There is no single right answer, but there is a reliable way to find yours. Most guides start with how much you used to smoke. That matters, and our guide to your stop smoking journey covers it properly. This one starts somewhere else: with the device in your hand.

The reason is simple. The same strength behaves completely differently in a small pod kit and a large sub-ohm kit, because the amount of vapour per puff is so different. Get the device match right and the rest falls into place quickly.

Start with your kit, not your cigarette count

A mouth-to-lung device, which covers most pod kits and vape pens, uses a tight draw and small coils. Each puff delivers a modest amount of vapour, so it needs a higher nicotine strength to satisfy. This is the category almost everyone making the switch starts in.

A direct-to-lung device, which covers sub-ohm kits and mods, uses an open draw and large coils. Each puff delivers several times more vapour, so it needs a much lower strength. Putting a high-strength liquid through one is genuinely unpleasant and entirely avoidable.

If you are not sure which you have, the draw tells you. If you pull the vapour into your mouth first and then inhale, as you would a cigarette, it is mouth-to-lung.

Strength by device, in plain numbers

For a pod kit or mouth-to-lung device, nicotine salts are the usual pairing and the practical range is 10mg to 20mg. Heavier previous smokers tend to settle at 20mg, moderate smokers around 10mg to 12mg, and lighter smokers around 6mg. Our nicotine salts range covers this, and our own-brand QSalts sits at around £3.32 for a 10ml bottle in flavours such as QSalts - Grape Ice and QSalts - Pink Lemonade.

For a sub-ohm or direct-to-lung device, the range is 3mg to 6mg and freebase rather than salts. Most shortfills mix out to around 3mg, which is exactly why they are made that way. Anything higher in a device like this will make you cough and will not improve satisfaction.

For a vape pen or higher-resistance starter kit, treat it as mouth-to-lung. A balanced 50/50 liquid at 10mg to 20mg is the usual choice, and our Pure range covers freebase options at around £4.16 if you prefer a slightly firmer throat feel.

Whatever you choose, the UK legal maximum is 20mg/ml, which is the same as 2 per cent, and nicotine bottles are 10ml or smaller. There is nothing stronger available legally, and for the overwhelming majority of people 20mg in a salt is more than enough.

How to tell you have it right

You have landed in the right place when a few unhurried draws settle an urge and you can put the device down again. That is the whole test.

Two signs you are too low: you are vaping almost constantly and still feel unsatisfied, or you find yourself thinking about cigarettes despite having your kit to hand. Two signs you are too high: a little dizziness or lightheadedness, or a slightly queasy, headachy feeling after a longer session. Neither is dangerous, and both resolve by adjusting.

Give any change a few days before you judge it. Switching strength changes the throat feel as well as the nicotine, and it takes a little while to tell the two apart.

Stepping down later, if you want to

Plenty of people stay at the strength that works for them, and that is a perfectly good outcome. If you would like to reduce, do it gradually and only once the switch itself feels settled. A common path is 20mg to 12mg, then 6mg, then 3mg, with weeks or months at each step rather than days.

There is no prize for rushing. Dropping too fast is one of the most common reasons people slip back to cigarettes, and staying at a comfortable strength is far better than being uncomfortable at a lower one. This is your informed choice to make at your own pace.

Frequently asked questions

What nicotine strength should I start on with a pod kit?

Most people making the switch do well starting at 20mg in a nicotine salt if they smoked heavily, or 10mg to 12mg if they smoked moderately. You can adjust after a week or two once you see how it feels.

Why does the same strength feel stronger in one device than another?

Because vapour volume differs. A sub-ohm kit produces several times more vapour per puff than a pod kit, so it delivers far more nicotine at the same milligram figure. That is why sub-ohm vapers use 3mg and pod users use 10mg or 20mg.

What is the highest nicotine strength available in the UK?

20mg/ml, which is 2 per cent. That is the legal maximum under UK regulations and applies to every compliant retailer.

Should I choose nicotine salts or freebase?

At higher strengths, salts. They feel considerably smoother at 20mg than freebase does. At 3mg or 6mg in a bigger device, freebase is the normal choice and shortfills give you more flavour options.

How quickly should I step down?

Slowly, and only once switching feels settled. Weeks or months at each step, not days. Staying comfortable matters more than reaching a lower number quickly.