Archive note: This article was first published on December 13, 2018. It is preserved here as part of the Spinfuel Chronicles, documenting Spinfuel’s editorial awards and the vaping hardware categories recognized at that time. Products, specifications, availability, and safety standards have changed substantially. This archive is not a current buyer’s guide or technical recommendation.
Spinfuel’s 2018 Vape Gear Awards reflected a year of rapid hardware development. The original editorial surveyed products reviewed during the year and organized its selections across eight categories. Rather than naming a single device in each category, the staff also recognized runners-up that had earned favorable assessments during the original review period.
The stated judging criteria were value, performance, and quality. The original article also disclosed that the review devices had been supplied by Element Vape. That disclosure is retained here as part of the historical record; it is not a present-day endorsement.
The 2018 award categories
Sub-Ohm Tanks
This category recorded the growing use of mesh-coil designs in the sub-ohm tanks reviewed by Spinfuel during 2018.
Low-Wattage Mods
This group covered standalone devices and kits rated up to 100 watts, a category then associated with smaller hardware and longer operating time between charges.
Mid-Wattage Mods
The mid-wattage category covered devices rated above 100 watts and up to 200 watts, including both standalone mods and starter kits.
High-Wattage Mods
This category documented higher-output devices that were commonly paired with rebuildable atomizers or very-low-resistance coils at the time.
Ultra-Portable Pod Mods
Compact all-in-one pod systems were one of the fastest-growing hardware segments in 2018, earning a separate award category in the original feature.
Squonk Mods
The squonk category covered devices with an integrated squeeze bottle designed to feed liquid to a compatible bottom-fed atomizer.
Rebuildable Atomizers
This category encompassed the rebuildable atomizer formats reviewed by Spinfuel, including rebuildable tank and dripping-tank designs.
Internal-Battery Mods
The final category reflected the increased capacity and performance of integrated-battery devices released during 2018.
A historical snapshot
The original interactive award boxes and category links have been retired from this overview because those pages have not yet been reviewed under the current archive standards. The category list remains as a record of Spinfuel’s 2018 editorial structure and the hardware trends the staff considered significant at the time.
