What Is Vape Hardware?

"Hardware" is this catalog's name for refillable vaping devices, the setups where you buy the device and your e-liquid separately, then refill and maintain it yourself. It's the most hands-on of the three device shapes in our guide to every type of e-cigarette we carry, and the one that gives back the most control in exchange.

Unlike a disposable or a pre-filled pod, hardware has a fill port you open to add your own e-liquid, and usually a coil you can see and eventually replace. The real listing in this category right now is the Vaporesso XROS 5 Mini Pod Kit, a compact, pocket-sized device with a 1,500 mAh internal battery, 2A USB-C fast charging, and a rated peak output of 30 W. It's draw-activated, no fire button, just an auto-draw sensor and a hidden LED that signals battery and power status as you use it.

Its pods hold 2-3 mL of e-liquid depending on which XROS-series pod you pair it with, and the coils use Vaporesso's COREX 3.0 mesh heating technology across a wide resistance range, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2 ohm. Lower resistance generally means more heat and bigger vapor at the same wattage; higher resistance suits a tighter, cooler draw. A stepless airflow slider lets you dial the draw anywhere between a tight mouth-to-lung pull and a looser, more direct-lung style, a real point of difference from a sealed disposable, where the draw is fixed at the factory and can't be adjusted at all.

Hardware doesn't come with e-liquid included. Bottled e-liquid is sold separately, and Health Canada's 20 mg/mL cap applies to that too, but hardware is also where freebase e-liquid at lower strengths shows up more often than in disposables or pods, since a more open airflow setting and higher wattage suit a milder, cooler draw better than the sharp hit freebase produces at higher concentrations. E-Juices covers the real bottled options we carry.

Charge the device fully before first use, then open the fill port and add e-liquid without overfilling past the marked line. Let a freshly filled pod sit a few minutes so the coil saturates before firing it, a dry coil on first use is the most common cause of a harsh, burnt first hit. From there, refill when the tank runs low and replace the coil itself periodically, typically every one to a few weeks under regular use, since a worn coil starts tasting burnt even with liquid still in the tank. Our full how-to guide walks through this with troubleshooting for the most common issues.

Every device type ultimately runs on the same kind of rechargeable lithium battery, just packaged differently, built into a sealed disposable, paired with a pod, or sitting inside hardware like the XROS 5 Mini. Our separate explainer on vape batteries covers what mAh actually measures, charging safety, and why this specific category is still thin on this site.

Hardware asks more of you than either other format: buying e-liquid separately, refilling, eventually replacing coils. In exchange, you get control over nicotine strength, flavour brand, airflow, and coil resistance that a sealed device simply can't offer, plus a lower cost per mL over time than replacing whole disposables. It suits someone who's already tried a disposable or pod and wants to fine-tune the experience rather than take whatever a sealed device ships with. The minimum legal purchase age still applies here exactly as it does everywhere else, set by your province and checked with real ID at delivery.