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Wismec Luxotic Surface and Kestrel RDTA squonk kit

f1r3b1rd

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I received this combo directly from wismec for the purposes of this writing. The following is merely an account of my experience; and opinion, over the previous weeks. The mod is available in several different colors.
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The specs for the surface squonk box are:
o Size: 78*43.5*25.5mm
o Weight: 131.8g
o Thread type: 510 spring loaded connector
o E-liquid bottle capacity: 6.5ml
o Cell type: high-rate 18650 cell (discharging current should be above 25A)
o Output mode: VW/Bypass/TC-Ni/TC-Ti/TC-SS/TCR mode
o Output wattage: 1-80W
o Resistance range: 0.05-3.5ohm
o Output voltage range: 0.5v-9v

The kit contents are:
o 1 - WISMEC LUXOTIC SURFACE
o 1 - Glass Tube
o 2- User Manual
o Spare Parts
o 1 - KESTREL rdta
o 1 - Mesh Heater
o 1 - Warning Card
o 2 - E-liquid Bottle
o 1 – Cotton

The luxotic is the smallest regulated squonk box that I’ve ever used, personally. I cant say that it’s the smallest to exist, but it is certainly the smallest I’ve come across. It is exceptionally comfortable to hold and use, its in the hand nicely, and very pocketable. It is an 80w squonkmod.

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It has all the safety features one would expect with a regulated mod, making it excellent for beginners or those its safety in the forefront.
o Temp protection
o Over discharge protection
o Reverse polarity
o 10s cutoff
o Short circuit protection
o Over current protection


For having such a small screen, Im impressed with the boards features and abilities.
o You can lock the adjustment buttons by pressing both up and down simultaneously
o Pressing the fire button three times lets you cycle between power , bypass mode and temp modes (in,ss, tcr, ti)
o Holding up and fire brings you to a general menu allowing you to change the sub parameter, adjust power boost duration and amount, stealth mode, sleep mode and view battery voltage.
o In temp mode, if you click the fire button 4 times you can cycle whether you are adjusting power or temperature.
o The mod adjusts in . 1 watt increments up to 20w and then 1 watt increments up to 80w and does not round Robbin
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The mod will hold a 25mm rda flush; but, cosmetically it still looks very nice with a 22mm atty. The squonk hole is conveniently placed on the battery door. The door does have three magnets on it, 2 of which bind to the battery the third, and larger one, attaches to the metal plate housing the board. The mod body is built of what appears to be aluminum, the door is made of a resin plastic. The underside has a removable plate for removing the squonk bottle, and is attached via magnets. This brings up a downside, as I’ve noticed that while depressing the squonk bottle the bottom plate tends to want to protrude, reducing the pressure applied to the bottle. Some much stronger magnets or a clip, could solve this issue. I typically hold the mod with my pinky under the base, so this does not affect me much, but I would be remiss not to mention it.
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The squonk bottle attaches to the mod via a drop down metal tube, this renders you unable to use after market bottles. I know many people have issues with proprietary bottles; however, these are a very nice silicon and share many of the same characteristics as my lost vape bottles. The biggest downside for me with the bottles is that they only hold 6.5ml of liquid. Plenty for their size, but. Like most people, I always want more.

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How does it vape you may be wondering. It vapes well. Extremely well. The tc is fairly accurate and easy to use from my experience. I highlight experience as I do not have the equipment to accurately test the tc; but as an avid fan of the dna, this held its own for me. Ramp up time in power mode was more than efficient and it hit very nice for all the settlings I’ve tried. With a single Clapton build on my citadel at 60w, I also got ether vape time on a single battery than I expected. I did notice s well that squonking into an rda alleviated the bottle movement that I experienced with the RDTA. I cant state enough how nice the performance of this device is, especially at its price point. Ive been more than happy with the avatar board, it has plenty of on board options for the finicky and expeditious power delivery for those that just want to click and vape.


Overall my impressions of this device has been fantastic. This mod will certainly remain a nice grab and go mod for errands. It’s efficient, comfortable and provides an amply satisfactory vape. It is also durable, and has survived several drop tests, both off my deck onto the driveway; as well as, out the door of the truck onto pavement.

The comfort of the small device coupled with its power capabilities, make it a contender for me in the world of single battery regulated squonk devices. Ive had no issues with anything leaking. Barring the bottom door needing a stronger magnet, I have nothing ill to say of the device. Since I hold the mod In such a way that this does not happen, it works out perfect for me as a tiny little powerhouse squonker.


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Pros
o Small size
o 80w on single battery
o Lots of features
o Good with tc
o Easy straight forward menu
o 1 watt increments above 20w
o .1 watt increment below 20w
o Silicon bottle


Cons
o Bottom plate has potential to move when squonked
o Door uses battery as anchoring point (could be or not. Personally not an issue for me)
o Not available in solid color (opininon)
 
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f1r3b1rd

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Kestrel rda
3DC91C84-BF02-45F3-B1B6-2DE5318E848D.jpeg

This is the RDTA that comes in the kit with the luxotic surface.
It’s an interesting piece of kit. Certainly a departure from the norm; and, different from anything I’ve ever seen. It utilizes a piece of mesh film as a heating element rather than traditional mesh or coil.

Specs

o Height: 36.7mm
o Diameter: 24mm
o Weight: 34.6g
o E-liquid capacity: 2ml


In the kestrel you are treated to a narrow bore 810 driptip. All of my aftermarket tips fit fine. It also has 2 inflow ports measuring 6mm x 2.5mm; and a side fill port measuring in at 8mmx 4mm.

Under the lid, you’ll see a top plate made of plastic or delerin(I’m unsure exactly) with two, what looks like vents measuring 12mm x 4mm. Beneath the plastic is the mesh film. It’s one solid piece of Kanthal mesh. If you life the mesh you’ll see the cotton wick resting on a large cross member. The cross member created the wicking slots. The wick is pressed in and held in place by the mesh and plastic cover.

CCAB6111-2A22-47C0-B500-99C7324631AF.jpeg E81832B5-31D3-4759-8E97-AB6695430834.jpeg B8FBA446-4B69-4C5A-837A-98A406C91F9C.jpeg DF9E325C-026A-4112-BF2F-074FCC4157C7.jpeg

The airflow runs from the outside, through the plastic and over the top of the mesh. Lol admit, that I was quite hesitant looking at the setup; however, the flavor is phenomenal. The vape production is quite excellent. The only drawback is that while the stock wicking worked well, I’ve been unable to recreate, the wicking efficiency after multiple attempts. It does wick, just slower than I would prefer. It doesn’t creat e dry hits from lack of wicking only anemic ones. However; if I don’t chain vape, it works every time and works well.
265DF740-B359-41B9-8197-3914597D8EB8.jpeg

The tank holds 2 ml of juice, when squonking the liquid goes directly into the tank. In my opinion wismec missed an opportunity not doing so. I think that having the liquid squonk both to the tank and directly onto the mesh would solve the wicking problem making for a much more efficient atty. The claim is that the mesh is supposed to last up to three months, In the past few weeks I have not had any reason to doubt that. The best results that I have gotten wicking it have been to thin out the cotton and only let it just through the wick slots. If I stick the wick tails to far down it chokes. I have also been experiencing the best flavor In the 55w-60w range. I find this perfect as it also extends battery life with the 0.03 0hm resistance of the mesh.


Overall, I’ve enjoyed the kestrel, my only point of complaint is the slower wicking I’ve experienced. The flavor has been great, and the vapor production, much better than I expected. If I were just considering squonking and didn’t know how to build, this would be a great contender. If I have been using subohm tanks and wanted to know what this bottom feed vaping were all about, but did not want to invest in wires and tools, this would would be the ideal choice. Small, pocket friendly combo, that totals to 8.5ml between the RDTA and mod bottle, make it a well thought out companionship. Being that I do build, and have RDAS that I already enjoy, this mod pairs perfectly with my single coil squonk atomizers, and makes for a great little combo .

at the advice of @Letitia9, I used only the skins from 2 pieces of cotton, trimmed and inserted as wicking.
It wicked much better and kept up with chain vaping. The vape was very similar to that of a sub tank. Still not quite as saturated as a Clapton coil, but much better than previous attempts and would be more than satisfying for a day of vaping. The flavor is excellent with my diy crunch berry, a little more anemic in the flavor end with fruit juices (for me) but adequately kept up. The vape itself is about identical to that of a sub tank with a single mesh coil.

Pros
o Innovative design
o Easy to build and wick
o Great flavor
o Great vapor production
o Long lasting mesh coil system
o 810 driptip

Cons
o Slower than expected capillary wicking(see update as it improves using only the cotton pad skins)

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Letitia9

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Kestrel rda
View attachment 136036

This is the RDTA that comes in the kit with the luxotic surface.
It’s an interesting piece of kit. Certainly a departure from the norm; and, different from anything I’ve ever seen. It utilizes a piece of mesh film as a heating element rather than traditional mesh or coil.

Specs

o Height: 36.7mm
o Diameter: 24mm
o Weight: 34.6g
o E-liquid capacity: 2ml


In the kestrel you are treated to a narrow bore 810 driptip. All of my aftermarket tips fit fine. It also has 2 inflow ports measuring 6mm x 2.5mm; and a side fill port measuring in at 8mmx 4mm.

Under the lid, you’ll see a top plate made of plastic or delerin(I’m unsure exactly) with two, what looks like vents measuring 12mm x 4mm. Beneath the plastic is the mesh film. It’s one solid piece of Kanthal mesh. If you life the mesh you’ll see the cotton wick resting on a large cross member. The cross member created the wicking slots. The wick is pressed in and held in place by the mesh and plastic cover.

View attachment 136040 View attachment 136037 View attachment 136042 View attachment 136039

The airflow runs from the outside, through the plastic and over the top of the mesh. Lol admit, that I was quite hesitant looking at the setup; however, the flavor is phenomenal. The vape production is quite excellent. The only drawback is that while the stock wicking worked well, I’ve been unable to recreate, the wicking efficiency after multiple attempts. It does wick, just slower than I would prefer. It doesn’t creat e dry hits from lack of wicking only anemic ones. However; if I don’t chain vape, it works every time and works well.
View attachment 136038

The tank holds 2 ml of juice, when squonking the liquid goes directly into the tank. In my opinion wismec missed an opportunity not doing so. I think that having the liquid squonk both to the tank and directly onto the mesh would solve the wicking problem making for a much more efficient atty. The claim is that the mesh is supposed to last up to three months, In the past few weeks I have not had any reason to doubt that. The best results that I have gotten wicking it have been to thin out the cotton and only let it just through the wick slots. If I stick the wick tails to far down it chokes. I have also been experiencing the best flavor In the 55w-60w range. I find this perfect as it also extends battery life with the 0.03 0hm resistance of the mesh.


Overall, I’ve enjoyed the kestrel, my only point of complaint is the slower wicking I’ve experienced. The flavor has been great, and the vapor production, much better than I expected. If I were just considering squonking and didn’t know how to build, this would be a great contender. If I have been using subohm tanks and wanted to know what this bottom feed vaping were all about, but did not want to invest in wires and tools, this would would be the ideal choice. Small, pocket friendly combo, that totals to 8.5ml between the RDTA and mod bottle, make it a well thought out companionship. Being that I do build, and have RDAS that I already enjoy, this mod pairs perfectly with my single coil squonk atomizers, and makes for a great little combo .


Pros
o Innovative design
o Easy to build and wick
o Great flavor
o Great vapor production
o Long lasting mesh coil system
o 810 driptip

Cons
o Slower than expected capillary wicking
View attachment 136041
Have you tried KGD with one skin left on? Personally I'd try using just the skins first.
Enjoyed the read. thanks.
 

f1r3b1rd

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Have you tried KGD with one skin left on? Personally I'd try using just the skins first.
Enjoyed the read. thanks.
I did try using one skin, but I didn’t try using only skins.

With the one skin, it appeared to hold the juice better, and took longer to go dry. But, it still took just as long to wick back up.
Under my normal vape conditions it would be fine, but, chain vaping it is what caused it difficult to stay saturated.

I thinks it’s a devils advocate thing. I can just squonk an rda and the coil is wet again. This needs to feed like a tank.
 

Letitia9

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That's why I suggested skins only. Quite a few stock coils are skin only, once fully saturated the do well at keeping up. Worth a shot if the attys any good.
 

f1r3b1rd

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That's why I suggested skins only. Quite a few stock coils are skin only, once fully saturated the do well at keeping up. Worth a shot if the attys any good.
I’ll give that a shot tomorrow and update the results

Thank you
 

KingPin!

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Excellent review mate very thorough :cheers:

I assume that plastic membrane cover thing will melt if you were to dry burn the set up?
 

f1r3b1rd

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Excellent review mate very thorough :cheers:

I assume that plastic membrane cover thing will melt if you were to dry burn the set up?
Honestly, I doubt it, but can be certain.
When I dry burned I just didn’t screw the plastic on; but, it heats up so quickly that unless you hold it and let flame up, I wouldn’t be overly concerned.
Then again, people are people.
 

f1r3b1rd

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Update via at the advice of @Letitia9, I used only the skins from 2 pieces of cotton, trimmed and inserted as wicking.
It wicked much better and kept up with chain vaping. The vape was very similar to that of a sub tank. Still not quite as saturated as a Clapton coil, but much better than previous attempts and would be more than satisfying for a day of vaping.

I will add this to the review.. thank you very much for the sage advice @Letitia9 !
 

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