Every vape does the same three things: heats an e-liquid, aerosolises it, and delivers nicotine to the lungs. What varies — and what matters for how dependent you become and how hard quitting is — is how much nicotine the device delivers per puff, and how frictionless it is to take that puff.

The three device families

Disposables (Elf Bar, Lost Mary, Vuse Go, Flum)

Battery, coil, and e-liquid all in one sealed unit. Discarded when empty. Typical specs:

  • Nicotine strength: 20 mg/mL (EU/UK cap) up to 50 mg/mL (US)
  • Capacity: 2-10 mL
  • Puff count: 600-5,000+
  • Coil type: mesh (delivers more vapour per watt)

Disposables account for most new vaping uptake in the last five years and most new quit attempts on our platform. They are the highest-nicotine format on average.

Pod systems (Juul, Vuse Alto, SMOK Nord, uwell Caliburn)

A rechargeable battery + a small cartridge (pod) that either refills or replaces. Typical specs:

  • Nicotine strength: 20-50 mg/mL nicotine salt
  • Pod capacity: 0.7-2 mL
  • Longevity: the battery lasts years, pods swap daily

Pods sit between disposables and refillables on cost and nicotine intake. Juul's 5% (50 mg/mL) pods were the format that mainstreamed high-strength nicotine salts.

Refillables (mods, tanks, sub-ohm)

The original "vaping" category: a larger battery + a refillable tank. Users buy e-liquid in bottles and refill.

  • Nicotine strength: usually 3-6 mg/mL freebase (low), sometimes salt pods
  • Capacity: 2-10 mL
  • Typical dependence: lower on average than disposables, partly because low-strength freebase caps intake

What is nicotine salt?

Freebase nicotine, the form used in early e-liquids, is harsh at high concentrations, which limited how much users would inhale. Nicotine salts (nicotine + benzoic acid) are much less harsh, which is what allows modern devices to deliver 20-50 mg/mL through a small mouthpiece. Nearly all disposables and pods use salts; most refillables do not.

Why coil design matters

Mesh coils — perforated metal strips that heat more evenly than a wire — deliver noticeably more vapour per watt. In practice, a mesh 20 mg/mL disposable often delivers more nicotine per puff than an old wire-coil 20 mg/mL device.

What this means for quitting

Device format is a leading indicator of how much nicotine you actually consume per day, which drives cessation planning:

  • Low-strength refillable users (3-6 mg/mL) often quit successfully with behavioural support alone or minimal NRT.
  • Pod users (20-50 mg/mL) typically need combination NRT or a medication to blunt withdrawal.
  • Heavy disposable users (multiple 20-50 mg/mL disposables a day) benefit most from prescription medication plus NRT.

Our nicotine-per-puff data page has the measured per-puff numbers across major devices, and our how much nicotine guide has the calculation for common daily patterns.

Brand-specific pages

  • Juul: 5% and 3% pods, US-only since 2023 marketing changes
  • Elf Bar: EU/UK-compliant vs high-capacity variants
  • Vuse: Alto pods and disposable Go
  • Lost Mary: mesh disposables at 20 mg/mL
  • SMOK, Vaporesso, Voopoo: refillable pod-mod hybrids

Detailed brand explainers will follow as separate entries in this cluster.

What "puff count" actually measures

Puff-count claims (600, 5,000, 10,000) are lab tests at a fixed draw duration on a machine. Real-world puff count is typically 40-60% of claimed. E-liquid capacity in mL is a more reliable indicator of total nicotine.

Making it stick

If you are trying to quit, do not overthink your device. Whatever it is, on quit day it goes in the bin. The reason to understand it before then is to size the NRT or medication you may need afterward.