If you’ve made the switch from disposables to a refillable pod kit recently, or you’re thinking about it, you’ve probably noticed two names popping up everywhere. Elux and Bar Juice 5000. They’re the big players in what people now call “bar salts”, basically, nic salt juices that try to bottle that crazy intense flavour you got from disposables.
And if like so many other vapers out there, you are also wondering which one’s better, it’s a fair question.
Why Elux and Bar Juice 5000 are So Popular
First off, Elux. You know them from the disposables, the colourful bars you couldn’t escape last year. They’ve moved into bottled nic salts properly now. You can now buy Elux Legend nic salts in the UK. They come in 10ml bottles, both designed for pod kits. The Legend range is meant to be the direct replica of their disposable flavours.
Bar Juice 5000 took a slightly different route. They launched specifically to be the bottled version of that disposable experience. No history of making the actual disposables, they just saw the gap in the market and went for it. Their whole thing is bold, sweet, often very iced flavours that hit you straight away. They’ve got a decent sized range now, mostly fruit and ice combos, some candy flavours.
So which one wins? Depends what you want. Let’s go through it bit by bit.
Flavour Intensity
Bar Juice 5000 hits hard from the first puff. It’s sharp. It’s sweet. It’s like someone turned the flavour dial up to 11 and left it there. Flavours like Mr. Blue or Blueberry Sour Raspberry, they’re intense immediately. There’s no build up. You know exactly what you’re vaping within half a second.
But here’s the catch. That intensity? It can fade. Not the flavour itself, but your ability to taste it. Some people call it vaper’s tongue, some just say they go numb to it. But Bar Juice, because it’s so sweet and so concentrated, can cause flavour fatigue quicker. You might love it for a day, then by day three you’re chasing that first hit again and it’s just not there.
Elux does it differently. The Elux Legend Nic Salt range, especially e-liquid flavours like Blue Razz Lemonade or Gummy Bear Ice, is bold but it’s layered. You get the main note, but there’s something going on underneath. It’s not just a flat wall of sweets. And importantly, it stays consistent. You can vape the same bottle for a week and it still tastes the same at the end as it did at the start.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | Elux | Bar Juice 5000 |
|---|---|---|
| Flavour Style | Layered, complex, consistent | Sharp, sweet, immediate |
| Ice Effect | Present but balanced | Often very strong |
| Throat Hit | Smooth, even at 20mg | Can get harsh over time |
| Coil Life | Generally good, cleaner juice | Sweeteners can kill coils faster |
| Best For | All-day vaping, ex-smokers | Quick sessions, flavour chasers |
| Range Size | 40+ flavours, more variety | Smaller, mostly fruit/ice focused |
Throat Hit and Smoothness
Nic salts are supposed to be smooth. That’s the whole point of them, the benzoic acid lowers the pH so you can vape higher strengths without feeling like you’ve swallowed a bag of gravel. Both Elux and Bar Juice use that technology, but they feel different in use.
Elux is consistently smooth. Even at 20mg, it’s comfortable. You get the satisfaction, the quick nicotine hit, but it doesn’t make you cough or leave your throat feeling raw after a session. This range has a bit more presence, a bit more of that “I’m definitely vaping something” feel, but it’s still well balanced.
Bar Juice 5000, and it’s true across multiple flavours, can get harsh. Not immediately, but after a while. It’s like the sharpness that makes the first few puffs so satisfying starts to grate after twenty minutes.
For ex-smokers especially, this matters. When you’re quitting tobacco, you need something that gives you that chest hit, that reassurance that you’ve actually had a vape. But you don’t want to dread using it. Elux tends to hit that sweet spot better for most people making the switch.
Price
Both brands are priced similarly at most UK shops. You’re looking at around £3 to £5 for a single 10ml bottle. But the real saving comes with multi-buys. At Ma Vapour, we do an Elux liquid 3 for £10 offer quite often, which brings the cost right down. Bar Juice 5000 sometimes appears in similar deals, but it varies by retailer.
Because Bar Juice 5000 uses more sweetener (that’s part of why it tastes so sharp), it can gunk up your coil faster. Some vapers report having to change pods or coils every few days instead of every week or two. That adds up. Coils cost money. If you’re replacing them twice as often, that £3.50 bottle just got more expensive.
Pod Compatibility
Both of these are nic salts, both are 50/50 blends. That means they’re designed for low-power mouth-to-lung devices. Pod kits, basically. Stuff like the Vaporesso XROS, OXVA Xlim, and Uwell Caliburn.
You absolutely cannot put either of these in a big sub-ohm tank running at 80 watts. It will end badly. Coughing, headaches, wasted juice. Stick to pod kits with coils around 0.8 ohms or higher and you’ll be fine.
But here’s where Elux has a slight edge. Because it’s a bit cleaner, it works better in the long run with those pod kits. The coils don’t get choked up as quickly. The flavour stays consistent rather than degrading into a burnt, sweet mess after a few refills.
Flavour Range
Elux wins this one and it’s not particularly close.
There are over 40 Elux Legend flavours available in the UK. You’ve got your fruity stuff, your ice blends, candy profiles, even some menthol and mint options.
Bar Juice 5000 has a solid selection as well. They’ve got the big hitters, Kiwi Passionfruit Guava, Blueberry Sour Raspberry, Watermelon Ice. And they do release new flavours periodically.
Which One Should You Actually Buy: Elux or Bar Juice?
Alright, so here’s where we give you the straight answer. And it depends on what you want.
If you’re the kind of vaper who likes to sit there and puff away through the day, watching telly, working from home, whatever, you want Elux. It’s smoother, it’s more consistent, it won’t wreck your coils in a week, and the flavours hold up over time.
If you’re the kind of vaper who wants maximum impact in short bursts, maybe you only vape on breaks at work, or you’re coming straight off disposables and need that same sharp hit, Bar Juice 5000 might be your thing.
For ex-smokers, Elux can be a better option. Since the best e-liquid for ex-smokers has to balance both the throat hit and smoothness, the fact you can actually taste the nuance in something like a menthol or tobacco blend, all of it just works better for quitting.
Which is Better: Elux or Bar Juice?
When comparing the two, for many vapers, Elux flavours are a little more interesting, they last longer in the bottle and in the tank, and they’re easier on your gear. The Elux Legend Nic Salt range, especially flavours like Blue Razz Lemonade or Hawaii Sunrise, are consistently among the most popular Elux flavours in the UK for a reason. People try them, they like them, they stick with them.
Bar Juice 5000 is a solid option if you want that immediate punch. But for an all-day, every-day vape that won’t let you down, Elux is the safer bet.
Get Your Favourite Elux and Bar Juice 5000 Flavours
Whether it is Elux or Bar Juice 5000, if you choose the right nic salt strength, you are much more likely to stay away from cigarettes. If you are looking for Elux liquid near me, you can browse through the full flavour lineup on our online vape shop and pick the one that meets both your nicotine and flavour needs.
