History of Vaping: From Early Patents to Modern Vape Kits

Vaping may seem like a fairly recent invention, but its roots stretch back almost a century. Long before refillable pods, mesh coils and bottles of fruit-flavoured e-liquid existed, inventors were already experimenting with ways to produce an inhalable vapour without burning tobacco.

The history of vaping is not the story of one person having a brilliant idea and immediately creating the device we know today. It is a chain of abandoned patents, commercially unsuccessful experiments, technical breakthroughs and improvements made by manufacturers and users over several decades.

This guide follows vaping history from an electric vaporiser patented in the 1920s to the compact reusable devices sold in the UK today.

History of Vaping at a Glance

1. 1927

   The Electric Vaporiser

   Joseph Robinson files a patent for a handheld electric device designed to heat medicinal substances so that their vapour can be inhaled.

2. 1963

   A Smokeless Cigarette

   Herbert A. Gilbert files a patent for a cigarette-shaped device that replaces burning tobacco with heated, moist and flavoured air.

3. 2003

   The Modern E-Cigarette Arrives

   Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik develops the first commercially successful modern electronic cigarette.

4. 2004

   Commercial Sales Begin

   Hon Lik’s device reaches the Chinese market through a company that would become known as Ruyan.

5. 2006–07

   Vaping Goes International

   Electronic cigarettes begin appearing in Europe and the United States, often through internet retailers and small specialist businesses.

6. 2008–12

   Refillable Vaping Develops

   Larger batteries, refillable cartridges, cartomisers and clearomisers give users more control over flavour, vapour production and running costs.

7. 2012–15

   The Vape Mod Era

   Variable-power devices, rebuildable coils and sub-ohm tanks transform vaping from a cigarette imitation into a distinct technology of its own.

8. 2015–19

   Pod Kits and Nicotine Salts

   Small pod systems make vaping simpler again, while nicotine salt e-liquids provide a smoother experience at higher nicotine strengths.

9. 2020–25

   The Disposable Boom

   Single-use bar-shaped vapes become extremely visible before environmental and youth-vaping concerns lead to a UK sales ban in 2025.

10. Today

    The Reusable Vape Market

    Modern UK vaping centres on refillable kits, replaceable pods and reusable prefilled systems, with tighter product and marketing regulation.

1927: The First Electric Vaporiser Patent

The earliest chapter in vaping history was not actually about smoking or nicotine. In 1927, American inventor Joseph Robinson filed a patent for an “electric vaporizer”. The patent was granted in 1930.

Robinson described a portable device that could hold medicinal compounds and heat them to produce vapour for inhalation. His aim was to create something simple, sanitary and safe to hold without burning the user.

The surviving patent does not prove that Robinson ever built or sold the device, and it was not intended to imitate a cigarette. Even so, the basic idea—using electricity to heat a substance and create an inhalable vapour—has an obvious connection to the technology that followed many decades later. ^Patent

1963: Herbert Gilbert Designs a Smokeless Cigarette

Herbert A. Gilbert’s invention looked much more like a modern e-cigarette. In April 1963, he filed a patent for a “smokeless non-tobacco cigarette”, which was granted in August 1965.

Gilbert’s design replaced burning tobacco and paper with heated, moist and flavoured air. It included a cigarette-shaped outer casing, a heating element and replaceable flavour cartridges. Air drawn through the device would pass over the heated flavouring material before reaching the user.

The patent drawings are surprisingly familiar. Although the technology was primitive compared with a modern vape, the overall concept contained several recognisable elements:

• A handheld cigarette-like body
• An internal electric heater
• A replaceable flavour source
• Airflow activated by inhaling through a mouthpiece
• No burning tobacco or paper

Gilbert produced prototypes but did not manage to bring his invention into mass production. The battery technology, manufacturing infrastructure and consumer demand needed to support it were not yet available. His patent eventually expired, and the commercial vaping industry would not appear for almost another 40 years. ^Patent

An Idea Ahead of Its Time

Gilbert had already described the central principle of an e-cigarette in the 1960s: heat a flavoured substance and inhale the result without burning tobacco. What he lacked was a compact, affordable way to turn that concept into a practical mass-market product.

The Quiet Years: Experiments Without a Breakthrough

Several companies and inventors experimented with alternative smoking products during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. These included nicotine inhalers, smokeless cigarettes and electrically heated tobacco products.

Some created a vapour or aerosol, while others heated actual tobacco rather than an e-liquid. They are often included in broad accounts of vaping history, but most were technically very different from the refillable electronic cigarettes that eventually became successful.

The main obstacles remained the same:

• Batteries were too large or did not provide sufficient power.
• Heating systems were difficult to miniaturise.
• Delivering liquid consistently to a heating element was challenging.
• Products struggled to reproduce the familiar routine and sensation of smoking.
• Regulators were uncertain whether the devices were tobacco products, medicines or something else entirely.

The idea of smokeless inhalation survived, but the technology was still waiting for the right combination of batteries, sensors, liquid storage and compact electronics.

2003: Hon Lik Creates the Modern E-Cigarette

The decisive breakthrough came from Hon Lik, a Chinese pharmacist and inventor who was also a smoker. In 2003, he developed the device widely recognised as the first commercially successful modern e-cigarette.

Hon Lik’s original system used a battery, an inhalation sensor, a nicotine-containing liquid and an atomisation mechanism. Early versions used ultrasonic technology to create an aerosol, although later products adopted electrically heated atomisers that were closer to the coils used today.

His invention was introduced to the Chinese market in 2004 by Golden Dragon Holdings, which later traded under the name Ruyan. The name has commonly been translated as “like smoke”. A US National Academies history of electronic cigarettes identifies Hon Lik’s 2003 device and its 2004 commercial release as the beginning of the recent e-cigarette industry. ^Source

Why Did Hon Lik’s Vape Succeed?

The timing was finally right. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries had become small and powerful enough for portable consumer electronics. Manufacturers could also produce miniature sensors, pumps and heating components much more cheaply than in Gilbert’s era.

Hon Lik’s device also reproduced several familiar aspects of smoking:

• It was small enough to hold like a cigarette.
• It activated when the user inhaled.
• It delivered nicotine in an inhalable form.
• It created a visible cloud when exhaled.
• It did not require tobacco to be set alight.

Those features helped turn a decades-old concept into a product that people could actually buy and use.

2006–2009: E-Cigarettes Reach Europe and America

Electronic cigarettes began spreading beyond China during the middle of the 2000s. Early devices were imported into Europe and the United States, initially through websites, shopping-centre kiosks and small independent businesses.

Most of these early models were known as cigalikes because they were designed to resemble tobacco cigarettes. A typical kit had two or three parts:

• A small rechargeable battery
• An atomiser containing the heating element
• A cartridge holding nicotine liquid and absorbent material

Some models even had an LED at the end that lit up during use. They were simple, but their small batteries required frequent charging and their cartridges produced relatively little vapour. Flavour and nicotine delivery could also be inconsistent.

Despite those limitations, early cigalikes introduced vaping to a much larger audience. They also attracted a community of technically minded users who began looking for ways to improve battery life, liquid capacity and vapour production.

2008–2012: Refillable Vaping Takes Shape

The next major stage in vaping history was driven by refillable technology. Manufacturers began combining the heating coil and liquid-holding material into replaceable components known as cartomisers. Users could refill some of these with bottled e-liquid rather than continually buying sealed cartridges.

Clearomisers followed. These used a transparent tank, allowing users to see how much e-liquid remained. Many also made the coil easier to replace.

Around the same period, larger pen-shaped batteries became popular. These provided longer battery life and more consistent power than a cigalike. Standardised connections—particularly the widely adopted 510 connection—also made it easier to combine batteries and tanks from different manufacturers.

Vapes were gradually becoming less like electronic cigarettes and more like a product category in their own right.

2012–2015: Vape Mods, Sub-Ohm Tanks and Bigger Clouds

By the early 2010s, some users wanted more control than small pen-style devices could offer. This led to the growth of vape mods—larger devices with replaceable batteries, adjustable voltage or wattage and advanced safety controls.

At first, many mods were specialist products intended for enthusiasts. Users built their own coils, selected different types of wire and adjusted airflow to change how the device performed. The learning curve could be steep, and the devices were not especially beginner-friendly.

Manufacturers gradually turned those hobbyist ideas into easier commercial products. Variable-wattage vape kits, replaceable coil heads and regulated battery chips became widely available.

The Rise of Sub-Ohm Vaping

Traditional e-cigarette coils had relatively high electrical resistance and produced modest amounts of vapour. Sub-ohm coils—those with resistance below one ohm—allowed devices to use more power and produce much larger clouds.

This changed e-liquid as well. High-VG liquids became popular because their thicker vegetable glycerine base produced denser vapour and worked well with the large liquid openings found in sub-ohm coils.

For a time, vaping culture was closely associated with powerful box mods, rebuildable atomisers and cloud competitions. Modern devices are generally more restrained, but many current coil, airflow and power-control technologies developed during this experimental era.

2015–2019: Pod Kits Make Vaping Simple Again

The vaping market eventually began moving back towards compact devices. Pod kits replaced traditional glass tanks with small cartridges that clicked or pushed into the battery.

Pods were lighter, less fragile and easier to replace. Many devices used automatic inhalation activation, so the user did not need to press a button. Others selected the correct wattage automatically.

The result was a new generation of Vape Kits that combined the simplicity of early cigalikes with much better battery life, flavour and vapour production.

Nicotine Salts Change E-Liquid

Pod systems also helped popularise nicotine salt e-liquid. Traditional freebase nicotine can feel increasingly harsh as its strength rises. Nicotine salts are formulated differently and generally feel smoother at strengths such as 10mg and 20mg.

This made compact, low-powered pod kits more satisfying for many people who had previously smoked. Rather than producing enormous clouds, these devices could deliver a useful amount of nicotine with a relatively small puff.

Nic Salts remain closely associated with pod vaping today, although the range of flavours and compatible devices has expanded considerably.

Mesh Coils Improve Flavour and Consistency

Another important development was the mesh coil. Earlier coils typically used a simple round wire. A mesh coil uses a thin sheet of perforated metal, creating a larger heating surface.

Mesh heats more evenly than many traditional wire designs. In practical terms, it can provide:

• More consistent flavour across the coil
• Faster heating
• Better vapour production at moderate power
• Fewer isolated hot spots
• Longer useful coil life in some devices

Mesh technology began in high-powered tanks but eventually reached small pods. It is now common across nearly every category of refillable vape.

2020–2025: The Rise and Fall of Single-Use Vapes

Disposable e-cigarettes had existed for years, but a new type of brightly coloured, bar-shaped single-use vape became extremely popular during the early 2020s.

These products required no charging, filling or coil changes. Users simply inhaled and discarded the entire device when its battery or e-liquid ran out. Strong flavours and nicotine salt formulations also made them noticeably different from the weak cigalikes sold during vaping’s early years.

Their convenience drove rapid growth, but it also created serious problems. Each discarded device contained a battery, electronics and plastic casing. The products also attracted increasing concern about underage use and illegal, oversized devices.

On 1 June 2025, the sale and supply of single-use vapes became illegal throughout the UK. The ban covers both nicotine-containing and nicotine-free products, while rechargeable and reusable devices can still be sold. ^Source

How Did the Market Respond?

Manufacturers began developing reusable products that preserved some of the convenience of disposable vapes. These included:

• Rechargeable devices with replaceable prefilled pods
• Pod-and-refill systems with separate e-liquid containers
• Compact reusable devices with large-capacity replacement refills
• Simple refillable pod kits designed around familiar disposable-style flavours

These products are now commonly grouped together as disposable vape alternatives or Big Puff Vapes. The important distinction is that the battery section is recharged and used again rather than being thrown away after one cycle.

Vaping History in the UK: Regulation Catches Up

The original UK vaping market developed before there was a detailed regulatory framework specifically designed for e-cigarettes. Rules were introduced gradually as the products became more widespread.

2016: The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations

The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 established many of the rules that still shape legal nicotine vaping products in the UK.

Among other requirements, the regulations:

• Limited refillable vape tanks and pods to 2ml
• Limited bottles of nicotine-containing e-liquid to 10ml
• Set a maximum nicotine strength of 20mg per ml
• Required child-resistant and tamper-evident packaging
• Introduced warning and labelling requirements
• Required manufacturers to notify products before placing them on the market

These limits explain why UK nicotine e-liquid is commonly sold in 10ml bottles and why legal prefilled pods usually hold no more than 2ml. ^Source

2025: Single-Use Vapes Are Banned

The disposable vape ban marked a shift away from treating every vaping product in the same way. Reusable vapes remained legal, but a product designed to be discarded once empty could no longer be sold.

2026: The Tobacco and Vapes Act

The Tobacco and Vapes Act received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. Alongside its measures relating to tobacco, the Act gives the government wider powers to regulate the advertising, promotion, display, packaging and appearance of vaping and nicotine products.

Different parts of the Act are being introduced on separate schedules, so it does not mean that every possible restriction applied immediately on the day it became law. It does, however, represent the beginning of another major regulatory phase in UK vaping history. ^Source

How Modern Vapes Differ from the First E-Cigarettes

How Common Is Vaping Today?

Vaping has moved a long way beyond the specialist internet shops and shopping-centre kiosks of the 2000s. The Office for National Statistics estimated that around 5.4 million people aged 16 and over in Great Britain used an e-cigarette daily or occasionally in 2024.

In that survey, the proportion using e-cigarettes was higher than the proportion currently smoking cigarettes for the first time. That does not mean that the two groups were completely separate—some people used both—but it shows just how far vaping had moved into the mainstream within roughly two decades. ^Source

What Comes Next in Vaping History?

Predicting the next stage is difficult because vaping has repeatedly changed direction. The market moved from cigarette-shaped devices to enormous box mods, and then back towards compact pods. Disposable vapes became dominant almost overnight and were then removed from legal sale in the UK.

Future development is likely to focus on several areas:

• Longer-lasting rechargeable batteries
• More recyclable pods and components
• Improved leak resistance
• Coils that maintain flavour for longer
• Automatic power and airflow adjustment
• Reusable systems offering disposable-style convenience
• Tighter rules covering product design, marketing and retail display

The basic principle, however, has changed remarkably little since the earliest patents: use heat rather than combustion to create something that can be inhaled.

Frequently Asked Questions About Vaping History

Final Thoughts

The history of vaping stretches much further back than most people realise. Its central idea appeared in patents decades before the batteries and electronics existed to make it practical.

Joseph Robinson explored electric vaporisation in the 1920s. Herbert Gilbert designed a recognisable smokeless cigarette in the 1960s. Hon Lik finally combined the necessary technology into a commercially successful product in 2003.

Everything that followed—cigalikes, clearomisers, vape pens, box mods, sub-ohm tanks, nicotine salts, mesh coils, pods and reusable big-puff systems—was another attempt to make that original idea more effective, convenient or satisfying.

Vaping history is still being written. Judging by the speed of the last 20 years, the vape of the future will probably look obvious in hindsight and slightly peculiar when it first appears. That is usually how these things go.