The Dovpo Company, which created a squonk with a convenient filling system, presented its new, “lightweight” Topside Lite mod, which we will review today.
The Chinese company Dovpo, which released its unusual mod with top filling Topside together with the YouTuber The Vapor Chronicles the year before last, is not thinking of resting on its laurels, but is releasing very interesting devices not only for fans of bottom feeders. However, it seems that “top squonks” have become the flagship of the manufacturer. The assortment of the Chinese already included both a single-battery device that supports the new (already three years ago) 21700 Topside Squonk battery format, and a dual-battery monster for two more traditional 18650 Topside Dual. Both devices can safely be called “solid” due to the metal case and impressive weight. But it seems that not all vapers found this option convenient, since the statement “heavy is reliable” does not always align with ease of use. canadian vape shop edmonton And now, a year after the release of the first Topside on one battery, the company has introduced its lightweight plastic version, designed to win the hearts of all those fans of “squanchals” who disapproved of the previous heavyweights.
The packaging of the device from Dovpo has once again changed its appearance, there is no trace left of the chic plastic case, now it is a cardboard box with a transparent window through which you can see the box mod itself and its design. On the front side you can see the logos of the manufacturer and the YouTuber, the name of the device (also available in a set with a dripper), on the back side the contents are listed, all the advantages of the new device are described and a barcode with verification of the originality of your purchase is placed.
Topside Lite Squonk Mod Package
DOVPO Topside Lite Mod Box Mod
Battery compartment cover without squonk
Micro USB cable
Spare nipples 2 pcs.
Inside, in addition to the mod and the replaceable cover, you can find a blue “noodle” cable for charging, countless pieces of paper and cardboard, as well as a zip bag with spare nipples (I think this is what this part is called, by analogy with pipe connections).
Topside Lite Squonk Mod Appearance
The main know-how that Dovpo offered in the Topside Lite is the ability to turn a bottom feeder into a regular single-battery box mod like the Oceanus or the grown-up eVic VTC/VTwo using the included cover. It seems to me that the next step could be the option of using a cover with two batteries instead of one, but I’m afraid the plastic construction may not withstand such a weight. And my first complaint about the device concerns the materials used, more precisely polycarbonate and PCTG, from which the case is made. There are devices that are also almost entirely made of plastic, such as the Hugo Vapor URUS or the recently reviewed SWAG II, but both of them are noticeably different from our device: the first has such thick walls that there is no doubt about its reliability, and the second has a coating and rigidity of the structure that generally raise the question of what is actually under the soft-touch. Here the situation is a little different. No, the plastic does not bend from the slightest touch, there are even stiffening ribs inside, and the mod looks almost the same as the aluminum Topside Dual, but after you take the device in your hands, you can’t shake the feeling of a cheap toy.
Impressions and conclusions
I always have mixed feelings about transformer devices. On the one hand, you get two-in-one, which gives you a choice of usage scenarios (if I don’t like squonks, I’ll use it as a regular battery pack), but on the other hand, such solutions always involve some compromises due to the complexity of the design. The design is in perfect order here, but the size of the already rather large case had to be sacrificed; compared to even the rather large Topside Squonk, the device has become even taller, and not much lighter, despite the plastic used everywhere possible. It’s good that the Topside Lite is not “disposable”, all the important components are made of metal, but still, some flimsiness in the design is a little alarming. I’m not even talking about the battery compartment cover (the one with the bottle seems to be even thicker than the case material), I really like it, but rather about the overall appearance and tactile sensations that evoke associations with a toy. At the same time, the device looks very good, nothing wobbles or rattles, but when compressed, the case bends a little and creaks. Now, if the front part was metal, or at least made of thicker plastic, I think the sensations would be completely different. Well, and of course, in some places the frankly visible joints of the casting do not add beauty.
With all that is listed above, the device is more liked than not. It works without any problems, the triggering on the Fire occurs instantly, and the system with replaceable covers for the squonk, although not original, is excellently executed. And the mechanism that eliminates leaks in the removed cover, which was sorely lacking in the same Asura, generally deserves all sorts of praise, Dovpo engineers eat their bread and butter for a reason. In retail, the cost of the Topside Lite at the time of the review can be found at a price that is not at all “light”, the manufacturer’s devices are traditionally more expensive than other Chinese mods.