If you’re a heavy smoker and you’re thinking about switching to vaping, you might be wondering what type of vape will best suit you.
Maybe you’ve already tried to make the switch, but your chosen device didn’t replicate the nicotine hit you get from smoking.
IVG develop vapes with the specific purpose of helping smokers transition to a less harmful alternative.
In this blog, we’ll talk about what you need to consider as a heavy smoker, and we’ll give you our top devices to make the switch from cigarettes.
Here are some key factors you need to take into consideration when buying vapes as a heavy smoker:
Nicotine Delivery & Throat Hit: Getting the Balance Right
When you’re switching from heavy smoking to vaping, there are two crucial things that you need to get right: nicotine delivery and throat hit.
If you don’t feel satisfied with both, you’re more likely to smoke. It’s a delicate balance, but we’re going to show you the best way to get results.
In simple terms, get enough nicotine without it feeling too harsh. The type of nicotine you vape has a huge effect on this.
Freebase vs Nicotine Salts
Freebase and nicotine salts are different versions of nicotine that provide different delivery times and throat hit.
We won’t go into the details here, as IVG have a nicotine salts vs freebase blog dedicated to both types if you want to learn more. But here’s a short comparison showing which is better for heavy smokers:
Nicotine Strength
For heavy smokers, the higher the nicotine strength, the more likely you’ll be satisfied. Buying weaker strength E-Liquid won’t save you money in the long run, and you’re less likely to get the satisfaction you need.
Any E-Liquid or prefilled vape pod will show the strength on the bottle, which will be between 0-20mg/ml (the legal limit). You could try 10-15, but they’re usually used for tapering down.
Best Strength for Heavy Smokers: 20mg
Vaping Style
There are two types of vaping styles, mouth-to-lung and direct-to-lung. MTL mirrors a typical smoking inhale, taking vapour into the mouth first, then breathing it into the lungs.
DTL is where the vaper inhales vapour directly into the lungs without holding it in the mouth first. If you’re a heavy smoker, it’s better to stick with MTL as it’s the same inhale style as smoking. Read our MTL vs DTL guide to learn more about vaping styles.
Best Vaping Style for Heavy Smokers: MTL
Flavours
Experimenting with different flavours is often the best way to form a new habit, rather than picking tobacco-flavoured vapes.
Only 11% of vapers reported using tobacco flavours in Action on Smoking and Health’s (ASH) 2025 vaping report, with 51% using fruit flavours and 20% using menthol or mint flavours.
If you’re a heavy smoker, picking a flavour that doesn’t remind you of smoking is often the key to success.
Best Flavours for Heavy Smokers: Fruits and fruity menthols
Ease of Use
Smoking is easy; all you need is a flame and a cigarette. The last thing you want to do when transitioning away from that is to make things complicated, as you’re more likely to go back to what’s easy.
Here are the easiest ways to vape:
- Prefilled kits: a reusable, rechargeable vape and a prefilled vape pod (a pod with E-Liquid already inside it). Attach the pod to the device and begin vaping. When the pod is empty, replace it.
- Refillable kits: a reusable vape and refillable vape pods. Choose your E-Liquid, fill your empty pod, and insert it into the vape device. Refill the pod when it’s empty and replace it when the flavour becomes muted.
- Tanks, Mods and Sub-Ohm kits: a customisable, ‘DIY-style’ kit that contains several parts, including removable batteries, a coil, vape tank, mouthpiece and wicking materials. The parts are self-maintained, and you add your own E-Liquid.
Easiest to Use for Heavy Smokers: Prefilled vape kits
Battery Life: Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better
For heavy smokers, battery life matters. After all, you’re switching from a heavy-use habit. The last thing you want is to run out of battery halfway through the day and risk going back to cigarettes. However, that doesn’t mean you should go for the biggest battery on the market. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Below 1000 mAh: too small for heavy use, won’t last a full day
- 1000–1500 mAh: reliable all-day use, still beginner-friendly
- Above 1500 mAh: still good, but it isn’t necessary to have a huge battery.
Best Battery Life for Heavy Smokers: 1000-1500 mAh is the sweet spot for a long-lasting battery and a powerful vape.
💡 Idea: Unless you’re thinking of buying a sub-ohm or vape tank setup, you don’t need any higher than 2000 mAh.
Puff Count
It’s quite simple: the higher the puff count, the longer your vape lasts. If you’re a heavy smoker, higher puff counts are usually better. However, it’s not always as simple as buying the biggest puff vape. Different puff counts can change the experience.
- Small (Up to 600 puffs): can be useful for trying out vaping, in the short term. May lack features such as a battery display.
- Medium (600-10,000 puffs): provide higher puff counts and some more advanced device features like screens.
- Large (10,000-35,000 puffs): Largest puff counts, often bigger devices with better functionality.
Best Puff Count for Heavy Smokers: 10,000 puffs is cheap enough for a smoker to try, and should last long enough for a heavy smoker to see the benefits of vaping. At Vape Culture the cost is only 15 Euro for the device and filled pod.