Vape Pens

Vape pens are the original style of vape kit and as the name suggests, look a lot like a pen. Made up of a battery (known as a mod) and a vape tank, which you fill with e-liquid. It offers a good introduction to vaping and for that reason has remained a firm favourite for many years. Not only ideal for new vapers, the pen vape is also very discreet and has been designed specifically to fit into a pocket or bag - giving you a convenient vaping solution. The fact that these are refillable kits means you can pair it with your own choice of e-liquid so you can use one that features your favourite flavour and preferred nicotine strength, unlike traditional prefilled kits.

As they are so easy to use, almost everyone will get on with a vape pen. They will often feature single button operation, so you won’t need to scroll through endless menus or spend ages setting the kit up. In most cases all you’ll have to do is fill up the tank with e-liquid, leave it for ten minutes and get started. You will have to perform some regular maintenance, but this will be limited to refilling the tank and changing the coils.

Pen kits are a popular choice for a lot of vapers, but if you’re still weighing things up, here are a few pointers.

Vape pens usually have a slim profile, but can be quite long. So, while smaller than a box mod, if you’re looking for something that’s more compact all-round you may prefer a refillable pod kit. You should bear in mind that smaller kits also have smaller batteries, as a general rule a vape pen will have a longer battery life than a pod kit.

The tanks used for vape pens are not disposable and will require regular coil changes and the occasional clean. They are, however, far more cost-effective in the long run. If you’re looking for an option that requires no maintenance a prefilled pod kit will probably suit you better.

The tanks are also generally constructed from glass which obviously makes them more fragile than a plastic pod, so if you’re the clumsy type we recommend you invest in a vape band which will better protect your tank.

Traditionally almost all pen vape kits were designed for mouth to lung vaping, however, this is no longer the case and a growing number now use sub ohm coils. When picking your e-liquid, take note of which kind of coils are used. MTL pen kits (or any kit with a coil above 1.0 Ohm) or above will work best with a 50% or high PG e-liquid, as they produce a smaller amount of vapour. Sub ohm pen kits that use coils below 1.0 Ohm will fare better when combined with a high VG blend, particularly 70% VG e-liquid. This is to support their increased vapour production.

Before picking your nicotine strength you’ll need to take into account whether it’s an MTL or DTL kit you’re using. DTL pens will produce a lot of vapour and we recommend a nicotine strength of 3mg and no higher than 6mg - otherwise, it may be too harsh. With an MTL kit, you can use any nicotine strength e-liquid.

If you’re wondering which nicotine strength is best for you, we recommend you check out our Beginner’s Guide To E-liquids. Inside our guide, you’ll find a complete rundown on picking the best nicotine level and type.

Pen kits are a budget-friendly option. In terms of starting costs, the average kit is around £20. The more advanced kits are more expensive, but they will feature a range of modes and more complex chipsets for customised vaping. You’ll also notice that over time a pen kit can be very cost-effective. Like all vape kits, they’re easily less expensive than smoking, but they’re also cheaper to use than a pod kit or a disposable. You will, however, need to be prepared to refill the tank with e-liquid and change the coil.