If you are new to vaping, or looking for wholesale vaporizers to add to the product line in your smoke shop, trying to keep the paraphernalia and associated terminology straight isn’t always easy. Even if you’ve been vaping a while the variety of devices and the sometimes overlapping or similar-sounding terminology can make things confusing.

Take the issue of vape mods and pod kits, for instance. To the uninitiated, these terms don’t mean a whole lot. And, let’s be frank, they’re not exactly intuitive names, like “hiking boots” for example, that tell you exactly what they are and what they’re used for.

So in this post, we're going to take a deep dive into the world of vape mods and pods and lay out in black and white what they are and how they are different. Enjoy.

The Difference Between Mods and Pods: Vape Mods

“Mod" could stand for "modern" or "modular" or several other things. But in this case, it stands for "modifiable". These are box-like objects that use sub-ohm technology to produce a more robust vapor cloud. But that explanation, which you'll find on plenty of sites that sell wholesale vaporizers and associated kit, doesn’t really help much because, if you’re like most people, you have absolutely no idea what is meant by “sub-ohm”. So we’ll explain it for you.

“Ohms” are a system of measurement used to track the amount of resistance in an atomizer. The lower the ohms, the lower the resistance. But this begs another question: What’s an “atomizer”? An “atomizer” is any device that transforms liquid into mist. Examples of atomizers include perfume bottles and airbrushes used for painting. As far as vaping is concerned, the atomizer heats up the vape juice and transforms it into a vapor cloud.

So, an atomizer is a device that transforms your vape juice into a vapor, and ohms are used to measure electrical resistance in the atomizer. The lower the number of ohms, the lower the resistance and the faster the electrical current (from the battery) can move through the liquid and transform it into vapor. Standard atomizers have a resistance of 1 or 2 ohms. But sub-ohm atomizers have a resistance of less than 1 ohm. This results in bigger vapor clouds in less time. Which is why many vapers gravitate toward sub-ohm technology.

Getting back to the original question then, a “mod” is a device that uses sub-ohm technology to create big vapor clouds. And, because it’s “modifiable” you can change things like the coil and wick to alter things like the temperature of the vapor to make for a more enjoyable vaping experience.

The Difference Between Mods and Pods: Vape Pods

Now that we have a better idea what a “mod” is, let’s see how it differs from the “vape pod”. The pod is actually closely related to the mod, but with a couple of key differences. The first difference is that the pod is not modifiable. You get what you get with a vape pod. That’s fine with most vapers, because the pod is sleek and handsome and exudes cutting edge design cues. The second difference is that it’s smaller than the mod, which a lot of people appreciate because that enhances the ability to vape discreetly. The third difference is that, although it uses the same sub-ohm technology as the vape mod, the vape pod is not as powerful. As such, it does not produce the same type of outrageous vapor clouds the mod is capable of. That reason alone is probably why it has not unseated the vape mod among cloud chasers.

Although the vape pod has not knocked the mod from its lofty perch, it has made some serious inroads against the humble e-cig. As we mentioned, the vape pod uses a slightly less powerful version of the same sub-ohm technology as the vape mod. That fact, when combined with its discreet size and attractive profile, has led an increasing number of vapers to make the switch from e-cigs to vape pods in recent years. The vape mod also tends to burn cooler than an e-cig, yet one more reason so many people have made the switch.

Vape pods have become increasingly popular among those trying to quit cigarettes because they can be used with nic salts. Nic salts use the naturally occurring salts found on tobacco leaves and are considered a safer alternative to the laboratory created nicotine found in cigarettes. They are also purported to provide a more robust nicotine hit which, in theory, means people don’t need to vape as often to satisfy their nicotine cravings.

Which One to Choose?

If you a private citizen that is trying to figure out if you should get a mod or a pod - as opposed to a shop owner looking for wholesale vaporizers - ask yourself a few simple questions. First, what type of cloud are you after? If a big bold vapor cloud is what you seek, you’ll want a vape mod. Second, ask yourself where you intend to use your device most often. If you plan on taking it with you when you venture out you might want to go with a vape pod. Simply because discretion is always a wise choice in public places. Finally, if you are investigating vaping as a way to quit smoking cigarettes, you might want to go with a vape pod, for the reasons we mentioned above.