Are you ready to finally make the switch from smoking to vaping but don’t know where to start? Well, you’re in the right place if you’re looking for some pointers. We’re here to guide you through the whole process and give you the best start in your vaping journey.
We appreciate it’s a massive change, and you may not know what to expect, but rest assured that once you switch to a more health-conscious nicotine alternative like vapes, you will not want to turn back. There are countless devices and vape juices to navigate through and learn about, which can be intimidating, but let’s just start with the basics.
Understanding the ins and outs of vaping can boost your confidence in sticking to the process and reaping the benefits. Let’s outline the main points before diving headfirst into your first vape kit.
The Benefit of Vaping
When it comes to vaping, the main benefit we like to focus on is tobacco harm reduction. Vaping allows you to ease your nicotine cravings effortlessly, all while excluding tobacco entirely from the equation.
Cigarette smoking can lead to countless severely adverse health effects, and the distressing fact is that smoking is the leading cause of premature, preventable death globally. With endless ingredients in tobacco and thousands of chemicals in cigarette smoke, it’s no wonder you’re looking to switch to vaping.
Vaping is proven to be one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking. With modern vape kits, you can replicate the taste and feel of smoking a cigarette, if that’s what you’re after, or experience something new. Vaping lets you customise your experience and make each puff a joy, all while being far less harmful than cigarettes.
For a more detailed step-by-step guide with further information, read our Smoke No More in 2024 blog.
Vaping Styles
Let’s start with vaping styles. There are a couple, but we’re only going to focus on one to keep it simple. You probably know about disposable vapes and pod vape kits; they’ve become extremely popular in the past couple of years and for good reasons.
These modern devices have made it effortless to switch with low entry costs and key benefits like fast-acting nicotine delivery and really, really tasty flavours.
When it comes to disposables, they deliver a mouth-to-lung vaping style, which is identical to how you would smoke a cigarette. When vaping MTL, you inhale into your mouth and then into your lungs before exhaling. Sounds familiar, right? Well, it’s straightforward and comes naturally for smokers; that’s why it’s the most popular way of vaping, and it’s effective as well.
Most disposables and pod kits are MTL devices, which make them attractive to ex-smokers and regular vapers. MTL vaping lets you enjoy each puff to the fullest with optimal flavour production and good nicotine hit.
Nicotine Types and Strengths
Nicotine is a crucial part of every vaper's journey, especially when you’re new to the scene. This is something you want to get right to maximise your chances of staying off the ciggies.
There are various nicotine types and nicotine strengths. We’ll outline the two main types that first-time vapers should focus on.
Nicotine Salt E-Liquids
Overview
Nicotine Type: Salt Nicotine
Nicotine Strengths: 5mg to 20mg
Device Type: Disposable Vapes and Pod Vape Kits
Customer Base: Beginners and Regular Vapers
Nicotine salt vape juice is the number one choice for most regular vapers for its enjoyable vaping experience. This vape liquid contains salt nicotine - the natural form of nicotine found in tobacco leaves. It allows for smooth inhales even at higher strengths, perfect for mouth-to-lung vaping and fast-acting nicotine delivery. Nic salts are produced in all the popular fruity and menthol flavours, which are perfect for those who are looking to get their nicotine cravings under control with a more enjoyable taste than a tobacco flavour.
The main customer base for this type of e-liquid is beginners and regular vapers, as it’s used in disposable vapes and pod kits. Beginners usually start their vaping journey with disposables and then move on to pod vape kits. Nicotine salt e-liquids are used in both devices, which is beneficial as you can get the same nicotine strengths and flavours as you progress in your vaping journey.
Freebase Nicotine E-Liquids
Overview
Nicotine Type: Freebase Nicotine
Nicotine Strengths: 3mg to 18mg
Device Type: Refillable Pod Vape Kits
Customer Base: Beginners and Regular Vapers
Freebase nicotine vape liquids are perfect for those who like a bit of a kick in their vaping sessions. This vape juice contains the pure form of nicotine, which is derived from the natural form of nicotine. This increases the liquid’s throat hit but delivers a less instant nicotine hit; this is good for those who like to vape throughout the day rather than just getting a quick few hits in.
Regular vapers favour freebase nicotine e-liquids in lower strengths as they get quite intense in high strengths. Typically used in pod vape kits, freebase nicotine is perfect for those who would like to replicate a typical cigarette smoking experience with tobacco flavours, a noticeable throat hit, mouth-to-lung vaping, and, of course, the ability to find the perfect strength between 3mg and 20mg in the e-liquid.
Now that we laid out all the key information about vaping and smoking, we can finally get into the best vape kits for beginner vapers.
The Best Disposable Vapes for Heavy Smokers
1. Elf Bar 600 V2
Overview
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Disposable Vape Kit
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20mg Nicotine Strength
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Up to 600 Puffs from 2ml Vape Juice
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28 Flavours
The Elf Bar 600 V2 is the upgraded version of the ever-so-popular Elf Bar 600. A world-famous single-use disposable vape kit, a first choice for many beginner vapers and a favourite of regular vapers. The Elf Bar V2 shines in simplicity and flavour delivery; with 600 puffs per device, ready to out of the device, and tantalising flavours ready to be enjoyed through auto-draw activation in a 2% strength, it’s a delight to use. This is one of the most ideal starting points for many first-time vapers, as it’s a disposable device and cheap to try out. However, with flavours like Blueberry Raspberry and Cherry, we can almost guarantee you’ll be back for more.
2. SKE Crystal Bar
Overview
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Disposable Vape Kit
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20mg / 0mg Nicotine Strength
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Up to 600 Puffs from 2ml Vape Juice
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49 Flavours
Like other single-use disposable vapes, the SKE Crystal Bar is ready to go out of the box, delivering up to 600 puffs per device in unmatched flavours with options for either a 20mg strength or completely nicotine-free! The great thing about the SKE Crystal Bar is that you have 49 flavour options in a 2% nicotine strength and 17 options in the nicotine-free alternative, both available in a tobacco flavour. Given that not many disposable vapes are offering tobacco flavours anymore, the SKE Crystal Bar is said to be one of the best tobacco flavour disposable vapes.
3. Lost Mary BM6000
Overview
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Big Puff Disposable Vape Kit
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20mg Nicotine Strength
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Up to 6000 Puffs from 12ml Vape Juice
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16 Flavours
The Lost Mary BM6000 is like the big brother of the Lost Mary BM600. This big vape can deliver up to 6000 puffs from a total of 12ml of e-liquid. Unlike regular single-use disposables, this kit comes with a separate 10ml refilling e-liquid cartridge that you attach to the device to top-up the vape pod by just tilting the device. To be able to utilise all the vape juice provided, you can recharge the 650 mAh battery through a USB-C port and you can always keep an eye on the battery level on the display screen integrated in the device. The auto-draw feature makes it a breeze to use this kit, and all you have to worry about is choosing the right flavour options to match your taste palate.
The Best Pod Vape Kits for Heavy Smokers
1. SKE Crystal Plus
Overview
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Pod Vape Kit with Prefilled or Refillable Vape Pods
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Best Suited for Nicotine Salt E-Liquids
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15 Flavour Options in Prefilled Vape Pods
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Rechargeable Battery / Auto-draw Function / Adjustable Airflow
The SKE Crystal Plus device is perfect for new vapers. The rechargeable 400 mAh battery device is compatible with both prefilled vape pods and refillable vape pod options. The prefilled pods come with 2ml of 2% nic salt ready to go for up to 600 puffs and can be replaced once the e-liquid is depleted. The refillable vape pods, on the other hand, are good to go until the coil has reached the end of its service life, which is around a week or so. Whilst using the refillable pods, you can refill them with your own choice of vape juice as many times as you like. They’re perfectly suited for SKE Crystal Original V2 Salts, which come in 20mg and 10mg strengths in flavours like Cherry Ice and Watermelon Ice, perfect for recreating a disposable vape experience in a more eco-friendly device.
2. Oxva Xlim Go
Overview
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Pod Vape Kit with Prefilled or Refillable Vape Pods
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Best Suited for Nicotine Salts and Freebase Nicotine E-Liquids
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10 Flavour Options in Prefilled Vape Pods
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Rechargeable Battery / Auto-draw Function / Adjustable Airflow
The Oxva Xlim Go is one of the simpler devices in the Oxva Xlim series. It is perfect for those who like an easy-going vaping experience without buttons or display screens to mess around with. With options for prefilled vape pods and refillable vape pods, you have plenty of choice in both flavour and nicotine strengths. The prefilled vape pods come with 2ml of 2% vape juice in 10 classic flavour options like Apple Peach and Triple Mango. Each pod is able to deliver up to 600 puffs and once the e-liquid is depleted, the pods can be replaced. The refillable vape pods are much more versatile than their prefilled counterparts. They’re perfectly matched for any nicotine salt vape juice or freebase nicotine e-liquids in your choice of flavour and nicotine strength. The recommended set-up for this device is a 1.2-ohm coil option for the refillable vape pods, used with 20mg nicotine salts, notably the Oxva Ox Passion nic salts.
3. Vaporesso XROS 4 Mini
Overview
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Pod Vape Kit with Prefilled or Refillable Vape Pods
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Best Suited for Nicotine Salts and Freebase Nicotine E-Liquids
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15 Flavour Options in Prefilled Vape Pods
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Rechargeable Battery / Auto-draw Function / Adjustable Airflow
The Vaporesso XROS 4 Mini is a top choice for any beginner vaper; it’s modern, sleek, and it packs a punch. With a 1000 mAh rechargeable battery and options for prefilled and refillable vape pods, you’re treated to pure vaping bliss. The prefilled vape pods are perfect for those who like a hassle-free vaping experience; just pop the pod into the device and let the vape juice do the talking. 2ml of 2% vape juice in 15 flavour options; the only thing you have to worry about is having a replacement one ready once the liquid depletes in the pod. On the other hand, the refillable vape pods can be used for much longer, you can refill it as many times as you like until the coil reaches the end of its service life. Don’t worry; before that happens, you’ll be able to use any nicotine salt vape juice or freebase nicotine e-liquid in any strength and flavour to ease your cravings.
Best Vape Juice for Heavy Smokers
E-liquids are crucial in your vaping journey; choosing the right flavour can help you stay on track and enhance your vaping experience. Heavy smokers may want to try out some tobacco flavours at first for familiarity; however, regular vapers are more fond of fruity and menthol flavours as they progress in their journey as they prove to be more enjoyable and suited for vaping.
Best Tobacco Flavour Vape Liquid
Here are some of the best tobacco-flavoured vape liquids that are a hit with our customers and may become your favourites too.
Best Vape Juice Brands for New Vapers
As mentioned before, as vapers indulge in all the wonders vaping has to offer, they soon start to explore flavours other than just tobacco and menthol. Here are some of the best vape juice brands that offer the most variety in their e-liquid products.
What’s Next?
Now that you’ve got the basics down and you’re familiar with some vape kit options and vape juice brands, what’s left? Well, now all you have to do is decide on a vape kit! We recommend starting with a disposable vape just to get the hang of things and really just try out vaping to see if it can really help you stop smoking.
Once you get into the hang of things, why not check out our handy blogs and guides? They can help you elevate your vaping experience and skills so you can master vaping and truly enjoy every puff.
If you ever run into any problems or don’t know which next step to take, don’t hesitate to contact us for help. We’re here to support you on your journey, and we’re super excited that you’ve taken the first step in quitting smoking.
