Hi all,

[Mark_1]

Hi everyone!

I’m new to ECF and looking forward to learning more from the community. Lately, I’ve been curious about disposable vapes, especially Geek Bar products like the Pulse and Pulse X — and wanted to hear what other vapers think about them.

What’s been your experience with the flavor, battery life, and overall quality? Have you found any better alternatives worth trying?

I’m here to exchange ideas, learn from seasoned vapers, and hopefully contribute where I can. Thanks for having me, and I look forward to your recommendations!

– Mark_1

 

[somdcomputerguy]

Welcome to ECF, Mark_1.

 

[retired1]

Hi everyone!

I’m new to ECF and looking forward to learning more from the community. Lately, I’ve been curious about disposable vapes, especially Geek Bar products like the Pulse and Pulse X — and wanted to hear what other vapers think about them.

What’s been your experience with the flavor, battery life, and overall quality? Have you found any better alternatives worth trying?

I’m here to exchange ideas, learn from seasoned vapers, and hopefully contribute where I can. Thanks for having me, and I look forward to your recommendations!

– Mark_1

If you're already using a "rig" that isn't disposable, you'll quickly find that disposables are very expensive compared to what you're currently using. Pod systems are also a viable solution which are, again, much cheaper to run than buying a 15 dollar disposable every week.

 

[Mark_1]

If you're already using a "rig" that isn't disposable, you'll quickly find that disposables are very expensive compared to what you're currently using. Pod systems are also a viable solution which are, again, much cheaper to run than buying a 15 dollar disposable every week.

That’s a good point, I’ve noticed disposables can get pricey pretty fast.
I haven’t really used a pod system yet. From your experience, how does the flavor and nicotine hit compare to disposables like Geek Bar?
I’ve been curious if switching would be worth it or if it feels totally different.

 

[retired1]

Have never, ever purchased or even tried a disposable.

 

[Mark_1]

Have never, ever purchased or even tried a disposable.

Got it! so you’ve always stuck with refillable setups?
I’m curious, was it mainly the cost, the performance, or something else that kept you away from disposables like Geek Bar?
I’m trying to understand how people compare the two.

 

[smacuser]

buy one. They're fifteen bucks.

Ten years ago, my first kit was twenty.

 

[bombastinator]

Re: disposables in general

I’ve tried them. Even buy them occasionally if I’m gonna be somewhere for a long time and forgot my vape. I can’t buy them at all anymore as I weaned myself off nic with rebuildables and DIY. (High blood pressure.). Vapes avoid tar so they avoid cancer, but they do not avoid nic. So vapes raise blood pressure and they’re bad if you’re pregnant. You can Still do zeros with non-disposables though.

They’re not very good and they’re *really* expensive over time. They have lower buy in cost but in mere weeks they become more expensive because you have to keep replacing them. The final difference for me is over 10x cost. So a couple hundred dollars a month instead of much lower. So they cost a better apartment or a better car. Possibly both. They’re 100% PG and they’re usually MTL. They’re also always “salts” which I find to be a bizarre way to do things. Not telling people what they are vaping strikes me as dangerous because of allergic reactions on a good day and much worse on a bad one. (There are hundreds of “salts” and some of them are downright poisonous) They’re usually cheap plastic non regulated mods that have a marker style pith instead of a true tank (which is why they have to be 100% PG). There is usually one of two “salts” used. Some are allergic to on, some are allergic to the other, some are allergic to PG. There was a post here from a guy that was getting hives inside his mouth.
Also for whatever reason they’re all menthols now. Didn’t used to be that way. That’s probably an allergy issue too.

 

[bombastinator]

Buy one. They're fifteen bucks.

Ten years ago, my first kit was twenty.

I usually get the low end ones for $10. (Probably varies by area) I’ve seen em on clearance online for as low as a buck. At $2.50 iirc you break even with rebuildables

 

[Mark_1]

Re: disposables in general

I’ve tried them. Even buy them occasionally if I’m gonna be somewhere for a long time and forgot my vape. I can’t buy them at all anymore as I weaned myself off nic with rebuildables and DIY. (High blood pressure.). Vapes avoid tar so they avoid cancer, but they do not avoid nic. So vapes raise blood pressure and they’re bad if you’re pregnant. You can Still do zeros with non-disposables though.

They’re not very good and they’re *really* expensive over time. They have lower buy in cost but in mere weeks they become more expensive because you have to keep replacing them. The final difference for me is over 10x cost. So a couple hundred dollars a month instead of much lower. So they cost a better apartment or a better car. Possibly both. They’re 100% PG and they’re usually MTL. They’re also always “salts” which I find to be a bizarre way to do things. Not telling people what they are vaping strikes me as dangerous because of allergic reactions on a good day and much worse on a bad one. (There are hundreds of “salts” and some of them are downright poisonous) They’re usually cheap plastic non regulated mods that have a marker style pith instead of a true tank (which is why they have to be 100% PG). There is usually one of two “salts” used. Some are allergic to on, some are allergic to the other, some are allergic to PG. There was a post here from a guy that was getting hives inside his mouth.
Also for whatever reason they’re all menthols now. Didn’t used to be that way. That’s probably an allergy issue too.

Wow, thanks for sharing all that you’ve clearly been through the whole range of gear.
I didn’t realize disposables were 100% PG and that salts could vary so much, that’s really useful info.
Sounds like rebuildables have worked best for you long-term. Out of curiosity, is there a particular RBA or RTA setup you’d recommend for someone wanting to cut costs like you mentioned?

 

[BrotherBob]

Wow, thanks for sharing all

Welcome and glad you joined.

 

[bombastinator]

Wow, thanks for sharing all that you’ve clearly been through the whole range of gear.
I didn’t realize disposables were 100% PG and that salts could vary so much, that’s really useful info.
Sounds like rebuildables have worked best for you long-term. Out of curiosity, is there a particular RBA or RTA setup you’d recommend for someone wanting to cut costs like you mentioned?

Rta or RDA and diy. Rebuildables (no cartridge or pod) use entirely commodity material so they’re much much cheaper.
You do have to get your fingers messy every few days though.
Your continuing costs are cotton balls (1 bag is good for multiple years) 316L stainless wire ( again multiple years), Pg and VG (~$30/gal.)liquid nic (which is actually the most expensive bit) at -$50/ half liter, and flavoring, call it $6/oz it can go higher or lower depending on what you get

For lowest starter hardware cost you could get 3capo squonker kits from wetvapes on clearance for $5a piece. The capo comes with one battery but it’s crap. Goes down to like 1600mah quickly. You can use the mod as a charger and charge two while you are vaping one. Another way to do it is get one mod kit, and 2 more 20700/21700 batteries and a 4bay charger from somewhere else. Pricier, but you minimize the crap battery. That’s ftm though and as low as you can go.

I got a couple much more standard mods from them for more money, and some RTAs. Still on clearance so below standard prices but they had regular mods there. I don’t know why exactly the capos are $5/piece. They’re more commonly 8 times that. I bought 4. Also don’t bother with the maze, I bought ALL their coils. Well I guess it’s not that bad. 50¢ for an atty with2 coils. GL finding more though. The maze is not a rebuildable.

More normally a rta rig is $~30+ for the atty, ~40+ for the mod, batteries are ~6+ each and a charger is ~15+. These are the numbers I did the math with. The wetvapes clearance section is an anomaly.

 

[Mark_1]

Rta or RDA and diy. Rebuildables (no cartridge or pod) use entirely commodity material so they’re much much cheaper.
You do have to get your fingers messy every few days though.
Your continuing costs are cotton balls (1 bag is good for multiple years) 316L stainless wire ( again multiple years), Pg and VG (~$30/gal.)liquid nic (which is actually the most expensive bit) at -$50/ half liter, and flavoring, call it $6/oz it can go higher or lower depending on what you get

For lowest starter hardware cost you could get 3capo squonker kits from wetvapes on clearance for $5a piece. The capo comes with one battery but it’s crap. Goes down to like 1600mah quickly. You can use the mod as a charger and charge two while you are vaping one. Another way to do it is get one mod kit, and 2 more 20700/21700 batteries and a 4bay charger from somewhere else. Pricier, but you minimize the crap battery. That’s ftm though and as low as you can go.

I got a couple much more standard mods from them for more money, and some RTAs. Still on clearance so below standard prices but they had regular mods there. I don’t know why exactly the capos are $5/piece. They’re more commonly 8 times that. I bought 4. Also don’t bother with the maze, I bought ALL their coils. Well I guess it’s not that bad. 50¢ for an atty with2 coils. GL finding more though. The maze is not a rebuildable.

More normally a rta rig is $~30+ for the atty, ~40+ for the mod, batteries are ~6+ each and a charger is ~15+. These are the numbers I did the math with. The wetvapes clearance section is an anomaly.

Wow, that’s a ton of useful detail, really appreciate you breaking it all down like that! I can see how the upfront “messy fingers” work pays off big time in the long run. I’m curious, if you were starting fresh today, would you still go with something like the Capo squonker, or is there a current RTA/RDA setup you think beats it for value?

 

[bombastinator]

I do like squonkers. That particular one isn’t bad, but it completely lacks TC so it’s not that great either. It’s primarily that it’s soooo cheap atm.

TLDNR: squonker factoids
Squonkers got used mostly by people like OTR truck drivers because their juice capacities are generally 2-3 times the size of most RTAs. Also because they use an RDA they produce the best flavor. Basically you trade lots of good favor for one battery of space for the juice bottle. There are twin 18650 rdas. The drone is one of thayre the size of triple 18650 mods though. The capo for all it being as small as it can be is still the size of a twin 20700 mod. (Not small) whereas most disposables use internal batteries so THEYRE extremely small.

Not all of them. Steamcrave used to do a 20ml rta. It was truely enormous though. They did it by making an extension for their already enormous aromamizer which held 10ml. The thing was as big around as a 26650 and significantly longer. It looked like a light saber handle. I’ve got one. The glass will happily hold 2 D cells.

 

[Mark_1]

I do like squonkers. That particular one isn’t bad, but it completely lacks TC so it’s not that great either. It’s primarily that it’s soooo cheap atm.

TLDNR: squonker factoids
Squonkers got used mostly by people like OTR truck drivers because their juice capacities are generally 2-3 times the size of most RTAs. Also because they use an RDA they produce the best flavor. Basically you trade lots of good favor for one battery of space for the juice bottle. There are twin 18650 rdas. The drone is one of thayre the size of triple 18650 mods though. The capo for all it being as small as it can be is still the size of a twin 20700 mod. (Not small) whereas most disposables use internal batteries so THEYRE extremely small.

Not all of them. Steamcrave used to do a 20ml rta. It was truely enormous though. They did it by making an extension for their already enormous aromamizer which held 10ml. The thing was as big around as a 26650 and significantly longer. It looked like a light saber handle. I’ve got one. The glass will happily hold 2 D cells.

That’s wild, a 20ml RTA sounds like something you’d need two hands to hold!
I can totally see why squonkers were so popular with OTR drivers.
With the flavor boost from RDAs, I’m guessing you still keep one or two in rotation? Or have you mostly moved on to other setups these days?

 

[bombastinator]

That’s wild, a 20ml RTA sounds like something you’d need two hands to hold!
I can totally see why squonkers were so popular with OTR drivers.
With the flavor boost from RDAs, I’m guessing you still keep one or two in rotation? Or have you mostly moved on to other setups these days?

You only needed one. You could fit two on it though. Maybe it was 15 and 30. I forget. Steamcrave does an RDA called the hadron that is the same diameter I think. The thing definitely wasn’t stealth. It used to be vapes sometimes had blinks lights on them and stuff. Different time.