# Mech vs DNA40 Squonkers



## Rob Fisher (18/3/16)

This thread is for our new American friends with all the toys...

Which do you prefer... Mech REO's or fancy DNA40 Squonkers? What builds do you put in the DNA40's and what do you fire them at?

Personally I have tried 2 DNA40 Squonkers and a DNA30 and still I prefer my mechs (REO's, CC Mods and Lil Pinch) and I'm not sure if it's a mental block or what?

PS Stop posting pictures of Lukkos's because it's causing me pain and anguish!

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## Petrus (18/3/16)

That would be quite a nice debate. I always fancy a good quality regulated squonker.

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## Papa_Lazarou (18/3/16)

Heh - what's the Dr Suess story with the North and South going Zax's? Stars upon thar's, and all that.

I happen to like all squonking - mechs and regulated - although I tend to use the REO's about 85% of the time.

Not sure why @Rob Fisher is experiencing the disconnect with reg squonkers, as you use RTA's like the Avocado on reg boxes. That tank has a deck just like a dripper and feeds juice through the bottom (sound familiar? ).

In terms of builds I use, well, that depends on the atty and juice mated with them. Some atties are dedicated to flavour-first tootle puffing, usually first thing in the morning with a picante juice like spearmint or wintergreen. Others are for the middle of the day DL'ing with something like a chai.

Now, the tootle puff atties get built on a reg just as for a mech, usually in the .5-.7 ohm range, generally with a single coil (26g straight, twisted 28g, or a clapton).

The DL atties get built with duals netting in the same ohm range. What, no difference from the other atties you say? Well, that's where regulation comes in - I crank the power. Usually, with the tootles, I adjust the power until I'm getting about 4.5V, and with the DL's it's more like 5.75V.

BTW, how can a man with custom REO's, CC mods, and a pinch feel any anguish?

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## Rob Fisher (18/3/16)

Papa_Lazarou said:


> BTW, how can a man with custom REO's, CC mods, and a pinch feel any anguish?



Thanks for the info on your builds... I guess my issue with Regulated Squonkers is all in my mind... when I bought my first non-REO Squonker I felt I was cheating on Rob. I guess I need to give the SVA a full go sometime soon.

The pain and anguish is probably a bit overstated... but for some reason they just really appeal to me!

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## Alex (18/3/16)

Well a 0.3 Ohm coil setup in the Reo at nominal voltage is almost 70 watts. It's really not an issue for me. I have very little desire for a regulated device, squonker or not.

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## Papa_Lazarou (18/3/16)

Yup - I feel you, Rob. Never has there been a mod that engendered love and loyalty as strongly as the REO.

As you well know, it's part the mod(s), part the modmaster himself, and part the community. Heck, it's why I'm visiting this lovely forum from abroad (thanks to your invite in that other place). Others (Spydro, JC Okie, jifjifjif, and more) are here for the same reason.

Rob, however, would be the first person to say fill your boots, just as he's okay with non-RM atties. My razor is this: would I pass on a REO I wanted for another mod? For me, it's "no" - as long as my thirst for reos is satiated, then, I wouldn't consider it an indiscretion.

But then, I'm also the kind of guy who would have multiple super cars if I could afford them. I'm also the kind of guy who's active in the VW camper van scene as I have and cherish one. To me, those two things are not mutually exclusive.

Now, can I interest you in a nice Lukkos?

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## Petrus (18/3/16)

Alex said:


> Well a 0.3 Ohm coil setup in the Reo at nominal voltage is almost 70 watts. It's really not an issue for me. I have very little desire for a regulated device, squonker or not.


@Alex, I couldn't agree more, for every Reo, I got a specific build "wire,wick etc." some sub ohm, some a bit higher and get exactly what I want.

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## Rob Fisher (18/3/16)

Papa_Lazarou said:


> Yup - I feel you, Rob. Never has there been a mod that engendered love and loyalty as strongly as the REO.
> 
> As you well know, it's part the mod(s), part the modmaster himself, and part the community. Heck, it's why I'm visiting this lovely forum from abroad (thanks to your invite in that other place). Others (Spydro, JC Okie, jifjifjif, and more) are here for the same reason.
> 
> ...



Hehehe @Papa_Lazarou! Yip there is something very special about REO and it's community and Modmaster! At the time of my first REO (thanks to @Andre who was my and still is my vape guru and forced me to spend four times as much on a mod than I was used to) I couldn't believe how good the vape was... and despite spending a billion Rand on vaping stuff the only item that has really captured my imagination with the most amazing flavour on some of my ADV's is the Vaporesso Target Tank with it's ceramic coils.

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## Henry Etta (20/3/16)

I'll play...
My first mech was a Reo (before that I had a Provari & some Egos). I was good a building because I had been rebuilding protank coils, so the RM2 was easy. I moved on to other RDAs, and continued honing my building skills. I got a DNA40 SVA a few months ago, and I love it. It's a beautifully made, clean, small, compact work of art. But first and foremost, I trust mechs. There is no chip to fail, and that's the biggest reason that I won't ever only have regulated mods. It's nice to adjust the wattage, especially when trying new juice, and I do like the consistency, but for me it's totally unnecessary. I don't use temp control, and I have no use for super high wattage (I can only have so much airflow for MTL). So the chip is more of a luxury.
I am so used to building coils for mechs (I MTL only, prefer dual coils, usually twisted 30g shooting for .5-.7ohms) that I don't feel much benefit from a chip. I don't build different coils for regulated... I don't even know what I would do. I generally don't go over 25-30 watts.

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## Rob Fisher (20/3/16)

Henry Etta said:


> I'll play...
> My first mech was a Reo (before that I had a Provari & some Egos). I was good a building because I had been rebuilding protank coils, so the RM2 was easy. I moved on to other RDAs, and continued honing my building skills. I got a DNA40 SVA a few months ago, and I love it. It's a beautifully made, clean, small, compact work of art. But first and foremost, I trust mechs. There is no chip to fail, and that's the biggest reason that I won't ever only have regulated mods. It's nice to adjust the wattage, especially when trying new juice, and I do like the consistency, but for me it's totally unnecessary. I don't use temp control, and I have no use for super high wattage (I can only have so much airflow for MTL). So the chip is more of a luxury.
> I am so used to building coils for mechs (I MTL only, prefer dual coils, usually twisted 30g shooting for .5-.7ohms) that I don't feel much benefit from a chip. I don't build different coils for regulated... I don't even know what I would do. I generally don't go over 25-30 watts.



I think you may have hit the nail on the head there @Henry Etta! I too found my happy place on my REO a long time ago and have had no real need for a regulated mod to change my standard 0.8Ω micro coil. I think that may be the reason I haven't dived head long into regulated squonkers... I'm also a bit OCD with keeping my mods clean and the wooden ones are much more difficult to clean and the result is they tend to spend more time on display than in my hand.

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## shaunnadan (20/3/16)

Rob Fisher said:


> I think you may have hit the nail on the head there @Henry Etta! I too found my happy place on my REO a long time ago and have had no real need for a regulated mod to change my standard 0.8Ω micro coil. I think that may be the reason I haven't dived head long into regulated squonkers... I'm also a bit OCD with keeping my mods clean and the wooden ones are much more difficult to clean and the result is they tend to spend more time on display than in my hand.



Which part is hard to keep clean? 

If you remove the door and internals could you not put a thin coat of clear on the inside. That would make it a lot easier to wipe down and clean

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## Rob Fisher (20/3/16)

shaunnadan said:


> Which part is hard to keep clean?
> 
> If you remove the door and internals could you not put a thin coat of clear on the inside. That would make it a lot easier to wipe down and clean



Yip but I'm not the McGyver type and if I started to play with clear coat and things I would bugger up the mod real quick. When I first got the fancy SVA DNA I used it quite a lot but the juice started to mark the wood around the 510 and that I didn't enjoy... The only Wood mods that are impervious to juice leaks seem to be the Lil Pinch (and my JB Mods) because of the coating that is done on them... but the internals are pretty flimsy and it's a really expensive mod so it doesn't really go out and about.

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## Papa_Lazarou (20/3/16)

Henry Etta said:


> I'll play...
> My first mech was a Reo (before that I had a Provari & some Egos). I was good a building because I had been rebuilding protank coils, so the RM2 was easy. I moved on to other RDAs, and continued honing my building skills. I got a DNA40 SVA a few months ago, and I love it. It's a beautifully made, clean, small, compact work of art. But first and foremost, I trust mechs. There is no chip to fail, and that's the biggest reason that I won't ever only have regulated mods. It's nice to adjust the wattage, especially when trying new juice, and I do like the consistency, but for me it's totally unnecessary. I don't use temp control, and I have no use for super high wattage (I can only have so much airflow for MTL). So the chip is more of a luxury.
> I am so used to building coils for mechs (I MTL only, prefer dual coils, usually twisted 30g shooting for .5-.7ohms) that I don't feel much benefit from a chip. I don't build different coils for regulated... I don't even know what I would do. I generally don't go over 25-30 watts.



I hear you on the chip failing front. Long after every regulated mod in someone's hand today has failed, thousands of REO's will be fully functional. As I have commented before (on another board), I believe that aliens will visit a long dead Earth in the far future and find a Grand in my calcified hand. It will work fine after a bath and some deoxit gold (but they will suck at squonking for, like, an hour). You can trust a REO - they're good like that.

The CC mod is another one that looks to be well designed and made. It might prove to be just as dependable. The TMod could be a contender, too. The Peko will probably have a higher failure rate, but they can be replicated with access to a printer and a hardware store.

In all, there's prolly no question that mechs will outlast regs and are the smarter play.

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## Henry Etta (20/3/16)

Rob Fisher said:


> Yip but I'm not the McGyver type and if I started to play with clear coat and things I would bugger up the mod real quick. When I first got the fancy SVA DNA I used it quite a lot but the juice started to mark the wood around the 510 and that I didn't enjoy... The only Wood mods that are impervious to juice leaks seem to be the Lil Pinch (and my JB Mods) because of the coating that is done on them... but the internals are pretty flimsy and it's a really expensive mod so it doesn't really go out and about.


I use Renaissance Wax on my SVA to keep the juice from hurting it. Not as permanent as CA coating, but if applied regularly, it works great!
EDIT: but I hear you on wanting to keep the wood mods protected... I don't take mine out nearly as much as the metal.

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## Papa_Lazarou (20/3/16)

shaunnadan said:


> Which part is hard to keep clean?
> 
> If you remove the door and internals could you not put a thin coat of clear on the inside. That would make it a lot easier to wipe down and clean



Plus (and I'm not trying to be pedantic), it's not a mech versus regulated issue. I have as many wood mechs as regulated (and I'm liking your suggestion).

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## Rob Fisher (20/3/16)

Henry Etta said:


> I use Renaissance Wax on my SVA to keep the juice from hurting it. Not as permanent as CA coating, but if applied regularly, it works great!



I have a bottle of that... I really need to take them off the display shelf and let the Renaissance wax meet the SVA TODAY!

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## Papa_Lazarou (20/3/16)

Rob Fisher said:


> I think you may have hit the nail on the head there @Henry Etta! I too found my happy place on my REO a long time ago and have had no real need for a regulated mod to change my standard 0.8Ω micro coil. I think that may be the reason I haven't dived head long into regulated squonkers... I'm also a bit OCD with keeping my mods clean and the wooden ones are much more difficult to clean and the result is they tend to spend more time on display than in my hand.



Rob, I want you to take this right way, 'cuz we're buds and all...

You perplex me a bit (I'm genuinely curious about this). Squonking is about mechs for you, yet you have regulated mods with tanks with ceramic wick/coil modules (which look awesome, BTW). Squonking, at it's core, is about juice delivery, not the mod - wouldn't the same tropes, fears, and preferences apply to the tank setups?


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## Henry Etta (20/3/16)

And I'll say this... I'm not a collector. I don't have the finances, nor the interest in amassing an arsenal. (I do love to see others' collections, though, and I'm not bashing at all) My minimalist tendencies allow me to have 3, at most 4 mods total. And that means that they all need to be completely capable of preforming their primary duty as a nicotine delivery device. I have no interest in a "display shelf" mod... and I have to say my little SVA is a very solid, dependable and hearty piece. I might not carry it in certain situations where a Reo or CC might be more appropriate, but I use it every day. And if I felt like I couldn't, I'd sell it!

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## Spydro (20/3/16)

I can only play a little I guess. I have never had any interest in the DNA gear at all, still don't, not even the regulated squonk gear, and expect I never will. I've learned how to get everything that "I" want out my joose with mech builds, so I don't need them.

Also had never squonked anything until I got my first Reo 19 months ago. I started with tube mechs, did some VV/VW and VV tube mods, went back to mech tubes, then that evil bottomfed first Reo thingamabob came to live with me about 19 months ago. I was on lists for a bunch of custom non regulated squonkers that included some with dual batts. But I got tired of waiting on the crap methods being followed and decided the Reos were more than good enough (never did build the Peko 2.2 kit's I bought a long time ago either). Robert was going to build me a couple of custom Woodvil's out of my 5A exhibition grade woods, but with the winding down of Reosmods since last year I just let it go.

Close to 3 years into vaping, I have enough out of service gear, spares and supplies for them to sink a small boat. But I also have nearly enough of the same for Reos to do it as well. So overall I'm OK with all the false starts before finding them.

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## Rob Fisher (20/3/16)

Papa_Lazarou said:


> Rob, I want you to take this right way, 'cuz we're buds and all...
> 
> You perplex me a bit (I'm genuinely curious about this). Squonking is about mechs for you, yet you have regulated mods with tanks with ceramic wick/coil modules (which look awesome, BTW). Squonking, at it's core, is about juice delivery, not the mod - wouldn't the same tropes, fears, and preferences apply to the tank setups?



@Papa_Lazarou you are spot on... the fact of the matter is I use my REO's pretty much most of the time (and people are tired of me talking REO's well until you guys turned up to revitalise the squonking section) and all the rest of the crap is me playing because I love this game so much. Also always searching for a better vape and I'm really interested in the vaping journey... and you are right... the mech squonk or REO is for me the perfect device so far.

But I have also realised that different juices perform differently in different devices and some do better in RTA's than my REO's for some reason? 

The ceramic coils have really perked up my interest again in tanks and in particular the Target Tank which has the most amazing flavour with some of my juices... the high VG juices and some of the heavy flavours don't do as well and priming the coil is a real ***** but it's a technology that is going to have a big impact... I also love the fact that I have refilled the tank over 65 times with the very same coil! Mind boggling.

Most tanks I have tried have lasted a refill or two and then passed on or sold... because they simply don't perform taste or hassle wise to a REO. I also tried the temp sensing route and that was a dismal failure as far as I'm concerned. I think the part that kills RTA's for me is number one the hassle factor of change wicks and the fact that each tank needs to be experimented on to work out how to wick it without it leaking and to get a decent flavour.

Bottom line is I have way more mechanical squonkers than all other devices put together and I will never leave home without a REO in my paw and while the Target Tank is not for everyone nor every juice, I am really enjoying the setup with two of my favourite juices (Vapour Mountain XXX and Foggs Milkyway).

If I only had REO's to play with I would get bored and I have an attention span of a newt... I need to play with new things and just vape on a REO.

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## Papa_Lazarou (20/3/16)

Henry Etta said:


> I use Renaissance Wax on my SVA to keep the juice from hurting it. Not as permanent as CA coating, but if applied regularly, it works great!
> EDIT: but I hear you on wanting to keep the wood mods protected... I don't take mine out nearly as much as the metal.



I have GOT to get me some of this.

Call me a heathen, though, but I'm a fan of wabi sabi - the philosophy that nothing is permanent, it's hubris to expect man's design to be absolute, and nature will ultimately shape the outcome. That's maybe fatalist talk for "I like things that have life scars".

Don't get me wrong - an ounce of prevention and all that - but every nick, dent, and scar on my gear is a story of our time together. It's just the first one that hurts.

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## Rob Fisher (20/3/16)

@Henry Etta the SVA and tub of Renaissance Wax has made it onto the Vape Mat!

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## Rob Fisher (20/3/16)

Papa_Lazarou said:


> Don't get me wrong - an ounce of prevention and all that - but every nick, dent, and scar on my gear is a story of our time together. It's just the first one that hurts.



And this one really hurt because it arrived like that.

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## Papa_Lazarou (20/3/16)

Woot! I checked through a box of odds and ends I got in a trade and... I gots it

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## Papa_Lazarou (20/3/16)

Rob Fisher said:


> And this one really hurt because it arrived like that.
> View attachment 48693



Ah, yes. Well, you see the marks caused by other people and/or events prior to your possession are, in fact, bogus. It's kinda like a stand-up bit by George Carlin - other people's stuff is crap, while your crap is stuff.

I once lent a mod to a guy at work who's mod had failed that morning. He gave it back 3 months later (I didn't miss it) and it was beat up. I couldn't use it - I hadn't beat it up, you see.

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## Henry Etta (20/3/16)

Well, hell, you guys already have the magic wax! Use it! It won't protect again concrete, but it's great for moisture. I have a Viper on my SVA that spits out the airhole like crazy (because I have a clapton coil installed) and I apply a thin coat of wax every week or so just on top to keep the juice from damaging it. Works really well.
Sucks about that chip Rob... have you tried sanding it down at all? I got a real good deal on my SVA because it had a pretty big chip in it, but I've sanded it, and now you can hardly see it. I'll post some pics of it tomorrow in the daylight.

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## Henry Etta (20/3/16)

Papa_Lazarou said:


> Woot! I checked through a box of odds and ends I got in a trade and... I gots it
> 
> View attachment 48694


Oh good... you're all ready for you CC Mod, then

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## Rob Fisher (20/3/16)

Papa_Lazarou said:


> Ah, yes. Well, you see the marks caused by other people and/or events prior to your possession are, in fact, bogus. It's kinda like a stand-up bit by George Carlin - other people's stuff is crap, while your crap is stuff.
> 
> I once lent a mod to a guy at work who's mod had failed that morning. He gave it back 3 months later (I didn't miss it) and it was beat up. I couldn't use it - I hadn't beat it up, you see.



This was a brand new mod direct from the supplier!

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## Rob Fisher (20/3/16)

Henry Etta said:


> Sucks about that chip Rob... have you tried sanding it down at all? I got a real good deal on my SVA because it had a pretty big chip in it, but I've sanded it, and now you can hardly see it. I'll post some pics of it tomorrow in the daylight.



I haven't tried the sanding down... but if I sand it down the door won't be flush to the edge of the wood and that will be worse... but the chip is all part of the history... but I will give it some wax and fire it up again... I also see the juice stains have almost disappeared over time... OK let's give the DNA40 another whirl!

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## Papa_Lazarou (20/3/16)

Rob Fisher said:


> This was a brand new mod direct from the supplier!

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## Papa_Lazarou (20/3/16)

Henry Etta said:


> Oh good... you're all ready for you CC Mod, then



Sneaky, this one.

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## Petrus (20/3/16)

Squonker,squonkers,squonkers, my HRH also thinks that I don't vape anymore, I start to collect, but the point of the matter is that @Andre, my mentor into squonking once told me that the best way to get into squonking is to get a dedicated mod"Reo" and Atty for a specific flavour. And yes it works. Everytime I get the exact same flavour and throat hit. My regulated mods is only for juice testing, then for the real deal. My only concern is that I found a nice juice too often, and so my Reo family starts growing. So back to the thread, I prefer mechanical squonkers, make my builds to my taste, and mind you every juice and atty got its unique build.

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## shaunnadan (20/3/16)

Rob Fisher said:


> Yip but I'm hnot the McGyver type and if I started to play with clear coat and things I would bugger up the mod real quick. When I first got the fancy SVA DNA I used it quite a lot but the juice started to mark the wood around the 510 and that I didn't enjoy... The only Wood mods that are impervious to juice leaks seem to be the Lil Pinch (and my JB Mods) because of the coating that is done on them... but the internals are pretty flimsy and it's a really expensive mod so it doesn't really go out and about.



Perhaps send it to @hands or @Genosmate 

The sva doesn't seem to have a glossy polished coating so I'm thinking that masking off the outside so that the coat of clear only covers the internals. This will make cleaning inside easier.

The outside needs a proper hand polish spa day! Using super fine sandpaper (1000grit and above) to polish the wood to a glass like finish. Then a wipe down with some wax. 

I used to treat lots of pool cues in my youth

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## shaunnadan (20/3/16)

Papa_Lazarou said:


> Plus (and I'm not trying to be pedantic), it's not a mech versus regulated issue. I have as many wood mechs as regulated (and I'm liking your suggestion).



I hear you, but soon you will find that our forum has a tendency to drift Or derail completely. This is a natural occurrence and is greatly influenced by the movement of the sea and lunar positions (us being the southern most tip of Africa and all)

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## Henry Etta (21/3/16)

Rob Fisher said:


> I haven't tried the sanding down... but if I sand it down the door won't be flush to the edge of the wood and that will be worse... but the chip is all part of the history... but I will give it some wax and fire it up again... I also see the juice stains have almost disappeared over time... OK let's give the DNA40 another whirl!


I sanded my chip, which happens to be in the exact same place as yours (I got mine second hand, though, so I don't know how it happened) and the door is still flush. I used 800 grit sand paper, and then treated it with Howards, then some wax. The chip is still there, but I can barely see it.

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