Are Vapers At Risk From Hazardous Metals?

A group of researchers from Johns Hopkins and other universities are getting a lot of attention with a study that claims to show dangerous levels of various metals in e-cigarette vapor.

The press release was in newsrooms before the study had even been published, and the researchers were on the phone with reporters before the ink on the press release was dry. And the story is still spreading. Unfortunately, most reporters simply repeat the authors’ version of what the results mean, and don’t bother seeking out experts who might challenge the paper’s conclusions. And they definitely need challenging.

“Toxic metals linked with brain damage are ‘leaking from e-cigarettes into vapour’, experts have found,” said The Mirror. “Oh good, e-cigarette vapor contains toxic metals, too,” shouted the sarcastic Mashable banner. And those weren’t even the worst headlines.

Do the headlines match the study’s findings? And, for that matter, do the researchers’ own conclusions even describe the findings of the research?

What did they find? And what did they say they found?

The authors were aware of previous studies that measured metals in closed system, cigalike-style products, and wanted to instead test for metals in vape tanks, which are the most common products used by regular vapers. So they asked the vapers they had recruited to participate in the study to bring their own vape gear and refill e-liquid to the interview.

They then tested the e-liquid in the refill bottles and the tanks that had been exposed to the metal atomizer coils for 15 different metals. They also tested the vapor itself.

“Of the metals significantly present in the aerosols, lead, chromium, nickel and manganese were the ones of most concern, as all are toxic when inhaled,” says the Johns Hopkins press release. “The median lead concentration in the aerosols, for example, was about 15 μg/kg, or more than 25 times greater than the median level in the refill dispensers. Almost 50 percent of aerosol samples had lead concentrations higher than health-based limits defined by the Environmental Protection Agency. Similarly, median aerosol concentrations of nickel, chromium and manganese approached or exceeded safe limits.”

Pretty frightening, right? There’s just one problem: the researchers judged the results by EPA limits, which measure safe concentrations in the air we breathe all day long. But vapers don’t breathe vapor constantly all day long. Environmental standards are the wrong way to measure something that is only inhaled occasionally.

Unfortunately, vaping researchers willing to twist their results to shape regulations are all too common.

Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, a medical doctor and research fellow at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Athens, Greece, caught the error (or deception) right away. Dr. Farsalinos has made a career of doing fair research on vapor products, and he’s done more than anyone to call out other scientists with lower standards.

In a Facebook post, Farsalinos quickly deflated the conclusions of the Johns Hopkins study.

“The ‘significant amount’ of metals the authors reported they found were measured in μg/kg,” wrote Farsalinos. “In fact they are so low that for some cases (chromium and lead) I calculated that you need to vape more than 100 ml per day in order to exceed the FDA limits for daily intake from [inhaled] medications. The authors once again confuse themselves and everyone else by using environmental safety limits related to exposure with every single breath, and apply them to vaping. However, humans take more than 17,000 (thousand) breaths per day but only 400-600 puffs per day from an e-cigarette.”

In other words, the Johns Hopkins researchers found nothing unusual — nothing that should alarm vapers or regulators — but they translated their results into terms that would create maximum panic.

And, sadly, vapers helped them do it.

Why would vapers help with this study?

How did they find vapers willing to help with their research? Simple. They “recruited 58 participants using tank-style devices through vaping conventions and flyers posted in e-cigarette shops.” Why would vape shops help any American vaping researcher, knowing that their grants are usually based on the understanding that they will produce evidence the FDA can use to regulate vapes? That’s a good question.

The researchers asked vapers to bring in their own devices to be tested, and all but two of them did. Those two were excluded from the results. All of the participating vapers gave consent to Johns Hopkins.

We previously covered another group of Johns Hopkins researchers who recruited vapers to help participate in a study. They found subjects in much the same way, but went a step further and also advertised on Reddit. That article contained several good suggestions for vapers considering participation in any vaping study, like checking the researchers’ previous statements about vaping, searching for the grant proposal to see what they expect the study to show, and asking who is funding their research.

Every time researchers like these cry wolf, they make vapers less likely to trust future research that may raise truly serious risks.

Unfortunately, vaping researchers willing to twist their results to shape regulations are all too common. The results seem clearly misinterpreted to create fear, and it’s difficult to believe that the authors didn’t do that deliberately. Naturally, the press release was available before the study was even published, and the authors eagerly participated in the gleefully scary coverage.

The authors misrepresented their results to imply that the vapers’ exposure to dangerous metals was more dangerous than it actually was. And they decided that assuring sensational press coverage by exaggerating their results was more important than offering honest information.

The truth of the study is that there are metals in e-liquid vapor — just not in high enough concentrations to be especially concerning. But vapers should be aware of it, and it’s probably something manufacturers should try to reduce as much as possible. That’s the story here.

But it’s not the story the Johns Hopkins scientists wanted to tell. They wanted a scary story, so they took their data and made the results seem worse than they really were with reporting tricks. They’re not interested in trying to solve a real problem. Every time researchers like these cry wolf, they make vapers less likely to trust future research that might actually raise serious risks.

Rethinking Science’s Magic Number

When a new scientific finding arrives in your newsfeed, it is often too early to recognize whether it’s undercooked. Consider “power posing,” the focus of a Harvard Business School study. By standing like a superhero one minute a day, its authors found that it boosted testosterone, reduced stress hormones, and generally made people feel empowered.

Not long after, a “power pose” TED talk went viral, leaving a trail of anecdotal success stories and garnering millions of views. Business websites were quick to promote the “power pose” life hack—it was backed by science, after all.

Behind nearly every piece of science news you read is a magic number: the p-value.

And then it all came crumbling down. A nearly identical experiment, using more thorough methods and four times as many study participants, did not find evidence that power posing did any of those things. An offshoot study further failed to reproduce the magic of the “power pose.”

It’s easy to feel hoodwinked, but at the time of its release, author Amy Cuddy genuinely believed her research findings. In fact, her statistics seemed to back her up, and peer reviewers had given her the thumbs up. And she is not alone—for decades, scientists and the media alike have consumed claims from single-publications as fact. As meticulous as scientists are, inaccurate, false, or even misleading science claims are surprisingly common. A 2015 experiment reported over one-third of psychology experiments are faulty, while a similar test for cancer research indicates similar trends, though that one is still in progress. The problem isn’t limited to those two fields, either.

Magic Number

Behind nearly every piece of science news you read is a magic number: the p-value. To generate a p-value, scientists run statistical tests comparing data sets. Their starting assumption is that there’s no difference between the things they’re comparing—new drug vs. sugar pill, power pose vs. nothing—and when they find a result that deviates significantly enough from “no difference,” they report it as a positive finding.

“If you assume that nothing is going on…and get a surprising set of data, it might make you wonder whether there is something going on.” said Daniel Lakens, an assistant professor of applied cognitive psychology at Einthoven University of Technology in the Netherlands.

You can think of the p-value as a “warmer-colder” game for scientific knowledge: a low p-value shouts “warmer,” while a high p-value reads “colder, not much to see here.” It’s a helpful tool, but it’s not perfect. And the threshold that most scientists use is less perfect than some would like.

The p-value was originally devised by French scholar Pierre-Simon Laplace, a contemporary of Napoleon Bonaparte. Sir Ronald A. Fisher later popularized it after a famous experiment involving a lady who could taste differences in virtually identical cups of tea. Fisher proposed a p-value threshold of 0.05, and his ideas laid the groundwork for modern experimentation as it exists today.

“For decades, the conventional p-value threshold has been 0.05,” says Dr. Paul Wakim, chief of the biostatistics and clinical epidemiology service at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, “but it is extremely important to understand that this 0.05, there’s nothing rigorous about it. It wasn’t derived from statisticians who got together, calculated the best threshold, and then found that it is 0.05. No, it’s Ronald Fisher, who basically said, ‘Let’s use 0.05,’ and he admitted that it was arbitrary.”

But over time, p = 0.05 has morphed into a Caesar’s thumb for research, making it hard to publish anything that doesn’t fall under that threshold. What’s worse, the pressure to report a passing p-value leads some scientists to resort to misconduct.

One form of misconduct, called “p-hacking,” occurs when scientists selectively embellish a few, randomly extreme data points, and conceal many insignificant ones. Their work passes the p-value threshold and makes the effects of their experiment seem more convincing than what occurs in reality.

The NIH Clinical Center has reined in p-hacking in federally funded projects through improved the surveillance. By registering on websites like www.clinicaltrials.gov, researchers are required to outline their experiments upfront. Scientists must then report their results in that same registry. Since the information is tracked, non-significant results get regularly communicated, making it more difficult to p-hack.

Most fields don’t have a registry and instead rely heavily on publications for peer-review of research, which has its shortcomings as well. Peer-review can work well, but it only analyzes experiments after p-values have been produced, for example.

A Warning

Misconduct or not, many statisticians and scientists are concerned about the improper use of p-values. The American Statistical Association recently issued a stern warning against misuse of p-values, a first in its 179-year existence. “The p-value was never intended to be a substitute for scientific reasoning,” its director wrote.

That said, there may be one easy fix—lowering the p-value for significance. When examining the p-values of psychology claims that successfully passed the reproducibility test, Open Science Collaboration authors noted that studies with the lowest p-values were more likely to pass, suggesting that low p-values could help weed out intentionally and unintentionally spurious claims.

Some research fields have voluntarily opted for more stringent p-values, because p = 0.05 was not strict enough. Particle physics, for example, has replaced the conventional p = 0.05 with “five sigma” or, p = 0.0000003, allowing them to announce discoveries, like the Higgs boson, with extraordinary confidence. Genetics applies similar thresholds to help scientists focus on the most relevant genes among the thousands residing in our genomes.

Another branch of statistics also supports lowering the p-value threshold. Valen Johnson of Texas A&M University analyzed scientific claims made with p-values of 0.05 using what’s known as a Bayesian approach. Most results were inconclusive. It wasn’t until the p-value neared 0.005 that the research claims satisfied both varieties of stats—and in Johnson’s eyes, were scientifically believable.

Last summer, a similar, albeit less-technical publication emerged in the renowned journal Nature, where 72 prominent scientists reiterated Johnson’s sweeping proposal. Unsurprisingly, Johnson was among the lead authors.

Think of the p-value as a filter: with a high p-value, the holes in the filter are wider, and some plausible-sounding data that was actually just randomness will make it through the peer-review process. However, if you reduce the p-value to 0.005, the filter becomes much more stringent.

That sounds great, but Dr. Wakim argues that the proposed solution creates a new problem for clinical research: filtering out real discoveries that could translate into treatments—and potentially lives saved. He’d rather see a false-positive discovery be neatly corrected later, rather than miss it altogether.

Alternative Approaches

The breadth of the p = 0.005 proposal stepped on many researchers’ toes, and it wasn’t long before the internet blew up in response. Lakens seized the wave of attention to organize a Google Doc, hosting a massive (and surprisingly organized) open-dialogue on the subject. Scientists with diverse backgrounds and experience levels contemplated how a standard of p = 0.005 would be implemented.

Ultimately they did not agree with the 72-author publication—there was too much uncertainty on how potential benefits could justify costs.

Instead, the Google Doc’s authors entertained less rigid alternatives. One proposal was that each field or community might set its own threshold of significance. This is because the costs and benefits of changing a p-value vary depending on the discipline.

Lakens likens the conflict to a debate over speed limits. “It’s like saying we have a lot of accidents when we drive, and we could fix it if we set the driving speed to 20 miles per hour because then we’re never going to have lethal accidents,” he says. “But then of course you don’t get anywhere as quickly anymore. And maybe you cannot make some trips because they are too far. It’s sort-of the same for science, so you can make it very slow, and careful…but whether it’s actually optimal in the complete sense of weighing all the costs and benefits, it’s not very clear.”

Lakens would rather see more studies that attempt to reproduce previous experiments. After all, if a specific experiment is repeated, and the outcomes are the same as before, we can feel more confident in the results. And with scientists knowing their work could be challenged with replications, they might feel less inclined to p-hack.

But repeating an experiment is currently less dazzling than publishing a new finding, and it’s expensive. A few grants exist to address the latter issue, but the former is more intractable. New results are almost always better received than confirmations of what we already thought we knew.

Dr. Wakim would like to see scientific journals accept results no matter the p-value. “Scientific discoveries take a long time, and many of them happen by elimination of unlikely explanations,” he says. Negative results, while not as exciting, have real value.

Similar to Thomas Edison’s discovery of 999 ways not to make a lightbulb, negative results inform future research efforts, making science more efficient. What’s more, if scientists are transparent about their p-values, organizations like the Cochrane Collaboration readily use this data for meta-analyses. Detecting a cohort of similar claims, all with p-values slightly above 0.05, results in a form of significance all its own that stand-alone studies could not necessarily substantiate.

“People say, ‘Ugh, it’s above 0.05, I wasted my time.’ No, you didn’t waste your time.” says Dr. Wakim. “If the research question is important, the result is important. Whatever it is.”

Suorin iShare Preview | Two Vapes in One Kit

Suorin iShare intro

The Suorin iShare is the new product from one of the leaders in the pod mod market. The iShare comes with two refillable pod vapes (called Singles) and they’re both housed in one power bank — which looks a bit like a box mod.

Colors: Black, White (Blue, Red, Gold, Gray)

Prices: $59.99 for the kit / $19.99 for a spare Single / $5.99 for replacement pods

Suorin iShare specs and features

Specs:

• Draw Activated Firing
• 9 watts Maximum Output
• Refillable
• 0.9 mL Capacity
• 2.0-ohm Atomizer Resistance
• Proprietary Connection
• 130 mAh Built-In Battery
• LED Battery Life Indicator
• iShare Battery Bank Required to Charge

iShare Battery Product Features:

• 1400 mAh Battery Capacity
• Holds Two iShare
• Magnetic Connection

Suorin is at it again!

Suorin’s previous vape pod systems (the Drop and the Air V2) have been headlining best-of lists for a while now. Their latest entry in the pod market promises a legit MTL experience and on-the-go charging — with enough battery juice to get you through the day and then some.

The two super-lightweight Singles batteries included in the kit are draw activated and come with a capacity of 0.9 mL, and 2.0 ohm resistance coils capable of 9 watt power. Couple that with a 70/30 VG/PG recommended e-liquid ratio and the device practically shouts for nicotine salts e-liquids. Yes, you guessed it right: as with previous Suorin products, no hacking skills are required. Each of the iShare’s Singles is an open pod system and refilling the pods seems easy as 1-2-3.

Early reports claim a satisfying MTL draw that can also be DL if you choose.

The Singles come with a battery capacity of 130 mAh and while they don’t seem to be especially power hungry, I would think twice about leaving my house without the 1400 mAh power bank. But fear not! The power bank with both Singles included is compact and weighs much less than an average single battery mod.

Early reports claim a satisfying MTL draw that can also be DL if you choose. That would put it somewhere between the Drop and the Air. I can already tell you that you won’t be entering cloud competitions with the iShare but for more details on its real-life performance, you’ll have to check our upcoming hands-on review.

Save 10%

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Temperatures at the North Pole Rose to the Melting Point This Weekend

The North Pole hasn’t seen the sun for months, but temperatures there briefly skyrocketed to as high as 35° F (2° C) over the weekend, according to the U.S. Global Forecast System.

It’s highly unusual for the tip of the Earth to experience these bursts of warmth in February. But a study published in July found that since 1980, such anomalies have become more common. As a matter of fact, we’re having déjà vu—scientists recorded a similar phenomenon in November of 2016. In this more recent case, the temperature for the entire region north of 80° latitude reached its highest level ever recorded. The average temperature was more than 36° F (20° C) above normal.

Warming events are related to the decline of winter sea ice in the Arctic.

Robert Graham of the Norwegian Polar Institute, was the lead author on the aforementioned study. Here’s Jason Samenow, reporting for The Washington Post his on Graham’s perspective:

Graham explained that these warming events are related to the decline of winter sea ice in the Arctic, noting that January’s ice extent was the lowest on record. “As the sea ice is melting and thinning, it is becoming more vulnerable to these winter storms,” he explained. “The thinner ice drifts more quickly and can break up into smaller pieces. The strong winds from the south can push the ice further north into the Central Arctic, exposing the open water and releasing heat to the atmosphere from the ocean.”

Scientists were shocked in recent days to discover open water north of Greenland, an area normally covered by old, very thick ice. “This has me more worried than the warm temps in the Arctic right now,” tweeted Mike MacFerrin, an ice sheet specialist at the University of Colorado.

Zack Labe, a climate scientist working on his Ph.D. at the University of California at Irvine, confirmed the finding through an independent analysis and shared it on Twitter:

The extreme event continues to unfold in the high #Arctic today in response to a surge of moisture and “warmth”

2018 is well exceeding previous years (thin lines) for the month of February. 2018 is the red line. Average temperature is in white (https://t.co/kO5ufUWrKq) pic.twitter.com/cLeMxSxvWo

— Zack Labe (@ZLabe) February 25, 2018

One explanation for what we’re seeing here is the progress of storms moving toward the North Pole through the Greenland Sea, pulling heat to the north—as opposed to an indirect path through the Barents Sea. Ocean and air temperatures around Greenland are higher than usual, too; the weather station Cape Morris Jesup near the northernmost point of Greenland (and 400 miles to the south of the north pole) has spent 61 hours above freezing so far in 2018.

It’s too soon to tell if this is a “new normal” for the Arctic or if it’s one of a series of skewed temperature patterns. Either way, scientists are tracking this data very closely to prepare for our planet’s future.

 

Read the original article.

Russia May Take A Pro-Vaping Stance

Russia may soon encourage smokers to switch to vaping, and may even implement a tax scheme to make vapes more attractive to smokers than cigarettes.

The news came in an interview with Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, published in the Moscow-based business paper Vedomosti. Manturov suggested that Russia would deal with vaping products under separate regulations from cigarettes. That would make the country unique among signatories to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). FCTC members are encouraged to restrict or ban e-cigarettes.

Even Russia is leaving Australia behind…..In a report last week, the Russian Minister for Industry and Trade said smokers should switch to #ecigs, “which will regulated as a “separate” product category because they are “safer” than cigarettes.https://t.co/n3BV7PPXrB pic.twitter.com/JSaYMhy65f

— Legalise Vaping Australia (@LegaliseVaping) February 25, 2018

“Smokers should switch to ENDS and electronic tobacco heating systems,” Manturov told the paper, adding that vaping is safer. “We suggest making a special law to regulate such devices with obvious restrictions, such as sale ban to minors, no smoking in schools, kindergartens and other similar places, and also we need to introduce administrative responsibility for violation of these restrictions.”

Manturov also suggested that vapes be taxed at a lower rate than tobacco products, to “encourage smokers to switch from conventional tobacco to the new devices, and not the other way round.” The minister’s position makes perfect sense in a country like Russia — which has a massive smoking problem — but is still shocking in its enlightenment. Logic like that is heard almost nowhere else in the world.

In 2016, according to the World Health Organization, 29.9 percent of Russian adults smoke cigarettes, including 48.8 percent of men. That is almost twice as many smokers overall as in the United States and United Kingdom, which both had 15.5 percent smoking rates in 2016.

(Thanks to Legalise Vaping Australia, who grabbed and translated the quotes from the paywalled Vedomosti article.)

Vandy Vape Berserker MTL RDA Preview | Drip or Squonk

 Vandy Vape Berserker MTL RDA intro

The Vandy Vape Berserker MTL RDA is being released today. Yes, for real! Vandy Vape and Alex from VapersMD are back again. After hitting a home run with the Berserker RTAs, the expectations for this are high. It’s a single-coil squonk-ready RDA with an 8 mm juice well and a plethora of airflow options. It comes in stainless steel, black, gold, or rainbow, just like the RTA. We have every reason to believe this RDA will be manufactured as well as the Berserker RTA, which is about as well-done as it gets for atomizers in its price range.

 Vandy Vape Berserker MTL RDA specs and features

Specifications:

• Length: 42.2 mm
• Diameter: 18.1 mm
• Weight (including package): 110 g

Package includes:

• Berserker MTL RDA
• 22 mm ring
• 24 mm ring
• Accessory bag
• Airflow tubes (6)

An MTL dream dripper

Here is a quick preview from Alex from VapersMD. You can activate the english subtitle and watch.

The build deck of the Berserker MTL RDA is pretty much the same design as the RTA, which is great since it’s so easy to build on. To make things even simpler, if that was even possible, there is an included coil rod for easy placement of the coil. Also, aside from six different airflow holes in the adjustable top cap, this RDA will come with six different airflow tubes. These tubes are inserted from the side of the RDA and can change the flow to the coil. That will allow you to get the perfect MTL hit for the type of coil used.

Vandy Vape is paying attention to things many manufacturers are blind to

The Berserker RDA is only 18 mm wide, which is a throwback size to old-school RDAs. But if you are worried about the small RDA on your mod, Vandy Vape has included beauty rings at 22 mm and 24 mm to create that flush look with most 510-platforms. This is just one of the many details that shows Vandy Vape is paying attention to things most manufacturers are blind to. Kudos to them.

What do you think? Is this RDA something you would be interested in? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section. Look out for our review coming soon.

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Dogs Can Tell the Difference Between Happy and Angry Faces

We all knew dogs were smart and have a keen awareness of human emotions. After all, their brains respond to people’s voices the same way we do.

But scientists have debated whether dogs actually recognize emotions in our faces. Now, there’s mounting evidence to support the idea that dogs can, in fact, tell a couple of facial expressions apart.

Here’s Jane J. Lee, reporting for National Geographic:

Biologist Corsin Müller of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria, and colleagues tested 11 dogs—including border collies, a fox terrier, a golden retriever, a German shepherd, and some mutts—using a touchscreen. The scientists trained the dogs to touch either a happy face or an angry face for a treat.

They presented dogs with either the top half or the bottom half of the faces to ensure the animals weren’t just responding to a smile or the baring of teeth. Emotions show on all parts of a human face, not just the mouth, says Müller, whose study was published February 12 in the journal Current Biology.

Dogs may have evolved the ability to read human facial expressions.

After training the dogs, the scientists presented them with parts of unfamiliar faces—the top, the bottom, or the left half (since research shows that dogs typically look at the left side of the face). The dogs trained on happy faces could recognize them in the testing phase, as could the dogs trained on angry faces. However, the dogs trained on angry faces took longer to learn—probably because angry faces have negative connotations.

It’s not too surprising that dogs have this ability. After all, close ties to humans for many centuries have likely led them to evolve these skills; they’ve been bred, too, to read us. Whether or not the same is true for dogs without much human contact is an open question.

If you want to learn more about what animals are thinking, don’t miss NOVA’s upcoming “What Are Animals Saying?” It’s part of our NOVA Wonders series, airing April and May of this year.

Read the original article.

U.K. Newspaper: PHE is A Vape Industry Puppet

After Public Health England (PHE) updated its review of the evidence on e-cigarettes and even recommended that the National Health Service (NHS) make them available on prescription, the backlash was really inevitable.

“Why is the NHS listening to the siren voices of the vape manufacturers?” asks Victoria Coren-Mitchell in the Guardian. “It’s appalling that a state-funded, state-sanctioned public health body should recommend vapes to people who want to stop smoking,” she complained.

But Coren-Mitchell claims that “the answer” — the answer! — to the problem of smoking is already well-known: Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking. Why isn’t it being promoted by the NHS? she asks.

In today’s Observer: I think there are better uses for NHS funds than giving them to British American Tobacco.https://t.co/P5cINqJvlA

— Victoria Coren M. (@VictoriaCoren) February 11, 2018

While the author may have good intentions – she says she has no problem with smoking or vaping, if that’s what you want to do – she fundamentally misunderstands how to tackle the issue of smoking in society, and why the PHE recommendation was made in the first place.

The short version is that there is no magic bullet that can solve the problem. Any purported “easy way” doesn’t work for everybody, be it vaping or the words of a “visionary” like Allen Carr.

Should we pay for prescription e-cigarettes?

The source of the anger driving the article is really quite understandable. Coren-Mitchell isn’t alone in taking issue with e-cigarettes being made available on prescription. Many vapers aren’t exactly fans of the idea either.

While her complaint is that the costs for prescription vapes will go to a cigarette company like British American Tobacco, vapers often object to the idea of vaping itself becoming sanitized and medicalized rather than being left as a consumer-driven, free market solution to the problem. The value of vaping, it is argued, is that smokers don’t have to go to the medical establishment to get a “cure” for their problem. It’s a pro-active choice that feels good to make, coupled with the convivial environment of vape stores and a thriving community rather than sterile medical offices.

The strongest argument against the idea of publicly funding vapes as cessation products, though, is that vaping is actually cheaper than smoking anyway. Why should the NHS have to make the cost-saving even bigger at the expense of the taxpayer? Isn’t the fact you’ll already be saving money enough?

On the other hand, smokers may see the up-front cost of a starter kit as taking a risk on something they’re not sure they’ll like. Also, some people might want the added reassurance of a recommendation from a health professional. And ultimately, if it does help them to quit smoking, it will still be a good thing for public health overall.

There are middle-ground solutions – like a voucher system for the initial cost but no financial support afterwards – but the key point is that this is a legitimate point of contention. I largely agree that the NHS shouldn’t be prescribing e-cigarettes, but there are also good reasons to consider the other point of view.

Allen Carr vs. vaping: the false dichotomy

The key issue with the article is the framing of Allen Carr’s approach as “the” approach to quit smoking. “There is a way to stop smoking and [vaping] isn’t it,” Coren-Mitchell writes. “The whole approach is stupid, unhelpful and wrong.”

Because the abstinence-based Allen Carr approach revolves around affirming that you don’t actually need nicotine at all and empowering you to realize there is no reason to use it, e-cigarettes are pitched as a natural enemy. But the reality isn’t as neat and tidy as that.

To opt for an abstinence-only approach, you have to be committed to quitting. And even if you are committed to quitting, Allen Carr’s method might not appeal to you. And if it does appeal to you, even the people trying to sell it to you don’t pretend it works for everyone.

In ideal scenarios (with a group of smokers committed to quitting that choose the intervention, in a study with no comparison group), long-term quit rates are about 51 percent. There is a randomized controlled trial in the works but very little in the way of reliable evidence on Allen Carr so far. And this is for the course rather than the book, which is a lot like a series of group counseling sessions, where social support has a big role to play too. Quit rates using purely self-help materials in print form (although not Carr’s book specifically) are less impressive.

Still, there’s nothing wrong with this. If more reliable research supports its effectiveness, then the courses in particular will be great for those who are interested and who it works for. But it leaves a big, unanswered question: what about everybody else?

My personal story is pretty relevant here. I never really wanted to quit smoking. The only reason I quit was because vaping just seemed like a better idea. There was literally no way I’d have picked up Allen Carr’s book and become completely abstinent from smoking. The only reason I’m smoke-free now is because there was an alternative available that worked for me.

In the same way, it’s fantastic that Coren-Mitchell and many others were able to quit smoking using Allen Carr’s approach. If you have the willpower and ability to get through it, you should absolutely be proud of yourself. But just as I wouldn’t tell every smoker I know to try vaping if they didn’t want to, Allen Carr isn’t a one-size fits all solution either. It’s one of many possible tools people can use to quit, and throwing the rest of them out makes no sense whatsoever.

To help as many people quit as possible, we need to make use of everything at our disposal, not ascribe to some “my way or the highway” philosophy that denigrates anything but complete abstinence. Nicotine shouldn’t be the enemy, the health risks of smoking should be.

What’s really behind the U.K.’s support for vaping?

Although the other parts of the article can be sympathized with to some extent, the notion that PHE is just listening to the “siren voices” of vape manufacturers is laughable. The PHE report wasn’t the result of consultation with the industry; it was based on consultation with the available scientific evidence. The report is over 200 pages long and is forensic in its detail.

The evidence strongly suggests that vaping is much safer than smoking. After reviewing the evidence, the PHE authors wrote, “Based on current knowledge, stating that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking remains a good way to communicate the large difference in relative risk unambiguously so that more smokers are encouraged to make the switch from smoking to vaping. It should be noted that this does not mean e-cigarettes are safe.”

Also a long way from understanding who/what the vape industry in the UK – or indeed anywhere – is! https://t.co/LZQWM0692E

— Gillian Eva Golden (@gillianegolden) February 11, 2018

For the issue of how effective vapes are for quitting smoking, PHE again conducted a reasonable review of the evidence. More data is needed to really be firm on this – and the authors note that meta-analyses of the evidence so far have produced varying results – but they conclude that “E-cigarette use, alone or in combination with licensed medication and behavioural support from a Stop Smoking Service, appear to be helpful in the short term.”

They also point out that estimates suggest that vaping has led to 22,000 new quitters — people who wouldn’t have quit otherwise — each year in the U.K., and possibly as many as 57,000. The figures have to be interpreted cautiously, but the idea that they’re proving to be a valuable tool for some smokers has strong support.

Had the vaping industry’s “siren song” been responsible for these recommendations, you can safely say they’d be a little more robust and strongly positive. PHE hasn’t been enraptured by unsupported claims from the mythical “Big Vapor.” Rather, it has taken an objective look at the evidence and made some pragmatic recommendations.

The number of smokers who don’t know that vaping is safer than smoking is appallingly high, and the “at least 95 percent safer” figure conveys the point well. E-cigarettes are by far the most popular quitting aid used in the U.K., and the evidence – while limited – suggests that they work, so PHE is encouraging their use.

There is no conspiracy to keep people addicted to nicotine; the recommendations for e-cigarettes and other quitting methods exist to help as many people as possible.

Quitting smokes should be celebrated

Allen Carr’s legions of quitters should be proud of themselves. And the legions of successful vapers should be proud of themselves too, even though most of us still use nicotine. We aren’t enemies, we’re all ex-smokers who’ve made a positive decision and who should support anybody else who chooses to make the same decision or something similar.

Despite Victoria Coren Mitchell claiming to have no problem with vaping, the holier-than-thou tone of the article and dismissive, vaguely conspiratorial and ill-researched response to a detailed review of the evidence on an important topic makes it clear that she hasn’t really made an effort to understand why it has helped so many people.

Best Vape Mods and Box Mods 2018

Best vape mods and box mods of 2017

1. Aspire Gusto Mini
2. Eleaf iStick Pico 25
3. Halo Reactor box mod starter kit
4. Eleaf Basal
5. GeekVape Aegis
6. Halo Reactor Mega
7. Vaporesso Switcher LE
8. Wismec Ravage 230
9. Joyetech ESPION
10. Aspire Skystar
11. SMOK G Priv 2
12. Smoant Ranker TC 218
13. iJoy Diamond PD 270
14. SMOK Alien 220W TC starter kit
15. Vaporesso Revenger 220W TC
16. SX Mini G Class 200W TC
17. Voopoo Drag box mod 157W TC
18. SMOK AL85 Baby Beast starter kit
19. Halo Reactor Shorty starter kit

In our detailed best of list we take a look at the best vape mods & box mods on the market. Our list comprises beginner vape mods, high powered mods, compact mods and all-in-one vape mods. Our best vape mod list is based on the vape mods we have tested so far and those highly recommended to us by close friends and fellow experts.

Not everyone will agree with our list, but we hope it will provide readers with a clear overview of some of the best mods on the market. We will be updating the top box mods article as we review more devices going forward. Please take into consideration that there are many new mods coming out on a daily basis, therefore it might take a while for the best ones to make it onto our list.

Best entry level vape mods

Aspire Gusto Mini

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Pros

Ideal for beginners / smokers

Compatible with most 510 drip tips

LED battery life indication

Great flavors available

17 W output

Wide airy draw

Compact yet satisfying

No messy refilling required

900 mAh battery life

Impressive cloud production

Cons

Not suitable for MTL vaping

Not available in 0 mg nicotine

Limited flavor selection (for now)

Specifications

• 17 W output
• 1.5 ohm resistance
• 10-second continuous fire with auto shut-off
• Micro USB charging port
• Compact 22 x 47.5 x 60 mm design
• 900 mAh battery
• Overheat protection
• Short circuit protection

Box mods can be complicated, but they don’t have to be. Aspire has created a miniature box mod that delivers massive flavor. They put all the best features from their most advanced products, into a simple and compact device. Whether you’re new to vaping, or a seasoned vet, you will get pleasure from this device.

With the Aspire Gusto Mini, you won’t need to fuss with refilling juice, buying coils and replacing batteries. Just pop in a new pod and you’re ready to vape. No mess, just pure vaping satisfaction. Excellent for transitioning from smoking, due to its simplicity. A perfect all-in-one vape mod for beginners who want a little more power.

The Gusto Mini bears resemblance to the Plato, but smaller and easier to operate. Complete with all the necessary safety features such as overcharge, discharge and short-circuit protection. Featuring a 900 mAh battery, a 4.2-mL juice capacity and 1.5 ohm coils. Enjoying vaping is now easier than ever.

Eleaf iStick Pico 25

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Pros

Supports 25 mm atomizers

Colorful design

85 W of power

Easy to fill tank

Cons

Acrylic decals look cheap

Impractical to use at 85 W

Protruding battery cap

Specifications

• Dimensions: 2.78 x 1.89 x 0.98 inches
• 510 threaded
• Wattage Output: 1 – 85 W
• Temperature control: Ni200 / Titanium / SS316 / TCR modes
• Temperature control: 100 – 315C / 220 – 600F
• Bypass mode
• Preheat functionality
• Stealth functionality
• 0.91-inch OLED display
• Side micro USB charging port
• Firmware upgradeable
• Dual-circuit protection
• Requires 1 x 18650 high drain battery

The Pico is back! Imagine your favorite 25 mm attys on one of the smallest single 18650 mods ever made. Eleaf has made that possible with the new iStick Pico 25. This starter kit includes the ELLO tank, which has a convenient top-fill method that makes refilling your tank a breeze.

The mod features a three piece design, with colorful acrylic panels. The mod goes up to 85 watts with full TC abilities and upgradeable firmware. If you love the Pico, but also want to use larger atomizers, now you can. Combined with the ELLO, this is an excellent and versatile starter kit.

Halo Reactor box mod starter kit

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Pros

Tried and true design

Trusted Halo name

Good customer service

Includes juice and tank

Perfect for beginners

Great battery life (4400 mAh)

Comfortable size

Cons

Charging port located on top

No advanced features

Specifications

• Battery logo: Halo / flame
• Battery color: no
• Battery thread: stainless steel
• Button color: no
• Battery type: manual
• Battery cut-off time: 10 seconds
• Battery length: 83.0 mm
• Battery width: 45.0 mm
• Battery capacity: 4400 mAh
• Battery charge: no
• Battery lifespan: 300 cycles
• Battery voltage type: variable
• Battery actual voltage: 2 – 10 volts
• Battery rated voltage: No
• Battery warranty: 60 days from date of purchase

Finding your first vape can be difficult at first, but it just got easier thanks to Halo. This kit will give you everything you need to start including juice, a tank and mod. All of the features you would find on mods such as the Eleaf iStick, but from Halo. A company that is trusted by vapers.

Most starter kits don’t have the newbie in mind, and require additional purchases. E-liquid, 18650s, coils, it can be very frustrating. This kit uses an internal battery just like a smart phone. You can start out on a lower setting and graduate to chucking fat clouds before you know it.

Eleaf Basal

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Pros

One of the slimmest mods

Intuitive menu system

Ideal for beginners/stealth vapers

Good build quality

Good value for price

Kit includes a proper tank for it

Cons

Lacks modes

Won’t fire below 0.6 ohms

Overhang with atomizers above 15 mm

Specifications

• Size: 36.6 x 15.0 x 128.5 mm
• Weight: 144.36 g
• E-liquid capacity: 1.8 mL
• Battery capacity: 1500 mAh
• Maximum charging current: 2 A
• Thread type: 510 threaded
• Output wattage: 1-30 W
• Output mode: VW
• Resistance range: 0.6-3.0 ohm
• Colors: brushed silver
• rose gold
• gold

This mod was designed for your pocket. If you’re just getting in to vaping, or just need a stealthy setup, this is for you. The Eleaf Basal has an internal 1500 mAh battery that goes up to 30 watts. It features 2-amp fast charging and can be vaped while charging. It’s simple, functional and portable.

The Basal doesn’t have any complicated menus or features to learn. It is intuitive and easy to operate. The mod has a beautiful metallic finish and is available in gold, rose gold and silver. The full kit comes with a matching GS Basal tank; a slim mouth-to-lung tank that uses flavorful GS Air coils.

Best 0 – 100W box mods

GeekVape Aegis

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Pros

Waterproof

Virtually indestructible

Can take 18650 or 26650

100 watts on a single battery

Nice button

Fine leather

Rugged steel C-frame

Cons

A bit heavy

Specifications

• Size: 37.8 x 46.8 x 88 mm
• Max power output: 100 W
• Instantaneous firing: 0.015 s
• Max firing duration: 10 s
• Max voltage duration: 9V ± 0.1 V
• Output mode: VW / VPC / TC / TCR / bypass
• Resistance range: 0.05 – 3 ohm
• Material: aluminum + zinc alloy + silicone
• Battery: 1 x 26650 / 18650 cell (not included)
• Temperature range: 100 – 315℃ / 200-600℉
• Operating temperature: -40℃ – 80℃
• Level: IP67 waterproof and dustproof; MIL STD 810G – 516.6 military-grade shockproof

A beauty and a brut! The Geek Vape Aegis is waterproof and it’s a virtually indestructible 100-watt mod that operates on a single 18650 or a 26650 for increased battery life. The build quality of this mod is unbelievable, and the ergonomics of the Aegis feel great in the hand.

The Geek Vape Aegis fires down to 0.05 ohms with a max output of 100 watts, and it’s got TCR, all TC modes, wattage curves, and a thick LED screen. The atomizer platform is ~35 mm which means most tanks will fit on it without overhang.

Halo Reactor Mega

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Pros

Comfortable feel

Easy to operate

Great battery life (5000 mAh)

80 watts capable

10 user profiles

Trusted name

Customizable logo

Cons

Charging port on the bottom

Menu may require learning

Specifications

• Battery cut-off time 10 seconds
• Battery length: 84 mm
• Battery width: 50 mm
• Battery capacity: 5000 mAh
• Battery charge: no
• Battery lifespan: 300 cycles
• Battery voltage type: variable
• Battery actual voltage: no
• Battery rated voltage: no
• Battery warranty: 60 days from date of purchase

The Halo Reactor Mega delivers all the functionality in all of the best vape mods. Everything is included in this easy-to-use setup from a name that vapers can trust. It is compact and stylish. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to a box mod, look no further. It even comes with their famous e-juice!

The Reactor Mega box mod is loaded with tons of battery life (5000 mAh) and can put out 80 watts. It also has temperature control and smart mode, which can store 10 different user profiles. The starter kit includes the Reactor Mega tank which is a perfect addition to this vaping setup.

Vaporesso Switcher LE

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Pros

Accurate wattage/temperature output

Accurate wattage curves

Pre-heat options

Intuitive user interface

Solid build quality

Sleek simple design

Centered 510 pin

Bright screen

Pre-heat functionality

Comfortable ergonomics

Swappable color panels

Customizable LED patterns/colors

Cons

Temp mode runs a little hot (keep it under 450°F)

Slight overhang with 30 mm atomizers

Specifications

• Dimensions: 89 x 53 x 31 mm 
• OMNI board 2.6 
• Zinc-alloy construction 
• Powered by two high-amp 18650s (sold separately) 
• Output mode: VW / TC-Ni / TC-Ti / TC-SS / TCR-M1
• M2 / CCW (VW curve mode) / CCT (TC curve mode) / bypass 
• Drawing power: soft / normal / high 
• Wattage range: 5 – 220 watts 
• Resistance range: 0.05 – 5 ohms 
• Temperature range: 100° C – 315° C / 200° F – 600° F 
• Smart VW mode 
• Interchangeable exterior casing 
• 0.96”-OLED display 
• Real time clock (RTC) setting 
• Puff counter/timer 
• 16-tier brightness setting 
• Displays remaining charging time 
• Virtual display keys 
• Hinge & lock battery door 
• Spring-loaded
•  gold-plated 510 pin 
• 2.5-amp micro USB balanced charging 
• Firmware upgradeable 

Switch up your vape game. The Vaporesso Switcher is the latest device to build off the success of the Revenger X and Revenger Mini. It provides accurate wattage outputs and temperature control vaping courtesy of the latest OMNI 2.6 chipset. The mod uses swappable color panels for a customized look.

It doesn’t just perform well. The Switcher LE edition is equipped with LED lights in a wide range of colors and functions. It’s like having a disco party in the palm of your hand. The kit comes complete with the NRG tank, which is one of the best sub ohm tanks you can get for chucking flavorful clouds.

Wismec Ravage 230

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Pros

Accurate temperature and wattage output

Easy to use interface

Good build quality

Sleek and comfortable to hold

Accommodates up to 28 mm atomizers

Big bright full-color display

Cons

Unnecessary button above fire bar

Specifications

• Dimensions: 43.6 x 30 x 83.4 mm
• Weight: 147.3 g
• Thread Type: 510 spring-loaded connector
• Utilizes (2) High-amp 18650 batteries (sold separately)
• Output Mode: VW / TC-Ni / TC-Ti / TC-SS / TCR mode
• Output Wattage: 1-230 W
• Resistance Range: 0.05-1.5 ohm for TC modes
• 0.1-3.5 ohm for VW mode
• Temperature Range: 100-315°C / 200-600°F (TC modes)
• Maximum charging current: 2 A
• Maximum output current: 50 A
• Output voltage range: 0.5-9 V
• Large 1.45-inch color display
• 2 A max charging current for quick charge
• Dual-circuit protection
• Reverse-polarity protection

The Ravage 230 is Wismec’s follow-up to the popular Predator mod. It looks similar, but they have improved everything about it. Color screen, centered 510 and a fantastic paint job to name a few. They even added an extra button to make navigating through the menu easier than ever before.

The Wismec Ravage 230 is an excellent performer. It does accurate wattage and temperature control for a dual-battery device. It provides more than enough power for any style of vaping. The mod is loaded with great features such as customizable preheat and TCR modes. It has a stunning paint job and is designed to fit nicely in your hand. The Ravage is everything the Predator wanted to be.

Joyetech ESPION

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Pros

Accurate wattage output

Easy-to-use menu system

Good build quality

Simple and sleek

Good 510 pin

Bright 1.45-inch color screen

Compact size

No overhang with up to 28 mm atomizers

Affordable

Cons

Inaccurate temperature control

Specifications

• Mod size: 43 (L) x 28 x 84 mm (H) 
• Screen type: 1.45-inch TFT color screen
• Screen resolution: 240 x 320 dpi
• Output wattage: 1-200 W
• Output mode: Power/RTC/TC(Ni/Ti/SS316)/TCR modes
• Resistance range: 0.05-1.5 ohm for TC/TCR mode
• 0.1-3.5 ohm for power mode
• Temperature range: 100-315°C/200-600°F
• Battery using: dual replaceable high-rate 18650 cells (CDC 25 A)
• Max charging current: 2.0 A
• Max output current: 50 A
• Max output voltage: 9 V

The ESPION is a classy mod for distinguished vapers. It has a high-end appearance at an affordable price. It also performs well, especially in wattage mode. A dual-18650 device that is capable of 200 watts, complete with preheat functionality and a big beautiful 1.45” easy-to-use color touch screen.

The Joyetech ESPION is compact for such a powerful device. It fits nicely in the hand or in your tuxedo pocket. It utilizes quick 2-amp USB passthrough charging so you never have to go another minute without vaping. The mod also has a built-in clock and all the necessary safety protections.

Aspire Skystar

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Pros

Accurate power output

Good temperature control

Easy-to-use menu system

Sleek ergonomic design

Good build quality

Bright screen

Wattage curve mode

Pre-heat option

Good paint job

Cons

Plastic battery door

Overhang with atomizers above 25 mm

Specifications

• Dimensions: 50 x 33 x 91 mm 
• Dual 18650 batteries (not included) 
• Power range: 5-210 watts 
• Voltage range: 0.5-9 volts 
• Minimum atomizer resistance: 0.05 ohms 
• Temperature control range: 200-600 F 
• Wire compatibility: Ni200| titanium| SS316  
• TCR mode – 3 memory slots 
• CPS mode – 3 memory slots
• Bypass mode 
• Preheat functionality 
• Ergonomic contour 
• Intuitive 1.3-inch touch-screen display 
• User-friendly interface 
• Stealth firing button 
• Magnetized battery door cover 
• Micro-USB port – capable of firmware upgrades 
• Automatic cutoff 
• Over-discharge protection 
• Short circuit protection 
• Reverse polarity protection 
• Overheating protection 
• Overcharging protection 
• 510 connection

The Skystar is the latest touch-screen mod by Aspire. Tap and swipe to adjust your settings, just like a smartphone. This mod puts out accurate wattage and precise temperature control using two 18650s. It also has a smooth rounded aesthetic that makes it comfortable to hold and attractive to look at.

The device features a 1.3-inch touch screen interface for navigating through the menu and a discrete firing button. Its bright screen displays all the information you need in an organized fashion. The mod is also complete with safety features such as overheat, overcharge and reverse battery protection. The Skystar mod comes in 5 stunning finishes, is firmware upgradeable and even has a built-in clock.

SMOK G Priv 2

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Pros

Responsive vivid touch screen

Intuitive interface

Temperature control

Great for mid to high wattage vaping

Lateral firing bar

Strong magnetic battery door

Available in a variety of colors

Suitable for 25 mm atomizers

Cons

USB port located on the bottom

Battery door hard to open

Fingerprint magnet

Specifications

• 52 x 27.3 x 85 mm
• 510 threaded
• Wattage output: 1.0 – 230.0 W
• Variable temperature control: nickel / titanium / stainless steel 316
• Temperature control range: 200 – 600F / 100 – 315C
• Resistance range: 0.06 – 3.0 ohm for temperature control mode
• Resistance range: 0.1 – 3.0 ohm for variable wattage
• Touchscreen display
• Shatter-resistant high-strength toughened glass
• Hidden fire side button
• OLED display
• Zinc alloy construction
• Requires (2) high amp 18650 batteries (sold separately)
• Micro USB charging port

Looking for a good touch-screen mod? The G Priv 2 is SMOK’s latest advancement in their G Priv line. It does everything as the first version, and much more, in a slimmer and more lightweight package. The SMOK G Priv 2 also has an updated interface so you won’t need to be a pro to navigate its menu.

The mod is listed at 230 watts using two 18650s. It features a noticeably brighter high-definition 2-inch display with highly-responsive touch screen abilities. It is capable of temperature control with customizable TCR and preheat functionality. The G Priv 2 is available in 7 awesome color variations.

The full kit includes a matching X-Baby sub ohm tank, so you can chuck clouds straight out the box.

Smoant Ranker TC 218

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Pros

Solid build quality

Comfortable firing bar

2-amp charging

Two user interfaces

Real leather panel

Good value

Very responsive

Accurate power output

Large color display

Cons

Chunky

Left-handed orientation

No battery orientation markers

Overhang with above 25 mm atomizers

Specifications

• Mod size: 92 x 60 x 31 mm
• Output wattage: 1-218 W
• Voltage: 6.4-8.4 V
• Material: zinc alloy/leather
• Output modes: VW/VW curves/temp(Ni/Ti/SS)/TCR/TC curves
• Cattery: Dual 18650 batteries (not included)
• Screen: 1.3-inch TFT colorful screen
• Temperature Range: 200-600°F/100-315°C
• Resistance: 0.1-5 ohm for VW mode
• 0.05-2.0 ohm for TC (Ni/Ti/SS/TCR/TC curve)
• Thread: 510 thread
• Reverse protection/over-heating protection/low voltage protection/overload/short-circuit protection/over-time protection

The Ranker is the latest advancement from Smoant since the well-received Cylon mod. It utilizes their most recent chipset which fires with virtually no delay using dual 18650s. This super responsive mod is firmware upgradable. It also has a colorful 1.3-inch OLED screen with 2 user interface options.

The Smoant Ranker is customizable in every way. It allows you to upload your own custom wallpaper designs in addition to adjustable TCR and temperature and wattage curves. The mod also has a big firing bar and real leather panels for a luxurious and ergonomic experience. Available in 3 designs.

iJoy Diamond PD 270

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Pros

Unique beveled shape

Large OLED screen

Powerful output

Big firing button

Temperature control

20700s provide good battery life

Cons

Accommodates 33.5 mm atomizers

Temperature control runs cool

Fingerprint magnet

Specifications

• Max Wattage: 234 W
• Size: 92 x 49 x 34.5 mm
• Type: high wattage box mod
• Screen blends into panel
• Appearance inspired by the multi-faceted diamond cutting technology
• NI/TI/SS temperature control
• TCR function
• Unique custom user mode
• Resistance Range: 0.05-ohm to 3.0-ohm
• USB port charging support
• Firmware upgradeable

The Diamond PD 270 is another solid performer from iJoy. It has a unique beveled design to resemble a diamond, hence the name. The mod uses dual 20700 batteries to provide tons of power and battery life. It also includes an 18650 adapter. Its large firing button activates instantly when pressed.

The mod features a large OLED screen that blends into the body when not in use. It comes in a wide range of colors either in a matte or mirror finish. The Diamond is a solid dependable device with full temperature control support and powerful wattage output courtesy of its IWEPAL-designed chipset.

The full kit includes the iJoy Captain X3S sub ohm tank and spare coil heads.

Best 100-300W+ box mods

SMOK Alien 220W TC starter kit

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Pros

Squeezable firing bar

Soft/normal/hard modes

Compact dual 18650 mod

Intuitive user interface

Individual battery life indication

Internal temperature monitoring

Supports coils down to 0.06 ohms

Great battery life for a dual battery device

Cons

Slight overhang with 25 mm attys

Stiff battery door

Won’t fire below 6 watts

Specifications

• Dual high-amp 18650
• Dimensions: 85 mm by 44 mm by 30 mm
• Wattage output range: 6 – 220 W
• Min atomizer resistance: 0.06 ohm
• Temperature range: 200 – 600F
• Supports Ni200 / Ti and SS heating elements
• Premium zinc alloy construction
• Detail-orientated OLED display
• Series connection
• Dual battery life indicator
• Stealth firing mechanism
• Ergonomically-placed adjustment buttons
• Hinged battery cap
• Micro USB port – firmware upgradable
• Alien V1.2.2 firmware upgrade
• 510 connection

The SMOK Alien 220W TC is one of the first mods to feature a squeezable firing system. The device is stealthy for a dual 18650 device. It has a secure locking battery door and a bright OLED screen. The Alien displays all your vital information in a neat and organized fashion.

Other noteworthy features include full temperature control functionality with custom TCR and three different preheat modes. It also offers custom user profiles, individual battery monitoring and all of the performance you would come to expect from SMOK. The full kit comes with the Baby Beast sub ohm tank so you can get huge vapor and excellent flavor right out of the box.

Vaporesso Revenger 220W TC

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Pros

Durable

Real time clock

Powerful chipset

Centered 510 connection

Comfortable firing button

Fits up to 28 mm atomizers

2.5 A charging compatible

Cons

Attracts fingerprints

User interface requires patience

Slight button rattle

Specifications

• Max output wattage: 220 watts
• Wattage range: 5 – 220 watts
• Voltage range: 0 V – 8.5 V
• Resistance range: 0.05 – 5Ω
• Temperature control range: 100 – 315℃ / 200F – 600F
• Output Modes: VW (H / N / S) / CCW / CCT / VT (NI / TI / SS) / TCR (M1-M2) / RTC / bypass
• Battery: 2 x 18650 (not included)
• IML Case
• OMNI board 2.0 chipset
• Dual battery indicators
• Voltage / wattage / resistance indicators
• Remaining charging time indicators
• Real-time clock display
• Charging equalization system

The Vaporesso Revenger 220W TC is one of the first mods to utilize IML injection coating which fuses style with durability. The mod utilizes Vaporesso’s OMNI 2.0 chipset which allows full user customization of wattage and temperature curves to satisfy even the most technical vapers.

The Revenger is powered by two 18650’s protected by a solid magnetized door. It puts out a serious amount of juice for some massive clouds. Other special attributes include a real time clock, firing capabilities down to 0.05 ohms and a variety of output modes and a 0.96-inch screen.

SX Mini G Class 200W TC

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Pros

Customizable wallpaper/fonts

Joystick controller

Real-time clock

Authentic carbon fiber decals

Oversized centered 510 connection (fits 30 mm atomizers)

Bluetooth connectivity

YiHi SX550J chipset

Cons

Joystick controller protrudes

Not ideal for pocketing

Chunky design

Non-micro USB charging port

No visual indication for each cell

Specifications

• Chipset: YiHi SX550J
• Max output wattage: 200 watts
• Max output current: 50 amps
• Max output voltage: 9.5 volts
• Temperature control compatible
• Temperature control range: 212 – 572°F (100°C – 300°C)
• Resistance range: 0.15 – 3.0 ohms
• Temperature control resistance range: 0.05 – 0.3 ohms
• Max Input Current: 40 A
• Single battery / Dual battery convertible
• Requires 2 x 18650 high amp batteries (sold separately)
• Bypass mode
• Joystick control
• Bluetooth app compatible (Android & iOS)
• SX pure technology
• Compatible with SS / Ti / Ni coil types
• Customizable wallpaper
• Reverse polarity
• Output short protection
• Low resistance
• Battery low voltage protection
• Temperature overheat protection
• Battery overcharge protection
• Customize your logo & menu name
• Firmware upgradeable
• Adjustable screen brightness
• Adjustable standby time
• Anti-dry burning technology

The SX Mini G Class 200W TC utilizes a unique joystick control system to easily navigate through its menu. The mod syncs up via Bluetooth so you can fine tune your settings using your phone or tablet. The SX550J chipset also allows you to fully customize wallpaper and fonts.

The device does accurate temperature control for your favorite temp wires, custom TCR and utilizes SXi-Q Intelligent Taste Curve technology. The G Class is capable of balanced 2 A charging of both 186550 batteries which is monitored by a vivid full-color OLED display.

Voopoo Drag box mod 157W TC

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Pros

Excellent build quality

Tasteful branding

Carbon fiber and resin available

Easy to use software interface

Relatively small size

Excellent performance in VW and TC

One-watt adjustment increments

Cons

No rounded edges

Not a lightweight mod

Specifications

• Size: 90 x 54 x 24 mm
• Weight: 212 g (298 g with batteries)
• Material: zinc alloy / carbon fiber
• Batteries: 2 x 18650 (not included)
• Working voltage: 6.4 – 8.5 V
• Working current: 1 – 40 A
• Output voltage range: 0 – 7.5 V
• Output current range: 0 – 40 A
• Resistance range (VW): 0.05 – 3.0Ω
• Resistance range (TC): 0.05 – 1.5Ω
• Output power: 5 – 157 W
• Charging voltage: 5 V
• Charging current: 1800 mA
• Standby current: 10 µA
• Temperature range: 200 – 600℉ / 100 – 315℃
• Heating elements supported (TC): Ni/Ti/SS
• Working efficiency: 95%
• Firmware upgradeable: yes

Don’t let the name fool you. The Voopoo Drag is no joke. Loaded with features including a full temp control suite, super mode, and accurate power output, courtesy of the Gene Fun chipset. The mod fires within 0.025 seconds of engaging the button, powered by two 18650 batteries.

The Voopoo Drag pays homage to the original box mods with a boxy aesthetic. Its features are what sets this mod apart. Much like the Vaporesso Omni chipset, the Drag allows you to control heating curves, customize settings and even insert a custom logo. Available in carbon fiber and resin in a variety of colors. The Voopoo Drag is a dependable workhorse for your daily lifestyle.

Best compact box mods

SMOK AL85 Baby Beast starter kit

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Pros

One of the smaller single battery devices

Squeezable firing switch

Fires down to 0.1 ohms

Bright OLED screen neatly displays vital information

Fits up to 25mm atomizers

Cons

Threading on battery cap are a bit crunchy

Hard to remove battery in case of venting

Specifications

• Single high-amp 18650 battery
• Dimensions: 71 x 48 x 27 mm
• Wattage output range: 1 – 85 W
• Min atomizer resistance: 0.06 ohm
• Temperature range: 200 – 600F
• Supports Ni200 / Ti / SS heating elements
• Memory mode
• Hard/norm/soft modes
• Premium zinc alloy construction
• Full-matrix OLED display
• Stealth firing mechanism
• Ergonomically placed adjustment buttons
• Top-loaded threaded battery cap
• 510 connection

The AL85 by SMOK puts all the things people love about the Alien, in a much smaller package. Capable of pumping out 85 Watts using a single 18650 battery, this mod fires down to 0.1 ohms. Much like its predecessor, the AL85 has carbon fiber decals and a side-firing switch.

The SMOK AL85’s display provides information displayed in real time, just like its big brother. It has full temperature control functionality with adjustable TCR plus three memory settings. The kit comes with the Baby Beast, a killer combo for any stealthy flavor chaser.

Halo Reactor Shorty starter kit

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Pros

Very portable

Includes everything you need

Free shipping

Superior customer service

More than enough power

Ideal for beginners

Cons

Protruding battery cap

Overhang with above 23 mm atomizers

Proprietary USB charging

Specifications

• Battery logo: Halo / flame
• Battery color: no
• Battery thread: stainless steel
• Button color: no
• Battery type: manual
• Battery cut-off time: 10 seconds
• Battery length: 71 mm
• Battery width: 45 mm
• Battery capacity: 2000 mAh
• Battery charge: no
• Battery lifespan: 300 cycles
• Battery voltage type: variable
• Battery actual voltage: no

If you’re still making the transition from smoking, finding the perfect setup can be confusing. The Halo Reactor Shorty kit provides everything need to quit cigarettes and start vaping. It gives you a powerful mod and sub ohm tank in a fun-size package. It even comes with the battery and juice!

If you want advanced features such as temp control, the Reactor’s got it. Giving you all the features of the popular Eleaf Pico, backed by a trusted American brand. Halo also happens to make some of the best e-liquid around. The only thing you’ll worry about is picking a flavor.

Vape mods explained

What is a vape mod?

A vape mod is a power source, essentially a case that contains one or more rechargeable batteries, that supplies electricity to a vaping atomizer. They are also referred to as “vapor mods”. The term “mod” has its origins in the early years of e-cigs, where hobbyist vapers “modified” existing electrical hardware (cases, batteries, wiring, etc.) for custom use as vaping hardware.

Now all e-cig power sources are called mods. Box mods are one of two primary types of power sources, with tube mods being the other. Almost universally, box mods have a firing switch or button. Press the switch and the atomizer gets power from the mod and “fires”, vaporizing eliquid with the instantly heated coil. Release the button, and the power is cut off.

Different types of box mods

Box mods come in different designs, configurations, and aesthetics. They may be constructed with fixed internal LiPo batteries that recharge via USB cables or with removable Li-Ion batteries that can be recharged either via USB or outside the mod in a dedicated charger. The majority of USB-recharged box mods allow vaping while charging (called passthrough), but not all. Removable battery vape mods allow the user to swap out drained batteries for fresh, fully-charged batteries. Both types are popular and available.

A box mod with removable batteries may incorporate one to four rechargeable Li-Ion batteries, although one or two is most common.

Typically, box mods have a rectangular shape, but this varies from regular boxes with sharp, straight angles to more ergonomic and aesthetic curved designs.

Box Mods can use any of various regulating chips/boards that vary from providing simple safety protections to more sophisticated functions, such as variable wattage output and temperature control. The second type usually has a display screen that shows information about the settings and functions. Some box mods are designed and made with no chips at all, and occasionally even no soldered wiring, in which case they’re called “mechanical mods.”

Vape mods (or vapor mods) are made in many sizes and every conceivable design. Materials include plastic, metal, and wood. Colors range from basic black or silver through the entire spectrum, and from simple monochromatic adornment to beautiful works of art.

Most vaping hardware qualifies as “disposable,” and this includes box mods. Few are designed and manufactured to last forever in actual use. Lifespan varies wildly, from a couple months before they break or stop working to many years of faithful, dependable service.

Which vape mod is right for you?

Choosing a the best vape mod for you requires answering numerous questions about your preferences:

• How much power do I want?
• How large (or small) do I want my box mod to be?
• How important to me are the ergonomics and aesthetics of my box mod?
• How much sophisticated chip technology do I want?
• How long can I vape between battery recharges?
• How much am I willing to spend?

There’s likely to be a box mod available in the marketplace for every combination of responses, so finding the best vape mod to fit your preferences shouldn’t be too difficult

What are temperature-controlled vape mods?

Vaping began in 2005 by using fixed voltage power sources exclusively. Around 2011, variable voltage was developed, followed quickly by variable power (wattage).

Temperature control followed on the heels of those earlier improvements. Temp control (or TC) is the most recent technological development in vaping chips that emerged initially in 2014 and has quickly become an industry standard feature of most mods.

Atomizers operate by vaporizing e-liquid with a metal heating element, usually in the form of coiled alloy wire. E-liquid is supplied (or wicked) to the atomizer by silica, cotton, or other fibrous cellulose material that goes through or around the coil or coils. If the wick is not sufficiently saturated with e-liquid, the result is “dry hits”. A dry hit not only produces no vapor, but tastes terrible, with either a nasty burnt wick taste or an even more unpleasant hot metallic aftertaste.

Also, unregulated e-cig mods perform less efficiently as the battery/batteries drain. What starts out as a great-tasting full vape with fresh batteries diminishes over time, providing less flavor and vapor.

Temperature control addresses both those problems by regulating and controlling the amount of power supplied to the coil. When the coil is not “bathed” sufficiently in e-liquid, it quickly overheats, producing dry hits. Temp control technology doesn’t actually sense temperature — instead, it monitors the changing resistance of the coil, which corresponds to predictable changes in temperature. When the coil begins to overheat, the temp control chip instantly reduces the power, thus preventing the wick from burning and minimizing or eliminating dry hits. If the coil becomes totally dry, power will be completely cut off.

In addition, temp control provides a consistent vape throughout the power range of the battery drain.

Most temp control vape mods currently require atomizers to be outfitted with coils using one of three specific wire types — nickel, titanium, or stainless steel. As the technology is improved and refined, other wire types such as kanthal, nichrome, or even tungsten, may be usable with TC some day.

TC lets the vaper specify the maximum temperature allowed before temp protection (i.e., instant voltage limitation) activates. The range is typically from 100-300° Celsius, or 300-600° Fahrenheit. As much power is applied as necessary to maintain the set temperature, but no more.

Temp control has not been universally adopted by vapers. Those who use TC tend to swear by it, but many other vapers use TC only sporadically or not at all. Since most mods now contain regulating chips, however, and since it’s no more expensive for manufacturers to include temp control technology in their chips, TC has largely taken over the vape mod marketplace.

Ample Mace Subohm Tank Preview | Aspire to be Better

Ample Mace Subohm Tank intro

The Ample Mace Subohm tank is a solid-looking 24.5 mm top-fill tank with a disc-shaped coil, much like the Aspire ARC coil. The most important difference between this coil design and Revvo’s is the placement. Unlike the Revvo — which needed to be tipped like an old-school genny tank to saturate the coil, because the coil was above the juice — the Ample Mace Subohm Tank places the coil at the bottom of the tank for consistent juice feeding.

Price: $37.00

Colors: Stainless, black, Tiffany blue, rainbow

TPD version: Yes

Ample Mace Subohm Tank specs and features

Specs and features

• Material: stainless steel + Pyrex glass
• Length: 37.5 mm
• Diameter: 24.4 mm
• Capacity: 2 mL/3 mL/4.5 mL
• Weight (including package): 132 g

Kit contents

• Mace Tank
• 1 ADC-F1 coil (pre-installed)
• 1 AHC-F1 coil
• 1 connection tube (for the tank extension)
• 1 replacement glass tank (4.5 mL)

The Revvo killer?

The Ample Mace Subohm Tank comes with a 3.0 mL capacity tank, and an extension glass to expand it to 4.5 mL. There is also a TPD version that’s 2.0 mL. Each tank comes with two disc-shaped coils called AHC and ADC. The AHC coil stands for Ample Hive Coil (but it’s not clear what the ADC stands for; it looks just like the ARC coil). For each coil, there are two resistances called F1 and S1. The tank comes with two F1 series coils: a 0.24-0.30 ohm AHC and a 0.18-0.23 ohm ADC. Available for separate purchase is the S1 series which have a lower resistance: 0.18-0.23 ohm AHC and a 0.15-0.20 ADC.

The tank looks like it improves on what Aspire did with the Revvo tank. The refill is a typical top-fill with open slots, and the airflow comes from beneath the coil. And because the coil sits below the tank, there is no need to tip it to saturate. Also, the disc coil “heads” have a cotton-loaded deck under the disc for even greater liquid absorption for the coil.

The big question is if performance of the coil is any different than the flavor and vapor from the Revvo.

Ample is a relatively new company that made some headway late last year with the Mace RDA. Will this tank propel them further in the vape market? Just from looking at the tank, the Mace Subohm tank seems like it may be a winner for those that liked the ARC coil in the Revvo. The big question is if performance of the coil is any different than the flavor and vapor from the Revvo.

Disc coils are also now being used in a bottom-fed RDA from VandyVape called the Maze Subohm RDA. I’m still not totally sold on the coil performance — but I’m curious what everyone else thinks. Is this the type of coil you want to see more of? Let us know your thoughts in the poll or the comments section.

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