A driving force behind people making the switch to vaping is how much money they can save. (Don’t believe us? Then check out our cost-benefit analysis video and see how much you can save by switching to vaping in the short and the long term). That being said, there’s more than one way to vape for less. This week, we’ll be taking you through our top tips for vaping on a budget. We’ve included tips that you can use whether you’ve just started vaping as well as ideas for the more experienced vaper as well.
Whichever way you vape, you’re going to use e-liquid. With so many options out there it’s easy to find a flavour that you enjoy, in a nicotine strength that will keep your cravings satisfied. But could there be a way for you to save money on e-liquid?
This is a great idea for vapers who are looking to save money, as well as those who find they don’t have as much time in the day to vape as they might like. The idea is quite simple, by switching to a higher nicotine strength e-liquid you can actually vape less to satisfy your cravings. This means you won’t be using as much e-liquid as you normally do.
Salt nicotine e-liquid is becoming easier to find, with big brands such as Element, Vampire Vape, Dinner Lady creating salt nic e-liquids. Different from traditional freebase, salt nicotine not only provides a smooth throat hit, it is also absorbed faster and stays around for longer, so you can satisfy your cravings quickly and for a longer period. This again will mean that you use less e-liquid. Check out our range of salt nicotine e-liquids.
There are two ways to do this, the first is to invest in shortfill e-liquids. These are underfilled bottles of 0mg e-liquid. The idea is that each bottle has enough room to add a concentrated nicotine booster shot to it, allowing you to quickly and cheaply create a larger amount of nicotine-containing e-liquid.
The 0mg e-liquid will dilute the concentrated nicotine shot. For example adding an 18mg nic shot to 50ml of 0mg e-liquid, will create 60ml of 3mg e-liquid. A 50ml shortfill and a 10ml nicotine booster will work out much cheaper than six 10ml bottles of nicotine-containing e-liquid. You’ll also end up throwing away less plastic, which is more environmentally friendly.
You can in fact go further than this. Full DIY mixing will take a bit more time and effort, but it will save you a greater amount of money than a premixed or shortfill e-liquid. We’d really only recommend DIY mixing to the more experienced vaper, but when you’re ready, it's a great way to experiment with flavours and create your own custom blends. You essentially create your own e-liquid from scratch by combining flavour concentrates with VG, PG and nicotine. You can find a full range of concentrates, as well as distilled VG and PG, in our dedicated DIY section at Vape Club.
Coils are the metal heating element that vape kits use to vapourise e-liquid. All coils have a lifespan and are the most often replaced piece of equipment in a vape kit. Taking good care of them and following the tips below will mean they’ll have to be replaced less often, resulting in a huge possible savings for you.
so you’ve made the switch to a higher nicotine strength e-liquid, the next step will be to switch to a higher Ohm coil. The higher resistance will require less power to heat them and in line with this, they will produce less vapour. This is a must if you plan to vape with e-liquid that is 6mg or higher. What it also means is that less e-liquid will be heated in a vaping session, so you’re not only using your coil less, meaning it’s replaced less often, you’ll also be using less e-liquid. Talk about a two-for-one.
Mesh vape coils are becoming easier to find. They follow the same principles as standard vape coils, but with a twist. As they have a larger surface area and are finer than a conventional wound coil, they are less likely to develop what is known as a hotspot. Hot spots occur when coils are bunched up not allowing heat to travel through them. This greatly reduces not only the effectiveness, but also the overall lifespan of a coil. Making the switch to mesh also helps deliver better flavour from e-liquids - which is a bonus. You can find mesh coils in versions designed for direct to lung and mouth to lung vaping. We stock a full range of mesh coils at Vape Club, with the option of next day delivery.
The vaping aficionados among you may already do this, by building your own coils you have a greater control over how your kit will perform in relation to cloud production, and flavour gained from e-liquids. We do not recommend coil building to new vapers, you will need a thorough knowledge of vaping, Ohm’s law and battery safety to build your own vape coil. That being said when you do, vaping is far more cost-effective. You’re no longer paying for a manufacturer’s labour because you’re building the coil itself. You will need some safety equipment and proper tools to build coils. But once you factor in this one-time investment, you’ll find you’re much better off.
By hardware we mean vape kits, tanks and battery devices. It is often the case that you will find a type of kit you like and stick with it for the duration. But by making a switch to something different you can save your hard-earned money. The general advice is to go smaller, vaping becomes expensive when it’s done to excess. Follow our tips below to help get more miles out of your kit and keep hold of your cash.
MTL or mouth to lung vaping, refers to the style of vaping where you inhale vapour into your mouth and then breathe it into your lungs (the same way that you smoke a cigarette) there are a huge range of kits designed to support this type, from pod kits to open tank kits.
So how does it save you money? Simple, it comes down to an economy of scale. These kits are more often than not cheaper, than the larger sub ohm kits that you may be used to. As well, to support a mouth to lung vaping style, they’ll generally produce less vapour overall, again like changing to a higher ohm coil you’ll use less e-liquid because of this.
If you’re dead set on sub ohm vaping and still looking to cut cost, we’d recommend making the move towards a device that features removable batteries. An average Li-on battery has a lifespan of about a year, or 180 charge cycles (whichever greater). Once past this threshold you’ll notice a rapid decline in performance, the battery won’t hold its charge or will stop charging altogether. If you’re using a kit with an integrated battery, this means the entire kit will have to be junked and you’ll be forced to purchase an entirely new set-up.
However, if you’re using a kit with removable batteries, it’s simply a case of buying new batteries - new batteries will almost always be cheaper to source than a new kit. Always remember to purchase your batteries from a trusted source and keep them safe (you can find more information about that here).
Convenience always comes with a cost, it’s the same with vaping. The prefilled pod kit or disposable cigalike that you're using might be very simple, but you could be saving money by switching to something that requires only minimal maintenance.
The only difference between a prefilled and refillable pod kit is how the e-liquid goes in. With the latter, a pod will arrive with e-liquid and ready to vape. The refillable varieties require you to do that yourself. This isn’t as hard as you may think and very quick to pick up, especially with the rise of top and side filing pods that have been specially created to support vapers on the go, or those who are just making the move to refilling.
The other benefit is choice, you’re no longer tied to the flavours that the manufacturer of your pod kit has picked. This can open up new avenues of choice and the chance to try different blends you’ve never thought of, roasted coffee and almonds - definitely; fruit, candy and menthol fusions - you know it.
You’ll also be able to pick different nicotine strengths, so if you need to switch to a higher nicotine strength to conserve your cash or experience a harder hit, it’s much cheaper to refill with e-liquid than to buy a brand new pod. If you’re still unsure, be on the lookout for the growing number of pod kits that offer both refillable and filled pod options.
Don't panic, we’re not suggesting vape abstinence, but a change to your vaping style could equate to more money in your wallet.
What we mean by this is that you don’t necessarily have to vape like how you used to smoke. Chain vaping describes the act of continuous bursts of vaping over a short period of time, a bit like chain smoking cigarettes. This will use up a lot of e-liquid in a very short amount of time and run the risk of prematurely burning out your coil. If you’re finding that you’re having to chain vape just to satisfy your cravings, it’s definitely worth looking at making the move to a higher nicotine strength to help satisfy them.
High wattage vaping produces big clouds, but it will also use a lot more e-liquid. This not only means you’ll have to refill your tank more often, you’ll also have to purchase more e-liquid. If you switch to a lower wattage, you’ll not only experience a stealthier vape (ideal for when you’re out and about) but you’ll also use less e-liquid.
You don’t have to make big changes to save money when vaping, by making small alterations you’ll see a real difference. For Vape deals this November check our Black Friday Deals page or for more information on how vaping can save you money, contact us directly on 01923 479992.
