The Best E-Cigarette
The aim of our reviews is to give you straightforward, accurate and up-to-date information on the best e-cigarette brands available in the UK for 2018. We know that with all the products and options available it can be hard to know where you can find the best products for great value.
Our method is straightforward – we compare the results from top e-cigarette review sites of all their best electronic cigarettes and best vape pens to give you only the best recommendations. This gives you an unbiased and independent summary of the most reliable e-cigarette reviews to save you time and money while making sure you get a high quality product. In this section we look at the best 3 vape pens available to make your decision easier. See the detailed e-cig reviews here.
The vast majority of electronic cigarette components are sourced from China and then re-branded by the e-cigarette companies to sell in the UK. It is important that reputable companies ensure quality control and that they use good quality components. Unfortunately, in order to maximize profits, many don’t do this.
By ‘reviewing the review sites’ we ensure that only reliable e-cigarette product providers are featured on this site to allow you to find the best e-cigarette or vape pen to suit you. For details of how we do our calculations. see the calculations page.
Note: There was a big change in e cigarette regulation in 2016 when the UK Government intervened to regulate e-cigarette products and TPD regulation is now incorporated into UK law as of May 2017.
What is the Best E-Cig for 2018
This year, V2 has introduced new technology with the introduction of their Pro 3X. This is a real game changer for advanced users and includes the introduction of their new hi-tech best vaporizer pen for 2018:
For those new to e-cigarettes though, I recommend sticking with the V2 prefilled refill option for ease of use – this is preferable to using the ‘fill your own’ e-liquid option and will allow a straightforward transition from smoking to vaping. Keep it simple to start with!
The best electronic cigarette starter kit for those new to vaping is without doubt the Vapour2 Ex-Series.
See the Easy e Cig Selector Guide
Our Top 3 E-Cigarettes
1st Place: Vapour2 Cigs Review.
Visit V2: UK Site | USA Site
#1. Vapour2 at a glance:
- Basic Kit Price: £22.95
- Number of flavours: 12
- Battery Price: £13.99
- Max. Battery Spec: 380 mAh
- Refill Price: £8.99 per 5 pack
- PCC option. Yes
Vapour2 (V2 in USA offer top of the range quality. Importantly, their e-liquids contain no impurities and are lab tested for safety. A full lab report is available online for every batch of e-liquid giving full details of ingredients so you can vape with confidence. Their introductory express kit vape pen kit is a steal at £16.99 and will help get you started on a low budget.
Their products give a lot of vapour and a realistic and reassuring throat hit. They offer the widest range of accessories of all three companies including an interchangeable e liquid tank option that is compatible across the range so you have more customisation options.
Best Starter Kit
For simplicity and convenience for a regular smoker V2 offer the cartomizer option prefilled with e-liquid. Their starter kit is cheaper than those from our other highly rated manufacturers, offering impressive value for money with no compromise on quality.
They also offer a wide range of e-liquids to accommodate both heavier smokers and the shisha pen market – choose from their range of tobacco, fruit and sweet or e-shisha flavours to use with their tank system/shisha pen. (see Ex-Blanks below). With its 4.2 volt battery the Classic kit is more than equal to any vape pen kit and almost half the size feels much more cigarette like.
The Vapour2 Red and Congress flavours rank in the top of the best tobacco taste e-liquids available. Many E-Cigarette reviews also show that the V2 menthol flavour is very popular.
Refills are relatively cheap keeping running costs down, and with the e-liquid option you can save even more. For the purist, they also offer their ‘Ex Blanks’ cartridges which are a straight forward clear mini tank system that you can simply fill using any e-liquid. Coupled with their high power battery (we like the black battery with this option) you can vape all day effortlessly.
In the early days, poor quality batteries forced the market to introduce the oversized and rather clumsy ‘mod’ or ego type electronic cigarette – V2 technology allows for an equally powerful battery in a neat and tidy design. Vapour2 e-Cigs are much closer to the feel of normal smoking which is important when starting out in particular – something vital that ‘mods’ are lacking.
Quitting or reducing the smoking habit needs a practical solution to make it as easy as possible. The standard V2 Cig weighs less than the average packet of cigarettes, with even lighter options available. Some review sites show the new Innokin Cool Fire 4 ranks well in the larger size e-cigarette/mod category, but this weighs over five times more than a normal packet of cigarettes, making it a cumbersome option.
V2 Cigs, now Vapour2 in the EU, has a new designer range called the Ex-Series which uses a unique new patented refill technology that ensures a clean vape with no burnt after taste’.
It includes a carbon fibre look battery that doesn’t light up at the end like most other cig-a-likes. The Ex-Series comes in both automatic and manual options. Automatic means you can just inhale and vapour is produced, with the manual option you press a micro-switch each time you want to inhale. In 2017 V2 introduced the V2 Vertx micro-vaporizer range of advanced small scale vape pens which includes a cigarette sized variable voltage device offering magnetic charging and touchscreen power adjustment option.
Vapour2’s quality products and continual innovation secures their position as the best e-cigarette UK brand.
There is a reason why V2 are the #1 USA e-cigarette*.
2nd Place: Jac Vapour
#2. Jac Vapour at a glance:
- Basic Kit Price: £26.99
- Number of flavours: 8
- Battery Price: £12.00
- Max. Battery Spec: 3.7 V 280 mAh
- Refill Price: £6.79 per 5 pack
- PCC option. Yes
Jac Vapour is one of the more established UK e-cig brands and they offer a good selection of e-cigarettes
and vape pens. Jac Vapour have been around since mid 2010 and over the last couple of years have started to offer some competitive vaping products.
Jac Vapour V3i
The Jac Vapour e-cig kit is a highly rated, good quality product and the recommended V3iP+ e-cig kit offers a Portable Charging Case (PCC) and USB charger, ensuring you can charge your e-cigarette battery on the move or in the house. See the Full review here.
There are six Jac Vapour kits ranging from around £20 to £50.00. The main advantage of the kit is the well made PCC – a must for those who travel extensively. Both Jac Vapour and V2 Cigs offer very similar quality PCC devices though the V2 battery is more powerful at 4.2 Volts and 380 mAh compared to JV at 3.7 volts and 280 mAh.
3rd Place: blu PLUS Review
#3. blu at a glance:
- Kit Price: £29.99
- Number of flavours: 5 limited!
- Battery Price: £5.99 PLUS. £12.99 the PRO
- Max. Battery Spec: PLUS ?. PRO 1100ma
- Refill Price: £6.99 per 2 pack. Most expensive here
- PCC option: Yes
blu sells three products, the blu PLUS+ Kit, the blu PRO kit and a disposable device – the blu GO. The Plus+ kit comes in two kits – one with a portable charger and the other without. This is another good solid product from the USA. Their marketing is second to none with a well designed website that is easy to navigate.
The basic blu PLUS+ electronic cigarette starter kit will cater for the majority of lighter smokers but the throat hit is not as good as V2 or Jac Vapour. Read the full blu reviews here.
It’s important to note that whilst blu is a good product, some vapers have commented on the slightly louder than usual air intake sound when vaping – this is not as loud as the Vype or South Beach equivalent products but it is still very noticeable. Imported generic devices will have their faults and also tend to be lower grade quality. Blu has drawbacks but offer a quality well made product. At £6.99/2 pack refills are the most expensive here.
Say Hello to the New Ex Batteries – The V2 You Know Multiplied by WOW.
A last word on fuel for your e-cigarette, vape juice or e-juice.
The e-cig market is currently unregulated so you need to be a little cautious about what you buy to ensure you only vape safe, tested ingredients. Most UK review sites or vaporiser comparison sites don’t highlight this significant issue enough but there are many reports available that demonstrate the large disparities between ingredients used by e-juice manufacturers. The Tobacco Product Directive (TPD) regulations go some way to addressing compliance but more is needed. The difference between first rate e-juice and cheaper options which could contain untested ingredients are hugely important to ensure you don’t risk your health.
The composition of many e-liquids is often not precisely stated, except in vague terms such as ‘vegetable flavouring’, which could mean many things. As the Karger medical publication states, “some artificial flavorings have been shown to be cytotoxic”, meaning they are toxic to our body’s cells.
The Karger medical publication states:
“Their nature is generally not specified other than in imprecise terms like ‘vegetable flavoring’,… some artificial flavorings have been shown to be cytotoxic.”
Many e-cigarette companies are now beginning to understand that customers want pure e-liquids with known, safe ingredients. Some have now introduced laboratory testing and use only medical grade e-liquids, and we recommend using only companies which do so to avoid as much risk as possible when vaping.
See the best vape pen UK review summary - includes best dry herb and wax personal vaporizers.
#e cigarette reviews UK | helping you find the best of the best e cigarette UK, Shisha Pens and Vaporizer pens.
* As ranked by Alexa.com
Each cart is 1-1.5 packs – claimed.
Prices as at 16 August 2018.