Geek Bar after the ban: what to vape instead

Geek Bar was one of the best-known names in single-use vapes, and this page used to review its flavours. Those devices can no longer be sold in the UK: single-use vapes have been banned from sale since 1 June 2025.

If you used to reach for a bar, the easy, flavour-led vaping you liked has not gone away. It now comes in rechargeable form. Vapeology does not sell Geek Bar, so this guide covers the closest alternatives we do sell: pre-filled pod kits, refillable pod kits and bar-style nic salts.

What the ban means for you

The ban covers vapes made to be used until empty and then thrown away. A vape sold in the UK now has to be rechargeable, and it has to take either a replacement pod or a refill of e-liquid.

The other UK limits have not changed. Pods and tanks hold no more than 2ml, and nicotine e-liquid is no stronger than 20mg/ml. So the strength you were used to is still available, just in a device you keep.

One thing worth clearing up: Geekvape, whose kits Vapeology does stock, is a different brand from Geek Bar despite the similar name.

Option 1: a pre-filled pod kit (the closest swap)

A pre-filled pod kit is the nearest thing to a bar. You get a rechargeable battery and a pod that arrives already filled with nic salt e-liquid. When the pod runs out, you click in a new one. When the battery runs low, you charge it with a cable. Many fire when you inhale, just like a bar, so there is nothing to learn.

Who it suits: you want the same grab-and-go feel, and you are happy to stick with one brand's pod flavours.

Worth knowing: pods only fit their own device. Before you pick a kit, check that the flavours you like are sold as replacement pods.

You can browse every pre-filled pod kit we stock, and the matching pre-filled replacement pods.

Option 2: a refillable pod kit (the most flavour choice)

A refillable pod kit has a pod you fill yourself from a 10ml bottle. It takes a minute longer than clicking in a new pod, but it opens up hundreds of flavours from many brands, and you can change flavour every time a pod runs dry.

The coil (the part that heats the liquid) either sits inside the pod or swaps out separately, depending on the kit. When the flavour fades or starts to taste burnt, it is time for a new pod or coil.

Who it suits: you like to try different flavours, or you used to buy a few different bars at once.

Filling a pod for the first time is simple:

1. Fill the pod

   Open the fill port, tilt the pod slightly and fill it to the marked line from your 10ml bottle.

2. Let it soak

   Leave a new pod or coil for around five minutes so the cotton soaks through before your first puff.

3. Start gently

   Take a few soft puffs first. If the kit has adjustable airflow, start with it fairly closed for a tighter, bar-like draw.

See the full range of refillable pod kits.

Matching the flavours you liked

Single-use bars made fruit-and-ice blends, sweets and soft-drink flavours the most popular styles in the UK. Bar-style nic salts are made to recreate that style in a 10ml bottle for refillable kits. Start with the flavour family you used to buy:

• Berry and sour blends: Elux Legend Blueberry Sour Raspberry, Lost Mary Blueberry Sour Raspberry or Elfliq Blueberry Sour Raspberry.
• Melon and ice: Lost Mary Watermelon Ice, Elux Legend Watermelon Ice or Vaporesso Dojoliq Watermelon Ice.
• Lemonades: Elux Legend Pink Lemonade, Lost Mary Pink Lemonade or Elfliq Pink Lemonade.
• Creamy and sweet: Elux Legend Strawberry Ice Cream or Elux Legend Blueberry Bubblegum.
• Tropical: Lost Mary Kiwi Passionfruit Guava, Elux Legend Triple Mango or OXVA OX Passion Lychee Ice.
• Menthol and mint: Elux Legend Blackcurrant Menthol, Vaporesso Dojoliq Cool Menthol or Lost Mary Fresh Mint.
• Energy drink: Fantasi Bar Juice Energy Ice or Bar Drop Energy Ice.
• Tobacco: Elux Legend Straight Tobacco or Elfliq Tobacco. For sweeter tobacco styles, see our guide to RY4-style e-liquids.

Want to browse a whole range? Try Elux Legend, Lost Mary nic salts, Elfliq or Riot Bar Edition.

Getting the strength right

Many single-use bars used 20mg/ml nic salt, the UK maximum, with 10mg versions for a lighter hit. Nic salts come in a choice of strengths, so you can match what you are used to.

If you used 20mg bars, starting at 20mg in your new kit usually feels the most familiar, and you can step down later if you want to. If bars felt harsh, try a lower strength. Our guide to picking a nic salt strength goes into more detail.

Pre-filled or refillable: which should you choose?

	Pre-filled pod kit	Refillable pod kit
Refilling	None, click in a new pod	Fill from a 10ml bottle
Flavour choice	That brand's pod flavours	Any nic salt you like
Mess	None	A little, while you learn
What you rebuy	Replacement pods	Nic salts, plus new pods or coils
Best for	A like-for-like bar swap	Exploring flavours

If you are not sure, start with a pre-filled kit for a week or two. If you find yourself wanting flavours that are not sold as pods, a refillable kit is the natural next step.

When you replace a kit, take the old one to an electrical recycling point rather than the household bin.

Shop pod kits→