The Ultimate Guide to the UK’s Vape Culture
By Timothy BatesAttitudes in the UK towards vaping have shifted in the past few years, as vaping has become more accepted and independent vape shops have been popping up all over the country. Currently, there are over 3,500 specialist vape shops in the UK selling e-cigarettes, e-liquids in all kinds of flavours and nicotine strengths, custom mods, and accessories. When e-cigarettes first entered the UK market, they mimicked the appearance of traditional cigarettes and didn’t have much to offer in terms of appearance. Since then, they have morphed into sleek and stylish vaping devices, sporting a wide variety of flavours and colours.
What was once a practice to stop smoking has now evolved into a thriving sub-culture in the UK, prevalent on social media, forums, vaping events, and in countless other aspects of our daily lives. To understand how vape culture has transformed over recent years, let’s take a closer look at what vape culture looks like in the UK today.
Vape Trends in the UK
Cloud Chasing
Back in the 2010s, vapers started modifying their e-cigarettes to produce enormous clouds of vapour. This began as a curiosity to see who could create the biggest clouds, and now has more of a competitive element, attracting an audience on social media known as “cloud gazers”. By using high-powered mods and rebuildable atomisers, and practising specific inhaling and exhaling methods, “cloud chasers” were able to maximise vapour production and cloud density. These days, many e-cigarettes are designed to produce larger plumes of vapour, and cloud chasers choose specific mixtures with higher amounts of glycerine to control their cloud sizes.
Personalised Vapes
Recently in the UK, there has been a growing trend of styling your vape device and outfit to match. Vaping has transformed into somewhat of a fashion statement, garnering millions of views on TikTok and Instagram. In addition to trendy designs, vape devices now offer more options for personalisation such as engraved names, dates, and custom artwork. For the technically inclined, custom mods allow for a deeper level of personalisation. This can range from altering the device's physical structure to tweaking its electronic settings for a unique vaping experience in terms of vapour production, flavour intensity, and throat hit.
Leading Vape Brands in the UK
Blu
Launched in May 2009, Blu sells various types of e-cigarettes offering a wide selection of flavoured and unflavoured liquids. Their newest addition, the innovative Blu 2.0 vape device is one of the best on the market, with its impressive battery life and fast-charging capabilities. With a light tap, you can check the battery level, and the magnetic lock mechanism allows you to change flavours in seconds, from berry mix to golden tobacco, fresh mint, and more.
Vuse
Formerly known as Vype, Vuse has rebranded itself to match the evolving demands of the UK vaping community by introducing new generation vaping devices, such as the ePod 2, ePen, and eTank Mini. Vuse prioritises sustainability and has taken steps towards recycling used ePod and ePen pods, which are specifically designed for their closed-system e-cigarettes - devices that contain pre-filled pods or cartridges.
Cirro
A part of the Ten Motives range, Cirro e-liquids are available in nicotine strengths of 6mg, 12mg, and 18mg, and come in various flavours including menthol, tobacco, cherry, blueberry, and strawberry. These e-liquids are often sought after by more seasoned vapers, looking for a broader range of vaping experiences.
Dot Pro
Created with user-friendliness in mind, Dot Pro is a popular choice of e-cigarette, with its advanced features like fast recharging, streamlined mouthpiece, and lightweight design. Users can benefit from over 15 Dot Pro Pod flavours to choose from, as they will never tire of options.
Liberty Flights
Liberty Flights offers a customisable range of e-cigarettes with different nicotine strengths and PG/VG ratios. Its commitment to manufacturing in the UK and adherence to stringent quality standards has earned it a loyal following.
Shop now to find vape products from our best-selling brands like Blu, Vuse, Cirro, Dot Pro, and Liberty Flights.