Pod vaping systems have so many things going for them. They’re inexpensive and easy to use. Unlike the cigarette-shaped vape juice of the past, pod systems have ample battery life and produce more than enough vapor to keep users completely satisfied. Pod systems are absolutely perfect for new vapers, and they’re so good at what they do that even many more experienced vapers have retired their sub-ohm mods for good and traded them in for pod-based devices.
If owning a pod system has any negative aspect, it’s the fact that the pod is a component with a finite life, and you’ll have to replace it periodically. Vape pods aren’t exactly simple. A pod needs to be manufactured according to very tight tolerances, or it won’t fit in your vaping device. Every pod has its own atomizer coil, chimney, wick and mouthpiece. Some pods even have their own airflow adjustment collars.
Vape pods aren’t cheap, and a lot of that has to do with all of the different materials from which they’re made. For instance, a vape pod might have multiple types of plastic, such as PET for the outside and Delrin for the mouthpiece. It might have multiple types of metal, such as kanthal for the coil and stainless steel for the chimney. The wick in a vape pod is usually made from silica or cotton. With all of those different materials being used to make so many different components, it’s no surprise that vape pods aren’t nearly as inexpensive as replacement coils are for sub-ohm tanks.
So, have you reached the point where it’s time to grab some new replacement pods? If so, you need to know the most effective and economical way to stock up – and to know that, you need to know how long a vape pod lasts. Let’s dig in!
What Pod Systems Have the Longest-Lasting Pods?
It's important to treat your pod system right if you want the pods to last as long as they can, but it's equally important to use a device with pods that are designed for maximum longevity. The longer your pods last, the less you'll spend on vaping in the long run. These are the pod systems with the longest-lasting pods.
- Vaporesso Eco Nano: The Eco Nano is the smallest device in the Vaporesso product lineup featuring the company's new COREX heating technology. The COREX technology uses a new mesh design that heats more evenly than traditional mesh coils. It also uses a fluffy microfiber cotton to provide improved juice saturation and superb flavor reproduction. Thanks to these innovations, COREX technology increases pod life by about 50 percent.
- SMOK Nord 5: Another way to use a pod system inexpensively is by choosing a device with a removable coil. It's much less expensive to buy just a coil than it is to buy an entire pod, as long as the coil is well designed and lasts a while. The SMOK Nord 5 uses SMOK RPM 3 coils. Along with a mesh surface for even and consistent heating, the RPM 3 coil features extra-large wick openings to prevent dry hits and ensure that the wick always stays saturated with e-liquid.
How Long Does a Vape Pod Last?
Although vape pods tend to cost more than replacement coils for vape tanks, there is a trade-off in that vape pods also tend to last much longer than sub-ohm coils. In an absolute worst-case situation, a sub-ohm coil can burn out in as little as a day. With a typical vape pod, on the other hand, you can usually look forward to a week or more of reliable service. That’s because residue from e-liquid is the top killer of vape coils. Vape pods generate smaller clouds than sub-ohm coils, which means that they use less e-liquid. Therefore, they create less residue and last longer than their higher-wattage counterparts.
If you maintain a moderate vaping pace, you can usually expect your vape pods to last about a week each. So, let’s suppose that you typically buy e-liquid about once every two weeks. In that case, you should make sure that you always have two replacement pods available for your pod system. It’s a good idea to have an extra pod available as well, just in case you end up with a dud or a pod fails unexpectedly.
Why Do Some Vape Pods Burn Out Quickly?
It’s impossible to give a definitive answer about how long vape pods last because there are so many different variables that can affect the longevity of a pod. A vape pod usually lasts around a week on average, but it’s possible to get a pod to last several weeks before its flavor starts to change.
Why do vape pods usually burn out so quickly if it’s possible to get them to last much longer than that?
- Sucralose is the top reason why residue develops on a vape coil. Don’t believe us? Here’s what happens when you heat sucralose. If you can taste a sugary film in your mouth and on your lips when vaping, your e-liquid has lots of sucralose in it. The sweeter your e-liquid is, the more quickly your vape pods will burn out.
- For the most popular pod vaping systems, counterfeit pods do exist. If you consistently experience problems with pods that leak, gurgle or burn out too quickly, you should make sure that you’re buying from a reliable supplier.
- If you’re using an older pod system, it may be time for an upgrade. Pod vaping technology has evolved quickly over the last several years, and pod-based devices are more reliable now than ever before. Manufacturers have worked hard to resolve longstanding issues like chronic leaking and poor pod life.
- Pod systems almost always work best with nicotine salt e-liquid, and the VG/PG ratio of the e-liquid plays a major role in that. The low-nicotine e-liquids that come in big bottles are usually much thicker than nicotine salt vape juices because they’re designed to work well in large sub-ohm tanks. Thick e-liquids won’t flow efficiently through the wicking system of a small vape pod, and inefficient e-liquid flow will cause a pod to burn out quickly.
How Can You Make Your Vape Pods Last Longer?
Now, you have a better understanding of the factors that can cause vape pods to burn out too quickly. What can you do about it? These simple changes can make your pods last dramatically longer.
- Use unsweetened e-liquid, or at least use vape juice that isn’t overly sweet. The less sucralose you vape, the longer your pods will last. Many e-liquid flavors actually taste quite sweet even without added sucralose, and you may even find that you’re better able to taste the subtle flavor notes in your e-liquid when those notes aren’t covered by the heavy-handed application of sweeteners.
- Use nicotine salt e-liquid for the best possible experience with a pod system. If you don’t want to use nicotine salt vape juices because the nicotine strengths are too high, look for e-liquids with VG/PG ratios close to 50/50. E-liquids containing more than half VG are too thick to work well in small pod systems.
- When you fill a new pod for the first time, don’t start vaping right away. Wait several minutes because the wick needs time to absorb the e-liquid. If you don’t give the pod’s atomizer coil time to become completely wet, you could burn the wick when you vape. Burned cotton ruins any atomizer coil permanently.
- Don’t chain vape. Remember that, when you use your device, you’re vaporizing the e-liquid that touches the atomizer coil. For a moment after you complete your puff, the coil will be dry; if you’re not giving the coil a little time to get wet again after each puff, you’ll end up burning the wick.
- Some pod vaping systems have adjustable wattage settings. If that’s true of your pod system, you need to keep in mind that increasing the wattage means that the coil will operate at a higher temperature, thus increasing the risk that you’ll burn the wick. If you want your vape pods to last as long as they can, you should use your device at a lower wattage setting.
Is It Possible to Clean Vape Pods?
It is possible to clean many vape pods, although the process is fairly difficult with some pods. To clean a vape pod, you need to saturate the pod’s atomizer coil with water. Then, before you can use the pod, you’ve got to get the water out. That’s not easy with vape pods that have very small filling holes.
If you’ve never cleaned a given type of vape pod before, you should start with a pod that’s already burned out. That way, if you’re forced to discard the pod because you can’t get the water out, you’re discarding a pod that you would have thrown away anyway.
To clean a vape pod, open the pod and submerge it in a bowl of warm water. Keep the pod in the bowl for several hours, stirring the water repeatedly. If the water begins to discolor, replace it with fresh water. Your goal is to get the water inside the pod and agitate it repeatedly to break up the residue that covers the pod’s atomizer coil.
You can also try cleaning your vape pods with vodka. Alcohol is a very effective solvent for breaking up the residue on vape coils, but if you’re going to clean your pods with vodka, rinsing them thoroughly becomes doubly important because you don’t want to vape alcohol. After the alcohol soak, give your pods a second soak in clean water.
After cleaning your pods, the final step before you can use the pods is drying them thoroughly. You’ll want to leave the pods out for at least 24 hours to air dry, and you may find it helpful to place them in front of a fan because the small openings don’t allow for much airflow.
While you’re cleaning your vape pods, it’s also a good idea to clean the device itself. Use a cotton swab to absorb any e-liquid that may have leaked and pooled inside the device’s pod chamber. If you think that e-liquid may have entered the device, blow through it while holding a paper towel over the other end.