I just got the V mod Xl yesterday and my best friend just got the Rio Mini today. We both love them both. We were waiting and waiting on the Rio Grands to become available again and were about so fed up with our pen styles that we could have went out and bought analogs LOL. We decided we couldn't wait any longer or we would both be smoking by the time the Grands were ready again. She decided she was ok with the Rio Mini holding 3 or 4 mls (can't remember how much it holds) but would have preferred the Grand. I only wanted a full size so I ordered the V mod XL and her the Rio Mini.I am going to compare them for you on a few things I got in the short time I have spent with them.
Build quality= The Rio is built better and your great grand kids can probably vape on it one day. The V mod however is built pretty darn good for being half the price. I was surprised how much stronger it was than it looked in pics.
Comfort= The V Mods are IMO more comfy to hold in your hand for obvious reasons in the design. However my pinky finger is sore from the way I have been holding it with my pinky under the bottom. My friend has her pinky catching on the corner of her mini as well. You will have to learn to hold either one so you don't rub your pinky if you are like us.
Ease of changing batteries and juice.= The batteries are easier to get to in the V Mod but this can be fixed on the Rio by just adding a peice of tape that you can grab to pull it out with. I had to do this for easy removal from my battery charger as well. The V Mod was IMO cleaner to change the juice because their is no tube still attached inside the PV with juice on it when you remove the bottle to refill. The V Mod holds more juice(9mls) than the Rio Grand but the Rio holds 6 mls and that's still a lot of friggin juice.
Looks= I loved the purple purple Rio but thought the shape was ugly in pictures. When my friends black and silver mini came today I couldn't stop saying how cute it was. In fact I said it so many times that my 7 year old daughter told me to stop saying it. I love that I can buy different colored shells for the V mod but if you bought a black, white(if they have white) or silver Rio you could change the doors out for variety.
Liquid feeding.= I had no problem feeding either PV and was surprised at how easy it was. I will tell you that I did not use atty's in either one yet so I couldn't say about one or the other feeding with an atty. I didn't find any learning curve with either one. It was just so easy (with carto's any way)
In the end heres what I know just from spending very little time with these two mods. They both seem to hit exactly the same even with the Rio mini having a smaller battery than the XL and both produce the same clouds of vapor. I would have to say that If I still worked at Rockwell with concrete floors everywhere I would no doubt go with the RIO because I think it is indestructible for the most part. I did drop my V Mod on my driveway today and it still works just fine but with the inner body being plastic I sure was worried as I quickly opened it up to check things out but found no damage. Both mods from what I understand will need a little modding to take the kick. I know eventually I am going to lose the cone on my V mod but the door on the Rio mini has just one magnet and slides open just handling it or vaping it if your not careful. I can see myself loosing that door easily but I think the Rio grand has more magnets on it to hold it in place than the mini but again I have never even held a Rio grand in my hand so really can't say about the door on it. My friend is worried about being able to find a thin enough magnet to add another at the bottom but if she can the problem will be easily fixed. For reasons most swayed by price I am choosing to go with the V mod because I don't see me being too ruff on it as I am a stay at home mother. My friend has purchased two V mods for her and her husband for daily use but she is planning to send the Rio mini to work with her husband so if he drops it over and over in the factory on the concrete floor she knows it will not crack or chip anything in it. Not saying the V Mod will either but there is a higher possibility with it having a plastic frame inside IMO. I hope this helps someone trying to choose between the two. Happy vaping no matter what PV you use
