When setting up your intricate vape kit feels like trying to decode a complicated IKEA instruction manual, you start to wonder if there’s an easier way. Just like wrestling with a tangled set of Christmas lights, it can be frustrating and time-consuming—especially when all you want is a simple and satisfying experience. Disposable vapes may be exactly what you’re looking for. But before you buy one, you should be aware of the pros and cons of disposable vapes.
The disposable vape has been a game changer for the vaping community, making it easier and more affordable than ever to enjoy great throat hits and incredible flavor in a small, easy-to-use device. In this article, we take an in-depth look at the pros and cons of disposable vapes and tell you everything you need to know before you buy your first one or your next one.
At a glance:
Pros of Using Disposable Vapes
There are significant advantages to using disposable vapes over reusable, refillable devices. Convenience, cost, and a broad range of tasty flavor options are just some of the reasons why so many vapers prefer small disposables over bigger, bulkier devices.
Convenience
The convenience factor is one of the most significant advantages of disposable vapes. They come pre-filled and never need to be cleaned or reloaded with messy e-juices. You never have to change the coils or replace e-juice pods, cartridges, or batteries. Small disposables don’t even need charging — just open the package and puff away!
Disposable vapes offer a hassle-free vaping experience for beginners and experienced vapers alike. They’re also easy to find in retail stores, including tobacco shops, vape shops, convenience stores, and many local food and beverage outlets. If you deplete a disposable vape when you’re on the go, it’s generally easy to find a store where you can pick up a new one.
Because of their small size, disposable vapes are extremely portable, easy to carry, and easy to store when traveling. While they range in size from ultra-slim to slightly chunky, even the biggest disposables are easy to hold in your hand, tuck into a pocket, or toss into a small bag or backpack. Learn more about the different types of disposable vapes available in our post: What Is a Disposable Vape? Everything You Need to Know.
Affordability
Unlike big refillable vape devices that require a significant initial investment, disposable vapes are a cost-effective option for people who don’t want to shell out a ton of money in one shot. Disposable vapes range in price from as little as $5 to as much as $30, with most falling in the $10-$25 range.
Prices vary based on a variety of factors, including ingredients, brand reputability, form factor, and the number of puffs they deliver.
At Ziip Stick, we make three types of disposable vapes at three price points. Our 500-puff Z Stick is our most affordable option, priced at just $9.99. It’s the smallest, sleekest vape we make, and it's one of our best-selling devices.
We also make the Z Stick Plus — a 5,000-puff device priced at $19.99. You could consider trying our intense 5,000-puff Z Bold vape for $24.99. The Z Bold vape offers a convenient rechargeable feature and a battery indicator light, so you’ll always know when it’s time to charge it up.
With Ziip Stick vapes, the cost ranges from less than a penny to 2 cents per puff. As one of the best disposable vape brands on the market, we’re proud to say that we deliver great flavor, convenience, and value.
Shop Ziip Stick disposable vapes here
Disposables Allow for Discreet Vaping
No smoking and no vaping signs are pretty much everywhere these days. No matter where you go, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any restaurant, bar, concert venue, sports arena, or recreational facility with a designated smoking area (even outdoors)! And even in outdoor public spaces where you still can smoke and vape, the looks you get from others judging your habit can be downright annoying. Disposable vapes can help you avoid such scrutiny.
One of the most significant pros of disposable vapes is that they’re so small and portable that they allow for discreet vaping. When you need a quick fix, it’s easy to conceal a disposable device in the palm of your hand and take a few puffs without making it obvious. Of course, blowing out huge vapor clouds might give you away, but there are some stealth techniques to reduce the amount of vapor you exhale.
To vape discreetly and not call attention to yourself, you can hold the vapor in your lungs longer, take smaller, quicker hits, or exhale through your nose rather than your mouth.
Note: We are NOT suggesting that you hit your disposable vape in an area where vaping and smoking are prohibited. We’re simply saying that if you want to vape discreetly, it’s much easier to do so with disposables than a clunky refillable device.
Great Flavor Options
No matter what flavor profile you prefer, you’ll find it in a disposable vape. Disposables are available in a variety of delicious flavors, including minty menthol flavors, candy-inspired flavors with cool, icy finishes, and fresh, fruity options.
Across our three product lines, Ziip Stick vapes are available in more than two dozen incredible flavors. Our best-selling Z Stick comes in bold, fruity flavors like Grape, Berry Mix, Watermelon, and Strawberry Lemonade. Our Z Stick Plus is available in all sorts of cool, icy flavors, including Banana Ice, Skit Ice, and Watermelon Ice. Check out our Z Bold device for intense flavors like Strawnana, Mango Pineapple, Gummy Bear Ice, and Sour Mouth.
Shop all Ziip Stick flavors here
Potential Health Benefits
You will never hear us say that disposable vapes are healthy. There isn’t enough scientific data to support the health benefits or to understand the long-term repercussions.
But there is one way disposable vapes may actually benefit your health. Some vapes may help you reach health and wellness goals such as quitting smoking, getting more sleep, or easing anxiety and stress.
Many people turn to vaping in an attempt to quit smoking traditional cigarettes, and there’s no question that quitting smoking can have a positive impact on your overall health. Disposable vapes are available both with and without nicotine, and many brands make devices with varying nicotine strengths. If you’re looking for a way to wean yourself off cigarettes, vaping disposable devices may help.
There are also a variety of “healthy” vapes on the market that contain ingredients like melatonin to help you sleep, caffeine to give you an energy boost, and VItamin C or Vitamin B12 to help you get your daily dosage of essential vitamins. As long as your vape doesn’t contain any known harmful chemicals, just the very hand-to-mouth act of vaping may even help reduce anxiety and relieve stress.
Cons of Using Disposable Vapes
Disposable vapes offer clear advantages, but they also come with some downsides. There are potential side effects to be aware of, as well as other considerations when deciding whether to start vaping disposables. Weigh the benefits and drawbacks carefully before choosing to use a disposable device (or any other type).
Potential Side Effects
One question that we’re asked often is are disposable vapes safe? Unfortunately, the answer is that there’s no such thing as a 100% safe vape. While some vape brands infuse their juices and devices with harmful chemicals, even vapes that don’t contain any known harmful substances can cause side effects and pose health risks.
Throat and Mouth Irritation
Throat and mouth irritation are two of the most common — albeit usually temporary — side effects of vaping. Vaping can cause dry mouth, which can cause bad breath. It can make your throat sore and cause persistent coughing. It may damage your gums and soft tissues in your mouth, leading to tooth pain and hefty dental bills.
Allergic Reactions
One or more of the ingredients in a disposable vape may cause you to have an allergic reaction. If you’re allergic to any of the ingredients in a vape, you may experience mild symptoms like itchy skin or rash or more severe reactions like throat swelling and shortness of breath.
Before vaping with a new disposable vape pen, check all of the ingredients listed on the product’s packaging or the brand’s website. Even natural, organic ingredients used in vape juice flavorings can cause an allergic reaction, so make sure your vape doesn’t contain anything you’re sensitive to by researching the ingredients on the package.
Nicotine Addiction
Disposable vapes with nicotine can be habit-forming and may lead to nicotine addiction. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, and consuming even small amounts regularly can put you at risk for addiction.
Nicotine consumption increases your risk for all sorts of health issues, including lung disease and cardiovascular disease. Because it’s so hard to break free of a nicotine addiction, the wisest choice is to never smoke or vape with nicotine at all.
Lung Injury and Respiratory Illness
Inhaling anything other than air can cause lung injury and lead to respiratory illness and respiratory distress. Even with disposables that don’t contain any known harmful chemicals, vaping puts you at increased risk for a variety of lung-associated diseases including bronchitis, COPD, asthma, and emphysema.
Disposable vapes that contain diacetyl may also put you at increased risk for popcorn lung — a condition that scars the tiny air sacs in your lungs. Popcorn lung can cause you to cough, wheeze, and make it difficult to take a deep breath.
Other known harmful ingredients, like vitamin E acetate, can put you at increased risk for EVALI (E-Cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury). EVALI can cause shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, rapid and shallow breathing, and other dangerous side effects.
Environmental Impact
Disposable vapes are designed to be used for a limited time and then thrown away, so they aren’t as environmentally friendly as refillable vapes that can be used for significantly longer periods. This causes excess waste and adds to the endless piles of garbage in landfills worldwide.
In addition to causing waste, disposable vapes are generally made with plastics and lithium-ion batteries that cannot be recycled. Lithium-ion batteries can pose fire risks if they explode and the plastics, as they break down, can release toxic compounds into the air.
Short Lifespan
One of the biggest disadvantages of using non-rechargeable disposable vapes is that they have a limited battery life and therefore a short lifespan.
While some vapes include LED battery indicators to let you know when it’s time to recharge the device, the smallest, slimmest, and most portable vapes do not. When the juice is depleted, the vape becomes useless.
It’s no fun to grab your vape when you’re craving a hit only to find that it’s out of juice. By keeping track of when you started a new vape and being mindful of how much you’re using it, you can prevent this problem. Or, when you think you’re running low, just carry a second one with you so you don’t find yourself without it when you need it most.
Though the slimmest, most portable vape devices are hugely popular, they offer the shortest lifespan. You can enjoy a longer lifespan with a high-capacity disposable vape that allows you to monitor juice and battery levels.
Costs Can Add Up Quickly
The upfront cost of a disposable vape is far less expensive than a refillable kit, but you can save some money in the long run by opting for a refillable device. Refillable vapes do, however, require an investment of time. You’ll need to order replacement parts and e-juices, spend time cleaning existing parts or installing new ones, and re-filling with e-juice.
For many vapers, the convenience of using a disposable vape pen is more important than the money you can save buying a reusable device.
Lacking Customization Options
Disposable vapes generally don’t offer customizable options. They have fixed nicotine levels, a particular type of airflow, and built-in heating elements that can’t be changed or replaced. Refillable vapes, however, allow you to adjust settings and customize airflow controls for both mouth-to-lung and direct-to-lung vaping.
Disposable vape devices generally only offer mouth-to-lung (MTL) vaping — the style most similar to cigarette smoking. MTL produces smaller, less intense vapor clouds. If you want to blow massive clouds, you’ll be better off with a DTL device or one that has an option to switch the airflow between MTL and DTL vaping styles.
The Takeaway: There Are Pros and Cons of Disposable Vapes
Like all vaping devices, disposables have pros and cons. They’re convenient, affordable, portable, and easy to use discreetly. They come in incredible flavor options and may even be beneficial to your health in that they may help you quit cigarette smoking.
On the flip side, they have potential side effects and a limited lifespan, and they lack the customizable features of refillable vapes. They’re also less environmentally friendly than reusable devices.
If you’re ready to buy your first disposable vape or looking for a new brand to try, check out Ziip Stick. Our disposable devices come in a variety of different nicotine strengths, are available in different sizes with different puff counts, and come in a range of rich flavors that provide a satisfying hit each and every time.
Whether you already enjoy vaping or want to try it for the first time, we’re confident that our Ziip Stick disposables are exactly what you’re looking for.
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