Another year of vaping is almost behind us, and many will argue that this was the most exciting year to date as far as the vaping market is concerned. This was the year when we saw hardware reach new heights of technology, offering more enticing, innovative features, and customizable options than ever before.
If you’re the type of vaper who prefers box mods, then you’ve likely been dazzled by the never-ending lineup of stellar systems to hit the market in 2020 from legendary brand names like Freemax, GeekVape and SMOK. But which box mod starter kits were simply a step above the rest?
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SMOK Thallo S 100W Pod Mod Kit
It was a big year for SMOKtech, who released a seemingly endless lineup of exceptional hardware for every type of vaper under the sun. One of their most successful offerings was the SMOK Thallo S 100W Pod Mod Kit, which, despite its name, is in fact a box mod setup.
SMOK Thallo S 100W Pod Mod Kit
SMOK’s Thallo S boasts a lightweight, travel-friendly construction, making it a great choice for those who love the features that box mods typically offer, but yearn for something easier and more portable to carry around. It also offers a great visual design with aesthetic panels featuring bold swirls of beautiful color. A bright display screen on the chassis, paired with navigation buttons, lets you play around with the wattage which reaches a max of 100.
The Thallo RPM 2 Cartridge can hold 5 milliliters of e liquid and boasts an adjustable airflow system for more control over one’s vapes. The brand’s RPM 2 Coil Series is lauded for its effects on flavor and cloud production. It uses a press-fit coil installation mechanism, and the cartridge fills from the bottom while featuring a leakproof design.
SMOK Thallo S Features:
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- 100W max output
- Portable design
- Large juice capacity
- Single 18650 or 21700 battery
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Freemax Maxus 100W Starter Kit
Freemax has also had quite a year, proving that they can produce stunning and advanced systems just as well as the other big names. Their Freemax Maxus 100W Starter Kit has been given the most attention, and it’s easy to see why. With its beautiful aesthetics, offering asymmetrical panels of contrasting colorful resin swirls, it’s a feast for the eyes. However, that’s not all this setup has to offer in terms of its externals. This is a highly durable piece of hardware constructed from sturdy zinc-alloy and offers a refreshingly portable design thanks to its use of a single 18650 or 21700 battery.
Freemax Maxus 100W Starter Kit
This mod can achieve up to 100 watts, and the OLED display screen with navigation buttons makes it easy to adjust your output. The display screen also gives you various vaping stats including battery life. It uses the FM Chip-MAXUS 1.0 Chipset, which keeps the device performing reliably and consistently, while giving it loads of safety features, precise output adjustments and an incredibly fast firing speed.
The accompanying 3mL Fireluke 3 Tank uses a unique triple steel ball mechanism that stops leaks in a highly effective manner. An extra-wide drip tip gives you bigger clouds and richer flavor, and an airflow ring lets you adjust your draw levels. The tank comes with a bubble glass piece that extends the capacity to 5ml.
Also comes with the 0.2ohm 904L X2 Mesh Coil and the 0.15ohm 904L X1 Mesh Coil, which both use military grade mesh and tea fiber cotton to improve flavor dramatically.
Freemax Maxus Features:
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- 100W max output
- Exceptionally durable
- Travel-friendly
- Extremely leakproof
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GeekVape Aegis Max 100W Starter Kit
Geek Vape has given us quite a lot to talk about this year, and the Geekvape Aegis Max 100W Starter Kit certainly belongs on our list. It has one of the sleekest and most modern designs, while offering ergonomic features as well for an amazingly comfortable grip, which has become something of a staple with the brand. Exceptionally reliable materials ensure a resilient construction that can handle heavy use like a champ, being made from zinc-aluminum material that offers impressive durability. The mod also boasts an IP67 rating, which makes it dustproof, waterproof and shockproof.
Geekvape Aegis Max 100W Starter Kit
Because this mod can reach 100 watts, you’ll be able to enjoy big and fluffy clouds all day long without feeling like you’re sacrificing vapor production due to a lower output level. The OLED display screen lets you explore all five firing modes with ease, including, aside from wattage mode, bypass mode, VPR mode, TCR mode and more. It’s a great choice for those who want a more robust device with lots of different output capabilities.
An AS-100 Chipset is something that Geek Vape has become famous for, and it provides an almost instant firing time along with lots of safety features that let you vape securely.
The accompanying 5mL Zeus Sub-Ohm Tank boasts a locking drip tip to make it childproof. An innovative airflow design improves the quality of each puff. Best of all, it comes with 0.4ohm Mesh Z1 and 0.2ohm Mesh Z2 coils, each being installed via an intuitive plug ‘n’ play mechanism.
GeekVape Aegis Max Features:
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- Stellar flavor
- Beautiful aesthetic elements
- Multiple output modes
- IP67 rating
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SMOK Scar Mini 80W Starter Kit
The SMOK Scar Mini 80W Starter Kit is the more portable choice belonging to the Scar series, offering a max output of 80 watts and a conveniently portable design that many vapers can’t get enough of. It’s one of the most attractive kits we’ve seen all year with artful jagged panels lined in dreamy metallic and framing stunning abstract color patterns. The kit boasts an IP67 rating in order to be fully dustproof, shockproof and waterproof, and is made from highly durable materials, which is something for which SMOK is known. It is a very travel-friendly kit that serves as a great alternative to the more low-powered pod systems on the market today, and it’s designed for freebase nic e-liquid, being a box mod kit.
SMOK Scar Mini 80W Starter Kit
A single 18650 battery gives the device its power, and you can adjust the output easily with the display screen and navigation buttons. A puff monitoring system is displayed on the screen as well, alongside your battery life indicator. Plenty of safety features are packed into this small device, which is known for being uniquely power-efficient.
Includes the 3mL TFV9 Mini Tank, a sub-ohm tank of a smaller size to suit the compact nature of the device. Using a sliding top-fill mechanism allows for leakproof vapes and easy access to the juice well. Also comes with two 0.15ohm V9 Meshed Coils that can give you smooth, rich flavor and great cloud production in spite of the lower wattage level. This tank has an adjustable airflow dial for more precise adjustments to the draws of vapor.
SMOK Scar Mini Features:
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- Portable size
- Great cloud production
- Superb flavor
- Great visuals
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SMOK Scar 18 230W Starter Kit
SMOK’s Scar 18 230W Starter Kit, which, as the name implies, offers the highest output level on the list. SMOK went above and beyond for the Scar 18, and this is clear as soon as you tinker around with its features. However, the visuals are also quite impressive, with asymmetric panels framed in metallic material, and beautiful swirls of color that add serious aesthetic appeal to the kit. It’s constructed from extremely durable materials and offers a super comfortable grip for those vapers who like to enjoy longer sessions. It’s yet another device to offer an IP67 rating, which shows that this is clearly a trend in the vaping industry for 2020 and beyond.
SMOK Scar 18 230W Starter Kit
The Scar 18 achieves 230 watts of power with the help of dual high-amp 18650 batteries (sold separately), and the IQ-X Chipset, which also offers phenomenal precision and capabilities overall. A nice-sized TFT display screen allows you to easily navigate through the settings as well as your vaping stats along with the navigation buttons. An impressive temperature control mode lets you explore a wide range of temps to see which one best suits your e liquid. There is also a VW mode and a bypass mode, and a puff monitoring system.
The TFV9 EU Tank is an exceptionally durable sub-ohm vape tank with a juice capacity of 5 ml, which can be extended to 6.5ml with the included glass piece. A sliding top-fill system makes it easy to refill, and a dual slotted airflow control ring lets you make further adjustments to your hits. Comes with two 0.15ohm V9 Meshed Coils which are known for their incredible ability to bring out rich flavor and dreamy clouds.
SMOK Scar 18 Features:
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- Great for cloud chasers
- High output capabilities
- IP67 rating
- Gorgeous design
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GeekVape Aegis X Zeus Kit
Every vaper and modder with a love for high-quality hardware is more than familiar with GeekVape, as this brand has been a leader for years. The GeekVape Aegis Zeus X Kit has without a doubt made many a vaper swoon in 2020, and with its bold design and glorious features it’s easy to understand why it’s enjoyed so much popularity. The unfussy visuals appeal to many vapers who value minimalistic, futuristic design, and its ergonomics are notable as the device was built to feel as comfy in the hand as possible, making it great for those who want to vape for long periods of time without their palms cramping up. The mod is also shockproof, dustproof, and waterproof with an IP67 rating.
Geekvape Aegis X Zeus Kit
The AS 2.0 Chipset is built into this device, which takes two 18650 batteries and reaches a maximum wattage of 200, making it one of the more high-powered devices on this list. The display screen is large and crisp, making it easy to explore various vaping stats and features including temperature control mode, bypass mode and memory mode, among others.
The Zeus Tank is a top-filling tank with a juice capacity of 5ml, top and bottom airflow dials and a sliding coil installation mechanism. It comes with the 0.4ohm Mesh Z1 Coil and the 0.2ohm Mesh Z2 Coil, which both offer phenomenal effects on cloud size and density, not to mention flavor, which many say is far richer and complex as a result of the coil designs.
GeekVape Aegis X Features:
- Exceptional cloud production and flavor
- High output capabilities
- Various output modes
- IP67 rating