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7 Best Box Mods (Vape Mods) for Advanced Vaping in 2020

If you’re new to vaporizers, box mods can be an intimidating bunch.

The number of features they have can make anyone’s head spin.

Well, today you will exactly learn what makes a box mod good.

Not only that, but you will get a list of the 7 best box mods currently on the market.

And the best part:

Based on what type of vaper you are, you'll exactly know what box mod you should get.

Let's get started with our top 3 comparison table.

Best Vape Mods and Box Mods

1. Lost Vape Paranormal DNA250C (Best Overall, Best Temp Control & Safety Features)

Lost Vape Paranormal 250C
Some say:

You haven’t tried temperature-control-mode vaping until you’ve tried a DNA mod.

The accuracy, consistency, and control you get over your vapor production with a DNA mod are unparalleled.

Let me explain.

You can control the temperature in 1-degree increments, and the best part is:

It actually is accurate within 1-degree increments. You won’t find this accuracy in mods with other than DNA or YiHi chips.

Other chips sometimes are off by 10-20 degrees and can fluctuate within even larger ranges!

Why does this matter?

With a DNA or YiHi mod, finding your sweet spot regarding:

  • The temperature of vapor;
  • Flavor, and;
  • Vapor production…

is like a walk in the park.

Not only that, but your experience will stay consistent, no matter what:

  • No occasional weak hits;
  • No occasional extremely hot ‘wtf-happened-to-my-temp-limit’ hits;

Just accurate and consistent until the last bit of electricity is drained out of your battery.

And the new DNA 250C chip comes with an even easier way to keep your vapor production consistent:

  • Replay mode

Replay mode is an extremely simplified temperature control mode.

While adjusting the wattage and experimenting with puffs, any time you take a draw and think: ‘This is the best draw I've ever had'…

You just hit the ‘Safe Puff' button, and your device will keep the temperature and your puff EXACTLY the same until you decide it's time for a new setting.

Temperature control can't get any easier than this. This is a HUGE simplification and makes temperature control mode accessible to people who weren't interested in it before.

Then there’s the flexibility that comes with DNA mods.

You can literally control ANYTHING that’s related to the operation of your mod AND relevant to the user interface (with the Escribe software).

For example:

  • Preheat settings: do you want your mod to reach your pre-set maximum wattage/temperature instantly (instant vapor) or take it slowly (which is better for battery-life and less in your face);
  • Power limits based on wire type (amazing safety feature as you'll never go above the max-wattage of any specific wire type);
  • ANYTHING that’s related to the user interface like messages, colors, what to show where.

And COUNTLESS other customizations.

You might be wondering:

Great, but why would I want all of this flexibility?

Well, you can EXACTLY create your most satisfying vaping experience with this box mod, and because of its accuracy and consistency, KEEP this experience without any effort (just keep all the variables the same OR hit the Replay / Save Puff button).

While earlier DNA mods did have a learning curve, the new Replay mode makes this mod extremely easy to use.

But if you ’re not going to use TC-mode or Replay-mode, getting a DNA mod definitely is overkill…

…unless safety is one of your top priorities.

The built-in safety features of DNA 250C chip are insane:

  • It has the most accurate battery monitoring in the industry: ALWAYS be on top of any battery irregularities before it's too late;
  • It supports balanced charging (to prevent overcharging a single battery and destroying it or even worse: killing the device), and;
  • Comes with reverse polarity protection, in case you accidentally insert your batteries wrongly.

It’s one of the safest and foolproof box mods you can get.

But these are all benefits that you get with ANY mod that operates with the DNA 250C chip.

The question is:

What makes the Lost Vape Paranormal DNA250C so special?

For starters, this is one of the sturdier DNA box mods you can get.

Its construction and build quality, including the build quality of the battery door, which often is a weak point with box mods, are so good, once you've held the Lost Vape Paranormal DNA250C in your hand, you will truly understand what a premium mod is.

And if you thought 2-battery mods are always bulky…

Think again.

The Lost Paranormal 250C is compact, lightweight and feels very comfortable in your hand.

The bottom line is:

If you're looking for a vape mod which will allow you to fine-tune your vaping experience by adjusting over 10+ variables, and then gives you the most consistent and safe vaping experience by keeping these variables EXACTLY the same, any time you turn on your vaporizer…

Or you were interested in temperature control mode before, but the complexity of it scared you off, and now want to experience this mode in its most simplified form…

The Lost Vape Paranormal DNA250C is the box mod I highly recommend.

Click to see the most recent price in:

Bonus: DNA chips come with a 1-year warranty!

Up next…

2. Smoant Ranker (Best Value for Money)

Smoant Ranker
You want to turn a whole room into a steaming hotbox filled with impressive clouds of vapor, and do it quickly?

Operating on 2 batteries, with a maximum wattage of 218W…

The Smoant Ranker has enough power to operate watt-hungry sub-ohm tanks.

But that’s not all that it has going for it.

Just like its earlier versions: the Smoant Charon & Smoant Cylon, this is probably the most compact and pocketable 2-battery mod that’s on the market.

It’s arguable whether any 2-battery mod is truly pocketable. But if there’s any, the Smoant Ranker definitely is one of them.

Pocketable AND durable is a combination some of you definitely will be looking for.

If that's you, you'll be happy to know that the Smoant Ranker is crazy durable:

  • Drop it: nothing breaks;
  • Abuse the buttons: they keep working;
  • Vape at very high temps: it stays cool.

Talking about temperatures, its temperature control mode is excellent! Not up there with DNA or YiHi, but better than 90% of the non-DNA / non-YiHi mods.

The main downside with earlier Smoant box mods like the Smoant Charon and Smoant Battlestar was their battery-life:

The battery life of these mods was worse than other 2-battery mods. This had to do with the fact that these mods drained your batteries to unacceptable levels when left idle and the battery cutoff started at a relatively high voltage (3.6V).

Smoant definitely stepped their game up here.

They fixed these issues with the Ranker:

  • The battery-drainage, when left idle, is insignificant, which means longer battery life, and;
  • The battery-cutoff now starts at a very acceptable voltage of 3.0V, which also means more battery-life!

This means the battery-life of this box mod is excellent now: as good as most other 2-battery box mods and miles above any single-battery mod or vape pen.

If you're looking for a:

  • Powerful mod that can create extremely impressive clouds;
  • Want full control over your vapor production with temperature control;
  • Without breaking the bank…

The Smoant Ranker is currently the best value for money box mod that you can get.

Click to see the most recent price in:

Next up…

3. Geekvape Aegis Solo (Cheapest & Best Stealth/Single Battery Mod)

GeekVape Aegis Solo
Most of you don’t want the ‘best’ vape mod in the literal sense of the word.

You’re probably looking for the best value you can get out of your money.

And if you're also looking for the smallest box mod…

The GeekVape Aegis Solo is the smallest and cheapest box mod in the list, but, this is crazy:

It outperforms many pricier ‘stealth’ or single-battery mods mods in terms of, durability, flavor and vapor production.

Here’s how:

  • It has a removable single 18650 battery design, which means you'll never run out of battery (just bring extra batteries);
  • It fits up to 26mm tanks/atomizers without any overhang (one of the only single-battery mods that actually holds such big tanks/atomizers);
  • With the excellent temperature control (probably the best non-DNA single-battery TC mods) you'll be able to control your temperature and vapor output very well;
  • It comes with a max wattage of 100 watts, which is higher than most single-battery mod;
  • GeekVape mods are extremely durable: GeekVape mods lasting for 3+ years is the norm rather than the exception.

A stealth mod shouldn't draw a lot of attention when you're out.

And although the GeekVape Aegis Solo isn't the smallest stealth mod, it's small enough that whichever way you turn it, it will always easily fit inside the palm of your hand (without the tank).

A single battery does bring some downsides with it:

Although the GeekVape Aegis Solo is powerful for a single battery mod and has the potential to power some sub-ohm tanks, it performs best in the low- to mid-range watt settings (20-60 watts). Besides if you want good battery life out of your GeekVape Aegis, you will have to stay below 100 watts. Because even though the max capacity of this vape mod is 100 watts, you never want to be using a box mod near its max capacity for more extended periods of time and here's why:

  • It drains the battery extremely fast, and;
  • Reduces the longevity of your battery.

This means if you're a real cloud-chaser and want to vape big clouds all day, you're better off with a dual-battery mod.

For a single-battery mod, the battery-life is excellent:

If you stay below 90 watts and don't chain-vape, the battery will last up to a full day.

If you're a chain-vaper (you really should lose the habit of chain-vaping btw), look further down the list for a 2-battery or even a 3-battery mod.

Onto the temperature control…

The GeekVape Aegis Solo comes with a good temperature control performance. You can use it in both standard TC mode (based on wire type, stainless steel, for example), or fine-tune your temperature control with TCR values (I recommend a TCR value of 105 for included SS coil, and slowly work your way up if you want hotter vapor).

The consistency of the GeekVape Aegis Solo's vapor production is great in TC mode, not as consistent a DNA mod for example…

But good enough for the average user.

I absolutely LOVE the dry hit protection in this mod, it works very well and dry hit protection is one of the best safety features to have in your mod (dry hits are packed with toxins and carcinogens because you basically ‘burn' your e-liquid).

The bottom line is:

If you want a small and discreet vape mod, that has better vapor production, flavor and customization option than ANY e-cig or vape pen while staying under $50…

This is, without question, the box mod you should get.

Click to see the most recent price in:

Next up…

4. GeekVape Aegis Legend 200W (Best Power-Mode & Most Durable)

GeekVape Aegis Legend 200W
Hate it or love it, but the design of the GeekVape Aegis Legend is something special.

Looking like a rugged device coming straight out of the future, its outer image lives up to its reputation:

The GeekVape Aegis Legend is without a doubt the sturdiest and most durable box mod in the list.

There's simply no way that you could break your Aegis Legend, it's:

  • Dustproof;
  • Shockproof, and;
  • Waterproof;

But there’s more to its design.

This mod fits perfectly into the trend of vape mods built like indestructible tanks. And if you would throw your GeekVape Aegis Legend at anything, that thing would break, but the GeekVape Aegis Legend would stay intact.

The build quality is impressive, but it comes at a price:

This is probably the heaviest mod that you'll ever hold in your hand.

2-battery mods generally have decent battery life. The GeekVape Aegis Legend, however, had really bad battery life when it came out in 2017, that's why we never included it in our list before. Only quite recently did GeekVape update the Aegis Legend's firmware to version 1.2. Without this firmware upgrade, the battery life of the Aegis Legend is atrocious because it has an extremely high power draw in standby with the stock firmware. With the 1.2 firmware, the Legend's battery life is average.

The GeekVape Aegis Legend performs especially well in power mode.

In wattage-mode, this beast of a mod will go from zero to max watts in a matter of seconds. The chip fires very fast. If you’re the impatient type (like me), you will highly appreciate this.

PLUS it's incredibly accurate in wattage-mode, the most you'll see it off is by 1 watts. This is amazing for consistent performance, keep the watts the same and your vapor production will be very similar most of the time (as long as you keep everything else in your setup the same).

Its temperature control is only ‘decent' though: it isn't very accurate and mainly lacks consistency like from the higher end TC mods like DNA or even Smoant.

The bottom line is:

The GeekVape Aegis Legend is an extremely sturdy and durable device, that scores above average regarding performance in power-mode and is extremely sturdy and durable. You just have to accept its heavyweight and only ‘decent' performance in temperature control.

Click to see the most recent price in:

Next up we have a 2-battery YiHi powerhouse, the…

5. YiHi SXMini G Class SX550J 200W (Best 2-Battery Mod Overall)

YiHi SXMini G Class SX550J
If you want FULL control over your vaping experience, with extremely accurate and consistent temperature control, but want to be able to customize everything ON the device itself (instead of on a PC or laptop) …

YiHi mods are the go-to devices.

And the SXMini G Class is a YiHi mod that excels not only in temperature control mode but literally on EVERYTHING that you can rate box mod on:

  • It’s a 2-battery mod with an INSANE build-quality, in fact: this mod has the best build quality on the list. Holding this device in your hand will feel like carrying an incredibly sophisticated piece of machinery from the future.
  • You get amazing safety features for the safest vaping experience possible (keep battery dangers at bay and toxins out of your vapor).

You might be wondering:

A top-tier DNA mod like the Lost Vape Paranormal DNA166 and a top-tier YiHi mod like the SXMini G Class, sound very similar…

What exactly is the difference between these?

And you're right; they are very similar. But there are a few noteworthy differences.

Probably the most significant difference is that:

While with the Lost Vape Paranormal DNA 250C you need a Windows or Mac device to do deep customizations in Escribe, with the SXMini G Class, you can customize almost everything ON the device itself or with the very user-friendly Bluetooth app from your phone.

Every time connecting your box mod to your laptop, MacBook or PC for deep customization, can get burdensome after a while. This convenience of being able to customize everything on the device itself alone will be enough reason for some of you to choose this mod over any DNA mod.

Then there are some differences between the operation of the device and the user interface.

With the most significant difference being:

  • You control the SXMini G Class with a joystick.

Some will hate it, and some will love it, but there are no buttons on this mod; you control everything with the joystick.

Now, the truth is:

It does take a little time to figure out. But once you do, chances are, you will find it even more convenient than button-control.

This mod is also a real powerhouse. It’s the most heavy-duty 2-battery mod in the list. This beauty can support monster tanks: up to 30mm without any hangover! The 510 connection is HUGE.

The bottom line is if you want:

  • To operate huge tanks that never seem to empty;
  • Full control over your vapor production with extremely accurate and consistent temperature control, and;
  • Massive customization options for control over your full vaping experience…

Do yourself a favor and get this BEAST of a mod.

Click to see the most recent price in:

Next up…

6. Modefined Prism (Best Value for Money 3-Battery Mod)

Modefined Prism
If you know you're the type of vaper that forgets to charge his/her battery often, triple battery box mods will come as a blessing for you.

The power that 3 batteries bring means that even if you forget to charge your box mod for 1-2 days, you will still be able to keep going for at least a day…

Making the total up-time of 3-battery box mods at least 2-3 days, and that's at higher wattage settings (100+ watts)!

And if you're looking for a triple-battery box mod, but aren't prepared to pay the premium price for a DNA chip, the Modefined Prism is the best option for a ‘budget' 3-battery box mod.

Even though it doesn't come with a DNA chip, Modefined is the daughter-company of Lost Vape (a company specialized in premium DNA mods). This means you can be sure that you're getting fantastic quality, especially regarding:

  • Build quality, and;
  • Temperature control.

Let me explain.

This box mod is built and designed so well, that any atomizer up to 30mm will fit on the 510 pin without any overhang. And the battery door, which is often one of the weak points in the build quality of budget box mods, fits nice and tight.

And with regards to its temperature control: even though it doesn't have an as precise and accurate temperature control as a DNA mod, or the same customization capabilities that come with a DNA mod…

The temperature control of this box mod is above average; it's very consistent and accurate while it's price doesn't reflect that:

The Modefined Prism is one of the cheapest triple-battery box mods you can get.

The value you for your money you're getting here is insane.

Now:

If portability is your highest priority, I wouldn't recommend a 3-battery mod.

But the Modefined Prism is rather compact for a 3-battery mod. It might even be pocketable for some of you larger folks out there.

The bottom line is:

Currently, this is the best value for money triple-battery box mod out there. The performance, build quality and reliability you get for the price is unmatched.

Click to see the most recent price in:

Next up…

7. Lost Vape Triade DNA 250C (Best 3-Battery Mod Overall)

Lost Vape Triade DNA 250
If you're looking for a true premium 3-battery box mod…

The Lost Vape Triade DNA 250 is a triple-battery box mod, that operates on the tried and tested DNA 250 chip that you'll love.

This also means it operates exceptionally efficiently with your batteries. Which in turn means the battery life of this box mod is even better than other 3-battery box mods. It doesn't get better than this regarding battery life.

Of course, you also get all the benefits that come with the DNA 250 chip (also found in our number 4 mod: the Lost Vape Therion DNA166):

  • Exact and accurate temperature control for full control vapor production, flavor, and safety (the lower your temp, the fewer toxins in your vapor);
  • Amazing safety features, so you'll never have to worry about battery failures, batteries blowing up, or overheating a specific wire type (which can result in toxic vapor). This peace of mind is priceless really;
  • Endless customizations to your mod, to refine your vaping experience.

Just realize the following when you're going for any triple-battery mod:

It's going to be bulky and not very pocket-friendly.

On the bright side:

The Lost Vape Triade DNA 250 is designed in a very ergonomic way and will fit right in an average-sized hand.

The bottom line is:

If you're looking for the best battery life that's available, want the highest quality temperature control with it, and a build quality that makes your mod last for years to come…

The Lost Vape Triade DNA 250, is your best and only option.

Click to see the most recent price in:

Next up…

Box Mods and Temperature Control

In the past few years, temperature control vaping has become more and more popular.

And with good reason.

After you get through the short learning curve, temperature control (TC) vaping has many benefits to offer compared to fixed wattage (FW), variable voltage (VV) and variable wattage (VW):

  • Your temperature will always stay below a fixed point. This is not only a fantastic safety feature because the higher your temperature with vaping, the more you’ll risk producing and inhaling toxins…but it will also give the smoothest possible experience regarding how your vapor feels and tastes.
  • You will avoid the dreaded dry hits;
  • You’ll have full control over your hits and will always be producing consistent hits regarding temperature, flavor, feeling and cloud size, independent of how long and how hard you draw;
  • Your battery will last a good 20-30% longer.

After reading all these benefits of TC vaping…

You’ll understand why the quality of TC has become extremely important in rating a box mod.

How do we rate temperature control?

Mostly on accuracy and consistency, and to a lesser extent the ability to customize your TC-mode.

Quick-Guide on Batteries

The most important piece of advice you can get for batteries is the following:

ALWAYS carry any extra batteries in a case where they can’t come into contact with anything metal like keys or spare change. You don’t want to be creating any fire in your pocket.

Conclusion

Today, you've learned:

  • What makes a box mod good;
  • The 7 best box mods currently on the market, and;
  • Which box mod you should get, based on your vaping preferences.

Ok, so you've got your box mod…

If you're still looking for a vape tank to attach to your box mod, check out our vape tank guide:

If you're looking for a high-quality e-juice, check out our vape juice guide:

If want to exlore your squonk options, check out our list of:

If you want to know what health risks you expose yourself to when vaping, check out our massive guide where we review the latest science and give tips on how to prevent the major vaping health risks:

Lastly, if you want to connect with us become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Instagram by clicking the links below.

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About Winston Peki

Reviewing vaporizers, growing supplies, CBD products and scientific articles about marijuana and vaping since 2012. More info here.