I mostly smoked cigars and occasionally a pipe in between the clove cigarette ban and taking up ecigs, so they actually require less work than I was used to. They are more fun if you're a compulsive tinkerer though, because there's a lot of room to play beyond what's strictly required. Making a mod out of some bit of junk is a fun project. Keeping a humidor from getting too dry or infested with tobacco beetles or mold is not a fun project. I never had anyone think I was smoking a bong, though I have had people think I had a dildo in my mouth. I stick with box mods in public now.
There certainly is a stigma of walking around with a dildo in one's mouth. Amongst such closemindedness, are we truly a "free" society? What's the advantage of a box mod as compared to an eGo? I don't check out vaping boards much, but when I do it's Provari this, Lavatube that, etc.
There's no inherit advantage (other than people not thinking you're walking around with a dildo in your mouth, which is an advantage not to be underestimated), they're just build as a box instead of a cylinder. They tend to be more stable, if you have a heavy tank. Some have interesting features because there's more space; the Reos are neat, though also way overpriced. I wouldn't buy one, but they're neat. There's a difference between egos and the disposables you find at the gas station, and between VV and non-VV (but VV egos do the job fine), but I don't think there's much functional difference beyond that. I think it's like pipes and bongs, it's really mostly aesthetic but people feel strongly about their choices.
Thanks for elaborating. I have a VV eGo and two non VV eGos for backups and the only real difference I can see, apart from size, is that the VV eGo works better with the tanks I use (Kanger T2 and MT3S). Wow, that Reo Grand is as expensive as other (dildo) mods that I've seen. I guess I'll stick to the eGo (tampons?) I've been using.