If you have never vaped before, the two things that decide whether the first attempt goes well are the draw style and the device. Get those right, and the rest is straightforward. Get them wrong, and you will cough, waste money, and probably blame the liquid.
Two lines before anything else, because they matter more than any product advice on this page.
Sold to adults of 18 and over. We verify age before dispatch, and our riders may ask for ID on delivery.
If you have never smoked, there is no good reason to start vaping. If you have, the vaping vs smoking comparison covers the practical differences. For background on how the technology evolved, see the history of vaping. Nothing below is an argument for taking it up. This guide exists for people who have already decided, and it is written to stop them wasting money on the wrong kit.
Step one: work out which draw you want
Every vape falls into one of two inhale styles, and almost every bad first experience comes from a mismatch here.
MTL, mouth-to-lung. You draw the vapour into your mouth first, hold it a moment, then breathe it in. The draw is tight and restricted, closer to sipping through a narrow straw. Small pod kits and most sealed disposables are built this way.
DTL, direct to lung. You pull straight into your lungs in one movement. The draw is wide open and airy, like breathing in through a wide tube. Bigger sub-ohm devices are built this way, and they produce a lot more vapour.
Most people starting find MTL easier to handle, because it is a slower, smaller inhale and there is less to get used to at once. Trying to take a DTL pull on an MTL device, or the reverse, is the single most common reason a first puff goes badly.
Step two: sealed disposable or refillable pod kit
Both are valid starting points. They fail in different ways, so pick based on how you actually want to live with the thing.
A sealed disposable arrives charged, filled and ready. Nothing to assemble, nothing to fill, no coils to change. You use it until it stops and then it is finished. Examples we stock:
- Tugboat T12000, KSh 2,800 (list price 3,000): 24ml pre-filled, 50mg (5%), 600mAh, up to 12,000 puffs on the manufacturer's rating
- Tugboat Evo Pro 15000, KSh 3,000: 30ml pre-filled, 50mg (5%), 750mAh, up to 15,000 puffs on the manufacturer's rating
- ELFBAR BC10000, KSh 2,500 (four flavours on promotion at 2,300): 20mg (2%) and 50mg (5%) as two separate collections, 620mAh, up to 10,000 puffs, single fixed output with no modes
- ELFBAR Ice King 30000, KSh 3,000 (four flavours on promotion at 2,500): 50mg (5%), 850mAh, up to 30,000 puffs in low power mode and about 15,000 in high mode
One honest note on the BC10000: the listing gives 18ml pre-filled, while the carton states 10ml. Those two figures conflict, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. On the Ice King 30000, a 20ml capacity is widely reported, but the carton does not state it, so treat that number with caution.
A refillable pod kit costs more up front and then costs less to run, because you buy bottles rather than whole devices. It needs charging, filling and an occasional pod change. Stocked starting points:
Step three: how to actually take the first puff
- Charge the device fully if it is refillable. Most sealed disposables arrive with usable charge, though not always a full one.
- If it is refillable, fill the pod, close the port, and stand it upright for five to ten minutes so the wick soaks through properly. Firing a dry wick is how people ruin a coil on day one.
- Take a slow, gentle draw lasting about two to three seconds. Slow is the word that matters. A short, sharp pull tends to pull liquid rather than vapour.
- For MTL, hold the vapour in your mouth for a beat, then inhale.
- Put it down. Wait a good twenty to thirty seconds before the next one.
That pause is the instruction people ignore, and it is the one that prevents most first-day problems.
Strengths stocked
We list what each range is made at. We do not tell anyone which number to buy, and we do not map strengths to anybody's history.
Range | Size | Price KSh | Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
10ml | 700 | 20mg (2%) | |
10ml | 800 | 10 mg (1%), 20 mg (2%) | |
ELFLIQ Ice King Salts | 30ml | 2,000 | 30mg (3%) |
30ml | 2,000 | 35mg, 50mg | |
Ultimate Salts | 30ml | 2,000 | 50mg |
60ml | 2,000 | 3mg freebase | |
Ultimate Juice | 120ml | 2,300 | 3mg, 6mg, 12mg, 70/30 VG/PG |
Ultimate Puff | 120ml | 2,500 | 3mg, 6mg, 12mg, 18mg, 70/30 VG/PG |
The salt strengths are built around small low-power pod devices. The low freebase numbers are built around sub-ohm devices. The two sets of figures are not comparable with each other.
Charging, and what to expect in week one
Most pod kits charge over USB-C. Charge from the mains or a laptop, not from an unbranded car adapter, and unplug once it is full rather than leaving it overnight as a habit.
In the first week, expect a few things that are normal and a few that mean something is wrong.
- A dry or scratchy mouth. Common early on. Drink more water than you think you need.
- A slightly odd taste for the first day or two while you adjust to a flavour you have not had before.
- A burnt taste. Not normal. It usually means the wick has run dry, either because the pod is low or because you have been puffing too fast for the wick to keep up.
- Gurgling or liquid in the mouthpiece. Usually from drawing too hard. Ease off, and it generally settles.
Five mistakes first-timers make
- Chain vaping. Puff after puff with no gap. The wick may not keep up, the coil dries, and the flavour generally turns burnt.
- Drawing like a hookah. A hard, deep pull on an MTL device floods the coil. Slow and gentle wins.
- Buying the biggest device first. A high-wattage mod is a poor first device. It produces far more vapour than a beginner expects and is fiddly to set up.
- Not priming a new pod. Fill it, wait, then vape. Every time you fit a fresh pod, not just the first.
- Buying one flavour in a 120ml bottle. If you dislike it you have 120ml of it. Start with a 10ml bottle at KSh 700 to 800 and scale up once you know.
Buying from Vapesoko
Vapesoko is online only. There is a store address on Biashara Street, but there is no in-store shopping and customers cannot visit. Everything goes out for delivery.
- Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Naivasha: next business day
- Rest of Kenya: 1 to 2 business days
- Free Nairobi delivery on orders over KSh 2,000
- Payment: M-Pesa and cash only. No card is required
- Sold to adults of 18 and over. We verify age before dispatch, and our riders may ask for ID on delivery
Last updated: September 2026