This review will compare Elf Bar’s new nicotine free BC5000 line to the CUBE Zero line of disposable vapes. We decided to find two of the most popular nicotine free vapes in the US to compare and contrast.

Both devices look sturdy and polished. Both feel comfortable in the hand or pocket. Both have a matted plastic finish that makes them easier to hang onto. The matted finish also makes both devices look a little nicer than the shiny plastic disposables we often see.

Elf Bar Nicotine-Free Vapes

The zero nicotine Elf Bars are physically indistinguishable from their BC5000 5% Nic counterparts. They come in two-tone pastel colors that blend about halfway up the device. The device is small, about the size of a business card, 3 ½” x 1 ½ “, and ¾” thick (about as thick as a roll of dimes). It is easy to palm and carry around while doing other things. The rounded corners make the device feel comfortable and smooth with some texture, so it is not slippery in your hand. Several can easily fit in your pocket or purse.

FORM FACTOR

• 5” tall x 1.5” wide .75” thick with a .5” oval drip tip protruding from the top.
• Type-C charger on the bottom.
• Airflow holes on the bottom.
• Recharging light on the bottom.
• Sheetmetal wrapper coated in a soft, matted wrapper.
• Available in two-tone pastel colors.
• Quiet Draw - Silent, smooth, and consistent.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Capacity: 13ml
• Nicotine Strengths: Available in 0mg & 50mg
• 5000 Puffs
• Battery Capacity: 650mAh
• Rechargeable (Cable not included)
• Flavors: 8 Elf Bar Zero Flavors (55 options in 50mg)
• You can finish 5000 puffs in roughly three charges

Cube Zero Nicotine-Free Vapes

Cube vapes are available in 50mg nicotine strengths, and their nicotine-free version is named the CUBE Zero. CUBE Zero disposable vapes by Vaportech provide 3000 Puffs per device. Each CUBE disposable contains 11mL of vape juice and has an adjustable airflow control so vapers can customize their vaping experience.

For my vaping pleasure, mouth to lung puffs don't give a satisfying hit. I prefer any device that allows me to draw directly into my lungs from the vape device (DTL). I can pull in a whole mouthful, breathe in a little, and repeat a couple of times to obtain enough concentrated vapor to tickle my lungs with an MTL device. The CUBE Zero allows a nice DTL hit (slider open) or MTL hit (slider closed). Vapers looking for a restrictive airflow or open airflow will be satisfied with these two settings.

It comes in 25 flavors, from Summer Menthol to Wild Berry, so every vaper should also find something they like in this collection.

FORM FACTOR

• The CUBE Zero is about 3 ½” tall and 1” x1” wide. It is rectangular with rounded edges. It is about the size of a roll of quarters.
• Airflow control slider on the bottom
• Not rechargeable.
• Airflow holes on the bottom.
• Draw light on the bottom shows when you are puffing
• Sheetmetal wrapper coated in a matted soft wrapper.
• Devices are grey with different colored text on each device to differentiate between flavors.
• On the front is the CUBE logo, and on the back is the flavor name.
• Quiet Draw - Silent, smooth, and consistent.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Capacity: 11ml of PG, Glycerin, natural and artificial flavors
• Nicotine Strength: Available in 0mg & 50mg
• 3000 Puffs
• Battery Capacity: 1600mAh
• Flavors: 20 total (25 in 50mg)
• You should finish all 3000 puffs without recharging with that big ass battery.

ELF BAR ZERO VS. CUBE ZERO FLAVORS

I took the eight nicotine-free Elf Bar BC5000 flavors provided for review and then pulled several similarly flavored CUBE Zeros for comparison. The Elf Bar Zero Nic flavors are generally sweeter and more flavorful than the CUBE Zero. Sometimes the sweetness is overwhelming, and the smell of some of these Elf Bars right out of the box and bag was overwhelming. Both lines have some rockstars, and both have some less tasty flavors. Elf Bar and CUBE did an excellent job reproducing their Nic flavors in Zero nicotine vapes. 

The addition or omission of the nicotine flavor and subsequent nic hit drastically changes the flavor profile. Nicotine by itself has a distinct flavor. Menthol, Mint, Koolada (MM&K), sweeteners, or flavorings are added to mask or complement the nicotine flavor, and the harshness of the Nic hit.

If you do not add nicotine to the recipe, you won’t need a masking flavor. Omitting both will dramatically affect the flavor. Less sweetener, menthol, or flavoring may be more appropriate for the recipe without nicotine and masking flavors.

• Some manufacturers’ 0mg collections are simply their nicotine recipes with the nicotine removed. These can taste too sweet or too icy without the nicotine hit/flavor they were initially introduced to offset.
• Better chefs treat nicotine as a flavor in the recipe instead of a drug. They adjust other flavors in the mix to ensure a tasty finish even with the Nic flavoring and masking flavors removed. Sometimes this works so well that the zero Nic version tastes better than the original.

CUBE Zero Fresas Con Crema – Strawberries and Cream. I tried both the CUBE Zero and 5% Nic versions of this flavor, and they are both pretty good. CUBE Zero versions allow more strawberry and cream to come through; the Nic version added some welcome complexity to the flavor. The nicotine flavor combines and compliments the strawberries and cream.

CUBE Zero Energy – This is a flavorful energy drink mix of sweet and sour fruits finished with much ice. This will wake you up! If you like Energy flavored vapes, this is a good one in Zero Nic.

CUBE Zero Frostbite – This Zero Nic vape is spearmint flavored. It took me a moment to place it: spearmint and light sweetness. If you can imagine the taste of icebreaker mints or a minty mojito, then you have the right mint flavor in mind. Mint is used in various vape juices and cocktails for its lightly-sweetened taste and to temper overly-sugary recipes (both in vapes and beverages).

CUBE Zero Mango Colada – On par with the Mango fruity goodness of Elf Bar Zero’s Strawberry Mango, but with more airflow and more flavor. CUBE’s flavor profiles are more complex than their Elf Bar counterparts. I taste a pleasing mix of fruity mango, pineapple, and coconut. With the Elf Bar, you get a mouthful of sweetness and ice on the inhale. It is a bit overwhelming. With CUBE, you taste all the flavors and come into focus about halfway into a deep device-to-lung puff. The flavors are more subtle but every bit as good. This means this would make a better all-day vape for me. You do not want an overwhelming amount of anything in the mix for all-day use. If I am vaping just for the flavor and a smooth pleasing puff, the CUBE Zero takes this one barely.

CUBE Zero Red Apple - It is a good-tasting apple. They call it red apple, but it is a little sour and sweet, with little to no ice on the exhale. I wish this flavor popped more. It is a well-crafted sweet/sour apple with a touch of ice. It tastes good, but I would have liked more of it. The lack of nicotine works for this flavor as nicotine occasionally messes with apple flavoring introducing some odd tastes to the mix. The only vape juice I have come across that nails apple flavor despite nicotine flavoring is Red’s Apple e-Juice by 7Daze. This Red Apple is not bad, but I wish they had cranked up the flavor considerably.

CUBE Zero Strawnana -  This strawberry banana is fantastic. It is not overly sweet, and you can taste the strawberries and bananas. It reminds me a little of the banana-strawberry baby food flavor. This is one of the better Strawnana vapes I have tried, and it is a Zero Nic vape to boot. The CUBE device kicks up a respectable amount of clouds for a little disposable.

CUBE Zero Tropic – Tastes like island fruit and berry mix. It is not overly sweetened nor too icy. This could be an excellent all-day vape. The flavor is pleasant, but there is not enough of it on the draw unless you take a strong DTL hit. It tastes pleasant enough but is not as flavorful as I would have liked.

CUBE Zero Wild Berry – You know how most blueberry vapes have some “other” flavor besides the blueberries that hijack the flavor? It winds up tasting “blueberry-like,” but not quite.   I wonder if that taste that comes alongside most berry-flavored vapes is the flavor of the nicotine itself.   You can taste the difference with this Wild Blueberry Zero by CUBE. It is not too sweet, not too icy, and has no strange aftertaste. If you like blueberry vapes, you will enjoy this one.

Elf Bar Zero Strawberry Mango – Sweet strawberry mango-flavoring with a medium icy finish. The flavor is an authentic candied strawberry and mango fruit flavor. You can pick out intense strawberry and mango flavors with a medium amount of ice. I tried Elf Bar’s 5% version of this flavor for comparison. The 5% Nic version is heavily iced, which works better to offset the nicotine. Removing the nicotine and some of the ice was the right call because it allows the sweet, candied strawberry flavors to pop in the Zero Nic version. Without nicotine, the authentic sweet fruit flavors stand out more.    

Elf Bar Zero: Rainbow Candy – This flavor was lovely without the nicotine to cut it. This is an example of getting the flavor perfect to compliment the nicotine. Since these are Nic-free, I would have preferred less sweetener.

Elf Bar Zero: Strawberry Kiwi – I enjoyed the flavor of both devices equally. The candied fruit flavors of strawberry and kiwi both come through enjoyably in the Zero and the Nic versions of this flavor. 

Elf Bar Zero: Cranberry Grape – This is another flavor that has merits both with and without nicotine. Fruit and sweetness with a medium-ice finish are the only tastes that come through, so it has a sweet and fruity finish. In the Zero, you can more easily discern the grape-flavored fruit and the cranberry flavors with a touch of ice.

Elf Bar Zero: Blue Razz Ice – I seldom enjoy Blue Razz Ice. They usually taste like neither blueberries nor raspberries. I enjoyed vaping the Zero Blue Razz Ice. This vape is fruity and tasty without the nicotine flavor and extra ice necessary to mask it. The Zero gave me insight into what those Nic versions were shooting for.  

Elf Bar Zero: Peach Mango Watermelon – The taste is rich, sweet, and fruity. The strawberry and watermelon come through first, and the mango comes through toward the end of the puff. There is enough ice to make the flavors pop and provide coolness on the exhale. I liked the Zero version more for taste.

Elf Bar Zero: Watermelon Ice– This is a great-tasting fruity vape. The flavors are rich and leave a sweet aftertaste on the tongue between puffs. The three fruits combine into a very (VERY) sweet-tasting vape. 

Elf Bar Zero: Tropical Rainbow Blast –Tropical Rainbow Blast contains tasty, candied fruit flavors. The description by Elf Bar suggests this flavor is wild berries and sweet tropical fruity candy. It is sweet, icy, and strong. I taste fruity berries, pineapple, perfume, and ice.