Vamo-style or Back to the Future? Meet the classic with modern capabilities, the pipe mod from the Chinese company EHPRO — Mod 101.
It seemed that box mods started to appear quite recently and gradually crowd out the pipe mods that were familiar a few years ago. At first, they were clumsy, creaking, but more and more brazen and persistent. And with the release of iSticks, it became clear — here it is, the future popular format! Today’s boxes are autonomous and feature-rich devices stuffed with electronics, limited only by the capabilities and imagination of the manufacturer. Want one battery? Here you go — the time-tested eVic VTC/VTwo Mini. Need two cans? Get it — the compact Fuchai 213 is at your service. Even three and four batteries have long been no problem, on various boards from many manufacturers. Only a couple of years have passed and the “tubes” remained only in the arsenal of cloud-chasing enthusiasts and in inexpensive setups like iJust. vape mods in new zealand Quietly and unnoticed, electronic tubemods have gathered dust on the shelves of vape shops and given way to more practical and convenient “walkie-talkies”. It was even more of a surprise to see that today one of the well-known Chinese manufacturers, namely EHPRO, has released an electronic battery pack with a replaceable battery in the format of a “light sword” — Mod 101.
The device comes in a rather nondescript cardboard box with a gray print and a foil inscription Mod 101. There are no markings on the side edges, on the bottom plane there are only warnings, barcodes and QR codes, color designation (SS), the name of the device and a certain Security Code, which I could not check, because the EHPRO website was not working at the time of writing the review.
Delivery set
EHPRO Mod 101 Pipe Mod
Instructions
The instructions are illustrated, but compiled with minor bloopers, here and there even a boxmod slips through.
Here it is, our handsome fellow, a battery mod with the straightforward name Mod 101. The first thing that distinguishes it from other pipe mods, which history has almost buried under the rubble of electronic box mods, is the absence of any decorative elements, inscriptions, chamfers and cuts. The device looks simple and laconic, one might say, utilitarian, like some kind of surgical instrument. Only one color is available – uncoated metal, i.e. Stainless Steel. The surface is not glossy, but matte and rough, fits perfectly in the hand and does not slip at all. The design of the screen reminded me most of all of the already forgotten by many mods from the German company Dicodes – if anyone does not remember, then these were some of the first battery blocks that supported not only temperature control, but also allowed you to independently adjust the TCR of materials. But, unfortunately, Mod 101 does not even do this and cannot compete with the capabilities of the “German”, although it has quite modern characteristics, including temperature control.
It’s a pity that the button wasn’t made in a recess like many pipe mods, here Fire is pressed with a confident click, but very easily. The mod, when lying on its side on the button, works easily.
Characteristics of Mod 101 from EHPRO
Material: stainless steel
Battery used: 18350/18500/18650
Diameter: 22mm
Length: 118mm/103mm/73mm
Supported resistance: 0.1-3Ohm
Output voltage: 0.5-8V
Adjustable power: 5-50W
Adjustable temperature: 100-300°C / 200-600°F
Operating modes: variable wattage (Power), temperature control on nickel (Temp Ni) / on titanium (Temp Ti) / stainless steel (Temp SS) / mechanical mod (bypass)
Screen: 0.49″ OLED
Impressions and conclusions
I used the mod for a little over a week, it did not present any unpleasant surprises during the operation. I also tried to vape the Transformer RDA at maximum power, purely by sensations, it is quite consistent with 50 watts on other devices. But, of course, I used most of the time with 22 mm tanks, no more, no less, for them the “pipe” format is best suited. Tankomizers are not so critical to the horizontal position, and the fact that the pipe is very unstable compared to box mods does not need to be explained to anyone. The build quality of the Mod 101 is at a very high level, the processing both outside and inside is excellent, the threads are excellent. I really liked the simplicity and rigor of the forms, although it was not without annoying flaws. My copy has two critical drawbacks: a very loud Fire button (in this case, it is very good that there is only one!) and a skewed display under the protective glass.
Pipe mods quite naturally died out due to their inability to compete with boxes in many parameters. If the complication of the electronic and power parts inevitably leads to an increase in the height of the pipe, then the “box” can afford to grow a little in width or thickness, which, in general, is not so noticeable. The same applies to those cases when for autonomy and increased power it is necessary to cram two cans into one case: if the Fuchai 213 looks incredibly compact, then the stacking pipe begins to resemble a metal baton-stun gun. What can we say about three-battery devices! Although, as far as I know, mech mods are now experiencing a small boom of this format.
Liked:
Pipe!
Processing
Threads
Informative screen
Good battery life
Decent modern functionality
I didn’t like:
Rattling button
Skewed screen
In any case, the decision of EHPRO to release Mod 101 in the same tubemod format looks very unusual, but bold. Who should I recommend this device to? Honestly, I don’t know. But when I first saw it, such delight woke up in me that it is impossible to describe in words or even logically explain. Today, such a device probably looks archaic and will catch puzzled glances in the same way as the first “walkie-talkies” were perceived two or three years ago, eventually quietly and gradually capturing the market.