20-25 in the United States (£15-20 at UK vape shops like V2 Cigs). It’s important to remember, though, that using a rechargeable/refillable vape will mean that you’ll need to get used to paying certain recurring costs that you don’t currently have to worry about.
Here are the two recurring costs for which you’ll need to plan.
E-Liquid
When you use a disposable vape, your device is already filled with e-liquid when you buy it. When you use a rechargeable vape, on the other hand, you’ll need to buy your own vape juice. E-liquid is purchased by the bottle and typically costs around $7-12 in the United States (£2-4 in the United Kingdom). The reason why vape juice is less expensive in the UK is because bottles of e-liquid containing nicotine can be no larger than 10 ml by law. E-liquid bottles in the US, meanwhile, typically range in size from 30-120 ml.
You can also find rechargeable vapes that store their e-liquid in pre-filled pods. With this type of vape, you “refill” your device by replacing the pod when it’s empty. Pre-filled pod vapes have their own benefits and drawbacks, and we’ll discuss those shortly.
Replacement Pods or Coils
When you use a rechargeable vape, you’ll also need to replace your device’s coil or pod occasionally. The component that you need to replace depends on your device’s design.
- If your vape has a glass tank, the coil is replaceable.
- If your vape has a plastic pod, the coil may be replaceable, or it may be a permanent part of the pod.
A box of vape coils or pods typically costs around $8-12 in the United States (about the same in the United Kingdom). Replacement coils are typically more affordable because they’re usually sold in boxes of four or five coils, whereas pods with built-in coils are generally sold in boxes of two or three pods.
You can expect a coil or pod to last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. We’ll discuss this at greater length in the final section of this article.
Do Pre-Filled Pod Vapes Cost Less than Disposables?
Pre-filled pod vapes generally cost a little less than disposables since you only need to replace the pre-filled e-liquid pod instead of replacing the entire device when it’s empty. A pre-filled pod system strikes a balance between disposable vapes and refillable vapes because you enjoy much of the convenience of a disposable while greatly reducing the waste you generate.
The drawback of pre-filled pod vapes, though, is that they tend to be only slightly more affordable than disposable vapes. That’s because a pre-filled pod system only works with its own pods and not with any third-party products. Therefore, the manufacturer can charge a fairly high price for the pods as long as they cost at least a little less than disposables.
How to Keep Your Costs Low with a Rechargeable Vape
If you want to save as much money on vaping as possible, you don’t want to buy just any rechargeable vape – you want to buy one that’s designed for affordability. To do that, you’ll need to make these four choices.
- Choose a vape that’s truly refillable. Although a pre-filled pod system can cost less than disposable vapes, the savings will be minimal because pre-filled vapes are proprietary and only work with the pods designed for them.
- Choose a vape with replaceable rather than built-in coils. Replacement coils are typically sold in boxes of four or five, whereas vape pods with built-in coils are usually sold in boxes of two or three. Therefore, coils have a lower cost per unit.
- Choose a small vape. Smaller vapes produce smaller clouds, but they’re optimized to work best with high-nicotine e-liquids, so you won’t have to worry about satisfaction. Using less e-liquid per day helps to keep your vape juice costs as low as they can be.
- Choose unsweetened e-liquid. When you’re no longer happy with your vape’s flavor, you’ll need to replace the coil. If your e-liquid is sweetened with sucralose, you’ll need a new coil every few days because sucralose causes a burnt-tasting residue to form on the coil. If you use unsweetened e-liquid, on the other hand, your coils can potentially last weeks if you take care of them. Using vape juice without sucralose can make a dramatic difference in how much you pay to vape.
