Some vape brands burn bright for a season and vanish; a handful become quiet fixtures that just keep working year after year. Aspire belongs firmly in the second group. For a long stretch of UK vaping history, Aspire has been one of the names experienced vapers trust and newcomers get pointed towards, thanks to a simple formula: refillable kits that are easy to live with, coils that last, and build quality that does not fall apart in your pocket. With single-use disposables now off the shelves in Britain, a lot of people are searching for Aspire vapes and wondering where to buy Aspire, what the modern range looks like, and whether a refillable kit such as the Loomix is the right move. This guide covers all of it in plain English, with no hype and no health claims, so you can decide whether Aspire suits the way you actually vape.
Who are Aspire?
Aspire is a long-established vaping hardware brand that has been a recognisable name on the UK market for many years. While plenty of brands have come and gone with the trends, Aspire built its reputation the slow way: by making refillable kits, tanks and coils that simply do what they promise. Ask a long-time vaper which brands they associate with reliability rather than gimmicks, and Aspire tends to come up. That heritage matters, because it means the company has spent a very long time refining the unglamorous but important parts of a vape, the coils, the airflow, the way a pod clicks into a battery, rather than chasing whatever format happened to be fashionable that year.
The brand made much of its early name on tanks and coil systems that became reference points for the wider industry. Over time that know-how filtered into a broad catalogue of pod kits and pod-mods, devices that pair a rechargeable battery with a refillable pod and replaceable coils. The Loomix is one of the more recent expressions of that approach: a compact, beginner-friendly pod-mod designed to be filled with your own e-liquid, recharged over and over, and kept for the long haul. It sits alongside a heritage of well-regarded tanks and a deep library of coils, which is part of why Aspire has stayed relevant where flashier names have faded.
It is worth being clear about what Aspire is and is not. It is a hardware brand making nicotine-delivery devices for adult vapers. It is not a wellness product, a stop-smoking service or anything you should read as a health aid, and nothing about it should be taken that way. Nicotine is an addictive substance, and Aspire kits are intended only for adults of eighteen and over who already vape or use nicotine. With that framing in place, the appeal is straightforward and honest: Aspire is the brand you reach for when you want something dependable that you can refill cheaply and keep for ages. You can see how it fits within our wider line-up on the dedicated Aspire brand page.
Why refillable Aspire kits are cheaper and UK-legal
The single most useful thing to understand about Aspire is that its kits are refillable and rechargeable, and that combination is the key to both their legality and their value. To see why, it helps to remember what happened to the disposable vape. On 1 June 2025, the UK banned single-use disposable vapes outright. Those pocket-sized bars that you used until empty and then binned became illegal to sell, regardless of brand or flavour. The reasoning centred on the environmental cost of millions of discarded devices and concerns about how accessible cheap single-use products had become.
Here is the part that matters for anyone eyeing up an Aspire kit: the ban targets devices designed to be thrown away whole. Aspire kits are the opposite of that. They are built to be kept, recharged and refilled indefinitely. The battery tops up over USB-C, the pod or tank is refilled from a bottle of e-liquid you buy separately, and the coil is replaced when it wears out. Because nothing about the device is single-use, refillable Aspire kits were never caught by the disposable ban and remain fully legal to buy and sell in Britain today. If you are fuzzy on exactly what the rules changed, refillable kits are precisely the category the regulations were designed to encourage rather than restrict.
The legality is one half of the story; the cost is the other, and for most people it is the more persuasive half. A disposable cost you a few pounds and lasted a day or two before going in the bin. A refillable Aspire kit asks for a slightly higher one-off outlay up front, but after that your ongoing cost is just e-liquid and the occasional coil. Because you fill the pod yourself from a 10ml bottle of nic salt, the cost per millilitre of liquid is dramatically lower than buying prefilled pods or, especially, than the old disposable habit. Over a few weeks the maths swings hard in favour of refillable, and over a few months the difference is substantial. You are buying the device once and then paying only for what you actually vape.
There is one upcoming change worth factoring in. From 1 October 2026, a new Vaping Products Duty of £2.20 per 10ml of e-liquid comes into force. That tax applies across every brand of liquid, so it will nudge running costs up for everyone. Crucially, though, it makes the refillable argument stronger, not weaker: because refillable kits already use liquid far more efficiently than prefilled pods or disposables ever did, the cheaper-per-millilitre approach becomes even more worthwhile once the duty lands. If you want a deeper steer on getting started the value-conscious way, our guide to the best refillable vape kits for beginners walks through the whole approach.
The Aspire range: Loomix and beyond
Aspire's catalogue is broad, but for most shoppers it breaks down into a few sensible groups: the modern pod kits and pod-mods like the Loomix, the brand's heritage of tanks, and the deep library of coils that feed them. Understanding how these fit together is the key to buying the right thing rather than the most expensive thing.
The Aspire Loomix
The Loomix is one of Aspire's more recent and more talked-about kits, and it captures what the brand does well. It is a compact pod-mod, which means it pairs a rechargeable battery with a refillable pod and gives you a little more control than a basic stick-style pod. In practice it is designed to be approachable: you fill the pod from a bottle of e-liquid, charge it over USB-C, and adjust the airflow to suit how you like to vape. It is the kind of kit that works for someone stepping up from a disposable who wants something legal, refillable and not intimidating, while still offering enough flexibility to keep an experienced vaper happy. Because it takes replaceable coils, the running cost stays low and the device itself is built to last well beyond a single coil's life.
Aspire pod kits and pod-mods
Beyond the Loomix, Aspire offers a range of pod kits and pod-mods at different sizes and power levels. At the simpler end you have neat, pocketable pod kits aimed squarely at mouth-to-lung vaping, the tighter, cigarette-like draw that suits people moving across from smoking or anyone who prefers higher-strength nic salts. These tend to be the most beginner-friendly options: minimal buttons, easy refilling and a draw that feels familiar. Further up the range, pod-mods add adjustable wattage, larger batteries and more airflow flexibility, which opens the door to a slightly airier draw and bigger clouds if that is what you are after. The common thread across the whole pod line is that everything is refillable and coil-replaceable, so the value proposition stays intact no matter which size you pick.
Aspire tanks and heritage hardware
Aspire's roots are in tanks, and that heritage still shows in the catalogue. A tank is the part that screws onto a separate battery device, a mod, and holds your e-liquid and coil. Aspire tanks earned the brand its early reputation, and the company's coil expertise grew directly out of that history. If you already own a mod, or you fancy building a more customisable setup down the line, Aspire tanks remain a respected option. For most newcomers a self-contained pod kit like the Loomix is the easier starting point, but it is worth knowing that the tank heritage is there, because it is a big part of why Aspire's coils are as well-regarded as they are.
Rough prices to expect
Prices move around and vary by retailer, so treat these as a guide rather than a quote. A starter Aspire kit typically lands somewhere around £12 to £20 depending on the model and what comes in the box, which makes getting into a refillable system a low-commitment decision. Replacement coils usually sit around £2 to £3 each, often sold in packs, and a single coil commonly lasts a couple of weeks or more with sensible use. On top of that you only pay for e-liquid, with a 10ml nic salt bottle typically costing a few pounds. Remember that the Vaping Products Duty of £2.20 per 10ml arriving on 1 October 2026 will lift liquid prices across the board, so the liquid figures describe the current picture rather than a fixed promise. The kit and coil prices give you the headline cost of going refillable, which remains comfortably cheaper over time than the alternatives.
Coils and airflow
If there is one area where Aspire's long experience really pays off, it is the unglamorous engineering inside the device: the coils and the airflow. These two things, more than the colour or the shape, decide how a vape actually feels, and getting your head around them turns a confusing purchase into a simple one.
What a coil actually does
The coil is the small replaceable component that heats your e-liquid and turns it into vapour. It is a consumable, meaning it wears out and needs swapping every so often, which is completely normal and not a fault. Aspire's coils are part of why the brand is trusted: they tend to deliver clean, consistent flavour and to last a respectable amount of time before they need changing. Different coils are built with different resistances, measured in ohms, and that number shapes the experience. A higher-resistance coil, often anything above one ohm, generally gives a tighter, cooler, more mouth-to-lung draw that pairs well with higher-strength nic salts. A lower-resistance coil, below one ohm, runs warmer and airier, producing more vapour and suiting a direct-to-lung style with lower-strength liquids. You do not need to memorise the physics; you just need to know that the coil you choose nudges the whole feel of the vape one way or the other.
Why replaceable coils save you money
The fact that Aspire coils are replaceable is central to the brand's value. When a coil tires, the flavour dulls or you might notice a slightly burnt edge; you simply unscrew or pull out the old one, drop in a fresh coil, prime it and carry on. The device itself keeps going. Compare that with a disposable, where a worn coil meant binning the entire product, and the saving is obvious. At a couple of pounds a coil, the cost of keeping your Aspire performing at its best is small, and it is one of the main reasons refillable kits work out so much cheaper over time.
Adjustable airflow and why it matters
Airflow is the second lever, and it is one of the things Aspire kits handle nicely. Most of the brand's pod kits and pod-mods feature adjustable airflow, usually a small ring or slider that opens or closes how much air mixes with the vapour as you draw. Close it down and the draw becomes tight and restrictive, mimicking the pull of a cigarette, which suits mouth-to-lung vaping and higher nicotine strengths. Open it up and the draw becomes loose and airy, giving a warmer, cloudier direct-to-lung hit. The beauty of adjustable airflow is that you are not locked into one style: you can dial the device in to feel exactly how you like, and change your mind as your preferences evolve. For someone moving over from smoking, starting with the airflow nearly closed and a higher-resistance coil tends to feel the most familiar.
Put coils and airflow together and you have the two dials that make Aspire kits flexible. A tighter coil plus closed airflow gives a discreet, cigarette-like MTL experience on strong nic salt. A lower-resistance coil plus open airflow gives big, warm clouds on weaker liquid. Most people find their sweet spot somewhere in between within a day or two, and the ability to tune it is a big part of why refillable kits beat the one-size-fits-all feel of the disposables they replaced.
Choosing e-liquid and strength for your Aspire
A refillable Aspire kit is only as good as the e-liquid you put in it, so getting the liquid and the nicotine strength right is where the real satisfaction lives. The good news is that the choices are simpler than they look once you know the basics.
Nic salts versus freebase liquid
There are two broad types of e-liquid, and the distinction matters for how an Aspire kit feels. Nic salts are formulated for a smoother throat hit at higher nicotine strengths, which makes them the natural partner for the compact, mouth-to-lung pod kits Aspire is known for. They come in small 10ml bottles and are the go-to for most people using a beginner-friendly pod, because they deliver a satisfying nicotine level without the harshness you might get from strong freebase liquid. Freebase liquids, including larger shortfill bottles, tend to suit higher-powered, airier setups and lower nicotine strengths. For a typical Aspire pod kit such as the Loomix running an MTL coil, nic salts are usually the better match, and they are what most newcomers will want to reach for first.
Picking the right nicotine strength
Getting the nicotine strength right matters more than almost any other decision for how satisfied you feel. In the UK you will generally see nic salts at 10mg and 20mg, with 20mg being the legal maximum nicotine concentration here. As a rough rule of thumb, lighter users or those who want a gentler experience often suit 10mg, while heavier users or anyone who wants a stronger hit tend to reach for 20mg. There is no prize for picking the highest number. Too much nicotine can feel harsh and leave you a little dizzy; too little can have you reaching for the device constantly because it never quite satisfies. The aim is the strength that leaves you comfortable, not the biggest figure on the bottle. If you are unsure where to start, our nicotine strength guide walks through how to read these numbers and choose sensibly.
Matching strength to your coil and airflow
Strength does not exist in isolation; it works alongside your coil and airflow choices. As a general principle, higher nicotine strengths pair with tighter setups, meaning a higher-resistance MTL coil and closed-down airflow. The restrictive draw delivers a small, concentrated amount of vapour, so a stronger 20mg salt feels satisfying rather than overwhelming. Conversely, lower strengths pair with airier setups: if you open the airflow and run a lower-resistance coil, you are inhaling much more vapour per puff, so a strong liquid would be far too much and a 10mg or lower liquid feels balanced. This is why the Aspire MTL pod kits and 20mg nic salts are such a common and sensible starting combination for people coming over from smoking.
Flavours and storing your liquid
Because Aspire kits are refillable, you are free to use whatever e-liquid flavour you like rather than being stuck with whatever a prefilled pod offers. That freedom is one of the quiet joys of going refillable: fruit, menthol, tobacco-style, dessert, you can rotate and experiment as much as you want, and you can keep two or three on the go to avoid palate fatigue. A practical tip: keep your bottles out of direct sunlight and away from heat, because cool, dark storage keeps flavours tasting as intended for longer. And, as always, store all liquids and kit securely away from children and pets, because nicotine liquid must never be left within reach.
What we love about Aspire (and what to watch)
No brand is perfect for everyone, so here is an honest look at where Aspire shines and where you should go in with your eyes open. The point is to help you decide whether it fits how you actually vape, not to oversell it.
What we love
The headline strength is reliability. Aspire has spent years getting the fundamentals right, and it shows in kits that feel solid in the hand and keep performing day after day. The build quality tends to be a step above the throwaway feel of the disposables many people are leaving behind, with a reassuring weight and proper materials rather than flimsy plastic. The second thing we love is value: because everything is refillable and coil-replaceable, the running cost is low, and a kit in the £12 to £20 region pays for itself quickly against the old disposable habit. Third, the kits are genuinely beginner-friendly, with simple refilling, easy coil swaps, USB-C charging and adjustable airflow that lets you tune the draw to taste. And fourth, the brand's deep coil library and tank heritage mean you are buying into a mature ecosystem rather than a one-off gadget that might be unsupported next year.
What to watch
Refillable kits ask a little more of you than a disposable did, and that is the main thing to be honest about. You have to refill the pod yourself from a bottle, which takes a moment and a steady hand, and you have to replace coils periodically, which is a small ongoing task rather than a fault. For most people this becomes second nature within a day or two, but if you genuinely want zero involvement, the learning curve is worth knowing about. Second, the up-front cost is higher than grabbing a single cheap device, even though it works out far cheaper over time; you are paying once for hardware that lasts. Third, getting the best from the kit means priming new coils properly and picking the right strength, and skipping those steps can lead to a burnt taste or an unsatisfying vape that is easily avoided. And finally, like every brand, Aspire's liquid running costs will rise once the Vaping Products Duty arrives in October 2026. None of these are dealbreakers; they are simply the trade-offs of a proper refillable system over a disposable.
Aspire vs the alternatives
Aspire does not exist in a vacuum, and it is fair to ask how it stacks up against the other respected hardware brands you will find on UK shelves. The honest answer is that the best brand depends on what you want, but there are some useful distinctions to draw, particularly against two names that come up constantly: Vaporesso and Uwell.
Against Vaporesso, the comparison is one of two strong, well-established hardware brands with overlapping aims. Vaporesso is known for slick, feature-rich pod kits and pod-mods, often with polished screens and refined coil technology, and it has a big following among people who like a bit of tech in their device. Aspire leans more towards no-nonsense dependability and a long coil heritage, with kits that feel built to keep working rather than to impress on a spec sheet. Neither is wrong; if you love a feature-packed, modern-feeling device, Vaporesso is a natural look, while if you want straightforward, trustworthy refillable hardware with a deep coil ecosystem, Aspire is squarely in your lane. Plenty of vapers happily own both over time.
Against Uwell, the picture is similar but with its own flavour. Uwell built much of its reputation on the back of hugely popular pod kits and a strong focus on coil flavour and consistency, and it is a go-to for many people who prioritise clean, accurate taste from an easy-to-use pod. Aspire competes on the same ground of reliability and refillable value, with the added weight of its tank-and-coil history. If pristine flavour from a simple pod is your single priority, Uwell is a brand worth comparing closely; if you want that same dependability plus a broader hardware lineage and the flexibility of pod-mods like the Loomix, Aspire makes a compelling case.
The wider point is that the modern UK market is, in the best way, a competition between solid refillable brands rather than a race to the cheapest disposable. Aspire, Vaporesso and Uwell are all legitimate choices, and you will not go far wrong with any of them. The differences come down to feel, features and which ecosystem you want to buy into. If you are weighing up your first proper kit, our roundup of the best beginner vapes of 2026 puts these brands side by side so you can see where Aspire fits.
Setup tips and common problems
Getting the most out of an Aspire kit is mostly about a few small habits. None of this is complicated, but it makes a real difference to flavour, battery life and how long your coils last, and it heads off the handful of issues new refillable users tend to run into.
- Prime every new coil before vaping. When you fit a fresh coil, drip a few drops of e-liquid directly onto the exposed cotton, then fill the pod and let it stand for several minutes so the wick fully soaks. Firing a dry coil is the single most common cause of a burnt taste, and it is completely avoidable.
- Fill correctly and do not overtighten. Follow the pod's fill point and avoid getting liquid down the central airflow tube, as that causes gurgling. Pods click or screw together snugly; you do not need to force them, and overtightening can stop the kit drawing properly.
- Match coil and airflow to your draw. If you want a tight, cigarette-like MTL hit, use a higher-resistance coil and close the airflow down. If you want airier clouds, open the airflow and use a lower-resistance coil. Most kits make both easy to adjust, so experiment until it feels right.
- Charge little and often over USB-C. The lithium batteries in pod kits are generally happiest topped up regularly rather than run completely flat each time. Use the supplied USB-C cable and give it a quick charge before it dies to keep performance steady.
- Sort out a leaky or gurgling pod. Leaks usually come from overfilling, a worn coil seal or liquid in the airflow tube. Wipe the pod and the device's contacts with a dry tissue, check the coil is seated properly, and replace the coil if it is past its best.
- Fix a weak or no draw. If the kit feels blocked or does not fire, check the battery is charged, the coil is fully seated, the airflow is not closed all the way, and the contacts are clean and dry. These four checks resolve the large majority of problems.
- Keep everything away from children and pets. Nicotine liquids, pods and kits must be stored securely out of reach at all times. This is non-negotiable regardless of brand.
Why buy Aspire at PinkVape
When you are buying nicotine products, where you buy matters as much as what you buy. At PinkVape we stock Aspire because it is a brand our customers genuinely trust, and we keep the range focused on what is legal and worth your money: the refillable pod kits and pod-mods like the Loomix, the tanks, the replacement coils and the nic salts to fill them. You will not find us pushing something that should not be on sale.
We are a strictly over-18s retailer and we take that seriously, because nicotine is an addictive substance intended only for adults who already vape or use nicotine. We aim to keep our product information honest and our pricing transparent, with no inflated claims and no pretending a vape is something it is not. If you want to browse beyond Aspire, our wider catalogue of vape kits spans every major refillable brand, and you can start from our main store whenever you like. The aim is simple: a clear, no-nonsense place to buy Aspire and the rest of your kit, from people who actually know the products.
Frequently asked questions
Are Aspire vapes legal in the UK after the disposable ban?
Yes. Aspire kits are refillable and rechargeable, which means they were never caught by the ban on single-use disposable vapes that came into force on 1 June 2025. You keep the device, recharge it over USB-C and refill it from a bottle of e-liquid, which is exactly the kind of long-life product the rules are designed to encourage. Aspire is fully legal to buy and sell in Britain today.
What is the Aspire Loomix?
The Loomix is one of Aspire's recent pod-mods, a compact device that pairs a rechargeable battery with a refillable pod and replaceable coils. It is designed to be beginner-friendly while still offering adjustable airflow and a bit more flexibility than a basic pod, which makes it a popular choice for people moving over from disposables who want something legal, refillable and easy to use.
How much do Aspire kits and coils cost?
Prices vary by retailer, but as a rough guide an Aspire starter kit typically costs around £12 to £20 depending on the model, and replacement coils usually sit around £2 to £3 each. After that you only pay for e-liquid. From 1 October 2026 a new Vaping Products Duty of £2.20 per 10ml will apply to liquid across all brands, which will push liquid prices up, but the refillable approach still works out cheaper over time.
Are refillable Aspire kits really cheaper than disposables?
Over time, yes, by a clear margin. A refillable kit costs a little more up front, but after that your only ongoing spend is e-liquid and the occasional coil. Because you fill the pod yourself from a 10ml bottle, the cost per millilitre is far lower than buying prefilled pods or the old disposables. Within a few weeks the saving is noticeable, and over months it is substantial. Our guide to the best refillable vape kits for beginners explains the value in more detail.
What e-liquid should I use in an Aspire kit?
For most Aspire pod kits, especially compact mouth-to-lung models like the Loomix, nic salts are the natural match. They give a smooth throat hit at higher strengths and come in 10ml bottles. Higher-powered, airier setups can suit lower-strength freebase or shortfill liquids instead. The key is to match the liquid to your coil and airflow, with stronger salts pairing with tighter setups and weaker liquids with airier ones.
What nicotine strength should I choose?
In the UK nic salts are commonly sold at 10mg and 20mg, with 20mg being the legal maximum. Lighter users often suit 10mg, while heavier users or those wanting a stronger hit tend to choose 20mg. There is no benefit to picking the highest number for its own sake; the right strength is the one that leaves you comfortable rather than reaching for the device constantly or feeling a harsh hit. Our nicotine strength guide can help you decide.
How often do I need to replace the coil?
It varies with how much you vape and what liquid you use, but a coil typically lasts a couple of weeks or more with sensible use. You will know it is time when the flavour dulls or you notice a slightly burnt edge. Replacing it is quick and inexpensive at a couple of pounds: fit a fresh coil, prime it by letting the wick soak before vaping, and you are back to full flavour. Sweet, dark liquids tend to wear coils a little faster.
How does Aspire compare to Vaporesso and Uwell?
All three are respected refillable hardware brands and you will not go far wrong with any of them. Vaporesso tends to lean towards slick, feature-rich devices, while Uwell built its name on simple pods with excellent coil flavour. Aspire's strength is no-nonsense reliability backed by a deep tank-and-coil heritage and flexible pod-mods like the Loomix. The best choice comes down to whether you want extra features, pristine pod flavour or dependable refillable value. You can compare them on our best beginner vapes of 2026 page.
Where can I buy Aspire?
You can buy Aspire kits, coils and the nic salts to fill them from us at PinkVape. Browse the dedicated Aspire brand page for the current range, or head to our wider selection of vape kits and our main store to shop the rest of the catalogue. We sell to over-18s only.
PinkVape sells to over-18s only. Nicotine is an addictive substance. This article is general information, not health or medical advice. Prices are approximate and vary by retailer.