Well it took some time but I finally got it, feeding a reo mini, that is. I think this warrants a thread because I found some of the general info on squonking not so useful for this beginner. A big caveat first: I may be stupid, but...no that's it. Seems like pressing until you get some pressure and hear a gurgle for a moment is the general rule of thumb and works for others. I read it here and I've seen it in countless video reviews of various reos.
But here's the thing; no matter how quickly I would release after hearing a gurgle, and no matter how softly/slowly I would depress the bottle before hearing it I would get one good puff and then my atomizer(s) gave off all the signs of being flooded. The reservoir cup would form that cursed mote and all subsequent drags were just meh until blowing the attie clean and starting again. It was getting a little frustrating
So what I finally arrived at with the reo mini with a 510 atomizer in my first weeks of enjoying it (despite the learning curve) was that if I got to the point of an audible gurgle, it was too much. I think it's that mysterious zone right before you hear the gurgle that saturates 510 atties juuust right. I've also been paying attention to my draw while squonking and feeling it out for that change in pressure. The problem with that was by the time I could discern the tighter draw from getting juice in the attie it was already too late.
How do I get what I'm considering the ideal squonk? Well, I scrapped listening for a gurgle, and waiting for a pressure change and do something a little like this:
1) Start with a steady draw, no button pressing and no bottle pressing.
2) Press the bottle in VERY slightly and hold it there while keeping that steady draw, keep this position for about a second.
3) Press in the bottle just a bit more, and hold for another second, maybe half a second if you're on a full bottle.
4) Release bottle, stop drawing (or don't), and vape.
One nice auditory cue I notice when I get the perfect squonk is after releasing the bottle you can hear the pressure go back down to baseline as you're still drawing and releasing the bottle. I don't know how to describe it, like the Doppler effect happening in your attie. Since doing it like this I rarely get overflow into the reservoir and have been getting the perfect 4-5 puffs after each squonk.
Yes, I've grotesquely over-analyzed this, but maybe it can help someone out
But here's the thing; no matter how quickly I would release after hearing a gurgle, and no matter how softly/slowly I would depress the bottle before hearing it I would get one good puff and then my atomizer(s) gave off all the signs of being flooded. The reservoir cup would form that cursed mote and all subsequent drags were just meh until blowing the attie clean and starting again. It was getting a little frustrating
So what I finally arrived at with the reo mini with a 510 atomizer in my first weeks of enjoying it (despite the learning curve) was that if I got to the point of an audible gurgle, it was too much. I think it's that mysterious zone right before you hear the gurgle that saturates 510 atties juuust right. I've also been paying attention to my draw while squonking and feeling it out for that change in pressure. The problem with that was by the time I could discern the tighter draw from getting juice in the attie it was already too late.
How do I get what I'm considering the ideal squonk? Well, I scrapped listening for a gurgle, and waiting for a pressure change and do something a little like this:
1) Start with a steady draw, no button pressing and no bottle pressing.
2) Press the bottle in VERY slightly and hold it there while keeping that steady draw, keep this position for about a second.
3) Press in the bottle just a bit more, and hold for another second, maybe half a second if you're on a full bottle.
4) Release bottle, stop drawing (or don't), and vape.
One nice auditory cue I notice when I get the perfect squonk is after releasing the bottle you can hear the pressure go back down to baseline as you're still drawing and releasing the bottle. I don't know how to describe it, like the Doppler effect happening in your attie. Since doing it like this I rarely get overflow into the reservoir and have been getting the perfect 4-5 puffs after each squonk.
Yes, I've grotesquely over-analyzed this, but maybe it can help someone out
