SQuape

[Rossum]

Yeah, I've only had a few hits from other peoples KFs and Russians, and it's definitely different than those. I'm tempted open up the airflow some, but I don't have a drill press handy and I'm real reluctant to do it w/o one, and of course doing so is effectively irreversible. If StattQualm ever makes a true second version, giving it adjustable airflow should be high on their priority list.

My next RBA will be a ByLeo Sophia. I like my IBT carto tanks a lot, but I've had horrible luck with cartos themselves. I'm somewhat enamored by the fact that the Sophia has both adjustable airflow and adjustable juice flow, and of course you can put any diameter tank on it that you want.

Don't get me wrong, I like my Squape; I vape it more than any of the other stuff I've accumulated (and I have a bad case of Gear Acquisition Syndrome). It sure is great to learn on, and unlike an RDA, it's actually practical to use all day.

I did pick up a cheap RDA the other day (IGO-L). It's also fairly easy to build. I got it primarily to try different juice samples in, but I vape way too much to go through life with a dripper.

 

[shorestyle]

I'm starting to really hate this thing.

Wick it....too dry....wick it again....flooding....wick it again....dry....wick again....floods.....AND leaks.

It's like tiny little strand of cotton makes the difference between dry hits and instant flooding. Giving up on it quickly.

 

[Rossum]

Yeah, when you get it right, cotton works great, but getting it right with cotton in this device isn't easy. I'm actually considering reverting to silica because it's so much easier to make it work consistently.

 

[shorestyle]

I think I got it close now. Just the tiniest bit of gurgling every once in a while but not flooding and no dry hits.

Finicky as hell.

 

[Mark Howard]

Sorry you're not getting any love from the cotton. Here's how mine looks, don't get flood or dry from it. Hole drilled to 1/16", coil is wrapped on a 5/64" bit. Cotton as seen in pic.

Hope that helps a little. Another reason I love the SQuape, if my re wick isn't perfect I can take the tank off & tweak it.

 

[EDO]

If StattQualm ever makes a true second version, giving it adjustable airflow should be high on their priority list.

I don't think that they should give us adjustable airflow at all. All they have to do is make the holes much bigger in the stem and make the air channel bigger in the deck. All my mods have AFC built in (ie the 69, chi-you, nemesis,king etc.). I find it so redundant on having two airflow controls on top of each other. The squape is the only RBA where I could put to use the airflow control in the mod.

 

[Rossum]

Just noticed that PBusardo reviewed it last week:



2-1/4 mm coil -- closer to 3/32" than 5/64", which explains how he's able to get so much cotton in there.

I'm still trying to figure out how those of you using a 1/16" mandrel can possibly get enough cotton in there to fill the channels and keep from flooding without choking the coil by over-stuffing it. Yesterday, I was having problems with a new 5/64" coil & wick. It wasn't exactly flooding, but it felt too wet and it was popping and spitting instead of making the dental-tool suction roar during pauses in the draw. So I got to thinking how nicely a 1/16" inch coil I'd built for my new Igo-L dripper was running. It had relatively little cotton inside of it (too little to fill the Squape's channels) but was touching a bed of cotton underneath of it, like this:

Well, I decided to try and reproduce that in my Squape. How? By running a separate piece of cotton under the existing coil and wick. I purposely did not rewick the coil at the same time because I wanted to see what difference this made. It's a bit difficult to get a picture fully showing this, but here's my attempt:

The result? It totally calmed that coil down; it no longer pops and spits but makes the proper "roar" during a pause in the draw. It also seems to produce a more flavorful vape than any other build I've tried, but I'm not positive this is the case; it may be that I'm just experiencing some remission in my case of vaper's tongue.

Anyway, I'm really tempted to try some vertically stacked duals next.

 

[Rule62]

This build does not leak or gurgle. 1/16 diameter micro, with cotton wick. For me, the trick is to have the coil down even with the channels, ot above the deck. The top of my coil is flush with the top of the deck.

 

[HauntedMyst]

I finally drilled mine out tonight. I went through both the top and the bottom with a micro file on my drill and it worked well. I got lucky and hit the nail right on the head and now it's drawing perfectly for me. Hopefully StattQualm does make another version with adjustable air flow, I'd be on the list for one.

 

[Rossum]

Double Barrel Shotgun (Over/Under) build:

The trick with this is to wind a normal (what I'll call right-handed) coil, and then to wind a second coil in the opposite direction (left-handed). That will get the leads of both coils to exit in the same spot on both ends, where you can twist 'em together.

The coils in the pics are 30 gauge, wrapped on a 1/16" drill bit. Together they came out to 1.0-1.1 ohms, which is just a tad lower than I would have liked. I wicked 'em both up with cotton and it was wet and poppy. Opened it up and put another piece of (fairly tightly rolled) cotton across the top of the whole thing and now..

Well, let's just say I've got a big smile on my face.

 

[Mark Howard]

Double Barrel Shotgun (Over/Under) build:

The trick with this is to wind a normal (what I'll call right-handed) coil, and then to wind a second coil in the opposite direction (left-handed). That will get the leads of both coils to exit in the same spot on both ends, where you can twist 'em together.

The coils in the pics are 30 gauge, wrapped on a 1/16" drill bit. Together they came out to 1.0-1.1 ohms, which is just a tad lower than I would have liked. I wicked 'em both up with cotton and it was wet and poppy. Opened it up and put another piece of (fairly tightly rolled) cotton across the top of the whole thing and now..

Well, let's just say I've got a big smile on my face.

Interesting! If it's working for you I might have to try it.

 

[Rossum]

Interesting! If it's working for you I might have to try it.

There's no question in my mind that this configuration produces more vapor and more flavor than anything else I've tried so far. That doesn't mean somebody else's single-coil build isn't just as good or better.

What I'm not thrilled about is needing an extra piece of cotton as a "flavor wick" over the whole thing. The extra piece of cotton wasn't a problem with my last build because the it was was under the coil and stayed put. Unfortunately, having it over means nothing keeps it in place when you open it up for a refill. I'm mulling on potential solutions for that.

 

[Mark Howard]

There's no question in my mind that this configuration produces more vapor and more flavor than anything else I've tried so far. That doesn't mean somebody else's single-coil build isn't just as good or better.

What I'm not thrilled about is needing an extra piece of cotton as a "flavor wick" over the whole thing. The extra piece of cotton wasn't a problem with my last build because the it was was under the coil and stayed put. Unfortunately, having it over means nothing keeps it in place when you open it up for a refill. I'm mulling on potential solutions for that.

Maybe between the coils? Sounds like a PIA to install that one though.

 

[Rossum]

Maybe between the coils?

What, you want me to build it like a dual-coil Protank 3 or Aerotank? That would be kinda ironic since my backup vape is an Aerotank with the head rebuilt using just one coil (and cotton).

I actually think there are advantages to having a flavor wick on top of the coil. The top of a coil will normally be the hottest area, and it also seems to be the place where the most gunk builds up. I ran my last build (with the high coil and an extra piece of cotton underneath) with the same wicks in it for the last 4-1/2 days. On thing I noticed was more and more black specs of crud in the bell, the tube above, and even my drip-tip. I'm pretty sure it was accumulated crud coming off the top of the coil. I think that a wick over the coil(s) would largely prevent that. Yes, I could have rinsed, dry-burned, and re-wicked it a couple of times (maybe even daily) but I purposely didn't; I really wanted to see for how long it would vape decently without messing with it. Why? Because there will be those occasions when I simply won't have the time or motivation to mess with it and I wanted to know how long I could get away with. It was actually still working decently other than crud, but I'm hitting the road for a few days tomorrow and I didn't wanna push my luck anymore, so today, it was time to try something new.

 

[Rossum]

So the Squape was my first RBA. I bought it specifically because it was designed to be easy to build. Which is a good thing because it it took me a while to learn to make a good build for it. The double-barrel (over-under) shotgun coil shown in the pics above is still in it. I re-wicked it today, and I think I've re-wicked it once before. However, the Squape hasn't caught on with the masses; their standard seems to be the KFL and its clones. Being ever curious, I wanted to see how they compare. Trouble is, I couldn't find a real KFL+ anywhere, and I refuse to buy counterfeits. But I did (somewhat reluctantly) pick up a used Russian 91% in the classifieds, which a guy in a spiffy government uniform delivered a few days ago. It's clearly a "copy" of the Kayfun design, but with some improvements and its own styling, so at least it isn't a blatant counterfeit.

This evening I finally had a chance to build it. The mounting screws are tiny compared to the Squape. The positive block wants to turn and short against the ground block when you tighten the positive screw. The lower center-post bushing was shot, I suspect from the previous owner over tightening it, trying to keep the positive block from turning when tightening the coil mounting screw, so I replaced that bushing with a spare from another, totally different atty. Nine wraps of 28 gauge on a 5/64" bit. Some cotton. Bang. Spot on. It may be a PITA to build, but making a good build for it is easy. And then there's the airflow. Wow.

If Stattqualm wants to stay competitive, they need to give us more (and preferably adjustable!) airflow if they Sorry guys but even Kanger has seen the light on this.

I'm now seriously contemplating taking a drill to my Squape to open it up some...

 

[shorestyle]

I think another big part of it is the price. KFL+ is 50 bucks less from what I've seen. The squape is also a LOT bigger and heavier. Personally, I find it a pain in the ... to wick with cotton. I have an easier time building coils on my KFL+.

I have both and I use my KFL+ a lot more.

 

[SheerLuckHolmes]

I have a Sqaupe I use daily along with a Russian, a Russian 91% and a Taifun GT. I find them all delightful. While there are differences between building them all, they all serve me very well. I can not pick one I like more than another.

Via the difference.

I smoked for over 45 years. Same brand. Bought them, lite them up, pitched the butts, then came along e-cigs. Never had any intention of quitting smoking at all. 6 weeks into playing with e-cigs and anaolgs were history. And that was five years ago when there were only 801 pen styles, 510s, dripping while driving.... Now vapping is a full time hobby. I love it and appreciate everything about it. Yea us vapers!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mark Howard]

I use my SQuape and Kayfun daily, but mostly get the best performance out of the SQuape, but the kfl never leaks. Occasionally in the SQuape the liquid will push the sick up and flood a little, but usually I can tell it's starting to before it does. That's why I love how you can open a full tank and fix the wick on it.
I opened my SQuape up to 1/16" on the deck and the 510 & love the extra airflow, no issues.

 

[Rossum]

I have a Sqaupe I use daily along with a Russian, a Russian 91% and a Taifun GT. I find them all delightful. While there are differences between building them all, they all serve me very well. I can not pick one I like more than another.

Interesting. I picked up a used Taifun GT as well, but haven't built it yet. Right at the moment, I'm liking the Russian 91% better than my Squape and somehow I feel guilty liking a Chinese knock-off better than a real Swiss original. I suppose to be totally fair, I should put the same juice in both of them.

I smoked for over 45 years. Same brand. Bought them, lite them up, pitched the butts, then came along e-cigs. Never had any intention of quitting smoking at all. 6 weeks into playing with e-cigs and anaolgs were history. And that was five years ago when there were only 801 pen styles, 510s, dripping while driving.... Now vapping is a full time hobby. I love it and appreciate everything about it. Yea us vapers!!!!!!!!!!!

36 years here. For me, it began with a Halo Triton starter kit in December. I had no real intention to quit either, but I came across an article somewhere that was whining that e-cigs were still unregulated and that the FDA should clamp down on them, so I figured I should check 'em out before the government ruined them. Four days after getting the Halo stuff, I stopped at a local B&M, got a couple of 1300 mAh spinners and some Protanks and haven't had a 'traditional cigarette' since. Of course, I've been chasing the perfect vape ever since....

 

[Rossum]

I use my SQuape and Kayfun daily, but mostly get the best performance out of the SQuape, but the kfl never leaks. Occasionally in the SQuape the liquid will push the sick up and flood a little, but usually I can tell it's starting to before it does. That's why I love how you can open a full tank and fix the wick on it.

Agreed, being able to open it up without emptying the tank is a very endearing feature, especially while one is still figuring out the right way to build it. However, mine has never leaked. I've always been able to tell when things are too wet and in need of more more wicking.

I opened my SQuape up to 1/16" on the deck and the 510 & love the extra airflow, no issues.

I may have to go buy a cheap drill press before the weekend is over. I've got an Igo-L that needs more air too...