Best Box Mods 2024
The 5 best box mods and a helpful buyer’s guide for beginners
Everyone is looking for a good box mod. You can find it here! Our list comprises mainly of box mods starter kits with regulating chipsets, that will either house a single removable battery or an internal battery — if you are after more powerful vape mods, check our best high-wattage mods list.
With so many products currently available, navigating the market can be overwhelming. If you are unsure on what the best box mod is for you, see our guide below to learn more about the options.
What is a box mod?
A box mod is a power source, a boxy handheld case that supplies power to a vaping atomizer with the use of one or more rechargeable batteries. The term “mod” has its origins in the early years of e-cigs, where hobbyist vapers “modified” existing electrical hardware (like flashlights) for custom use as vaping hardware.
Almost universally, box mods have a firing switch or button. Press the switch and the atomizer gets power from the mod and “fires”, vaporizing e-liquid through the instantly heated coil. Release it, and the power is cut off.
Types of box mods
Form and design
Box mods come in different designs, configurations, and aesthetics. The size of box mods can range from small to large, though they’re always handheld devices.
Typically, box mods have a rectangular shape, but this varies from regular boxes with sharp, straight angles to more ergonomic and aesthetic curved designs. Materials include plastic, metal, and wood with colors ranging from basic black or silver to colorful works of art.
Battery
Box mods 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 preferably on an external dedicated charger.
A box mod with removable batteries may incorporate one to four rechargeable Li-Ion batteries, although one or two is most common. Internal battery box mods come in a variety of capacities, ranging from under 1000 mAh to over 5000 mAh.
The power capabilities of a box mod are dependent on battery output and capacity, so the larger an e-cig mod is, typically the greater power you can expect.
Features and functions
A box mod that incorporates a chip that allows you to adjust values such as the wattage or voltage delivered to the atomizer, is called a “regulated box mod”. These mods usually have a display screen that shows all the relevant information about the settings and functions currently in use.
The most common features found in modern regulated box mods are variable wattage, variable voltage, and temperature control. More advanced chipsets will allow functions such as preheat, power curves and boost mode, or even voice-command recognition. While these features are not essential, they do allow for a fully customizable vaping experience.
Unregulated box mods may use chips or soldered wiring that provide a set of protective features, but do not allow wattage or voltage adjustments – or any of the other more advanced functions. Some box mods are designed and made with no chips or wiring, in which case they’re called “mechanical mods”. These are meant to be used by advanced vapers and require an in-depth understanding of Ohm’s law and battery safety, due to the complete lack of protective features.
Price point
Prices of box mods vary greatly, but the average price range is between $40-$150. The vast majority of modern box mods are priced around the $50 price point, with more advanced DNA- and Yihi-powered mods usually in the $100-$200 range.
Handcrafted mods that use high-quality materials are priced higher, many times over. These box mods often come in very limited quantities and are generally considered to be collector’s items — obtaining them usually requires joining waiting lists in the manufacturer’s social media groups. Their price depends on the materials used as well as the time and effort needed in the manufacturing process.
Evolving technology of box mods
Product revival
A good example is the revival of the squonk mod. Originally introduced in the early days of vaping, bottom-feeding mods were expensive to manufacture and suffered due to a general lack of availability of good quality and affordable bottom-fed atomizers. It took some years for the first massively produced squonk mods to reach the consumers, but they did, and they took the market by storm.
Pairing technologies
Innovations like these are happening more often lately, sometimes successfully and others not so much. We have seen box mods that function as mp3 players, power banks, speakers or even remotely-controlled mods that respond to your voice commands. Some of these functions are useful, some are gimmicky, but they all make for great conversation pieces.
Changing the game
An example of this kind of drastic innovation came from Evolv and their DNA chipsets. Temp control (or TC) emerged initially in 2014 and has quickly become an essential feature of most mods. Providing a consistent vape experience and avoiding dry hits were game-changing features and led the industry to set new standards for box mod manufacturing.
What’s the best box mod for you?
Determining which box mod you should use has a lot to do with what you are planning on pairing it with. While it makes sense to have as much battery power as possible, some mods are more appropriate than others for a given atomizer. Some vape atomizers and tanks will have a wide range of power requirements, but here are some common areas that most will fit into.
Watts needed for specific types of atomizers
- MTL atomizers; lower vapor volume — 10 to 30 watts
- Sub ohm atomizers; clouds of vapor — 30 to 100 watts
- Competition-style atomizers; huge clouds of vapor —100 to 200+ watts
Batteries needed for specific types of atomizers
- MTL atomizers; lower vapor volume — one battery
- Sub ohm atomizers; clouds of vapor — one or more batteries
- Competition-style atomizers; huge clouds of vapor — two or more batteries
A big mod with multiple batteries would work for an MTL device, but it's probably an overkill. And a mid-range sub ohm tank may work fine on a single battery device, but it'll likely drain a battery quickly. Yet, a competition atomizer or a sub ohm tank that needs more than 100 watts to perform should only go on a multi-battery high wattage mod.
Before buying your vape box mod, think about the amount of vapor you want to exhale, or that your atomizer can make. The more vapor, the more power (watts and batteries) you'll need. If fogging up a room is not a concern, lower wattage and single battery options will work fine – and will be much easier to carry around.
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