Type “vape 88” into Google and you get a shopping list: the brand’s own store, retailer collection pages, product listings. What you will not find is a single independent review telling you the story that matters. 88Vape is the brand that put a £1 bottle of e-liquid on British supermarket shelves and changed who vapes and what they pay. This review is the honest account no seller will give you: who owns it, what every range actually is, whether the Quad pod kit is worth buying, what the cheap era really costs, and who should walk past the shelf.
The verdict in 60 seconds
88Vape is the UK’s budget e-liquid brand: Manchester-made, supermarket-stocked, and built around bottles that cost about a pound. The liquid ranges are enormous and genuinely cheap, which makes them the best-value refillable fuel on the British high street, but they are simple, beginner-level blends, not craft juice. The Quad 4-in-1 pod kit is the brand’s post-ban answer to disposables: rechargeable, four prefilled pods you switch by twisting, and cheap to run. Buy 88Vape if you want the cheapest legal way to vape in Britain. Look elsewhere if you want sub-ohm hardware, complex flavours, or a refillable device with settings.
What Vape 88 actually is
88Vape is an e-liquid brand from Manchester, founded in 2013 in Trafford Park and owned by Supreme Imports, the Manchester-based wholesaler whose products sit in Sainsbury’s, Asda, Iceland, Aldi and Poundland. That distribution is the whole story: this is not a brand that grew out of vape culture or specialist shops. It grew by putting a £1 bottle next to the cigarettes and the chewing gum, in front of smokers who had never set foot in a vape shop.
The formula is deliberately simple. Familiar flavours, tobacco, menthol, fruit, sweets, in bottles a beginner can understand. Blended in an ISO-accredited Manchester lab, registered with the MHRA, sold at a price that made the specialist brands look like a luxury. The brand claims nearly 100 flavours across its ranges, and retailers routinely stock dozens. You will have seen their bus and billboard advertising promising £1 e-liquids and nic salts. Whether you think that is the democratisation of vaping or a race to the bottom, it worked: 88Vape is one of the most bought e-liquid brands in Britain.
The £1 e-liquid range, decoded
The range is big enough to confuse anyone, so here is the map. Everything 88Vape sells in bottles falls into four lanes.
Any Tank freebase. The flagship £1 range: 10ml bottles, 50% VG, freebase nicotine in low strengths, typically 3mg and 6mg, with some flavours also in 1mg. These are the straightforward fruit, menthol and dessert blends the brand is known for: Menthol Chill, Sweet Lemon, Blackcurrant, Sour Raspberry, Rolling Leaf, Raspberry Ripple, Strawberry and Fruit Salad among them. Fifty-fifty liquids suit mouth-to-lung kits and pod kits, the starter devices most buyers own. This is the range the £1 promise was built on.
High-PG 10mls. The heavier-hitter range: 10ml bottles, 30% VG, freebase nicotine at 11mg and 16mg. Thinner liquid, stronger throat hit, made for smokers switching who need the bite that low strengths do not give. Flavours include the tobacco and menthol end of the catalogue: Menthol Chill, Menthol, Cola, Watermelon Ice and the Rolling Leaf tobacco. If you used to smoke and the Any Tank strengths feel like breathing air, this is the lane.
Nic salts. The modern range: 10ml bottles, 20mg nicotine salt, 50% VG, built for MTL pod kits. Nic salts hit faster and smoother than freebase at the same strength, which is why they became the default for ex-smokers on pod kits. These are the bottles for anyone buying a refillable pod kit today.
Shortfills. The bulk range: 50ml bottles for vapers who want volume without the nicotine cap. These are the brand’s value play for experienced users with bigger tanks, the cheapest per-millilitre liquid 88Vape sells.
One naming quirk worth knowing: the brand has renamed several flavours over the years, so the same liquid may arrive under a new name. Rainbow Burst became Fruit Salad, Lemon Sherbet became Sweet Lemon. Same juice, updated label.
Which range is actually for you
Start from the device, not the flavour. If you own a refillable pod kit or a simple vape pen, the Any Tank 50/50 freebase or the 20mg nic salts are the natural bottles. The nic salts suit recent ex-smokers best, because the fast, smooth nicotine delivery scratches the cigarette itch. The freebase Any Tank range suits vapers stepping their strength down, because low strengths come in 3mg and 6mg with a proper throat hit.
If you are still smoking and want the strongest legal push off cigarettes, the high-PG 11mg and 16mg range is the honest pick, though a 20mg nic salt in a pod kit will satisfy most people with less throat burn. If you already run a bigger tank, the shortfills are the cheapest lane per millilitre.
The difference between freebase and salt nicotine decides how satisfying a bottle feels, so if you are unsure which chemistry suits you, our nic salt vs freebase guide walks through it in full.
The Quad 4-in-1 pod kit, explained
The Quad is 88Vape’s answer to the disposable era. It is a rechargeable pod kit that holds four prefilled pods at once: you load four 2ml pods, vape through one, then twist the middle of the device to rotate to the next. A sensor vibrates to confirm the new pod is aligned. Each pod holds 20mg nic salt with a mesh coil and delivers around 600 puffs, so the kit promises up to 2400 puffs before you need a pod refill pack. The battery is 850mAh, charged over USB-C, and the draw is a discreet mouth-to-lung, built for ex-disposable users.
Pods come in packs of four, sold in themed editions. The Mint Edition packs two Fresh Mint pods with Strawberry Mint, Cherry and Lemon Mint. The Sour Edition packs Sour Blueberry Raspberry, Sour Orange, Sour Watermelon and Sour Berries. The Fruits Edition packs Blueberry Raspberry, Kiwi Passionfruit Guava, Lemon Lime and Strawberry Watermelon. The Ice Edition packs Cherry Ice, Blueberry Ice, Watermelon Ice and Pineapple Ice. Because the pods come four to a pack, refills work out cheaper than buying four single-pod devices, which is the brand’s cost argument against standard big-puff kits.
Two honest caveats. The kit does not include a USB-C cable in the box, so budget one if you do not own one. And the pod system is closed: you can only use 88Vape Quad pods, so your flavour choices are the editions the brand sells. Charging follows the same rules as any lithium device, and our vape battery safety guide covers them.
The £1 era maths
Since 1 June 2025, single-use disposables cannot legally be sold in the UK. 88Vape sits comfortably on the right side of that ban: bottled e-liquid and the rechargeable Quad are both fully legal, and the Quad exists precisely to catch the ex-disposable buyer.
The maths are the brand’s entire pitch. A bottle of 88Vape liquid costs about a pound and fills a pod or tank several times over. Against the old disposable habit, where every few days meant buying a whole new device, the saving is enormous. Against the Quad’s own pod packs, the bottles win on running cost too: bottled liquid is structurally cheaper per millilitre than any prefilled pod.
One tax note that now affects every bottle on the shelf: the UK’s new vape duty of £2.20 per 10ml applies to e-liquid, and our UK vape tax guide explains what it means for prices.
And a hardware note: 88Vape’s bottles are cheapest when paired with a refillable kit rather than the Quad, because bottles beat pods on cost per millilitre every time. If you are buying the liquid, a refillable pod kit is the smarter long-term device, and our best refillable vape guide compares the options.
Who should buy 88Vape, and who should not
Buy 88Vape if: you want the cheapest legal vape in Britain and you are honest that flavour nuance is not your priority. Smokers switching on a budget, students, anyone who found £4 bottles an insult: the £1 bottles do the job. The Quad suits ex-disposable users who want the twist-to-switch novelty and a rechargeable device without learning anything new.
Who should not buy: anyone who vapes direct-to-lung or sub-ohm, anyone chasing complex dessert or bakery blends, and anyone who wants adjustable power or coil choice. 88Vape is a mouth-to-lung brand for beginners and budget vapers, full stop. It does not do hobbyist hardware and it does not pretend to. If that is you, the price will not tempt you twice.
On the supermarket shelf
The supermarket shelf is 88Vape’s natural habitat, and it is worth knowing what you are buying into. The brand’s whole model is impulse accessibility: no specialist knowledge needed, no coil to choose, no wattage to set. On that same shelf you will usually find the other mass-market brands, including the Big Tobacco names. Our Blu brand guide covers one of them in the same honest depth.
One legal note that applies on every shelf in the country: you must be 18 or over to buy any vape product in the UK, supermarkets included, and our UK vaping age rules guide covers the current law in full.
Fakes and how to check the real thing
Budget brands get copied because the genuine article is cheap to undercut and easy to sell. Counterfeit 88Vape bottles and Quad pods circulate through social media sellers, market stalls and pop-up discount pages, with unknown liquid and unknown coil materials inside.
Buy from established UK vape shops, supermarkets or the brand’s own store. Genuine nicotine products carry MHRA notification numbers, and retailer pages publish the GBID for each product, which you can check against the MHRA public list. Compare the price against proper shops: a deal dramatically cheaper than everywhere else is not a bargain. Our fake vapes guide shows the full checklist, from packaging tells to the verification step most buyers skip.
Setup and first fill
With bottled 88Vape liquid, the ritual is the same as any refillable: charge the device first, fill the pod or tank through its fill port, close it up, and let a new coil or pod sit for five to ten minutes so the cotton saturates. Firing a dry coil scorches the cotton, and a scorched pod never recovers. Start on a gentle draw and let the first session be easy.
With the Quad, setup is simpler: charge it, insert the four pods under the mouthpiece cap, and inhale. Twist the middle of the device to switch flavours and wait for the vibration that confirms the new pod is lined up. No buttons, no settings, no priming.
If this is your first refillable device, our how to vape guide walks through the whole first day, from the first puff to the mistakes that cause coughing.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Quad not firing. Check the pods are seated under the cap, check the battery is not dead, and check the twist alignment: the arrow must line up with the active pod, or nothing happens.
Weak flavour on the Quad. The pod is nearly empty, or the mesh coil is spent. Swap to the next pod with a twist. If all four are weak, it is a refill pack, not a fault.
Burnt taste in a refillable. The coil was fired before the cotton soaked, or the coil is simply finished. A dry-fired pod cannot be rescued. Sweet liquids gunk coils faster, so dessert flavours mean shorter coil life.
Leaking. Usually overfilling or a pod filled and left in a hot car. Fill to just below the max line, keep the device upright when you can, and check the fill port seal is closed.
Gurgling. Liquid in the airflow from drawing too hard or a flooded pod. Draw more gently, the way you would sip through a straw.
Vape 88 FAQ
Is 88Vape a real brand?
Yes. 88Vape is a real UK e-liquid brand, founded in Manchester in 2013 and owned by Supreme Imports. Its products are stocked in supermarkets and high street shops across Britain.
Why is 88Vape so cheap?
The brand’s whole model is ultra-budget: simple familiar flavours, made in its own Manchester lab, sold in huge volumes through supermarkets. The £1 bottle is the marketing promise that built it.
Is 88Vape good quality?
It is budget juice, and it tastes like it. The flavours are simple and the blends are aimed at beginners, not connoisseurs. For the price, they are consistent and widely liked by budget vapers; they will not compete with premium craft liquids.
What is the 88Vape Quad pod kit?
A rechargeable 4-in-1 pod kit: four prefilled 2ml pods of 20mg nic salt loaded at once, switched by twisting the device, up to 2400 puffs per full load, 850mAh battery, USB-C charging.
Are 88Vape Quad pods refillable?
No. Quad pods are sealed prefilled pods. When the four run out, you buy a new pack of four.
Which 88Vape range should a beginner buy?
The Any Tank 50/50 freebase range in 3mg or 6mg, or the 20mg nic salts if you are a recent smoker. Both suit the pod kits and vape pens most beginners own.
Is 88Vape legal in the UK after the disposable ban?
Yes. The ban covers single-use disposables. 88Vape’s bottled e-liquids and the rechargeable Quad kit are fully legal to sell and use.
Does 88Vape do 0mg e-liquid?
The brand’s low-strength options bottom out at 1mg in some Any Tank flavours. If you are stepping off nicotine entirely, there is no dedicated 0mg 88Vape line.
Where is 88Vape made?
In Manchester, in the brand’s own ISO-accredited laboratory. All nicotine products are MHRA registered.
Do 88Vape liquids work in any pod kit?
The 50/50 freebase and nic salt ranges work in any mouth-to-lung pod kit or vape pen. The high-PG range suits starter kits with a tight draw. The 50ml shortfills are for bigger tanks.
Why do 88Vape flavours have two names?
The brand has renamed several flavours over the years. Rainbow Burst became Fruit Salad, Lemon Sherbet became Sweet Lemon. Same juice, updated label.
Is the Quad kit cheaper than disposables?
Far cheaper to run than the old single-use habit, since the device is rechargeable and pods come four to a pack. Bottled 88Vape liquid in a refillable kit is cheaper still.
Verdict: the brand that made vaping cost a pound
88Vape is the honest, unglamorous foundation of British vaping. It does not do craft, it does not do hobbyist hardware, and it makes no attempt to be exciting. What it does is give Britain the cheapest legal vape on the shelf: Manchester-made bottles for about a pound, a Quad kit that caught the disposable refugees, and a flavour range wide enough that anyone can find something drinkable. Seventeen years of supermarket shelves have not changed the formula, because the formula is the brand.
That focus is also its limit. Simple flavours, beginner hardware, closed pod systems, and no room to grow into the hobby. If 88Vape is your way in, or your way to keep costs down, it does that job better than anyone. If you want vaping to become cheaper, more varied and more yours over time, start with our best vape guide and pick a device that grows with you. Either way, you now know exactly what the £1 brand is selling, and why half the country buys it.