Squonkers are Bonkers

[jasonandsarah]

You went straight to Wismec? The fuckery at FastTech knows no bounds, and still have no resolution. Might have to try direct through Wismec.

Yeah went straight through them. They asked if I contacted the seller and I just never answered that question lol. I didn't want to contact fasttech because I had bought it from someone else who had only used it a few times before realizing they didn't like it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[ColdDayInHell]

Just got my first RDA, DROP. I'm realizing that these are the way to go. I don't mind dripping but they are thirsty bitches.

So I'm looking for something at least 100w, capable of 18650s and bigger , dual of course.

 

[shawn.hoefer]

Dual cell, 100W+? Your choices are limited...

Ijoy Capo 216
Rage 150
Kanger Dripbox 160
Gbox 200

Did I miss any?

There are a few single 2x700 100w mods available, too.

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk

 

[ColdDayInHell]

Dual cell, 100W+? Your choices are limited...

Ijoy Capo 216
Rage 150
Kanger Dripbox 160
Gbox 200

Did I miss any?

There are a few single 2x700 100w mods available, too.

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk

I'm leaning toward the Gbox 200 at $55, not bad.

 

[shawn.hoefer]

I'm leaning toward the Gbox 200 at $55, not bad.

Decent mod, but the combo battery/juice door sucks.

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk

 

[ColdDayInHell]

Decent mod, but the combo battery/juice door sucks.

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk

Which leaves the Gbox, and iJoy is known for being a dumpster fire, QC wise.

 

[RSZ1]

My drama with FastTech and my Luxotic has come to a successful conclusion. The CSR who was dealing with my ticket was not any help, and I wasn't getting anywhere with that person. After having agreed to send me a replacement or a refund upon closing the PayPal dispute, the story changed back to requiring the item to be returned to them.

So I posted in their forum section, asking Anniepan to take a look at my ticket. Within an hour or so Anniepan had responded that their is a known issue with the Luxotic, and recommended I pick another mod. I have 2 more Pico Squeeze coming to replace the leaky Luxotic.

As an FYI, apparently this is a known issue, and Anniepan forwarded me a link to see if I can fix it myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=Rq5n2jp7dJI

https://www.fasttech.com/forums/9630576/t/2686186/leaking-bastard/1

 

[Arthur-VU]

...The worst bit was reshaping the top of the squonk bottle...

Can you share a photo of this? I am very curious as to why this was necessary - could you not leave the bottle as is?

 

[Arthur-VU]

Dual cell, 100W+? Your choices are limited...

Did I miss any?

Lost Vape Drone is a 2x 18650 with a DNA chip.

It's discontinued now and like a unicorn, but some sites may have it new-old-stock for ~$135.

I found one at a local B&M back in January. I replaced the original plastic squonk bottle with the the 11ml silicone one from the Therion BF since the plastic bottle was nearly impossible to press.

Worked well, but with 2 batts inside and a full bottle of juice, weighed nearly 350g with the OG Goon on top. Literally like holding a red brick in your hand. It was too big and heavy for me, so I sold it off to another vaper on reddit for $115 shipped with the 11ml silicone squonk bottle which also came with a 30ml 510 squonk refill bottle.

If you like big mods, this one is very nice build quality and has a high-end feel to it, but rare to find one now in end of May 2018.

 

[Arthur-VU]

My drama with FastTech and my Luxotic has come to a successful conclusion. The CSR who was dealing with my ticket was not any help, and I wasn't getting anywhere with that person. After having agreed to send me a replacement or a refund upon closing the PayPal dispute, the story changed back to requiring the item to be returned to them.

So I posted in their forum section, asking Anniepan to take a look at my ticket. Within an hour or so Anniepan had responded that their is a known issue with the Luxotic, and recommended I pick another mod. I have 2 more Pico Squeeze coming to replace the leaky Luxotic.

As an FYI, apparently this is a known issue, and Anniepan forwarded me a link to see if I can fix it myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=Rq5n2jp7dJI

https://www.fasttech.com/forums/9630576/t/2686186/leaking-bastard/1

Glad to hear you are getting resolution on this problem.

Thanks for sharing the links, especially for that video.

Compared to the Pico Squeeze, it seems this is likely the next best 'budget' mosfet squonker.

One benefit I see to the Luxotic BF is that you can get to the internals a little easier without having to take the whole mod apart (like with the Squeeze you have to remove the shell completely).

Also with the Luxotic, I wonder if you can put a flat piece of less than 1ml thick silicone or rubber as a gasket under that plate (and still be able to tighten down the screws so the plate does not prevent the door from fitting flush), so as to prevent any leaks from getting into the cavity with the board, or out near the battery once that pin is superglued in place as per the video.

Myself, I'd likely just superglue that pin rather than send it back, as I prefer things that are at least semi-hackable/fixable.

I hope that if you have to send it back to FT that they will cover return shipping or send you a shipping label to print out since this is a defect and not from mis-use.

 

[RSZ1]

Glad to hear you are getting resolution on this problem.

Thanks for sharing the links, especially for that video.

Compared to the Pico Squeeze, it seems this is likely the next best 'budget' mosfet squonker.

One benefit I see to the Luxotic BF is that you can get to the internals a little easier without having to take the whole mod apart (like with the Squeeze you have to remove the shell completely).

Also with the Luxotic, I wonder if you can put a flat piece of less than 1ml thick silicone or rubber as a gasket under that plate (and still be able to tighten down the screws so the plate does not prevent the door from fitting flush), so as to prevent any leaks from getting into the cavity with the board, or out near the battery once that pin is superglued in place as per the video.

Myself, I'd likely just superglue that pin rather than send it back, as I prefer things that are at least semi-hackable/fixable.

I hope that if you have to send it back to FT that they will cover return shipping or send you a shipping label to print out since this is a defect and not from mis-use.

I like the Luxotic, quite a bit actually. The leaking is obviously a deal breaker, and seems to be a widespread issue. I would have purchased another, but finding out the reason behind the leaking is a design issue, and not just a random manufacturing issue, I will not buy another unless Wismec fixes the issue with the Luxotic.

I will not be sending it back. It just doesn't make sense to mess around sending the mod back to get back the equivalent of $20, after paying for shipping it back. FastTech is only willing to cover up to $40 or 50% of the cost of the item for return shipping. So only willing to cover about $17 for return shipping. Me being in Canada, shipping the mod back to their Miami returns center just doesn't make sense.

After seeing where exactly the leak is coming from, I'll let that info marinate for a few days and see if I can come up with another plan of sealing that pin. Not a fan if putting superglue in the juice path.

 

[MrMeowgi]

Lost Vape Drone is a 2x 18650 with a DNA chip.

It's discontinued now and like a unicorn, but some sites may have it new-old-stock for ~$135.

I found one at a local B&M back in January. I replaced the original plastic squonk bottle with the the 11ml silicone one from the Therion BF since the plastic bottle was nearly impossible to press.

Worked well, but with 2 batts inside and a full bottle of juice, weighed nearly 350g with the OG Goon on top. Literally like holding a red brick in your hand. It was too big and heavy for me, so I sold it off to another vaper on reddit for $115 shipped with the 11ml silicone squonk bottle which also came with a 30ml 510 squonk refill bottle.

If you like big mods, this one is very nice build quality and has a high-end feel to it, but rare to find one now in end of May 2018.

I think there's a drone in the hardware thread for sale

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[The Cromwell]

A post I found over on ECR about firmware update for the Pulse 80W.
All credit to the original poster.

Pulse 80W Firmware v0.0.6 TC Issues self.electronic_cigarette

Submitted 3 hours ago by Whatup69

Two and a half weeks ago, I made a post about my initial impressions on the new Pulse 80W squonk mod here.

I have just updated the firmware on my device from the v0.0.5 it shipped with to the newly released v0.0.6

One of the key "Functional Improvements" Vandy Vape lists as a feature of the new firmware is "Optimize the temperature control effect".

What the fuck are they on about!?

Originally with firmware v0.0.5, the device was a bit overpowered and had inconsistent and mediocre ramp down/dry hit protection. Setting the temperature 30-50°F below what I would usually use on my DNA devices with the same build gave me a similar enough vape experience that I was satisfied using the Pulse 80W in TC.

Now with the new firmware update, it seems to have rendered the TC far worse. What used to give me a decent enough vape at 420°F on the Pulse 80W with my usual TC build doesn't work. I only get a some what decent vape when I max out the temperature at 600°F which is ludicrous. The ramp down for dry hit protection seems to be a lot more aggressive now, but it's hard to gauge the effectiveness when it's only vaping at 600°F. And it doesn't feel as warm as vaping at 420°F on the previous firmware.

If you are currently using this device in TC, or looking to pick one up for TC then I highly recommend you to NOT update the firmware.

 

[Papachaz]

I like the Luxotic, quite a bit actually. The leaking is obviously a deal breaker, and seems to be a widespread issue. I would have purchased another, but finding out the reason behind the leaking is a design issue, and not just a random manufacturing issue, I will not buy another unless Wismec fixes the issue with the Luxotic.

I will not be sending it back. It just doesn't make sense to mess around sending the mod back to get back the equivalent of $20, after paying for shipping it back. FastTech is only willing to cover up to $40 or 50% of the cost of the item for return shipping. So only willing to cover about $17 for return shipping. Me being in Canada, shipping the mod back to their Miami returns center just doesn't make sense.

After seeing where exactly the leak is coming from, I'll let that info marinate for a few days and see if I can come up with another plan of sealing that pin. Not a fan if putting superglue in the juice path.

They do have food grade silicone that you could seal that up with. Mine isn’t leaking but after seeing the video I think I may just go ahead and seal up that pin anyway.


Carpe Nidor

 

[~Don~]

Whew... Glad Todd picked the other guy lol



I was the first one to pick the correct number but I am glad he gave it to the other guy... postage would of been nasty for me

Early morning contests before reading is bad... more coffee haha

 

[shawn.hoefer]

What other devices use the Geekvape Athena bottle?

https://www.eightvape.com/products/geekvape-athena-squonk-bottle

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk

 

[ben73]

Sadly, their site is fubar/down/updating/whatever. Oh well, almost pretty.

Which site , I ordered from 3A vape
They had cheapest price on them ,
rest of sites are nearly double price.
Like the THC Tauren mech tube mod jumped up in price quickly,

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

 

[b.m.]

What other devices use the Geekvape Athena bottle?

https://www.eightvape.com/products/geekvape-athena-squonk-bottle

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk

That bottle should fit in a bunch of different mods.I have an Athena and the bottle seems pretty well standard size to fit most box type squonkers.

 

[JuicyLucy]

One benefit I see to the Luxotic BF is that you can get to the internals a little easier without having to take the whole mod apart (like with the Squeeze you have to remove the shell completely).

A decent mod that isn't a mech shouldn't need to be taken apart in the first place

 

[PoppaVic]

A decent mod that isn't a mech shouldn't need to be taken apart

Too many caveats there. And too little specifics.

I have yet to meet a mechanical switch I trust: even the NC needs the FDV replacement. Not sure why this continues to be an issue, but anyone telling me you can't get replacement parts/switches is telling me: "Run Away"

 

[Adonis]

Can you share a photo of this? I am very curious as to why this was necessary - could you not leave the bottle as is?

Basically just took the sharp edge off the top of the bottle so it made it domed. I found that because of where the contact strip bends around the switch touches the top of the bottle (blue arrow) and when pressing the button the otherside of the bottle ( red arrow) hits the battery so I couldn't get a reliable contact unless I only wanted about .5mm throw on the switch. Thinner copper would probably mean this wasn't an issue

 

[Arthur-VU]

A decent mod that isn't a mech shouldn't need to be taken apart in the first place

That's a good point.

However, from an old-school 'hardware hacker' perspective, if you cannot open it, then you cannot repair it, or modify it, and therefore, do no truly own it (and are beholden to the restrictions imposed by the device's maker).

I like being able to take things apart, and often do, sometimes just to see what is inside.

To me, and other folks like me, seeing a label or sticker that says:

"Warranty void if label removed."

as an invitation for disassembly.

I never use warranties.

 

[TrollDragon]

I like the Luxotic, quite a bit actually. The leaking is obviously a deal breaker, and seems to be a widespread issue. I would have purchased another, but finding out the reason behind the leaking is a design issue, and not just a random manufacturing issue, I will not buy another unless Wismec fixes the issue with the Luxotic.

I will not be sending it back. It just doesn't make sense to mess around sending the mod back to get back the equivalent of $20, after paying for shipping it back. FastTech is only willing to cover up to $40 or 50% of the cost of the item for return shipping. So only willing to cover about $17 for return shipping. Me being in Canada, shipping the mod back to their Miami returns center just doesn't make sense.

After seeing where exactly the leak is coming from, I'll let that info marinate for a few days and see if I can come up with another plan of sealing that pin. Not a fan if putting superglue in the juice path.

My Lost Vape Drone (A Total POS) leaked from the cheap ass 90 degree tube on the 510. It is the finest of Chi-Nee press fit and seeped constantly.

Pulled the angled pin out, cleaned it and it's mating hole. Put a little JB Weld around the part of the pin that goes into the hole and reseated it. Clamped for a good 24 hours and it hasn't leaked or seeped in months.

JB Weld is non toxic after it has cured and anything in our juice will not bother it.

 

[PoppaVic]

My Lost Vape Drone (A Total POS) leaked from the cheap ass 90 degree tube on the 510. It is the finest of Chi-Nee press fit and seeped constantly.

Pulled the angled pin out, cleaned it and it's mating hole. Put a little JB Weld around the part of the pin that goes into the hole and reseated it. Clamped for a good 24 hours and it hasn't leaked or seeped in months.

JB Weld is non toxic after it has cured and anything in our juice will not bother it.

godddamnit, I was gonna' offer a ten-spot!

 

[Lady Sarah]

The atty that came with my Wraith does not seem as good as I was hoping. When it sprayed juice into my mouth, I was thinking "this thing needs a good drip tip". With nothing available, I grabbed a small piece of 1/2" vinyl tubing, snipped what I needed, and stuffed it into the the opening. It no longer sprays my tongue with juice. Seemed like a sensible little hack.

 

[Pastorfuzz]

The atty that came with my Wraith does not seem as good as I was hoping. When it sprayed juice into my mouth, I was thinking "this thing needs a good drip tip". With nothing available, I grabbed a small piece of 1/2" vinyl tubing, snipped what I needed, and stuffed it into the the opening. It no longer sprays my tongue with juice. Seemed like a sensible little hack.


View attachment 112484

Besides the atty, How do you like the mod itself so far?
I was thinking of grabbing one.

 

[Lady Sarah]

Besides the atty, How do you like the mod itself so far?
I was thinking of grabbing one.

The mod itself is great. There is no charging port tho. You know what that means. I got mine on a flash sale, for $20 plus shipping. To me, it's worth every bit of that.

 

[Pastorfuzz]

The mod itself is great. There is no charging port tho. You know what that means. I got mine on a flash sale, for $20 plus shipping. To me, it's worth every bit of that.

Good to hear it.
I'm wondering if the plastic bottles will hold up and if replacements can be found.
Guess I could always change to a decent 510 and use another bottle style.
I don't care if it can be updated or not and I always use external chargers anyway.
Think i'm going to grab one. Only $30 now.
Thanks for your time and have a good night!

 

[Train]

Nice hack, but yeah - that atty is pretty much crap.
I gave it a shot, but it earned it's way to the "not gonna happen" box. Which is behind the "well, you never know, I might get in a weird mood" box, which follows the "not bad, but not in my top 30" box.
Tell us what kind of draw you like, and what kind of build - and folks here can probably recommend some better options. OK, not "probably"...


My wraith is literally my only currently used regulated squonker, and I don't use it much.
So it's sporting an "every once in a while" kind of RDA too...kind of a monster, the Kali (Goon on the left).
I'm more likely to recommend a Flave...but it depends on preferences.

The atty that came with my Wraith does not seem as good as I was hoping. When it sprayed juice into my mouth, I was thinking "this thing needs a good drip tip". With nothing available, I grabbed a small piece of 1/2" vinyl tubing, snipped what I needed, and stuffed it into the the opening. It no longer sprays my tongue with juice. Seemed like a sensible little hack.

 

[Michael H.]

Basically just took the sharp edge off the top of the bottle so it made it domed. I found that because of where the contact strip bends around the switch touches the top of the bottle (blue arrow) and when pressing the button the otherside of the bottle ( red arrow) hits the battery so I couldn't get a reliable contact unless I only wanted about .5mm throw on the switch. Thinner copper would probably mean this wasn't an issue

Have you done a voltage drop test on it?

I'd maybe bring that heat shrink up higher to isolate any power having to go through the switch as well.

 

[Adonis]

Have you done a voltage drop test on it?

I'd maybe bring that heat shrink up higher to isolate any power having to go through the switch as well.

I don't have anything to measure the voltage drop, it does seem to be working better though (my own purely unscientific opinion!) . And to be honest quite enjoy little projects like this

 

[MyMagicMist]

Alright, guess I'm not alone in experimenting in this asylum.

I'm trying Muji cotton twisted in some of the clean gauze, the gauze is cotton. Will also try the same with some rayon and gauze. The gauze itself seems to be a keen wick material for me, so far. It does give you a subtle announcing peppery taste once you have near depletion of juice. Time then to squonk two or three times gentle like, go on vaping.

Well, need to doff and away. Y'all run 'er slow.

 

[Michael H.]

I don't have anything to measure the voltage drop, it does seem to be working better though (my own purely unscientific opinion!) . And to be honest quite enjoy little projects like this

A cheap $10 volt meter from harbor freight or even Wally world is a great tool to use to compare between mechanical mods...pretty much an essential vaping tool with mechs.

 

[The Cromwell]

it earned it's way to the "not gonna happen" box.

That is my might need a screw or oring off of that someday box

 

[The Cromwell]

A cheap $10 volt meter from harbor freight or even Wally world is a great tool to use to compare between mechanical mods...pretty much an essential vaping tool with mechs.

Yep good for reading voltage and checking for shorts but do not count on the resistance accuracy. The leads are all crap with the cheap DMM's.

 

[Zhurrie]

I am pretty much a single coil guy but decided to try the Pulse 24 again on top of the original Pulse mod with dual SS316L .5 ohm (so .25 in dual) round wire coils just to try again, and I just can't find a good placement or build that works well. Anyone using the Pulse 24 with any real success? It isn't terrible, but it just doesn't do much and it gets pretty hot.

 

[Papachaz]

I am pretty much a single coil guy but decided to try the Pulse 24 again on top of the original Pulse mod with dual SS316L .5 ohm (so .25 in dual) round wire coils just to try again, and I just can't find a good placement or build that works well. Anyone using the Pulse 24 with any real success? It isn't terrible, but it just doesn't do much and it gets pretty hot.

Maybe try some simple claptons. Give it some nooks and crannies to hold a little more juice? Might make a difference in flavor production.


Carpe Nidor

 

[~Don~]

I can't speak for the 24, but I had the 22.

It was extremely airy and difficult for me to find any flavor.

I am sure that it's a good RSA for those that like air in abundance...for me it wasn't all that good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PoppaVic]

You know I recently acquired an S rabbit clone and was actually surprised at it's performance but hate the door and big square button on it.

Also some know I bought 2 octopus clones from 3f vape and today I decided to try one of them and honestly I have nothing to say but utter garbage..my guess is those silver looking contacts are stainless steel and the 510 center pin is just a loose piece of crap...it barely made vapor on a .34 ohm build on my Haku.

Now, maybe some have seen i started a thread about upgrading the octopus clone with high end guts and i think i may cancelled that as I've done something a little different.

The guts from the S rabbit has made it's way to the octopus with only needing a slight reaming of the 510 hole and you know what?...this mod now kicks ass AND looks good..all for under $25...I even managed to get a silicone bottle in there to replace the cheap tiny hard plastic square bottle....The only thing I need to fix is slotting the contact off the 510 a little bit more so it sits back farther...I have maybe a two millimeters of button throw before it makes contact...I'd like a little bit more...the button stays nice and firm not jiggling around as well.

Pic of swap.
View attachment 112249

heh.. But... No Hugo?

Sadly, I still have near zero-interest in these "mech" designs.. Everyone here already knows what it requires and means and most even know HOW.. We never needed chinee shit-designs to get there, (and please. people? Don't tell me the chinee engineers are Only Following Orders, m'kay?)

I'm more interested in seeing what the USERS are willing to overpay for and then the printed designs, the wood designs, etc. I doubt anyone has the balls to claim neither Evolv or Yihi are the top-end Regulated; even fewer will point at some third brand; and a vast number of loons will point at their own vision of Mechanical.

Mike: be a mensch - tell us which 510 is Mobetta - FDV vs Varitube vs... We really have few choices, so - go mad, baby! ;-P

 

[PoppaVic]

Personally, i will never, ever invest in a side-holey-pokey again. Front or NOT. Done

 

[The Cromwell]

@DogMan Why didn't you tell me that Phil Emmanuel had died?

 

[jasonandsarah]

I am pretty much a single coil guy but decided to try the Pulse 24 again on top of the original Pulse mod with dual SS316L .5 ohm (so .25 in dual) round wire coils just to try again, and I just can't find a good placement or build that works well. Anyone using the Pulse 24 with any real success? It isn't terrible, but it just doesn't do much and it gets pretty hot.

I run my pulse 24 with a nice beefy single coil! Lol once you start using single coil drippers it's hard to go back to doubles. Not that doubles are bad they just seem to lack something flavor wise imo. It doesn't logically make much sense but what really ever does... lol

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Zhurrie]

I run my pulse 24 with a nice beefy single coil! Lol once you start using single coil drippers it's hard to go back to doubles. Not that doubles are bad they just seem to lack something flavor wise imo. It doesn't logically make much sense but what really ever does... lol

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Yeah I rarely use it, but when I do it is single coil and way restricted airflow. I was really hoping to find a sweet spot for the dual coil but nothing has grabbed me yet. The plain round wire dual coil has been "best" so far but basically no different than a single in the same configuration. I thought it would be a fun challenge but it has turned out to just be mediocre and not much fun

 

[pizzadave80]

Just got me one of these for review...

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[BrewBear]

Just got me one of these for review...

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

How does it compare to the original Pico squeeze in size?

 

[pizzadave80]

Never had the og... but. Based on holding friends it seems a bit bigger.... And since its built solid and has a 21700, it has some weight to it. Overall though....feels amazing in the hand!

How does it compare to the original Pico squeeze in size?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[raineysky]

I saw the full kit on a China site for $39.90....Not in stock yet though

 

[Train]

A few thoughts -
- Looks quite nice!!
- VERY different animal from the original squeeze. I mean, it's a 100 watt mod as opposed to a mosfet "near mech" device
- looks quite a bit bigger - adding a battery, and a chip...button move...etc.
- I would guess same height (cuz batter lid) but bigger in all other dimensions.
- I understand they changed the "Coral" too - but I'll bet it's still better to NOT buy a kit, so you don't waste time/$ on a "kit rda". Haven't seen a decent one...ever. Even if it's $5 more for the kit, I wouldn't get the kit.

 

[JuicyLucy]

A few thoughts -
- Looks quite nice!!
- VERY different animal from the original squeeze. I mean, it's a 100 watt mod as opposed to a mosfet "near mech" device
- looks quite a bit bigger - adding a battery, and a chip...button move...etc.
- I would guess same height (cuz batter lid) but bigger in all other dimensions.
- I understand they changed the "Coral" too - but I'll bet it's still better to NOT buy a kit, so you don't waste time/$ on a "kit rda". Haven't seen a decent one...ever. Even if it's $5 more for the kit, I wouldn't get the kit.

Word

 

[DogMan]

@DogMan Why didn't you tell me that Phil Emmanuel had died?

sorry, yeah

65, asthma attack