Aspire Gotek X Refillable Pods

The number on the pod is its coil resistance in ohms, and it sets the character of the vape. The 0.8ohm is the tighter, cooler one, the cigarette-like mouth-to-lung draw most people start on and the one the kit ships with. The 0.6ohm runs a touch warmer and looser, with more vapour, and suits a restricted lung draw with the airflow opened up.

For a tight MTL vape on a 20mg salt, go 0.8ohm. If you want a bit more warmth and vapour, the 0.6ohm is the one. Many people keep both and pick by mood, opening the Gotek X's airflow slider for the 0.6ohm. Because a pack gives you a stack of pods, the cheapest way to find your preference is simply to run one of each resistance and settle on whichever suits, rather than committing to a single type up front. The two work the same way to fill and fit, so switching between them is no hassle.

The Gotek X is a dual-format device, and it is worth knowing which pod you are buying. These are the open, refillable pods: they arrive empty with a built-in mesh coil, and you fill them with any 50/50 e-liquid you like, which is the cheapest way to run the device and gives you the full run of flavours. Aspire also make a sealed prefilled pod for the Gotek X, which comes ready-filled for convenience but ties you to its flavours and costs more per ml.

For most people the open refillable pods on this page are the sensible choice once they are past the very first week, because the savings over prefilled or disposables are large. If you only ever want grab-and-go and never to handle e-liquid, the prefilled option exists, but you give up the flexibility and the low running cost that make a refillable kit worth owning in the first place.

Each Gotek X pod has a built-in mesh coil rather than an old-style wire one. Mesh heats the e-liquid across a wider, more even surface, which gives a fuller, truer flavour and resists the hot-spots that scorch a coil early. It is the main reason a budget device like the Gotek X punches above its price on flavour, and it is why a pod run sensibly will see out a week or two of refills before it tires.

The trade is that mesh likes to be kept wet. Run a pod down to the last drop or fire it before a fresh fill has soaked in, and the thin mesh is the first thing to scorch, so the priming and topping-up habits below matter. Treat the coil well and you get the full life out of every pod in the box.

A fresh pod needs filling and a short soak before its first use, or the coil can burn dry.

The resistance you run changes how much nicotine you take in, so pair the two. The tighter 0.8ohm pod makes less vapour, so a 20mg salt feels right and a bottle lasts well. The looser 0.6ohm pod, especially with the Gotek X airflow opened up, pushes more vapour, and since nicotine rides in that vapour you take in more per puff, so a 20mg salt can feel harsh and disappear faster.

The simple rule is to drop the strength a little as you open things up: most people are happy on 20mg with the 0.8ohm, and find 10mg smoother on the 0.6ohm with open airflow. Get that pairing right and the Gotek X stays comfortable rather than harsh, whichever pod you have fitted.

Refillable pods are where the Gotek X earns its keep. At £15.99 for 10 pods, about £1.60 each, and with each lasting a week or two of refills, the running cost is a fraction of a disposable habit. Add a 10ml bottle of salt at a pound or two, which refills a pod several times over, and a single pod plus a bottle can cover a couple of weeks of vaping for less than the price of one single-use bar.

Buying a pack of ten also means you always have a spare to hand, so a tired pod never leaves you reaching for a disposable. Keep one in use and the rest in the drawer, prime each new one properly, and the only thing you ever bin is the small spent pod. Over a month, that is the difference between a few pounds and a small fortune in disposables.