The current generation of box mods have revolutionized the way we vape. Not only do they offer exceptional aesthetics, but also a tremendous value. Not necessarily monetary value, but one of convenience and satisfaction. Many of us who took up vaping as a means to quit smoking would have never have met with the success we have had without these devices. Today I am here to review what most would consider the cream of the crop when it comes to box mods. We have the Phidias Feedimus manufactured by Fonosmoak, the Ali’i manufactured by Kaji of R&R manufacturing and the Reo Grande that comes to us by way of Redeyedancer.
Please keep in mind that many, if not most, of my ratings are subjective. Especially when it comes to aesthetics and functional design. I love all these mods, or I would have never bought them. This is my first shot at reviewing, so please be gentleJ
All mods were tested at 3.7v using an LR 306 atomizer and an AW IMR 1600mah battery.
Aesthetics
Phidias Feedimus – No one can argue that Fonosmoak’s creations aren’t beautiful, he touts that his Phidias Feedimus has the divine proportions of the Fibonacci series. In fact, that’s where the name “Phidias” comes from. Divine indeed. Aside from the master woodworking involved in creating his mods, they are finished just as well. He finishes them with Tung oil which looks and feels amazing in your hand, velvety is the word that comes to mind. The two pieces fit together perfectly, it looks and feels like a solid piece of craftsmanship. Of the three mods reviewed here, it’s the one I like to hold and look at the most. Truly a work of art. 10/10
The Ali’i – The Ali’i looks like nothing else out there. In fact, I just don’t feel right calling it a box mod, because it’s not a box! Featuring a much more rounded design it fits perfectly in your hand. The button, right at your finger tips; the juice feed mechanism also, right at your fingertips. While not quite the level of master woodworking on display in the Phidias, the Ali’i holds its own. In my unit I noticed a couple of gaps where the doors snap together. Yes, I said doors, this thing has separate compartments for the juice bottle and battery, and while the Phidias’ design looks like it was crafted out of a single block of wood, the Ali’i looks like 6 different pieces of wood. Also, I wasn’t a fan of the finish. While the acrylic provides a measure of protection it doesn’t offer near the beauty or feel of the Phidias. 9/10
The Reo Grande – While the aforementioned wood mods are warm and rich like a Bentley, the Grande is like a M1A1 Abrams. Cold, heavy and tough. While that may sound like a criticism, it’s not. If I had to pick one of these mods to last me 5 or 10 years, it would be the Grande. This thing is a tank. It comes in both anodized and brushed finishes in a multitude of colors. While I am not a huge fan of the weight, or the coldness of the metal I think Redeyedancer has taken the mod making industry to the next level in terms of strides in the manufacturing process. There are no wires, everything is mechanical and the interior is very clean. 9/10
Functional Design
The Ali’i – Of the three mods the Ali’i is my favorite when it comes to functional design. First off, the shape of the mod fits in your hand like no other. The firing button is in the most logical place, and the feed cutout is just below it. While I’ve never owned a gun, this things feels like holding the handle of a gun, with your finger on the trigger. Just perfect. 10/10
The Reo Grande – The smallest of the bunch, the Grande is definitely the most compact. The button is on the top, and the feed cutout is on the front. This makes it a bit awkward to grasp and switch between feeding the juice and vaping. I find myself shifting it around in my hand to feed it and then vape, whereas the Ali’i, once positioned in my grip never needs to move. 9/10
The Phidias Feedimus – I would put the Phidias in the middle of the pack in terms of size. Just smaller than the Ali’i, but larger than the Grande. The firing button is on the front of the device while the feed button is on the back. Of the three devices, this one needs the most in terms of movement to go from feeding to vaping (more below in the feed system section). It fits well in my hand, but I do have some big paws, it might be a bit big for someone with smaller hands to wrap their hand fully around it. 8/10
Feed System
The Ali’i – Again my favorite, the Ali’is feed system is perfection in my opinion. This mod is bottom fed via a Teflon tube which leads to an injector which feeds the juice directly into the atomizer. A catch cup around the atomizer catches any additional juice which is then automatically sucked into the atomizer on later puffs as the juice is vaped off. Changing bottles is also the easiest of the bunch. A Teflon tube inserted through the head of a 6ml bottle. This entire piece (tube and all) are removed in the process of changing bottles. One quick yank and you have your juice bottle out, once filled you simply stick the “male” Teflon tube back into its “female” part and you’re off and vaping (excuse the crudeness, it was the easiest way to describe the design). Never once have I had a leak inside the device. 10/10
The Reo Grande – The Grande has a very similar setup to the Ali’i but I docked a point for two reasons. First, there is no needle which injects the juice directly into the atomizer. The juice is sucked up into the atomizer on inhale. The only problem I found with this (which is rare), is that occasionally if I switch juices I get some “backwash” from remaining juice in the catch cup. Secondly, while changing or refilling bottles is far from difficult, I dislike having to the Teflon tubing being fixed within the mod. This presents two challenges. When I switch flavors I can’t clean the feed tube out, and secondly I feel like I worry I’m going to twist or damage the tubing every time I remove and replace the bottle. It takes a bit longer to change out juices, but not significantly. However, like the Ali’i, I have never had a leak, and the system is definitely air tight. 9/10
The Phidias Feedimus – The Phidias uses a feed system like nothing else on the market right now. It is gravity fed. What this means is, you flip the device upside down and hold in the feed button on the back (which, I may add, is a work of art in itself). The juice is then fed into the atomizer via a combination of gravity and pressure on the bottle. The only problem I had with this system is the lack of feedback given. With the Grande or the Ali’i, as soon as you see juice in your catch cup, you know to stop feeding. Not the case with the Phidias. There is a definitely learning curve with this feed system and it is less forgiving than the Grande or Ali’i. It is recommended when you first get the device to disconnect your atomizer and try the feed mechanism out first so you can gauge the pressure and time required to feed your atomizer properly. The only problem I found with this is because different juices have different viscosities you may have different feed requirements for different juices. I had a couple of leaks with my Phidias Feedimus because of overzealousness with the feed button. And while some may argue that it was my fault, I feel there is a basic amount of feedback required for these feed systems to be effective. One other minor drawback is that while the Grande and Ali’i both have 6ml bottles, the Phidias Feedimus has a 3ml bottle. Not a big deal for me, since I only vape around 3mls a day, but it may be for some. 8/10
Scoring
Phidias Feedimus - 26
Reo Grande – 27
Ali’i – 29
All things being equal…
One thing I didn’t feel rankings were really needed for, since they were all on the same level in my opinion. They all vaped like champs. The Phidias seems to run the hottest of all three reviewed mods, but make no mistake, they all put out plumes and plumes of tasty vapor.
Final Thoughts
It really is tough to rank these mods, I love all three for different reasons and plan to buy future generations from all three of these mod makers. They all have put a tremendous amount of heart, blood, sweat and tears into the creation of these mods and I commend them all. They are all at the forefront of this emerging industry and I feel obliged to support them in their labor of love. I hope you all can do the same
Some pictures below of my beloved mods.
The Phidias Feedimus in maple and dark walnut on the right, the Ali'i in maple and ebony on the left.
The Reo Grande in black anodized aluminum
Please keep in mind that many, if not most, of my ratings are subjective. Especially when it comes to aesthetics and functional design. I love all these mods, or I would have never bought them. This is my first shot at reviewing, so please be gentleJ
All mods were tested at 3.7v using an LR 306 atomizer and an AW IMR 1600mah battery.
Aesthetics
Phidias Feedimus – No one can argue that Fonosmoak’s creations aren’t beautiful, he touts that his Phidias Feedimus has the divine proportions of the Fibonacci series. In fact, that’s where the name “Phidias” comes from. Divine indeed. Aside from the master woodworking involved in creating his mods, they are finished just as well. He finishes them with Tung oil which looks and feels amazing in your hand, velvety is the word that comes to mind. The two pieces fit together perfectly, it looks and feels like a solid piece of craftsmanship. Of the three mods reviewed here, it’s the one I like to hold and look at the most. Truly a work of art. 10/10
The Ali’i – The Ali’i looks like nothing else out there. In fact, I just don’t feel right calling it a box mod, because it’s not a box! Featuring a much more rounded design it fits perfectly in your hand. The button, right at your finger tips; the juice feed mechanism also, right at your fingertips. While not quite the level of master woodworking on display in the Phidias, the Ali’i holds its own. In my unit I noticed a couple of gaps where the doors snap together. Yes, I said doors, this thing has separate compartments for the juice bottle and battery, and while the Phidias’ design looks like it was crafted out of a single block of wood, the Ali’i looks like 6 different pieces of wood. Also, I wasn’t a fan of the finish. While the acrylic provides a measure of protection it doesn’t offer near the beauty or feel of the Phidias. 9/10
The Reo Grande – While the aforementioned wood mods are warm and rich like a Bentley, the Grande is like a M1A1 Abrams. Cold, heavy and tough. While that may sound like a criticism, it’s not. If I had to pick one of these mods to last me 5 or 10 years, it would be the Grande. This thing is a tank. It comes in both anodized and brushed finishes in a multitude of colors. While I am not a huge fan of the weight, or the coldness of the metal I think Redeyedancer has taken the mod making industry to the next level in terms of strides in the manufacturing process. There are no wires, everything is mechanical and the interior is very clean. 9/10
Functional Design
The Ali’i – Of the three mods the Ali’i is my favorite when it comes to functional design. First off, the shape of the mod fits in your hand like no other. The firing button is in the most logical place, and the feed cutout is just below it. While I’ve never owned a gun, this things feels like holding the handle of a gun, with your finger on the trigger. Just perfect. 10/10
The Reo Grande – The smallest of the bunch, the Grande is definitely the most compact. The button is on the top, and the feed cutout is on the front. This makes it a bit awkward to grasp and switch between feeding the juice and vaping. I find myself shifting it around in my hand to feed it and then vape, whereas the Ali’i, once positioned in my grip never needs to move. 9/10
The Phidias Feedimus – I would put the Phidias in the middle of the pack in terms of size. Just smaller than the Ali’i, but larger than the Grande. The firing button is on the front of the device while the feed button is on the back. Of the three devices, this one needs the most in terms of movement to go from feeding to vaping (more below in the feed system section). It fits well in my hand, but I do have some big paws, it might be a bit big for someone with smaller hands to wrap their hand fully around it. 8/10
Feed System
The Ali’i – Again my favorite, the Ali’is feed system is perfection in my opinion. This mod is bottom fed via a Teflon tube which leads to an injector which feeds the juice directly into the atomizer. A catch cup around the atomizer catches any additional juice which is then automatically sucked into the atomizer on later puffs as the juice is vaped off. Changing bottles is also the easiest of the bunch. A Teflon tube inserted through the head of a 6ml bottle. This entire piece (tube and all) are removed in the process of changing bottles. One quick yank and you have your juice bottle out, once filled you simply stick the “male” Teflon tube back into its “female” part and you’re off and vaping (excuse the crudeness, it was the easiest way to describe the design). Never once have I had a leak inside the device. 10/10
The Reo Grande – The Grande has a very similar setup to the Ali’i but I docked a point for two reasons. First, there is no needle which injects the juice directly into the atomizer. The juice is sucked up into the atomizer on inhale. The only problem I found with this (which is rare), is that occasionally if I switch juices I get some “backwash” from remaining juice in the catch cup. Secondly, while changing or refilling bottles is far from difficult, I dislike having to the Teflon tubing being fixed within the mod. This presents two challenges. When I switch flavors I can’t clean the feed tube out, and secondly I feel like I worry I’m going to twist or damage the tubing every time I remove and replace the bottle. It takes a bit longer to change out juices, but not significantly. However, like the Ali’i, I have never had a leak, and the system is definitely air tight. 9/10
The Phidias Feedimus – The Phidias uses a feed system like nothing else on the market right now. It is gravity fed. What this means is, you flip the device upside down and hold in the feed button on the back (which, I may add, is a work of art in itself). The juice is then fed into the atomizer via a combination of gravity and pressure on the bottle. The only problem I had with this system is the lack of feedback given. With the Grande or the Ali’i, as soon as you see juice in your catch cup, you know to stop feeding. Not the case with the Phidias. There is a definitely learning curve with this feed system and it is less forgiving than the Grande or Ali’i. It is recommended when you first get the device to disconnect your atomizer and try the feed mechanism out first so you can gauge the pressure and time required to feed your atomizer properly. The only problem I found with this is because different juices have different viscosities you may have different feed requirements for different juices. I had a couple of leaks with my Phidias Feedimus because of overzealousness with the feed button. And while some may argue that it was my fault, I feel there is a basic amount of feedback required for these feed systems to be effective. One other minor drawback is that while the Grande and Ali’i both have 6ml bottles, the Phidias Feedimus has a 3ml bottle. Not a big deal for me, since I only vape around 3mls a day, but it may be for some. 8/10
Scoring
Phidias Feedimus - 26
Reo Grande – 27
Ali’i – 29
All things being equal…
One thing I didn’t feel rankings were really needed for, since they were all on the same level in my opinion. They all vaped like champs. The Phidias seems to run the hottest of all three reviewed mods, but make no mistake, they all put out plumes and plumes of tasty vapor.
Final Thoughts
It really is tough to rank these mods, I love all three for different reasons and plan to buy future generations from all three of these mod makers. They all have put a tremendous amount of heart, blood, sweat and tears into the creation of these mods and I commend them all. They are all at the forefront of this emerging industry and I feel obliged to support them in their labor of love. I hope you all can do the same
Some pictures below of my beloved mods.
The Phidias Feedimus in maple and dark walnut on the right, the Ali'i in maple and ebony on the left.
The Reo Grande in black anodized aluminum
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