Hot on the heels of the beloved Lost Vape Orion Bar 7500, the smaller Lost Vape OB5500 enters from stage left. It provides similar functionality, strong vapor production, and the Orion Bar flavors that adult vapers have grown to love.  Mi-Pod has a huge collection of disposable vapes, and Mi-Pod Wholesale is a master distributor for many of the top brands.

If you are curious how the OB5500 fares in a head-to-head comparison, check out our feature: Flonq Max versus Lost Vape Orion Bar 5500. If you want a basic rundown on the Lost Vape OB5500’s performance and flavor choices, you are in the right place. 

Lost Vape OB5500 Disposable Specs

On paper, the Lost Vape OB5500 Disposable Vape is a bog-standard disposable. It is USB-C rechargeable, draw-activated, compact, tight drawing and features an array of the fruit and beverage inspired flavors that adult vapers prefer. The capacity is 14ml, or a bit less than half of a bottle of nic salts. 

The OB5500 has nicotine strength of 50mg, uses a mesh coil, has a 500mAh battery, is USB-C chargeable and draw activated. But the devil is in the details.

Lost Vape OB5500 Disposable Specifications 

• Draw Activated
• Battery Capacity: 500mAh
• USB-C Charging
• Mesh Coil
• E-Liquid Capacity: 14mL
• Nicotine Strength: 50mg
• Puffs: ~5500
• Adjustable Airflow
• Dimensions: 75" x 0.875” x 3.75” (2.75” w/o mouthpiece)

Lost Vape OB5500 Battery Life

The OB5500 is powered by a 500mAh lithium-ion battery, where its famous bigger sibling the Lost Vape Orion Bar OB7500 uses a 650mAh battery. The vape juice capacity of the OB5500 is 14ml, the OB7500 holds 18ml. The net result is a puff count that has dropped from approximately 7500 to 5500. These are considered complimentary products as the OB5500 also has a lower price point yet the same features of its larger companion product. 

The OB5500 is the smaller of the two, but that is splitting hairs when dealing with such an easily palmed device. The battery size limitation could be butted into after a very heavy day of vaping, but the wattage of the OB5500 is low enough that a 500mAh battery is probably sufficient for most.

For the sake of comparison, a Juul battery is reportedly under 200mAh, the Vuse Alto has a 350mAh battery, the original UWell Caliburn had a 690mAh battery, and the Smok Novo an 800mAh powerpack. 

The output of both the Orion Bar 7500 and the newer OB5500 devices is the same, as voltage is unrelated to battery capacity, and these are standardized and reliable battery designs.

If your device is puffing too weakly, it probably needs a charge. Unlike a sophisticated mod, there is no chipset governing output in a disposable vape and their vapor production can tail off when the battery is about to give up the ghost.

Lost Vape OB5500 Airflow Control

Another feature the OB5500 shares with its larger stablemate is adjustable airflow. A clever sliding switch on the bottom allows you to either create a tighter draw or a looser one.

The concept of draw-activated is straight forward. No buttons, just inhale and it fires. But the concept of “draw” in terms of vapor performance is more arcane. Disposable vapes are all engineered as Mouth-to-Lung or MTL vapes.

This simply means the inhalation action resembles a combustible, first you fill your mouth and then inhale. Direct Lung devices, powerful mods with wide open airflow, basically swamp your respiratory system with vapor that shoots straight into the lungs. The advantage of an airflow control switch is that you can add more air to the mix, expanding the vapor cloud, or cut airflow to generate less vapor but denser flavor.

Of course, it is possible to really ratchet down on a low wattage vape pod kit or disposable to pull the vapor straight to the lungs, as you can cover the air holes on a box mod, use a lower wattage setting and carefully extract smaller puffs. People commute in Porsches and race in Civics, the world is your oyster.

The airflow adjustment works best within the parameters of MTL vaping, as the nicotine strength is 50mg, but it is a nice feature. On most disposables, and even many pod kits, covering the airflow hole is your only recourse if you want to change the performance envelope. You can customize the draw considerably with a simple flick of a switch on the OB5500.

Lost Vape OB5500 Flavors

It is not surprising that the makers of the extraordinarily popular Orion Bar 7500 know how to make a tasty vape. The flavors in this collection are top-notch, as was expected. There is a cooling element to be found throughout but it is not overwhelming. The foundational flavors are all on point. With the airflow controls, it is easy to toggle between allowing more air to increase bulk to the vapor and a tighter draw with denser flavors.

Fresh Mint Lost Vape OB5500

The Fresh Mint Lost Vape OB5500 is sweet, minty, and icy. On the tightest airflow setting, the the density of the flavor matches the popular oval breath mint.  The puff is sweet, candied mint with medium-high ice, making this flavor pop.

Kiwi Berry Lost Vape OB5500

The Kiwi Berry Lost Vape OB5500 has a strong amount of sweetness thanks to the Kiwi, but a mix of berry flavors helps to balance it out. A moderate level of ice is a refreshing addition as there are confection flavors not far removed from a blue razz vape nestled within.

Kiwi Passionfruit Guava Lost Vape OB5500

With passionfruit and guava being a well-established flavor combination, the addition of kiwi simply adds sweetness to the tropical vape flavor profile of the Kiwi Passionfruit Guava Lost Vape OB5500. The cool ice does not overwhelm but helps fuse these complimentary flavors together.

Pineapple Coconut Lost Vape OB5500

The Pineapple Coconut Lost Vape OB5500 leverages a creamy coconut flavor to create a unique and delightful flavor. The sweetness from the pineapple is not overwhelming, as is the case in many pina colada flavored disposables. The coconut is assertive enough to make this almost a dessert vape, with a light coconut pie essence layered under an icy finish.

Strawberry Watermelon Lost Vape OB5500

A great take on a classic disposable flavor. The strawberry and watermelon flavors are bold and juicy. The mix of icy flavor is milder than a Lush Ice vape in the Strawberry Watermelon Lost Vape OB5500, with realistic fruit notes more noticeable than their confection inspired brethren.

Triple Berry Lost Vape OB5500

A sweet berry medley with a hearty admixture of coolness, the tart and sweet notes of the berry elements are entwined a bit too tightly to pick out individually but the combination is outstanding in the Triple Berry Lost Vape OB5500. 

Lost Vape OB5500 Appearance

One issue that initiates and adult vapers in social settings encounter is the appearance of the Lost Vape OB5500.

The vaping industry is consistently attacked by prohibitionists who construe any spark of creativity or flavors inspired by 1980s nostalgia or Reagan-era confections and sugar-coated cereals as “marketing to kids.”

This fallacy permeates the national discussion on flavors. Adults greatly prefer fruit and menthol fusion flavors added to their vapes over faux-tobacco notes. The longer an adult vapes, the more likely they are to switch from tobacco to a characterizing flavor. Tobacco vape sales are propped up by convenience stores and flavor bans.

This explains how Unicorn Milk, a high-VG juice for hobbyists whose all-time sales to minors couldn’t have been even a rounding error compared to the Juul’s sold on a busy weekend at a gas station that doesn’t card, became public enemy one and exhibit A for Senators obsessed with abolishing vaping.

This could very well funnel adult vapers back onto combustible cigarettes, at least those not compelled by writ of law to embrace total nicotine abstinence.  The most comprehensive study yet has confirmed how vapes can constitute an effective channel for a couple concepts which vape companies are barred from discussing. Check out the largest clinical trial on e-cigarettes in this study in the Lancet. The salient issues are summarized in this feature article found on the Continuum of Risk website.

With Big Tobacco seeking to eliminate competition by banning vape flavors and prohibitionists like the Orwellian-named and Bloomberg funded Truth Initiative simply looking to ban nicotine except for Big Pharma manufactured Nicotine Replacement Therapy products (which were demolished by vaping in this study in the New England Journal of Medicine) it is important that the industry put its best foot forward.

In this contested environment where the vaping industry literally confronts both Big Tobacco and a well-funded propaganda machine funded by billionaires who have never met a vaper, it is very hard to justify the use of illustrated characters on the Lost Vape OB5500.

Perhaps they are canonical to the brand. But a middle-aged smoker looking to initiate, who has already been bombarded by anti-vaping misinformation, is likely to feel self-conscious with a foolish or garish looking disposable vape. This is a shame because the Lost Vape OB5500 is close to tailor made for the initiate.

The disposable vape market is extremely competitive and it is understandable that Lost Vape wants continuity between their highly successful and recognizable products. The design scheme does help them to stick out in a forest of pastel colored lozenges, but a Halo-esque character spraying flavors is a bit much.

Designs like graphics on the Lost Vape OB5500 have been turned against the vaping industry before. The Lost Vape OB5500 reflects a design aesthetic that is most likely to appeal to middle-aged and near-middle aged Millennials and Gen Xers, which should be fine but those with a lot of power might think otherwise.

Lost Vape Orion Bar OB7500

The elephant in the room is a disposable vape with an elephantine capacity. The Orion Bar 7500 has the same great Lost Vape flavors, a larger battery, greater battery capacity, and similarly designed airflow control.

The case for the Lost Vape OB5500 is that it is slightly smaller, less expensive, and that the lower capacity allows you to experience more flavors. It is not a short-legged disposable device by any means with a puff count over 5500 and a capacity of 14ml.

Such numbers would have been extraordinary in the days when the 0.7ml Juul pod ruled the roost. It will be up to the customer to decide is a smaller but quite similar vape is right for them.

Disposable Vapes

The popularity of disposable vapes is a demand driven exercise, as adult vapers have flocked to disposable vapes, and the PACT Act has brick and mortar purchases more prevalent.

Most adult vapers just want an easy-to-use and reliable device that is satisfying, long-lasting and tastes great. Disposable vapes deliver on all counts.

They are draw-activated and modern disposable vapes hold the equivalent of a half-bottle of salt nic juice. Most disposable vapes produce huge flavor but a medium amount of vapor.

Disposable vapes are compact, fitting easily in a pocket or the palm of your hand. They arrive precharged in the box and ready to go. They offer enormous puff counts but require no refilling. Many require recharging, and this provides huge performance and packaging benefits.

Advantage of a Rechargeable Vape

If disposable vapes were not rechargeable, their vape juice capacity would be severely limited by the size of the battery. It avails a company nothing to fill a device with 30ml of nic salts and power a device with a tiny battery. The flipside is that a large battery results in a large device. Before rechargeable vapes became the industry standard, e-liquid capacities topped off aroung 5 to 7ml. Not insubstantial, but less than half of the Lost Vape OB5500.

Large disposables that are not rechargeable sport batteries of 1000mAh or more, resulting in vape pens nearly as large as a small flashlight. It turns out adult vapers preferred a smaller disposable that kicks out more puffs but does need the occasional recharge. Thanks to the adoption of USB-C ports, the charging sequence for modern disposables is lightning fast.

Another advantage of the rechargeable disposable is that their performance does not collapse as the battery reaches the end of its service life. Disposable vapes do not have sophisticated chips to regulate output, so when the battery fails the vapor production drops precipitously. If your rechargeable vape seems to be fading, a quick pit stop to freshen the battery might be all it needs. 

Nicotine Salt Vape Juice

Apart from draw-activation, the notable performance of disposable vapes can be traced to their use of potent nicotine salts.

Nicotine salts are made when conventional freebase nicotine is treated with benzoic acid to create nic salts. Salts is a molecular term, not a reference to table salt. Nicotine salts have a lower pH, which allows for a greater quantity to be added to a vape juice. You could technically add just as much or more freebase nicotine to an e-liquid but it becomes quite harsh by 24 to 36mg. Nicotine salts remain smooth up to the standard disposable vape strengths of 35 to 50mg. 

Juul set the pace with this style of vaping initially, using an otherwise untenably small and underpowered device to provide satisfaction through nicotine strength and precise flavors.

Disposable vapes and refillable vape pod kits filled with nicotine work along similar lines, although they have long since blown past the vapor quality, longevity, and flavor of the outmoded first generation from nearly a decade ago.

Simply put, potent nic salt vape juice results in an product that requires less vapor to deliver a satisfying experience. A vape mod generating massive clouds should never be used to vape potent nic salts for this very reason, what is delightful for vapers at 1.0ohm resistance and 12watts power is not viable at 100watts and should not be attempted.

Less vapor means less battery drain and lower wattage outputs are required, allowing for smaller devices such as disposable vapes to shine.

Best Disposable Vape Alternative

The same style of nic salt e-liquids can be found in bottled form. When vaped from a refillable pod kit, you can save considerable money. They also produce less waste and have more sophisticated coils. A refillable device offers incredible flexibility with nicotine strengths as well. Most pod kits come with a coil optimized for lower-nicotine freebase juices and nic salts. Compared to the typical 50mg strength of a disposable, this is a huge advantage.