No refilling, no coils to change and nothing to set up. Open the pack and draw. That is why disposables outsell every other format in Kenya, and why the CBD, Westlands and Kilimani are full of people carrying them. Every device on this shelf is rechargeable over USB-C, which is explained further down.
We stock two brands on this shelf and seven ranges between them: ELFBAR and Tugboat, rated from 10,000 puffs to 40,000. We source through established suppliers and check stock and packaging before it goes on the shelf. If you would rather be talked through it than read, message us on WhatsApp and we will give you a straight answer.
What a puff rating actually tells you
A puff rating is the manufacturer’s own estimate against an assumed puff length. It is not a measurement, and almost no listing in Kenya says so, which is why the same number reads like a promise wherever you see it.
Read it as capacity divided by how much each draw takes. That is why two devices with the same tank can carry different ratings, and why a heavier draw gets fewer puffs than the box claims. Where a device is rated differently in each power mode, both figures matter, not just the higher one.
The seven ranges we stock
ELFBAR BC10000, 50mg, rated to 10,000 puffs on a 620mAh cell, carrying 18ml of liquid at 50 mg/ml. Read from the carton.
ELFBAR BC10000, 20mg, the same body at 20 mg/ml, and not the same device inside. This one carries 10ml. The lower strength is also the smaller tank, which no listing in this market tells you. Both strengths are browsable as one range.
ELFBAR Ice King 30000, rated to 30,000 puffs on an 850mAh cell, with a triple mesh coil, adjustable airflow, adjustable power and five cooling levels numbered 0 to 4. The tank size is not stated on the Ice King 30000 cartons we currently hold. The flavour range is here.
ELFBAR Ice King Pro 40000, rated to 40,000 puffs on a 1000mAh cell, with the same five cooling levels numbered 0 to 4. Capacity is not stated on the Ice King Pro cartons we currently hold either.
ELFBAR Trio 40000, rated to 40,000 puffs on a 1000mAh cell, and the most misunderstood device on the shelf. Two editions with different controls, not two flavour styles, both with a Turbo setting.
Tugboat T12000, rated to around 12,000 puffs, 24ml on a 600mAh cell with a 1.0Ω mesh coil and a switch mode. The T12000 range is here.
Tugboat Evo Pro 15000, rated to 15,000 puffs on a 750mAh cell, with dual mesh coils, an LED screen, a liquid-level indicator, three adjustable power settings and airflow control. All confirmed on the carton. The Evo Pro range is here.
Current prices are shown on the product cards above. We do not repeat them in this description, because a price in body copy goes out of date without anyone noticing.
The Trio, and the dial nobody else documents
The Trio ships in two editions, and the difference is what the dials do.
- Sour: Sour, Icy, Sweet: 50 mg/ml
- Sweet: NIC, Icy, Sweet: 50 mg/ml, with the NIC dial adjusting intensity
Both are read from the cartons in our own stock. Every published listing we can find describes the Trio as one device with icy, sour and sweet dials, which describes the Sour edition only. No listing anywhere mentions the NIC control. If you want to adjust how hard the hit lands rather than how sweet it tastes, the Sweet edition is the one that does it.
Two editions on the BC10000, and how to tell them apart in your hand
Every BC10000 carton, at both strengths, carries an edition badge on the front. The split is blends against singles.
SUNIT cartons are the blended flavours. The finish is sandy and slightly rough, on the device beside the display and on the printed pack image.
DINMOL cartons are the single flavours, and the finish is smooth.
A small Middle East allocation carries no badge at all.
The texture is the field check, and it works through the wrapper. Both editions carry a holographic seal. We have not found another listing in this market that mentions any of it, which makes it a useful way to compare a device against the packaging it arrived in. Bear in mind that packaging varies between markets and production runs, and the Middle East allocation carries no badge at all, so an unbadged carton is not by itself a problem. If anything looks inconsistent with what is described here, send us a photo before using the device, and we will check the details with you.
Which one suits you
Start with how long you want between purchases, then look at what the device lets you change.
If you have never used a disposable with adjustable cooling, that is the biggest single difference between the 10,000-puff bars and the 30,000-plus devices. The same flavour at level 0 and level 4 is close to two different products.
Strength is mostly decided for you. Everything on this shelf is 50mg nicotine salt except the BC10000 at 20mg, which is the only lower-strength option we carry in a sealed device.
Nicotine strength. Two strengths exist on this shelf. The BC10000 at 20mg is the lower-strength sealed device we carry; every other range is 50mg. Which is appropriate depends on the strength you already use, and we cannot advise on that. Our beginner’s guide explains how the format works.
Capacity. The higher-rated devices are designed to go longer between replacements. The Ice King 30000 and the two 40,000-puff devices carry the largest ratings on this shelf.
Running cost. A pod kit with a bottle of nicotine salts is refillable, so the ongoing spend is liquid and pods rather than a whole device each time. It also opens up the full bottled flavour range. The trade-off is a small amount of regular maintenance.
Every device here is rechargeable, and that is not the same as refillable
A rechargeable disposable is still single-use. You never add liquid to it. The USB-C port exists because the battery is deliberately smaller than the tank it has to empty, so a 30,000-puff device is designed to be charged several times before the liquid runs out. Without the port, it would die at a fraction of its rating.
If you want a device you refill indefinitely, that is a different category. Our refillable kits and pod systems cover it.
Disposable, or a pod kit
- Setup: None: Fill the pod, let it soak, charge
- Ongoing cost: A new device each time: E-liquid and the occasional pod
- Flavour: Fixed to what is in it: Any bottle you like
- Maintenance: None: Change the pod when flavour drops
- Suits: Convenience, travel, starting: Daily use, lower running cost
Plenty of people in Nairobi use both: a high-puff disposable when they are out, and a pod kit at home.
What to do with the empty one
A disposable contains a lithium cell, so it does not belong in household waste, and it should never go in a fire. Keep spent devices together and hand them in with other e-waste at a licensed collection point rather than binning them loose.
Delivery
Nairobi and the towns around it are same-day on an early dispatch. Many central Nairobi orders arrive within roughly 15 to 90 minutes, though that depends on location, traffic and rider availability rather than being a guarantee. The area covered includes the CBD, Westlands, Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Lavington, Parklands, Ruaka, Ngong Road, Karen, Upperhill, Langata and South B and C. Next working day to Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru and Naivasha. Everywhere else in Kenya, 1 to 2 business days by courier. A bus-office collection is normally quicker than a doorstep drop. Pay by M-Pesa or cash on delivery. Orders go out in plain packaging with nothing on the outside to say what is inside. Full terms are on our delivery policy.
Sold to adults of 18 and over. We verify age before dispatch, and our riders may ask for ID on delivery. Contains nicotine, which is addictive. Not for anyone under 18, for non-smokers, or during pregnancy.
Elsewhere in the shop