INTRODUCTION
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Hello Everyone and welcome to Pizza Dave’s Vape reviews. Today I will be going over the Battlestar Squonk kit by Smoant. As many of you may know, the Smoant Battlestar regulated mod from a couple of years ago turned out to be an excellent device that many people came to know and love since release. It was small, ergonomic, and just worked. Smoant listened to the great opinions of vapors everywhere and has reincarnated the Battlestar, but this time around, it squonks. Dual battery squonkers don’t come out very often, and since they tend to cater to my style of vaping, I always get excited to try them. This device is a 200w, dual 18650 squonker, that comes with a 7ml squonk bottle. The kit also includes a retooled version of the Battlestar rda. This has been hyped up a lot, mostly on forums and reddit, so let’s dive down and see if it will live up to our high expectation!
Disclaimer: This device was sent to me by Smoant for review.
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WHAT YOU GET
- Available in black, brushed metal, yellow, and gradient blue.
STOCK SHOT
PACKAGING
UNBOXED
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MOD OVERVIEW
There isn’t a whole lot to mention here that I didn’t throw out in the intro. The Battlestar squonk is a dual 18650, regulated squonk mod. To keep the size down, Smoant elected to go with a hard plastic squonk bottle on the backside. The squonking action is done via a pumping button on top. Other than that, it is nothing out of the ordinary. It has a medium sized display, with a fire button near the top and adjustment buttons on the bottom. Operation is super easy, so let’s hit that quickly next.
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OPERATION
Simplicity is king on the Battlestar Squonk. 5 clicks of the fire button turns it on and off. 3 clicks of the fire button will highlight the mod up top and you can cycle the following modes:
Most of this is all self-explanatory. The only other tidbit of info is to adjust preheat wattage in TC modes. Pressing the fire button and up button together flips it over to that setting and it will allow you to set a maximum preheat wattage of the full 200w. It also has an AUTO setting which is designed for the chip to detect the optimal setting it things you should have it at.
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HOW IT VAPES / SQUONKS
I tested this mod in both wattage and temp control modes. I primarily used it for wattage and found that it provided solid wattage performance as far as my body can tell. I never felt that it was underpowered in any way and seems to deliver what it states the wattage is. I also tested TC SS on this and found that it regulated the temperature consistently, but it didn’t back off quickly enough to prevent a dry hit. I could feel less power being delivered and felt the cotton was getting drier but would still get dry hits if I kept on puffing on it. One of the biggest aspects to a device of this nature is one of the most important things, how it squonks.
This squonking system is definitely unique and has only been done on a couple of other devices before it. Essentially the squonk button on top acts like a dollar store squirt gun. It is a spring-loaded mechanism that provides a little shot of liquid with each press. It doesn’t build pressure in the tank and force liquid up, and since it doesn’t do it this way, there is no vacuum created to get suction of liquid back into the tank. It requires some trial and error to get used to, as at times it doesn’t feel like it is squonking, but indeed it is. Since it doesn’t suck back, you can keep on pumping liquid into and rda and either flood the deck or leak out the air flow. While this method definitely won’t be for everyone, once you get used to it, it isn’t all that bad. I learned to just give it a couple of pumps for every couple of puffs, and that way I didn’t get liquid pooling up too deep in the rdas I used. There are a few things I don’t like about the button. The first thing is it feels cheap and just looks tacky on top of the mod. Most of the mechanism is built into the bottle, so luckily, if something were to break with that portion, all you must do is get a new bottle (or use the spare) and you are good to go. The other thing I don’t like with this squonking mechanism is how it shifts the bottle in and out. The bottle always made clicky noises as it moved in and out on the back of the device, and I found myself gripping the bottle and pulling it back toward the mod.
One con I don’t like with the squonk bottle itself how you fill it. It has a rubber flap on the bottom that can only be accessed once you open the bottom battery door. I think this is still better than taking out soft bottles and filling, but you either must tip it over and potentially leak liquid out of the RDA (which is easy since it doesn’t suck it back down), or you must remove the bottle and make sure the batteries don’t come flying out. The last con I have for the squonk bottle is cleaning. I submerged mine in an ultrasonic cleaner, rinsed it out, and let it air dry for 2 days, but it just isn’t as simple as regular bottles are. Most of the time, with regular bottles, I rinsed them with hot water, twist a paper towel, and partially dry out the inside before letting them air dry. That is just about impossible with Smoant’s design.
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BATTLESTAR RDA REVIEW
I am not going to touch on this too deeply. I like that Smoant included this rda, as well as coils and cotton, to make this truly an out of box starter kit. All you need is liquid and batteries, and you can start using this device. However, the rda is nothing that wowed me in any way. The build deck is an old school 4 post design that has side air flow that angles up from the bottom. The low air flow combined with a squonker that doesn’t suck back liquid is a pour combination in my opinion and beginners buying this as their first ever squonker could go hog wild with the button and make a huge mess. I never over squonked it, but I can see it being an issue. However, even though the design isn’t all that great, it does work for what it is. It provides mediocre flavor, isn’t too terrible to build on, and matches the device well. I just consider this rda a bonus in the kit for beginners that don’t have other squonking rdas.
TANK PROS
TANK CONS
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PHOTO GALLERY
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FINAL THOUGHTS
So, what do I really think of the Battlestar Squonk kit? Honestly, I was let down by this one. Smoant has released some really gorgeous products recently, and this just looks like a 2-year-old Battlestar at first glance, until you see the super ugly GOLD squonk button. The gold squonk button alone might be enough to turn off many users, as it clashes with several atomizers out there. Other mist-steps on the device include the use of a dimly lit screen. I don’t mind that the display is basic, as not all mods need to be flashy with huge screens, but the fact that it is on a dim side is a letdown for me. The cons continue with the squonk bottle itself. The fill method, the plastic material, and the way it shifts around on the back jump out at me non-stop when using. Sure, it shaved some space, but it could have been tweaked slightly to make it better. I know this review seems all doom and gloom, but there are some good points to be made with this device too. The screen is well laid out, and the operations of it are as simple as it gets. How the mod performs itself is also a pro. The wattage performance, couple with dual 18650s gives me all day battery life with dual coil rdas. The TC, while not perfect, seems like it could be dialed in once you adjust the TCR, as it feels like it wants to work. I think one of the biggest pros this device has going for it is ergonomics. It is easily the most ergonomic 2 battery squonker that I have handled, and the weight is manageable, so there’s that. I think some of the biggest deciding factors when looking at this device is if you can deal with the squirt gun style squonk pump, the fill method, and the hard-plastic bottle. The price on this seems lower than I expected, so I will give Smoant a pro for making a very affordable dual battery squonker in a pretty quiet marketplace.
OVEN TEST
If this were to accidentally go in my pizza oven, would I go out and get another? Not on this one. I am still more partial to my Rage box, so I think I would let this do BATTLE with the heat.
PROS
CONS
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Thank you all for reading and thank you to Smoant for sending it to me for review. I am starting to see this device pop up online for roughly $50-60.
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Pizza Dave – Delivering real reviews, with no extra toppings
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REVIEW CRITERIA: I use each item for about two weeks to ensure I have collected enough data to adequately write a review. I use the same e liquid in tanks or rdas throughout all my reviews to ensure that I am comparing apples to apples between all modern equipment. I do not post reviews until I feel confident that I have used it enough to give an educated review. The reason I started doing reviews was due to poor purchasing decisions in my vaping infancy about two years ago. Back then, I purchased several different pieces of hardware without really enjoying it and I hope my reviews can guide people into spending their hard-earned money more wisely than I did! ****Keep in mind that some items I receive may be pre-release and not in retail packaging. Quality may be less than the finished product and what is in the package may differ from the retail package as well.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Hello Everyone and welcome to Pizza Dave’s Vape reviews. Today I will be going over the Battlestar Squonk kit by Smoant. As many of you may know, the Smoant Battlestar regulated mod from a couple of years ago turned out to be an excellent device that many people came to know and love since release. It was small, ergonomic, and just worked. Smoant listened to the great opinions of vapors everywhere and has reincarnated the Battlestar, but this time around, it squonks. Dual battery squonkers don’t come out very often, and since they tend to cater to my style of vaping, I always get excited to try them. This device is a 200w, dual 18650 squonker, that comes with a 7ml squonk bottle. The kit also includes a retooled version of the Battlestar rda. This has been hyped up a lot, mostly on forums and reddit, so let’s dive down and see if it will live up to our high expectation!
Disclaimer: This device was sent to me by Smoant for review.
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WHAT YOU GET
- 1 Smoant Battlestar 200w squonk mod
- 1 Battlestar RDA
- 2 7ml hard plastic squonk bottles
- 1 USB cable
- Spare parts
- Coils / Cotton
- Tools
- Paperwork
- Available in black, brushed metal, yellow, and gradient blue.
STOCK SHOT
PACKAGING
UNBOXED
_____________________________________________________________________________________
MOD OVERVIEW
There isn’t a whole lot to mention here that I didn’t throw out in the intro. The Battlestar squonk is a dual 18650, regulated squonk mod. To keep the size down, Smoant elected to go with a hard plastic squonk bottle on the backside. The squonking action is done via a pumping button on top. Other than that, it is nothing out of the ordinary. It has a medium sized display, with a fire button near the top and adjustment buttons on the bottom. Operation is super easy, so let’s hit that quickly next.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
OPERATION
Simplicity is king on the Battlestar Squonk. 5 clicks of the fire button turns it on and off. 3 clicks of the fire button will highlight the mod up top and you can cycle the following modes:
- Variable Wattage
- Variable Voltage
- Wattage Curve (DVW)
- Ni TC
- Ti TC
- SS TC
- TCR TC
Most of this is all self-explanatory. The only other tidbit of info is to adjust preheat wattage in TC modes. Pressing the fire button and up button together flips it over to that setting and it will allow you to set a maximum preheat wattage of the full 200w. It also has an AUTO setting which is designed for the chip to detect the optimal setting it things you should have it at.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
HOW IT VAPES / SQUONKS
I tested this mod in both wattage and temp control modes. I primarily used it for wattage and found that it provided solid wattage performance as far as my body can tell. I never felt that it was underpowered in any way and seems to deliver what it states the wattage is. I also tested TC SS on this and found that it regulated the temperature consistently, but it didn’t back off quickly enough to prevent a dry hit. I could feel less power being delivered and felt the cotton was getting drier but would still get dry hits if I kept on puffing on it. One of the biggest aspects to a device of this nature is one of the most important things, how it squonks.
This squonking system is definitely unique and has only been done on a couple of other devices before it. Essentially the squonk button on top acts like a dollar store squirt gun. It is a spring-loaded mechanism that provides a little shot of liquid with each press. It doesn’t build pressure in the tank and force liquid up, and since it doesn’t do it this way, there is no vacuum created to get suction of liquid back into the tank. It requires some trial and error to get used to, as at times it doesn’t feel like it is squonking, but indeed it is. Since it doesn’t suck back, you can keep on pumping liquid into and rda and either flood the deck or leak out the air flow. While this method definitely won’t be for everyone, once you get used to it, it isn’t all that bad. I learned to just give it a couple of pumps for every couple of puffs, and that way I didn’t get liquid pooling up too deep in the rdas I used. There are a few things I don’t like about the button. The first thing is it feels cheap and just looks tacky on top of the mod. Most of the mechanism is built into the bottle, so luckily, if something were to break with that portion, all you must do is get a new bottle (or use the spare) and you are good to go. The other thing I don’t like with this squonking mechanism is how it shifts the bottle in and out. The bottle always made clicky noises as it moved in and out on the back of the device, and I found myself gripping the bottle and pulling it back toward the mod.
One con I don’t like with the squonk bottle itself how you fill it. It has a rubber flap on the bottom that can only be accessed once you open the bottom battery door. I think this is still better than taking out soft bottles and filling, but you either must tip it over and potentially leak liquid out of the RDA (which is easy since it doesn’t suck it back down), or you must remove the bottle and make sure the batteries don’t come flying out. The last con I have for the squonk bottle is cleaning. I submerged mine in an ultrasonic cleaner, rinsed it out, and let it air dry for 2 days, but it just isn’t as simple as regular bottles are. Most of the time, with regular bottles, I rinsed them with hot water, twist a paper towel, and partially dry out the inside before letting them air dry. That is just about impossible with Smoant’s design.
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BATTLESTAR RDA REVIEW
I am not going to touch on this too deeply. I like that Smoant included this rda, as well as coils and cotton, to make this truly an out of box starter kit. All you need is liquid and batteries, and you can start using this device. However, the rda is nothing that wowed me in any way. The build deck is an old school 4 post design that has side air flow that angles up from the bottom. The low air flow combined with a squonker that doesn’t suck back liquid is a pour combination in my opinion and beginners buying this as their first ever squonker could go hog wild with the button and make a huge mess. I never over squonked it, but I can see it being an issue. However, even though the design isn’t all that great, it does work for what it is. It provides mediocre flavor, isn’t too terrible to build on, and matches the device well. I just consider this rda a bonus in the kit for beginners that don’t have other squonking rdas.
TANK PROS
- Matches the mod nicely
- Makes for a complete squonk kit out of the box
TANK CONS
- Flavor is just ok
- Build deck is dated
- Low side air flow can cause leaking if over-squonked
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PHOTO GALLERY
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FINAL THOUGHTS
So, what do I really think of the Battlestar Squonk kit? Honestly, I was let down by this one. Smoant has released some really gorgeous products recently, and this just looks like a 2-year-old Battlestar at first glance, until you see the super ugly GOLD squonk button. The gold squonk button alone might be enough to turn off many users, as it clashes with several atomizers out there. Other mist-steps on the device include the use of a dimly lit screen. I don’t mind that the display is basic, as not all mods need to be flashy with huge screens, but the fact that it is on a dim side is a letdown for me. The cons continue with the squonk bottle itself. The fill method, the plastic material, and the way it shifts around on the back jump out at me non-stop when using. Sure, it shaved some space, but it could have been tweaked slightly to make it better. I know this review seems all doom and gloom, but there are some good points to be made with this device too. The screen is well laid out, and the operations of it are as simple as it gets. How the mod performs itself is also a pro. The wattage performance, couple with dual 18650s gives me all day battery life with dual coil rdas. The TC, while not perfect, seems like it could be dialed in once you adjust the TCR, as it feels like it wants to work. I think one of the biggest pros this device has going for it is ergonomics. It is easily the most ergonomic 2 battery squonker that I have handled, and the weight is manageable, so there’s that. I think some of the biggest deciding factors when looking at this device is if you can deal with the squirt gun style squonk pump, the fill method, and the hard-plastic bottle. The price on this seems lower than I expected, so I will give Smoant a pro for making a very affordable dual battery squonker in a pretty quiet marketplace.
OVEN TEST
If this were to accidentally go in my pizza oven, would I go out and get another? Not on this one. I am still more partial to my Rage box, so I think I would let this do BATTLE with the heat.
PROS
- Ergonomic
- Decent chipset
- Dual 18650 powered
- Comes as a complete kit
- Screen and “menu” system are laid out nice, neat, and easy
- Affordable dual battery squonker
- Extra squonk bottle included
CONS
- Squonk system feels cheap and just doesn’t feel right
- Squonk refill method is better than bottles, but not as good as the likes of the Topside or Delta
- Gold button sticks out on top, and mine unscrewed often, leading me to think people will lose that button top.
- Gold button clashes with lots of rdas
- Display is dimly lit
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Thank you all for reading and thank you to Smoant for sending it to me for review. I am starting to see this device pop up online for roughly $50-60.
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Pizza Dave – Delivering real reviews, with no extra toppings
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
REVIEW CRITERIA: I use each item for about two weeks to ensure I have collected enough data to adequately write a review. I use the same e liquid in tanks or rdas throughout all my reviews to ensure that I am comparing apples to apples between all modern equipment. I do not post reviews until I feel confident that I have used it enough to give an educated review. The reason I started doing reviews was due to poor purchasing decisions in my vaping infancy about two years ago. Back then, I purchased several different pieces of hardware without really enjoying it and I hope my reviews can guide people into spending their hard-earned money more wisely than I did! ****Keep in mind that some items I receive may be pre-release and not in retail packaging. Quality may be less than the finished product and what is in the package may differ from the retail package as well.
