SMOKO: THE BEST DISPOSABLE VAPE ALTERNATIVE

The Disposable Vape Ban UK

The UK government ban on disposable vapes comes into effect next month; June 2025. This means that all the popular brands of single use devices, including Elf Bar and Lost Mary, will not longer be able to supply their disposable devices to customers in the UK. These customers will now need to find a suitable disposable vape alternative to ensure they stay away from traditional cigarettes.

Let's have a look at why the disposable vape brands got into trouble and the reasons for the ban, and why SMOKO E-Cigarettes and Vapes offer the best disposable vapes alternatives.

Why Are Disposable Vape Kits Being Banned?

Youth Vaping

Disposable vape pens were ending up in the hands of under 18's - whether this was from unscrupulous retailers, or young adults selling them on, the upshot is that this rise in underage vaping is a concern due to the impact that nicotine has on the developing brain. (1)

Disposable Vape Flavours

The range of disposable vape flavours are another concern, with mixtures and names that are akin to children's sweets and drinks, that officials are concerned are increasing the appeal to under 18's. This might present an issue for the vaping industry as a whole in the future, as places like the United States have banned all flavours that aren't tobacco based (2). This is significant because a large number of vapers surveyed in the UK have indicated they would go back to smoking if their chosen vape flavours were to be banned.

Electronic Equipment Waste

Empty disposable waste electrical items were ending up mainly in landfill as it can be hard to recycle disposable vapes, leading to huge amounts of recyclable material going to waste. An oxford study found that the batteries in disposable E-Cigarettes could be recharged around 700 times, instead of being used just once. Lithium can be recycled for re-use so it's a tragedy that so much has been wasted.

Disposable Vape Brands In Breach Of UK Regulation

British American Tobacco (BAT) conducted testing on a wide range of disposable vapes available on UK supermarket shelves, including Elf Bar and Lost Mary, and found that most of them contained illegal levels of e liquid. (3)

In the UK, the legal maximum for prefilled vapes is 2ml, and the testing conducted by BAT and submitted to Trading Standards found that they were, on average, overfilled by 50%. This is particularly problematic when many of these disposable vape kits end up in the hands of under 18's.

A good indicator of a device containing more e liquid than the legal limit is the puff count. Disposable vapes offering way above 600 puffs is likely to indicate more than 2ml of e liquid is present in the device.

Why Choose SMOKO E-Cigarettes and Vapes?

Vaping products from SMOKO utilise rechargeable batteries and pods or cartomizers with pre filled e liquid, offering a much more environmentally conscious approach to vaping, compared with single use vapes.

SMOKO is based in the UK and offers great service and knowledge from ex-smokers and current vapers, fast delivery and weekly deals for cost effective bulk buying to maximise savings. With a great range of e liquid flavour options across our vape devices, SMOKO has something to suit the needs of almost every vaper.

UK Made E-liquid

Public Health England's evidence reviews continue to establish that E-Cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than smoking tobacco (4), but what separates the UK from places like the United States is the regulation in place for ingredients allowed in e-liquids.

Nicotine Strengths

Across the three SMOKO devices, nicotine options of the legal maximum of 2.0% (20mg/ml) down to nicotine free are available.

SMOKO E-liquid Bottles

While SMOKO doesn't offer a refillable vape, our UK-made e liquids are available in 10ml bottles for refillable vape users looking for great flavours, who need an e liquid source they can trust.

The SMOKO VAPE MAX

The VAPE MAX is designed to look and feel like a typical cylindrical disposable vape, making it a great option for those looking for a disposable vape alternative. With pre filled pods containing 2ml of e-liquid (the maximum volume for pre filled vape refills) and mesh coil technology for a flavourful vaping experience, this reusable vape provides enough battery life to vape a whole pod and then some!

The pre filled pod refills for the VAPE MAX are currently available in 1.1% (11mg/ml) and 1.8% (18mg/ml) nicotine strengths, with a range of flavours including Original Tobacco - one of our best sellers - Menthol Tobacco, Raspberry, Blackcurrant, Cherry, Vanilla, Coffee and more!

The SMOKO VAPE POD

The SMOKO VAPE POD is a pre filled pod vape, offering a sleek and subtle vaping solution. Featuring our biggest range of flavours and nicotine strengths, including nicotine free refills, the VAPE POD offers a comprehensive alternative to disposable vape kits.

With pre filled pods containing our great-tasting UK made e liquid, like all SMOKO vaping products, this range also includes a selection of SMOOTH VAPE POD refills; packs of prefilled pods that use a balance of 50/50 PG to VG to provide a smoother inhale, instead of 80/20 PG to VG that is standard for other SMOKO refills.

The SMOKO E-Cigarette

The SMOKO E-Cigarette is a cigalike vape that has helped thousands of SMOKO customers quit smoking. With the cigalike disposable vapes included in the disposable vape ban, the users of this type of device normally have a background of heavy smoking, so need to find an alternative to disposable cigalikes.

Cigalike users are finding that other vape brands like 10 Motives are moving away from the cigalike style vape, however SMOKO has no intention of letting these vape devices become a thing of the past, simply because they are the most natural vape to switch to for smokers looking to quit.

The pre filled cartomizers for the SMOKO E-Cigarette contain about 1ml of e-liquid, and the puffs produce a similar amount of vapour that smokers expect to exhale from a cigarette - just without 95% of the harm, as well as no side-stream smoke that poses the risk of second-hand smoking (5). Available in nicotine strengths of 2.0% (20mg/ml) down to 1.1% (11mg/ml) in a range of ten flavours, this reusable vape has been tried and tested in the UK and beyond for over 10 years.

Why Choose UK Made E-Cigarettes and Vapes?

The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR), along with the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), regulate the ingredients that can be included in e-liquids made in the UK. It is for this reason that instances of EVALI (E-Cigarette and Vaping Associated Lung Injury) have largely been based in the United States - in fact the UK has seen one report of EVALI on the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Yellow Card system, where the United States has seen over 2,800 reports of EVALI. (6)

SMOKO E-liquid

At SMOKO, we utilise freebase nicotine instead of nic salt in our e-liquids, as freebase nicotine provides a closer analogue to smoking by providing more of a throat hit like a real smoking sensation. Popular brands of disposables favour nic salt e-liquids, but one study found that nic salt liquids typically contain 3 to 4 times the amount of flavouring used in freebase nicotine liquids (7). While this may result in more intense disposable vape flavours, this also increases the amount of volatile compounds produced in the vaping process, arguable making nic salt liquids more harmful than freebase nicotine liquids.

We believe in reducing the harm from smoking tobacco as much as possible, so there is good evidence that using SMOKO devices reduces this harm more than disposable vapes like Elf Bar and Lost Mary.

SMOKO Refills

One of the issues with vape devices that use refillable pods or a tank for refilling is that they require more of your time for maintenance to service the device, as well as additional spare parts like a spare tank, spare coils and spare batteries.

These devices have a fixed coil (the part of the vape that heats the e-liquid) which wears down over time, negatively impacting the vaping experience. A worn coil may also produce more volatile compounds and leech metal into the e liquid and vapour, presenting a higher risk of harm. It may even make sense to have a backup device when using a refillable vape.

With SMOKO, each refill contains its own coil or atomizer so you don't have to think about intricate maintenance after the single use pod is empty. SMOKO even has a free refill recycling program, allowing SMOKO users to send their used refills back to us to be recycled.

SMOKO Batteries

SMOKO devices are unaffected by the ban on disposable vapes because they use rechargeable batteries and pods with pre filled e liquid. When the battery dies after months of use, the battery can be recycled at your local battery recycling point! We can all agree that this is better for the environment than the single use devices that end up in landfill, wasting valuable lithium.

SMOKO Weekly Deals

Ordering with SMOKO is quick and easy and can be done online or over the phone, and we always have great weekly deals available for customers to save on refills and grab a discounted or free accessory, like a spare battery or USB charger.

We offer a range of couriers for quick delivery in the UK, with orders of £30 and over qualifying for free shipping.

Introducing SMOKO Sugar-Free Nicotine Gum

Curbing nicotine cravings can be a challenge for vapers when travelling; whether it's using public transport, flying on a plane, in your workplace or in the car, vaping isn't always an option.

Now SMOKO has a range of sugar-free nicotine gum to help tackle cravings for those instances when vaping is restricted! In three distinct flavours - Mint, Blueberry and Watermelon - at a nicotine strength of 2mg, SMOKO Nicotine Gum offers a great way to stay on top of nicotine cravings when you can't vape.

SMOKO: The Best Disposable Vape Alternative

Time is running out for users of disposable vapes to find a suitable alternative, so check out the SMOKO E-Cigarette and Vape Starter Kit deals to get started for just the price of a box of refills - even the shipping is free for our starter kit deals!

SMOKO has been around for over 10 years, helping smokers to quit and saving our customers thousands of pounds individually, every year. With a great range of flavours, nicotine strengths knowledgeable customer service and cost effective deals, vaping has never been more simple.

Make the switch to SMOKO today!

REFERENCES

(1) Use of vapes (e-cigarettes) among young people in Great Britain

(2) FDA finalizes enforcement policy on unauthorized flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes that appeal to children, including fruit and mint

(3) Illegal Levels of Liquid in U.K. Disposables

(4) Nicotine vaping in England: 2022 evidence update

(5) Second-hand vaping exposure very low compared to second-hand smoking

(6) Case of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) in London, UK

(7) Comprehensive Dutch market data analysis shows that e-liquids with nicotine salts have both higher nicotine and flavour concentrations than those with free-base nicotine

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Written by Dan Overgage 

Dan Overgage is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes.  Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking.  During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.