Squid Industries Double Barrel Version 3 with Peacemaker RTA

[f1r3b1rd]

This mod and RTA was provided by Squid Industries for the purpose of this review. The following is an account of my experience with these devices.


I had a version 2.1 doublebarrel and peacemaker subohm tank, so I was very excited to see how they changed and improved the device.

Both mods have similar Variable Wattage boards. They are the very definition of simple, safe and well made. Neither do temperature Control, neither have onboard charging, neither are firmware upgradeable, neither will fire below a 0.1 ohm load, both are operated by single dial, fire up to 150w, have spring loaded 510 pins; and, are the most ergonomic mods I’ve held since a tube mod.

There is a silicon sleeve for the v2.1 that will fit the v3

DBv3: 25mm wide (0.98in), 92.5mm tall(3.63in), 43.7mm deep(1.72in)
DNv2.1 24mm wide(0.94in), 90mm tall3.54 in, 42.5mm deep (1.67 in)



The Version 3 comes in the box shown above, with a simple one page instruction manual.
Click the button 3 times to flip the screen
Click the button 4 times to disengage the dial
Click the button 5 times to turn the mod on or off
-it will still fire when the dial is “locked” but it will not change the settings
Spin the dial to left to turn the wattage down -in one watt increments
Spin the dial to the right to turn the wattage up – in one watt increments
Press the button to fire



As you can see the version 3 is a tad bit larger than the version 2.1; however, I find it to be a bit more comfortable. The difference is not noticeable until you hold them both, at which time, I found the 3 to feel better. The finish of the three also feels a bit more durable, as it is a matte finish with a bit of a texture to it. -although both will show juice and finger prints a bit.

The dial/button feels to be a little more protected on the V3 as well. It is more recessed into a protective housing. While this does make it a bit harder to adjust, it also makes it harder to accidently engage while in your pocket or bag. Since, I don’t adjust it often I found this to be negligible, but worth mentioning. Additionally, the dial is knurled to help make it easier to adjust.


Another change that I have to bring up is the screen… ahh the screen. The screen on the version 2.1 was recessed, allowing spillage to pool inside of the bezel. The version 3 solved this by both making the screen larger, and removing the bezel, bringing the screen even with the surface of the mod. I found this to be a very welcomed change and much improved design.


On the topic of the screen.. it is literally simplicity at its finest. You are shown nothing other than battery indicator, wattage, resistance and applied voltage. For me it is a welcomed change from the mods of today, that show you enough information to look like a picture from an electronics textbook. There is something to appreciate about simplicity. – I say this as a lover of the evolv and yihi boards.



Down to the internal, the V3 also has changed the battery contacts. The v2.1 used a leaf spring, that would compress and need pulled out when the mod would take a hard fall. The version 3 uses what appears to be a sturdier plate design. I did not take the mod apart, but did attempt getting pictures to show the difference.

As you can see the contacts are much more secure in the newer version. It also shows the final change, being that of the battery door. The door is HINGED!! While the door does have a bit of wobble when open, it is tight as a drum when closed. As a matter of fact the first few battery changes were a bit difficult to get the door to close. After about a week it closed much easier and is nice and firmly shut. Nothing rattles, nothing moves, and nothing is at risk of getting lost in the event of a gravitational overload.
The mod is still vented in the facing sides of the tubes, as well as on the bottom of the door.



I said this about the version 2.1 but it certainly appears to ring true about the version 3. This mod was clearly built with quality in mind. The version 2.1 did have some shortcomings in design, the 3 appears to have resolved the largest of them.

How does it vape? It vapes very similarly to my hexohm; however, it feels like a tube mod in the hand and has the bonus of a screen. I do not notice any firing delay or ramp up worth mentioning, nor do I notice it being under or overpowered. The build requirement of a 0.1 ohm minimum load, has not been a problem thus far; but, I can see where that could be an issue for some.

Battery consumption has thus far appeared to be much better than average. Running a 0.14 ohm dual coil build at 80w has given me 10-12 hours of run time with Samsung 30qs. As with all things vaping, your experience may be different.

Pros:
Size
Ergonomics
Build quality
Easy of operation
Power delivery
Customer service – squid has a first hand engagement with their customers on facebook in addition to responding to emails in their warranty and service dept.

Cons
Lack of temp control
Lack of onboard charging
Lack of firmware upgrade
Can show juice and fingerprints easily

More information can be found
http://squidvape.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=2381

 

[f1r3b1rd]

Peacemaker RTA -single coil



The peacemaker rta is a 25mm single coil rta. It comes with a both a 4ml tank and an 8ml bubble tank. The 4 ml tank is a metal cage, resembling a peacemaker revolver, with an internal PMMA lining. While I prefer this tank; because, it lines up with the mod for a streamline look, it is worth mentioning again that the internal tank is PMMA, so be careful with your tank cracker juices. Luckily, I don’t vape anything known to crack plastic. The slots, or windows, can be a bit difficult to see through at times, since the internals are all black; but, so far, the single coil tank is not sucking down juice enough to make that problematic; yet, worth mentioning for sure. As you can see the cage of the 25mm tank does optically limit what it would look good on. The bubble of the 8ml tank does the same due to its size.

On a side note the yellow and pink strip, respectively are the battery wraps shown as a result of the internal battery venting of the mod.

You will also receive a fantastic honeycomb finished 810 driptip-all 810s fit perfectly, a spare ceramic for the deck, spare post screws, o-rings and the good old classic baby blue screwdriver.

Building on this rta is about as simple as it can get. Wrap your coil, unscrew the single flathead screw holding down the ceramic plate, and place the coil in before screwing it back down. Clip your leads and wick the coil.

Build shown is 30x4/40 ss Clapton paralleled with 26g KA1 round wire with 3mm ID

As you can see, the wicks are cut rather short and just dipped into the wick ring. Capillary action is not quite a make or break with this. This is certainly much easier to wick than many other tanks.

The airflow on this tank is exceptionally smooth and combined with the small combustion chamber provides exceptional flavor and vapor production to rival many dual coil tanks.




The deck is 12mm wide(0.47in)
The internal diameter of the chamber is 16mm(0.62in)
The height of the chamber is 10mm (0.39in) before the cone and 3mm (o.11in) of cone
The chimney is 7.2mm high (0.28in)
The chimney bore is 7.5mm (0.29 in)
The kidney shaped fill ports are about 13mm wide(0.54in)
The airflow ports on the outside are about 13mm wide by 2mm tall (0.5in x 0.08in)

So how does it vape?

In a word, great! At least in my opinion. I have been drawn to this over and over again since it arrived. The flavor is on par with my most flavorful rda; and, the vapor production is excellent, on par with some dual coil rdas. I am loving the quality of vape I am getting with the 0.24 ohm single coil build shown, at 60w and getting battery life for a day and half. Mrs B1rd has commented that the tank can be loud at times. It is, with this build; but, with a regular Clapton build it is quieter. As I stated above the airflow is smooth… I don’t vape rtas very often but I would put this in the category of smoothest airflow I have had in a long time from a tank.


Pros
Smooth airflow
Flavor and vapor production
Juice capacity- up to 8mil with bubble tank
Easy to build and wick
All 810 tips fit perfectly
Top fill

Cons
Bubble tank can look HUGE
Plastic lining of 4ml straight tank
Can be difficult to see juice level inside of straight tank

Overall as a combo, this is a fantastic kit, since the mod fits any 25mm or under topper without overhang, I have been running it with a goon at times and thoroughly enjoying the performance of that as well. Who would I recommend this to? Most anyone looking for a simple to use, well-made device with 150w of power that does not use Temp Control. I would mostly compare to it the hexohm or the tesla invader series, only the form factor feels much nicer in the hand.

More information can be found
http://squidvape.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=2375

 

[Letitia9]

Enjoyed the read. Is the flavor as good with the 8ml glass? Most of my juices have citrus in them and would likely not use the caged tube at all.

 

[jwill]

Really good review dude, seriously.

 

[f1r3b1rd]

Enjoyed the read. Is the flavor as good with the 8ml glass? Most of my juices have citrus in them and would likely not use the caged tube at all.

I don’t notice any flavor difference with the glass.
In fact, the mrs and I were out and about today; and, I switched to the glass to make sure I wouldn’t need to bring a bottle.
No difference in the vape at all.
It angles out very low; which appears to avoid choking off the wick ports.

 

[f1r3b1rd]

Really good review dude, seriously.

Thank you very much!

 

[Letitia9]

I don’t notice any flavor difference with the glass.
In fact the mrs and I were out and bout today; and, I switched to the glass to make sure I wouldn’t need to bring a bottle.
No difference in the vape at all.
It angles out very low; which appears to avoid shocking off the wick ports.

Thanks, the rta will be in the cart tomorrow. Been eyeballing it for a week or two now.

 

[KingPin!]

Great write up mate ...dammit I wanted to avoid reading this cause I knew it’d end up in the list haha battery door was what worried me with its earlier brethren and that screen which seemed to have been fixed now.

So with the V3 it’s is completely sealed against fogging do you know mate?

 

[f1r3b1rd]

Great write up mate ...dammit I wanted to avoid reading this cause I knew it’d end up in the list haha battery door was what worried me with its earlier brethren and that screen which seemed to have been fixed now.

So with the V3 it’s is completely sealed against fogging do you know mate?

There is a seam where the screen meets the body of the mod; but, I’ve not experienced any fogging.
I lined up the airflow of the atty with the screen and purged it to blow vape directly on top of it and have not had any problems other than the obvious condensation.