Wed 11 Aug 2021
Disposable vape devices have taken the market by storm in recent months. Walk into any high street vape shop and you’ll find an array of brightly coloured USB looking sticks covered in the obligatory nicotine warning.
Disposable e cigarettes are a simple (and not at all new) concept – it’s a small device that contains a battery and around 2ml of e liquid. The user simply draws on the mouth piece to vape.
There’s no denying that disposables are a convenient way for smokers to try vaping, but we don’t think that they’re a viable, or sensible, way to vape in the long term. Here’s three reasons why:
1: They’re very expensive
Most disposable vape devices cost around £5-7. Which for 2ml (or less) is extortionately expensive. To put that into perspective, our ELFC DIY Kits are £12.99 for 250ml. Doing that maths that’s £3 per ml of liquid in a disposable and just £0.05 per ml in an e liquid kit. The difference is staggering.
Using disposables can easily end up more expensive than smoking tobacco cigarettes.
Open tank systems are far more wallet friendly, with the user being able to choose from a vast number of liquid options to suit their budget. Speaking of which…
2: Lack of choice
Do you know how many different vape flavours there are available in the UK right now? Neither do we, but it’s in the tens, if not hundreds of thousands. At ELFC alone we carry over 1000 different flavour options.
With disposables you have a much smaller choice. You’re stuck with what’s in the device, and if you don’t like it, you have to either put up with it or buy a different one.
3: The environment
Just this week one of the biggest studies looking into climate change was published, and the summary was bleak. Human beings are causing severe damage to the planet, with manufacturing and waste being significant contributory factors.
Many countries, companies and individuals have taken action to reduce their carbon footprint, but disposable e cigarettes are a homage to over consumption, disregarding the efforts made to make the planet cleaner and more sustainable.
They’re a smoking coal fired power station sitting in the middle of a wind farm, laughing at melting ice caps and shooting polar bears for fun.
These devices are used, in many cases, for just a few hours. Then their plastic body and internal battery are thrown in a bin and taken to landfill, never to be recycled or reused again.
In contrast, open tank systems can be used forever if they’re well looked after. With a coil head the only part being thrown away.
If David Attenborough vapes, we’re fairly certain he won’t be taking his nicotine from a disposable e cigarette.
But what about refillable pod systems?
Refillable pod systems are similar to disposables in that they often look and vape the same way. However, refillable pods are open tank systems (so the user can choose their own e liquid) and have replaceable coils/pods. Put simply, they’re a shrunken down version of a mod/tank combo.
If you like the idea of a small, discreet vape, then the smart choice is a refillable, reusable open tank system.
We’re hoping that the popularity of disposables is just a fad, and the sooner it ends, the better.
Vaping shouldn’t be more expensive than smoking, it shouldn’t be re