After you have been vaping for a little while, you might find you want to upgrade to a new vape kit that offers more power and more room to tailor your vaping experience. At this point, moving to an intermediate vape kit could be the right move.
We’re taking a look at some of our top intermediate vape kits for 2024, to help you find out which options are available and which one might be best for you.
What is an intermediate vape kit?
Simply put, an intermediate vape bridges the gap between starter kits and advanced vape kits, so you can move to a device that is a bit more powerful without being completely different from the type of vape kit you are used to.
Intermediate vapes may offer more built-in features than most starter kits, like variable wattage, adjustable airflow, and sub-ohm coils. This allows you to personalise your vaping experience to find what settings are most comfortable and satisfying for you.
Many of these devices offer sub-ohm vaping, which means that the coils have a resistance below 1 ohm, and they will often offer more than one coil option that lets you experiment and find the one you prefer. They also have more powerful batteries than starter vape kits, which support a higher power output and may even mean that the battery lasts a bit longer between charges.
What is variable wattage?
A variable wattage vape kit is a device that lets you adjust the power settings, turning them up or down within the set range of the device. For example, a device may offer a wattage range of 5 – 30W, so you can set the wattage to whichever power setting within this range that best suits you and your chosen coil.
When adjusting the wattage setting of the device it is important to remember the recommended wattage settings for your chosen coil. Each coil will have a wattage range at which it will perform best, you can usually find this both on the box and printed on the side of the coil. Using the coil at a wattage setting below the recommended range may mean you don’t get the best flavour or vapour production, and may even cause some leaking. On the other hand, using a wattage setting that is too high for the coil may lead to dry hits and will burn your coil out much faster.
What is adjustable airflow?
When a device offers adjustable airflow, this means that you can manually change the amount of air that can flow through the coil, which will dictate how loose or tight the draw feels. For example, having the airflow quite closed off will offer a tighter draw that you will need to work a little harder for, whereas a more open airflow setting will feel much looser and easier to draw on. You can think of it like the difference between sucking air through a straw and simply breathing through your mouth.
For some intermediate devices, the airflow can also allow you to move from a mouth-to-lung (MTL) to a restricted-direct-to-lung (RDTL) or direct-to-lung (DTL) vaping style.
Best vape for MTL vaping
If you want to upgrade to a device with more power but want to maintain a MTL vaping style, the OXVA Zlim Pro is a great vape kit to consider.
This pod vape is very comparable to many starter vape kits in size and design, but with some extra features that just elevate the vaping experience a bit. It is a great next step if you have previously been using a small pod kit, or even a prefilled pod kit.
The Zlim Pro offers both inhale activation and button activation, so you can choose whichever method best suits your preferences, or even use a combination of both. There are also multiple pod options to choose from, letting you experiment with different coil resistances. These pods have a closed design, meaning the coil is built-in, so you don’t need to worry about changing the coil, but can simply replace the entire pos when it starts to taste burnt.
The Zlim Pro offers variable wattage with a maximum output of 30W, giving you that bit of extra power you are looking for, and easy to use adjustable side airflow. The pods are best paired with a 50/50 e-liquid, so you can continue to use the same vape juice you were using in your starter kit.
Best vape for RDTL vaping
If you’re looking for a device that will let you experiment with different vaping styles, we highly recommend the Geekvape Wenax Q. The adjustable airflow means that this device can be used with both a mouth-to-lung or restricted-direct-to-lung vaping style.
The built-in 1000 mAh battery within the Wenax Q offers plenty of power to support any power setting within the 5 – 25W range available on this device, offering a full day of vaping for the average vaper. This battery also allows the device to remain compact and pocket-friendly.
You can choose whether you prefer to use a sub-ohm pod or not, with the choice of a 1.2 ohm or 0.8 ohm resistance pod option coming with the device. To further personalise your vape, there is also an adjustable three-level airflow, making it easy to adjust how loose or tight your inhale feels.
Best vape for versatility
If you are looking for versatility, the SMOK Nord 4 is definitely one of our top picks. This device allows so much control over your vaping experience, not just in the form of adjustable wattage and airflow, but also with the fact it is compatible with two different pod options.
The Nord 4 offers a wattage output range 1 – 80W, and the LED screen makes it easy to keep track of your wattage settings, as well as the remaining battery life and which coil you are using.
The device comes with both the RPM and RPM 2 pods, giving you a choice of multiple different coil options to find the one most suited to you. These different coil options also mean that the Nord 4 can be used with both 50/50 or high VG e-liquids, depending on which coil you have inserted.
Best vape for battery power
If you are often out of the house for long stretches and need a vape kit with a battery life that can keep up with you, you should definitely take a look at the VOOPOO Drag S pod kit.
This device has a 2500 mAh built-in battery, which can provide plenty of power to keep you going for a whole day of vaping, and is easily recharged via USB-C cable.
With a wattage range of 5 – 60W, it can also offer you more power and is perfect for DTL vaping. Something we really like about this device is that the GENE.TT chipset allows for almost instantaneous ignition, ramping up in 0.001 seconds!
The device also has a pretty impressive external design, which not only looks sleek and luxurious with a mix of metal and leather, but also offer the advantage of being scratch resistant.
Best vape for portability
When it comes to portability in intermediate vapes, the Geekvape B60 Aegis Boost kit has to get our vote. This vape is conveniently compact but packs a good punch, and is also designed to be durable and robust.
Not only do the pods feature a leakproof design, so you can keep your vape in your pocket or bag and not need to worry about the vape juice leaking out, but it is also IP68 water and dust proof. This is ideal if you work in an area like construction or landscaping, where your vape may be likely to get a bit dirtier than most, and need that bit of extra protection to prevent the environment from hampering its performance.
This device may be small in size, but it still packs in all of the features you could be looking for in an intermediate vape kit, like variable wattage, adjustable airflow, and a 2000 mAh built-in battery.