Unregulated e-cigarettes are those that directly inject electricity into the coil, while Regulated e-cigarettes include more advanced safety mechanisms and features.
About regulated and unregulated mods
A common question when looking at different types of vape mods is “what is the difference between a regulated and an unregulated mod ?” The first thing you need to know is that the majority of mods on the market today are regulated mods. They are the most popular choice for vapers from beginners to experienced vapers. But of course, not everyone is a fan of this option.
For example, when you walk into a vape shop, you may see a vaper, or an employee, vaping with an unregulated mod. Why is that? You may be wondering why anyone would use an unregulated mod? Or maybe you are just trying to determine which mod is safest – a regulated mod or an unregulated mod?
We will explain the difference between these two mods in the simplest way for those who are new to them.
What is unregulated mod?
Unregulated mod is a type of vape device that transfers battery power directly to the coil without going through the circuit board, cannot adjust the power level and does not have any safety features.
Made from metal tubes, wooden boxes or plastic, unregulated mods are the simplest form of vape mod from structure to operation. Using one or more batteries, the circuit will start after pressing the button and directly send the battery's power to the atomizer and coil installed on the device.
Despite their simple operation, unregulated mods are considered “advanced devices” because they can run on any atomizer and coil, completely ignoring the material and resistance of the coil. This type of mod becomes extremely dangerous if the user lacks knowledge of electronic devices, knowledge of battery safety and Ohm’s law because it can easily cause fire or explosion. But at the same time, it also allows vapers with enough experience and knowledge to freely create for themselves experiences from normal to extremely special.
Unregulated mod types
Mech mod (tube type): The first tube mech mod to appear on the market was Trog's Screwdriver mech in 2008. It took a few years for mech mods to become popular. The structure of the tube mech mod is very simple, containing only one 18650 battery (or 18350, 18490, 26650), made from stainless steel, copper or brass. Mech mods are ideal devices for vapers to experiment with unique coils and play tricks.
Squonk box: First appeared in 2009 with the JuiceBox, then popularized by Reosmods. Most squonk mods are unregulated mods that use one or two batteries with an attached juice bottle. The bottle is squeezed through an opening to push the juice up to the atomizer. This type of device makes using an RDA more convenient.
Squonk mod
Series mods: Advanced mods like Wismech's Noisy Cricket (v1) use more than one battery. Depending on how the two batteries are connected, the voltages on both sides will be added together (e.g. 3.7V + 3.7V = 7.4V), resulting in a doubled voltage. But the maximum current and battery life will only count as one. As in the example above, the voltage is double for one battery, but the battery life and capacity will count as one.
Structure of series mod and parallel mod
Parallel mods: With Parallel mods, no matter how many batteries you use, the voltage will be maintained at a single value, not cumulative like Series mods (e.g. 3.7V + 3.7V = 3.7V). In parallel mode, the batteries will share the resistance of the coil. However, the battery capacity and maximum current rate will be doubled, allowing this type of device to use extremely low resistance coils while minimizing stress on the batteries.
Advantages of unregulated mod
- No limitation on coil resistance.
- No circuit boards to fail or break.
- Can be easily maintained.
- No complicated manuals or control systems.
- Simple design.
- Virtually unlimited capacity.
Disadvantages of unregulated mod
- Unregulated mod is very dangerous if the user is inexperienced.
- Accept any resistor or burner even if the battery is in the “red alert” level.
- Not suitable for beginners.
- Vape time will decrease as battery capacity decreases.
What is Regulated mod?
Regulated mods are vape devices that incorporate safety mechanisms and advanced features (like wattage adjustment) from the electronic circuit board.
There are two main types of regulated mods: adjustable wattage and fixed wattage. Adjustable wattage devices have a chipset that allows the wattage to be continuously adjusted regardless of whether the value is above or below the actual battery voltage. Once the battery voltage drops below the mod's minimum voltage, the device will stop working and need to be recharged.
Regulated mod
Fixed wattage devices are usually cig a like, pod vapes like Inone or eGo vape pens that use a fixed battery voltage from the internal battery (all mods with internal batteries are regulated mods). Fixed wattage devices usually only accept coils with fixed resistance, which is a suitable type of device for those new to vaping. Like unregulated mods, the vaping time of fixed wattage devices will gradually decrease with battery capacity.
Regulated mod types
Fixed Wattage: Fixed wattage devices were the first form of e-cigarettes. They are the best choice for beginners because they are not too complicated, requiring little instruction. These devices only use a single control button. They still make up the majority of the market because of their ease of use. Cigalikes, eGo, AIO, JUUL… are all fixed wattage devices.
Variable Voltage (VV): First introduced in 2010 (BuzzPro and Provari), these devices are considered a new step forward in the vape market. Using special microprocessors, these devices allow vapers to push the voltage higher or lower than the actual voltage of the battery.
Variable Wattage (VW): Introduced in 2011 with the Darwin by Evolv. The circuitry of the device allows the vaper to adjust the wattage to their liking and maintain that wattage consistently even with coils of different resistances. That is something that Variable Voltage devices cannot do.
Temperature Control (TC): Released in 2014, TC devices allow vapers to set temperature limits for a specific coil type. However, until now, TC has only been integrated into VW or VV devices and has not been created as a separate mod.
Advantages of regulated mod
- There are several built-in safety mechanisms.
- The values have been pre-calculated.
- Specific instructions included.
- Suitable for both beginners and veterans.
- Many choices of design and color.
- Available in small shapes with moderate power to large shapes with high power.
Disadvantages of regulated mod
- Protection mechanisms will make you careless about battery safety.
- Regulated mods have a limit on the coil resistance a device will accept.
- Sometimes it's quite confusing.
Which mod is best for you?
If you want to use an unregulated mod, you must first have a certain understanding of ohm's law, battery safety, and what types of atomizers you should and shouldn't use.
My sincere advice is to continue using regulated mods until you understand all the above issues. Regulated mods have many options in terms of design, power and features. Most regulated mods have safety mechanisms and will warn the user when the device has errors.
