Batteries & Mods

What is a mod?

Originally, a ‘mod’ was a modified electronic cigarette. Nowadays, it has become a generic term for a type of e-cig that has a greater battery life, more power and/or more settings.

Mods are available in several shapes and can function differently. The most common are the box or tube-shaped mods, but they can be shaped like a toy or a football, among other original designs. In the end, a mod is just a housing for your e-cig’s batteries, so it can have any shape.

There are two main types of mods:

• Electronic mods that function with a microprocessor or ‘chipset’. This system offers many electronic settings as well as various safety features so that you can vape with peace of mind.
• Mechanical mods, which don’t have any electronic components whatsoever, and therefore no safety features. They’re intended for the more experienced users who want a ‘no-frill’ vaping experience, without any electronic regulations.

What is a box mod?

As you’ve probably figured out already, a box is just a mod with a rectangular shape. It’s the most common shape today, as it’s the most practical and ergonomic for many vapers. Indeed, it’s the best shape for carrying batteries in, from one to four depending on the model.

Box mods offer way more autonomy than traditional electronic cigarette kits. They can also reach higher wattages with ease, up to 200 watts for some mods, which is ideal for sub-ohm vaping. They include many settings and interesting features, such as temperature control modes for preventing any dry hits.

Box mods are fitted with a display that shows you all of your vaping information in real time, including data like the coil’s resistive value and the amount of leftover battery. Some boxes even have a touch screen!

Electronic boxes are the best way of customising your vape down to the last detail, whilst enjoying the exceptional experience this kind of equipment can provide!

Some internationally renowned manufacturers such as Aspire, Eleaf, Kangertech or Joyetech offer accessible and powerful boxes so you to get the hang of this new type of equipment. Other brands like Smoke or Dotmod have more sophisticated or high-end devices that’ll go with any atomiser.

What is the difference between mechanical and electronic mods?

As we said before, there are two main types of mods: mechanical and electronic.

Electronic mods represent the majority of the vaping market today, because they offer a comfortable and safe experience to vapers. Thanks to the electronic chipset they contain, they offer many settings and parameters, and you can check all of your mod’s data on a handy display screen. The battery’s discharge is better regulated and allows for a more regular vape, regardless of whether said battery is full or almost empty.

It’s also the safest way to vape, thanks to the numerous electronic protections configured into the mod.

In contrast, mechanical mods work without any electronic chipsets. The signal sent by the batteries isn’t regulated, so your vape won’t be as powerful when the batteries become empty.

These mods don’t have any electronic safety features, so they’re only for the more experienced vapers, as you can imagine. The battery is directly in contact with your atomiser’s connector pin and delivers its voltage. Therefore, a perfect knowledge of Ohm's law is required, so as to fit a coil that corresponds to your battery's discharge rate. If you fancy trying mechanical mods, you have to remember this rule!

What is the difference between a built-in battery and removable batteries?

All electronic cigarettes use a power source to operate. They either use a built-in battery that cannot be dismantled or removable batteries.

There isn’t a fundamental difference between the two when it comes to operation. They both deliver a certain voltage to the coil, which in turn heats your e-liquid and vapourises it so you can then inhale it.

It’s more common to find built-in batteries in beginner e-cigarettes, as they cannot be accessed and therefore are safer for novices. The major drawback of this, though, is that the battery cannot be replaced. When it reaches the end of its life, you have to change the entire mod or box.

Conversely, removable batteries can be replaced as many times as you want. An e-cigarette battery lasts about 6 months. Moreover, removable batteries offer much more power, as some boxes can accommodate up to 4 batteries of 2500 mAh each, which is more than enough for a full day’s use!

How to choose your electronic mod

As is the case for laptops and smartphones, the mod plays a vital part in your electronic cigarette’s operation. It’s the energy source that allows the whole device to operate.

Don’t worry, it’s not that complicated to choose one. There are just a few characteristics that you’ll have to look at if you want to find the right one for your particular needs.

The first thing to understand is that most batteries are of the rechargeable lithium-ion type. A battery’s capacity is expressed in milliamperes or mAh. The higher this value is, the longer the battery will last, and the less you’ll have to charge it.

If you vape a lot, it’s a good idea to get a battery of 2000 mAh or more, it’ll avoid you having to charge it several times a day. The average vaper can opt for a battery of 1100 to 2000 mAh. Finally, if you only vape from time to time, you can use an even smaller battery, which will be much more compact.

If you use an electronic mod with removable batteries, you should carry a few spares so that you don’t run out of battery when you need to vape!

The second thing you need to look at is the equipment’s power output, expressed in watts. This is the device’s ability to provide the energy to your clearomiser or atomiser coil, and thus produce the vapour you inhale. Some electronic mods can go up to 200w, but they’re mainly intended for sub-ohm vaping and making lots of vapour.

How do you charge a box mod?

There’s no way around it, you’ll have to charge your electronic or mechanical mod batteries from time to time, regardless of whether they’re built-in or removable.

Mods with built-in batteries have a micro-USB port, so you just need to plug the cable included with the mod into any USB outlet, such as your computer or a mains smartphone charger. If you have a mod with removable batteries, we recommend you use an external battery charger. It’s the best way to increase the batteries’ lifespan.

Electronic mods

Electronic mods are the most popular among vapers. They’re easy to use, affordable and safe. They’re a great alternative to traditional All-In-One electronic cigarettes.

Electronic mods are most often of the box type, with the second most widespread type being the tube mod.

You can buy all sorts of electronic mods, from entry-level kits that cost a dozen euros to more expensive high-end devices, available in all shapes, sizes and materials.

Thus, you can easily customise your vape and make it more ergonomical or aesthetic, for example. Some vapers end up owning a whole collection of vape kits!

Mechanical mods

Mechanical mods are more complex, they’re intended for experienced users and vaping connoisseurs.

Mech mods don’t have any electronic safety features, so a full knowledge of Ohm's law is required. The latter is a physical law that allows you to fit the right coil onto your atomiser, depending on which battery you use. With this kind of device, the electronic signal isn’t regulated, and some vapers think it’s a more ‘authentic’ vape than what traditional mods can offer.

Here again, there are many collectors, and the market is full of small craftsmen and ‘modders’ who design their own mods. They often produce a small run of kits, which can sometimes sell out in just a few minutes.

Bottom-feeder mods

Bottom-feeder mods are more than just another type of mod, they represent a unique vaping style and use specific vaping equipment. Vapers can use electronic or mechanical mods, but they have to be fitted with a bottom-feeding bottle and a dripper.

The bottle inside the box mod contains the e-liquid, and when you squeeze it the liquid rises into the dripper’s well and soaks the coil. The user no longer has to carry a bottle of e-liquid and pour drops of it onto the coil whenever he wants to vape. He now has enough juice inside his mod to keep him going for quite a while, as some bottles can hold up to 8ml!

Related to box mods

• Everything about clearomisers
• What is a rebuildable atomiser?