Which Vape Kit Should You Buy?
Three things decide it: how you want to draw, what you want to spend, and whether you would rather refill from a bottle or swap in a pod that arrives already filled. The sections below take those in order, and every type links through to the full range.
Cheap Vape Kits Under £20
Cheap does not have to mean disappointing. Kits start at £2.99, and from around £12 you get a refillable pod device with a battery that lasts a day and coils you can replace for a couple of pounds instead of buying the whole device again.
The saving is in the refills, not the kit. A £15 pod kit paired with 10ml bottles costs less over a month than buying prefilled or single-use devices, which is the main reason people move across.
What to look for under £20:
-
Replaceable coils. If the coil is sealed in, the whole device is throwaway within a month.
-
800mAh or more if you vape through the day, or you will be charging it at lunchtime.
-
Pods you can still buy in six months. Stick to a brand with a range behind it.
Also worth a look: the sale and clearance range carries older models at lower prices, and the weekly deals page collects whatever is reduced right now.
Not for you if you want big clouds. Under £20 buys a sensible MTL pod kit, not a sub-ohm setup, and pushing a cheap kit to do that job just burns coils.
MTL Vape Kits for a Cigarette Draw
MTL stands for mouth to lung, and it is the draw that feels like a cigarette. You pull the vapour into your mouth first, then breathe it in. If you are switching from smoking, this is almost certainly what you want.
MTL kits use tight airflow and a coil above 0.8 ohm, and they work best with a nic salt at 10mg or 20mg. One 10ml bottle refills a 2ml pod five times. They use less liquid and less power than the alternative, so a small device will last you a full day.
If this is your first device, the beginner kits range narrows it to draw-activated devices with nothing to set up, and our guide to the best starter kits to quit smoking covers what to expect in the first fortnight.
Not for you if you want clouds. MTL is a quiet, discreet draw and it is meant to be.
E-Cigarette Starter Kits
E-cigarette and vape kit mean the same thing. The word changed, the product did not. If you searched for an e-cig starter kit and landed on a page full of pod kits, you are in the right place.
What has changed is the hardware. The cigalike that looked like a cigarette has gone, replaced by pod kits that recharge over USB-C, refill from a bottle and last for years rather than a week.
An e-cigarette starter kit today is four things: a device, a pod, a coil and a cable. You choose your own e-liquid strength, and for the closest thing to the old cigarette feel that is a 20mg nic salt.
Not for you if you are looking for a cigalike specifically. We do not stock them, and nobody makes a good one any more.
Vape Kit Types: Which One Is Yours
Five types cover almost everything here. Pick the type first and it rules out most of the catalogue.
|
Type
|
Choose it if
|
E-Liquid
|
Shop
|
|
Pod Kit (MTL)
|
You are switching from cigarettes and want a tight draw
|
Nic salt 10 or 20mg
|
Pod kits
|
|
Prefilled Pod Kit
|
You are coming off disposables and want the same swap-when-empty routine
|
Pods arrive filled at 20mg
|
Prefilled pod kits
|
|
Refillable Pod Kit
|
You already buy bottled e-liquid and want the cheapest way to vape it
|
Nic salt or 50/50
|
Refillable vape kits
|
|
Vape Pen
|
You want the slim pen shape and something that feels like a cigarette in the hand
|
Nic salt 10 or 20mg
|
Vape pens
|
|
Sub-Ohm Kit (DTL)
|
You want clouds and flavour on an open draw
|
70/30 shortfill, 0 or 3mg
|
Sub-ohm kits
|
Draw style decides the rest. MTL is a cigarette-style inhale into the mouth first, DTL is one open breath straight to the lungs, and RDL sits between the two.
Still not sure? Most people switching from cigarettes are better off starting with a pod kit and moving up later than starting with a sub-ohm kit and finding it too much. Our guide to choosing a kit walks through it, and if you are coming off disposables, switching from disposables to pod kits covers what changes.
Vape Mod Kits and Box Mods
A mod kit is the step up: a bigger battery, adjustable wattage and a tank rather than a pod. More vapour, more control and longer between charges, at the cost of size and a bit more to learn.
Box mods take removable batteries, usually one or two 18650 cells, so you can carry a charged spare instead of stopping to plug in. Internal battery mods are simpler and slimmer. For a complete kit with the tank included see the advanced kits range, for a bare mod with no tank see vape mods, and for the boutique end there are high end mods.
There is one more format worth knowing about. On a boro or AIO build the tank drops inside the device rather than sitting on top, which keeps it pocketable at higher power and lets you swap the whole tank in seconds. Those live in boro kits and AIO mods.
Not for you if you want something pocketable that just works. A mod is a bigger thing to carry and it expects you to know what wattage you like.
Vape Kit Prices
Kits here start at £2.99 and reach just under £370. Each band buys a different battery class and refill routine:
-
Under £10. Basic pod kit, 700 to 1,000mAh, auto-fire, single integrated coil.
-
£10 to £20. Refillable 2ml pod, USB-C, swappable coil, three-step wattage.
-
£20 to £40. Pod mod, variable wattage 30 to 50W, MTL and RDL coil options.
-
£40 to £80. Sub-ohm kit, 18650 or 21700 battery, 80 to 220W, sub-ohm tank fitted.
-
Over £80. Boutique and limited edition builds, mostly boro and AIO.
The newest releases land in just in as they arrive.
What's in the Box and What You Replace
Most kits include the device, a pod or tank, a fitted coil and sometimes a spare, a USB-C cable, a mouthpiece and spare seals. Exact contents are listed on each product page.
Budget for the consumables:
-
Coils: one to three weeks, depending how much you vape.
-
Refillable pods: a few coil cycles each.
-
Prefilled pods: single use.
-
Batteries: one to two years, and 18650 or 21700 cells are user replaceable.
Keep spare glass and O-rings on hand, and pair any kit with the right e-liquid for the draw.