Disposable vaping devices seem to be everywhere you look. They are easily available and at what seems to be a relatively low price (until you add it all up).
Disposables have grown in popularity due to their ease of access, simplicity, and desirable flavours. But have you ever looked into the pros and cons?
What are Disposables?
They are small pen-like devices which come ready to use straight out of the box. Inside the device is a pre-charged battery, heating element, and e-liquid. Most disposables contain 20mg nicotine salt e-liquid and offer approximately 600 puffs.
Once finished, simply dispose of the device.
Pros of Disposable Vaping Devices
Disposables are beneficial to several users, especially newcomers. For those looking to try vaping for the first time or new to the idea of it, disposables are often the first device on the list. Below we will expand on some of the advantages disposables have to offer.
Ease of use
Disposables are by far the easiest devices to use. There are no buttons, settings, or other controls such as airflow control. You don’t even need to turn it on and off; because you can’t!
To use a disposable, simply remove all the packaging and start puffing away. It really is as simple as that.
No Maintenance
The vast majority of permanent vaping devices will require a bit of maintenance and TLC. Whether that be changing the coils, cleaning the tank, replacing and O-rings, there will be something to do.
Disposables on the other hand do not require any of this.
Flavours
For the most part, disposables contain highly concentrated e-liquid which is normally super strong to taste as well as sweet.
There are a few cons regarding the flavours which we will get onto.
No Commitment
Disposables are a great way of testing out vaping and/or flavours. If you’re looking to try vaping to see if it is something that would work for you, then disposables are great to go for. There is nothing worse than buying a proper device and everything to go with it, only to find out that it is not what you thought it would be.
If you’re looking to come off the cigarettes and want to try vaping, get a disposable! See how it goes and then look to move onto something more long lasting.
Cons of Disposables
Of course, with all devices there are some cons to consider. Although disposables are extremely popular, they’re not the best device to be using.
Cost
Yes, they seem to be quite cheap at an average price of £5 per disposable. However, if you add it all up, it is the most expensive way to vape.
Each disposable contains 2ml of e-liquid with an average price of £5 a disposable.
Therefore, the price per ml is £2.50.
10ml bottles of e-liquid have an average cost of £3 per bottle. Meaning the price per ml is 30p.
We find that the average user goes through 2-4ml of e-liquid per day. So how does this look in regards to cost?
Per Day:
Disposables = £5 – £10
E-Liquid = 0.60p – £1.20
Per Week:
Disposables = £35 – £70
E-Liquid = £4.20 – £8.40
As you can see, disposables are extremely expensive if you are to use them all the time.
Nicotine Strength
Most commonly, disposables are available in 20mg of nicotine. 10mg and 0mg are available, although, quite rare to come by.
20mg of nicotine is a very high amount. An amount that many users do not actually need. Consuming this amount on a regular basis is only going to make you more addicted. To put it into perspective, 20mg is the highest strength available by law under the TPD rules & regulations.
With regular e-liquid, you have much more control over the strength of nicotine. Regular e-liquids can be found in: 0mg, 3mg, 6mg, 8mg, 9mg, 10mg, 12mg, 16mg, 18mg, 20mg.
Environmental Impact
Disposables, are, well of course, disposable! They are not intended to last long periods of time and you will be replacing them quite frequently. This is harmful to the environment with not only all of the cardboard packaging and plastic casing of the device, but the battery too.
The batteries are made of lithium. The mining of lithium leads to water loss, toxic waste, ground destabilisation and a lost in biodiversity.
Our Recommendations
The idea of disposables is great, if they are used as they were intended. Either to test out vaping, or to use a spare device.
However, if you’re using a lot of them, then we believe the best option is to upgrade to a more permanent device. Doing so will give you more control over how much nicotine you intake, give you a lot more options with flavours, and of course, save you a lot of money!