Pretty much every vapor lover would agree that vaping devices are one of the best inventions in recent years. They allow people to continue participating in a pastime that they enjoy while reducing the majority of the risk, according to most accounts. What vapers do not agree on is which type of vaping device is superior. There are literally hundreds of different devices out there, but the larger argument pits electronic cigarettes verse vapor mods. Both types of electronic smoking devices have a loyal following. So how does one choose between e cigs and vapor mods?
Most people, even those who do not have much knowledge of vaping, know what an electronic cigarette is. There are hundreds of brands out there; however the majority of the products are very similar in appearance. You get a device that resembles a traditional cigarette. Most disposable e cigs are one piece devices. Most rechargeable e cigs are two piece devices featuring a battery (the first piece), and a cartomizer which holds the e liquid and turns it into a vapor (the second piece). Most electronic cigarettes require that you purchase refillable cartridges that do not work with other brands. Some brands, such as V2, sell batteries that work with other manufacturer’s refill cartridges while a few brands sell e cigs that allow you to refill the cartridges yourself.
Mods deliver vapor, yet are generally larger than e cigarettes. Keep in mind that we said generally, as mods come in too many shapes and sizes to some up in a short amount of time. If you are new to vaping you have likely already seen someone using a mod and didn’t realize it. Most often they either look like an electronic wand, or a small rectangular device (often around the same size as a traditional pack of cigarettes) with a tube attached that you draw the vapor through. They must be recharged just like e cigs, but instead of receiving refill cartridges mods allow you to choose your own e liquid (brand doesn’t matter) and refill your device on your own. There are hundreds of mod manufacturers out there, along with individuals who make mods as a hobby. If you do choose to go with a mod we recommend that you purchase one made by an established manufacturer. Kanger and eGo are both established brands that have multiple mods to choose from. Feel free to explore other brands and other forums to find out more as there are so many mods on the market.
Electronic Cigarettes Verse Vapor Mods
So which one is better? While your personal preferences will play heavily into your decision, we do have some standards to help you decide between an electronic cigarette and a mod. We have put together our comparison criteria based upon our experience with vapor products, and feedback that we have received from our electronic cigarette reviews.
Price- Overall we are recommending electronic cigarettes over mods, as an e cig battery is considerably cheaper to replace than a mod on average. Depending upon which mod you choose you can pay well into 100’s of dollars just for the device itself. The price of the e liquid used to refill a mod is all over the place. While many are cheaper per volume than purchasing e cigarette refills, some e liquids can actually be double the price. Most e cig cartridges come with good quality e liquid, while not all generically sold e liquids for mods are that good in our opinion. Also, if you want to try a new flavor you often need to purchase a 30ml vial for a mod, while pretty much every electronic cigarette maker will sell you a reasonably priced sample pack of cartridges.
Amount of vapor- If a huge cloud of vapor is what you are after then we would have to recommend that you try out a mod. Most vapor mods have larger batteries and beefier hardware than electronic cigarettes. This allows them to produce more vapor per drag on average. While most of the good brands of e cigs will produce more than sufficient amounts of vapor, mods still produce more on average.
Portability- You want to be able to vape when you leave the house right? Of course you do. When it comes to portability the vote goes to electronic cigarettes nearly every time. It’s not that it’s impossible to carry a mod around, but e cigs are generally smaller and fit more easily into your pocket or purse. Mods are bulky, even compared to the larger e cigarettes on the market today. If you plan to be out for a while electronic cigarettes give you the option of easily bringing along a spare battery. In the case of a mod you would need to recharge it or have a second mod on-hand, which is far from ideal. Also it easier to find refill cartridges for popular brands of electronic cigarettes while you are out and about, whereas you need a specialty vapor shop to buy e liquid for a vapor mod.
Selection and personalization- Mods come in different shapes, sizes and colors allowing you to purchase a device that fits your exact interests. Also, as you can use any brand of e liquid in a mod you have a much broader choice when it comes to refilling your vaping device. Like we said above, most electronic cigarettes manufacturers require that you purchase their e liquid refills. With a mod this is not the case. Our personal opinion is that this may change in the future, but we will have to wait and see. Currently vapers can choose from a huge variety of flavors and nicotine levels with e cigs, but mods just offer more variety.
Ease of use- If you are new to vaping, or prefer simplicity, then we hands down recommend electronic cigarettes over vapor mods. Disposable e cigs are the most straight forward device out there. If you move to rechargeables (which you should if you plan to switch to vapor permanently) then all you have to do is pick your e liquid and screw the cartomizer onto a charged battery. No filling up a mod, potentially spilling e liquid or anything else. Just charge, put the e cig together and go on about your business.
This is our overview of electronic cigarettes verse mods. To be completely honest we like both products. Were we forced to choose we would have to go with electronic cigarettes. With vapor still being relatively new there are a lot of mods out there that we consider to be questionable. Some break easily, others are reportedly difficult to refill and carry. As vapor gets more popular this very well may change. We are seeing many manufacturers put out new devices that bridge the gap. We are currently testing a product from Vapor4Life that attempts to bridge the gap by offering up a large battery that can be used with both pre-filled cartridges and cartridges that you refill yourself. It makes us excited for what’s to come in the vapor industry. Feel free to share your thoughts on vapor mods verse e cigarettes in the comment section below for other vapor lovers.