Dotmod dotSquonk Box Mod
DotMod are known for their simplistic but premium designs, which I’m a big fan of. So when I saw the release pictures of the dotSquonk mod, I was excited to get it in for review.
However, that soon got replaced with apprehension….Did they rush this device out to keep up with the squonk trend? What if the mod doesn’t fire well? What if the 510 leaks or the squonk bottle is crap?
Is the build quality going to live up to expectation…..Let’s find out.
The Good
Excellent build quality with beautiful minimalist design. It hits consistently and has an exceptional squonk bottle with 12 ml capacity.
The Bad
Not the best fire button, has a slight overhang with 24mm RDAs and is a little pricey, especially to only come with one squonk bottle included.
The Bottom Line
If you are in the market for a well built, great looking mechanical squonk mod that you don’t have to wait in line for…..the dotSquonk is an excellent choice.
DotMod always has sleek and restrained design choices and excellent packaging, and that’s precisely what you get with the dotSquonk mod.
The dotSquonk is compatible with both 20700 and 18650 battery using the provided adapter. It measures in at 82 x 48.5 x 26 mm and has an anodized aluminum frame which makes it surprisingly light and almost silky to the touch. It also has removable magnetic side panels, with strong magnets and there’s no play or movement with either panel on our device.
The doors or panels are not completely flat either; they are slightly curved just like the corners of the frame, which leads to it being slightly wider in the center and an absolute delight to hold in the hand. The one thing I will say for the finish is although it looks exquisite it does make it a slippery little bugger, and this is one device you won’t want to drop.
DotMod has made some slightly unconventional design choices with the form and layout in comparison to other unregulated squonk mods. The dotSquonk seems like it is set out for left-handed use, with the squonk bottle and battery placement being on the flipside of the device. That being said I still mainly used the mod in my right hand, and instead of using my thumb to access the squonk bottle I would use my fingers and push from behind. The opening on the door panel for the squonk bottle is generous and also has a nice curved finish.
The Squonk Bottle
That leads me on to the squonk bottle, and what a squonk bottle it is! They’ve made an excellent design choice in making the bottle square in shape, not only does that make it look neat and tidy inside the mod, but it means more room for juice….and who doesn’t want to have more juice in their squonker? It has a 12ml capacity; yep you read that right 12ml!
The bottle has a subtle dotMod logo on the front face and an Ultem top cap with super smooth threading, which again just add to the classy design. I’m not sure if the bottle is made from entirely silicon or some form of extremely soft plastic, either way, it is soft but not too soft and a pleasure to squonk with. It has enough firmness to it that when you are trying to refill the bottle, the slightest squeeze of the bottle doesn’t lead to accidentally forcing liquid out.
Another subtle, but welcome design choice is the pin that the squonk tube connects to, which has a double flange helping to hold the tube and bottle in place and prevent leaking. It’s these little subtle design choices that some may not notice, but is great execution by dotMod. However, it’s not all plain sailing from here on in.
Weaknesses
The fire button and the 510 are a slight let down for me with this device. They both look great and are gold plated brass, and the fire button features some elegant printed design work to it. However, the practicality of both is not fantastic.
Let’s start with the 510. Now there are no connection problems with the 510 and it is spring loaded. But for some reason not all of the atomizers I tried have a flush fit, including their own dotRDA. Then I realized they also included some small o-rings that sit in the groove of the 510 and help the seal of any atomizer and prevent leaking. Not only is that a hassle, it can leave an even more unsightly gap between the mod and the atomizer, and is not something I needed on even a budget squonker like the Pulse BF.
That being said in my whole time of using the dotSquonk with a variety of atomizers, I had no leaking issues whatsoever.
Another thing to note is that the mod itself is 26mm wide (at it’s widest point), but because of the curved edges, even a 24mm (like their own dotRDA) has an ever so slight overhang.
Now on to the big disappointment, in my opinion – the fire button. The fire button works….most of the time. It’s not that it’s crunchy to press, but it is a little stiff and definitely not a smooth press, and that’s led to me not exerting enough force plenty of times and it not firing. I guess that does mean it won’t accidentally fire in my pocket, which is good as there is no safety switch (like with the Pulse of Athena), but after all the other nice design features I feel like they dropped the ball on one of the most important – firing the device.
It may be that the spring inside needs a bit more time to wear in and become easier to press, but 3 weeks of use and it still ruins the experience a little bit for me. I just wish they went with a better button like on the Geekvape Athena.
Another important thing to note here is that there is no way to easily take the mod apart and clean the contacts or even loosen the trigger spring in comparison to other mechanical mods. That’s a pretty major design flaw for a mechanical squonk mod, as over time I’m sure parts will wear and it will need a good clean.
As mentioned above the dotSquonk is capable of using both 20700 and 18650 batteries, and comes with a nice solid 18650 battery sleeve. There is also a small lip to make it easy to remove your battery.
However, a final oversight on dotMod’s part is there are no battery orientation markings on the device, and there was no manual or guide in the box.
Now I know this type of mechanical device should be for advanced vapers only, but that’s still a major no-no in my opinion. It wouldn’t have taken much to put a little plus and minus sign inside or on the door panel. Like most other mechanical mods the batteries do go positive side down.
Dotmod dotSquonk Features and Specification:
- Dimensions: 82 x 48.5 x 26 mm
- Powered By Single High Amp 18650 Battery or 20700 Battery (Batteries Sold Separately)
- Bottom Feeding (Squonk) Design
- 12ml Squonk Bottle
- Fully Mechanical
- Dual Magnetic Battery Panels
Dotmod dotSquonk Kit Contents:
- 1 x dotSquonk
- 2 x removable doors
- 1 x 18650 Battery sleeve
- 1 x Juice Bottle (silicon with Ultem top)
- 1 x 510 connector o-ring
- 1 x brass 24k gold plated 510 squonk pin
- 1 x certificate of authenticity
Minor design flaws aside, I have no issue at all with the performance of this squonk mod.
When you do press the fire button firmly enough, it fires well, and in my opinion, it hits consistently and harder than the Pulse BF. There may well be a little voltage drop there, but it’s really hard to tell and is pretty negligible.
So performance wise the dotSquonk matches it’s excellent looks.
Likes
- Minimalist design
- Great build quality
- Feels excellent in the hand
- Hits well (no voltage drop)
- Quality 12ml squonk bottle
- Utilises 20700 batteries
- 18650 adapter
Dislikes
- Pretty poor fire button
- No battery orientation markings
- Only one squonk bottle included
- Slight overhang with 24mm RDA’s
- Difficult to take apart and maintain.
Ok so I may have ranted a little about the fire button and other minor shortcomings of this mod, but that’s because everything else like the design, the performance and even the little details with the squonk bottle are excellent, so it left me a little frustrated.
DotMod used to take their time releasing devices into the market; I just wonder whether they rushed this a little and if they had taken more time they could’ve had a better working fire button….which would have made this device even more of a joy to use.
Still, it doesn’t take away the fact that this is a really good squonk mod.
I still love using the dotSquonk, and it’s that one device that all my non-vaping and non-squonking friends always comment on. It looks and feels fantastic and performs well, and that’s what keeps me using it. Whether the fire button holds up, and I can keep using it….only time will tell.