Modern disposable vapes last an extremely long time – up to tens of thousands of puffs in some cases. They last so long, in fact, that you might find yourself not thinking at all about your device’s slowly dwindling e-liquid supply until it’s too late. That’s why disposable vapes with screens have become so popular; because if your device has a smart display, you’ll at least have some advance warning when it’s about to run out of vape juice.
Mostly, though, you have to pay attention to the way your device tastes if you want to know when a disposable vape is almost empty because you’ll actually have plenty of advance warning if you know what you’re looking for. If you pay attention, you’ll have no doubt as to when it’s nearly time to replace your device – and in this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know.
What Does a Disposable Vape Taste Like When It’s Almost Empty?
A disposable vape’s vapor production and flavor quality will take a nosedive when it’s almost out of vape juice.
When a disposable vape is nearly out of vape juice, you’ll notice major changes in its vapor production and flavor quality. The device will begin to produce much smaller clouds, and the flavor will also start to taste dull and muted. You may even taste a bit of a “plastic” note because the device’s wick is drying out.
If your vape is starting to taste bad because it’s almost empty, you can restore the flavor quality a little by waiting longer between puffs. Try puffing on the device a few times and then putting it down for several minutes. While the vape rests, the wick will equalize itself a little, and you’ll get a few more high-quality puffs. When your vape has reached this point, though, you should plan to replace it very soon because your last puff is approaching quickly.
What Does a Disposable Vape Taste Like When It’s Empty?
An empty disposable vape either tastes burnt or stops producing any vapor at all.
When your disposable vape is completely empty, one of two things will happen.
- If the vape doesn’t have automatic temperature limiting technology, it’ll taste extremely burnt. That’s because there’s no e-liquid left in the device to keep the coil cool, so the coil will overheat. This will be an extremely unpleasant experience, and you’ll want to stop using the device immediately. Most disposable vapes behave this way when they’re empty because they don't use temperature sensing technology, which would lead to higher prices.
- If the vape has temperature limiting technology, it’ll stop generating any vapor at all when it’s empty. The device’s light may also blink. Temperature limiting technology works by detecting the coil’s temperature and cutting the device’s output when the temperature exceeds a certain pre-set level. This prevents the extreme harshness that you would normally experience when your device’s wick dries out. People expect their disposable vapes to be extremely affordable, though, so most vapes don’t have this technology.
Understanding a Disposable Vape with a Smart Display
A smart display gives you advance warning when it’s nearly time to replace your vape.
At this point, you might be asking, “Wait a minute – I have a vape with a smart display. Shouldn’t my device tell me when it’s empty?”
Disposable vapes with screens have become extremely popular in 2024, and the reason for that is obvious – having more information at your fingertips is always a good thing, and it certainly makes vaping more enjoyable. In addition to showing whether your device is currently in Pulse Mode or not, a smart display shows the device’s current charge level and an approximation of its e-liquid supply.
When you look at the e-liquid meter on your disposable vape’s screen, it’s important to remember that what what’s shown is just an approximation of how much vape juice your device has left based on how long it’s been in use. Your vape doesn’t actually know the exact amount of e-liquid that’s left, so it essentially uses an algorithm to guess. That’s why it’s possible for the screen to show that your device is out of vape juice when it still seems to be performing normally.
It's also possible for a disposable vape to run out of e-liquid before the screen says it’s empty, but that’s rare because the algorithms are generally tuned to be fairly conservative. That way, you can usually expect to have plenty of warning before your vape is empty. That’s how you should think of your device’s smart screen – it’s there to let you know that your vape will be out of e-liquid soon, but it can’t tell you exactly how much vape juice you have.
Can You Refill an Empty Disposable Vape?
Refilling a disposable vape is usually possible, but it’s also more trouble than it’s worth.
It used to be fairly easy to refill a disposable vape; you could just pop the mouthpiece off of the device and add e-liquid directly to the wick. Today, though, it’s much harder to refill an empty vape than it used to be. A modern vape usually uses a clamshell-type design that makes it quite hard to open. You need to squeeze the device with vice grips or a similar tool until the seam splits and pry the two halves apart, hoping that you don’t break the vape in the process. Once you’ve done that, you can access the wick and add e-liquid to it. It’s not easy, but it’s definitely doable.
Before you try refilling an empty disposable vape, though, there are two things that you need to know.
- There’s a good chance that you’ll break your vape when you attempt to open it. That might not be a tragedy since it’s empty anyway, but you’ll certainly be disappointed.
- The more important reason why you might not want to bother trying to refill an empty disposable vape is because the flavor quality probably won’t be very good. Modern disposable vapes contain so much vape juice that they’re already pushing the limits of what a vape coil can do before it starts to taste burnt from built-up residue. A refilled vape definitely won’t taste as good as a new one.
With those things in mind, you’ll probably be happier if you don’t bother trying to refill a disposable vape unless you have no other alternative – because your last device ran out of e-liquid in the middle of the night, for instance. If you’re looking for a vape that you can refill on a regular basis, you’re going to have a much better experience if you use a vape that’s actually designed for the job. Take a look at our list of the most popular vapes for a few recommendations.
How Can You Make a Disposable Vape Last Longer?
You can potentially get several additional days out of a disposable vape if you manage your usage carefully.
It’s possible that you want to know how to tell if a disposable vape is empty because you’re using your first vape, and it seems to have run out of e-liquid well before reaching the number of puffs advertised on the box. We’ll address that possibility as we bring this article to a close.
There are two things that you should consider before we continue.
- Are you sure that you bought the device from a reliable vape shop? Fake vapes are unfortunately very common. You’re especially likely to find them in places that don’t normally specialize in vaping products, such as convenience stores. A fake vape is likely to be underfilled and probably won’t last the number of puffs specified on the package.
- Even if the vape that you’re using is authentic, it’s still possible that the manufacturer overstated the capabilities of the device somewhat. The puff count advertised on the box isn’t the most important aspect of a disposable vape. You should compare devices by the amount of e-liquid they contain because there’s no way to exaggerate that.
With those two things in mind, what can you to do make a disposable vape last longer before it’s empty? Here are three important tips that you should always keep in mind.
- If you want a disposable vape to come close to delivering the number of puffs specified on the package, take shorter puffs. A disposable vape’s advertised puff count is based on an average puff duration of one second.
- As you use your vape, try to avoid taking several back-to-back puffs without giving the device a moment to rest and cool down in between. Frequent vaping elevates the temperature of the device’s atomizer coil and causes the e-liquid to be consumed more rapidly.
- The most important thing to remember about using a disposable vape is that your devices won’t last very long if you vape more often than you would have smoked – which can easily happen because a vape doesn’t let you know that you’re done by burning out like a cigarette. Pay attention to how much you use your device and keep in mind that an average cigarette lasts about 10 puffs. If you’ve puffed on your device 10 times and are feeling satisfied, put it down for a while until you begin to crave nicotine again. If you only use your vape when you would have smoked a cigarette, it’ll last a long time.