Following on from our earlier piece about finding a new flavor without the stress, this article looks closely at two vape subscription services: ZampleBox, the better known of the pair, and VapeBox. I went through the sign-up flow on each site and compared them on plan structure, bottle size, brand information and how much say you get over what arrives. The focus here is the monthly e-liquid plans.
Some background on the two services
ZampleBox is generally described as the first subscription service for vape juice. It was brand new when I first came across it several years ago. Back then I liked the concept but did not want another recurring charge. Looking again, I can see how a monthly box could add some variety to what I vape.
VapeBox was the second service of this kind that I found. It works in much the same way, with one clear difference: it sells hardware too, and some of its plans include devices.
Plans and bottle sizes
Both services built their plans around 30mL bottles. That seems sensible to me, because a flavor you turn out to dislike only costs you a small bottle.
- ZampleBox: three plans, with three, six or twelve bottles a month. The cost per bottle fell as the plan got bigger, and choosing nic-salts added a small charge per bottle. Before picking the twelve-bottle plan, be sure you can actually get through that much before the next shipment lands.
- VapeBox: five plans. They started with a sampler of 120mL, which works out to 4 bottles, and ran up to an Enthusiast Plan that added 1-2 pieces of hardware to the e-liquid. Two further plans were for nic-salt users, one of which mixed nic-salt e-liquid with devices, pods and similar items.
Subscription pricing changes, so look at each site for current figures instead of relying on what I saw.
Signing up with ZampleBox
The ZampleBox flow went like this when I tried it:
- Pick how many bottles you want each month.
- Pick a nicotine strength: 0mg, 3mg or 6mg for freebase e-liquid, or 25mg or 50mg for nicotine salt.
- Answer yes or no to four broad categories: fruit, dessert, menthol and tobacco. Any combination is allowed, from one to all four.
- Narrow down your likes with terms such as “strawberry”, “fruity candy” and “milkshake”. Out of curiosity I typed in licorice, ice cream and green tea, and every one of them came up.
- List what you want to avoid. Suggested options included “smoky”, “bourbon” and “boba”, and I also tried “avocado”, “papaya” and “spruce”.
- Enter account details: billing, shipping, payment, an order summary and age verification. Two boxes have to be ticked before checkout, one confirming your age and one accepting the service agreement. Extra bottles could be added at this stage.
Give yourself time for the likes and dislikes steps. There are a lot of unusual flavors on the market, and the more specific you are, the better the box should match your taste.
Signing up with VapeBox
VapeBox began with a Subscribe button and a choice of plan, then asked more about hardware than ZampleBox did:
- Say whether you are new to vaping, which decides whether a starter kit is sent. If you already own a setup, the hardware they send is meant to work with it.
- Choose the hardware types you would like, such as mods, RTAs/RDAs or tanks. You can tick one or all of them.
- Select at least three flavor families you enjoy. These are general groups like cereal, custards and fruits, not individual flavors.
- Scroll a long list and mark your dislikes. I found this easier than the ZampleBox version, since the choices were laid out for me.
- Set a nicotine level: 0mg, 3mg, 6mg or 6mg+.
- Customize the box. Up to three of six available products could be chosen by hand, with VapeBox filling the remaining slots, or the whole box could be left as a surprise. This was the feature I had wanted from ZampleBox and did not find there.
- Add optional notes or special requests, for example asking for a rainbow finish or saying you cannot stand watermelon.
- Review and edit every selection, then sign up or log in to an account.
What each site told me about brands
My main complaint about ZampleBox was the lack of brand information during sign-up. The site said it carried over three hundred brands from the United States, yet there was no way to request the ones I prefer or rule out the ones I already know I dislike. Individual e-liquids could be browsed and bought separately through the “Buy Vape Juice” and “Super Deals” tabs.
The VapeBox retail store was far more detailed. It listed names I recognized, including Kilo, Pachamama and Vapetasia, and felt like a regular online vape shop that also offers a subscription. I preferred that design, and if I were to sign up for one of the two, VapeBox would be my pick.
Our take
A subscription will not suit everybody, but both services looked like reasonable choices for new and experienced vapers. The main appeal is trying several e-liquids in small bottles before committing to a large 120mL bottle of something you have never tasted. Both sites came across as professional and were simple to get around. Have a look at each one yourself before deciding, since my preferences may not be yours.
If a recurring plan does not appeal, the Mystery Grab Bag on ejuice.deals gives you a surprise selection whenever you choose to order one. Our next review after this article covered Choco Cream eJuice by Cookie King.