The new S2 mechanical ‘style’ squonk mod is a collaboration between Augvape and high-end squonking team Mass Mods.
Mass Mods hail from California USA and have released a couple of devices, namely the CS1 mechanical squonker and the UA1 unregulated parallel mod – both around the $200 mark – as well as the Axial RDA.
Augvape are obviously from China and have upped their vape game considerably over the last few years with on the whole extremely well received atomizers and mods including the:
Occular RDA [above] – my go to dripper the BTFC – whilst the Druga Foxy is a stunning mod and the V200 styled on the Honda B VTEC engine, looked the part and performed very well indeed.
So What Can We Expect From the S2 Squonker?
Despite the S2 having MOSFET protection, this is still a mechanical mod and should only be used by advanced vapers with knowledge of Ohms Law – I’ll tackle this in a moment.
This is a single 18650 device with no menu or power selection and comes with just one 8.5ml squonk bottle, and most 25mm squonk ready atomizers will fit with no overhang.
Not a lot more to say really apart from this was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of this review directly from Augvape – thank you – and as always my thoughts and opinions are unmoved by freebies.
Inside the Box
Not a lot in there at all!
- x1 S2 squonk mod
- x1 warranty card
- x1 8.5ml squonk bottle
Specs and Features
- Single 18650 battery
- Mechanical ‘style’ output
- MOSFET protection
- 8.5ml capacity
- Gold plated contact points
- Suitable for 25mm and below squonk atomizers
Key Features
OK this is classed as a mechanical ‘style’ mod – in other words, there is a little bit of protection.
In this case, its MOSFET protection – you can see the insulated wires running from the inside of the switch to the board below – which I assume has been treated to resist any liquid getting inside.
As regulars know I’m the least technical among the EcigClick team and a quick Google showed me that a MOSFET is:
The MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) transistor is a semiconductor device which is widely used for switching and amplifying electronic signals in the electronic devices. The MOSFET is a three-terminal device such as source, gate, and drain.
The things you learn doing vaping reviews 😉
OK, the technicalities aside, the rest of the device is self-explanatory to anyone who has used – uses or knows about squonkers and squonking.
In simple terms, you use an RDA with a squonk pin inserted and once attached to the mod you squeeze the bottle to juice up the cotton and coils.
So, unlike a dripper which you drip onto the coils – with a squonker its bottom-fed – hence many RDAs that are squonk friendly known as BF.
As this is pretty much an unregulated device, there’s no menu, just a fire button. You have NO control over wattage, instead the remaining voltage within the battery decides how much power is getting to your coils.
To this end, this type of device is NOT suitable for beginners. Indeed it is crucial that anyone using a fully mechanical or even semi-regulated mechanical mod fully understands Ohms Law.
- Read and understand more about Ohms Law and Vaping
- Mechanical V Regulated – A Guide To Vape Mods
Design and Build Quality
The S2 is the spitting image of the Mass Mods high-end squonker – we’re talking $200 – the only real difference being the level of protection inside. The S1 had a Capacitive safety feature which is explained as having a:
…sensor that relies on the electrical properties of the human body to detect when the button is being touched and/or pressed.
It also had a LED battery indicator, but apart from the internals and board, they look identical.
I really do like the design and feel of this one – very minimalist so bang on my style of mods.
The Mass Mods logo is on one of the removable doors whilst the Augvape logo looks particularly badass stamped into the side.
It’s made from a combo of some kind of alloy for the doors, whilst the shell is a high-quality plastic and despite being x2 different materials they look exactly the same.
The doors are magnetized with a tight fit that’s extremely solid with absolutely no movement, unless you’re holding it by the sides when squonking as the back panel can push out. However like I said you have to hold it in a weird way for that to happen!
The fire button has a very nice throw to it…more on that in a moment.
Overall this is an extremely comfortable mod to hold and use, with excellent materials and a decent overall build quality – cheap to touch this isn’t.
Lovely clean internals too, including very visible + and – signs for your battery. The wires are exposed and whilst sealed they do feel a little thin for want of a better word and may snag and come loose if you are a little hamfisted. Had they have been covered things would have looked a lot tidier and felt a little sturdier.
How Does the Mass Mods and Augvape S2 Perform?
No issues whatsoever with the 510 with all my 25mm and below RDAs fitting perfectly, and it feels solidly screwed in too with an o-ring adding a little bit of protection from any leaks.
The squonk bottle is slightly recessed which has you reaching for it, not really an issue.
The bottle is excellent quality and you do need to give it a hard press, so floppy this one isn’t.
I also like the bottle cap, which might sound a bit weird. It looks as if they’ve purposely created a kind of well to catch any wayward e-liquid.
It is very tight in there and despite both doors coming off, the battery sled has a back to it and trust me even with fingernails it can be a sod getting your battery out! Could be just my batteries though.
The fire button whilst having a very nice throw to it does I’m afraid, have the slightest, and I mean slightest, ramp up delay – only a tad but instant firing this one isn’t.
I’ve been using this one solidly for over 2 weeks and have had no leaks or any other issues with it and with a conservative 0.21ohm build on the Augvape Occular RDA, I’ve been getting 3 to 4 hours solid vaping.
Please note: If you are carrying spare batteries around – please keep them in a battery condom or plastic case – NEVER put loose batteries in your pocket.
Pros
- Great minimalist design
- Excellent build quality
- Very comfortable in the hand
- Superb squonk bottle
- Hits well – once ramped up!
- MOSFET protection
Cons
- A 20700 battery option would have been better
- Slight delay in firing
- Board is open to juice leaks
- No spare squonk bottle
- Just black available at the moment
Final Review Verdict
First up, the elephant in the room!
Yeah, I guess this style of squonk mod is a little last year, however, trust me it blows the Pulse series of mech squonkers out of the water for looks, build quality and to some extent performance.
I say some extent, that slight delay on the ramp up time is a little annoying but you soon compensate your vaping style – I give it a couple of pulses and purges to get the coils glowing.
What I can say is even now the review is done and dusted, this one is probably going to be one of my go-to mods for quite some time to come – especially when out and about.
I really do like it that much – and it really is comfortable in the hand – light but tough too.
I would have liked a spare squonk bottle in the box – I have tried a couple of mine and none fit properly.
So yup, it might be a little dated, but if you’re looking for great design – superb build quality at an excellent price, I highly recommend this one as both a beater mod or indeed one to enjoy down the pub.
