Most vapers just don’t like tube mods, and I have no idea why. I personally love tube mods; in fact I only got box mods because they were cheaper.
When I started vaping, I wanted a tube mod. The problem is, among all the Provaris and Dicodes on display, they all seemed way too expensive to me.
I remember thinking at that time “Who in their right mind would spend $220 on a mod?”.
Today, I have six tube mods:
- One Provape Provari P3 that I got used
- Two Provape Procyons, one I bought brand new and the other used
- One Dicodes Dani Extreme V2+ which I got used
- Two cheaper Cfiber mods that I bought brand new, and you’ve seen these in a lot of my videos.
And I have no regrets. There’s just something about tube mods that makes me drawn to them.
To be clear, I’m talking about regulated tube mods, not mechanical mods. I’m also not talking about unregulated tube mods like the Cfiber or the Ego One / iJust2 batteries.
So I started thinking why tube mods hardly appear in YouTube reviews, and are hardly talked about in online forums.
Table of Contents
The Problem with Tube Mods
There are a few things with tube mods that may explain why they are less popular today:
- Most tube mods are low powered, up to 50w in my Procyon and 40w on my Dicodes, although the new Dicodes V3 goes up to 60w. For certain MTL markets though, the 20w Provari P3 is still the go-to device.
- For whatever reason, there seem to be only high-end tube mods. Of course there’s the Vamo, but China generally speaking makes one tube mod for every 1,000 box mod. The price alone puts it out of range for most beginners.
- They lack temperature control features. My Dicodes Dani Extreme V2+ can do temp control in Nickel, Titanium and Stainless Steel. But most other tube mods just do not.
- Most tube mods are 22mm or 23mm, which means that a lot of the 24m or 25mm tanks and RDAs would look weird on them. I never understood the 23mm mod, although I have tons of 22mm atomizers. In fact, I prefer a 22mm atomizer for a daily, mobile vape.
- No USB charging / upgradability. Every tube mod I own, except the Cfiber (which is not a regulated mod), must be charged by removing and replacing the single 18650 battery. So you must buy a charger, and extra betteries.
- The menu screens usually suck. The Provaris, Procyons and Dicodes I own all have a single button, and you’re supposed to navigate eberything with this one button. It can get pretty frustrating, with a lot of one-direction auto-scrolling.
So, there are some issues and you can either accept them or not.
The Beauty of Tube Mods
But it can’t be all bad. There are a few things about tube mods that no box mod can beat. Here’s a few reasons why I love tube mods:
- They are way more classy. Sorry to say but a lot of the tube mods, especially the ones by Kangertech, Ijoy, Eleaf etc, look like cheap toys. The build quality is not bad, but you cannot love those bright kiddie colors. Maybe a huge chunk of the vape market are kids (young adults)?
- They excel at safety & consistency. It has more safety features than a lot of other box mods. My Dani Extreme and Procyon both vape extremely consistent, to the point that I feel I get better flavor when I use them.
- Its way more portable. I have my triple-battery devices, and they stay at home. I have the Triade DNA250 which is probably the best device of 2016, and that stays in my office. There’s just nothing as portable as my Procyon or Dicodes, nothing!
- Its much more durable. My P3, Procyon and Dicodes are all built for the battle field. It;s not easy to damage these mods, and even when you do the companies that make them offer full repair & fixing.
Ok so.. there are definitly more cons than pros.
I guess its all a matter of the form factor. If you love the tube mod form factor, you will always be drawn to it. If you hate it, then even of you come across a tube mod that does 200w and desn’t have any of the cons I just mentioned, you won’t buy it.
When I vape my Kayfun 5 or Kayfun 5 mini with my Dani Extreme or Procyon, it just feels good. A nice relaxing vape instead of a hot, intense one.
For me, tube mods are way better than box mods. When I need to chuck some clouds, I actually prefer mechanical mods, also tubes.