If you have seen your professional vaper friends making huge vape clouds, doing cloud chasing or other vape tricks – chances are they have a mechanical mod. Mechanical mods provide vapers with the flexibility and versatility to take their vaping experience to a whole new level. Being a beginner or intermediate-level vaper, it is only natural for you to get curious about what a mechanical mod is, how it works and whether you should go for it or not.
Your worries are over. In this guide, we have thoroughly explained what a mechanical mod is, its workings and how you should use it. Let’s start with the basics.
What is a mechanical mod?
Unlike what beginner level vapers think, a mechanical mod is actually a simple piece of equipment. A mechanical mod is a vaping device which delivers pure battery power to the atomizer. It constitutes a tube which holds a rechargeable and replaceable battery. The button on the tube is responsible for delivering current to the atomizer once it is activated.
Parts of a mechanical mod
Compared to other vaping devices, its composition is simpler and thereof merely has a few parts:
Housing: Housing is the portion of a mechanical mod which is available in different forms and contains all parts. You have the option of choosing a cylindrical form, a tube or a box-shaped mod. They can be made from different types of material like wood and metal. Some of the mechanical mods have sophisticated casings such as custom coffin boxes and artistic wooden housings.
Battery: Battery is responsible for delivering the power to the device. A mechanical mod can have one or several batteries. Depending on your vaping preferences and the device you are using, the type and quantity of battery might vary. Commercial mechanical mods kits generally have housing options which offer space for up to two batteries. However, if you prefer DIY mechanical mod, you can have as many batteries as you want.
Atomizer: The reason why mechanical mods are seen as flexible devices is they can power any coil or atomizer, regardless of the resistance of the coil. Among vapers who use mechanical mods, most like to use Rebuildable Dripping Atomizers (RDAs) as the atomizer. With an RDA, e-liquid can be dripped right into the coil. Vapers also go for self-constructed coils which provide them with a number of options, output levels and enhance their overall experience.

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How does a mechanical mod work?

There is no mysterious science working behind a mechanical mod. Rather, it is pretty straightforward. The battery in the mod is positioned in a way to connect with both the negative and bottom caps of the mod. When the button is pushed by a user, the mod is fired that results in the battery coming in contact with the negative cap, thereof allowing the current to flow into the coil. When the positive cap gets in contact, it results in coils around the wick to heat up, which produce vapor.

Who should use mechanical mods?

Generally speaking, mechanical mods are made for advanced-level vapers. The purpose of creating mechanical mods is to provide a personalized experience to vapers. Mechanical mods are also for those who wish to participate in vape cloud competitions or just want to blow huge vape clouds. The only issue with mechanical mods is that they take more time than a regular mod. So, if you are looking for regular vaping experience or do not have much time on your hands, mechanical mods are not for you.

Unregulated Mod vs. Regulated Mod

One of the biggest differences between a regular mod and a mechanical mod is that mechanical mods are categorized as unregulated mods. Ordinary or normal mods come with built-in chips that are placed between the coil and the battery. The chip is responsible for keeping the vaper safe from any short-circuits or over-discharge of the mod. Regulated mods are crafted in a manner that they can detect issues before they actually take place. On the contrary, evident by the name – an unregulated mod does not come with a chip that will shut the device off if something goes wrong in the mechanical mod. This makes mechanical mods more dangerous to use.
Another difference between a regulated and an unregulated mod is that regulated mods cannot be customized. Vapers can only replace the battery once the previous one has expired or change the coil of the battery. Whilst, an unregulated mod can be customized on a number of parameters like adding more batteries, custom RDAs etc.

What to consider when buying a Mechanical Mod?

Compared to regular mods, mechanical mods are expensive but worth every penny of your money. When you are purchasing a mechanical mod, be aware of the clones and knockoffs available in the market. A clone is usually just a cheaper version of the popular mechanical mods offered by big brands and is the lesser evil here. A clone of a mechanical mod will be the exact replicate of the original mechanical mod, from the packing to the material composition of the material. The whole purpose of a clone is to look exceptionally similar to the original one so that a quick glance cannot tell a difference between the two.  
On the other hand, a knockoff can result in a dangerous situation as you have no idea how they were constructed and whether they are safe for vaping or not. They are made to merely look like the original mechanical mod and do not have the same composition or the mechanism. Knockoffs do not have security and thereof cannot be trusted.
Get Started kit for Mechanical Mod explained
If you have decided to start vaping with a mechanical mod and want to make a DIY mechanical mod, here are the things you’ll need to do so:

• Mod
• A charger that has a voltage display
• Ohmmeter
• Battery
• RDA
• Resistance wire
• Tweezers
• Cotton balls
• Small wire cutters

Safety Tips for Mechanical Mods

As mechanical mods are unregulated, you need to take essential precautionary measures while vaping with them. Extra attention and care are required to avoid any problem or a chaotic situation. Let’s take a look at some of the most important safety tips.
Battery Issues: A number of mechanical mod problems originate from the battery. To avoid these problems:
Choose the right batteries for your mechanical mod. While you will find a number of options in the market, the most popular and trusted battery options are: IMR(LiMn) and ICR (LiCo02). Both batteries provide the mod with 3.7 power voltage. Compared to IMR, ICR is more inclined towards combustion and is more likely to stress than an IMR battery. If you go for ‘Protected’ ICR batteries, you will get some level of protection that prevents the battery from over-discharging or shorting. IMR battery is a more reliable option as they are more stable and have fewer safety issues.
The batteries should neither be over-charged nor discharged beyond the threshold value. As a general rule, get the battery charged up to 4.2 volts and vape the mod until the battery drops the 3.3 volts.
Misfires: One of the reasons behind battery stress is the accidental misfires. For instance, if you place your mechanical mod in your bag or in your pocket and somehow it misfires for a long period of time, it can become hazardous. While regulated mods do have set periods where the device stops firing itself, mechanical mods do not have this option. Some of the mechanical mod designs have a lockable firing mechanism which allows you to lock the mod so that no accidental misfires can take place. Either purchase a mod with the locking mechanism, remove the atomizer every time it is not being used or always keep it in a place where it is safe and cannot have accidental misfires.
Airflow: Whether your mechanical mod has a decent airflow or not can also be the make-or-break factor. Ensure that the mechanical mod has the necessary vent holes for air to flow smoothly through it. In case of no or few vent holes, pressure will start building up in the device which can make the mod dangerous for use and result in combustion.
Short circuits: Regulated mods are built in a way that they do not fire the device if the atomizer has less than 1.5 ohms. However, mechanical mods do not have the same security measures and will fire even if there are 0 ohms in the atomizer. As a result, it causes short circuits. To remain on the safe side, while purchasing an atomizer, verify that the resistance matches with your mechanical mod. If you are using RDAs, build them to the standard resistance of 2.4-3.0 ohms so that you can avoid short circuits.