I've used more than my fair share of inexpensive pens and mods in my day (I was scraping pennies together and buried under a mountain of debt).

Would you be surprised if I told you I had a pen that costs less than $15? Yes, those do exist but the quality is just terrible. But I remember when I was looking for the cheapest vape pen I could find, I wasn't concerned with quality. My throat took a beating because of it but I just wanted something that would get the job done. The devices below will get the job done without forcing you to pull from your retirement or thrashing your throat. (Click here for portable marijuana vaporizers.)

Joytech eGo AIO Kit – $19.95

Okay, so this pen has a built-in tank as well, but it's different. The difference is, the glass is part of the built-in tank. With the Smok Vape Pen 22, the glass is a loose piece that you have to place on the base. It's exposed, meaning it's more likely to break. If it breaks, you're SOL because it doesn't come with a replacement. However, the glass on the eGo AIO starter kit is highly unlikely to break because it's not exposed as much.

The battery on the eGo AIO is a long lasting 1500mAh. You'll be vaping for quite some time before needing to recharge. The built-in tank holds 2mL of e liquid. The pen comes in at 19mm in diameter which means it's nice and sleek. You'll get to use two different drip tips with this pen; a glass drip tip and a spiral one. The spiral drip tip enhances the flavor.

Joytech has become famous for their eGo line of pens and for good reason. They vape nicely and are reliable. What more can you ask for in a $20 pen. When buying cheap vapes, it's always good to go with trusted ones like the pens on this list. You can pick this up at Central Vapors for $19.95.

SMOK Vape Pen 22 – $19.95

This quirky little vaporizer pen would make a great first pen if it wasn't for one fatal flaw which we'll discuss later. It has beginner friendly features such a low resistance, short circuit, and low voltage protection. It has a micro USB charging port which supports pass-through charging. That's great for those of us who forget to charge our gear. I called this kit quirky because the tank is built into the base of the pen but the glass isn't, just like the iJust One. That means you can't swap out or upgrade the tank.

You probably wouldn't want to anyway since whatever tank you would upgrade to would probably cost more than this whole kit. Only the bottom half of the tank is built into the base. When you get the pen you'll have to screw in the atomizer, place the glass on top of the base, and screw on the wide bore Delrin drip tip.

Of course, make sure you have some e liquid in the tank and you're all set. The tank holds 2mL of vape juice. It boasts a powerful 1600mAh battery so you'll be able to vape for quite some time on it. The 22 in the name of this pen is for the 22mm diameter.

One thing that's worth mentioning, this pen seriously kicks out some massive clouds and also produces great flavor. That's mainly why I put it on the list. I'm not the biggest fan of the built-in tank but the Vape Pen 22 gives off excellent vapor for it's pay grade. You'll feel like you're vaping on a $60 pen. It's that good.

But it has one flaw that made me reduce it down to 3 stars. It friggin' leaks. If you don't screw the coil head in with all your might, it leaks like a son of a gun. I read reviews that said screwing it in tight fixes it, and I tried that. It was still leaking on me but hasn't leaked in a while. I keep mine standing upright now so I'm not sure if the coil trick fixed the leak or not. Either way, I don't think you should have to read special instructions to operate a beginner pen. It loses a star for not being intuitive to use and being prone to leaking. Other than that, I love the vapor this little device kicks out. It's awesome for the size.

You can buy this little beast for under $20 at DirectVapor.

VaporFi's New Air 2 Mini Vaporizer – $19.99

This little device came out on June 12th, 2017. There was a lot of buzz surrounding its release.

It's a solid device and performs like a champ. As far as quality goes, it doesn't get any better than this for this price range. Even though this is a solidly build pen, it's not for everyone.

The biggest drawback to this pen is the fact that it has a 350mAh battery. That makes it tough to recommend this pen as a go to pen. However, it does make for a great complimentary device for when you need a smaller, stealthier device.

You can also buy some extra atomizers that will allow you to convert this pen into an oil vaporizer. The upgraded atomizers costs $8, but they're unnecessary if you are only going to be using it for e-liquids.

The best thing about the Air 2 Mini is the size and quality. Sometimes a small device is exactly what you need, especially if you normally use one of those big brick box mods. Don't get me wrong, I love box mods but sometimes I just want to wear athletic shorts and a tank top and slide a little pen into my pocket. This one is perfect for that.

If you're looking for an all-day vape, this isn't it. But if you just want something that's portable, convenient, and high quality, look no further.

You can only buy it from VaporFi since it's their baby.

Eleaf iJust ONE – $22.95

This device is another great option, especially if you can catch it when it goes on sell. For just 23 bucks (free shipping), you will get an easy to use device with a 1100mAh battery. That's what sets this vape pen apart from other pens. For it's size, it has a nice battery capacity. They usually have a 650mAh battery, which won't last nearly as long as this battery.

For a $23 vaporizer, there aren't really any cons when you consider the price range. If you remove the price range and compare it to the $50 vape on this list, the Rocket 3, then it does have some cons. The tank is 1.5mL smaller than the Rocket 3 which is nearly twice the size. It would be nice to have a bigger tank, but you would also have to sacrifice a little bit of portability.

Also, the Rocket 3 has variable wattage and temperature control which is super rare for starter pens. Most manufacturers don't put features like that in these devices which makes you have to pay up for a fancy box mod if you want variable wattage and temp control. The Rocket 3 also has a much bigger 2500mAh battery. It more of a deluxe pen. If you're willing to pay over 3x the price, go with the Rocket 3. It's a sound investment. But if you're looking to get the most bang for your buck, the Eleaf iJust One is the best deal on the market.

The 2mL tank is average size for these sub $20 devices. If it were 3mL or bigger it would have made this deal even better. A 2mL tank is a good size but I like bigger tanks myself. If you switch flavors a lot, 2mL is good. But if you want to avoid having to refill so much, go with a bigger tank. They're more convenient.

Another thing that makes this pen a great first device is that it has a top-filling tank. Bottom-fill tanks are prone to leaking and just all around harder to refill. They're a pain in the butt. I don't like bottom-fill tanks for beginners, and don't like them for myself either. This tank is a top-fill tank so you can refill it a lot easier and has a very good seal to keep the e-liquid inside the tank. For $23, this starter kit is a good bargain, but there are $20 pens that can do just as much.

This kit comes with two sub ohm coil heads which both produce excellent vapor. The flavor and clouds are easily the best in this price range. You will be able to taste deep flavors in your e-liquid, flavors you won't be able to taste with other similarly priced kits.

If you decide to give this pen a rip, save money and order the iJust One with free shipping from Direct Vapor.

Quick Hitting Eleaf iJust2 Mini – $25.95

The iJust2 Mini starter kit is a nice option. It should last you a long time, even if you decide to upgrade the battery. The tank is a sub ohm tank and it can handle up to 80W.

Of course, the iJust2 Mini battery cannot put out that much power for too long, but you'll have a tank that will still be solid once you eventually upgrade to a mod that can kick out some juice. This is a mini device so it's nice and portable. The tank can hold 2mL of e-liquid which is right on par for the price range, even though it's a compact device.

The one thing I don't like about the tank is that it is a bottom-fill tank. I'm not a big fan of those. When I was new to vaping, I would accidentally unscrew the top of the tank when trying to remove the tank from the battery. It resulted in me spilling quite a bit of e-liquid. When using a bottom-fill tank, just be careful and make sure you unscrew it properly.

The atomizer has a resistance of 0.3ohm which will give you a nice sub ohm vaping experience. You'll get great vapor quality from this tank. It also was designed with the latest heat dissipation technology, allowing your tank to stay cool to the touch even when vaping at high wattages.

The kit comes in at 22mm in diameter and has a 1,100mAh battery. The battery provides enough juice for you to vape for hours while still being small enough to easily fit in your pocket or purse. The battery is just 61mm tall. Click here to get the high performance iJust2 Mini for a basement bargain.

Single Coil Kanger Top Evod – $14.95

The Kanger Top Evod is a decent pen made by one of the most reputable companies in the vaping arena. Kanger specializes in making devices for the every day person. You'll see vaping enthusiast with a Kanger device every now and then, but not too often. They're solid devices but don't have all the bells and whistles as some of the other high-end devices.

The Top Evod sports a 650mAh battery and has a 1.7mL tank capacity. It has safety features like overcharge, low resistance, and short circuit protection. You'll also get a warning from the LED indicator when your battery is low. For less than $15, this pen is a steal. It has some cool features that make this pen legit.

If you are looking to get the most out of your vaping experience and enjoy all the little nuances of vaping, this isn't the pen for you. But if you're just looking for something good and cheap to start vaping with and eventually quit smoking, this is a solid purchase.

SmokeStik ULTRA Portable – $18.95

This is a little pen but it has a big heart! It comes in at a slim 14.5mm (0.57 inches) wide and 137mm (5.4 inches) tall. That's pretty damn small. It boasts a milliliter tank and a 650mAh battery that will power up this little portable pen with pride.

You'll be able to get a couple hours of continuous vaping out of this pen on one charge. If you're not pounding this pen then it'll last longer. Batteries of this size are not designed to last all day.

Another upside is the size. It's highly portable and can fit in your pocket without much of a bulge. It's about the size of the thinner Sharpies which is awesome.

The best use for a pen like this is to give vaping a try. If you're not sure if you want to switch over to the whole vaping thing but want to give it a shot, this is a small investment that's well worth it.

You'll risk $18.95 and you may not like it. Worst case, you're out of 19 bucks. But the upside potential is huge. If you do happen to like it, you're down 19 bucks (which you'll save in no time since vaping is cheaper) but you no longer have to inhale all the chemicals in cigarettes.

I'm sure you know all about the chemicals in cigarettes so I'm not going to get into a passionate rant here. But I'm passionate about this and I know the upside potential is huge to these little cheap starter kit. You can buy this kit from SmokeStik ULTRA.

Platinum E Series Pen Mod – $24.99

This is a good starter pen. It's a simple pen that will do a good job of helping you make the transition from smoking to vaping or from e-cigs to vaporizers. The highlight of this pen is the size. It a very slim pen coming in at just 14mm in width. You could have it in your pocket and it would not make a big bulge. A dry erase marker would stand out more than this pen.

As you could probably guess, with a slim pen you have to sacrifice something. The battery is pretty good, coming in at 1100mAh but the tank is on the smaller side. It only holds 1.5mL of vape juice. That makes it the smallest tank on this list. The next smallest is the Kanger Top Evod at 1.7mL. Honestly, you wouldn't really notice the a 0.2mL difference, but a tank that is 0.5mL bigger would be very noticeable.

The other great thing about this starter kit is that it comes with everything you need to start vaping, literally. The E Seriest starter kit comes with a free 10mL bottle of vape juice. This pen made the list because it's cheap, well liked by vapers, comes with vape juice, and can definitely help you make the switch. It's reliable and produces good vapor. You can buy this starter kit from Platinum Puffs' website.