Elf Bar AF5000 Review: TPD-Friendly Disposable With 5,000 Puffs

Without a doubt, disposable vapes are some of the most popular vaping products on the market today. One of the factors that has limited the success of even the best disposable vapes, though, is the fact that they’re limited by the Tobacco Products Directive to holding no more than 2 ml of e-liquid. That means a disposable vape delivers a maximum of about 600 puffs – or about 2-3 days of use – before you have to replace it. That makes it difficult for disposables to compete with refillable vapes on cost and causes many people to either choose refillable devices from the outset or to switch to refillable devices once they’ve transitioned fully to vaping.

The Elf Bar AF5000 is a completely new take on what a disposable vape can look like and how it can work. Thanks to a clever design, the AF5000 delivers up to 5,000 puffs without violating the 2 ml capacity requirement imposed by the TPD. How is that possible? In this review, I’ll tell you everything that you need to know about this new device.

How Much Does the Elf Bar AF5000 Cost?

The Elf Bar AF5000 costs £12.95 and includes the device and a 10 ml e-liquid container. If you buy the device through our link, you’ll enjoy free shipping if your order total is over £49.99. You’ll also enjoy same-day dispatch if you place your order before 4 PM on a weekday. Next-day delivery is available for an added fee.

Obviously, this device costs significantly more than other disposable vapes in the UK. When evaluating the cost of the Elf Bar AF5000, though, it’s important to remember that it includes five times as much e-liquid as other disposable vapes. Essentially, you’re getting a complete vaping device and a bottle of e-liquid in the same package. In that sense, the price is actually quite competitive.

How Does the Elf Bar AF5000 Not Violate the TPD?

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, one of the main limitations imposed by the TPD is that a pre-filled vape tank, vape pod or disposable vape can contain no more than 2 ml of e-liquid. So, how does the Elf Bar AF5000 not violate that?

The trick is that the AF5000 has a built-in tank which does have a capacity of 2 ml. The e-liquid container has 10 ml of vape juice, but it isn’t installed in the device when you first receive it. Essentially, the logic here is that the e-liquid container is basically a bottle of vape juice that happens to be connected to the device. You’re not vaping the e-liquid directly from the bottle; you’re vaping it from the device’s internal 2 ml tank. Therefore, the Elf Bar AF5000 is TPD friendly.

A quick search of the MHRA website confirms that the Elf Bar AF5000 is listed and is completely legal in the UK. So, the logic evidently works – and I’ll bet that you can expect to see many more devices like this one in the very near future.

Elf Bar AF5000: Features and Specifications

Now that we’ve established how the Elf Bar AF5000 accomplishes its mission of delivering up to 5,000 puffs, what are the other specifications and features that make this device unique? Here’s an overview.

• E-Liquid Capacity: 10 ml, delivered via a 2 ml built-in tank
• Puff Capacity: Up to 5,000 puffs
• Nicotine Strength: 20 mg/ml
• Battery Capacity: 650 mAh, rechargeable via USB-C
• Coil Type: Mesh coil with resistance of 1.2 ohm
• Number of Flavours: 25 at the time of writing, but some are difficult to find
• Activation: Puff-activated firing
• Indicator Light: Yes; light blinks when the battery is dead

 

How to Use the Elf Bar AF5000

It’s definitely safe to say that the Elf Bar AF5000 isn’t like other disposable vapes – so even if you have some experience with disposables, you’ve never used one quite like this. Luckily, one of the first things you’ll notice upon unboxing this device is a large sticker explaining exactly what you need to do. I’ll walk you through it.

• Remove the device from the box and tear open the inner pouch.
• Remove the sticker from the side of the device. The e-liquid container comes away with the sticker.
• Remove the white plug from the underside of the device. You can discard it.
• Unscrew and remove the black cap at the top of the e-liquid container. The cap is child resistant, so you’ll need to push it down whilst turning it. Don’t remove the white rubber cover.
• Align the e-liquid container with the rails on the underside of the Elf Bar AF5000 and slide the container up until it clicks into place.
• Hold the Elf Bar AF5000 upside down for several seconds. The e-liquid container is semi-opaque, but you should be able to see the container slowly emptying if you hold it up to a light.
• After the device’s internal tank is filled, wait an additional five minutes before vaping to ensure that the atomizer coil is completely saturated.
• When you’re ready to vape, puff gently on the device’s mouthpiece. Because of the way the Elf Bar AF5000 works – with the e-liquid traveling via an internal connection from the reservoir to the tank – it’s very important to avoid puffing too firmly when you use this device because doing so could cause it to leak.
• When the device’s light blinks, it’s time to charge the battery. You can do that by connecting the device to your computer with a USB-C cable.
• When you need to add more e-liquid to the tank, hold the Elf Bar AF5000 upside down for a few seconds.

What Are the Best Elf Bar AF5000 Flavours?

As I mentioned above, the Elf Bar AF5000 debuts with a selection of 25 different flavours. Some of the flavours aren’t easy to find, though, since this product was just approved for sale in the UK a few days ago. Rest assured that they’ll roll out soon enough. In the meantime, here are a few of the best flavours that I’ve tried.

• Blueberry Sour Raspberry: This one tastes a bit like a piece of sour candy. The sweet berry candy base melds perfectly with the slightly tart finish.
• Tobacco: If you’re tired of the sweet tobacco flavours that most e-liquid companies are selling these days, you’ll really love this one. It’s bold and robust with plenty of throat hit.
• Watermelon: This one delivers the pure, sweet flavour of a piece of watermelon candy with every puff. If you prefer a vape juice that’s purely sweet rather than sweet and sour, you’ll probably love this one. Melon flavours are always big hits in the vaping community.

Can You Refill the Elf Bar AF5000?

The Elf Bar AF5000 isn’t designed for refilling because the e-liquid container locks into place when it’s installed. Attempting to remove the container could result in the device being broken. Even if you are able to remove the e-liquid reservoir from the device, it’s important to remember that the Elf Bar AF5000 has a non-replaceable coil. By the time the device is out of e-liquid, the flavour quality will probably have declined due to residue formation on the coil. If you want to have the best possible experience, you should replace the device when it runs out of vape juice.

Elf Bar AF5000 Review: The Bottom Line

The Elf Bar AF5000 is one of the most interesting disposable vapes to be released in a long time because it may provide the clearest possible picture of Elf Bar’s vision for the future of the UK vaping market. As you’re likely aware, the UK government plans to ban all disposable vapes in this country by around the beginning of 2025. At that time, people will need to switch to refillable devices like pod systems.

In a previous review, I explored Maryliq. It’s a bottled e-liquid made by Heaven Gifts, the same company that makes Elf Bar and Lost Mary disposable vapes. I hypothesised that Maryliq might represent the company’s future plans for the UK market because it allows people to switch to refillable devices without losing the Lost Mary flavours they enjoy.

As for the Elf Bar brand, the company has released the Elf Bar Elfa pod system, which features Elf Bar’s popular flavours in a pod-based format.

When you think about it, though, it’s entirely possible that the Elf Bar AF5000 is a product that could remain on the market after the ban on disposable vapes with a simple name change. After all, it’s just as easy to call this device a self-refilling pod system or vape mod, so it could potentially remain on the market with a simple name change after the ban on disposables.

One thing is certain: the people at Heaven Gifts definitely appear to be hedging their bets with the Elf Bar AF5000 and products like the Elf Bar Elfa and Maryliq. Vape regulations in the UK are still evolving, but brands like Elf Bar and Lost Mary are definitely going to stick around in some form.

 

Pros

• It includes 10 ml of e-liquid and lasts up to 5,000 puffs without violating the TPD.
• It’s more competitive with refillable vapes on a cost basis compared to other disposables.
• The clever and unique design makes the device very fun to use.

Cons

• It doesn’t include a charging cable. It’s rare for rechargeable disposable vapes to include cables, but it would have been a nice addition.