Although the history of the vaping industry is relatively short, there has still been enough time for several iconic products to reach the market. Some of the most famous vapes of all time are still in production, in fact, demonstrating an impressive level of staying power.
Some vaping products have become iconic because of their eye-catching designs, and other vapes are famous because they were the first products to offer certain important features. In this article, we’re going to list the most famous vapes of all time. If you’re new to vaping, it might be useful to see how far the industry has come since the early days – and if you’ve been vaping for a while, you might enjoy taking a stroll down memory lane.
ProVape ProVari
- Release date: 2011
- Still available? No
At the time of its release, the ProVape ProVari was easily one of the most advanced vaping devices ever introduced. Produced in the United States, the ProVari offered variable-voltage functionality and operated at a maximum power of 6 volts using a single 18650 battery.
Before the ProVari and other variable-power devices like it, people who wanted to enjoy big clouds had to use mechanical mods, which offered no built-in safety features. The ProVari made cloud chasing safer by offering features like short circuit protection and over-current monitoring – things that virtually all vaping devices have today.
Although the original ProVari was incredibly advanced at the time of its release, subsequent devices in the ProVari series experienced weaker sales due to increased competition from Chinese manufacturers. ProVape went out of business in 2017, and the ProVape.com domain was sold to another company.
NJOY King
- Release date: 2012
- Still available? No
NJOY didn’t invent the disposable vape, but the NJOY King was certainly the first one to reach iconic status. Small and light like a real cigarette, the NJOY King was – and perhaps still is – the smallest disposable vape ever made. It also had a much higher nicotine strength than the other e-cigarettes available at the time. The NJOY King came in strengths up to 45 mg/ml during a time when the highest strength available for most products was 18 mg/ml.
The real feature of the NJOY King, though, was the fact that it had a soft filter-like tip and was light enough to hang from the mouth. It really felt more like a cigarette than any other vaping product before or since. It even came in a fun flip-top case with a satisfying “click” reminiscent of a Zippo lighter.
Although the features of the NJOY King were very compelling, the product was eventually done in by its high cost and poor battery life. NJOY ultimately discontinued it and replaced it with a larger product called the Daily.
V2 Pro Series 3
- Release date: 2014
- Still available? Yes
The V2 Pro Series 3 is the first device on this list of famous vapes that’s not only still available but is still considered a relevant product today. The V2 Pro Series 3 has remained relevant because it’s been revised more than once by the manufacturer to keep up with changing marketplace trends.
It’s fair to think of the V2 Pro Series 3 as the world’s first pod system, although the term hadn’t been invented yet in 2014. It replaced the screw-in cartridges and tanks that most vaping devices used with a small magnetic drop-in tank that held the e-liquid securely and provided an easy way for users to switch flavors on demand.
In addition to the simple pod-based e-liquid storage, the V2 Pro Series 3 also had a second trick up its sleeve: It was compatible with three different cartridges that allowed users to vaporize dry herbs and waxy or oily concentrates in addition to e-liquid. No other device had ever given users the ability to vape such a wide variety of products with a single device. Between that feature and a very affordable price point, the V2 Pro Series 3 was an instant hit.
In recent years, the V2 Pro Series 3 has been repurposed as a beginner-friendly vape pen for e-liquid only.
JUUL
- Release date: 2015
- Still available? Yes
The JUUL wasn’t the first pod-based vaping device, and it wasn’t the first device to use nicotine salt e-liquid. Thanks to a massive patent portfolio and an equally massive promotional campaign, though, the JUUL was the first device to popularize the pod vaping paradigm. For a while, the JUUL was the most popular vaping product in the world by a large margin and may have been instrumental in helping millions of smokers switch to vaping.
JUUL’s rapid growth culminated in a $12.8 billion investment from tobacco firm Altria in 2018. Altria purchased a 35-percent stake in the company based on a valuation of $35 billion, hoping to take advantage of vaping’s newfound popularity among mainstream tobacco users. The investment ultimately backfired, though, as a 2020 US law that banned most flavored pre-filled vape pods – but didn’t ban other types of flavored vaping devices – created an opening for disposable vapes to explode in popularity.
JUUL remains available today, but the brand is much smaller than it once was. Ultimately, Altria sold its investment back to JUUL at a value of just $250 million and purchased competing e-cigarette brand NJOY.
Puff Bar
- Release date: 2019
- Still available? Yes
The Puff Bar is the last truly iconic vaping product released so far – at least until something completely new comes along and upends the industry again. The original Puff Bar was a disposable vape that delivered around 300 puffs per device. Although disposable vapes had been around almost as long as vaping had existed, the Puff Bar was different because it was the first device that capitalized on the convenience of disposables by providing a satisfying amount of vaping time for the money.
Puff Bar’s growth in popularity coincided with the 2020 US law banning pre-filled vape pods in most flavors. Because the law didn’t apply to disposable vapes – which were available in more flavors than ever by 2020 – millions of vapers who might have purchased pod systems ended up buying Puff Bars and other disposables instead.
The popularity of Puff Bar attracted a high level of regulatory scrutiny, eventually leading to the company’s exit from the nicotine vaping industry. Although Puff Bar vapes are still available in the United States, they contain no nicotine.
There’s Never a Dull Moment in the Vaping Industry
It’s amazing that so many iconic vaping products have managed to reach the market even though the industry is still so young. That’s the hallmark of an industry that’s rapidly evolving and still hasn’t reached full maturity, so the one thing we can say for certain is that more paradigm-shifting products will come in the future. Who knows what the next few years will bring?
Have we missed any famous vapes in this roundup that deserve mentioning? Leave a comment with your picks.