Vaping devices have increased so greatly in features and variety over the past few years that it can be enough to make your head spin if you’re trying to figure out which vape to buy. If you look for your first vaping device at a brick-and-mortar vape shop, things might not become much easier because many vape shops specifically select vaping products that they believe will appeal to experts. If you’ve never vaped before – and you go home with a big, colorful vape mod as your first vaping device – there’s a good chance that you’ll end up unhappy. That’s because you’ll have a device that’s much more powerful and complex – not to mention more expensive – than what you actually need.
So, what are the different types of vapes that you can buy today? What’s the best vaping device for a smoker, and what should you buy if you’ve been vaping for a while and are interested in buying something that offers more features? Those are the questions that we’ll answer in this guide to the different types of vapes on the market today. If you’re a smoker and haven’t started vaping yet, we’ll begin by discussing the perfect type of vape for you.
Disposable Vapes
Most Popular Disposable Vapes:
What Is a Disposable Vape?
Disposable vapes are the most convenient types of vapes, and they’re also the only vapes that are ready to use as soon as you buy them. You can remove a disposable vape from the package and start vaping immediately, but most disposable vapes – with the exception of the Innokin Endura S1 – aren’t refillable. When you use a traditional disposable vape, you need to dispose of the device and replace it when it runs out of e-liquid.
Benefits of Disposable Vapes
Out of all the different types of vapes, a disposable vape is the type that feels most like a cigarette because it’s the only type that you can remove from the pack and use immediately. Disposable vapes also feel less like gadgets than other types of vaping devices because they require little to no maintenance. If a disposable vape has a high puff count, it’ll usually have a rechargeable battery. In that case, you’ll need to recharge the battery when it dies. Otherwise, you don’t need to do anything with a disposable vape except enjoy it until it runs out of e-liquid.
Drawbacks of Disposable Vapes
Disposable vapes are the simplest and most convenient vapes on the market, but they have two drawbacks compared to other types of vapes. The first drawback is that they’re more expensive than refillable vapes in the long run. When you use a refillable device, the only recurring costs are e-liquid and replacement coils or pods. When a disposable vape runs out of vape juice, you need to replace the entire device.
Because they require more frequent replacement than other types of vapes, disposable vapes have a greater impact on the environment. If you plan to use disposable vapes on a daily basis, it’s wise to check with your local recycling services and see if they accept used vaping products.
Who Should Buy a Disposable Vape?
A disposable vape is a great choice if you’re new to vaping and want to find out what it’s like before you buy a traditional refillable device. Disposable vapes are also ideal if you want vaping to be as convenient and straightforward as smoking and don’t want to spend any time maintaining your device.
Pod Systems
Most Popular Pod Systems:
What is a Pod System?
A pod system is any vaping device that stores its e-liquid in a plastic pod that’s removable and disposable. A vape pod usually has a small filling port on the side that you’ll use for adding e-liquid when needed. Most pod vaping systems have puff-activated firing, so you’ll simply inhale to vape. For beginners, the greatest selling point of pod systems is that they have extremely low maintenance requirements. When a pod’s flavor changes, you’ll pull the atomizer coil out of the bottom of the pod and push in a new coil. When a pod becomes so dirty that cleaning it is no longer possible, you can throw the entire pod away.
Benefits of Pod Systems
The biggest benefit of pod vaping systems is their simplicity. To maintain a pod system, all that you need to do is keep the device charged, keep the device filled with e-liquid and replace the coil or pod occasionally. Unlike a vape tank – which usually requires you to disassemble the entire tank in order to replace the coil – coil replacement with a pod system is much cleaner and simpler.
Out of all the different types of vaping devices, pod systems are the ones that are most optimized to deliver the best possible performance with nicotine salt e-liquid. When you use a pod system, you can expect the device to give you the same tight airflow characteristics – and the same satisfying throat hit – like a cigarette.
Drawbacks of Pod Systems
The main drawback of pod vaping systems is that they’re proprietary and work only with the pods manufactured for them. Some pod systems may give you a bit of flexibility by offering multiple coil options that make it possible for you to change your vaping experience. A pod system will not, however, work with any third-party pods or tanks.
Who Should Buy a Pod System?
A pod system is the best type of vaping device to buy if you’re a smoker and are ready to make the switch to vaping. Because of the tight airflow and the optimization for nicotine salt e-liquid, no other vaping device feels as close to smoking as a pod system. A pod system may also be a great choice for you if you’re an experienced vaper and would like to buy a smaller device that helps you to reduce your e-liquid consumption.
Pod Mods
Most Popular Pod Mods:
What Is a Pod Mod?
A pod mod is a vaping device that combines the simplicity and convenience of pod-based vaping with some of the advanced features of a full vape mod. With a pod mod, you get the easy filling of a pod system along with the ability to dispose of the pod when cleaning it is no longer practical. However, the more advanced features make a pod mod an excellent step-up device for vapers who have gained some experience and are looking for a richer vaping experience.
Benefits of Pod Mods
Pod-based vaping devices are incredibly popular with the vaping community these days, and for that reason, it’s the area in which vaping product manufacturers like Innokin focus much of their research and development efforts. While vape mods used to be the vaping devices that always offered the latest and greatest features, it’s not unusual these days to find pod mods with features that aren’t available on other vaping devices – and you’ll enjoy those features with the drop-in convenience that made you fall in love with pod systems. Compared to traditional pod systems, pod mods offer dramatically better battery life and vapor production. They also typically offer features such as variable wattage, adjustable airflow and more coil options. Some pod mods offer rebuildable coils. Some even offer 510 thread adapters, enabling them to operate as full-fledged vape mods.
Drawbacks of Pod Mods
The more features a vaping device has, the more complex that device becomes. In addition, some pod mods produce such large vapor clouds that they may not be ideal to use with nicotine salt e-liquids. For those reasons, a pod mod generally isn’t the best choice as a first vape kit for a new vaper.
Who Should Buy a Pod Mod?
A pod mod is probably ideal for you if you’ve been using an entry-level pod system for a while and are interested in buying a new device that offers a larger set of features. Buying a pod mod allows you to stay with the pod vaping paradigm that you enjoy while enjoying the same full-featured vaping experience that you’d get with a vape mod.
Vape Pens
Most Popular Vape Pens:
What Is a Vape Pen?
A vape pen is a refillable vaping device with a cylindrical shape. Some vape pens are long and narrow like ballpoint pens. Others are a bit wider and look almost like cigars. Vape pens have been around for as long as vaping has existed, and they provide a very traditional vaping experience that’s exactly what many vapers want.
Benefits of Vape Pens
One of the things that many people like about vape pens is their shape. It’s easy to fit a small, cylindrical vaping device in your pocket, and many people also like the fact that holding a vape pen feels somewhat like holding a cigar. Another benefit of vape pens is that they’re based on proven technology. Because they’ve been around for so long, manufacturers like Innokin have had plenty of time to refine their vape pen designs. Today, a vape pen is one of the most reliable vaping devices you can buy. Many vape pens also offer increased battery life and vapor production compared to entry-level pod systems. Operating a vape pen is quite simple, though, so you can enjoy the increased performance without increasing the complexity of your vaping experience.
Drawbacks of Vape Pens
Although vape pens tend to offer performance superior to that of simple pod-based devices, they lack the customization options that you would get with a pod mod or a vape mod. If you want features like fully adjustable wattage, you might prefer to buy a pod mod or a vape mod rather than a vape pen.
Who Should Buy a Vape Pen?
A vape pen might be the ideal vaping device for you if you want something that offers performance superior to that of an entry-level pod system, but you want to enjoy the increased performance without increasing the complexity of your vaping experience.
Vape Mods
Most Popular Vape Mods:
What is a Vape Mod?
Vape mods are the largest and most powerful of all vaping devices. They usually have a somewhat boxy shape, and the large size allows them to hold much larger batteries than other types of vaping devices. Some box mods are large enough to hold two battery cells.
Benefits of Vape Mods
If you want to own a vaping device with the greatest power delivery capabilities and the longest battery life possible, you want to own a vape mod. Depending on the capacity of the battery, a vape mod can deliver upwards of 100-200 watts of power and will typically operate all day without requiring a recharge. Because a vape mod uses the industry-standard 510 thread, it’ll work with any tank or rebuildable atomizer – and since a vape mod can deliver an enormous amount of power, it’ll drive the most demanding atomizer coils on the market.
Drawbacks of Vape Mods
Although vape mods are the most powerful and feature-filled vaping devices on the market, the fact that they have so many features also means that they’re also the most complicated devices on the market. A vape mod generally isn’t the best choice for a new vaper.
Who Should Buy a Vape Mod?
You should buy a vape mod if you want the biggest clouds, the boldest flavors and the longest battery life that a vaping device can offer. Using a vape mod means that you aren’t limited to any single tank or atomizer, so a vape mod is truly a device that can grow with you as your vaping preferences evolve over the years.
💡 Bonus: What about the types of vape kits?
As the name suggests, vape kits refer to vapes that contain multiple vape parts, which can be roughly classified into 3 categories. If you're interested in learning more about vape kits, check out the video above and let's dive in!
This article was originally published on Aug 12, 2021, updated on Mar 22, 2022.
