The Higo BB4000 is one of the cheapest, smallest 2+4 refillable kits on UK shelves. We took one apart to see where a sub-£10 pocket refill cuts corners — and where it doesn’t.
Quick answer: The Higo BB4000 is a compact 2+4 refillable kit — a small refillable cartridge on a magnetic 900 mAh battery rod — that’s genuinely pocketable (42 × 21 × 82 mm) and cheap. The build has a couple of clever low-cost touches (a metal pierce post and steel-plate-clamped seals). The honest catch our teardown found: there’s no independent airway in the battery support, which raises the risk of spit-back/blow-back, and the refill plug is small and fiddly. Power is gentle — a single ~0.98 Ω mesh coil at a measured ~12.4 W — and charging is slow at ~0.5 A.
The buyer questions, answered
Is it actually refillable? Yes — it’s a 2+4 system with a side fill port and a rechargeable 900 mAh battery rod. The practical niggle from the teardown: the refill plug is small, which makes refilling (and reassembly) fiddly.
How’s the battery and charging? A 900 mAh cell driving a measured ~12.4 W from a single ~0.98 Ω mesh coil. Charging is on the slow side — about 0.5 A, roughly 108 minutes to full — which is the trade-off for the small, cheap package.
Why might it spit or feel harsh? The teardown’s clearest finding: the battery support has no independent airway, which our notes flag as a blow-back / spit-back risk on this design. It’s the kind of cost-down you can feel.
Is it worth £8.99–£9.99? For a tiny, genuinely refillable kit at this price, the value is the size and the low cost. Just go in knowing it’s a gentle, slow-charging device with the airway caveat above.
VapeRisk Labs scorecard
| Category | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Size / pocketability | 9.0/10 | Genuinely tiny (42 × 21 × 82 mm) — among the smallest 2+4 refills around. |
| Refill design | 6.5/10 | Real 2+4 refill with a neat metal pierce post; let down by a small, fiddly fill plug. |
| Airflow / reliability | 5.5/10 | No independent airway in the battery support — a blow-back risk on this unit. |
| Battery / charging | 6.0/10 | 900 mAh, ~12.4 W, but slow ~0.5 A charging (~108 min). |
| Value | 8.0/10 | Cheap, pocketable and refillable — sensible for the price. |
| Overall build verdict | 6.8/10 | A likeable budget pocket refill whose main weakness is the skipped airway. |
Scores reflect the single unit we examined.
Key specs — claimed vs found on the bench
| Spec | Claimed / marked | VapeRisk Labs teardown (this unit) |
|---|---|---|
| Format | 2+4 refillable kit | Refillable cartridge + magnetic battery rod (confirmed) |
| Price / market | £8.99–9.99, UK | — |
| E-liquid | 2 + 4 mL | 6 mL per fill (confirmed) |
| Battery | 900 mAh | 900 mAh, 3.7 V, “132036” cell (marked) |
| Coil | — | single mesh, ≈0.98 Ω (measured) |
| Power | — | measured ≈12.4 W (constant-RMS) |
| Airflow / draw | — | single setting, ≈300–340 Pa (measured) |
| Vapour (TPM) | — | ≈4.2 mg (measured) |
| Charging | — | ≈0.5 A constant current, ~108 min to full (measured) |
| Dimensions | — | 42 × 21 × 82 mm (measured) |
What’s inside
The cartridge — a low-cost pierce-and-clamp design
The storage cup holds the single mesh coil and wick, a metal liquid-guide post that pierces the reservoir to feed oil, and silicone seals clamped by stamped steel plates instead of plastic parts — a genuine low-cost engineering touch.
Storage-cup parts (full list): storage cup (PCTG), metal liquid-guide posts (SUS), the mesh-coil assembly, storage cotton/wick, silicone seals, steel clamp plate and gold-plated electrodes.
The battery rod
The rod carries a 900 mAh “132036” cell and the main board, mating to the cartridge by magnets. We measured charging at about 0.5 A, roughly 108 minutes to full.
The main board
The board carries the MCU, charge IC, output MOSFET, the microphone (airflow) sensor, a small digit display and a USB-C input (this design splits the electronics across more than one small board).
Main board: 1 microphone (airflow sensor); the board also carries the display, electrodes, MCU and charge IC. Board markings (e.g. the board code) are left visible as teardown evidence.
Safety-related observations (this unit)
These describe the unit we examined and are not a rating for the brand or for other units.
- Charge management: present — a dedicated charge-management IC with a USB-C input; we measured charging at ≈0.5 A constant current, ~108 min to full, on a marked 900 mAh / 3.7 V cell.
- Airway note (this unit): the battery support has no independent airway, which we observed as a design choice with a blow-back/spit-back trade-off. This is an engineering observation about the unit, not a rating for the brand.
Where the teardown evidence on a component was mixed, we’ve left it out of this write-up and flagged it for a closer photo-level check rather than state it here.
Marketing claim analysis — what holds up
| Higo says | What the teardown shows | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 2+4 refillable | Genuine refill cartridge + rechargeable rod | Confirmed |
| 900 mAh battery | “132036” 900 mAh cell measured | Confirmed |
| Transparent tank / UI | Clear tank + small digit display | Confirmed |
| (unstated) | No independent airway; small fiddly fill plug; slow ~0.5 A charge | The buyer-relevant facts the box leaves out |
How we examined this unit
This examination was carried out by VapeRisk Labs. We disassembled a Higo BB4000 to the component level, photographed each part, and recorded materials, dimensions, and electrical behaviour on the bench. The findings above describe the specific unit we examined. Manufacturer figures are labelled claimed; bench figures are labelled measured or estimated.
FAQ
Is the Higo BB4000 refillable?
Yes — it’s a 2+4 kit (6 mL per fill) with a side fill port and a rechargeable 900 mAh battery rod. The fill plug is small, so refilling is a little fiddly.
How fast does the Higo BB4000 charge?
On the slow side: we measured about 0.5 A, roughly 108 minutes to full over USB-C.
How much power does it make?
About 12.4 W measured (constant-RMS) from a single ~0.98 Ω mesh coil — a gentle, MTL-style output.
Why might the Higo BB4000 spit or feel harsh?
On the unit we examined, the battery support had no independent airway, which we noted as a blow-back/spit-back risk on this design.