Disposable vapes are meant to be a one-and-done-type product, allowing you to access the technology you need to vaporize your favorite compounds without having to invest in a dedicated piece of equipment that you’ll need to carefully maintain. That being said, it’s not uncommon to ask whether or not these devices can be refilled, especially since many of the top disposable vapes today offer a wide range of exciting features and powerful rechargeable batteries.
Can you refill a disposable vape? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of doing so? Here’s what you need to know about refilling disposable vapes before you attempt for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- You can refill a disposable vape, but there are drawbacks, and you run the risk of potentially breaking your vape along the way.
- There are reasons why people will try to refill their disposable vapes as there can be benefits to doing so, which include reducing the amount you spend buying disposable vapes, getting to use your favorite e-liquid in a unit you’re familiar with, and reducing the amount of electronic waste you produce by vaping.
- That being said, there are some serious downsides to refilling a disposable vape. Refilling your vape may cause it to auto fire, cause damage to your device, put your health at risk, and produce unwanted flavors.
- Consider purchasing a refillable unit if you’re not keen on continuing to only use disposable vapes.
Can You Refill a Disposable Vape?
Technically, you can refill a disposable vape. Like any vape, these vapes have a dedicated compartment where e-juices are stored as they’re vaporized throughout the lifetime of the vape. Once these e-juice stores are depleted, you could theoretically break into the vape, refill this chamber, and then put it back together in order to get more use out of your vape. As we’ll describe in the sections below, there are advantages and disadvantages to this activity that many may not consider when they think about refilling their disposable vapes.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Refilling a Disposable Vape
Why might you decide to refill your disposable vape, and why might you aim to avoid it and just buy another disposable for yourself? Let’s take a look at the benefits and drawbacks of refilling these types of products.
Benefits
Cost Reduction
Disposable vapes are quite affordable considering the quality build you’re getting, but some users want to save even more when they shop. By refilling your disposable vape, you can end up putting off the costs of having to go out and buy another one (although you will need to think about how much real value you’re getting as you’re still buying vape juice for the refills).
Your Favorite eLiquid
Not every disposable vape comes with desirable nicotine levels or flavors. By using up your disposable vape and then refilling it, you can then apply your own favorite e-liquids that you’re much more excited to use. Put simply, you have greater control over your experience after your disposable vape is considered done and ready to be thrown away.
However, it may be hard to get to get the flavor right. It will be mixed with your previous juice in your disposable vape. If the juice is mixed incorrectly, it can burn the coil. This will give your vape a burnt flavor.
Eco-Friendly
Disposable vapes are meant to be thrown away, but that presents an environmental problem that many aren’t happy with. If you find ways to extend the life of your vape, you’re throwing away considerably fewer disposable vapes throughout the year. Other strategies include vaping less and finding vapes with much larger nicotine concentrations or vape juice volumes, but you could just refill your vape until it’s unusable. This greatly cuts down on disposable vape waste.
Drawbacks
Device Damage
It’s important to remember that these devices are meant to be disposable. As such, they’re not constructed to be refilled. There are ways to get into your device to refill your cartridge, but you run the risk of doing such major device damage that it’s impossible to put it back together or to reconstruct it in a way that won’t pose a hazard to your safety. If you plan on refilling it, you run the risk of destroying your device and having to go out to buy one anyways.
Auto-Fire
If you have a disposable vape, you either have to press a button or take a draw to activate the vape. This is how it should work. However, there are often issues caused by refilling that impact these mechanisms. Continuing with the above point, you may damage something in the device that impacts its ability to know when it should activate, resulting in auto-firing. In other instances, the new e-liquid can end up leaking out of the cartridge and onto the battery, which can cause the same issues. Either way, this can cause the battery to overheat and put you and your disposable vape at risk.
Health Hazard
A refilled disposable vape is often more trouble than it’s worth. If you extensively damage any of the internal components, you could cause your battery to explode, introduce harmful metals and other contaminants to your e-liquids, and deal with major skin issues caused by direct contact with e-liquids. Beyond this, some e-liquids don’t mesh well, which can result in health issues when conflicting compounds are inhaled. It’s often not worth the risk of refilling your vape for these reasons alone.
Mixed Flavors
Unless you’ve managed to completely empty your disposable vape, there’s going to be some leftover e-juice that blends together with the new e-juice you’re using. Depending on the composition of your different e-juices, you might find that some of it sticks around and continues to produce some of the same old flavors or produce an undesirable new flavor that you weren’t planning for. Even if you’ve managed to bring the e-juice levels to zero, there’s always the chance that an old e-liquid you didn’t enjoy is still hanging around.
To put it simply, you can refill your disposable vape. But should you? The risks and the downsides far outweigh the benefits you might experience, especially given how affordable today’s disposable vapes are. Whether you’re trying to cut costs, save the planet, or enjoy a new e-liquid flavor, you can achieve all of the above by switching over to a new vape and changing your vaping habits.
If you are absolutely committed to refilling your vape, make sure to consider the potential risks mentioned above and understand what that could mean for your health and the quality of your vape. Saving a little bit of money or trying to make sure that you fully enjoy the experience of using your disposable vape should never come at the cost of your health and well-being!
FAQ?
Can a Disposable Vape be Reused?
A disposable vape can be reused, but it’s not designed to be. Disposable vapes are meant to provide a certain number of hits and then be replaced. Moreover, trying to reuse your disposable vape could result in major issues with vape functionality that you wouldn’t experience if you purchased a reusable vape.
Why Do Vapers Try To Refill Disposable Vapes Rather Than Buy New Ones?
There are plenty of reasons why people want to refill their disposable vapes. Many will attempt to refill their vapes once they’re done in order to get the same experience with a new e-liquid flavor, to save money on disposable vapes, and to cut down on the electronic waste they produce by using disposable vapes.
What Should I Do Instead of Trying To Refill My Disposable Vape?
There are two options: always buy a new disposable vape or purchase a unit that’s meant to be refilled. If you go with the former, you can cut down on costs by finding more affordable units that still offer you the nicotine concentration and e-juice flavors that you love. If you want greater control over costs and experience, you should buy a refillable unit so that you don’t have to deal with any of the inherent disadvantages of using a disposable vape.