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The People Behind The mod powerkit
This interview is two pages – A review is one thing. A good thing. It is vital to read about a product you’re interested in before you spend the hard earned money to acquire it. We know that many thousands of you, our readers, have read and enjoyed the review on the brand new ‘mod powerkit’. And we want to know more. You’ve learned about the product, but you haven’t learned about the company behind it, or the people who make up that company…until now.
So we decided to conduct an interview with the company, to find out more about ‘mod’, and its people. While the mod powerkit is the first product from mod, we feel with the technical expertise, and the passion, mod is going to become a very big player in the world of vaping, with many new products already in the pipeline. If you haven’t read our hands on review of this delightful mod, we urge you to do so. Mod is an American design company that has created a mod the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Is the mod powerkit the first, real, innovation in this young industry? We think so, and after you own your own powerkit we think you’ll agree. So sit back, relax, and read this insightful interview. – John Manzione – Publisher.
The Interview
SPINFUEL: First, welcome to Spinfuel eMagazine. We are delighted to be able to speak to you today about the new mod powerkit. After using it for several days I have to say, it certainly provides a good vape, and it is a most elegant solution for a lightweight, ultra-modern, mechanical mod. My first question is; how did its inception happen to be?
mod: We super excited to hear that you are enjoying the mod powerkit. We have spent the last few months developing the mod, our intent was to develop a unique and user friendly mod with great performance. Our company has extensive experience in battery and power solutions so the mod is a perfect fit for our skill set. Most of the e-cigs we have used are basically the same and have little innovation especially when looking at a starter kit, so we saw an opportunity to change directions and take a different road. Starting with the highest quality battery, down to the surgical stainless steel and soft touch paint, we have taken everything into consideration to provide the highest quality and ease of use that the modern customer demands.
SPINFUEL: Did you feel there was something missing in the current lineup of hardware available to Vapers, and if so, has the first mod powerkit filled that missing link?
mod: With the growing popularity of the e-cig industry there are new mods popping up every day, but upon close inspection, they are mostly just copies of egos or similar.. We found that Vapers have little choice when it comes to an everyday, easy to use, mod. High end mechanicals are either too expensive or too technical for most people; the modpowerkit fits nicely in-between where the road is wide open.
The mod powerkit fills the gap, and creates a new path for us to continue to develop our product line. It’s a step forward in design and performance, but keeps the key industry standard’s like the 510 connector and Kanger coil. Charging an e-cig has never been an easy task. There are so many uncommon charging connections used, short cables, and risking your mod rolling off the desk while charging. Adding the conductive charging base stand and using micro USB adds yet another user friendly feature to the product that separates it from the existing vapes out there. It’s a great option for new Vapers as well as an experienced Vaper looking for an everyday mod.
SPINFUEL: But is there a specific target Vaper for the mod powerkit?
mod: While we think everyone will enjoy the ease of use and performance from the modpowerkit kit, it’s focused on first time Vapers, and Vapers looking for a reliable everyday mod. Most people who vape don’t just have a single PV, they use different set ups for different situations depending on what they are doing that day, and our mod was designed to fit everyone’s lifestyle.
SPINFUEL: How to you envision your customers using the mod powerkit?
mod: The addition of the frictionless charging base opens up a wide opportunity for uses. From your desk at work, to your kitchen counter top, in the car… and even your bedside table… Using the charging base stand and high quality, long lasting, lithium polymer battery, should avoid the dead battery syndrome when you are on the go. A dead battery is the biggest downer when you least expect it. Not having to worry about charging opens up a lot of doors, we really envision the mod as the everyday vape for many people.
SPINFUEL: We have always “preached to the choir” that owning a single battery is never a good idea because of charging times. If you want or need to vape while your battery is charging and you only have one battery you’re out of luck. The mod powerkit sort of changes that with its constant charging base.
mod: It absolutely does, the battery in the mod power kit is a 900 MAh Lithium Polymer rechargeable cell. We chose this type of battery because of its high quality, high density, quick charge times, long life and great safety. All of our batteries are pre tested with proprietary burn in process ensuring not only will our batteries last and show almost no charge degradation over time, but they are extremely safe and reliable. Our charging base takes the guess work out of charging, simply set the mod in the base and you’re charging. The mod is internally regulated, with overcharge protection and short circuit protection so you never have to worry about its safety. This simple addition will keep you vaping on your schedule..
SPINFUEL: The surface of the mod powerkit is both soft and non-slippery, and the unit itself, with the tank attached, is very well balanced. Were these purposeful designs, and if they were, why consider them?
mod: Our Industrial design team has many years of experience in high end consumer electronics, with products ranging from cell phone accessories and portable batteries to medical and sports equipment. Design and user experience are our top priority at mod, keeping the product better looking, better feeling, and more functional than other products is our key goal.
The soft touch finish on the product is the same as what is used on every HTC phone on the market. It provides the most comfortable hand feel as well as grip.
SPINFUEL: Your packaging is an elegant solution, yet also very modern. I instantly felt a “designed in the US” feel from it the moment I picked it up. What was your thinking concerning the presentation of the packaging?
mod: Packaging and unboxing is a very important part of any retail purchase experience and it is really something is that is lacking from the vape industry. Our goal with this design was to provide the user something more then just a retail box. The cork inner tray is the perfect desk companion, it can store juice, spare coils, drip tips, and any other accessories you have. The cork will soak up and spilled juice and retain it, preventing a messy and sticky desk.
When you walk into a vape shop and see the mod cork box in the case, it will definitely draw attention and strike up a conversation with the employee about what the mod powerkit is. Our hope is that conversation turns into a sale for the store. This cork design will be a staple in our future products and store POP to keep the brand easily recognizable in vape shops.
Using cork on the package as well on the bottom of the product itself allows us the opportunity to limit the use of hard to recycle rubber coated paper and clear plastics.
SPINFUEL: The first time I began seeing photos of the mod powerkit I had the feeling it was much bigger than it turned out to be. In the teaser video (below) I made for the review I purposely tried to get across that the mod powerkit is no more than maybe 6 inches long. I believe many, many customers will find a lot to like about the powerkit, including the overall size. What goes into deciding on how big or small it should be? Was it a simple call because of the 900mAh battery, or was it decided from a more ergonomically sound standpoint?
mod: We actually started much bigger… Our original 3D printed prototypes were longer and a larger square design. We made many size variations and did some real life testing to find the best size that fits in the user’s hands comfortably with easy access to the on/off button. We then made the battery custom to fit the final size of the mod. Once we finalized the size we had custom tooling made to produce each piece for the modpowerkit. There are actually over 20 parts in each mod that we designed that go into each product.
SPINFUEL: Where to you see the mod powerkit being sold in the marketplace? What I mean is, do you see it as a product sold in department stores like Macy’s (in the department where all kinds of cool devices for personal use and home use are sold), , or do you see it being sold through online vendors, brick and mortar e-cigarette vendors, or strictly through modpowerkit.com?
mod: Our goal is to support the growing number of dedicated vape shops first. We have made a conscious decision to support these businesses right from the start! The vape shop owners have the ability to walk users though any issues and find the best product fit for their needs and lifestyle, so having that personal touch will add to customer satisfaction.
In the future we would love to see mod on the shelves of many high end retailers; the Apple store would be a great fit! We think over the next year other higher end retailers will open their eyes to the e-cig market and start to carry hardware and e-liquid which we are definitely excited about. Until then, your local vape shop or modpowerkit.com will be your best bet to get your hands on modpowerkit.
SPINFUEL: When a customer buys the mod powerkit they receive one coil in the tank, and one extra coil. They are Kanger coils, rated at 2.2ohms. Why Kanger?
mod: We choose to begin our first production with a Kanger coil for 2 reasons.
- Every vape shop carries them as replacement parts
- They are high quality and very reliable.
SPINFUEL: It is very easy to forget that the charging stand is actually a charging stand. The powerkit doesn’t attach to anything, it doesn’t ‘snap’ into the charger. You simply set the powerkit into its ‘stand’ when not using and it stays charged. A brilliant solution to never running out of power. Did you want to disguise the function of the charging base to make it simple, or am I just too simple-minded?
mod: We wanted it to be frictionless. With tighter fitting charging bases in other products, sometimes the base stays attached to the product when you take it out of the base, and we wanted to avoid having to having that happen. Also the ease of just dropping the mod into the base and it effortlessly charges just makes things that much simpler. We just want to make your vaping experience easy…
SPINFUEL: Will keeping the powerkit in the stand shorten the life of the battery? What about picking it up and setting it back down every few minutes like I was doing during the review period?
mod: No, it will definitely not shorten the battery life or efficiency of the battery by charging it often. The mod itself is internally regulated with overcharge protection as well as short circuit protection so charge it as much as you’d like. The battery does not go through a complete charging cycle by intermittently charging it, so keeping it from going to zero prolongs the battery performance and reliability.
SPINFUEL: I did not have the benefit of the short introduction videos you made when I decided to jump in and start using the powerkit before the official review period began. I just winged it. We all expected it to leak like a sieve because there isn’t a screw-down procedure for the tank, but in reality I never saw a drop of eLiquid during the entire time I’ve been using it. How did you come up with this clever design to make the powerkit tank so simple, yet so modern and advanced?
mod: Our engineering team spent a lot of time working on the tank design to ensure proper fitment of o-rings.. They have to be tight enough to hold but not impossible to remove. We also employ the use of 3D printing to test multiple revisions of the design to find what we felt was the best secure fit. Our goal is to keep it simple and easy for the customer to use. We also provide and will continue to create short how too videos to show users the best way to set up the tank. The initial mod tank design came out great, and after using it the last month we are already hard at work on new variations that will work with existing and future products.
SPINFUEL: The mod powerkit works wonderfully well. It produces faithful flavor, no metallic taste from the coil, and the vapor production is plentiful. Can we expect more mods from your company down the road?
mod: We are planning some very exciting new mods for the near future, pushing the boundaries of what and e-cig can be. Everyday our team is working to improve and create new designs with the focus of user experience and simplicity. Expect more to come from mod in 2014… we are just getting started.
SPINFUEL: Where, or how, can vendors inquire about selling the mod powerkit in their B&M stores or online stores?
mod: We have a very easy to use distribution portal on our website. Anyone with an interest in distributing mod is welcome to fill out the distributor application to get things started. We are looking to partner with boutique shops with or without websites and take location into consideration. We don’t want to be a commodity product in the market, and be in every store. The goal is to align ourselves with the retailers that are pushing the envelope in store design and service, as we do on the hardware side.
SPINFUEL: This is where I open the floor up to you and allow you the time and space to add anything else you would like our readers to know about you, your company, and your products. So, you now have the floor.
mod: First and foremost Thanks for the opportunity and your time to review the product and speak to us. Mod is the brain child if our industrial design firm, andesign, where we design products for our clients to meet their customers needs and use cutting edge quality materials in every aspect. At mod our goal is to provide technically advanced products of the highest quality and best user experience. We will continue to push the boundaries of design and innovation as well as provide full and useful support to our customers! The fact that mod is a US company and you can pick up the phone or email us with a question or suggestions is already proving a success.
SPINFUEL: Once again, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to us about the mod powerkit. All of us at Spinfuel eMagazine really enjoyed using it, and we look forward to being able to outfit each of us with our own, in various colors. We are looking forward to seeing future products from mod, and cannot wait to try them out.
mod: Thank you very much!
We will be launching the other 6 colors of the modpowerkit early in January, so stay tuned to modpowerkit.com for more information, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @modpowerkit
Spinfuel eMagazine – January 2nd, 2014
