
2014 was the year that vaping hit the big time.
It was an exciting time to be a vaper. Some of the products released in 2014 were truly revolutionary and changed the way we've been vaping since.
It was also the year The Oxford Dictionary declared "vape" as
In vaping terms, 2014 was a lifetime ago. Dozens of products
So what was vaping like before 2014? For those starting

Kanger Evod Kit
If you wanted to take things up a notch and
You needed to build and
Mech

So what changed in 2014?
It was the year in which
Let’s
Box mods take centre stage
While
- Dual battery mods became possible. For a tube mod to have two batteries meant that the mod was awkwardly long. It just wasn’t practical.
- A box allowed the manufacturers to include a larger chip to manage the wattage and safety. This could sit right next to the battery, so the mod didn’t need to be taller, just slightly wider.
Hana Modz v3 DNA30

The Hana
It also sold for over $300, yet the high price didn’t deter customers. In fact, Hana Modz couldn’t keep up with demand and there was a waiting list of several months to get your hands on one.
In the vaping community, owning a Hana Modz DNA30 in early 2014 was the equivalent of owning a first generation iPhone back in 2007. You’d expect a lot of ooh’s and ahh’s if you walked into a vape meet with one of these in your hand.
Not long after its release, China started producing clone versions of the Hana Modz for less than $80. The build quality wasn’t quite as good as the original but it had the same basic functionality. Anyone who didn’t want to spend $300 or wait several months for the Hana Modz could now purchase a clone mod.
Sigelei 100W Box Mod

A few months after the release of the Hana mod, Siglelei released a dual battery mod with a maximum output of 100 watts. The Sigelei 100W wasn’t the first device to go higher than 30 watts but it was definitely the most popular. This was due to its solid build, reliability and Sigelei’s reputation in the market.
Providing 100 watts of power meant the box mod could now start to compete with the output of mech mods. Not only that, but thanks to the inclusion of regulated chips, box mods were safer to use and could provide a constant wattage output. If you’re familiar with mech mods, you know the wattage drops as the battery drains. That’s not an issue for regulated mods. They maintain steady wattage for the life of the battery.
Eleaf iStick 20W

There was one device released in 2014 which elevated box mods into the mainstream. It was the Eleaf iStick 20W.
Before the
Although it couldn’t reach 100 watts, its maximum output of 20 watts was still respectable and was more than enough for the average vaper
The Sub-Ohm Tank
The next major shift in the world of vaping was the introduction of the sub-ohm tank. As mentioned before,
Sub ohm tanks are commonplace
Aspire Atlantis Tank

Aspire was the first out of the gate with their Atlantis tank. It raised the bar to new heights with a promise of creating a similar vaping experience to
With the Atlantis, you could blow huge clouds
Kanger Subtank

China moves quickly and it was only a month or so after the launch of the Atlantis that Kanger released their sub-ohm tank, called the Subtank. The Atlantis was a definite hit but many users were a little underwhelmed and felt the flavour was a bit muted.
With the evolution of regulated mods and sub-ohm tanks, a beginner could vape with
Regular (non sub-ohm) Tanks
For those vapers who didn’t care about blowing huge clouds and just wanted a smaller tank to replace their smoking habit, 2014 delivered something special.
Aspire Nautilis Tank
Aspire released the full sized Nautilus at the beginning of the year and followed it up a few months later with the Nautilus Mini. To suggest these tanks sold pretty well would be an understatement. They had rave reviews and vapers fell in love with the Nautilus.
The flavour was much better than anything else available and it also had airflow control which allowed some slight variation over the way it vaped.
In the vaping industry, it’s not uncommon for a new device to hit the market and then be obsolete three months later. There are some exceptions to this and the Nautilus tank is definitely one of those, especially the Nautilus
The Mini
Where are we now?
As with any new technology, the earliest devices
Following the developments of 2014, manufacturers honed their ability to create products that vape well, without expecting the user to have specialised knowledge, or any knowledge at all.
While 2014 saw the beginning of a wave of high-powered devices and a huge array of tanks with coils that could handle the increasingly higher wattage output, there’s been a big move back to smaller devices that can still deliver on flavour.
There’s now a vape out there that suits anyone; from the enthusiast chasing the ultimate flavour and vapour production, to the first time user who