When you shop for vaping products at a finer vape shop like V2 Cigs, you’ll see no shortage of vaping options tailored to the needs of beginning vapers. Sorting through those options may not be easy, though, if you’re buying an e-cigarette for the first time – so we’re going to make that process a bit easier with this article. Breaking down the different options and features of vaping products makes it possible for you to pare down the selection to only the products that are most likely to interest you, and one of the first options you’ll encounter when you shop for an e-cigarette is the choice between a refillable e-cigarette and one that uses pre-filled cartridges.
So, what are the differences between pre-filled and refillable e-cigarettes? Let’s learn more.
What Are Pre-Filled and Refillable E-Cigarettes?
Most traditional cigarette-shaped e-cigarettes – especially those sold in the United States – use pre-filled cartridges. You’ll buy those cartridges in packs either from your local convenience store or vape shop or from the manufacturer of the e-cigarette. Most e-cigarette cartridges come in packs of five, but a few manufacturers sell their cartridges in packs of two. You’ll connect the cartridge to the end of the battery and vape until the e-cigarette no longer produces flavor. You’ll then throw the cartridge away and begin using a new one.
A refillable e-cigarette, on the other hand, uses a miniature refillable tank. Rather than buying pre-filled cartridges, you’ll buy bottles of e-liquid and fill the tank yourself. After you’ve refilled a tank several times, you’ll notice that the quality of your vaping experience has decreased – either because the tank doesn’t produce as much vapor as it once did or because the flavor quality has declined. When that happens, you’ll connect a new tank to your e-cigarette and throw the old tank away.
So, how do the two types of e-cigarettes compare? Let’s examine the features of pre-filled vs. refillable e-cigarettes.
You Can Switch Between E-Cigarette Types
The first thing you need to know about pre-filled vs. refillable e-cigarettes is that you can switch between them – by swapping your pre-filled cartridges for a tank and vice versa – as long as your e-cigarette battery has compatible threading. The V2 Cigs e-cigarette mentioned at the top of this article has both pre-filled and refillable attachments available. In that sense, there’s no need to become overly worried about your buying decision; you can always change your mind later.
Pre-Filled Cartridges Are More Convenient
One of the reasons why tobacco cigarettes are so addictive is because they’re incredibly convenient. Think about it; you take one out of the pack, you light it up, and there’s nothing else that you need to do but puff when you feel like it. A cigarette practically smokes itself. Some people look at refillable e-cigarettes, and after thinking about how they’ll need to maintain their tanks, charge their batteries and buy bottles of e-liquid, they decide that vaping isn’t for them. An e-cigarette with pre-filled cartridges gives you a completely different experience that’s as close to smoking as vaping can ever get. If your e-cigarette uses pre-filled cartridges, all that you need to think about is keeping the battery charged and screwing on a new cartridge when your current cartridge loses its flavor. It isn’t possible for vaping to get easier or more convenient than that.
Pre-Filled Cartridges Eliminate Flavor Carryover
Do you like variety? There are thousands of different e-liquid flavors for e-cigarettes in the world, and even if your e-cigarette uses pre-filled cartridges, you’ll usually have at least eight flavors or so from which to choose. Some e-cigarette makers supply cartridges in more than a dozen different flavors. When you use an e-cigarette with pre-filled cartridges, switching between flavors is as easy as removing one cartridge and screwing on another one. There’s no need to use a cartridge until it is empty, and with carrying cases readily available for most e-cigarette models, you can carry an assortment of refill cartridges wherever you go.
When you have a refillable e-cigarette, on the other hand, changing flavors isn’t so easy. When you empty your tank and refill it with a different e-liquid, you’ll still taste the remnants of the previous flavor. The only way around that is to purchase several different tanks, and that can be an expensive proposition.
Refillable E-Cigarettes Give You Access to More Flavors
No matter how many different flavors the maker of a pre-filled e-cigarette offers, that selection will still pale in comparison to the selection of bottled e-liquids that you’ll find at any vape shop. When you use an e-cigarette with a refillable tank, you can try any of those e-liquid flavors – and there are so many different e-liquids in the world that no one person could ever try them all. Using a refillable e-cigarette is the only way to experience the full variety of e-liquid flavors that the vaping industry has to offer.
Buying a refillable e-cigarette also helps to ensure that you’ll find an e-liquid that you love. If your vaping device works with virtually every e-liquid on the market, you will definitely be able to find an e-liquid that satisfies you. On the other hand, if you try every flavor that’s available for a pre-filled e-cigarette – and you don’t like any of them – you’ll have little choice but to try a different e-cigarette.
Refillable E-Cigarettes Are Less Expensive
If you shop around before buying your first vaping device, you’ll notice that a small bottle of e-liquid often costs about the same as a pack of pre-filled e-cigarette cartridges – and in comparison to the cartridges, a bottle contains vastly more e-liquid. When you buy your e-liquid in bottled form rather than buying packs of cartridges, you’ll pay less for a product that lasts much longer. A pre-filled e-cigarette cartridge provides enough e-liquid for a day of vaping at the most. Depending on how often you vape, though, a bottle of e-liquid can last several days or even more than a week.
Image Credits: VapeClubMY
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