The following curated list of the Best E-Cigarettes of 2021 is a great place for newbie vapor users to start.
So, what’s the difference between an e-cigarette and a vape?
They’re essentially the same exact thing.
Calling a vapor device a ‘vape’ is just slang for the more technical term, electronic cigarette. With that being said, the best e-cigarette list below will focus primarily on devices for novice users.
If you’ve had any personal experience with the e-cigarettes listed below, we invite you to rate them by using the thumbs up and thumbs down buttons.
For more complete lists of all the best vaping hardware and e-juices, check out our similar articles found below.
The Best E-Cigarettes – Top Devices & Starter Kits 2021
- OSMALL: by Vaporesso
- XROS: by Vaporesso
- ZERO: by Vaporesso
- Breeze 2: by Aspire
- NOVO: by Smoktech
- NOVO 2: by Smoktech
- RipStick: by RipTide
- NORD: by Smoktech
- AVP Pro: by Aspire
- Aegis Boost: by GeekVape
- Exilis X: by SnowWolf
- ODIN Mini: by DOVPO
- G-Priv 3: by Smoktech
- Proton: by Innokin
- Aegis X Zeus: by GeekVape
- 1K: by KILO
- Centaurus DNA: by Lost Vape
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- A Beginner’s Guide to The Best E-Cigarettes in 2021
- How do e-cigarettes work?
- What are the main types of e-cigarette devices?
- What are the costs associated with e-cigarette usage?
- Which e-cigarette should I choose?
- What should I know about buying e-cigarettes online?
- What’s the most popular e-cigarette?
- What are the best e-cigarette companies?
A Beginner’s Guide to The Best E-Cigarettes in 2021
The terms e-cigarettes and vapes are often used interchangeably. For the sake of new vapor users, we’ve taken the liberty of distinguishing these vapor devices into these two main categorizes.
The two most common types of vapor devices are as followed:
- E-cigarettes consist of disposable, cigalike, pod and pod vapes style devices. (Pod devices are sort of a hybrid between electronic cigarettes and vapes).
- Vapes are vapor devices that function with a refillable vape tank and feature adjustable settings.
Basic e-cigarettes contain the following components:
- Body or housings refer to the casing or shell of an e-cigarette and make up its look and or style. Some e-cigarette bodies are larger than others to accommodate for the size of the battery and or computer board etc.
- Mouthpieces refer to the part of an e-cigarette where you place your mouth to inhale. For most pod based e-cigarettes, the mouthpiece is part of the pod itself.
- Batteries are what power electronic cigarettes. E-Cigarette batteries vary in size (millimeter diameter and height), most notably concerning capacity (mAh), power output (volts) and current limit (amps). Watts of power are commonly used to describe a devices maximum power capability. Importantly, the distinction between internal battery e-cigarette and external is important to make. The majority of standard pod devices utilize internal batteries, which cannot be replaced.
- E-Liquid chambers refer to the part of an e-cigarette that houses vape juice. An e-liquid chamber can be a pod, cartridge or detachable tank. Importantly, tank capacity varies widely between electronic cigarette types.
- Atomizers atomize e-liquid into vapor (or aerosol) form. Atomizers vary in size and capability but all perform the process of heating an e-liquid drawn to a coil via a wicking material. In other words, an atomizer is comprised of a heating element, heating coil and wicking material.
- E-Liquids generally consist of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin and flavor concentrates. E-Liquid is available in various nicotine strengths or with zero nicotine. Some e-liquids contain benzoic acid which allows users to consume more nicotine than would be typically tolerable. Flavored eliquid is the primary reason for the growth and popularity if vapor products.
- Power mechanisms or fire buttons refer to the trigger that users press on their e-cigarette device to produce vapor that is inhaled. Many e-cigarettes are designed without manual power buttons and simply activate upon inhaling.
- Charging ports are simply the location of an e-cigarette where recharging of the battery takes place. Most e-cigarettes have either a usb or micro-usb charging port. Because e-cigarette batteries vary, it’s important to use the charger designed for your device (and battery).
Importantly, pod mods are the hybrid vape category between standard electronic cigarettes and full fledged box mods. Pod mods offer variable wattage, variable voltage and temperature control settings for ultimate customization.
With that being said, the term pod mod is somewhat misleading. As the pods that pod mods utilize are more like a tank system than a traditional compact pod which houses the heating element, coil and wicking material.
How do e-cigarettes work?
One of the beauties of e-cigarettes are their relatively simple design. Essentially, an e-cigarette is a compact vapor device that heats and vaporizes an e-liquid before it’s inhaled by the user.
E-cigarettes differentiate themselves from vapes by way of simplicity. Rather than choosing wattage and voltage settings as you would with a more advanced vape, an e-cigarette is as simple as taking a puff or at the very most, pressing a button while taking a puff. This simplicity makes e-cigarettes the gateway to vapor products for the vast majority of vapor users.
How do e-cigarette batteries work?
Because e-cigarettes are designed to be as similar to actual combustible cigarette products as possible, they feature small (usually non-replaceable) batteries. The classic dilemma of sacrificing battery power and longevity for a more compact size has always been at the forefront of e-cigarette innovation. However, the industry has come a long way and now most rechargeable pod systems come with batteries that will last a solid 6 hours. Disposable e-cigarette batteries usually have a 4 to 6 hour operating range as well, depending on usage.
While most e-cigarette contain an internal (non-replaceable) battery, some utilize what are known as external batteries that can indeed be replaced.
Almost all e-cigarettes utilize lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for the same reasons that all other portable electronic devices do; they’re rechargeable and efficient. Rechargeable battery options have come a long way over the past decade.
- Physical sizes of e-cigarette batteries are referenced by their width (diameter) and height in millimeter measurements. For example, an 18650 battery is a very common size of e-cigarette battery and is 18mm in diameter by 650mm in height, thus it’s known as an ‘18650’ battery.
- mAh’s is the standard unit of measurement used to describe how much energy a battery can deliver per hour. Specifically, mAh stands for milliampere-hour. A 1,000 mAh e-cigarette battery for example, can deliver 1,000 milliamperes or 1 amp per hour until its capacity is drained and requires recharging.
- Amps is the abbreviation of ampere, which is the unit of measurement for electrical current. Concerning e-cigarettes, amps clearly define the continuous discharge rating of any particular battery for safe operation.
- Voltage represents the difference between two electrical points. The vast majority of e-cigarette batteries contain 3.6 to 3.7 nominal volts. While most e-cigarettes don’t feature adjustable voltage, the majority of vape mods do. Generally, by reducing voltage in an adjustable system, users have the ability to increase the production of vapor.
- oHm’s are units of electrical resistance. When it comes to e-cigarettes, oHm’s refer to atomizer resistance. Atomizers with low oHm ratings can operate from low voltages, which creates more vapor. The need to understand oHm’s and voltages are predominantly for vape mod users, as most e-cigarettes are not built for ‘sub ohm’ vaping.
The Transformation from E-Liquid to Vapor
Unlike tobacco cigarettes that require combustion in order for users to inhale nicotine, vapor products simply heat and atomize an e-liquid, allowing users to inhale nicotine without several hundred additional chemicals found in tobacco cigarette smoke.
- An e-liquid is heated.
- The built-in atomizer then atomizes the e-liquid into an aerosol (aka vapor) form.
- Users inhale the e-liquid that is now in vapor form.
Why does my e-cigarette have a burnt taste?
If you’ve vaped for practically any length of time, the likelihood that you’ve experienced a burnt taste upon inhaling is extremely high. In other words, getting a burnt taste once in a while is extremely common and is simply the result of overheating. Overheating e-liquid can happen in any type of e-cigarette or vapor device. As it pertains to common e-cigarettes and pod based systems, overheating is usually the result of the device being activated when the user isn’t inhaling.
What to do if you’re getting a burnt taste from your e-cigarette:
- Remove the pod or cartridge and clean all contacts with a q-tip.
- Wait 1 to 5 minutes before reconnecting.
- Upon reconnecting, ensure that the device doesn’t activate unless you’re inhaling.
- If the device continues to activate when you’re not inhaling, repeat steps one and two.
- Automatic devices that continue to activate without inhaling, even after cleaning should be considered faulty.
- If the device is only activating upon inhale but the burnt taste remains, replace the pod or cartridge.
- Setting burnt tasting pods or cartridges aside for a day or two is sometimes necessary and the burnt taste will in large part, go away.
If you’re e-cigarette utilizes a removable coil head, overheating can result in ruining the coil head. If your attempts to disconnect and reconnect the coil head and keep the tank or cartridge separate from the battery unit for a few minutes don’t fix the burnt taste problem, you’ll likely need to replace the coil head.
What are the main types of e-cigarette devices?
While the term e-cigarette is often used to describe absolutely all vapor devices, we’ve categorized e-cigarettes into pods, disposables and cigalikes. It’s our determination that the term e-cigarette should be used to describe vapor devices that most closely match actual tobacco cigarettes in size. Additionally, e-cigarettes differentiate themselves from more advanced vapor devices, often called mods. In our opinion, making this distinction allows new vapor users to have a better understanding of their options.
Here are the main types of e-cigarettes:
- POD E-Cigarettes
- Disposable E-Cigarettes
- Cigalike E-Cigarettes
- Pen E-Cigarettes
POD E-Cigarettes
Pod e-cigarettes are the fastest growing category in the vapor market. Pod e-cigarettes are rechargeable and differentiate themselves from more advanced vaping devices by utilizing a pod based e-liquid container. The main reasons pod e-cigarettes are so popular is the fact that they’re generally simple, sleek, intuitive and available at nearly any corner-store. The biggest drawbacks to pod e-cigarettes is their limited battery longevity, limited e-liquid capacity and typically high cost of pod replacements. To be fair however, each mod contains an individual atomizer system, making their production slightly complicated. We’ve assembled a list of the best pod e-cigarettes for your consideration.
Disposable E-Cigarettes
Disposable e-cigarettes have been around since the beginning of the vapor boom and are here to stay. One-piece, non-rechargeable & non-refillable designs, disposables are to be responsibly thrown away when the battery dies. Like all other vapor devices over the past ten years, disposables have evolved into highly efficient and effective devices for vapor users. The main reasons why disposables remain an important category in the vapor space are their availability and price point for first time vapor users. However, the biggest drawbacks to some disposables are inconsistent batteries, lack of throat hit and high cost when relied upon over long periods of time. Our best disposable e-cigarettes list is available for you to consider the leading options.
Cigalike E-Cigarettes
Cigalikes are a dying breed and we’re simply including them to be thorough. At one point in time, cigalikes were considered a step-up from disposables and a logical transition for vapor users to make in order to save money. However, the entire category of cigalikes has been taken-over by the more effective and efficient pod based system. The greatest thing that cigalikes have going for them is their remarkable physical similarity to traditional tobacco cigarettes. Their downsides however are many and include a lack of power, e-liquid capacity and relatively high cost of replacement cartridges. With all of that being said, if you’re still interested, we’ve compiled a list of the best cigalike e-cigarettes.
Vape Pen E-Cigarettes
The pen vapes category is one of the oldest in the relatively young vaping industry. It emerged directly after the rollout of disposables and ‘rechargeable cigalike’ devices. Briefly, pen electronic cigarettes were incredibly popular because they offered improved performance, battery life and ejuice capacity. Although pen electronic cigarettes are still widely sold (see sales of the SMOK Stick), they’ve largely been replaced by box mods and mini mods due to their lack of features and adjustability.
You may have noticed that we don’t cover much by way of wax pen options, portable vaporizer devices or desktop vaporizers used for dry herb and or cbd vaping. It’s not that we’re anti-cbd at all. We simply hyper-focus on consumers seeking electronic cigarettes to transition away from traditional cigarettes in their goal of quitting smoking. (Not withstanding the relatively recent nationwide scare of consumers having adverse health effects to certain thc vaping.)
Similarly, a quickly rising product in the vaping world is one that heats tobacco. Companies like Marlboro and the like have recognized the fact that cigarettes are on their way out and are desperately trying to keep tobacco products alive. These systems are similar to vapor products in terms of ‘warming’ or ‘heating’ a substance, in this case heating tobacco leaves. We don’t see these products as legitimately competing with vapor over the long term. However, we’ll monitor them closely.
What are the costs associated with e-cigarette usage?
When you get to the stage of analyzing vaping costs, you’ll inevitably learn that you could save a ton of money by stitching to a more advanced system. However, more advanced vaping systems, such as pod mods and the like are often much physically bulkier devices than common e-cigarettes and or pod based systems. In the end, it’s going to be a trade-off, either spend more money on e-liquid via pods and have a sleek device or spend far less money on e-liquid via a box mod but lug around a bulky device. There are certainly hybrid vaping device options that do their best to split the difference between cost of use and sleek design, we in-fact spend a great deal of highlighting them throughout vapestaff.com.
Below are rough averages that a moderate smoker can expect pay per month when using pod, disposable and cigalike e-cigarettes:
- POD e-cigarette monthly usage cost: 1 pod per day @ $3.75 * 30 days = $112.43/mo
- Disposable e-cigarette monthly usage cost: 1 disposable per day @ $7.99 * 30 days = $239.70/mo
- Cigalike e-cigarette monthly usage cost: 2 pre-filled cartridge per day @ $2.00 * 30 days = $120.00/mo
For the general sake of comparison, a moderate smoker can expect to use around 30 mL of e-liquid per month in a more advanced refillable vapor device. Additionally, coil head replacements typically last 1 week. The monthly usage cost for moderate smokers who utilize an advanced refillable vaping system is broken down as followed:
- Box mod or other advanced refillable vapor device monthly usage cost: 30 mL of e-liquid per month @ $19.99 + 5 coil heads @ $14.99 = $34.98/mo
After doing the math, we can now see that it’s roughly 69% cheaper per month to use a refillable vape mod than a pod based e-cigarette.
Using the same math and rough averages, the yearly usage costs of each type of device is as followed:
- POD e-cigarette yearly usage cost: $112.43 * 12 months = $1,349.16/yr
- Disposable e-cigarette yearly usage cost: $239.70 * 12 months = $2,876.40/yr
- Cigalike e-cigarette yearly usage cost: $120.00 * 12 months = $1,440.00/yr
- Refillable box mod yearly usage cost: $34.98 * 12 months = $419.76/yr
Which e-cigarette should I choose?
Choosing the right e-cigarette can be incredibly confusing. Our entire presence is to help simplify that process and ensure you don’t waste money on vapor devices that don’t fit your needs or style. So, before splurging on the most flashy e-cigarette or latest in technology, consider a few basic questions.
Below are the top questions to consider when deciding on an e-cigarette:
- Have you ever used a vapor product before? If you’ve never used a vapor device before, the best place to start is with a disposable. Disposables allow you to quickly and easily experiment with vaping without having to navigate settings or wait for an order placed online to arrive. If you know you want to switch to vapor but don’t want to keep over paying for disposable e-cigarettes, pod based systems are phenomenal entry level devices. If you opt for a pod e-cigarette, be sure that you stock up on as many pods as possible, especially in the beginning as your body gets used to the transition and nicotine amounts.
- How many tobacco cigarettes do you smoke per day? If you smoke a pack of cigarettes or more per day, it’s important that you get an e-cigarette capable of satisfying your nicotine cravings. Heavy smokers that are completely new to vapor products have had tremendous success with the NJOY Daily disposables because they’re available in nicotine by volume percentages up to 6.8%. If you’re a heavy smoker and are concerned about the associated costs of being new to vapor, consider a hybrid pod based system like the SMOK Nord 2, SMOK Novo 2 or NJOY Ace. Additionally, be sure to buy e-liquid with relatively high nicotine strengths.
- Are you tech savvy? Most new vapor users are simply testing the waters. Therefore, they’re not interested in adjusting wattage, voltage or even swapping out coil heads. If you’re not ready to do a little tinkering with your e-cigarette, you should stick to disposables and pre-filled pod systems. If you are tech savvy however, the sky is the limit in terms of vaping setup.
Comparing E-Cigarette Features
Again, one of the benefits of choosing an e-cigarette rather than a vape mod is simplicity. Instead of tinkering with wattage, voltage and oHm settings, most e-cigarette users will simply connect their pod or cartridge and begin vaping. With that being said, e-cigarettes are typically designed as either automatic or manual devices.
- Automatic e-cigarettes are designed to activate when the user inhales.
- Manual e-cigarettes are designed to activate when the user presses the fire button or trigger.
Importantly, if you are interested in a manual style e-cigarette, it’s a good idea to find one that has a lock mechanism. The purpose of locking keys or mechanisms on manual e-cigarettes are to ensure that the device isn’t activated unintentionally, such as when it’s in the users pocket or is being transported. Additionally, most e-cigarettes now contain a built-in safety function known as ‘cut-off’. A safety cut-off is an automatic function that deactivates manual devices when the fire button or trigger is held for 8 seconds (times vary, but 10 seconds or less is common).
E-Cigarette POD, Cartridge and or Parts Availability
Perhaps the single largest factor to consider in choosing an e-cigarette is its pod, cartridge and or coil availability. You could find the absolute most prolific e-cigarette available online, if you can’t purchase the required pod, cartridge or replacement coil head a month down the road, it’s as good as junk.
For this reason alone, new vapor users should highly consider using well known vape brand names such as JUUL, NJOY, SMOK or even BO e-cigarette brands. Both JUUL and NJOY devices and replacement pods are available across the country in a corner-store near you. Furthermore, SMOK and BO have become so widely popular online that their replacement pods and coil heads are widely available online as well.
The amount of random e-cigarette devices we have on-hand over the years for testing purposes that are now obsolete due to an inability to purchase replacement components is staggering. Save yourself the hassle, money and time by buying devices from trusted brands to ensure replacement availability.
E-Liquid Flavor Options & Compatibility
As previously stated, the majority of typical e-cigarettes utilize non-refillable pods or cartridges. Any e-cigarette that operates on a non-refillable system will have an extremely limited e-liquid selection. This is of course compared to any e-cigarette (or hybrid) that utilizes refillable pods, or cartridges. If the e-cigarette you choose is designed to be refillable, the sky is the limit in terms of e-liquid flavor options.
Non-refillable and refillable e-cigarette pods or cartridges is an important distinction to make when deciding which e-cigarette to purchase.
- Non-refillable e-cigarette pods or cartridges are limited to a handful of e-liquid flavor options. Tobacco flavor and menthol flavor options are among the most prominent options.
- Refillable e-cigarette pods or cartridges are practically unlimited in their e-liquid flavor options.
If you choose an e-cigarette that utilizes a refillable pod or cartridge, an additional distinction to consider is regular and high VG e-liquid.
- Regular e-liquid is considered to have a 50PG/50VG ratio and can generally be used with almost any device.
- High VG e-liquid is considered to have either 40PG/60VG or 30PG/70VG ratios. High VG e-liquids are designed to produce more vapor and are widely used to produce dessert types of flavor.
Importantly, high VG e-liquids are much less universal than regular e-liquids in terms of pod, cartridge or coil head compatibility. This is due to a combination of low viscosity e-liquid, wicking materials and atomizer ohms. As a general rule of thumb, always consult the device manufacture to ensure e-liquid compatibility.
E-Cigarette Size
We’ve been spearheading the e-cigarette size debate since the beginning. While the argument for more settings and options can always be made for electronic devices of any kind, including e-cigarettes, it’s our contention that consumers most desire practicality and innovation. That is to say that if vapor users are given an option of a smaller device that performs in terms of power, vapor production and battery longevity, they’ll prefer it as compared to a more bulky device, regardless of adjustability.
The e-cigarette size discussion can easily be broken down into 3 timelines.
- Simple rechargeable and disposable e-cigarettes begin going mainstream as consumers recognize an alternative to smoking that satisfies their nicotine addiction.
- The vapor bonanza takes off as vapor users seek more e-liquid flavor options, additional vaping power and longer battery life in their devices.
- Consumers realize that lugging around a brick of a vaporizer in their pocket that is prone to leaking isn’t vaping nirvana, even with 8 mL of e-liquid, 3,000 mAh batteries and 200 adjustable watts.
- Vapor users get back to the basics and focus on simplicity and satisfaction rather than raw output power and enormous capacity. Thus, the rise of JUUL, NJOY, hybrid SMOK and other brands producing compact vaping devices also known as minis or baby size.
E-Cigarette Battery Life
For some, e-cigarette battery life is a top priority. For vapor users who aren’t near a computer or outlet to charge their device when necessary, battery life can be the difference between them continuing to vape or falling back into tobacco cigarette use to satisfy their nicotine cravings.
Many factors are at play in determining an e-cigarettes battery life or longevity. Battery quality, amperage, number of recharges and the power requirements of the atomizer all play significant roles in battery life. However, the best way to gauge battery life is by mAh.
Below are rough mAh to hour averages for typical vapor users (less than 1 mL of e-liquid per day) to consider when purchasing an e-cigarette:
- 200 mAh = 4 to 6 hours of regular use.
- 400 mAh = 6 to 8 hours of regular use.
- 800 mAh = 8 to 10 hours of regular use.
- 1600 mAh = 10 to 12 hours of regular use.
What should I know about buying e-cigarettes online?
Buying e-cigarettes online is as simple as buying anything on the internet. However, new vapor users should be familiar with a few common options, components and terminology when placing their orders. Additionally, federal law now states that persons must be at least 21 years old to purchase any tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. While online age verification is currently difficult to enforce, we expect more universal systems that are harder to spoof, to come online soon.
Below is a checklist of variables to consider when buying e-cigarettes online:
- Shipping origin. The average American consumer should only order e-cigarettes that are already in the United States and thus shipping from within the United States. If you place an order from a company located outside of the United States, you can expect delays, extra-long shipping times and even never receiving your order.
- Starter kit or device only. When shopping for e-cigarettes online, consumers can expect to find just as many vape starter kits as device only options. Ecigarette starter kit packages are great for new vapor users because they often include everything needed to begin vaping as soon as they receive their package. Conversely, while purchasing a device only can be cheaper, it’s important to know exactly what else is needed to actually use the device.
- Necessary equipment to operate. First, make sure that your device comes with a charging cord and has a built-in or replaceable battery. Secondly, if your device operates pre-filled and non-refillable pods, stock up on as many as you can and be ready to purchase more. If you opt for a hybrid e-cigarette that utilizes replaceable coil heads, stock up. Lastly, if you’re purchasing a refillable e-cigarette, be certain to purchase e-liquid along with it.
- Potential bulk order, minimum order or subscription savings. A tremendous amount of savings can often be had when buying e-cigarettes. Because the competition for repeat customers is so high, online vape shops typically offer additional ways to save when placing an order through them. These additional discounts can come by way of increasing the size or dollar amount of your order as well as signing up for newsletters or auto-delivery programs. Additionally, many vape shops offer buy direct slogans, which of course tends to equate to less expensive products.
What’s the most popular e-cigarette?
The most popular e-cigarettes by far are JUUL devices. Contrary to popular belief however, JUUL’s rapid rise in popularity isn’t due entirely to the younger generation. The JUUL pod e-cigarette’s success is due to its compact and innovative design, its widespread availability and it’s ability to satisfy the nicotine cravings of even long-time cigarette smokers. Where more advanced vapes are often difficult for new vapor users to understand and operate, the JUUL is as simple as connected a pod and inhaling. Additionally, it’s relatively inexpensive for newcomers to try vapor products.
It’s simple, consumers want compact, intuitive and sleekly designed e-cigarettes that perform well in terms of battery life and vaping power. Companies and brands that produce devices based on the aforementioned criteria will put themselves in a position to flourish.
Below are additional highly popular pod, hybrid and disposable e-cigarettes based on size, simplicity and effectiveness:
- BO One
- SMOK Nord 2
- NJOY Ace
- SMOK Novo 2
- NJOY Daily
What If You Can’t Decide On an E-Cigarette
The majority of vapor users won’t go through the trouble of studying and researching various e-cigarette options, they’ll simply utilize the trial and error method. In other words, because e-cigarette are relatively cheap, users are willing to give almost anything a try. While we’re proponents of trial and error when it comes to trying various flavors of e-liquid, we recommend not wasting money on devices, especially when the vapor market has come so far in terms of quality devices.
With that being said, if you’re a new vapor user and absolutely can’t decide which e-cigarette to choose, we’d advise you to grab a JUUL and two 4 packs of Virginia Tobacco pods. If you find vaping satisfying but JUUL pods rather expensive, then we can begin looking at hybrid e-cigarette options such as the NJOY Ace, SMOK Nord 2 or SMOK Novo 2. (The next step would be to upgrade to a vape mod, which would be the ultimate option in terms of low cost and high performance. Cloud chasers seek box mods, mini-box mods and pod mods for a premium vaping experience.)
The main reason to buy any particular e-cigarette is going to be different for every user. However, pod vapes and pod mods are becoming increasingly popular due to their simplicity and sleek design. As it turns out, consumers put a high priority on how a vape looks and feels. The shape and size of vapes is also why we’re seeing growth in the mini-box mod vape category. From here on out, vapor products designed with an emphasis on compactness will dominate.
Advantages of Having Multiple E-Cigarettes
There are however, significant benefits of having multiple e-cigarette options. While not the most economical, we often find ourselves utilizing multiple different devices throughout the week and or month. For example, disposable e-cigarettes are convenient when traveling and advanced adjustable hybrid e-cigarettes and vape mods are great for testing new e-liquid flavors. Lastly, sleek devices like the JUUL and NJOY Ace are solid all-day vapor devices that are routinely relied upon.
What are the best e-cigarette companies?
As we now know, e-cigarettes are simply a category of a wider vapor product market. As the vapor industry continues to emerge and consumers make more and more purchases online, the e-cigarette market space is a proverbial wild west. Unfortunately, very few e-cigarette companies are actively working to innovate devices or vapor technology. Most vapor or e-cigarette companies simply produce devices that are for the most part, very similar to existing products, with minor changes and of course, a different brand. Every now and then however, an e-cigarette company like JUUL comes along and revolutionizes the way that vapor and nicotine is consumed. (We’re not saying that JUUL is the end-all, be-all of vapor technology. When it comes to e-cigarette device innovation and how e-cigarette empires are built however, they’re the model.)
The leading vapor companies, specifically innovating the e-cigarette category are as followed:
- JUUL
- NJOY
- BLU
- VUSE
- SMOK
- BO Vaping
E-Cigarette Manufactures, Wholesalers, Retailers & Brands
As referenced above, the vast majority of e-cigarette devices available in the marketplace are very similar. It’s just a matter of a business recognizing the exponential growth of an industry, developing a marketing strategy and purchasing existing vapor products at wholesale prices. Sadly, this process completely revolves around the process of ordering e-cigarette devices and vapor products from China and slapping their brand name on them. This is of course why so many e-cigarette devices look exactly alike (or very similar), but are sold by a plethora of various brands or online vape shops.
Unlike e-liquid, which is widely manufactured in the United States, e-cigarettes are for the most part, imported from overseas. This is the case predominantly due to slimmer profit margins, which of course stems from the fact that countries like China are perfectly fine with their people being paid slave wages to manufacture everything under the sun. (Not to mention the fact that the entire Western world has been perfectly happy to export their manufacturing bases in mass in the pursuit of additional profit or business viability as it were.)
A lesser known but fantastic small vape shop to source vaping supplies is known as Mig Vapor.
What’s The Best E-Cigarette Brand?
When it comes to the top ecigarette brands, JUUL, NJOY, BLU, VUSE, SMOKTech and BO Vapor (as referenced previously) are the leaders. If we had to choose just one, JUUL is currently the king of the hill.
Truth be told, the top ecigarettes referenced above are at the top due to their sleek designs and high performance compared to cigalikes of the past. That of course coupled with their market saturation (ie available at every corner-store in the country).
JUUL
JUUL’s vaping dominance is due to an array of factors including but not limited to marketing, product quality and product availability. The JUUL brand became so popular that in late 2018, big tobacco conglomerate Altria Group acquired a 35% stake in the JUUL Labs company. Notably, in early 2021, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it’s suing the Altria Group for their $12.8 billion investment into JUUL Labs on grounds of creating a monopoly and antitrust. Ecig brand JUUL is in the game for the long haul and is the prototype product used for it’s direct competitor. Make no mistake about it, vapor brand JUUL will continue to dominate the world of vaping for years to come.
NJOY
With that being said, NJOY isn’t far behind, even with going through a bankruptcy relatively early in their blossoming. NJOY got themselves into into a precarious position early on with large investments into products that didn’t sell well due to poor performance, specifically their NJOY King disposable. However, they’ve completely restructured and reinvented themselves with all new products, of which the ACE and Daily are absolute powerhouses.
BLU
What started as a Fontem Ventures BV brand, the BLU Cigs brand is now owned by Imperial Brands. Early BLU products were subpar at best for a number of years. Specifically, the BLU disposable and BLU rechargeable kit were known to have quality and performance issues since their rollout. However, they were marketed in genius fashion and served as sort of an introductory vapor product for the entirety of the American market. While limited, BLU’s product line is now incredibly refined and the myBlu pod e-cigarette is incredibly successful.
VUSE
One of the first ‘big tobacco companies’ to develop their own vapor products from scratch, the R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company is behind the VUSE brand. The R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company is of course a subsidiary of Reynolds American. VUSE vapor products were essentially begrudgingly rolled out from a company who had built an empire based around an increasingly irrelevant and directly contradicting product known as combustable tobacco cigarettes. The brand’s flagship SOLO product never gained market traction due to it’s underwhelming performance. However, VUSE is well aware of quality products and has hit a home-run with their ALTO pod e-cigarette. The ALTO is a perfectly capable vaping option and is much like the JUUL, myBlu and BO One.
SMOK
An actual vapor product innovator that’s based in China, a company known as Shenzhen IVPS Technology Corporation Ltd. is behind the SMOK brand. The SMOK brand is entirely an internet phenomenon as nearly every online vape shop in the world features at least a few of their products. SMOK primarily caters to advanced vapor users who seek more power, settings and options in their devices. However, they’ve likewise been at the forefront of device innovation in the pod e-cigarette category. Specifically, the SMOK NOVO and SMOK NORD lines are incredibly popular and effective pod based e-cigarettes.
Pro Tip: For those of you who are considering going with a full fledged box mod vape, we’d point out the success of the SMOK Alien 220w. The SMOK Alien made a splash in the vapor market like few devices do. It’s been followed now by the G-Priv 2 and 3, which are amazing devices.
Along the same lines, box mods known as the Drag and Drag Mini by VooPoo are incredible popular options for new vapor users. VooPoos Drag series has established itself as a solid device with a relatively inexpensive price point.
BO Vaping
Lastly but certainly not least, BO Vaping products have been quite an internet sensation as well. Produced by a French company called JWELL, the BO ONE and BO PLUS have been incredibly successful pod based e-cigarette products from the outset. In particular, the BO ONE is often the device that new vapor users graduate to when seeking slightly more performance and capacity than the JUUL offers. The JWELL company is predominately built around a vapor retail franchising model. What started as a relatively small vapor boutique, has evolved into a global vaping empire with no end in sight.
Pro Tip: The Vaporesso OSMALL is currently one of the most popular pod mods.
| E-Cigarette | Best for… |
|---|---|
| Vaporesso OSMALL | Deal |
| RipTide Ripstick | Compact |
| Vaporesso XROS | Refillable |
| Vaporesso ZERO | Under $20 |
| Smok G-Priv 3 | Full Size |
| DOVPO ODIN Mini | Luxury |
