Why are mods SO expensive?

[DJ Colburn]

Howdy y'all.

Protege. Prodigy. Silver Bullet. BB. Screwdriver. AdapteveR. Chameleon. Xhaler. GLV. Why are they all so expensive???

The Silver Bullet is $85, and then you need batteries, and a charger, maybe an adapter, hell get an atty while you're at it... all of a sudden you're spending $100-$120. The Screwdriver comes in a nice fat package, but by the time you calculate the exchange rates between pounds and dollars it's still about $120. When I ordered my Protege, it came out to about $115.

I'll admit. They're pretty. But is that what you're paying for? PV mod sexiness? Is there such a thing as a relatively inexpensive mod that looks good, or are they going to look like copper pipes glued together? I'd hate to get addicted to mods (I'm getting there!) but I don't want to be spending 100-150 dollars a month on hardware. After all, I started vaping 'cause it's a lot cheaper than analogs.

Peace!

 

[Tinkerbell]

Hi there.
I only have two types - the SD (1 & 2) and the Little Gem.
Both work very well and consistently and seem sturdily made. From what I can see that would be the case with many of the mods.
I think the initial expense is outweighed eventually by the lower maintenance - longer battery life and cheaper battery replacement.
I would need to spend £40 on four 510 manual batteries, but only £10 on four SD batteries.

That was why I made the change. But I can't comment on the big pretty shiny ones that I can't afford!

 

[rtbob]

Check out the SP2 from LitecigUSA The full kit is 69.99. Comes with batteries, charger and atty. I have had mine over 1 month now and it is still a vaping machine!

 

[jgdovin]

you also gotta think.. these are small guys, and some of these mods are researched first.. just like with any product you have to pay for R&D

if this was the china guys mass producing the mod they wouldnt be so much... look at the ego, it runs you what? 80 bucks (yea we dont consider it a mod because its commercial but it basically is) but they sell enough to keep their costs down.

Ive spoken to a few vendors directly, and to have the prototyping done on these mods is alot of out of pocket expense, and if it dont sell then they are sol. They are taking a chance. Like ive seen someone say before, its a business not a charity.

Think of it like a program you buy in a store (maybe bad analogy but it sort of fits) what does it cost them to actually burn that dvd and put it in a cardboard box? maybe a dollar or two? but people hundreds and sometimes thousands for a piece of software. They are paying for the research and development and the programmers, and the support.

 

[martha1014]

They are rather expensive. I think a lot of the expense is the equipment it takes to make these and after that there has to be a big profit to be made. They charge anywhere between $75 to $212 each. At 3.7 volts there is not much difference than a regular ecig. At 6 volts there is hugh difference in vaping (much more vapor and better throat hit) I find that the regular atomizers don't last very long at 6 volts. Then you need to buy HV atomizers which are around $10 each. You have to buy batteries and chargers and in my case I bought 4 Ultrafire 14500 batteries and 3 of them were bad after a couple of weeks. None of my batteries last as long as they say they will. I usally not get more than 2-3 hours on a battery.

They are usually bigger and heavier than regular cigs and some of them have serious problems.

You just have to make your own mind up whether you want to pay those prices.

 

[Sad Society]

A mod is an investment. I only have one mod and I use it all the time. The mod I have is the Indulgence from Eastmall.net

I spent less than a hundred dollars on the order. The starter kit for the indulgence itself is 59 dollars. I don't spend 100-150 a month on hardware. I spend 50 to 60 dollars every four or five months on the juice. I'm not a heavy vapor so I don't use up juice very fast.

And for a reasonably priced mod I would hope that it looks somewhat decent, and not just some batteries glued together. PV mod sexiness comes with the price.

 

[Bekinder]

Hey DJ, I understand your concerns. It cost me a fortune in the first few months. The mods as the SB and BB, Chuck are not so expensive when you see the prices of the
510s and such. at least with these mods (and there are more) you are set. I mean "set"
and you do not have to buy more. I have about 8 atomizers and I don't seem burn through them often...and they've lasted a long, long time for me. I am now down to buying liquids only; as my taste seems to change and lowering my nic. levels along the way. That's the actual cure to buying and buying...a couple of good mods, chargers batteries and atomizers. Just my thoughts.

 

[quasimod]

[...] Why are they all so expensive??? [...]

They aren't mass-produced.

 

[rfun6]

the box mod they have for sale for 25 or 29 is a great buy !!

 

[candre23]

They aren't mass-produced.

This.

People always claim they want "Made in the USA" (or UK), but then are shocked when they see how expensive it is. If you want something hand-made by someone who needs to make a living wage in a developed country, you're going to have to pay a lot more for it than something that rolls off the assembly line by the thousands in China. Compare it to buying a flatpack coffee table at walmart vs having one custom built by a woodworker. You pay a lot more for hand-made, but you get a much nicer product.

If a Chinese factory can churn out aluminum-bodied LED flashlights for less than $5 apiece, they certainly could churn out aluminum-bodied mods for that price. But there really isn't a big enough market for that sort of operation to be worthwhile.

 

[Col. Gaunt]

Some mods are not that expensive. you can purchase some box mods for like $30.00, I have even purchased some metal ones for $50.00.

As was stated, mods are not manufactured in mass quantity, the more of one item that is made, the cheaper that it is to make because the more parts that the makers order the cheaper they can get them.

When you think about the custom machining of the parts, labor costs, material costs plus the maker has to turn a profit at what the market will bear, a mod can become quite expensive.

A seller is in the market to make money, they will charge as much as they can for something so they can get the maximum amount of profit.

It's just business.

 

[Dkrom68]

Price gouging with what the market pays. There are alot of initial research costs which is understandable, but I see some that are really outragious in price for things that dont cost nothing and some that have products without proper testing that have alot of issues and still have high prices at the buyers dime for testing.

 

[smokum]

Its all about the bling... and how much your willing to play into a fad for the newest, best, custom, peronal, show piece.

There are lots of sources of supplies for those skilled enough to actaully research and build a custom device themselves however many won't or don't which leaves a huge market for others to fill that gap and name their price.

Also, don't forget about the added expense of offering a warranty and having to comply with mishaps and misfortunes due to lack of some common sense as well as "cheap" hardware and electronics.

-Greg

 

[Thulium]

If you want a mod at high volume production price points, the DSE 905 Nomad is a Screwdriver knockoff can be had for under $40...and then there's always the TorneGo.

If you want something that was built and designed by hand here in the United States, a custom Chopper might be over $50k and an big battery modified e-cig might be over $100.

Buying one mod is an investment that pays for itself when you don't have to constantly buy and change stock batteries at $20 apiece and/or you are less likely to revert to analogs because you are getting a more satisfying vape. Buying more than one mod means you are an e-cig hobbyist and you like shiny new toys.

 

[midwestfarmboy]

Also there are some liability issues involved. The buyer can come back on the seller/

 

[Fritchard]

Making things costs money. Metal stock, lathes, bits, blades, taps, dies, burrs, engraving machines/bits, powder coating, plating, etc.

I don't think the term "price gouging" really fits. It's not exactly a generator in tornado season.

 

[candre23]

If you want a mod at high volume production price points, the DSE 905 Nomad is a Screwdriver knockoff can be had for under $40

The problem with the 905 is that they ruined it with stupid circuitry. It knocks a 3.7v battery down to a bit over 3V, and it has a tendency to burn up attys with it's "cleaning cycle". If it had been a simple 14500 battery tube it would have been even cheaper and wouldn't have the drawbacks.

 

[BuzzKill]

It's simple LOW VOLUME = HIGH PRICE .

Most are made by small guys that don't have the equipment to make these Mod's , most parts are made by outsourcing the work to machine shops ( some have their own machinery ! ) It cost's $
If the volume is low the price is high , simple economics

 

[Valhalla1]

$40 5v boxmod from cybervex has cured my mod buying addiction, it may look plain but it hits like a champ and the price is right

 

[radiokaos]

If you want a mod at high volume production price points, the DSE 905 Nomad is a Screwdriver knockoff can be had for under $40...and then there's always the TorneGo.

If you want something that was built and designed by hand here in the United States, a custom Chopper might be over $50k and an big battery modified e-cig might be over $100.

Buying one mod is an investment that pays for itself when you don't have to constantly buy and change stock batteries at $20 apiece and/or you are less likely to revert to analogs because you are getting a more satisfying vape. Buying more than one mod means you are an e-cig hobbyist and you like shiny new toys.

Thulium:

I totally respect your input. However a customer chopper is no where near a battery mod ecig. A lot more work goes into a custom chopper.

Lets face it most of these mods are a simple battery holders mainly in the shape of a flashlight (basically an offshoot of a screwdriver/ $2 flashlight). Granted you might have milling, and a new type of switch but almost all the designs are the same. I think "frenzy" customers see others with their new toy so they say to themselves I have to have one. Almost everyone here can easily build a box mod for less then $25.00 or buy one premade at $30.00. I figure once China starts kicking up more mod types of Ecigs the prices here in the US will drop. I don't own any special mods except the one I made for myself which set me back a total of $25.00 including batteries.