What Is Squonking? – Best Squonking Devices

Jun 22, 2022Updated Sep 17, 20266 min readVape School

Yes, squonking is a real vape term, and no, it is not the name of a juice. A squonk mod holds a small, squeezable bottle of e-liquid inside the device. Squeeze it, and juice travels up through the mod’s 510 connection into a bottom-feed atomizer, soaking the wicks without any dripping.

This guide explains how squonking works, its pros and cons, how to squonk without making a mess, and what to look for in a squonk mod. You will also find the squonkers we picked back in 2016.

How squonking works

A squonk setup has three parts that work together:

• The squonk mod. A box mod with a bottle inside, usually made of soft silicone or flexible plastic, and an opening in the side so you can press it.
• The feed tube and 510 pin. A tube runs from the bottle to a hollow 510 connector on top of the mod.
• A bottom-feed (BF) atomizer. Usually an RDA with a hollow center pin, so juice can flow up into the deck.

When you press the bottle, the pressure pushes e-liquid up the tube, through the hollow pin and into the atomizer, where it saturates the cotton around your coils. Let go, and much of the extra juice is pulled back down. Put simply, squonking is a bottom-fed atomizer with its own built-in juice supply.

Pros and cons

Why vapers squonk

• Less dripping. A regular RDA needs a few drops of juice every few puffs. With a squonker, a quick squeeze re-wets the wicks.
• No bottle to carry. The juice supply lives inside the mod, and the bottle comes out for refilling when you need it.
• Dripper flavor on the go. Plenty of vapers love the flavor they get from an RDA, and squonking makes it practical away from a desk.

The downsides

• You need the right atomizer. Squonking only works with a bottom-feed atomizer, which is different from a typical RDA. Some RDAs come with a bottom-feed pin, but check before you buy.
• It assumes you can build. Most squonk setups use rebuildable atomizers, so you need to know how to build and wick coils. If you have never used an RDA, learn on one first. Our guide to the anatomy of an RDA is a good place to begin.
• Many squonkers are unregulated. A lot of squonk mods are mechanical devices with no protective chip, so running one means you must understand voltage, resistance, current and your battery’s limits. If you are new to vaping or not confident with those numbers, stay away from unregulated squonkers.
• Small bottles. The internal bottle is small, so you refill it often, and switching flavors means emptying it first.
• Some mess. Squeeze too hard and juice floods the deck and can leak from the airflow holes.

How to squonk

1. Fit a bottom-feed pin to your RDA, or use one made for squonking, and screw it onto the mod.
2. Build and wick your coils as usual, then wet the cotton with a few drops of juice.
3. Fill the squonk bottle with e-liquid and put it back in the mod.
4. Squeeze gently until the wicks look saturated, then let go so the excess drains back.
5. Vape as normal. When the flavor starts to fade, give the bottle another gentle squeeze.
6. Check the deck now and then. If juice is pooling or the atomizer gurgles, you are squonking too hard.

Keep an eye on the juice level in the bottle, too. Firing a coil on dry cotton gives you a dry hit, and a squonker is no exception.

Choosing a squonk mod

What to look for

• Regulated or mechanical. A regulated squonker has a chip that controls power and adds protections such as short-circuit and low-voltage cutoffs. A mechanical squonker has none of that. For most vapers, regulated is the sensible choice. Read regulated vs. unregulated for the differences.
• Battery type. Many squonkers take a single removable 18650 battery, while others use different sizes or a built-in battery. Use a quality cell from a trusted maker, stay within its current rating, and replace it if the wrap is torn. Our guide to recommended batteries can help.
• The bottle. Look for one that is easy to squeeze and refill, and that seals well enough not to leak. Spare bottles are handy.
• Atomizer fit. Check the widest atomizer the mod can take without overhang, and whether it comes with a squonk-ready RDA.
• Build quality. A solid 510 connection, a responsive fire button and a secure battery door matter more than looks.

The squonkers we picked in 2016

These were our favorite squonk mods in 2016. The market has moved on a long way since, so treat this as a record of the time rather than a shopping list. It shows how wide the range was, from mainstream kits to boutique pieces.

1. Kangertech Dripbox 160 TC. A starter kit with temperature control from Kangertech, one of the big device makers of the day.
2. SunBox E8 Nano X. A high-end boutique squonker.
3. Council of Vapor Wraith 80W Squonker Starter Kit. An 80-watt squonk mod sold as a starter kit.
4. Steam Crave Squonk Mod. A squonker from Steam Crave, with pricing available on request at the time.
5. 420 Spectra Resin Wood Door by Art & Mod. A premium mod with a resin and wood door, priced as a luxury piece.

Is squonking right for you?

Squonking makes sense if you already enjoy RDAs, you know how to build and wick, and you are tired of dripping. If you mostly want convenience, a pod system or a sub-ohm tank will be easier to live with.

If you are still learning how resistance, voltage and batteries fit together, start with a regulated device, and read our guides to ohms and sub-ohm vaping and mechanical mod battery safety before you consider a mechanical squonker.

Juice for your squonker

Most squonk setups are direct-to-lung RDAs, so they pair well with high-VG juice at lower freebase nicotine strengths. Thicker juice may need a slightly firmer squeeze. Read What Are PG and VG? for more on ratios, and browse our vape juice by flavor. Squonkers refill often, so if you go through a lot of juice, the Zamplebox Club‘s Big Juice Box ships four bottles of 100 ml or more a month for $49.99.

Common questions

WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. For adults 21+ only.