Mechanical mods vs. Regulated Mods; which one is right for you?
**Disclaimer: All vaping products are for consumers 18 years old or 21 years old, depending on your country or state’s law. Please use products responsibly**
With the advent of each type of technology, there are always categories that might be preferable for one person but not others. If you take cellphone as an example, different people use different operating systems, and everyone seems to be content with their various phones. There is a vast heterogeneity of vapes available now, which is astounding for users, but along with these choices, there is usually a wee bit of confusion associated. There is the perpetual question at hand: “am I making the right choice?” To fully understand your buying choice, it’s always a great idea to do your research then decide based on that.
When choosing a vape, you will come across unlimited fancy terms, and some of them might be beyond understanding an amateur vape user. It takes time to understand the vape vernacular fully. This terminology is a huge factor when choosing vapes, as in the case of unregulated mods or regulated mods.
We will analyze mechanical mods and regulated mods to aid the user in their ultimate choice of vape. The difference arises from the construction of the vapes, which in turn influences the vaping experience. Both options have their pros and cons, so we can begin to dig deeper into the world of mods by comprehending what mods are and the differences between the two mods.
What is a Vape Mod?
If you are a pro vaper, this section might be monotonous for you, but this question might bog beginners down for a while. Mod is a short term for ‘modified’ and refers to any vaping device that has been tweaked structurally to suit the needs of its user. With these modifications, the intent was to make sure that every kind of vape user can find something they are looking for.
Now that the term mod has been thrown out the window (not literally, of course), we can move on to brainstorm about regulated mods vs. mechanical mods.
The History of Vape Mods
The history of vaping can be traced back to the 1930s when Joseph Robinson came up with the concept of “electric vaporizer.” There is no prototype available, and this could be the birth of the idea of what we call today as vape.
In the 1990s extensive research was being done to mimic the concept of vaping. This started with a new distinctive vape in the market called volcano hybrid. It was called ‘how rich people smoke pot’ by the Daily Beast.
The modern vape came into existence in 2003 when Chinese pharmacist, Hon Lik, manufactured the device. It was branded by Golden Dragon Holdings, which Lik worked for. Subsequently, it finally came into public use in Europe in 2006 and then made its way to the USA in the same year.
Hon Lik’s e-cigarette. Via brandbuilda.com
What is a mechanical mod?
We can begin by breaking down what mechanical mods are and what makes them different from regulated mods. Mechanical mods are pretty straightforward.
❖ It comprises a metal with a battery in it.
❖ There is a power button that can turn on the device, and there is no way to control the voltage.
❖ The power comes straight to the atomizer because there are no coils to avert the device from overheating.
Pros:
The above description might be scary to some, and that is exactly why mechanical mods are referred to as unregulated mods. But there are advantages to this fascinating device:
❖ It is very hard to break
The simple build of the device with a metal crust ensures that the vape is long-lasting therefore, making it a good investment.
❖ It is easy to use
You do not need to read manuals over manuals to operate this device. There is one power button that is enough for you to understand the operation of mechanical mods.
❖ Very easy to fix
There is not much that can malfunction, thanks to its plain frame.
❖ Extremely portable
These devices are lightweight and can easily be carried around.
❖ No limits over power.
You can draw any type of voltage from mechanical mods as there are no circuits inside to regulate the power.
Cons:
❖ Battery replacement often needed
With different options in almost everything, there are tons of batteries to choose from when your battery goes out of functioning. You need to perform independent research before you go out in the store and get bewildered by the number of choices you have.
❖ Knowledge of Ohm’s law is needed.
Yeah, this is the Ohm’s law you studied in your Physics class. The much-dreaded Physics and its laws explain our surroundings, including your vape device.
❖ Dangerous for beginners
If you are a novice vaper, make sure you know enough about mechanical mods as there are no indicators on the device to let you know how much power you are drawing. There is no circuit board internally to regulate that, and they can explode if pushed to the battery's limit.
Why are mechanical mods dangerous?
To prevent yourself from experiencing a nasty accident, it's safe always to know what you are working with. Practical know-how of the device and the mods is needed, and therefore, you should always be careful of the following few things.
Ohm's Law
I = V ÷ R
This has been mentioned already, but understanding this equation can ensure the safety of the user. It is always good to go through the equation one time, nonetheless.
- “I” stands for current in Amps. This is the current your battery can safely regulate. You should always examine this when you are getting a new battery.
- “V “derives from the voltage in volts. In simple terms, this is the maximum power that your battery can accumulate.
- “R” is resistance in ohms. The self-explanatory word is the coil resistance that is present in the atomizer of your vape tank.
It translates to:
Current = Voltage ÷ Resistance
If you start thinking about it, it will begin to make sense. Let's take an example now: If you use
Kanthal Double Mesh Coil - 0.20 ohm and along with that, use a battery of 2800MAH 20A 3.7V then that implies:
I = 3.7 ÷ 0.20 = 18.5 Amps
This is perfectly safe for a 20 amps battery. In a nutshell, that means that a bit of calculation for cloud-chasing can go a long way. Other than this law, there are certain things you need to be careful of.
You should always be mindful of how you insert your vape batteries. The positive terminal should be at the top, and the negative terminal should be on the opposite side.
As a rule of thumb, use insulation between the 510 connector’s positive and negative sides as they both shouldn’t be touching the battery simultaneously. In addition to that, don’t carry around bare batteries in your pocket as they can come in contact with other metal objects and cause short-out, resulting in the ignition.
Types of Mech mods
You probably already know that with modification comes improvisation. Therefore, let’s discuss different categorization of mods available in the stores to buy right now:
➢ Tube mech mods
Via tlgcanadawholesale.com
These were the simplest and pioneer of mechanical mods. They consisted of a tube with a single or more batteries in it. The batteries were connected to an atomizer with a 510 connector.
➢ Hybrid Mods
All the mech mods have the same basic principle: they are not equipped with any circuitry to modulate the power. However, hybrid mods have a tiny difference that makes them more thrilling yet more dangerous: they do not possess a 510 connector. The positive terminal pin is positioned in such a way that it protrudes and doesn’t come in contact with the negative pin.
➢ Box mech mods
These mods have dual batteries which are connected in either series configuration or parallel ones. Each of these layouts has benefits and flaws.
In series battery mode, the mods are connected in opposite directions. This setup doubles the voltage of the mod. Therefore, two 3.7V powered batteries mean that you will get 7.4 voltage power and a more extreme vaping power. But this does not affect the battery life. Whereas in a parallel configuration, the batteries are stacked next to each other in the same direction. As a result, it prolongs battery life but does not affect the vaping power.
How to choose mech mods?
There are multiple factors you need to take into account when choosing mechanical mods. But the first and foremost one is safety. If you are a novice vaper, try to choose a regulated mod vape because they control the power and can shut down if the battery is in a red zone.
Mech mods are targeted at experienced vapers who are also familiar with the structure of the device and can fix the malfunctioning equipment. Also make sure you use a battery wrap and check insulation. In short, you need to know the dangers of using unregulated mods before you purchase one.
What is a regulated mod?
Via ecigarettereviewed.com
Now that we have covered unregulated mod, we can finally jump on to regulated mod. As the name suggests, it has a regular built and has quite many safety features. For example, prevention from over-resistance. It wards off the battery from extreme heating thereby, intercepting an explosion. It has a constant voltage that will be expelled until the battery is drained. The constant voltage also gives a longer battery life.
The batteries are connected to coils, unlike in mech mods. The screens monitor and display the remaining battery life, voltage, current settings, and atomizer resistance. All of these features make regulated mods safer to use and allow you to indulge in sub-ohm vaping without diving deep into the technicalities of it.
Pros:
❖ Display Available
Most of the regulated mods are equipped with a display that illustrates the remaining battery and vaping style. It also has ohm-readings on it so that the vapor can find out if the coil they are using is working fine.
❖ Easy to charge
You do not have to take out the batteries in the regulated mods and put them for charging. Rather than that, they have charging ports, making it possible to use it while you are in the middle of the vaping session.
❖ The vaping style can be changed.
As a beginner, you might want to tone down the device’s vaping power, which is achievable in regulated mods as they have plenty of options to control wattage and power.
❖ Built-in protection
These devices are equipped with electronics which will turn off in case there is some danger of a hazard.
❖ 10 second cut-off rule
All regulated mods have this feature where the current is cut off after 10 seconds so that there is never any issue of thermal runaway. On the flip side, this feature is not available in the unregulated mods, and they will continue to consume current as long as you are pressing the power button.
Cons:
❖ Can easily malfunction
As they have plenty of wiring inside, regulated mods are very prone to failures and it can be hard to troubleshoot the problem.
❖ Confusing operation
Beginners might get overwhelmed looking at the number of features, and it might take some time to use it efficiently. In contrast to mech mods, you might need to read through the manual.
❖ Limited choice of coil
If the coil has too little resistance, it won’t be supported by the device because it is too dangerous unlike the mech mod, which supports coils of all shapes and sizes.
Types of regulated mods
Whether you are an occasional vaper or vape regularly, the extensive knowledge of the types of available devices can help you go for the best fit that meets your needs.
➢ Fixed wattage mod
If you do not want to get into the nitty-gritty of the vape, this is the best fit. It is an excellent place to start as it won’t cloud (pun intended) your judgment when you go out to shop and find all the distinct options in front of you.
➢ Variable wattage mod
In this one, you can choose between discrete volts, thus drawing contrasting power towards the atomizer. These mods come with a LED screen to aid you with the voltage choice. It can also change the amount of vapor you will get. These devices are rare to find nowadays.
➢ Variable temperature mod
As the name suggests, in these mods, you can vary the temperature between ranges. As a result, you get a consistent vaping experience as power is adjusted to avoid dry hits. Most of the modern mods come with firmware that you can update online regularly without the need to go to a manufacturer.
How to choose regulated mods?
As a new user, you do not need to have extensive knowledge of regulated modes to start vaping. Also, you do not need to know any Physics laws (thank heavens!) to vape. It’s always recommended to start with something with a fixed wattage, and then as you progress, you can vary between different mods.
Of course, price is also essential, and it’s great to know that you haven’t paid a high amount for something that can break down with ease. The regulated mods come within an enormous price range.
Conclusion
To enter the world of vaping, it's a great idea to have a basic know-how of regulated versus unregulated mods. Unregulated mods don’t have an internal circuitry board and a straightforward atomizer design connected to the battery. Once you hit the power button, there is nothing that will guide the power, and thus, you need to be careful not to drain the battery. Nevertheless, they are good for collection and provide you with the freedom to modify the device that fits your needs.
On the other hand, regulated mods have interior circuits to control the power you get as a user and various features such as temperature change or voltage change which you can alter with something as simple as a click. They are also lower in prices than mechanical mods but are prone to malfunctioning and can be very hard to fix.
To wrap it all up, it is always recommended for a starter vaper to begin their vaping journey with a regulated mod and then alter their choices as they stroll onto the vaporizing journey.