How Long Does a Vape Last?

“How long does a vape really last?”

If you’re one of the millions of people who use disposable vapes, you’re likely to ask that question because it’s an important part of planning your vaping budget. In the past, the main benefit of the best disposable vapes was that they were extremely convenient and user friendly while also coming in a wide variety of flavors – exactly the qualities that new vapers wanted. Compared to other types of vapes, though, disposables typically didn’t last as long and thus were more expensive over the long term.

Today, long-lasting disposable vapes like the Innokin INNOBAR 20000 have changed the picture and have helped disposables reach cost parity with refillable vapes. So, regardless of which type of vape you use, you can expect to spend significantly less than you would have spent on smoking – although planning your budget is still important.

So, how long does a vape last? In this guide, we’ll break it down for you. We’ll start with the disposables that many people are using these days, and then we’ll finish the article by discussing how long refillable vapes last. Let’s dive in.

How Long Does a Disposable Vape Last?

A disposable vape typically lasts several days. When a device runs out of e-liquid, you’ll need to replace it.

What Does a Disposable Vape’s Puff Count Mean?

When you shop for disposable vapes, the first thing you’ll notice is that every device has a puff count stated on its box. Here’s how to understand what the puff counts on disposable vapes mean.

• The puff count stated on a disposable vape’s package is intended to provide a basis for comparison between that device and other disposable vapes.
• A disposable vape isn’t guaranteed to produce the number of puffs stated on the package and may produce up to that number of puffs under ideal circumstances.
• If you puff on your disposable vape for more than about a half second to a second at a time, the device will deliver significantly fewer puffs than the number stated on the package.

As you examine the different disposable vapes that are available, you’ll see that there’s usually a relationship between their e-liquid capacities and their advertised puff counts. These are the longest-lasting disposable vapes offered by Innokin.

• Innokin INNOBAR 20000: Contains 25 ml of e-liquid and lasts up to 20,000 puffs.
• Innokin INNOBAR 8000: Contains 17.5 ml of e-liquid and lasts up to 8,000 puffs.
• Innokin INNOBAR V7000: Contains 16 ml of e-liquid and lasts up to 7,000 puffs.
• Innokin INNOBAR 7000: Contains 16 ml of e-liquid and lasts up to 7,000 puffs.

When you smoke a cigarette, you typically puff on it about 10-15 times before putting it out. With that in mind, you can expect a disposable vape to approximately provide the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes for every 200-300 puffs that you get out of it – although, once again, it’s important to remember that a disposable vape will usually not produce the exact number of puffs stated on the package.

What Do a Disposable Vape’s E-Liquid Capacity and Nicotine Content Mean?

Although the puff count on a disposable vape provides a handy way to compare it to other vapes, you might find it more useful to compare vapes based on their e-liquid content because different manufacturers may have different standards for measuring what constitutes a puff. E-liquid content, on the other hand, is always measured in a consistent way.

You can also use the e-liquid content as a way to estimate how long a disposable vape will last.

• A cigarette delivers around 1.5 mg of nicotine.
• You can find out how much nicotine is in a vape by multiplying the e-liquid content by the nicotine strength. For example, the Innokin INNOBAR 20000 has 25 ml of e-liquid with a nicotine strength of 50 mg/ml and therefore contains 1,250 mg of nicotine in all.

With these two figures in mind, you can estimate how long a vape will last by dividing its total nicotine content by 1.5 mg, which is the approximate nicotine delivery of a cigarette. In that sense, a vape like the INNOBAR 20000 has the potential to provide the equivalent of multiple cartons of cigarettes. You will probably find that the nicotine you get from vaping doesn’t absorb in quite the same way as the nicotine that you get from smoking, but this comparison can still be helpful as a starting point.

Want to know more? Learn how to make a disposable vape last longer.

How Long Does a Pre-Filled Pod Vape Last?

A pre-filled pod vape lasts until the battery stops holding a charge, which is typically about a year. A vape pod generally lasts one or two days before requiring replacement.

A pre-filled pod system like the Innokin INNOBAR CLK differs from a disposable vape in that only the pod – which contains the device’s e-liquid – is disposable. The device itself is rechargeable and reusable. A pre-filled vape pod typically contains about 2 ml of e-liquid, although the INNOBAR CLK is significantly more generous with its pod capacity of 12 ml.

You can expect INNOBAR CLK pods to last several days each. If you’re using a more traditional pre-filled pod with a capacity of 2 ml, on the other hand, pods will typically last one to two days.

When you buy a starter kit for a pre-filled pod system, the kit will usually include at least one pod. It’s a good idea to buy some extra pods, though, to ensure that you won’t run out for a while.

As for how long the device itself lasts, that’s primarily determined by how long the battery continues to hold a charge. On average, a lithium-ion battery lasts through several hundred charge-discharge cycles before it becomes effectively useless due to diminished capacity.

Depending on your device’s battery capacity, you may need to recharge it once or twice daily. If you recharge a pod system twice a day, you can expect it to last anywhere from several months to about a year before the battery loses most of its capacity.

If you want a pod system to last as long as it can, you need to treat it well and keep it away from moisture and extreme heat. Follow these three tips to ensure that the battery will be the only limiting factor in how long a pod system lasts.

• Charge the device only by connecting it to your computer’s USB port. Charging a vaping device through a wall adapter for a mobile device such as a smartphone can elevate the battery’s temperature, shortening its life.
• Keep the device away from high-temperature environments. Don’t vape in direct sunlight and don’t leave the device inside your car.
• Keep the device away from moisture. Don’t vape outdoors when it’s raining, and don’t vape in situations where dropping the device in water might be a possibility. If water penetrates through to the interior of the device, it could cause a short circuit and kill the device permanently.

How Long Does a Refillable Vape Last?

A refillable vape typically lasts about a year, although it can potentially last even longer if the battery is replaceable. In addition to refilling the tank or pod when it’s empty, a refillable vape requires occasional component replacements in the form of new pods or coils. A pod or coil usually lasts several days.

If a refillable vape has a built-in battery, you can expect its lifespan to be similar to that of a pod system as described above – up to about one year – because the battery’s ability to hold a charge is the primary factor determining the device’s longevity. The Innokin Trine and Innokin Endura V, for example, offer excellent battery performance, ensuring reliable use throughout its lifespan.

There is one important difference, though, which tends to result in larger rechargeable vaping devices lasting longer than smaller ones: the longevity of a lithium-ion battery depends mostly on the number of times it’s charged and discharged. A battery with a higher capacity lasts longer before you need to recharge it, and refillable vaping devices tend to have larger batteries than pre-filled pod systems.

Since you probably won’t need to recharge a refillable device as often as you would a pre-filed pod system, it may last longer. Some of the best vapes on the market are refillable devices.

It's also important to note that not all refillable vaping devices have built-in batteries. The Innokin Kroma 217, for example, uses a removable battery. That feature can greatly extend a device’s life because when a battery’s capacity is so diminished that the device becomes unusable, you can simply recycle the battery and replace it with a new one. That’s not possible with vaping devices that have built-in batteries.

If the battery is a permanent part of the device, you have to replace the entire device when the battery reaches the end of its life. A vaping device with a removable battery, on the other hand, can potentially last for several years if you take care of it.

Did you know that some refillable vaping devices have special features that enhance their durability and can allow them to last even longer? For example, the Innokin Adept vape mod is certified for ingress protection, meeting the IP67 standard. The device can withstand submersion in up to a meter of water for at least 30 minutes, and dust can’t permeate the device at all. We also added extra features to the Innokin Adept to enhance its shock resistance, so it can withstand light bumps and scrapes without encountering an issue.

How to Make Any Vape Last Longer?

We’ll conclude this guide with a list of best practices that you can use to make any type of vaping device last longer. There’s always a small chance that a vape will fail early, and that’s why we offer a generous 90-day warranty on all Innokin devices. You can even extend the warranty an additional 90 days simply by registering your product.

If you want to make your vapes last as long as they can, though, you also need to do your part. No matter what type of vape you own, following these best practices will help them last longer.

• Avoid charging a vaping device in a way that could cause the battery to produce excess heat. Wall chargers for smartphones and computers, for instance, are designed for fast charging and require a battery that can handle a high-amperage current. Most vaping devices aren’t designed for high-amperage currents and can potentially overheat when connected to these types of chargers. Charge a vaping device with a low-amperage wall charger or with your computer.
• Keep your vape away from extreme temperatures. Extreme cold can rapidly drain the charge in a lithium-ion battery, and that will ultimately shorten the life of a device with a built-in battery because a battery’s life largely depends on how many times it is charged and discharged. If it’s snowing outside, that’s not an ideal environment for a vaping device. Likewise, you should also keep your device away from extremely hot environments – such as the inside of a car on a hot, sunny day – because the excess heat can cause chemical instability in the battery.
• Store your device in a safe place when you aren’t using it. Keeping your vape in a closed cabinet limits light exposure and can help to prevent any e-liquid in the tank or pod from oxidizing. It’s also important to ensure that your device won’t be bumped or dropped accidentally. No matter how durable a vaping device may be, an impact on a hard floor may damage it.
• Keep your device clean. If e-liquid leaks from your tank or pod, it could contaminate the device’s internal electronics and cause unpredictable behavior or a damaging short circuit. If you see excess moisture or condensation on your device, remove it promptly before it can cause permanent damage.
• Be careful when connecting and removing tanks and charging cables. Many vaping devices have been ruined because their owners handled them a bit too roughly. Yanking a cable out of a vape mod’s charging port, for instance, could potentially break the delicate solder points holding the charging port to the device’s logic board. Likewise, harsh handling of a vape tank can break the solder points under the mod’s 510 threading. The threading and charging port are both single points of failure that, if damaged, could render your entire device unusable.