Updated: September 2023
So you’re looking for a vape device, but not for a huge device designed to block out the sun with massive clouds of vapour?
A vape pen might well be your best choice! Small, lightweight and discreet, these devices are often easy to use and make a great choice for the office.
In this post we’ll cover the best vape pens currently available. If you’re looking for a wide selection of vape devices, do check out our best vape kits round up.
Contents
When vape pens first made their arrival on the scene, they were called pens because they were slim, narrow and often cylindrical. Their similarity to pens gave them the name vape pens. You’ll also hear them called ‘pen-style’ vapes.
The definition does seem to be shifting, though. In fact, some vapers call any device a vape pen. I’ve gone slightly down the middle road with this post, including vapes that look like a pen, as well as pod vapes that have a stubbier look to them than the traditional vape pen.
Regardless of the design, all vape pens will consist of the battery part of the device which heats up the device, as well as a tank or pod which is filled with e-liquid. The battery section usually has relatively simple controls compared to a vape mod. The tank or pod consists of a section to hold the e-liquid and a coil. When the coil heats up, it changes the e-liquid into vapour.
All of the devices here are suitable for beginners. Most are not designed to chuck out tonnes of vapour, but they are generally easy to use while still satisfying your nicotine cravings.
Please note that 'vape style' here refers to MTL (Mouth-to-Lung) or DL (Direct-Lung) inhale. You can find an explanation of what these terms mean in our MTL v. DL guide.
| Device | What's Special? | Vape Style |
| Aspire Cyber G | Stylish, easy to use & great flavour | MTL |
| Innokin Go Series | 3 versions to choose from | MTL (Go-S/Go-Z) DL (GoMax) |
| Elf Bar Elfa Pro | Disposable flavour in a reusable device | MTL |
| Voopoo Doric 20/ Doric 60 | Easy to use, all-day battery life | MTL (Doric 20) MTL/DL (Doric 60) |
| Innokin Endura T1811 | Uber popular & easy to use | MTL |
| Aspire PockeX | Best throat hit | MTL |
| Vaporesso GTX GO 40 & GTX GO 80 | Great for clouds | MTL/DL |
| Aspire Tigon | Versatile yet easy to use | MTL/DL |
Reviewed by: Corey, ECD Team
While I’m a long-time and more advanced vaper, I’m still partial to more simple, fixed-coil pod kits for their ease of use (in fact, my current main device is a Vaporesso Xros 3 Mini). With this in mind, I was very impressed with the Aspire Cyber G.
The biggest pro of this kit is the flavour - using the 0.8ohm TG pod with nic salts produced great flavour. I’d even say the flavour is comparable to the Vaporesso Xros Series - which are some of our most popular devices for flavour. The device has fixed airflow and, while adjustable airflow would have been nice, the inhale is still nice and airy.
In terms of looks and design, the Cyber G is a solid device and has the same modern aesthetic as other Aspire Cyber devices. The part metal/part plastic design with exposed chipset gives it a futuristic look, although the bright LED light at the bottom of the device wouldn’t be great for discreet vaping!
Using the device is simple and makes it a good option for beginners. You just fill and attach your pod and there’s an inhale firing option meaning you don’t even need to press a button to vape. I also liked that you can choose to activate/deactivate the button activation option or have both activated at once.
Another pro was the fully clear pod design - making it easy to keep an eye on vape juice levels. However, the pods could be slightly improved if they were top-fill rather than side-fill as you need to remove the pod from the device to refill.
Overall this would be a great option for beginners or flavour-chasing vapers looking for a stylish and easy-to-use pod kit.
What we like:
- Stylish design
- Great flavour
- Easy to use
The Innokin Go series is a collection of easy-to-use, single-button vape pens.
The original Go-S has impressed users with its long-lasting battery and simple automatic output and by being one of the few vape pens with a convenient fixed-coil disposable tank - great for those who don’t want the fuss of changing coils. When the coil inside the tank reaches the end of its life you simply replace it with a new one.
In 2021 Innokin released two new Go devices. The Go-Z is a replaceable coil version of the Go-S, working with 0.8Ω and 1.6Ω Z coils for a longer-lasting tank and is great for the more environmentally conscious vaper.
While the Go-S and Go-Z are Mouth-to-Lung devices, the GoMax provides something previously unseen - an easy-to-use vape pen with fixed low-resistance coils capable of providing big clouds. You’ll find the GoMax is chunkier than the Go other devices but with good reason - it has double the battery capacity at 3000mAh.
See our in-depth review of the latest Go devices here.
What we like:
- 3 options to suit different users
- Easy to use
- Sliding top fill
Elf Bar disposables are hugely popular thanks to their ease of use and great flavours. However, disposable vapes can be expensive in the long run and are problematic for the environment.
The Elf Bar Elfa Pro makes a perfect replacement for Elf Bar disposables with a more budget and environmentally friendly reusable device that is easy to use while still providing that great Elf Bar flavour. (We can confirm from our own testing that the flavours and inhale are just the same as the disposables!)
Using fixed-coil pods prefilled with popular Elf Bar flavours, and with inhale firing, you simply attach the pod and inhale on the mouthpiece. You just need to replace the pod when it’s empty and recharge the battery when it’s running low.
What we like:
- Great alternative to disposables
- Strong flavours
- Easy to use
The Voopoo Doric 20 and Doric 60 boast a classic vape pen design. With a minimalist look and stylish matte finish, the main difference you’ll notice between the two is their size - with the Doric 60 being chunkier while the Doric 20 is more slimline.
Both devices are simple to operate with a single button and easy to control 3-level power output. For long-lasting power, both devices provide impressive battery life - with up to a day of use between charges.
While the 18W Doric 20 is an exclusively Mouth-to-Lung device, the Doric 60 can output up to 60W and can provide both MTL and DL inhales. Both devices feature adjustable airflow control so that you can further tailor your inhale between tight and restricted or loose and airy.
What we like:
- Long-lasting battery
- Simple 3-level power output
- Supports a range of inhale styles (Doric 60)
The Innokin Endura series has been incredibly well received by vapers. The Endura T1811 is no different, garnering 135 reviews on E-Cigarette Direct with an average rating of 4.8.
One feature that comes up again and again in reviews is that it’s easy to use. The Endura T1811 allows you to adjust the heat of your vape (for more or less vapour) and the airflow (for a tighter or more restricted vape) and it makes it easy to do so too.
We also really like the magnetic top that clips on to the top of the mouthpiece. While not standard across vape pens, this keeps the mouthpiece clean, dust-free and hygienic.
What we like:
- Easy to use
- Adjustable heat and airflow
- Hygienic
Most of the devices in this guide are relatively new. One exception is the Aspire PockeX. In the fast-changing vape market, it’s rare to see a device that first became available in 2016 still on sale.
Despite that, the PockeX remains hugely popular. It’s sturdy, reliable and easy to use. But the biggest reason for its popularity is its throat hit. For smokers who really miss the throat hit from smoking it’s hard to beat.
If the PockeX has one flaw, it’s that the glass can crack easily when dropped. It’s worth putting a vape band around the glass for extra protection. Fortunately, the glass is replaceable, so it’s not the end of the world if you do crack it.
What we like:
- Superb throat hit
- Easy-top-fill
- Great build quality
Update: A new alternative is the PockeX Box (review), which has a tougher glass.
For years, vapers who wanted to combine decent clouds with a simple vape pen had few options other than the Smok Stick V9. Vaporesso have recently opened up this field with not one but two devices that combine the form factor of a pen with the power needed for clouds.
The Vaporesso GTX GO 80 combines a 3000mAh battery in a lightweight (but chunky) pen-style device. As the name suggests, the device can output up to 80 watts of power. Compatible with the GTX coil range, it can work with resistances as low as 0.2Ω, so can provide some serious clouds. Vapers who prefer a more compact size and need less power might want to choose the Vaporesso GTX GO 40.
Both devices are simple to use. There’s no wattage to adjust, and no display to get your head around. Instead, the device automatically selects the best wattage for your coil. That means even less experienced vapers can enjoy a device that has plenty of oomph.
What we like:
- Decent cloud potential
- Easy to use
- Adjustable airflow
The Aspire Tigon provides more versatility than most vape pens, whilst maintaining a minimalist design, compact size and easy-to-use single-button operation.
Compatible with Tigon coils, which feature a resistance range of 0.4Ω - 1.2Ω, it can be used as both an MTL and DL device to support different styles of vaping. The tank’s adjustable airflow ring also means you can further tailor the airflow to create a tighter or more airy vape style.
Unlike fixed tank or pod vape pens, the Tigon battery comes with a removable tank and has a 510 connection which means you can also pair it with most other tanks and coil ranges. The tank also features a removable drip tip that allows you to replace it with other compatible drip tips to customise your vaping to your preferences.
What we like:
- Supports MTL & DL styles
- Replaceable drip tip
- 510 connection - can be used with different tanks
The Innokin Sceptre Tube is another example of a DL vape device suitable for all experience levels. Features like single-button operation, sliding top fill and push-fit coils mean even new vapers can operate the device while the compatible low-resistance coils create a Direct-Lung vape.
For new users, there are versatile features that mean you can experiment as you become more experienced. A two-level power output allows you to create a more or less powerful vape, while the airflow can be adjusted between airy or restricted by simply rotating the pod.
What we like:
- Easy, single-button operation
- Simple sliding top-fill
- Adjustable airflow
Our selection process combines three factors:
First, when a new device lands in the UK we put it through a testing process. That, combined with over 12 years of experience in the industry which has involved using many hundreds of devices, gives us a good idea of how it will perform. At the same time, we monitor independent blogs to see how the very best reviewers rate the device.
Finally, after a product has been launched, we monitor feedback and reviews to get an idea of how the device performs in the long term and how reliable it is.
There are a lot of great vape pens available, but for this list, we were either looking for a stand-out device or a device that fulfils a specific need. For example, the EQ FLTR meets the needs of vapers who miss the soft tip of a cigarette, while the PockeX is a great choice for people who need a stronger throat hit.
As you can see from this post, different vape pens suit different uses. If you want clouds, for example, you’d choose the Geekvape Mero AIO, while if you prefer ultimate ease of use you’d go for the Hexa Pro.
That said, our top choice is definitely the Endura T1811. That’s because it’s been tried and tested by hundreds of vapers, gaining consistently positive feedback in the process. While fancy features can catch your eye, sometimes it’s worth choosing a device that’s just easy to use and uber-reliable.
