Our Vype Disposable review a few months back provided some mixed reactions from us from, we enjoyed the flavour but ultimately it was expensive for a disposable e cigarette that didn’t last that long.
Vype Reloaded – Does the rechargeable Vype make for an improved vaping experience?
Fast forward a few months and Vype have released a rechargeable version of their e cigarette that should eradicate the issue of the poor e cig life. Or does it?
We popped on over to the Vype website and purchased the Vype Reload Regular kit, read on for our review.
Latest: Vype ePen 3 vape review
In the box / Presentation
The Vype Reload is really well presented in a simple display carton that contains the following:
- 2 x Rechargeable batteries
- Flip top carry casse
- 2 x Cartomisers
- USB Charger
Battery/Responsiveness
Vype are trying to make the switch for smokers as easy as possible, in this wemean they are keeping the look and feel as realistic as possible with their Vype e cig design.
The battery has the familiar ringed body, red glowing tip and even feels quite light weight (for an e cigarette) in the hand.
They have certainly achieved the realistic look they were going for and is the most realistic looking ‘cig-a-like’ I have tried.
The battery performance itself is a game of two halves. On the one hand it reacts well when taking a drag but on the other the battery life is very poor.
Does that come as a surprise? No definitely not, this is after all one of the smallest e cig batteries currently available and battery life is of course the first thing to suffer when e cigs are made this small.
This is obviously the reason why they made an alternative to their disposable e cigarette, once that ran out of power the only option was to throw it away and start again which would prove to be quite an expensive practice in the long run.
At least with the Vype Reload you can recharge the battery to use again.
This does make this a more viable option when compared with the disposable but issues still remain.
The battery life does still pose a problem despite the ability to recharge. I found I was having to recharge after around an hour of use.
The problem comes if you are away from a computer/laptop for lengthy periods of time as you need to use the USB port to charge your e cig.
There are of course two batteries that you can keep in the carry case but even then both of them will run out fairly quickly depending on how much you vape.
For light smokers switching to e cigs you may just about get away with it but moderate/heavy smokers making the switch are going to have a real problem.
If however you are just using this at home or in the office while near or using a computer then you can rotate your batteries or even just put the battery back on to charge in between using it.
When it comes to buying replacement batteries there is no option on the site (at the time of writing) that I can see where you can buy them.
This just leaves buying the starter kit again which I would say isn’t ideal but with the price of the cartomisers it may just be a more economical option as the starter kit includes 2 cartomiser refills and two batteries.
Overall – Vype is the most realistic looking ‘cig-a-like’ e cigarette available on the market but the small size does effect the longevity of the batteries. Moderate to heavy smokers will find they are running out of power on an all to regular basis.
Vapour / Flavour
The Vype Reload starter kit comes with two Classic Regular flavoured cartomisers, this is the only option with the kit but when buying cartomiser refills separately you can choose from Bold (16.8mg nicotine), Regular (11.3mg nicotine) and Menthol (11.4mg nicotine).
My first impression when I took the e cig out of the packaging was that these are the smallest cartomisers I have ever come across!
They really are tiny!
They have kept on with the cig-a-like theme with the refills not only looking like a filter with the speckled finish but also featuring a ‘soft filter’.
The cartomiser does have movement in it for sure but it is on the firm side so don’t expect it to be as soft as a cigarette.
The fitting differs from other e cigs as well. Most e cig brands require you to screw the cartomiser into the battery, with Vype they have what I can only describe as a bayonet fitting that you get with light bulbs. Push it in and turn to the right to secure the cartomiser in place, works well I must admit.
ECOpure E-Liquid
Vype use Ecopure e-liquid (made by the company behind Intellicig e cigarettes) in their e cigs which is no bad thing, I personally really like their tobacco and menthol flavours and they produce a good amount of vapour as well.
The good thing about Ecopure is that their ingredients are sourced in the EU and are manufactured in Bioscience labs in Manchester University. The e-liquid is also produced in batches that is certified and traceable.
So I really have no issues with the flavour, vapour production and the fact that the e-liquid is produced in a professional and clean environment is a definite plus. But does this mean that they have knocked this one out of the park?
Well…. no not quite.
As mentioned before these are the smallest cartomisers I have ever come across in an e cig, they are about an inch long.
My first thought was that these are going to last about 5 minutes! And although I may be exaggerating a little there the life of the refills is very poor.
Referring to the Vype website again they do state a life of around 250 puffs (in lab testing) but this is way off the mark for normal vapers.
In my testing, not in a lab, I got around 90-100 puffs before the flavour started to diminish and the vapour started to dry up.
Disappointing but AGAIN I didn’t expect anything more due to the size of the cartomisers. It does all depend on how you vape and you may indeed get more ‘puffs’ out of your e cig, I would love to know how long your cartomisers lasted so please leave a comment below and let me know.
When coming to buy replacement cartomisers they are sold in packs of two. This is I found was the most disappointing thing of all as they are very expensive. They do offer discounts for bulk purchases but the best deal will see you forking out for 5 packs which is just 10 cartomisers in total.
It would be a lot easier to swallow if they provided at least 5 in a pack or better still just increase the capacity of the cartomisers so they last longer. I realise this would mean making the carry case a touch longer as well but as it stands at the minute they just don’t last long enough.
Overall – I really like the ECOpure flavours and the vapour volume produced is also good. The size of the cartomiser refills however are tiny. This of course means that they run empty very quickly.
This may not be a huge problem if the price to buy replacement refills wasn’t so high but unfortunately they are.
Returns/Warranty
Vype offer a 14 day return on their electronic cigarettes.
Customer Service
Vype are available through a free phone number (UK), email and are also active on Facebook and Twitter.
Final Verdict
The Vype Reload for me have missed an opportunity somewhere along the line here. The product itself from the presentation of the packaging, carry case and the e cig itself is very good quality, certainly looks the part.
The ECOpure e-liquid is definitely one of the better tasting tobacco flavoured e-liquids I have tried in pre-filled cartomisers. So where did it go wrong?
Unfortunately with a cig-a-like e cigarette that is the same size as a cigarette, you have to compromise somewhere. The Vype Reload has compromised on the life of both the battery and the cartomiser.
The battery could, I guess, be forgiven to an extent but the cartomiser refills really don’t last long enough. I was getting around 90-100 puffs before they started to fade out. Forgivable if the cartomisers were priced to accommodate this.
The only thing that would make this a viable option would be to include more cartomisers in their standard packs, at least 5 but to keep up with what other brands offer then it would need to be around the 7-10 mark.
Vype would also do very well to introduce a portable charging case, or what is better known as a PCC.
With the small size of their batteries and cartomisers they could come up with a unique cool looking case that would not only help solve the battery issue but would also allow for more cartomisers to be carried around with you.
So to sum up…. If you are a moderate to heavy smoker then you may struggle to make this work long term due to both the life and price of the cartomisers, you would be more suited to a vape pen or if you still insist on a cig-a-like then choose between Vapour2 Cigs and the ePuffer Magnum Snaps.
If however you are an occasional/light smoker that will only use an e cig intermittently throughout the day or even the week then this could do a job for you.
It’s really all covered in the one liners above. Njoy Rechargeables had enabled me to quit cigs totally, about a year ago. But, when Sainsbury elected to quit selling them, over the counter availability became non-existent in my locality. Then I discovered that Njoy themselves had NO flavour chambers! I got some on-line, but even that source ran out temporarily at one point. The final straw was that recent Njoy flavour chamber replacements, although tasting better have been only lasting half as long – no longer economical. So I decided to try something else. Special Vype Reload Starter Kit price looked excellent at £4.99.
They are very nicely packaged and appear to be exceptionally well made but . . .
1. The two batteries were not pre-charged. Not a big deal, took one hour to charge.
2. Vapour production was shockingly low compared with Njoy equivalents
3. Virtually tasteless
4. Virtually no throat hit.
5. Was annoyed that Njoy carts life had diminished from 5-6 days to 3 days, but these barely lasted one day and gave pretty well ZERO satisfaction during that time.
Net result is that Vype Reloads will most definitely not satisfy me, not at ANY price, not even if given away for free.
I love the fact that it looks and feels like a cigarette, and the nicotine hit as well as the vapour makes it feel like you are smoking a real cigarrette.
It needs to be constantly charged which is real disappointment and i think the refills are a bit on the expensive side. But so far on the plus side i have not wanted to light a real one, so it is working, as i have tried all types of nicotine products, which have failed miserably.
I am going to continue a little longer with the Reload, but i might try their new one that is out, so watch this space.
So, I buy the rechargeable Motive from Tesco. I buy two so I’ve always go one fully charged.
When the tip runs out, I pop the lid off and fill it back up. Each tip lasts me about two weeks. Each vape lasts around three months
I tried various e-cigs and pipes but from my first draw on a classic disposable I knew I could quit real cigs as it smoke like a real cig and has a half decent taste.
They are effective in delivery and a consistent product. but the batteries are short lived as are the refills. All in all a good product but expensive. If BAT want to incentivise they need to work on the existing product by making it last longer and looking at the price. We all know that margins on these products are huge. So less take and more give would go down well.
I have tried everything on the market to stop smoking. Gum, patches, other e-cigs. Ypu name ot I’ve tried it. When I saw Vype in my local chemist I thought it was just another product out to waste money on in another pointless attempt at stopping but I bought the starter pack anyway. That was three weeks ago, I haven’t smoked since and I’ve slowly been cutting out using it with hopefully no going back to smoking. It is pricey though and I’ve noticed that if I take more than two draws it really drys out your mouth but if it makes me stay off the cigarettes then the initial hit of the cost and a slightly sore mouth then it’ll be worth it.
The vype as cut my ciggy intake down by around 50%. IMO these are the best ones I’ve tried. They are however very expensive and I’m a bit annoyed that the reload can only be bought with tobacco flavoured carts, I’m a menthol smoker so IMO that’s a waste of my money, having to buy menthol carts on top straight away, so I can use it.
I phoned their customer services to ask the reason why only standard carts come with reload, I was told it’s what people mostly want not a very good answer but that’s it
Just updating with the score
I tried some other brand disposables last year but didn’t last long before going back to cancer sticks. I tried the Vype on offer in Jan ’14 and haven’t looked back. I think it’s the really high nicotine content that works- the device is small and doesn’t produce as much vapour as it’s larger more expensive competition so it needs a lot of nic., The flavours are really nice- not at all artificial and really rather moreish. The Nicotine is 30mg (reg) and 45mg (rich)/ml which is really high, but it does the trick- plenty of throat hit and very satisfying. It’s rechargeable! That’s why I tried it. The disposables are OK but you soon realise how expensive they become. I discovered that you can pull the rubber end cap of the Vype Reload cartos and refill them with any e-liquid and you can buy the original stuff from intellicig. If you never tried e-cigs before then I highly recommend as a first step- they worked for me. I carry mine as a back up now as after a week I knew this could work and have invested about a months cigarette cost in a really fantastic, much larger and more satisfying device that in the long run will cost me far less, and satisfy more… but give Vypes a go- as a first try I think they’re great and very effective. But don’t stay with them too long as you’ll only be filling big tobaccos pockets and they already made enough off of you !
i stopped smoking when i started using the liquid e-cig in october ive not touch tobacco since ,i saw the vyper in my local shop and thought i would give it a try well as yet i dont feel anything i have the regular one and i cant feel anything when i drag on it also they are too exspensive so this one will be put in the draw and sorry but i would not waste anymore money on the vyper LIQUID E-CIG for me
This is the most realistic e-cig i have tried i used to use the multicig brand but the taste is nothing compared to the vype bold taste and you even get a hit in the back of your throught like a real one the only draw back is the price! i use the disposible bold (red) and it would help if there was a stockest that done wholesale prices
I dont use the reload one becouse my local shop only sells the disposable ones so they dont have refils so there would be no pint buyin the reload online
I have tried numerous e-cigs (disposable and rechargeable) and this is the second best i have tried (in terms of being most like smoking a cigarette). The first best was njoy king which is almost identical however, at £7 a pop i get the equivalent of around 10 cigarettes so it is far too expensive. With the Vype reload, the battery lasts around 1 day but the cartridges last around 1.5 to 2 days (equivalent of around 20-25 cigarettes for me). At £8 for two refills, that works out at around £3.50 for 20 cigarettes. The look, feel, weight and draw are very similar to smoking a real cigarette and the tip lighting up red is a bonus. MOst uk ones light up blue or green which i don’t like, even though people claim it gets rid of ambiguity in a public place. I would highly recommend the Vype reload to anyone looking to quit with an e-cig.