2016 has gotten off to a good start when it comes to new vaping products, with a range of excellent box mods hitting the market in January, and the constant influx of new sub-ohm tanks showing no sign of letting up. So, what awesome new gear can you pick up this month? Here’s a quick run-down of some of the best options to hit the market so far this year.
New Vape Mods
Pioneer4You iPV5 200 W TC
The iPV series of box mods from Pioneer4You has long been praised by vapers for their top-notch performance and impressive feature-sets, and the iPV5 aims to continue in the proud tradition. The new device boosts the power output to 200 W, and supports temperature control with nickel, stainless steel and titanium coils, with the option to adjust the power going to the coil in TC mode between 10 and 100 joules (which is effectively identical to watts from a vapers’ perspective), or to 120 J with titanium coils. It supports coils down to 0.15 ohms in standard mode and 0.05 ohms in TC mode.
The device runs on two 18650 batteries – which makes true, continuous firing at 200 W unlikely – and is powered by the YiHi SX330-200 chipset, with upgradeable firmware. It might be quite understated from a visual perspective, but it’s bound to be a solid, excellently-performing device that will win over legions of vapers.
You can pick up the iPV5 for $79.95.
Sigelei Spark 90 W TC
Sigelei is another huge name in the world of box mods, with a multitude of devices on the market that vapers rave about, and the Spark 90 W is the newest addition. It supports wattages up to 90 W and temperature control between 212 and 572 ° F with titanium and nickel wire, with an adjustable output power in TC mode of between 10 and 75 J. The device runs on a single 18650 battery, with a minimum resistance of 0.1 ohms. This puts it right up to the limit of a 30 A battery at 90 W and minimum resistance, though, so a high drain battery is essential and it’d be better to avoid taking it right to the limit.
The device has a compact, rounded and sleek design, making it a solid option from an aesthetic perspective. The mod also comes with all the expected safety features, and has a clear OLED display so you can see all of the key information at a glance.
The Spark 90 W costs $49.95 new, putting it as a great option for vapers wanting solid performance on a budget.
SMY Touch Box 100 W TC
It seems one of the newer trends in the box mod game is touch-screen functionality, blending the user interface of a smart phone with the functions of a mod. While this does come across as a bit gimmicky, there are some excellent-looking devices like the SMY Touch Box 100 W hitting the market recently. This offers up to 100 W of power, TC from 200 to 600 ° F with nickel, stainless steel and titanium coils and a built-in 2600 mAh battery. The in-built battery has a decent capacity, but is it going to be enough to support vaping and the power demands of a touch-screen throughout a day of use? It seems unlikely, but I hope I’m wrong.
Although the device is very boxy in design, the touch-screen does allow a customizable background image, which does improve the overall look, despite not adding anything from a vaping perspective.
The device is available for $99.99.
Smok R200 200 W TC
Smok is another giant in the vaping industry, and the R200 is their latest box mod, pushing up to 200 W of power and offering temperature control with nickel, titanium and stainless steel. The TC on the R200 allows you to make adjustments to the temperature coefficient of resistance (how much the resistance of the material changes with temperature), allowing for a finer control of the TC function than is allowed by many devices. You can only make changes within a specific range for each wire type, but it’s still a great additional feature.
The mod has a design much like the M-series from Smok, but maintains quite a low weight (128 g or 4.5 ounces) and a compact size (85.5 by 55 by 23 mm or 3 and 3/8 by 2 and 3/16 by 7/8 inches), making it an appealing option for vapers looking for portability. It takes two 18650 batteries (again raising questions about the stated 200 W maximum), and supports resistances down to 0.1 ohms in VW mode and 0.05 ohms in TC mode.
The device is available for just $49.95.
UD Balrog 70 W TC
UD has a big following thanks to their range of well-loved rebuildable atomizers, but the Balrog sees them stepping into the TC box mod arena, putting out their first full starter kit. The Balrog 70 W TC kit comes with the 70 W mod, featuring TC from 200 to 600 ° F with nickel and titanium coils, and a 3.5 ml sub ohm tank with both TC and standard kanthal coils included. The power of the mod might be well below some of the other options on the market today, but it runs on a single 18650 battery, and still packs more than enough power for most vapers’ needs.
The mod has a compact design, clearly taking cues from the iPV D2 and D3, with a wide fire button and some nice ergonomic touches for comfort. The result is a solid mod that’s excellent for vapers who aren’t looking for huge clouds and want something portable enough to take out of the house regularly.
The device and tank available for $68 from Heaven Gifts (although it’s currently on pre-order and there’s a sale on), but we also have a competition running where you can win a kit for free. Check out our review for more info on the kit.
Council of Vapor Trident 60 W
Best known for their Royal Hunter RDA, Council of Vapor enters the box mod arena with their new 60 W Trident. The device is fairly basic on the features front, with VW between 7 and 60 W and no TC, and it runs on a single 18650 battery. The device sells itself on its unique design in terms of battery access – with a removable outer shell allowing access – and it’s three “ramp up” modes, with a “soft” option for mouth to lung inhales and a faster-than-usual option for those wanting a hard hit when you press the fire button. The design is understated, being fairly plain aside from a Council of Vapor logo, and it has a three-line LED display for all the core information. It’s an entry-level mod, but at $64.99, the price may be a little too high for the limited feature-set.
New Sub Ohm Tanks, RDAs and RTAs
Aspire Cleito
The Cleito from Aspire sees them building on the success of their previous sub-ohm tanks (the Atlantis and the Triton), but making some interesting design decisions to maximize performance. The atomizer heads also serve as the central chimney, supposedly boosting airflow and leading to huge improvements in vapor production and flavor. The device also uses Clapton-style kanthal coils, again contributing to excellent flavor and vapor.
The 3.5 ml tank has a user-friendly, top-filling design, and even though you can’t change the coil without emptying the tank, the process is still very straightforward and new-vaper-friendly. It comes with a Pyrex glass tank (and a spare tube), a Delrin drip tip, two coils (one 0.2 and one 0.4 ohms) and several rubber “cuffs” for heat dissipation around the top cap. The result is a beginner-friendly sub-ohm tank with fantastic performance (we have a review coming very soon) and a great price of just $24.95.
iJoy Reaper Plus
Another sub-ohm tank that hit the market in January is the Reaper Plus from iJoy, a top-filling tank with adjustable wicking ports (so you can completely close off the liquid flow or adjust it to suit you juice’s viscosity) and dual top and dual bottom adjustable airflow. The device comes with kanthal and stainless steel coils, as well as a two-post RBA head and the option to buy Clapton coil heads separately. The airflow system is also fairly unique, with the upper airflow slots actually channeling down to your coil rather than just adding extra air intakes around the mouthpiece, and also sealing off if you don’t want the extra airflow. The tank has a slightly wide 22.6 mm diameter and holds 3.8 ml of juice.
Horizon Arctic V8 Mini
The Mini version of the Horizon Arctic V8 offers the same features as the slightly bigger tank in a more compact form, with all of the same V-series coils still working with the device and newly added hive, tiger and snake coils too, which incorporate things like flat kanthal and twisted wire to boost performance. The tank has a top-filling design, quad adjustable airflow – with four 7 by 2 mm slots – a spit-back reducing vent system and a 3 ml capacity. The capacity is a little low, but you can always pick up the full-size version if you want to fit more juice in your tank. Really, the unique coils are what set the device apart, and the tank comes with one hive coil and one tiger coil included, as well as a spare glass tube and some O-rings. The Arctic V8 Mini costs $29.99.
Surefire Vapor Smart Subtank
The Smart Subtank from Surefire Vapor is a 4.5 ml capacity sub-ohm tank with a difference. It shifts the threading for the coil head from the bottom of the tank to the chimney alone, producing a tank with superb leak-resistance that keeps filling and changing coils as simple as possible. The Smart Subtank has dual 10 by 2 mm adjustable airflow slots located at the top of the tank, stainless steel and glass construction, a Delrin drip tip and both kanthal and nickel coils available. The tank is available for $39.99.
Uwell Rafale Sub Ohm TC Tank
The Rafale from Uwell builds on the success of the now-legendary Crown, offering a huge 5 ml juice capacity, dual adjustable airflow, a twisting top-fill mechanism and a unique anti-spit-back design. The tank has a 23 mm diameter, quartz glass and stainless steel construction, a wide-bore drip tip and parallel coil atomizer heads. The tank comes with a 0.2 ohm coil pre-installed and a 0.5 ohm one spare, with the option of also picking up Ni200 coils and an RBA head for rebuilders. The tank is currently available for the great price of $28.95.
Ice Cubed RDA by Wotofo
Wotofo has a reputation for putting out solid RDAs like the Sapor, Lush and Freakshow, and they’ve added a new option to their range in the form of the Ice Cubed. As the name suggests, the RDA is cubic in design – measuring 22 by 22 by 22 mm – and has an ice-like, glass-sided top cap. The RDA features a Velocity-style two post design, with 2 mm holes in the posts and a nice deep juice well, as well as PEEK insulators for superior heat resistance. The RDA also has 10 by 2 mm airflow channels in the top cap, and both 6 and 8 mm drip tips included. The Ice Cubed is available for $24.95.
Check Back Next Month for More!
As always, we’ve tried to cover the biggest product releases of the month, but if we’ve missed anything worth checking out, let us know in the comments! If not, check back next month for another run-down of the best new mods and atomizers to get your hands on!
If you're looking for dry-herb vaporizers, be sure to check out the new Pax 3 vaporizer we reviewed.