Buyer's Guide: Which Vape Should You Buy?

21st Sep 2022

Vape buyer's guide showing different vape device types, including pod vapes, vape pens and vape mods, to help choose the right vape.

By Joe Delaney; Director and Content Writer, V2 Cigs UK

Originally Published: 21st September 2022.

Last updated: 9th September 2026.

Vaping products are for adult smokers and existing vapers only. Vaping is not risk-free. Not suitable for non-smokers or anyone under 18.

Buyer's Guide: Which Vape Should You Buy?

With so many device types on the market, working out which one actually suits you is the hardest part of buying a vape. This guide walks through the main categories, what each one actually feels like to use, and links out to our full roundups for each so you can see current picks once you know which category fits.

Which Draw Style Do You Prefer: Mouth-to-Lung or Direct-to-Lung?

This is the single biggest decision, and it shapes almost everything else. Mouth-to-lung (MTL) draws the vapour into your mouth first before you inhale it, the same motion as smoking a cigarette, and tends to use higher-resistance coils with a tighter, more restricted airflow. Direct-to-lung (DTL) pulls vapour straight into your lungs in one motion, generally with lower-resistance coils and much more open airflow, producing bigger clouds and using more e-liquid in the process.

If you've recently switched from cigarettes, MTL is almost always the more comfortable starting point, since it mimics the physical habit you're used to. DTL suits vapers who've already got some experience and want bigger clouds or more intense flavour. Neither is objectively better; it's a genuine preference, and some vapers settle somewhere in between with a restrictive direct-lung (RDL) setup. Our full comparison of MTL and DTL vaping covers this in more depth if you want to understand the mechanics before choosing.

Choosing by Device Type

Cigalikes and Beginner Kits

Built to resemble a cigarette as closely as possible, with a small cartridge that screws onto a compact battery, a cigalike is the lowest-friction way to start vaping.

There's no wattage to think about and nothing to fill; you swap the cartridge when it's empty. It's the natural starting point for anyone newly switching from smoking who wants the simplest possible transition.

Our full guide to the best vape kits for beginners covers our current picks in this category.

Pod Vapes

A step up from a cigalike, pod vapes are slightly larger and available as either simple prefilled pods or refillable ones you top up yourself.

If you're looking for something built around that familiar closed-pod format specifically, our alternatives to JUUL guide rounds up devices in that style. Refillable pod kits usually offer adjustable wattage and airflow, giving more control over flavour and throat hit than a cigalike, while still staying simple enough for most switchers to pick up quickly.

Our full guide to the best pod vapes has our current picks.

Vape Pens

Slim and lightweight, a vape pen is built for portability and comfort in the hand, usually with a simple single-button or auto-draw firing mechanism and few, if any, adjustable settings.

They're a good middle ground if you want something more capable than a cigalike without the bulk or complexity of a full mod.

Our full guide to the best vape pens covers current picks.

Vape Mods

The most powerful and adjustable category, built for experienced vapers who already know their preferences and want fine control over wattage, temperature and airflow.

Mods run on larger batteries, whether one substantial internal cell or one or two external batteries, to sustain the higher power output sub-ohm vaping needs.

This isn't the natural starting point for someone newly switching from smoking.

Our full guide to the best vape mods covers our current, largely tested picks.

Choosing by What Matters Most to You

Beyond the broad device categories, a few specific priorities are worth calling out on their own, since they cut across more than one device type.

Want simple refilling without spills or mess? Our guide to the best refillable vapes focuses specifically on tanks and pods built for clean, easy top-ups.

Want something genuinely compact or discreet? Our guide to the best small vapes covers devices built to be pocketable without compromising much on performance.

Committed to mouth-to-lung and want a kit built specifically around it? Our guide to the best MTL vape kits covers current picks tuned for that draw style specifically.

Had bad experiences with leaking in the past? Our roundup of vapes that don't leak covers devices specifically chosen for leak resistance.

Looking to upgrade just your tank rather than a whole new device? Our full guide to vape tanks covers the difference between sub-ohm and MTL tanks and our current picks across both.

What Else Should You Think About?

Nicotine strength. Roughly matching your starting strength to how much you smoked is the standard approach, but the right number varies by e-liquid type and format, not just by device. Our nicotine strength calculator walks through this properly rather than trying to give a single number that fits everyone.

Budget. Cigalikes and simple pod kits cost less upfront and are cheaper to replace parts for; mods and larger tanks cost more but often work out cheaper per ml over time if you vape heavily. There's no universally “cheap” or “expensive” category, just different cost structures depending on how you use the device.

Have you vaped before and it didn't stick? It's often down to the device rather than vaping itself, particularly if the kit was too fiddly or didn't match your draw preference. Starting again with a simpler, better-matched device solves this more often than people expect.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the easiest vape to start with if I've just quit smoking?

A cigalike or a simple prefilled pod kit. Both need minimal setup and give you the closest experience to smoking while you get used to vaping generally.

Do I need a mod to get good flavour?

No. Flavour comes from the coil and e-liquid pairing as much as the device itself. Plenty of pod kits and pens produce genuinely good flavour without needing a mod's adjustability.

What if I'm not sure whether I want MTL or DTL?

Start with MTL if you're coming from smoking; it's the more familiar draw. You can always move to a DTL or RDL setup later once you know your preferences better, and many devices support both to some degree.

Can I switch between device types later?

Yes, and most vapers do as they figure out what they actually prefer. There's no cost to trying a different category once you've got a feel for the basics.

Still have questions? Our Common Vaping Questions FAQ Hub covers more of what people ask us most.

Useful Related Topics

About the Author

Joe Delaney looks after the day to day running of V2 Cigs UK and writes its blogs.

When the blog recommends a device, he has used it - and for a leak test that means actually filling kits and trying to make them fail, pocket-carrying them and leaving them upside down overnight, rather than repeating manufacturer claims.

Health, safety and regulatory points are checked against named UK authorities such as the NHS and MHRA, and a product is only ever called "less harmful than smoking" where a UK authority says so. More about how he works, and the family story behind V2, is on Joe's author profile.

Vaping products are for adult smokers and existing vapers only. Vaping is not risk-free. Not suitable for non-smokers or anyone under 18.

Last updated: 9th September 2026.