How much does vaping REALLY cost you? Have you ever figured it out?
Being a bit of a skinflint, I have. Here is my detailed budget (I'll talk euros, being that I live in Euro-land right now):
Mods
The mods I vape most are:
- A Dovpo E-LVT, purchased EUR 80. This is my main out and about mod. It's tough and I'm a careful owner, but it's also made in China. So I expect it to last no more than 6 months. I vape it around 8 hrs/day.
Cost per month: 80.00 / 6 * (8 / 16) = EUR 4.44
- An eVic, that I bought for EUR 90 about 8 months ago. It stays at home, doesn't leave its resting base when I don't use it, and shows no sign of quitting. I expect it to last at least 2 years.
Cost per month: 90.00 / 24 * (8 / 16) = EUR 1.87
I vape other hardware on occasion (I have a vast and unreasonable collection of vaping stuff), but nowhere near as often as those two mods. I'll leave it out of the equation for the sake of simplicity.
Batteries
- Both the E-LVT and the eVic take 18650 batteries. I use Samsung ICR 18650 cells, at EUR 14.30 a pop. I assume they'll last 2 years before losing too much capacity.
Cost per month: (14.30*2) / 24 = EUR 1.19
USB charger
Both the E-LVT and the eVic charge through USB (which is why I bought them, incidentally). I use fast USB chargers (that go up to 2A), because I also use them to charge my cellphone. They cost EUR 15 at my local store. They've never failed, so I'll assume they'll last 5 years. I use 2 of them.
Cost per month: (15*2) / 60 = EUR 0.50
USB charge cable
A micro-USB cable that gets used every day typically lasts me 3 years. There too, I use fast charge cables that go up to 2A, and I have two of them that I use in rotation. I get these things here at EUR 12.
Cost per month: (12.00*2) / 36 = EUR 0.67
Atomizers
I use the Smok Dripper RDA almost exclusively. These atomizers cost me EUR 6.50. They're made of brass, and bits of it are gold plated, but the gold plating takes 2 to 3 months to go. They still work fine, but for the sake of argument, I'll assume something will go wrong with then within 6 months (plating, threads...).
Cost per month: (6.50*2)/6 = EUR 2.16
Silica rope
Silica lasts a lot longer than cotton, so it's cheaper in the long run. I use 3mm silica rope, that I get at EUR 1.90 for 2 m. I rebuild my coils/wicks every 2 weeks on average, on both my mods, and I use about 5 cm of silica rope each time.
Cost per month: [(0.05 / 2 * 4.34) * 2] * (1.90 / 2) = EUR 0.21
Kanthal
I use 32 ga. Kanthal exclusively. I get it at EUR 1.90 for 10 m. I rebuild my coils/wicks every 2 weeks on average, on both my mods, and I use about 5 cm of Kanthal each time.
Cost per month: [(0.05 / 2 * 4.34) * 2] * (1.90 / 10) = EUR 0.04
Juice
I get 18 mg VG nic base at EUR 6.90 for 100 ml. Not the cheapest, but I trust that particular supplier. I also get plain-jane VG at EUR 2 per liter at my local chemist, and I get most of my flavorings at EUR 4.95 for 10 ml. Finally, I get deionized water at EUR 0.79 for 100 ml and saline solution at EUR 1.29 for 100 ml at my local chemist also.
My usual recipe for a 10 ml bottle of juice is:
- 3.33 ml nic base (cost per bottle: (3.33 / 100) * 6.90 = EUR 0.23)
- 0.25 ml flavoring (cost per bottle: (0.25 / 10) * 4.95 = EUR 0.12)
- 0.50 ml deionized water (cost per bottle: (0.50 / 100) * 0.79 < EUR 0.01)
- 0.50 ml saline solution (cost per bottle: (0.50 / 100) * 1.29 = EUR 0.01)
- 5.42 ml glycerin (cost per bottle: (5.42 / 1000) * 2.00 EUR 0.01)
Total per bottle: EUR 0.38
I vape about 5 ml per day. Well, probably a bit less, but let's say 5 ml as a worst case scenario.
Cost per month: (0.38 / 10) * 5 * 30.4 = EUR 5.78
Juice bottles
I wash and reuse my juice bottles, and they come from vaper friends who give me their empty bottles. So the cost is null. So far, they've lasted me 8 months without leaking. However, for the sake of argument, I'll assume I'll have to replace them some day. Let's say they'll last a year at the most. My favorite supplier sells them at EUR 3.69 per set of 10. I have about 20 in rotation:
Cost per month: [(3.69 / 10) * 20] / 12 = EUR 0.61
Electricity
Yes, e-cigarettes run on electricity as well as juice. When I charge my mods, the battery is usually 75% depleted, both on the E-LVT and the eVic. Considering the batteries are 2600mAh (2.6Ah), at 3.7V on average, that's (2.6*3.7)*0.75 = 7.21Wh. Assuming the charging process is 50% efficient (wall wart, charging circuitry inside the mod...), that's 14.43Wh = 0.01443kWh consumed per charge. I pay my electricity EUR 0.055/kWh.
Cost per month: [(0.01443*2) * 30.4 * 0.055 = EUR 0.05
GRAND TOTAL:
- Mods: 4.44 + 1.87
- Batteries: 1.19
- USB charger: 0.50
- USB charge cable: 0.67
- Atomizers: 2.16
- Silica: 0.21
- Kanthal: 0.04
- Juice: 5.78
- Bottles: 0.61
- Electricity: 0.05
TOTAL PER MONTH: EUR 17.52
TOTAL PER DAY: EUR 0.58
(To be honest, I haven't taken into account the cost of shipping, because I either buy my stuff locally - either here in Belgium or when I travel abroad for work - or I buy in bulk to such an extent that shipping is usually free or neglibible compared to the cost of the order.)
I'm pleased to say that, all things taken into account, that's a little over 10x cheaper than smoking, which is a complete bargain considering the added health benefits
Your turn now: how much do you spend on vaping?
Being a bit of a skinflint, I have. Here is my detailed budget (I'll talk euros, being that I live in Euro-land right now):
Mods
The mods I vape most are:
- A Dovpo E-LVT, purchased EUR 80. This is my main out and about mod. It's tough and I'm a careful owner, but it's also made in China. So I expect it to last no more than 6 months. I vape it around 8 hrs/day.
Cost per month: 80.00 / 6 * (8 / 16) = EUR 4.44
- An eVic, that I bought for EUR 90 about 8 months ago. It stays at home, doesn't leave its resting base when I don't use it, and shows no sign of quitting. I expect it to last at least 2 years.
Cost per month: 90.00 / 24 * (8 / 16) = EUR 1.87
I vape other hardware on occasion (I have a vast and unreasonable collection of vaping stuff), but nowhere near as often as those two mods. I'll leave it out of the equation for the sake of simplicity.
Batteries
- Both the E-LVT and the eVic take 18650 batteries. I use Samsung ICR 18650 cells, at EUR 14.30 a pop. I assume they'll last 2 years before losing too much capacity.
Cost per month: (14.30*2) / 24 = EUR 1.19
USB charger
Both the E-LVT and the eVic charge through USB (which is why I bought them, incidentally). I use fast USB chargers (that go up to 2A), because I also use them to charge my cellphone. They cost EUR 15 at my local store. They've never failed, so I'll assume they'll last 5 years. I use 2 of them.
Cost per month: (15*2) / 60 = EUR 0.50
USB charge cable
A micro-USB cable that gets used every day typically lasts me 3 years. There too, I use fast charge cables that go up to 2A, and I have two of them that I use in rotation. I get these things here at EUR 12.
Cost per month: (12.00*2) / 36 = EUR 0.67
Atomizers
I use the Smok Dripper RDA almost exclusively. These atomizers cost me EUR 6.50. They're made of brass, and bits of it are gold plated, but the gold plating takes 2 to 3 months to go. They still work fine, but for the sake of argument, I'll assume something will go wrong with then within 6 months (plating, threads...).
Cost per month: (6.50*2)/6 = EUR 2.16
Silica rope
Silica lasts a lot longer than cotton, so it's cheaper in the long run. I use 3mm silica rope, that I get at EUR 1.90 for 2 m. I rebuild my coils/wicks every 2 weeks on average, on both my mods, and I use about 5 cm of silica rope each time.
Cost per month: [(0.05 / 2 * 4.34) * 2] * (1.90 / 2) = EUR 0.21
Kanthal
I use 32 ga. Kanthal exclusively. I get it at EUR 1.90 for 10 m. I rebuild my coils/wicks every 2 weeks on average, on both my mods, and I use about 5 cm of Kanthal each time.
Cost per month: [(0.05 / 2 * 4.34) * 2] * (1.90 / 10) = EUR 0.04
Juice
I get 18 mg VG nic base at EUR 6.90 for 100 ml. Not the cheapest, but I trust that particular supplier. I also get plain-jane VG at EUR 2 per liter at my local chemist, and I get most of my flavorings at EUR 4.95 for 10 ml. Finally, I get deionized water at EUR 0.79 for 100 ml and saline solution at EUR 1.29 for 100 ml at my local chemist also.
My usual recipe for a 10 ml bottle of juice is:
- 3.33 ml nic base (cost per bottle: (3.33 / 100) * 6.90 = EUR 0.23)
- 0.25 ml flavoring (cost per bottle: (0.25 / 10) * 4.95 = EUR 0.12)
- 0.50 ml deionized water (cost per bottle: (0.50 / 100) * 0.79 < EUR 0.01)
- 0.50 ml saline solution (cost per bottle: (0.50 / 100) * 1.29 = EUR 0.01)
- 5.42 ml glycerin (cost per bottle: (5.42 / 1000) * 2.00 EUR 0.01)
Total per bottle: EUR 0.38
I vape about 5 ml per day. Well, probably a bit less, but let's say 5 ml as a worst case scenario.
Cost per month: (0.38 / 10) * 5 * 30.4 = EUR 5.78
Juice bottles
I wash and reuse my juice bottles, and they come from vaper friends who give me their empty bottles. So the cost is null. So far, they've lasted me 8 months without leaking. However, for the sake of argument, I'll assume I'll have to replace them some day. Let's say they'll last a year at the most. My favorite supplier sells them at EUR 3.69 per set of 10. I have about 20 in rotation:
Cost per month: [(3.69 / 10) * 20] / 12 = EUR 0.61
Electricity
Yes, e-cigarettes run on electricity as well as juice. When I charge my mods, the battery is usually 75% depleted, both on the E-LVT and the eVic. Considering the batteries are 2600mAh (2.6Ah), at 3.7V on average, that's (2.6*3.7)*0.75 = 7.21Wh. Assuming the charging process is 50% efficient (wall wart, charging circuitry inside the mod...), that's 14.43Wh = 0.01443kWh consumed per charge. I pay my electricity EUR 0.055/kWh.
Cost per month: [(0.01443*2) * 30.4 * 0.055 = EUR 0.05
GRAND TOTAL:
- Mods: 4.44 + 1.87
- Batteries: 1.19
- USB charger: 0.50
- USB charge cable: 0.67
- Atomizers: 2.16
- Silica: 0.21
- Kanthal: 0.04
- Juice: 5.78
- Bottles: 0.61
- Electricity: 0.05
TOTAL PER MONTH: EUR 17.52
TOTAL PER DAY: EUR 0.58
(To be honest, I haven't taken into account the cost of shipping, because I either buy my stuff locally - either here in Belgium or when I travel abroad for work - or I buy in bulk to such an extent that shipping is usually free or neglibible compared to the cost of the order.)
I'm pleased to say that, all things taken into account, that's a little over 10x cheaper than smoking, which is a complete bargain considering the added health benefits
Your turn now: how much do you spend on vaping?