I purchased this mod for my personal use, and this review represents my personal impressions and opinions only.
Mass Mods has produced some well regarded higher end vape hardware. Their innovative CS1 unregulated squonk mod brought a variety of new innovations to the squonk mod market with a capacitive touch fire button so only contact with your finger would fire the mod. It provided an LED battery indicator, a master on/off switch, silicon wiring, and a mitec button for the touch fire, all in an attractive box make of an alumide body and anodized aluminum doors. It also came with a $200 price tag.
The S2 is their attempt to bring the high quality design, features and performance down into a lower price category for those looking to experience their designs. The first Mass Mods gear I purchased was their Axial rda, made in collaboration with Unicorn Vapes. It is a postless design with a wide selection of airflow options and two posts that can be used with either a single coil or a dual coil with the legs sharing the same post. The machining and finishing are excellent, with the feel of an rda that cost way more than the $40 price they were able to offer it at. It's become one of my favorite RDAs for squonking.
The S2 is in a sense a follow up attempt at bringing high quality design and workmanship to products at price points far more attractive to the average vaper. It is described as a stripped down version of the CS1 and appears to share the same body, panels and 510 of its more expensive brother. It was manufactured by Augvape for Mass Mods, and they did a great job at executing the design.
The S2 is an "unregulated" squonk mod. It uses an electronic switch (not capacitive like the CS1 so no human finger sensor) with a mosfet that can deliver up to 30V 160A with a RDS(on) max of 0.0021 ohm and a firing delay of about 42ns. It is clearly intended for high power rapid switching delivery. However, while allowing for an electronic switch to complete the circuit, it offers no other protections during use. There is no low resistance cutoff or short protection, which are usually found (along with some other features) on unregulated devices these days. This is meant to be and is a mech squonk with electronic switching, with the look and feel of the higher end CS1. So, on to some photos and descriptions.
The S2 comes in a very simple box. There is very little information on the box other than identifying the contents. Inside the box is the mod and a warranty card (it comes with a 6 month warranty) but no instruction manual.
The mod itself is a sort of S shaped design taken directly from the CS1. The branding is tasteful with Mass Mods engraved on the rear panel and an Augvape symbol on the back. The panels are made of aluminum and coated to give them a nice somewhat grippy feel. It's a matte type finish, and while not a fingerprint magnet it will show any liquid or condensation marks much like other matte black vape gear will.
The interior holds an 8.5 ml Silicone bottle, which has a very nice little catch cup on top for any leak back down the connecting tubing and a cradle to hold 1 18650 battery. The contacts are 24K gold plated, and the polarity is marked with engraved +/- signs, required for the mosfet to function properly. The mosfet is located under the negative contact.
You can see the mosfet on the base circuit board on the bottom and the blue wiring to the firing switch.
With the bottle and rear panel removed you can see the frame and layout.
Here's a closer look at the soldering of the wiring onto the 510
The panels are held in with magnets and are a pretty snug fit onto the body. They would probably stay in place by that alone, but combined with the magnets they are firmly held in place with absolutely no rattle or movement under your fingers.
Here is a top view of the bottle with the catch cup.
And finally the 510 itself. It is spring loaded, and can hold up to a 24 mm tank with no overhang, and probably a 25 mm judging from the different RDAs I attached.
It is a straightforward design, familiar to any mech squonk user.
So, what's it like in use? The simple answer is excellent. It's an elegant design and finish. The branding is tasteful and unobtrusive. The hand feel of the finish is great. The silicone bottle provided is soft and easy to squonk through the cutout provided, but I do think it is a little too soft. It does suck back to help clear the well of your RDA, but not as hard as some other silicone bottles I've used.
The fire button itself is solid and clicky. It fires seemingly instantaneously. According to the mosfet spec sheet it's an average of a 42 ns fire delay, and when you're into nanoseconds, in practice it's instant. Same instant off on release. The travel is short and very sure. This is not mushy or questionable in any way as to whether you're making good contact.
Most important with this mosfet based switch is how does it hit? I do not have a DMM to give you a voltage loss, but qualitatively it hits hard, and as well as a mech with a direct silver contact bar. The mosfet takes nothing away in performance, and if anything, there's no issue of "am I making good contact?" This might not be a pure "mech" with the mosfet in the circuit, but you wouldn't know it from performance.
So, Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
These are really few and subjective, and based on my personal preferences.
I also want to say that with this being their second moderate priced product I've purchased (the Axial being the first), these guys have really nailed a method of providing well manufactured and machined vape gear without having to break the bank. Given not every vaper is prepared or able to spend a few hundred dollars on a mod or a hundred dollars on an atty, Mass Mods has shown you can still get the quality and attention to detail of a higher end product at an affordable price point. All their money went into the mod, not a fancy package, and that's a business choice I love.
Finally, the question everyone had to plow through to finally reach, would I recommend the S2 to others? If you're comfortable with using a mech and want a squonk box, yes, I absolutely would recommend this. It's certainly in my adv group and I expect to be using it daily even after this review period. But do understand, unregulated in this case really means mech, not a mod with protections. You must know how to make your battery selection, understand Ohms law, and build appropriately as there are no protection circuits in this box.
So, this really is as billed, a stripped down, affordable version of their CS1, with all the looks and great feel, along with a responsive and hard hitting design. I expect to be enjoying mine for a long time to come.
EDIT: After all that I forgot to mention the squonk tube comes cut flat in the bottle, so you have to remember to cut it at a 45 degree angle.
Mass Mods has produced some well regarded higher end vape hardware. Their innovative CS1 unregulated squonk mod brought a variety of new innovations to the squonk mod market with a capacitive touch fire button so only contact with your finger would fire the mod. It provided an LED battery indicator, a master on/off switch, silicon wiring, and a mitec button for the touch fire, all in an attractive box make of an alumide body and anodized aluminum doors. It also came with a $200 price tag.
The S2 is their attempt to bring the high quality design, features and performance down into a lower price category for those looking to experience their designs. The first Mass Mods gear I purchased was their Axial rda, made in collaboration with Unicorn Vapes. It is a postless design with a wide selection of airflow options and two posts that can be used with either a single coil or a dual coil with the legs sharing the same post. The machining and finishing are excellent, with the feel of an rda that cost way more than the $40 price they were able to offer it at. It's become one of my favorite RDAs for squonking.
The S2 is in a sense a follow up attempt at bringing high quality design and workmanship to products at price points far more attractive to the average vaper. It is described as a stripped down version of the CS1 and appears to share the same body, panels and 510 of its more expensive brother. It was manufactured by Augvape for Mass Mods, and they did a great job at executing the design.
The S2 is an "unregulated" squonk mod. It uses an electronic switch (not capacitive like the CS1 so no human finger sensor) with a mosfet that can deliver up to 30V 160A with a RDS(on) max of 0.0021 ohm and a firing delay of about 42ns. It is clearly intended for high power rapid switching delivery. However, while allowing for an electronic switch to complete the circuit, it offers no other protections during use. There is no low resistance cutoff or short protection, which are usually found (along with some other features) on unregulated devices these days. This is meant to be and is a mech squonk with electronic switching, with the look and feel of the higher end CS1. So, on to some photos and descriptions.
The S2 comes in a very simple box. There is very little information on the box other than identifying the contents. Inside the box is the mod and a warranty card (it comes with a 6 month warranty) but no instruction manual.
The mod itself is a sort of S shaped design taken directly from the CS1. The branding is tasteful with Mass Mods engraved on the rear panel and an Augvape symbol on the back. The panels are made of aluminum and coated to give them a nice somewhat grippy feel. It's a matte type finish, and while not a fingerprint magnet it will show any liquid or condensation marks much like other matte black vape gear will.
The interior holds an 8.5 ml Silicone bottle, which has a very nice little catch cup on top for any leak back down the connecting tubing and a cradle to hold 1 18650 battery. The contacts are 24K gold plated, and the polarity is marked with engraved +/- signs, required for the mosfet to function properly. The mosfet is located under the negative contact.
You can see the mosfet on the base circuit board on the bottom and the blue wiring to the firing switch.
With the bottle and rear panel removed you can see the frame and layout.
Here's a closer look at the soldering of the wiring onto the 510
The panels are held in with magnets and are a pretty snug fit onto the body. They would probably stay in place by that alone, but combined with the magnets they are firmly held in place with absolutely no rattle or movement under your fingers.
Here is a top view of the bottle with the catch cup.
And finally the 510 itself. It is spring loaded, and can hold up to a 24 mm tank with no overhang, and probably a 25 mm judging from the different RDAs I attached.
It is a straightforward design, familiar to any mech squonk user.
So, what's it like in use? The simple answer is excellent. It's an elegant design and finish. The branding is tasteful and unobtrusive. The hand feel of the finish is great. The silicone bottle provided is soft and easy to squonk through the cutout provided, but I do think it is a little too soft. It does suck back to help clear the well of your RDA, but not as hard as some other silicone bottles I've used.
The fire button itself is solid and clicky. It fires seemingly instantaneously. According to the mosfet spec sheet it's an average of a 42 ns fire delay, and when you're into nanoseconds, in practice it's instant. Same instant off on release. The travel is short and very sure. This is not mushy or questionable in any way as to whether you're making good contact.
Most important with this mosfet based switch is how does it hit? I do not have a DMM to give you a voltage loss, but qualitatively it hits hard, and as well as a mech with a direct silver contact bar. The mosfet takes nothing away in performance, and if anything, there's no issue of "am I making good contact?" This might not be a pure "mech" with the mosfet in the circuit, but you wouldn't know it from performance.
So, Pros and Cons
Pros
- Beautiful appearing mod. The shape is comfortable in the hand and is easy to thumb or finger fire with your right hand and still squonk. The squonk cutout is big enough that my thumb fit without a problem and without catching on the door.
- The fire button is nice and clicky with a good tactile feel.
- The squonk bottle itself is nicely designed with that catch cup. It did come with a faint plastic odor that cleared completely after washing up with a short alcohol soak and rinse. There was no residual flavor that I noticed with the juices I tried. It is soft, and does have suction back into the bottle, but not as firmly as some other bottles I've used.
- The fit and finish are superb. It feels like a far more expensive mod in hand, and I can't think of something in this price range with such a luxury feel or workmanship. It really is in the same family as the far more expensive CS1 in that respect, and not a cheaply machined and assembled box that just looks like a CS1. Augvape did a great job for Mass Mods on the actual production of this mod. The body and panels fit together perfectly with no movement or rattle.
- Of course the biggest pro, performance. It hits well, squonks well, and will hold a 24-25 mm RDA with no overhang. The aluminum panels give it a little heft and sense of solidity, but without the weight of a zinc alloy metal frame or panel. It' light but solid.
Cons
These are really few and subjective, and based on my personal preferences.
- It is a proprietary squonk bottle. It does hold up to 8.5 ml, and has that catch cup on top, but if you want the same, well, you need to get it through Mass Mods. You likely can fit a variety of other generic bottles in there, but the factory original isn't something in stock everywhere. For me it's not a big deal, and I could use a smaller or alternative bottle, but what's provided is it. I do wish for a proprietary bottle they had included an extra. However, given the price point I get why that's not included.
- The battery cradle does not have a cutout from the rear panel side to push the battery out. This is a smack against your hand a few times to get the battery out design. And as it is a cradle, even removing the squonk bottle won't help you reach around to remove it with your fingers. As the + and - markers are cut out on the back of the cradle, I wish a small slot had been cut as well.
- While on the battery topic, it should be noted this is an 18650 only box. With the increasingly popular use of 20x series batteries, you do not have that option here.
- The inclusion of at least a little bit of instruction, welcome, or feature pamphlet, or even card would have been a nice touch. I do understand that to bring something like this in at such a low price point meant all the money went into the device, not the presentation box. That's actually a pro as I don't vape the box, but a little slip of something would have been useful so the features are known.
I also want to say that with this being their second moderate priced product I've purchased (the Axial being the first), these guys have really nailed a method of providing well manufactured and machined vape gear without having to break the bank. Given not every vaper is prepared or able to spend a few hundred dollars on a mod or a hundred dollars on an atty, Mass Mods has shown you can still get the quality and attention to detail of a higher end product at an affordable price point. All their money went into the mod, not a fancy package, and that's a business choice I love.
Finally, the question everyone had to plow through to finally reach, would I recommend the S2 to others? If you're comfortable with using a mech and want a squonk box, yes, I absolutely would recommend this. It's certainly in my adv group and I expect to be using it daily even after this review period. But do understand, unregulated in this case really means mech, not a mod with protections. You must know how to make your battery selection, understand Ohms law, and build appropriately as there are no protection circuits in this box.
So, this really is as billed, a stripped down, affordable version of their CS1, with all the looks and great feel, along with a responsive and hard hitting design. I expect to be enjoying mine for a long time to come.
EDIT: After all that I forgot to mention the squonk tube comes cut flat in the bottle, so you have to remember to cut it at a 45 degree angle.
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