Vaping for Beginners – Part Two: Mods

Welcome back to the 88Vape blog for the second in our Vaping for Beginners series. Last time out, we explained the basics of electronic cigarettes and the standard vape pens, let you know what goes into an eliquid, and promised that we’d fill you in on Mods very soon.

Well, consider that promise kept, because in this post we’ll be turning up the power and cracking open a window. Because today we’re blowing huge clouds with our introduction to mods and high VG eliquids!

What is a Mod?

Basically, a Vape Mod is a bigger, more powerful version of your vape pen.

But that’s a bit too basic for this guide, so let’s dig a little deeper.

Mod is short for modification, because back when vaping was brand new, hobbyists would modify their ecigarettes. Sometimes they’d want bigger batteries to squeeze out a little more power. Sometimes they’d want a more powerful coil to create bigger, thicker clouds from their vape juice. And sometimes they’d want a bigger tank.

Eventually, manufacturers caught on and just started making bigger, more powerful ecigarettes for these hobbyists to use. But the name stuck, and these vapes have been called mods ever since.

What’s the Main Difference Between a Mod and a Vape Pen?

The difference between our starter ecigarette and our starter Mod comes down to size. But size isn’t everything, and as we all know it’s what you do with it that counts!

Simply put, a mod has a larger battery, a more powerful coil and a bigger tank. But why?

It’s all about cloud chasing.

The Coils

We won’t bore you with the maths, but the 0.5 ohm coils in a mod have a lower electrical resistance than the standard coils. This means they’re more efficient at vaporising the eliquid to create a vape cloud. They also have a different wick to keep more liquid in contact with the coil, allowing for – you guessed it – bigger clouds.

Once you start using a more powerful coil, you need to take other things into account. Things like…

The Batteries

Sub ohm coils need power to function. If you screw in the battery from a standard vape pen, you’ll end up with a splutter and a wheeze instead of a plume of vapour. So Mod kits come with much larger and more powerful batteries.

With larger batteries, manufacturers can also get a little creative. Not everyone wants to blow huge clouds all the time, so we’ve made a variable voltage mods that can dial the power up and down. But all this power needs one more thing…

The Tank

Plug a bigger battery and a more powerful coil into a small tank, and you’ll be refilling it constantly. So mod kits need to have bigger tanks (like our Subtank) to hold more eliquid, because you’ll be using more of it.

And speaking of eliquids…

What are Cloud Eliquids?

Last time we explained that eliquids are made from PG, VG, nicotine and flavourings. Well that’s true for high VG cloud eliquids too. The only difference is the ratios.

PG – The PG creates the “throat hit” feeling from your liquid. As mod users inhale more vapour, a stronger hit could be unpleasant. By lowering the PG, mod liquids are smoother than a standard liquid.

VG – VG creates clouds. Mod users want clouds. So to give the people what they want, mod liquids are mixed with a higher ratio of VG, usually in a 70/30 ratio with the PG.

Nicotine – As we mentioned, mod users inhale more eliquid. That means a higher dosage of nicotine, which could be pretty unpleasant, even for ex-smokers. Cloud liquids have lower amounts of nicotine, usually capping out at 6mg, to ensure that even deeper inhales don’t lead to larger nicotine doses.

Flavourings – Not everything changes. Mod liquids still taste great!

You’ve Still Not Covered Short Fills!

No, we’ve not.

If you’re looking through our online store, you’ll have noticed short fill liquids. They’re new, they’re really interesting, and…

And…

And they’re a story for another day. Make sure you check back soon for part three of our beginner’s guide to vaping!