Best NJoy Vape Alternatives
Until running into legal headwinds, the NJOY Ace had served as an easy-to-use vape that shared shelf space with combustible cigarettes at American convenience stores and gas stations.
As a Juul alternative, it is a relatively expensive for customers and a low margin option for store owners when compared to disposable vapes. But backed by tobacco giant Altria, the Ace was still a familiar face for many adult consumers and served to initiate many nicotine users into the world of smoke and ash free alternatives.
Top 10 NJOY Ace Alternatives
- Lost Mary MT15000 Turbo
- Fifty Bar 20K
- Off Stamp X-Cube
- Geek Bar Pulse
- Juul
- Zimo Nicotine Pouches
- Ammo Nicotine Pouches
- ZYN Nicotine Pouches
- Refillable Pod Kits: Smok Novo 3, Vaporesso XROS
- Mi-Pod NX Nixodine Pod Kit
MORE GREAT NJOY VAPES ALTERNATIVES
NJOY Ace History
The NJOY Ace arrived late to prefilled vape pod party in 2018, but the legal and lobbying power of Altria helped push through FDA approval of NJOY Menthol Pods. To date, this are the only non-tobacco flavored vapes to receive PMTA approval. This occurred last fall despite a pending decision by the International Trade Commission (ITC).
The first ever PMTA approved device was something called the NJOY Daily. It is a cigalike museum piece.
Juul vs. NJOY Ace
Like the prefilled pods from category pioneer Juul Labs, the NJOY Ace is precluded by a federal ban from being offered in the flavors that most adult vapor consumers prefer.
The NJOY Ace was a stopgap, copycat response by Altria to the massively popular Juul pods. Altria also purchased stakes in Juul Labs before the flavor ban killed their marketshare and value.
In terms of hardware, Ace is almost indistinguishable from the open (refillable) Zoor pod kit. They were not cross compatible, as the prefilled Ace had a different magnetic attachment design. MyBlu went a similar route adopting the architecture of the Von Erl pod kit.
Juul Labs accused Altria of infringing on patents and using stolen IP in the NJOY Ace. And the International Trade Commission agreed, blocking imports of the Altria vaping devices and cartridges.
It is ironic that Richmond, Virginia based Altria, constantly railing against import copycat products and Chinese imports, would run afoul of the ITC principally for a Juul Labs knock-off made in China or Malaysia.
What is Next For NJOY Ace Users?
With the most popular of the Altria vaping devices losing their case against Juul Labs, NJOY devices inbound from Asia will begin disappearing from store shelves almost immediately.
The import ban on Ace devices and pods will take effect in 60 days unless the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in President Donald Trump's new administration overturns it for public policy reasons.
Best NJOY Alternatives
If you are currently using the NJOY Ace, you will find that there are solid options available. The Ace pod kit, with a 400mAh battery and 2ml, is on the bigger side when it comes to pod kits but surrender significant performance and longevity when compared to disposable vapes.
Disposable Vapes
There is a reason why Altria is fixated on disposable vapes in their quarterly earning calls and have dedicated millions to create PMTA registry laws that provide the tobacco industry with a monopoly. A recent lawsuit in Montana has called into question the tireless lobbying of the tobacco industry, seemingly in contravention of the Tobacco Master Settlement.
Modern pod kits, whether RJ Reynold's Vuse Alto, Juul or the NJOY Ace cannot compete on a level field of play with the disposable vapes currently on the market.
Even an old 5,000 puff disposable will have 4x the e-liquid capacity and a much stiffer hit that the Ace. This is why disposables sell themselves to adult vapor consumers and their sale poses such a threat to the tobacco industry's bottom line.
Best Disposable Vapes for NJOY Ace Users
- Lost Mary MT15000 Turbo
- Off Stamp X-Cube
- Fifty Bar 20K
- Geek Bar Pulse
Lost Mary MT15000 Turbo
The only possible advantage the Ace had, apart from powerful lobbyists, was the availability of two nicotine strengths: 24 and 50mg. Most disposable vapes only come in 50mg. As disposables hit much harder and are far more powerful than an Ace, they really do not need a 50mg strength to provide a satisfying experience. The Ace fires at about 12-watts, which is comparable to an Elf Bar BC5000 but only about half of what a Lost Mary MT15000 Turbo brings to the table.
This is why the Lost Mary MT15000 Turbo Collection represents the best NJoy Ace alternative. With a 20mg and 50mg strength, myriad flavors, and an 8x greater e-liquid capacity, the discrete and powerful Lost Mary Turbo makes Ace devices appear obsolete and underpowered.
Fifty Bar 20K
China trade is a big issue. We currently live in a world where batteries and electronics are coming from overseas. This includes Vuse Alto, which can merely claim to have e-liquids blended in the US while the rest of product comes from China. Fifty Bar is a refreshing exception to this rule.
It is a topflight disposable vape with a massive capacity, great performance and amazing flavors formulated in the US by American master formulators. The some of the smooth legacy dessert flavors even offer a rare hint of a throat hit, which is not too common nowadays. Assembled in Thousand Oaks, CA.
Off Stamp X-Cube
The biggest drawback to disposables is that they are one-time use. The Off Stamp design avoided this by creating a modular vape. The battery dock attaches magnetically to the disposable half. When emptied of e-liquid, the on the disposable half with the mouthpiece is pitched.
It may sound like a pod but there is also a battery that allows the disposable to function on its own. The Off Stamp X-Cube offers flavor changing technology in the Sweet Cube series, Boost Mode, airflow control and a Smart Screen that provides real-time monitoring of e-liquid and battery life.
All these features and the reduction of waste should be appreciated by adult vapor consumers.
Geek Bar Pulse
The mighty Geek Bar Pulse has been a serious threat to pod kits from Altria, RJ Reynolds and Juul Labs for several years. It simply outperforms those devices in any reasonable measure and costs far less to operate. And it does so with a unique dual coil design that apparently do not violate any existing patents!
The Boost Mode, flavor quality, and attractive appearance is what has made the Geek Bar Pulse a smash hit.
Refillable Pod Kits
Off Stamp disposable vapes allow the user to reuse the battery. This reduces the most wasteful aspect of disposable vapes. The Ace's pod is much smaller and less sophisticated than the disposable half of an Off Stamp BUT the Off Stamp is equivalent to 9 pods.
The most efficient and environmentally friendly way to vape is a refillable vape kit. A kit where you only replace the coil being the best of all but refillable vape pods that last about 15ml (half a bottle of nic salts) being more common.
One huge benefit of the refillable pod kit is you have more nicotine strengths and vape juice flavors to choose from. There are a number of proven draw-activated and compact designs to choose from.
Best Refillable Pods for NJOY Ace Users
- Mi-Pod Pro
- Smok Novo
- UWell Caliburn
- Vaporesso XROS
- Voopoo Vinci
Other Prefilled Pods
NJOY also has the Once based in San Francisco, Juul has been a lightning rod of controversy, although their complaints against Altria were vindicated by the International Trade Commission. Obviously, Juul would like to pick up the slack now that their rival is blocked. Vuse and MyBlu are also very similar devices, apparently capable of providing a similar experience without poaching patents and running afoul of the ITC.
All of these are limited to fake faux-bacco artificial flavors in the US:
Best Prefilled Pods for NJOY Ace Users
- Juul
- MyBlu
- Vuse Alto
- Mi-Pod NX Series (Nixodine)
Nicotine Pouches
If you live in a state with a vape flavor ban, you probably know the lay of the land at a convenience store. Unless disposable vapes are available, you are looking at an e-cig that may cost $200+ a month to use.
Cashing in on the moral panics and debunked studies on vaping, tobacco-free nicotine pouches have been well positioned to pick up the slack.
There are independent nicotine pouches. Ammo Pouches provides a premium experience with their coconut-based pouch design while the water-based formula of Zimo is less expensive than Phillip Morris International's ZYN while offering more nicotine strength options.
Both, as well as Sesh+, have been carefully calibrated to provide the style of absorption ZYN fans love. On! is an Altria product made by the Helix company, which is an 80% owned subsidiary. Velo is a product of British American Tobacco.
Combustible Cigarettes
Why not address the elephant in the room. Vape flavor bans increase cigarette sales.
The Ace, as well as the Vuse Alto and Juul, are premium priced products that do not undercut the cost of cigarettes in the same way that disposable vapes do.
And they are only available in tobacco derived flavors. We won't don a tinfoil hat and claim that these products and prices have been carefully calibrated to not to appeal to most smokers.
What can be said with certainty is they are positioned as an expensive alternative with limited battery life, less than a day of puffs per pod, and none of the flavors adult nicotine consumers prefer. There is no way to refill the pods, facilitating the C-store distribution monopoly and killing any market for Ace devices at vape shops.
Our Verdict
The best NJOY Ace alternative will likely vary by region. If you live somewhere with a flavor ban or PMTA registry law, you are pretty much limited to similar pod kits from Juul, MyBlu or Vuse.
Nicotine pouches are another popular option. We recommend looking at independent manufacturers to cut the cord with the tobacco industry once and for all. It is possible the trade representative with intervene due to the power of Altria's lobbyists and the decision of the ITC full commission on the filched Juul patents will be overridden.
If you live in an area with more freedom for adult consumers, disposables are often available at gas station and C-stores. These can also be purchased online from the Mi-Pod disposable vapes collection.
If you are lucky enough to have a vape shop nearby, you can peruse refillable devices or visit our refillable pod kit collection at Mi-Pod. In our opinion, the worst response to the Ace getting pulled from market is to resume the use of tobacco leaf products like dip and cigarettes.
