How to Make Your Vape Juice Last Longer: 7 Tips That Work
Considering I work in the reach of tens of thousands of bottles of e-liquid, I’m still pretty good at running out of e-liquid when I’m NOT at work.
I can’t count the times I’ve turned the house upside down looking for a bottle of ANYTHING! (I usually find one bottle of Halo down the back of the sofa.)
This all means I’ve become pretty good at stretching out my last bottle of e-liquid. So with that in mind, here are my top seven tips for making vape juice last longer.
Device & hardware adjustments
1. Ditch high-powered vapes
Or at least, don’t use them at their full power!
Mods and pods mods are great fun, and their advanced modes give you great control over your vape and they can provide massive clouds of vapour.
But they also plough through juice - especially if you use them at higher power levels.
Fortunately, most mods come with a low-power setting and can be used with a range of different resistances. The iStick Power 2, for example, has a wattage range of 1-80 watts and can be used with any 510 tank, while the Innokin Kroma-R goes as low as 6 watts and can support coil resistance range all the way up to 3.5Ω.
2. Switch to vape pens and pods
Vape pens and pods usually work at a lower wattage range, making them far more efficient than more powerful devices. The trick here is to choose a device with a fairly low power output.
Devices such as the original Xros Mini are a good option here. Coming with a wattage output of 11-18 watts, it is very economical with e-liquid but also provides great flavour.
3. Use a high-resistance pod or coil
In every pod or a tank you have a coil, with a resistance measured in ohms.
When you have a tank with lower ohms, you get more vapour. However, you also need more power and airflow. In turn, this uses up more e-liquid.
So to reduce the amount of e-liquid you are using, choose pods/coils with higher ohms.
4. Use a lower power output
Whether you use wattage, voltage or temperature control, if you’re on your last bottle of e-liquid, you want to take the power down as low as possible.
Simply put, the more power you use, the more e-liquid you vaporise and the faster you will go through your supplies.
Note this tip ties in well with low resistance pods/coils, as these automatically require less power.
E-Liquid adjustments
5. Use a higher nicotine strength
Scientists like Konstantinos Farsalinos have advised vapers to use high-nicotine e-liquids for some time. He argues that we often think we are reducing our nicotine intake when we switch to a lower nicotine strength, but sometimes we are just vaping more.
This has been backed up by real world research, with Professor Dawkins finding that vapers who used lower strength nicotine roughly doubled the amount they vaped.
So if you are trying to stretch your e-liquid, it makes sense to switch to a stronger nicotine strength as you’ll need less e-liquid to satisfy the same nicotine cravings.
Learn more: Nicotine & E-Liquid: What Strength Do You Need?
6. Use a high PG e-liquid
If you’re using the low wattages and high resistances we recommended in the previous steps, you’re best off avoiding high VG e-liquids (such as those with a VG:PG ratio of 70:30 or 80:20). Instead, look to e-liquids with a VG:PG ratio in the region of 50:50.
High VG e-liquids are thicker than PG e-liquids. Low-resistance coils have wider ports in order to handle the extra thickness and the mesh design of many sub-ohm coils also helps. But high resistance coils usually lack those features and work better with high PG e-liquids such as Halo or Vampire Vape.
Learn more: PG vs. VG: A Vaper's Guide
7. Use nicotine salts
Nicotine salts like Halo Max give a smoother throat hit, and they may also deliver nicotine faster. While not everyone agrees with this, I personally find I seem to get a stronger, faster hit from nicotine salts than from regular e-liquid. In theory, the more satisfying hit should mean you vape less, and therefore use less e-liquid.
On the other hand, if throat hit is important for you regular e-liquids such as Halo Originals are probably a better option.
Learn more: What Are Nic Salts? A Beginners' Guide
Bonus tips: Safely storing e-liquid
Of course, you may have already stocked up with enough e-liquid to last you for months ahead. If that’s the case, you might want to think about how best to store it. For tips, including how to avoid discoloured and degraded e-liquid, see our guide on how to store e-liquid.
TL;DR:
- Lower power = less juice used.
- Higher resistance coils and nicotine strengths make your juice go further.
- Use pod devices with high PG or nicotine salt e-liquid for best efficiency.
Final thoughts
The good news is that vaping is already far cheaper than smoking. By using e-liquid and refillable devices, you’ll also be spending less than you would on prefilled pods. With the help of the tips above, you can save even more money.
Don’t forget to check out our money saving e-liquid multi-buy offers too, where you can buy great brands like Halo Max for as little as 4 for £10.
FAQs
What type of vape uses the least e-liquid?
Pod kits and vape pens typically use the least e-liquid because they operate at lower power levels and work best with high-resistance coils and high-nicotine e-liquids. The exceptions are advanced mod systems like pod mods, which can be used at higher power levels.
Does nicotine salt e-liquid last longer than regular e-liquid?
Nicotine salts can help your e-liquid last longer because they deliver nicotine more efficiently. That means you may take fewer puffs to satisfy cravings compared to regular freebase e-liquids.
Do higher wattages use more vape juice?
Yes — higher wattages vaporize more e-liquid per puff. Lowering your wattage can significantly extend the life of your vape juice.
What’s the best coil resistance to save vape juice?
High-resistance coils (above 1.0Ω) are more efficient and use less vape juice than sub-ohm coils. They’re ideal for mouth-to-lung vaping with high-strength nicotine e-liquid.
Is it cheaper to use higher nicotine e-liquid?
Often, yes. Higher nicotine strengths can reduce the number of puffs you take, which helps conserve e-liquid. Just be sure to pair it with the right device and coil setup.
Sources
- Dawkins, L., Cox, S., Goniewicz, M., McRobbie, H., Kimber, C., Doig, M., & Kośmider, L. (2018). 'Real‐world' compensatory behaviour with low nicotine concentration e‐liquid: subjective effects and nicotine, acrolein and formaldehyde exposure. Addiction, 113(10), 1874–1882.