It could well qualify as one of the weirdest and most amusing words to come out of vaping lexicon, but ‘squonking’ is a big trend in the industry right now. And for good reason.

You may already be familiar with rebuildable dripping atomizers (RDAs) and the performance these devices bring, especially for cloud chasers. However, its need for constant dripping puts a damper on its otherwise superb use.

This is where a squonk mod—otherwise known as bottom-feeder mod—comes in. This device removes the need to drip e-liquid on your device. While its setup makes vaping easier, it still requires precision. Use it wrong and this mod can blow up in your face.

Here’s a guide to get you started.

What Is Squonking?

Squonking evolved from RDAs. Instead of dripping juice on the coils, a squonk mod feeds e-juice directly to the atomizer via a bottle located at the bottom of the device (hence, its moniker “bottom-feeder” mod). All you need to do is squeeze the bottle and it will fill your coil with juice.

If you’ve used RDAs before, then you know the convenience squonking brings. Squonk mods marry the taste and vapour production of RDA and the convenience that comes with using a tank.

Origin Story

Although it’s becoming popular just recently, squonking’s history goes as far back as 2009. It started as a DIY project by an E-cigarette Forum member named Carlos49.

Initially called the JuiceBox, Carlos49’s model didn’t take off. For one, the integrated atomizer cannot be serviced without returning it with the modder. And secondly, there was too much demand. The term “Squonk” was then coined and attributed to another forum member, Jack Murray, and it stuck to this day.

Since the device created clamour among vapers, another E-cigarette Forum member, Robert O’Neill, picked up the design. He then created the REO in 2010, which he successfully produced and sold.

The REO started gaining traction and is sold in small batches and niche stores.

It was, however, the 2016 Kanger Dripbox that made it available to the mass market. It separated itself from the REO by offering disposable coil decks with its RDA, making it accessible even to those who don’t want to build their own devices. It also costs a lot less.

Plenty of squonk boxes made by large-scale manufacturers followed since then.

Squonking vs Dripping

With RDAs, you have to drip e-juice on the cotton until the wick is sufficiently saturated. After a few puffs, you’ll see that the wick is dry, so you have to start from step one again and drip more e-juice. While it does provide great flavour and cloud production, RDAs, do, therefore, take more time to vape.

Squonk boxes, on the other hand, rely on an internal e-juice source. Squeeze the bottle and you’ll see the liquid go directly to the RDA.

While it shares features with conventional devices, do note that squonks require a brand-new mod and an RDA that has a feeding hole in the middle for the liquid to pass through.

What Does it Look Like?

A typical kit includes:

• Squonking mod
• E-juice bottle
• Bottom-feeding squonk that’s compatible with RDA
• Bottom fee pin
• Battery

This device houses the e-liquid bottle, the battery, and the dripper. The bottle is attached to the RDA at the top via a tube, then into a hollow 510 positive pin.

When you squeeze the e-juice bottle, the liquid with travel up to the tube and into the atomizer. This removes the risk of spilling and creating a mess each time you vape.

When you shop for a squonk mod, you’ll see that the bottle is exposed through a hole in the casing. It’s also made of clear plastic.

There are a couple of reasons for this design: 1) So you can see how much liquid is left in the bottle, and 2) so you can easily squeeze the bottle.

Step-by-Step Guide on Using A Squonk Device

A squonk mod still follows the basic process of any e-cig—supply e-juice to the wicks and coils, provide electricity to the wicks and let the heat turn the e-juice into vapour.

While squonk boxes remove the need for dripping, it’s not quite as automated as sub-ohm tanks. However, the main advantage of this technique is how easy it is to use. Just follow these four steps:

Step 1: Squeeze the bottle gently, until you see your e-juice rise to the RDA. Wait until your wicks are sufficiently saturated.

Step 2: Release the bottle and wait until it regains its shape. You’ll see that any excess juice on the wick will get sucked back into the bottle due to the vacuum caused by releasing it.

Step 3: Fire up your device and start vaping.

Step 4: Squonk again when the flavour starts diminishing, you start to get a burnt taste, or you see the wick drying up. Depending on your coil build, you may need to do this every three to six puffs.

Pros of Squonking

There are plenty of advantages that come with this technique, including:

1. No manual dripping needed – Simply squeeze the bottle, and your wicks will get the e-juice that you need. You don’t need to constantly drip nor carry an e-juice bottle around, making its use more convenient. You can also easily bring this with you when you travel.
2. More time to vape – Without the need for constant dripping, you get more time to use your device each day.
3. E-juice is always with you – You won’t have to run back to your house to go back to the e-juice that you forgot to pack. It’s already installed right into the mod.
4. Bigger tanks – Most tanks out in the market carry an average of 5 ml of e-juice or less. Squonk bottles, on the other hand, is generally over 7 ml and can hold as much as 30 ml.
5. Less leaking and over-dripping – With RDAs, you most likely experienced adding too much e-liquid that you had to immediately look for a cloth or paper towel to clean up the mess. Squonk mods minimised this issue. When you release the bottle, a vacuum effect is created that draws any excess e-liquid out of the atomizer and back to the bottle.
6. Competitive pricing – With plenty of squonk mods coming out, you can now find kits that offer an all-in-one package, including both the mod and the bottom fed atomizer. All these are available at competitive prices.

Cons of Squonking

On the flip side of the coin, squonking also has a few drawbacks that turn some vapers away:

1. Battery life

Squonk mods are approximately the same size as that of dual-battery box mods, but it only comes with half of the battery life. Given its limited space, most of it can only accommodate a single 18650 battery.

This also means that you need to build coils that can function at lower wattages. There are, however, dual-battery squonk devices available, but these tend to be larger in size and not available everywhere.

2. Under-squonking

If it’s your first time to squonk, there’s a learning curve involved in making sure your wicks are sufficiently juiced. It would help to pick a bottom fed dripper with a clear cap, but this may not always be the case. As a result, you might under-squonk, which would then give you unpleasant dry hits.

3. Over-squonking

Over-squonking is also a risk for first-time users, as it takes a bit of time to be able to estimate how much squeezing is needed to get enough e-juice. This would then flood your deck, resulting in leaking and spit-back.

4. Limited choices

Although the first design was introduced in 2009, there is a limited number of squonk devices out in the market currently.

You would have to do your research, as not all vaping websites sell squonking kits. Also, there are plenty of unscrupulous vendors out there who take advantage of limited-supply-but-high-demand ratio and sell poor-quality devices.

5. Not for beginners

The biggest drawback of squonking is that these don’t have regulated power. Most of these devices are mechanical mods, meaning they won’t give you any warning if the battery is installed incorrectly, if you need to connect your atomizer with a short, or if you need more power than what the battery can give you.

In the end, this means that this technique is not for the uninitiated. You need to have a working knowledge and experience with Ohm’s law, as well as how to keep yourself safe when vaping a mech mod.

Otherwise, you run the risk of this device exploding in your face, as well as the people around you, due to incorrect building.

Should You Try Squonking?

As shown above, squonking comes with its own set of pros and cons. This technique might be a good fit for you if you:

• Prefer an all-in-one-solution and want to just continuously vape without the need to go through the tedious process of dripping
• Travel a lot and wouldn’t want to bring bottles of e-juice
• Tried dripping, but you want to do away with the mess involved with RDAs
• Want to experiment with something different than other vapes out there

If you don’t want to build and/or install your own coils, re-wick, or deal with a weaker battery, this device may not be for you.

At the end of the day, you need to try it out to make sure that this device would fit your vaping style.

Best Squonking Devices

Thanks to its increasing popularity, you can find a myriad of squonk devices that would fit your needs and style.

You can see devices fitted with single/dual batteries, mechanical/regulated, mechanical with safety protection features, and a range of battery wattages. You can also find them sold as kits, which comes with a squonk-compatible bottom feed RDA or some pre-built coils.

Here are some of the best squonking devices you can use:

1. Rampage Squonk Mod by Purge Mods

The Rampage Squonk Mod, developed by Purge Mods, gives you the option to power your device using either a 18650 battery or a 20700 one.

The bottle is made of one of the strongest material available today—soft silicon that can carry up to 15 ml of e-juice. The Ultem adaptor gives you the convenience of refilling the bottle without removing it from the device.

Visually, this device doesn’t disappoint, as its aluminium chassis features the Matthew Hagermann Skull logo. It also comes in red or blue colour.

Rampage Squonk contents:

• 1 x Rampage squonk mod
• 1 x 8.5ml squonk bottle
• 1 x 15ml refill bottle
• 1 x 510 PEEK & o-rings
• 1 x Hard shell carry case
• 1 x Certificate of authenticity

Hurry and purchase this, as we only have 500 of these limited-edition devices left.

2. Therion DNA 75 Squonk mod by Lost Vape

The Therion DNA 75 by Lost Vape is easily a classic device. Its single 18650 battery can reach the full 75 wattage, with a minimum resistance of 0.25 ohm and minimum temperature resistance of 0.15 ohm. To make sure this device is safe for you, this mod includes atomizer, low resistance, short circuit, and overheat protection.

The 24-mm Delerium RDA that comes with this kit is made of 304 stainless steel, with dual internal airtubes inside the chamber and adjustable airflows for both the bottom and the top. Lastly, it’s fitted with a squonk-ready 510 connection

What makes this device to stand out among its peers is its beautiful craftsmanship. The chassis is made of die-cast zinc alloy, with genuine leather wraps and wood panels. Choose from black, tan leather, stud leather, purple leather, and dark brown leather.

Therion kit contents:

• 1 Therion Squonker Mod
• 1 delirium RDA
• 1 Micro USB cable
• 1 Allen key
• 1 squonk Bottle
• Spare parts and screws
• Instructional manual

3. Suicide King Squonk Mod by Purge Mods

The Suicide King Squonk Mod, also by Purge Mods, gives you the option to choose between a 20700 battery or a 18650 one. Similar to the Rampage Squonk Mod, this device’s soft silicon bottle can also be refilled using the Ultem adaptor.

This mod gives off a luxurious look and feel, thanks to its 24k gold plated silver contacts, naval brass body and door, suicide king engravings, and Matthew Hagermann artwork.

Suicide King Squonk contents:

• 1 x Suicide King squonk mod
• 1 x 8.5ml squonk bottle
• 1 x 15ml refill bottle
• 1 x 510 PEEK & o-rings
• 1 x Hard shell carry case
• 1 x Certificate of authenticity

Convenient and Easy to Use, But Not For Beginners

Squonking is a breath of fresh air for long-time RDA users, who want to do away with dripping and leaking. However, its mech mod build means you need to understand Ohm’s Law and building a device that’s safe to use—typically not ideal for those who have not vaped before.

If you want to get started in your squonking journey, email us at info@superiorvapour.com or give us a call at 01179 669309 and we’d be more than happy to talk squonking.