Octo Squonk Box mod
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Never heard of it, myself. Nor will I be getting one, or certainly not at that price. You can buy a new REO Grand for less. And side hole squonkers are not my faves. Welcome to the board.
You can ask here in this subforum- Liquid Feed APV Discussion
There are some people in there that have an Octo. Personally I wouldn't pay that.
There are some people in there that have an Octo. Personally I wouldn't pay that.
I am assuming you're referring to Octopus Mods' L'Octopus squonker? I wanted one, I got one. There seems to be precious little info on it here so I'll try to be thorough. TL;DR at the bottom.
First of all, it's going to be a serious value judgment on your part. It comes in a rough 3D printed box in varying colours and finishes, and a white or black delrin box as the basic offerings, but limited resin and hybrid versions are available if interested and patient and lucky etc. Join their FB page and again be patient. The company is just one man. He does seem to sell to shops though, search for that. I got mine from a Canadian vendor.
A note about that - after sales service is handled as if you bought from Octopus direct. More on that in a bit.
These are hand made, hand finished mods, I speak for my own. I got the black 3D printed version with solid back and a frosted clear (slight green tint) acrylic door. The print is very good with very few minor flaws, and the finish is generally very good, with some cosmetic nitpicks that did feel like a shame out of the box. All were easily fixed by myself with basic stuff lying around.
Of note, the glue in the (4) magnets on my door seem to have crystalized poorly on the slow boat over to Canada, with the bottom one being a particular eyesore. My silver positive strip managed to pick up a ding somewhere and had a very minor burr that was thankfully very easily fixed.
My serial/authenticity card was mixed up somehow as well, but we suspect that happened at the shop in Canada since surely they inspected their stock when they came in. And that leads me to service. I reached out to the modder via their FB page (had previously joined) to offer some constructive criticism about the product with no expectations whatsoever. He graciously accepted the feedback and immediately and insistently wanted my address to have a new serial card and front panel sent. Stand up guy, stands behind his work.
The box itself is as simple as it gets, with basic guides for the battery, bottle and silver contact. Everything fits perfectly. The tolerances with the box and the door are perfect. The silver positive strip is insulated with a beefy shrink-wrap, and the throw is short but not disconcerting - there is also a simple peek cylinder that acts as a lock for pocketing. I do wish the negative strip had closer tolerances with the 510 for more complete contact with the nut.
The 510 is a custom job. This, to me, makes the mod a little extra special and, along with after sales support, is where my money goes. Sometimes full silver versions are made available. It is a delicate little thing, but so far has been 100% reliable and utterly leak free. This is a self-adjusting 510 and is a little different than others I've seen, so I highly recommend you do a full breakdown on arrival to familiarize yourself (recommended with any mech). Having a reliable, self-adjusting 510 on a mech squonker is a serious creature comfort. The 510 terminates at a 22mm disc and sits flush with the inner bevel of the box. 24 and likely 25mm atties would share the same thickness as the box, but would display some overhang due to the bevel, if you're picky.
For me, this is an ADV dream. It's about as heavy as an 18650 and a pack of Tic-Tacs, about the size of a pack of 20s, and lasts me a full 10 hours away from home without refilling or swapping batteries. I am a moderate vaper and this is a razor's edge - your mileage will seriously vary in this regard and for a lot of folks just won't cut it in that role. I'm thrilled with it and it's ruined any other form factors for me at this point. Performance at this weight and size is a benchmark now.
*Whew*
TL;DR
Cons
- some finishing issues
- value for money is low if you value materials used. One-off art pieces aside, these are ABS plastic in their basic model
- 5ml juice capacity (likely room for a 6ml replacement) is low for some
- Only one bottle provided with the mod.
- single 18650 mechanical doesn't cut it for a lot of folks anymore as their primary carry.
- one man's take on a popular basic design. Lots of builders out there. Is this the one you want the most?
Pros
- simple, tried and true leaf spring design in 6g pure silver that hits hard and consistently.
- satisfying throw, not insanely close to the 510, simple locking sleeve, insulated to allow metal squonk bottle-caps
- not much heavier than your battery, atty and juice.
- about the size of a pack of smokes
- unique or at least custom, self-adjusting squonking 510 design that has been leak-free and simple (if delicate) to work with.
- excellent tolerances all around
- tons of options and configurations available/totally not available, including unique resin and hybrid, and now ultem options.
- Lots of aftermarket buttons and doors as well, great support for such a little niche box.
- attentive, responsive, friendly builder. (Take note, he speaks French - we got along fine thanks to Google)
- understated branding.
First of all, it's going to be a serious value judgment on your part. It comes in a rough 3D printed box in varying colours and finishes, and a white or black delrin box as the basic offerings, but limited resin and hybrid versions are available if interested and patient and lucky etc. Join their FB page and again be patient. The company is just one man. He does seem to sell to shops though, search for that. I got mine from a Canadian vendor.
A note about that - after sales service is handled as if you bought from Octopus direct. More on that in a bit.
These are hand made, hand finished mods, I speak for my own. I got the black 3D printed version with solid back and a frosted clear (slight green tint) acrylic door. The print is very good with very few minor flaws, and the finish is generally very good, with some cosmetic nitpicks that did feel like a shame out of the box. All were easily fixed by myself with basic stuff lying around.
Of note, the glue in the (4) magnets on my door seem to have crystalized poorly on the slow boat over to Canada, with the bottom one being a particular eyesore. My silver positive strip managed to pick up a ding somewhere and had a very minor burr that was thankfully very easily fixed.
My serial/authenticity card was mixed up somehow as well, but we suspect that happened at the shop in Canada since surely they inspected their stock when they came in. And that leads me to service. I reached out to the modder via their FB page (had previously joined) to offer some constructive criticism about the product with no expectations whatsoever. He graciously accepted the feedback and immediately and insistently wanted my address to have a new serial card and front panel sent. Stand up guy, stands behind his work.
The box itself is as simple as it gets, with basic guides for the battery, bottle and silver contact. Everything fits perfectly. The tolerances with the box and the door are perfect. The silver positive strip is insulated with a beefy shrink-wrap, and the throw is short but not disconcerting - there is also a simple peek cylinder that acts as a lock for pocketing. I do wish the negative strip had closer tolerances with the 510 for more complete contact with the nut.
The 510 is a custom job. This, to me, makes the mod a little extra special and, along with after sales support, is where my money goes. Sometimes full silver versions are made available. It is a delicate little thing, but so far has been 100% reliable and utterly leak free. This is a self-adjusting 510 and is a little different than others I've seen, so I highly recommend you do a full breakdown on arrival to familiarize yourself (recommended with any mech). Having a reliable, self-adjusting 510 on a mech squonker is a serious creature comfort. The 510 terminates at a 22mm disc and sits flush with the inner bevel of the box. 24 and likely 25mm atties would share the same thickness as the box, but would display some overhang due to the bevel, if you're picky.
For me, this is an ADV dream. It's about as heavy as an 18650 and a pack of Tic-Tacs, about the size of a pack of 20s, and lasts me a full 10 hours away from home without refilling or swapping batteries. I am a moderate vaper and this is a razor's edge - your mileage will seriously vary in this regard and for a lot of folks just won't cut it in that role. I'm thrilled with it and it's ruined any other form factors for me at this point. Performance at this weight and size is a benchmark now.
*Whew*
TL;DR
Cons
- some finishing issues
- value for money is low if you value materials used. One-off art pieces aside, these are ABS plastic in their basic model
- 5ml juice capacity (likely room for a 6ml replacement) is low for some
- Only one bottle provided with the mod.
- single 18650 mechanical doesn't cut it for a lot of folks anymore as their primary carry.
- one man's take on a popular basic design. Lots of builders out there. Is this the one you want the most?
Pros
- simple, tried and true leaf spring design in 6g pure silver that hits hard and consistently.
- satisfying throw, not insanely close to the 510, simple locking sleeve, insulated to allow metal squonk bottle-caps
- not much heavier than your battery, atty and juice.
- about the size of a pack of smokes
- unique or at least custom, self-adjusting squonking 510 design that has been leak-free and simple (if delicate) to work with.
- excellent tolerances all around
- tons of options and configurations available/totally not available, including unique resin and hybrid, and now ultem options.
- Lots of aftermarket buttons and doors as well, great support for such a little niche box.
- attentive, responsive, friendly builder. (Take note, he speaks French - we got along fine thanks to Google)
- understated branding.
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Ain't that the ever-lovin' truth? Perhaps I was hasty in my judgement regarding the price. I don't really want an ABS or printed box. I prefer metal or wood. But nw you mention the 510... I wonder if he sells them?
He does, although I'm not sure how often they go up on their own. It seems like it will be easier to grab a silver 510 since they're being sold as upgrade kits to prior owners. Worth signing up for the Facebook group in any event - they're fine with lurkers!
[EDIT] In case you're curious I'm happy to break the thing apart and take a snap.
I am very curious, but I don't want to interrupt the vaposity or anything
Next time you're cleaning it or whatever, I'd love to see how he does it. And lessee, silver is the most conductive metal at NTP known to science, if a bit soft and hard to work on machine tools. Yeah... maybe... I'd probably be OK with a silver one...
Planning to build tonight so I'll bussit' out for ya.
I was originally going to mention that the upgrade may just be the pin itself, but all the photos I've seen have been off full 510 connectors ready to go out, so I suddenly realise I may need to look further into what the upgrade entails. I believe it uses a thicker, ultem clasp for the lock as well.
I was originally going to mention that the upgrade may just be the pin itself, but all the photos I've seen have been off full 510 connectors ready to go out, so I suddenly realise I may need to look further into what the upgrade entails. I believe it uses a thicker, ultem clasp for the lock as well.
Thanks! I have been thinking, since you lit the spark in my mind, how I would go about building a Sterling BF self-adjusting 510 connector if-- if, I say-- I happened to want one (or more). Cast a plug and thread it? It would be soft, care would be needed threading in an atty and so forth. Coin metal-- 90Ag/10Cu-- might be better, if 2.5% less silver than Sterling. Hhhmmm... Actually, IMHO the best all-around mod metal is TeCu, with about half a percent of Tellurium. 93% of the conductivity of Copper, 85% of the hardness, 94% of the Modulus of Elasticity and 80% of the machinability of a good brass. In fact, I just got a custom built TeCu mod today; bought it used off eBay. Might want to look into that for a connector as well.
Dead simple. Bone dry.
I didn't snap it, but the 510... plinth? Has Octo510 engraved underneath it. It's not a flashy mod.
I love it all hollow. That little spring tells the tale. Oh yes, I like that.View attachment 687253 View attachment 687255
Dead simple. Bone dry.
I didn't snap it, but the 510... plinth? Has Octo510 engraved underneath it. It's not a flashy mod.
The quirk to it is that you need to "reset" the pin every time you replace your atty. Just unscrew the positive collar a touch, unseat the o-ring again, screw down your atty and lock it in place. It's beautiful. Not even so much as condensation past that o-ring, man.
I say "need to". It always makes contact again when I replace the same atty as before, but it feels like it connects better when it resets and reseats.
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