What’s a Mod?

An e-cigarette mod (short for modification) is an apparatus that holds the battery and provides power for your tank. A tank screws onto a mod using either eGo or 510 threading. For more info on tanks, click here.

The term mod originated when people started creating their own higher-powered e-cigarettes out of casings and wiring of their own making, often using modified flashlights. Mods were intended as a step up from “cig-alikes,” the original disposable e-cigarettes made to replicate the look and feel of tobacco cigarettes, which many vapers found to be underpowered and insufficient.

At Crescent City Vape, we offer a huge array of e-cigarette mod options, ranging from basic eGo-style batteries to more powerful variable voltage, regulated, and unregulated box mods.

For more information about mods, or if you have any questions at all, please contact us at (504) 309-8134, via our contact form, or stop by the shop at 4507 Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans.

What Are the Basic Types of Mods?

• EGo-Style Battery
  An eGo-threaded battery is the most basic step up from a cig-alike. It is simply a battery inside a casing, with a button that you press to close the circuit and deliver power to your tank.

• Variable Voltage/Variable Wattage Battery
  These are batteries that allow you to control the output of power, within a certain range. The power level is changed by turning a dial or by pressing a button. This means that you can control the intensity of the flavor and vapor you produce.

• Regulated Mod
  A regulated device is a more sophisticated version of a variable voltage/wattage battery. They are larger and often have replaceable batteries. They often have an LCD screen to monitor different factors, which gives you more control over power output. There are more safety limits, and the battery’s voltage drop is regulated, so that you get more consistent power from a battery until it has run out of power. Some devices, for example the Innokin MVP 2.0, the battery is not removable, and the user simply charges the device itself with a cable. This is called a “pass-through” device.

• Unregulated Box Mod
  An unregulated box mod is a box-shaped mod that holds a battery and powers your device. The difference is that a box mod has wiring, but no circuitry. The advantage is a consistent voltage output for a smooth and consistent all-day vape.

Before we get into which mod is right for you, let’s break down a couple of basics.

• What Are Voltage and Wattage?
  Voltage and wattage are power ratings. If you are new to mods, you can think of it this way: Controlling your battery’s voltage is like driving a car in manual. You are simply deciding the number of volts that your battery outputs. For a variable voltage eGo battery, a common range is between 3.2 and 5 volts.Continuing with the car analogy, controlling your wattage is more like driving automatic. When you are switching wattage level, your device uses the resistance of your atomizer to determine what is the best voltage to maintain even as your battery decreases in life. Since no battery can use voltage beyond its inherent power (3.7 volts in the case of most 18650 vape batteries), as your battery power reaches the end of its life your vape will lose a little bit of its power, even in a high quality regulated device—this is also why, if you are demanding a lot of voltage (high wattage while using a high resistance coil), many mods will begin to cease firing even if your battery life is still showing something like 25% or even 50%

• What is mAh?
  A mAh, or milliampere-hour, is a rating that reflects the longevity of a battery life. The higher the mAh, the longer the battery will last, although this can be affected by many variants. For instance, if you run your battery at a higher voltage or wattage, the longevity will decrease. If you are taking puffs on your e-cigarette constantly, your battery life will be less than someone who takes fewer puffs. So, it is difficult to state battery longevity in correlation with hours, for example, it is not totally accurate to say that 1,000mAh would translate to four hours of battery life.

So, which e-cigarette mod is right for you?

Regulated Mod Advantages

• More Control
  A regulated device gives you more control over the vapor and flavor of your e-cigarette. If you want to save power for a while, and perhaps don’t care as much about the amount of vapor or flavor at the moment, you can reduce the wattage or voltage, and then change it back whenever you want.

• More Consistent Vape
  The vape is usually more consistent with a regulated device. The circuitry regulates the voltage drop so that until your battery is out of power, your vape will remain relatively consistent.

• Ability to Monitor Battery Power/Atomizer Resistance
  With most regulated devices, you can monitor your e-cigarette – for instance, you can check your remaining battery life and your ohm rating (the resistance of your atomizer) to make sure everything is running smoothly.

• Safety
  A regulated mod, including an eGo-type battery, has safety mechanisms intended to stop battery problems from occurring. While no battery is 100% safe, if a regulated mod is dispensing more power than it should, a safety mechanism cut offs the battery before anything potentially dangerous occurs — mainly battery venting, but rarely, a battery explosion.

Unregulated Box Mod Advantages

• Less Control, but a Simpler Experience
  A box mod has no power controls — you determine the wattage by choosing the resistance level of atomizer you attach to the mod, and this wattage decreases as the battery loses life. In this sense, a box mod is actually very easy and automatic — there are no settings to change: you simply put in the battery and vape until the battery needs to be changed.

• Consistent, All-Day Vape
  If you have a high-quality box mod, your voltage drop will be very low. This means that you will have the same great vape until the battery’s voltage drops below 3.8. It is best to never allow your battery to drop below 3.6 volts of power, for both safety and battery maintenance. When the battery power gets that low, you will notice a significant decrease in the flavor and vapor, which means you need to change batteries.

• Higher Power Capabilities
  A box mod has no regulation, so it can go to a higher wattage than most regulated devices. If you are someone who rebuilds your own atomizer, and wants to build at a lower resistance, which means more heat, more vapor and sometimes more flavor, a box mod will allow you to do this. NOTE: This practice should only be done by experienced vapers who have read about and understand Ohm’s law, rebuilding atomizers, and amp limits and battery safety.