Wednesday 17 August 2016

Review: SQuape X[dream] by Stattqualm

"Swiss quality vape since 2012" - This is the slogan that greets you once you enter the Stattqualm website. I remember the first SQuapes hitting the market not long after I started getting into high end vaping back in 2012. Back then I was all about genesis style atties so I never got around to try these out. The first Kayfun I tried was Kayfun 4 (!). Since then the market has been flooded with loads of cheaper options and I guess my vaping style also have moved more towards direct lung hits using more airy atties and more power. I guess Stattqualm also have followed this trend a bit with the SQuape X[dream] being able to handle more power and can be adjusted to pull more air through than it's predecessors. Now I haven't really tried any of the other SQuape models but that's what I've read and heard anyway. Still, the SQuape X[dream] is considered one of the best flavour chasing atties and it can easily be set up for mouth to lung vaping. So let's see what all the fuzz is about.


In the box
  • The SQuape X[dream]
  • User manual
  • Set of spare parts (glass tank, o-rings, screws)
  • A tiny Allen key

      Specifications
      • Top filling
      • 4 ml juice capacity
      • Weight without driptip: 80g
      • 22 mm diameter, 54.4 mm height (without tip and 510)
      • Supports single or dual coil setups (more on this later)
      • Gold plated connectors and center pin
      • Ematalised aluminium deck and closing ring
      • Adjustable center pin
      • "Easy click closure" (more on this later as well)
      • Stainless steel (316L)

      Look and feel

      The SQuape X[dream] is indeed a great looking atomizer. It's quite long, the longest I've got at the moment actually, so it's not made for your micro setups. It's quite heavy as well making it feel really solid (which it also is) and it oozes of quality with a flawless brushed finish. When taking off the top cap to fill it you'll notice that this is surprisingly heavy as well, giving you the feeling that this thing could run over with a steamroller and survive quite easily. The slogan from the web-page immediately comes to mind when you start fiddling with this thing.


      In use

      The first thing that I think is worth mentioning about the SQuape X[dream] is the "Easy click closure" system mentioned earlier. Instead of screwing the bottom part together with the tank section, Stattqualm have developed a system where you just slide the bottom part in and twist either way so it "clicks" into place. If you twist clockwise it will be in "vape" setting, meaning the airflow and juice-flow is open. Twisting it all the way counter clockwise both juice- and airflow will be completely shut off. Leave it in the middle the juice-flow is still shut off and you can remove the tank section without liquid pouring out. Works really well if you ask me and it makes sure your coils are perfectly lined up with the air inlets as well.

      The airflow control ring is tight enough to stay wherever you want it and you can choose to leave one or two air holes open, depending on whether you run a dual coil or single coil setup. Actually there is nothing that stops your from leaving both open with a single coil, but I wouldn't do a dual coil setup with just one air hole open.

      The top filling is also a very nice. The threading on the top-cap is nice and smooth and there are fill holes all the way around so you can use any kind of bottle or dripper to fill the tank.

      The build deck and chamber on this atomizer isn't the biggest one. You have just 
      one hole in each connector making it slightly harder to do dual-coil builds than it is in the velocity styled decks that comes in some many atomizers these days, since you have to attach both coils at once. You also have to make sure you put enough cotton in there to cover the juice holes properly as it will leak if you don't. The hex-screws on the deck is also quite small and the Allen key you use to tighten them is tiny so make sure you don't loose it. I don't have any other key that small at least. So building on the SQuape X[dream] does require a bit more experience, or patience, than building on a velocity style deck, but once you get used to it it's not very hard either. I guess Youtube is full of tips and tricks for you if you run into problems. When you attach the bottom part and deck to the tank section the deck and the closing ring will kind of form the chamber. Both these parts are made from ematalised aluminium, making the whole chamber non-conductive, so even if your coils accidentally touches the walls of the chamber, there will be no short. Quite a nice feature indeed.

      It's worth mentioning that there is also a dedicated single coil deck available (shown in the picture), but sadly I haven't been able to test that. It will shut off two of the juice holes, enable you to build your coil on one side of the deck and point a stream of air directly onto the coil. I'm going to get one as soon as it's in stock again.

      Taking the SQuape X[dream] apart and cleaning it is quite easy as well, at least when you've done it once :) The closing ring is the only part that can be a bit tricky to get out, but some fiddling with a screwdriver should do the trick.

      All in all, day to day use of the SQuape X[dream] is indeed a dream. Building single coils is easy, the 2.2 mm wire holes lets you use pretty thick wire as well. The only thing that can be a bit tricky is building dual coils since you have to attach both at once, but nothing that a semi-experienced builder can't handle.

      Performance

      The SQuape X[dream] is a flavour chaser tank, at least in my opinion. The flavour is fantastic, definitely one of the very best I've ever tried. Of the builds I've tried so far, a single 26Ni80/32Kanthal clapton is my favourite. But that doesn't mean a dual-coil taste bad at all. I haven't tried that many builds yet so who know what I end up with. With both air holes fully open you get more than enough air to do direct lung hits as well, so this is quite a versatile tank as well and you can produce decent clouds. But as I said, the flavour that this thing can produce is amazing, and that is what you want it for. If you just want clouds, there are better options out there.

      Pros and cons

      ++ Great flavour
      ++ Easy to use and clean
      + The "Easy click closure" system is an excellent idea and well executed
      + Single coil deck available
      + 2.2 mm wire holes for thicker wires
      + Build quality and finish is fantastic
      - Tiny hex key that you will loose eventually :)
      (- A bit tricky to do dual coil builds)

      Conclusion

      If you can afford one, and you're not only after big clouds, try it this one out. Fantastic flavour chasing atomizer this one. It will cost you 140 Euros (or $156ish) which is quite a lot, but then again, it is, in my opinion, one of the best flavour chasing atomizers out there. Here in Norway it's available at dampevarer.no for 1599,- (on sale now I just noticed).

      Thanks a lot to Dag Einar at dampevarer.no for making this review possible. He also provided a discount code for my readers, so you can use code tvg10 to get a 10% discount.


      dampevarer.no
      Disclosure:
      • All my reviews are my honest opinion even if I am affiliated with the company manufacturing or selling the product.
      • This review does not contain affiliate links.

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