Review: ONE Mod by Hana Modz

Hana Modz have been around for a while now with their quite colorful regulated box-mods. I've never owned any of the classic Hana Modz boxes, but from what I've know they've all been made from aluminum and from what I've seen on the web it's been pretty solid boxes. Quite pricy boxes as well. But now they've come up with something quite different. Although it's still a regulated box mod powered by the DNA40 chip from Evolv like we're used too from Hana Modz there are some differences, pretty big ones actually. First of all... it's made from plastic (!). This, according to Hana Modz, makes it the smallest, lightest DNA40-mod on the market. Secondly, the batteries are put in a separate case that can be detached from the main unit, and the complete kit comes with two different cases, making it possible to run with either one or two 18650 batteries. The third difference is that, at least for now, the ONE Mod only comes in two different color combinations: Black with white face and white with gray face.

Looks and feel

I have to admit I was a bit of a skeptic, I mean... plastic? And from the pictures it looks kind of ... I don't know ... cheap. It looks a bit like the battery cases don't quite line up and that the gap is uneven. But I do think Hana Modz could have done a better job on the picture cause at least the mod I have lines up quite perfectly. In my opinion it looks a lot better in real life.

When Hana Modz say it's the smallest, lightest DNA40 mod on the market, I believe them. It is extremely light, even with a battery in it. With the one battery case attached it almost feels like it's empty, which makes it really pocket friendly.

There is kind of a rubberised coating on the mod, making it feel less plastic than it actually is. I suspect it might wear off if you keep the mod in your pockets like me. Honestly I don't really care if it does, cause even if it doesn't look bad, it's not a piece of art (like some mods really are). It's made for using, not for looking at :)

There are a couple of issues with the battery cases and the lid that goes on them though. The lids are held in place by some really small tabs that kind of clicks in place. Now these will probably get a bit rounded when you put the lid on and off. On my double battery case my lid kept popping off already on one of the sides. There is barely enough room in there for the batteries so they put pressure on the lid from the inside. I tried to fix this by cutting out just a little of the plastic on the inside, making a bit more room for the batteries and that fixed the problem. However I then encountered a new problem: the battery case doesn't "click in" on one of the sides. I suspect this is because there is now not enough pressure from the inside so I've probably cut out to much plastic. In other words, for it to work properly it needs to be a pretty tight fit, but if it's to tight the lid might start popping off. Hana recommends LG batteries, but I've used VTC4s, and that may (or may not) be causing the problem (maybe the LGs have slightly thinner wrapping or something like that).

I watched another review of this mod and it was suggested there that they could have made this lid out of aluminum instead. Not sure if that would solve the problem though as the case itself would still get worn. Still, even thought it's not clicked completely in it is kind of held in place on the other side, and my single battery case still clicks in perfectly ... for now. I guess it's not that big of an issue, and I'll do some more testing with different batteries, but contacted Hana Modz about it anyway and they offered to send me a replacement lid straight away.


In everyday use

I'm not going to go into detail about the DNA40 features here. This mod of course have all of them. The mod fires quite easily, just a slight touch of the fire button. It even fires if you press below the fire button squeezing the plastic inwards a bit. So it's quite important to remember to click 5 times to lock the device when you put it in your pocket. The adjustment buttons require a bit more force.

I've found myself charging the batteries externally, alternating between the double and single case. The built in charger is a bit on the slow side but it's good to have it there just in case. Also, charging through the USB-port you don't have to take the lid of the battery case so it will probably last longer. In any case I think Hana should add a couple of spare lids in the package.

Despite the issues I described above I've found myself using the mod a lot, and I really like the feel of it. As I said it's really light and small and it is actually the only device I have that I've found myself checking different pockets for.

Conclusion

The concepts and ideas implemented in this mod is great. I love it. And the price is just $109 for the full kit, and I'd say it's worth it. There are however some issues that I think Hana should try to fix. Being made out of plastic is what makes this mod so small and cheap I guess, but it also means it's not as durable as mods made out of metal. Still I think it is worth the money, and maybe Hana Modz will come up with some improvements to strengthen the weak points a bit, making it more durable. I couldn't resist sending them a couple of suggestions on improvements :) Also I would like to see the option of buying extra battery cases.

This has quickly become my most used mod. Recommended!

Use discount code "vapingiraffe" for 5% off

Disclosure:

• All my reviews are my honest opinion even if I am affiliated with the company manufacturing or selling the product. 
• The device was sent to me at a discounted price for the purpose of this review.
• This review does not contain affiliate links.