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I've never vaped (/smoked/done drugs/etc I'm v boring) but can someone ELI5 why disposable vapes have been the preference? Don't you just buy the capsules and

by dotBen 2y ago

I've never vaped (/smoked/done drugs/etc I'm v boring) but can someone ELI5 why disposable vapes have been the preference? Don't you just buy the capsules and put them into your regarchable vape? Or if you want to get exotic e liquid. I would assume that's much cheaper than buying a whole device each time much must cost more $$/££.

turndown 2y ago
On box mods(the big vapes you might recall starting to see 10-15 years ago) there is a chamber up top you have to manually fill with nicotine. This can be a bit annoying to do but the real problem is remembering to bring liquid to refill with. That’s really the only negative to the large box mods, other than having to recharge 18650 batteries all the time. But disposables are usually much smaller(easier to hide if you’re in school), use nicotine salts(which are much more potent) and they usually last a long time - sometimes 20k hits. So these aren’t “bad” products, they have a lot of selling points.
extr 2y ago
IMO the main culprit is the over regulation of semi/non-disposable vapes/nicotine which still require more R&D to make accessible and easy to use for any consumer. This disposables are just plain better because the internals of vapes are finicky. Coils, wicking, batteries, juice, all in a very small package. it’s literally easier to just throw the entire thing away than to worry about the specifics, try to buy the separate components and replace them as they age, etc. It’s why semi-disposable pod systems like juul are also quite successful.
xelamonster 2y ago
Rechargeable vape pens are incredibly cheap, and disposables aren't noticeably more expensive overall so the cost difference is insignificant. Couple reasons for a preference (personally don't vape nicotine and I've never cared strongly about disposable vs not): - Disposables won't die on you. Unless you're getting massive carts the battery tends to last the whole time and you never worry about charging. - Guaranteed compatible. I've seen seemingly standard carts not work with certain pens which can be very frustrating. - The standard 510 thread cartridge kinda sucks. I'm not sure if it's a design flaw or a lot of bad manufacturers but they tend to leak and develop blockages.
- bloopernova 2y ago
  > Guaranteed compatible. I've seen seemingly standard carts not work with certain pens which can be very frustrating. The carts with longer mouthpieces just fit in my battery/pen, but yeah the cartridges need to be a standard length too. > The standard 510 thread cartridge kinda sucks. I'm not sure if it's a design flaw or a lot of bad manufacturers but they tend to leak and develop blockages. Blockages are an annoyance, yeah. I wonder if a "double-wide cart" would flow more easily?
  - xelamonster 2y ago
    I would go for multiple air paths over a wider one, don't want to end up with a smoothie straw you can suck liquid vape juice out of. But yeah length can be an issue and width also, for the ones that wrap around the cartridge to be more compact.
bloopernova 2y ago
For THC, they're cheap and convenient. They allow someone to try vaping without buying what people might think is an expensive "real" vape. Even though reusable vapes with 510 cartridges don't really cost much more, lots of people don't know that. I tried a couple, once I found a strain/mix that seemed to work with my nerve and back pain, I bought a reusable vape and use cartridges now.
Vegenoid 2y ago
It's because they are inexpensive, require zero maintenance, zero mess, zero additional equipment needed to maintain and use it. You don't have to understand anything about how it works or is put together. You get to have new colors and styles frequently, you naturally keep up with the trends. If you lose it or break it, it doesn't matter. There's no compatibility between the cartridge and the vape to think about. Basically, because they are as easy as possible and stay trendy by their revolving door nature.
6SixTy 2y ago
Think they really got started after the FDA/ATF started to crack down on Juul, which gained significant popularity over previous designs by focusing on usability and convenience by using a capsule as you have mentioned. Since that point, Juul shrank significantly and Chinese disposable vapes came in to fill in the vacuum and effectively dodge most regulations. That's the story at least in my head and in the US.

by dotBen 2y ago

turndown 2y ago

On box mods(the big vapes you might recall starting to see 10-15 years ago) there is a chamber up top you have to manually fill with nicotine. This can be a bit annoying to do but the real problem is remembering to bring liquid to refill with. That’s really the only negative to the large box mods, other than having to recharge 18650 batteries all the time. But disposables are usually much smaller(easier to hide if you’re in school), use nicotine salts(which are much more potent) and they usually last a long time - sometimes 20k hits. So these aren’t “bad” products, they have a lot of selling points.

extr 2y ago

IMO the main culprit is the over regulation of semi/non-disposable vapes/nicotine which still require more R&D to make accessible and easy to use for any consumer. This disposables are just plain better because the internals of vapes are finicky. Coils, wicking, batteries, juice, all in a very small package. it’s literally easier to just throw the entire thing away than to worry about the specifics, try to buy the separate components and replace them as they age, etc. It’s why semi-disposable pod systems like juul are also quite successful.

xelamonster 2y ago

Rechargeable vape pens are incredibly cheap, and disposables aren't noticeably more expensive overall so the cost difference is insignificant. Couple reasons for a preference (personally don't vape nicotine and I've never cared strongly about disposable vs not): - Disposables won't die on you. Unless you're getting massive carts the battery tends to last the whole time and you never worry about charging. - Guaranteed compatible. I've seen seemingly standard carts not work with certain pens which can be very frustrating. - The standard 510 thread cartridge kinda sucks. I'm not sure if it's a design flaw or a lot of bad manufacturers but they tend to leak and develop blockages.

bloopernova 2y ago
> Guaranteed compatible. I've seen seemingly standard carts not work with certain pens which can be very frustrating. The carts with longer mouthpieces just fit in my battery/pen, but yeah the cartridges need to be a standard length too. > The standard 510 thread cartridge kinda sucks. I'm not sure if it's a design flaw or a lot of bad manufacturers but they tend to leak and develop blockages. Blockages are an annoyance, yeah. I wonder if a "double-wide cart" would flow more easily?
- xelamonster 2y ago
  I would go for multiple air paths over a wider one, don't want to end up with a smoothie straw you can suck liquid vape juice out of. But yeah length can be an issue and width also, for the ones that wrap around the cartridge to be more compact.

bloopernova 2y ago

For THC, they're cheap and convenient. They allow someone to try vaping without buying what people might think is an expensive "real" vape. Even though reusable vapes with 510 cartridges don't really cost much more, lots of people don't know that. I tried a couple, once I found a strain/mix that seemed to work with my nerve and back pain, I bought a reusable vape and use cartridges now.

Vegenoid 2y ago

It's because they are inexpensive, require zero maintenance, zero mess, zero additional equipment needed to maintain and use it. You don't have to understand anything about how it works or is put together. You get to have new colors and styles frequently, you naturally keep up with the trends. If you lose it or break it, it doesn't matter. There's no compatibility between the cartridge and the vape to think about. Basically, because they are as easy as possible and stay trendy by their revolving door nature.

6SixTy 2y ago

Think they really got started after the FDA/ATF started to crack down on Juul, which gained significant popularity over previous designs by focusing on usability and convenience by using a capsule as you have mentioned. Since that point, Juul shrank significantly and Chinese disposable vapes came in to fill in the vacuum and effectively dodge most regulations. That's the story at least in my head and in the US.