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Pizza Dave Delivers - A Squonk Kit Review - The Topside Lite by Dovpo

pizzadave80

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
INTRODUCTION

Hello everyone and welcome to another review. This is Pizza Dave and today I will be going over the Topside Lite Kit by Dovpo. This is the latest device from Dovpo and came out at the same time as the SQ Topside and Odin were also released. Needless to say, that’s a lot to pump out at the same time. This device is a single 21700, squonk mod, similar to the OG Topside, but with an added twist. For starters, thanks to a mostly plastic body, it is much much lighter. Secondly, the squonk bottle is enclosed in a section about half the size of the mod, and it comes off completely for battery installation. Lastly, this half section can stay off, and a cover goes on, making this a slim, tall single 21700 mod. Sooooo yeah, it is interesting, and if I am being honest, I thought this was a real dumb idea when I saw it was coming out. Let’s find out if I still feel the same way!

DISCLAIMER: This device was sent to my by Dovpo for review.

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WHAT YOU GET

  • 1 Topside Lite Mod

  • 1 Variant RDA

  • 1 Tri-tool

  • 1 Bag of spare parts

  • Battery cover

  • Spare squonk tubes (more on that later)

  • Micro USB cable

  • Paperwork

Available in Black, Red, and Gunmetal



STOCK SHOT
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PACKAGING
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UNBOXED
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Measurements: 97.5mm x 58mm x 28.2mm

Battery: Single 21700, 20700, or 18650 w/ adapter

Power Range: 5-90w

Capacity: 10mL squonk bottle

Other features: Topside top fill bottle.



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FIRST IMPRESSIONS



Like I said in my intro, I really didn’t go into this with high expectations. Surprisingly enough, I found that there was quite a bit about this that was actually damn good. The lighter weight is the first thing that jumps out over the original. It is much more pocket friendly, as it won’t sag your pants down like the OG would. The next thing that jumps out is that about half the mod pops right off for battery insertion or complete removal. It is held on magnetically and is quite solid. It has a satisfying amount of magnetic tension and I have no worries about this popping off during normal use. Sure, if you drop it, it will fly off, but just don’t drop it. The last big change is with the top fill itself. This time around, it has a threaded cap with an o-ring, more like the top of a tank instead of the older design with the spring loaded thingy with two plugs. The opening isn’t as large, but it doesn’t pose a refill problem. The ergonomics is about the same as the single battery topside, which I don’t find to be a problem either. So yeah, that’s the Lite in a nutshell.

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OPERATION

The chipset that is in the Topside Lite is the same as what came in the Topside Dual. That being said, I am copy and pasting my operation segment from the Dual review.

BUTTON COMBOS

Five clicks of the fire button will turn it on and off. Three clicks of the fire button will lock the fire button. Pressing the up and down buttons together will lock and unlock the adjustment keys. When in TC modes, pressing the fire button and up button will allow you to adjust the preheat wattage. Pressing the fire button and down button together will enter the menu system.


MENU SYSTEM

The menu system isn’t full blown or anything, but rather has a few selections of operation and misc. information.
  • Power mode

  • Voltage mode

  • TC for Ni

  • TC for Ti

  • TC for SS

  • TC with TCR adjustment

  • Bypass mode

  • Stats – Shows the amount of puffs taken and the total vaping time on the device.

  • Exit

That’s about it. I wish there was a little more to offer in the menu. It would be nice to adjust the screen brightness and screen timeouts, but this one is kept basic as was the original.

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USEAGE

As far as actual usage goes, this vapes quite similar to the original Topside. In wattage mode, it performs right where I thought it would. Ya press the button, it ramps up in good time, and provides a solid power output to the atomizer. I ran mine at 80w with the dual coil Variant and had no issues with how they paired up (other than battery life). I did some small testing in TC and it performed about the same as the Topside Dual, but that is no surprise because the board seems the same. Me, being a wattage vapor, didn’t mind this, but that would be a deal breaker for quite a few of my readers. As far as the overall design, I don’t have many issues with what they did here. The dark tinted clear plastic is a scratch magnet, and if this goes in and out of an abrasive pocket, it will show scratches. Replacement bottles include the entire housing for a decent price, so at least there’s that. The bottle itself can be removed for cleaning if you must, and kind of in a similar fashion as the old topsides slide in housing. Remove a couple of screws, take it apart, and pull it out. It isn’t terrible to do, but I just rinsed mine with the entire plastic still on. The mod, if you choose to do so can be a single battery device. All you have to do is pop the squonk section off, grab the little squonk tube thing and unscrew it. Once that comes out, the cover is magnetically held into place. Boom, done, and it makes this a slim, tall, comfortable single battery 21700 mod.

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VARIANT RDA



I want to just take a quick look at this rda. Yes, this is essentially a Drop V2. The deck is about the same, but the air flow is altered a little. Instead of a T-shape on the side, this one just has two vertical rows, which are adjustable by row starting at the top in a little odd fashion. As you close it down, the top can be 1 or two holes. Keep turning and the 2nd row down can be close one hole at a time also. Keep turning and both the 3rd and 4th rows close off one hole at a time. Keep going and all left holes will be blocked, as well as the bottom row, but the top three rows have the right side open. Yeah, if you really run it that restricted the vape isn’t that great, but it just closes down kind of funny. I ran mine with the top row off. The only other thing that is a bit different about this rda is the pin. There is a cap built into the pin, which can be unscrewed from the top, thus opening it up for squonking, Tighten this down, and it is now a regular dripper. It works pretty damn good, with a restricted flow of liquid during squonking, but it is one less part to keep track of.


I don’t really need to get into detail about the build deck, but it doesn’t get much easier to build and wick on it. It has ample room for beefy coils, and they are not hard to install. Wicking is also easy, as long as you leave them just a hair off the bottom so they keep up to the power you are pumping through them. They worked on the drop and they work on the variant.


So with these few changes, how does it vape? In short, it vapes real good. The air flow is nice and smooth, and the flavor is spot on. It is a damn good rda, that I really enjoy. The little pin thing for squonk / non-squonk is not my jam, because I don’t like how it restricts squonking a little, but it is functional and kind of neat. One thing that is a pro, and a cheap one, is the drip tip. It is a conical shape, and very comfortable on my lips, and it also looks nice to boot.


It’s a good rda, even if sold on its own, but it is a nice addition to this kit.

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PHOTO GALLERY


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pizzadave80

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
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FINAL THOUGHTS


So do I love or hate the Topside Lite kit? Out of the box, with the rda, it is a great vaping experience for anybody that wants to try squonking. The mod looks decent, but I am not totally wild about the tinted plastic once it gets scuffed up or dirty, but I think this is more about function over fashion. I like the look of the original more, but it does come at a cost, and that’s weight. This is much lighter, making it easier to grab on the go and put in a pocket. It is the most noticeable aspect when using, and it makes sense since it is in the name. As for the removable squonk portion, I think it is actually pretty neat. Let’s say someone thinks they want to start squonking, but is unsure. If they decide they don’t like it, they can pop the bottle off and have a decent, slim 21700 mod and toss a tank or rta on top. Or, if you don’t have a massive budget, you get two mods in one with this. Sure you can always run a tank on a squonk mod, but it kind of defeats the purpose, and this gives you that option to go without that extra bulk. I don’t like the fill cap as much on this mod, but it works, and is fine. I never had issues with leaking, or squonking with this, so that’s also a pro. I gushed over the Variant a bit, so I think you know where I stand on it. It’s a good RDA that boosts the value of what you get in this kit. It makes for a total squonking package for someone who wants to try out squonking or just wants a light weight topside for their collection. For me, I am definitely going to hang on to this one as an on the go squonker. It’s lightweight, functional, has 21700 battery, and the same great 10mL capacity, but just lighter. It turns out that this isn’t a total bust and I started to grow fond of it the more I used it.

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OVEN TEST – If this were to accidentally fall into the pizza oven, would I go out and get another? I think I might actually.


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PROS
  • Lightweight body

  • Dual use - squonk or non squonk

  • No leaking

  • Easy to fill

  • Good for wattage vaping

  • 21700 battery compatibility

  • 10mL capacity

  • Bright, easy to read screen

  • Clicky buttons

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CONS
  • TC performance was not good

  • Bottle housing shows scuffing, fingerprints, and other marks

  • Don’t like the top cap on the bottle as much as other Topsides
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Thank you everyone and thank you to Dovpo for sending this my way for review. I am seeing these online for about $75-80 for the kit, and $40-50 for mod only.


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Pizza Dave – delivering real reviews with no extra toppings

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REVIEW CRITERIA: I use each item for about two weeks to ensure I have collected enough data to adequately write a review. I use the same e liquid in tanks or rdas throughout all my reviews to ensure that I am comparing apples to apples between all modern equipment. I do not post reviews until I feel confident that I have used it enough to give an educated review. The reason I started doing reviews was due to poor purchasing decisions in my vaping infancy about two years ago. Back then, I purchased several different pieces of hardware without really enjoying it and I hope my reviews can guide people into spending their hard-earned money more wisely than I did! ****Keep in mind that some items I receive may be pre-release and not in retail packaging. Quality may be less than the finished product and what is in the package may differ from the retail package as well.
 

MrMeowgi

The Vapin' Drummer
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Glad you like it man. Hoping mine will be here today. Was the only mod that interests me for the end of the years sales. 40 shipped I couldn't pass up. Thanks for an extensive review.
 

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