Which Vape System Should I Start With?

The number of different vape systems on the market can be overwhelming to someone who has never vaped before. “A sub-ohm mod with a fused Clapton coil? I’m not interested in alien technology. I just want to quit smoking, thanks”.

We get it. Sophisticated rigs are not for everyone, and they can be totally intimidating to someone who just wants to put down their cigarettes and pick up a vape. 

To this end, we’re going to talk about 3 types of super simple pick-up-and-vape solutions: open pod starter kits, closed pod starter kits, and disposable vapes. We’ll list the pros and cons of each, so you can pick the system that works best for your needs.

Open pod starter kit

Of all of the systems we’re going to talk about today, the open pod system has the widest variety of different vapes available. Open pod systems come with refillable pods - that means that when you’re out of juice, you can simply refill your pod with new juice.

Pros

The biggest pro to open pod systems is that, over the course of their lifespan, they tend to be less expensive than the other two systems. As you can imagine, buying “loose” juice and refilling your pod with it is a better savings than getting new pods every time. That means if you’re going to stick with vaping, you’ll save money over the long-term.

There are also a wider variety of open pod systems on the market. You can find systems with adjustable power and airflow, digital displays, and more. Because the open pods can be filled with any kind of juice, you also have a much wider variety of flavours to choose from.

Cons

The upfront cost of open pod systems is higher than the upfront cost of closed pod or disposable vapes, so if you’re looking for an inexpensive option to try vaping for the first time, open pod might not be for you.

There’s also a downside to the extra features that open pod systems tend to come with - that downside is complexity. While they’re generally not rocket science to figure out, the more features your system has, the higher the chance that you’ll encounter difficulties.

What we have available

We have a number of open pod starter kits for you to choose from; check out Smok’s Nord Starter Kit or Innokin’s EQ Starter Kit for an idea of what we’re talking about.

Closed pod starter kit

These starter kits have closed, or disposable, pods. They’re kind of like the Tassimos of the vape world - you need to purchase pods specifically designed for the system. These were popularized by JUUL, but there are a number of different players on the market.

Pros

Closed pod systems are designed with user-friendliness in mind. They’re super easy to use. No bells and whistles - they’re usually draw-activated. All you have to do is throw out the pod when you’re done with it and replace it with a new pod. They’re also less expensive upfront than open pod systems. 

Another major advantage to closed pod systems is that they tend to be much smaller than their open pod cousins - that means you can vape discreetly. One of our favourite brands, STLTH, even named themselves to invoke stealthiness.

  Be sure to check out our full SLTH vs JUUL post here!

Cons

The cons, as compared to open pod vapes, are pretty obvious - they’re not as feature-dense, and you’re limited to whatever pods are compatible with the system. That means you’ll have fewer options when it comes to flavour.

Pods are also more expensive than liquid refills, so you’ll end up spending more money over the life of your vape. 

What we have available

We highly recommend you check out the this starter kit, which comes with everything you need to start vaping.

Disposable vapes

Disposable vapes are exactly what they sound like - you use them until they run out of juice, and then you dispose of them. 

Pros

They are, by far, the easiest vapes to use - you just buy one and draw. Just like that, you’re vaping. If this is your first time vaping, and you want to try it with absolutely no hassle, a disposable might be the way to go.

Cons

Despite their name, you can’t just throw disposable vapes in the trash - you need to bring them back to us or to a recycling depot to be recycled because they have non-rechargeable batteries.

That’s the other disadvantage to disposable vapes - they’ll cost you more than closed or open pod systems if they’re all you ever use to vape. We recommend disposables to try vaping, or to have spare vapes available - if you vape regularly, you’ll probably want to move to a closed or open pod system eventually.

What we have available

We have a few disposable vapes available, but we recommend getting started with Ghost vapes - they come in a variety of flavours, and they’re insanely popular right now.

Other starter kits

There are other starter kits available on our site, but they tend to be more complex than the ones we’ve listed here. If you want a higher degree of control over your vaping experience, however, and you’re not afraid of a bit of a learning curve, we recommend checking them out.