Picking an Aspire mod takes more care than the shop listings suggest. Under one brand name sit around ten devices with very little in common, from a small three-setting kit to a dual-cell box that reaches 220 watts. Retailers file them all under "Aspire mods" without ranking them, so it is easy to confuse two Zelos models, or to order a cell-powered box without realising the cell is not in the packet.
Which Aspire mod should you buy?
Our main pick is the Zelos M80, an Aspire mod with a built-in 2600 mAh battery, a 5 to 80 watt range and every adjustment mode on its colour screen. It covers most styles of vaping without asking you to manage loose cells.
If you want a tight draw and no menus at all, the Zelos Nano does the job. Want to fit your own tank on a single-cell chassis? The Rhea X has the widest range of the one-cell models, from 1 to 100 watts. For outright power, the Revolto is the only box among those detailed on Aspire's site that goes beyond 100 watts.
Aspire mod comparison table
The table, built from the manufacturer's spec sheets, sorts the range by power source, the factor that decides size, charging and the wattage on offer.
| Model | Power source | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Zelos Nano | Built-in 1600 mAh | 3 levels |
| Rover Plus | Built-in 2600 mAh | 5 to 40 W |
| Zelos M80 | Built-in 2600 mAh | 5 to 80 W |
| Zelos 3 | Built-in 3200 mAh | 1 to 80 W |
| Huracan LX | Built-in 3000 mAh | 5 to 100 W |
| Zelos X | 1 x 18650, not included | 1 to 80 W |
| Zelos X80 | 1 x 18650, not included | 5 to 80 W |
| Huracan EX | 1 x 18650, not included | 5 to 100 W |
| Rhea X | 1 x 18650, not included | 1 to 100 W |
| Revolto | 2 x 18650, not included | 5 to 220 W |
All of them charge over USB-C. Every model except the Zelos Nano has a 0.96 inch colour TFT screen and offers wattage, voltage, bypass, temperature control and CPS (a custom power curve), with the Zelos 3 adding TCR.
Our pick for each type of vaper
We settled on four profiles and one box for each, judged on three written criteria, namely power source, wattage range and depth of adjustment.
Zelos Nano, the compact one for a tight draw
The Zelos Nano is for a vaper who wants a tight draw and no menus. Its 1600 mAh battery drives three power levels, which the device adapts to the coil it detects.
The 2 ml tank takes Nautilus coils, with 1.0 and 1.8 ohm heads quoted for the kit, and five airflow settings designed for mouth-to-lung vaping.
Zelos M80, the versatile built-in battery
The Zelos M80 is the Aspire mod we would point most people towards. Its 5 to 80 watt range suits a mouth-to-lung tank coil just as well as a mesh coil for direct-to-lung vaping.
Aspire pairs it with the Nautilus 3SR tank, whose TPD edition holds 2 ml. The Zelos 3 plays in the same category, with 3200 mAh and TCR for fine temperature work.
Rhea X, the most open single-cell box
The Rhea X is aimed at a vaper who already owns cells and a tank. Sold as a mod only, with a USB-C cable and a manual, it covers 1 to 100 watts and 0.5 to 9 volts on a single 18650.
It reads coils from 0.08 to 3.5 ohms, from low-resistance rebuildables to standard tank heads, and sets temperature from 100 to 315 °C. The more compact Zelos X stops at 80 watts.
Revolto, the dual-cell box for power
The Revolto runs from 5 to 220 watts on two 18650 cells held behind a battery door. Its ASP chipset handles the protections the manufacturer lists, including overheating and reversed battery polarity.
In kit form it comes with the Huracan tank, which only accepts BP Meshed coils from 0.15 to 0.3 ohm.
Removable cell or built-in battery
A built-in battery keeps things simple, since you charge the box over USB-C with no cells or charger to buy. The trade-off is that a flat battery means finding a socket, and a worn battery cannot be swapped by the owner.
A removable 18650 reverses that logic. A charged spare gets you going again straight away, but you need branded cells rated for the power you use, an external charger and a case for the spare, never loose in a pocket with keys.
None of the cell-powered boxes in our table ships with its cell. The same choice exists outside Aspire. The Vaporesso Armour GS is a pod mod that took the 18650 route while its twin carries a built-in battery.
Which tank to fit on an Aspire mod
Mechanically, everything goes through the 510 thread, the standard for box mods, which the Zelos X spec sheet mentions for example. The real question is electrical.
Each box states a supported resistance range, 0.1 to 3.5 ohms for the Zelos X and Zelos 3, and 0.08 to 3.5 ohms for the Rhea X and Revolto.
Power matters just as much. The 0.15 ohm BP Pro Meshed coil for the Huracan tank is rated at 80 to 100 watts, which limits it to the Huracan pair, the Rhea X and the Revolto, while the Nautilus coils listed for the Zelos M80 work between 7 and 28 watts.
UK rules cap refillable tanks at 2 ml and nicotine e-liquid at 20 mg/ml in bottles of no more than 10 ml, so the tank to look for is the 2 ml edition. The maximum tank diameter does not appear on the spec sheets we read, so compare the width of the tank with the top of the box before screwing it on.
Reading Aspire listings without mistakes
Three mix-ups catch buyers out, and the manufacturer's spec sheet is enough to clear them up.
The Zelos X and the Zelos X80 both run on an 18650 and reach 80 watts, but their housings are different. The Zelos X starts at 1 watt and is available as a mod only, while the X80 starts at 5 watts and comes as a kit. The Zelos 3 has no removable cell at all.
The Huracan EX and Huracan LX share the 5 to 100 watt range, but the EX takes an 18650 while the LX carries 3000 mAh.
The Revolto, Rover Plus, Zelos X80 and Zelos M80 kits are listed with a 4 to 6 ml tank in their standard form, and Aspire publishes a 2 ml TPD edition of each, which is the one UK rules allow. For the Huracan kits, Aspire only quotes 6 ml with no TPD edition, so check the actual capacity with the retailer before ordering.
FAQ
Five practical questions on using the brand's boxes, beyond choosing a model.
Do Aspire mods charge over USB-C? Yes. Aspire quotes a 2 A Type-C port on the Zelos M80, Zelos 3, both Huracans, Rhea X, Revolto and Rover Plus, and a 1 A port on the Zelos Nano. On the Zelos X, the manufacturer says the cell can be charged through that port, although an external charger is handier for preparing a spare.
Can you fit a 21700 cell in an Aspire mod? Not in the models in our table. Aspire specifies the 18650 format for all of its cell-powered boxes listed here, and a 21700, longer and wider, will not fit a bay designed for an 18650.
What does bypass mode do? Bypass sends the cell's voltage straight to the coil with no regulation, much like a mechanical mod. Output drops as the cell drains, which makes it a mode for vapers who know their setup well.
Does temperature control work with every coil? No. It only works with wire whose resistance changes with heat, nickel, titanium or stainless steel, which the Huracan EX lists as TC-Ni, TC-Ti and TC-SS. With a kanthal coil you stay in wattage mode. The TCR mode on the Zelos 3 lets you enter the coefficient of another wire yourself.
What is the difference between wattage and voltage mode? In wattage mode you set the watts and the device works out the voltage from the coil resistance. In voltage mode you set the volts, and the wattage moves with the coil value. Wattage mode is the easier of the two, because you simply follow the wattage range printed on the coil.
Aspire mod verdict, one pick per vaper
For most vapers the best box remains the Zelos M80, because it brings together a built-in battery, 80 watts and every mode without any cell management. The Zelos Nano suits a vaper who wants a tight draw and no menus, the Rhea X suits someone who already owns cells and a tank, and the Revolto suits anyone after power, with two cells to look after in return.
Before ordering, read the power source, confirm the 2 ml edition of the tank and plan for cells if the box has none built in. Those three checks apply to any Aspire mod, and more broadly to any screen-equipped vaping hardware.
Related reading
- Vape shops in Paris, the UK vaper's guide, for handling box mods in person.
- Vape shops in Lyon, what to expect on the shelf, for advice on cells and chargers at the counter.
Written for adults aged 18 and over. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, and nicotine vaping products are not for sale to anyone under 18 in the UK. This article is editorial information only and is not a purchase recommendation.