I personally like both the VaporLax Draco and the Elf Bar for different reasons so was hesitant to review them side-by-side because that suggests there might be a winner and a loser. What I found upon deeper inspection is that each device has its own unique strengths and advantages that some vapors will prefer over the other.

The two devices have some things in common:

• They are both fully wrapped up closed, disposable systems. Nothing to fall off or break.  No way to refill them.
• Both disposable vapes have a slick form factor and sport bright dual-tone colors.
• Both Draco and Elf Bar come with a lot of vape juice (6500 or 5000 puffs respectively).
• Both are rechargeable.

Vape Form Factor

The Elf Bar is small, about the size of a business card, and about as thick as a dime. It is easy to palm in your hand and carry around while doing other things. The rounded corners make the device feel comfortable and smooth in your hand. Several can easily fit in your pocket.

The Draco is a larger cylindrical (tube-shaped) device. It is about as thick as a roll of quarters and a little longer. It has a slightly raised diamond texture making it easier to hang onto and provides an interesting feel in the hand.

Vape Juice Capacity

Both of these popular rechargeable disposable vapes come with tons of vape juice. Either device will get most vapers about a week of regular use.

• The Draco comes with 16mL of 50mg (5%) nicotine for an estimated 6500 puffs.
• The newer Elf Bar disposable vapes come in either 10.5mL (BC3500) with 3500 puffs or 13mL (BC5000) with an estimated 5000 puffs. Both devices contain 50mg (5%) nicotine strengths.

Rechargeable Vapes

Both the Draco by VaporLax and BC5000 by Elf Bar take about a half an hour to fully charge.

• The Draco charges with a micro-USB charging cable and has a 1000 mAh internal battery for long-lasting battery life on a single charge.
• The Elf Bar BC5000 USB-C charging cable and has a 650 mAh internal battery.

Vape Hit Performance

The Draco with its adjustable airflow can provide a mouth-to-lung (MTL) puff on its closed slider setting. With the airflow wide open it doubles as a great direct-to-lung (DTL) device. On a wide air setting, you can pull off the Draco like a big cigar straight from the device into your lungs with enough airflow to breathe somewhat normally. When pulling a puff, it is not so thick with vapor as to throw you into a coughing fit.

The Elf Bar BC5000 has a tighter draw and no adjustable airflow that makes for an easy mouth-to-lung (MTL) puff. If you want to take it directly from the device to your lungs you have to let in a lot of air at the mouthpiece to pull it off. If you are just using the device airflow and try to go straight to the lung without manipulating the airflow at the mouthpiece there simply isn’t enough airflow to pull it directly into your lungs that way. With the Elf Bar, it works better to pull some vapor in your mouth, adding extra pressure to your pull with your mouth and cheeks to get a strong hit, then breath that into your lungs.

Vape Stress Test

To really get into the flavor profile and durability of the device I like to take several of the hardest puffs the device will allow in a row to see if stressing the device changes the flavor, makes it hot, or produces any other unexpected result. I do not suggest trying this at home, this is strictly for review purposes.

The VaporLax Draco vape took five big hard puffs without issue. It kept serving up vapor as hard as I could pull it in. The extra puffing never overtaxed the Draco, with no burning smell or bad juice taste. After five puffs to stress the device, I took a small normal puff, and it was as good as the first puff. The Draco is a little pit bull. I dropped the Draco several times on the ground, and it kept puffing without issue.

I tried to take five big hits off the Elf Bar. Due to its tight draw, I wound up doing a bunch of mouth sucks until I could get a lungful of vapor. I only made it through four of these hard puff rounds before running out of air and being overwhelmed by the sweetness of the juice. The elf bar took the abuse like a champ, with no overheating, no burnt juice taste. The vape juice however, was too sweet for continued hotboxing. After four hard lung fills, it did have a strong sweet aftertaste and an odd-tasting residual flavor. I threw the Elf Bar on the ground repeatedly and it kept on vaping without issue.

Disclaimer: This doesn’t prove anything except that the Draco seemed to take the abuse a little better and is more accommodating to over-toking and hotboxing. Neither device overheated nor burned the juice. Neither device broke after being thrown on the ground three times each. We do not make any guarantees or claims regarding the stress tests. Results are purely for the author’s entertainment and evaluation of the products being reviewed. It is not scientific and should not be repeated.

Vape Flavor Comparison

I picked a few flavors that both devices have in common to provide a side-by-side comparison of how each disposable vape approaches its preferred flavor palate. In general, Draco provides authentic fruit flavors with a slight Koolada throat hit on the exhale. Its bigger airflow plus airflow slider ensures a fine-tuned natural fruit flavor on the inhale and exhale. In general, the Elf Bar flavors were much sweeter. If you take any two similarly named flavors and compare them side-by-side the Elf Bar favor profile is sweeter and aims for candied versions of the fruit flavors. So if you prefer a sweet candied grape instead of an authentic fruit grape flavor you will want the Elf Bar BC5000. If you are looking for a true fruit flavor with a refreshing exhale, the VaporLax Draco is probably the right choice.

Strawberry Kiwi

I tested the Strawberry Kiwi flavor from both lines to get a feel for the similarities and differences. The Strawberry Kiwi is one of the top-selling flavors in both lines.

The Draco Strawberry Kiwi has a taste of authentic strawberry and kiwi fruit flavors with a slight refreshing Koolada, or "ice" on the exhale. If you prefer authentic fruit flavors to candied sweetened fruit flavors, then you will prefer the Draco vape. There was no aftertaste (good or bad) after the exhale. Even the Koolada is more of a feeling on your throat than a taste. This is a good all-day vape because the flavors are not overwhelming, no bad aftertaste and you can take several large hits in a row and it still tastes good, with no aftertaste.

The Elf Bar’s approach to Strawberry Kiwi was more of a candied fruit flavor. You can make out Strawberry and Kiwi flavors buried under a wall of sweetness. If you prefer sweeter fruit to fresh fruit, then the Strawberry Kiwi Elf Bar BC5000 will be your go-to device. Coupled with the Elf Bars MTL hit it gives you a candied fruit blast with an icy finish.

Grape

Both the Elf Bar BC5000 and VaporLax Draco have a grape flavor that pairs other fruit flavors with grape.

The Draco Red Grape flavor is an authentic red grape flavor with a slight Koolada induced coolness on the exhale that doesn’t affect the fruit flavor. If you prefer natural tasting fruit flavors with a slightly icy exhale on the back of your throat, then Draco Red Grape is the disposable vape flavor for you. It has a slight blend of strawberry added to the grape flavor that helps boost the flavor.

In the Elf Bar BC5000 Cranberry Grape, you can barely taste the grape or cranberry fruit, rather you taste a sweet candied grape flavor. If you prefer a candied sweet grape flavor, then you will enjoy the Elf Bar Cranberry Grape Disposable. There is a very slight Koolada ice hit on the throat, but unless you take several hard puffs in a row it does not affect the flavor profile. I was slightly disappointed that there was little cranberry flavor to be found in this one.

Fruit Mixes

The Draco by VaporLax Mango Berry is a sweet but authentic mango flavor with a slight berry flavor mix. This vape juice is sweeter than some of the other Draco flavors, but it is the sweetness associated with fresh mango flavor, not sugar-coated candied mango. Again, it finishes with a very slight Koolada chill on the exhale. Not menthol or mint tasting, just the coolness on the exhale. The mango is a little weaker than I like in this disposable. Still authentic, but not very strong. 

The sugary profile of the Rainbow Candy Elf Bar BC5000 helps the mango flavor pop in this disposable vape. Rainbow candy is sweeter than I would normally enjoy, but the mango is there, and this time the sugary profile works well to accentuate rather than bury the fruit flavor. The sweetness and authentic mango fruit taste provide a good tasting (although sweeter) mango vape alternative. In case you were unsure that Elf Bar’s flavor pallet aims at candied fruit flavors, the name “Rainbow Candy” makes it clear. This is a very good-tasting sweet vape.

Summary

Both devices are top-shelf disposable vape pens. The devices themselves are well built and look modern and sleek. Each has a collection of flavors true to its vision. Draco’s vision was authentic fruit flavors with a slight Koolada exhale. Elf Bar’s vision is a sweeter, candied fruit flavor with less initial ice on the exhale, but noticeably minty after vaping it for a while.

VaporLax Draco Vape Overview

This is a great all-day vape. The airflow slider allows you to fine-tune your airflow to achieve either a DL or MTL vape experience.

All Draco’s fruit flavors are authentic tasting fruit flavors with a slight Koolada (ice) coolness on the exhale. There is no foul-smelling or odd aftertaste when vaping these flavors.

Even hotboxing the device then vaping normally did not overtax the system and provided a clean normal puff. The Draco is much easier to use as a DTL vape due to its adjustable airflow. You can open it up all the way and almost hit it like a mod…almost.

Elf Bar BC5000 Vape Overview

Their fruit flavor profiles are very sweet and remind me of candied fruit flavors. In general, add the word "candied" to the end of each flavor name and you will have a good idea of the flavor to expect. i.e., Elf Bar BC5000 Strawberry Kiwi could more accurately be named “Candied Strawberry Kiwi.” This is true for most of the Elf Bar fruit flavors.

The airflow is very tight. If you plug the tiny air hole on the bottom of the device no air is allowed through. Between the airhole and letting air in through the sides of your mouth, you can take a DTL-like hit, but the device naturally lends itself to MTL vaping.