Fuchai Squonk 213 Kit by Sigelei

Commercial characteristics

• Sponsor having loaned the product for the magazine: Heaven Gifts 
• Price of the tested product: 62 Euros
• Product category according to its selling price: Mid-range (from 41 to 80 euros)
• Mod type: Variable power electronics and temperature control
• Is the mod telescopic? No
• Maximum power: 150 W
• Maximum voltage: 7.5 V
• Minimum value in Ohms resistance for a start: 0.1

Reviewer comments on business characteristics

Kit. Fashion is in the kit! Furniture kit at Ikea, vape kit, Kit Harington in Game of Thrones… everything is kit! 

As far as we are concerned, a kit therefore offers a mod set plus atomizer. The advantage is therefore to have a ready-to-vape in one go without the hassle, a price generally lower than the purchase in two separate elements and a coherent aesthetic. The downside is that the quality of a kit is measured by its weakest element, of course. 

BF. The fashion is at BF or Bottom Feeder. Thank you to Kanger for relaunching this technology to the great pleasure of confirmed vapers who find, in this assembly between a self-sufficient mod in terms of carrying liquid and a dripper responsible for evaporation, an ideal compromise between flavors and steamy, at least on paper. 

Sigelei is a great Chinese manufacturer in the vape and the oldest still remember the first tubes of the brand that came to battle with the most famous American modellers on their own ground.

The Fuchai Kit borrows its surname from the last king of the Wu dynasty and therefore offers a bottom-feeder box carrying 5ml of liquid, coupled to a double-coil dripper, all for 62 € at our sponsor. An interesting financial restraint which is supposed to put the BF within the reach of all and is placed fairly well in the many current proposals of the competition. The manufacturer has for him a significant experience in the design of mods and chipsets but suffers from a total lack of image in the realization of atomizers.

It will therefore be interesting in more ways than one to lengthen the Fuchai on the test bench to see if the proposal offers decent quality for a decent price. At work !

Physical characteristics and felt quality

• Width or Diameter of the product in mm: 31
• Product Length or Height in mm: 124
• Product weight in grams: 259
• Material composing the product: Zinc alloy, Aluminum
• Form Factor Type: Classic Box - VaporShark type
• Decorative style: Classic
• Quality of decoration: Good
• Is the coating of the mod sensitive to fingerprints? No
• All components of this mod seem well assembled? Yes
• Fire button position: Lateral near the top cap
• Fire button type: Mechanical plastic on contact rubber
• Number of buttons making up the interface, including touch zones if they are present: 2
• Type of user interface buttons: Mechanical plastic on contact rubber
• Quality of the interface button (s): Good, the button is very responsive
• Number of parts in the product: 3
• Number of threads: 1
• Quality of the threads: Good
• Overall, do you appreciate the quality of manufacture of this product with regard to its price? Yes

Rating of the vapelier as to feelings quality: 3.6 / 5

Reviewer's comments on physical characteristics and perceived quality

Aesthetically, Sigelei has concocted a nice set-up. Modern appearance, rectangular shape with very rounded edges, color screen and dripper of square section, everything is made to seduce the eye and succeeds perfectly. 

Added to this is a flattering finish that combines flawless assembly with great softness in the hand of the materials and their coatings. On the subjective level of perceived quality, it is well done.

The switch is rectangular, falls well under the finger on condition, however, to use the thumb because the bottle is located on the opposite side and will therefore require this digital configuration in order to be able to vape and squonker without turning the box in the hand to do this. Index users will therefore be a little bothered by the configuration. 

The interface buttons are located on the main facade, just above the screen. Their shape and action show no major defects and, like the switch, they are responsive and free from assembly defects.

The Oled screen informs us about the power, the voltage in real time, the output current, the resistance of the assembly and the residual percentage of autonomy in the battery. Everything is displayed in a natural and clear way, using colors well to prioritize information. Thus, the battery gauge changes color according to the remaining charge, for example, and shows the autonomy according to the pressure on the switch, which can be a little disconcerting at the start because, at high power, the gauge drops very low in real time to indicate the battery discharge peak. But don't worry, the concrete autonomy remains substantial and quickly overcomes the first emotions caused by the spectacular drop in the gauge at the first blow of the switch.

The box will use 21700, 20700 or even “simple” 18650 batteries thanks to an adapter supplied. It claims to go up to 150W, which is theoretically possible at 0.1Ω, provided you use a battery sending an intensity of 40A even if, in fact, the box will have trouble holding this power for a long time. Moreover, the screen seems to agree with me since when 150W are requested, it hurries to display an auspicious “check battery” and “corrects” the power around 100W, which seems to me more realistic… Too bad for the commercial impact but so much the better for safety.

The bottle is made of silicone and is very flexible. It is even a little “creepy” at first contact but, as soon as it is filled, it hardens under the effect of the internal pressure of the liquid and becomes very easy to handle. Carrying 5ml of liquid, it looks like the Coil Master bottles and fulfills its role perfectly. 

The connection plate is (fortunately!) Devoid of air intakes by the connection and conventionally offers a positive pin on spring. The bottom cap accommodates the hinged battery hatch which, again, has no flaws. 

The dripper, meanwhile, adopts a classic velocity bridge and has two airholes ensuring a fairly substantial airflow. Built in aluminum, it presents well, with its rounded square shape at the edges and is capped with an 810 drip-tip pleasant in the mouth. However, it is not free from faults, as we will see later. 

Functional features

• Type of chipset used: Owner
• Connection type: 510
• Adjustable positive stud? Yes, through a spring.
• Lock system ? Electronic
• Quality of the locking system: Good, the function does what it is for
• Features offered by the mod: Display of the battery charge, Display of the resistance value, Protection against short circuits from the atomizer, Protection against reverse polarity of batteries, Display of the current vape voltage , Display of the power of the current vape, Temperature control of the atomizer coils, Clear diagnostic messages
• Accusability: 18650, 20700, 21700
• Does the mod support stacking? No
• Number of batteries supported: 1
• Does the mod retain its configuration without batteries? Yes
• Does the mod offer a recharge feature? Charging function possible via Micro-USB
• Is the recharge function pass-through? No
• Does the mode offer a Power Bank function? No power bank function offered by the mod
• Does the mode offer other functions? No other function offered by the mod
• Presence of air flow regulation? No, nothing is planned to feed an atomizer from the bottom
• Maximum diameter in mm of compatibility with an atomizer: 25
• Accuracy of the output power at full charge of the battery: Good, there is a tiny difference between the requested power and the real power
• Accuracy of the output voltage at full charge of the battery: Good, there is a tiny difference between the requested voltage and the actual voltage

Vapelier's note regarding functional characteristics: 3.3 / 5

Reviewer's comments on functional features

At the mod, we find the leg Sigelei with a rich chipset, offering many useful features.

There are two ways of working. First, the traditional variable power which therefore offers a range of use of 10 to 150 W on a resistance scale that goes from 0.1 to 3Ω. Then, we have a temperature control accepting titanium (T1), Ni200 and steels 304, 316 and 317. No TCR here, so you will have to be satisfied with the resistives already implemented. You can oscillate between 100 and 300 ° C from 0.1Ω.

The ergonomics are fairly standard and will not confuse users of this type of machine. Five clicks on the switch are enough to turn the Fuchai on or off. Three clicks allow you to enter the menu and thus access the six options: power, Ti1, Ni200, SS304, SS316 and SS317. 

Simultaneous press on the switch and the [-] button will block the power. To unlock it, it will suffice to reproduce the manipulation.

Simultaneously pressing the [+] button and the switch will allow you to enter the pre-heating setting. You will then indicate the desired pre-heating power as well as the duration of the action in seconds. Ideal for enhancing a slightly heavy editing or calming a too lively editing. 

Simultaneous pressing of the [-] and [+] buttons will cause the device to explode. Uh, sorry, it will calibrate the resistance in temperature control mode! 

We therefore notice that Sigelei has overlooked certain fashionable features such as TCR, TFR, SNCF ... a whole series of acronyms which are generally more sources of misunderstanding than real added value for a serene vape. So much the better for the ergonomics and too bad for the indecreatable geeks. This box does not connect to the Pentagon, it does not toaster, vibrate or phone. She vapes.

As for the dripper, the results are less encouraging. Indeed, the airflow is not adjustable, which can seriously handicap the user wishing to be able to influence the draft of his vape. The velocity type plate is suitable and allows various assemblies but only in double-coil. The joints are not the most eye-catching that I have come across and will dissuade you from holding your set-up by the dripper. On the other hand, the bottom-feeding system is fine and I did not notice any leaks, neither in the box nor by the RDA airholes placed, it is true, quite high on the barrel. 

On the contrary, I have to welcome the presence of a shutter which serves to completely camouflage the squonker bottle and therefore modifies the aesthetics of the box which becomes, by this simple fact, a non-BF box all that there is. a more normal. A good idea for those looking for versatility.

Evaluation of the packaging

• Presence of a box accompanying the product: Yes
• Would you say that the packaging is up to the price of the product? Yes
• Presence of a user manual? Yes
• Is the manual understandable for a non-English speaker? Yes
• Does the manual explain ALL features? Yes

Vapelier's note on packaging: 5 / 5

Reviewer's comments on conditioning

We have here a traditional packaging whose merry white box effectively protects a rich enough content, very correct for the tariff category:

1. The famous shutter to get a non-BF box.
2. A cotton pad
3. A USB / micro USB cable
4. Two resistors
5. A BTR key
6. Spare screws for velocity post
7. A multilingual notice that displays French for once not too relaxed ...

Sigelei thus demonstrates its respect for the user, whatever his nationality.

Appreciations in use

• Transport facilities with the test atomizer: Ok for an external jacket pocket (no deformations)
• Disassembly and cleaning facilities: Easy, even standing on the street, with a simple Kleenex
• Easy to change the batteries: Easy, even standing in the street
• Did the mod heat up? No
• Has there been any erratic behavior after a day of use? No
• Description of situations in which the product has experienced erratic behavior

Vapelier's rating in terms of ease of use: 4.5/5

Reviewer's comments on the use of the product

Let's go quickly to the box. Sigelei knows how to do it and offers us a complete mod devoid of unnecessary gadgets. The vape is direct, very pleasant and the quality of the signal is in the middle plus of the category. The BF system is reliable, the latency is low and the general rendering, including temperature control, can only please its owner. In addition, its constant control of the battery charge allows it to ensure a reassuring vape.

The dripper is less recommendable. Even if he is doing objectively rather not too badly, the deadlock made on the airflow adjustment heavily penalizes the result. The flavors obtained are correct but lack precision and definition. The conductivity of the dripper seems quite low and penalizes the reactivity of the whole. The joints are too lazy and struggle to maintain the top-cap. It remains to his credit the fact of being present, of being simple to the assembly and of finishing in a superb way the esthetics of the set-up. 

The result is positive, but to appreciate this kit at its fair value, it will be better to opt in fine for a dripper more powerful to enjoy the quality of the box.

Otherwise, the error messages are very clear, the mod does not heat up, neither does the dripper and the whole thing is quite sexy. Let’s put things in context. For the asking price, we have an honest kit which, if it would certainly have deserved a more thoughtful RDA, will be an excellent introduction to bottom-feeding for an intermediate vaper. 

Recommendations for use

• Type of batteries used during the tests: 18650
• Number of batteries used during the tests: 1
• With what type of atomizer is it advisable to use this product? Dripper, Dripper Bottom Feeder, Classic fiber, In sub-ohm assembly, Genesis-type rebuildable
• With which model of atomizer is it advisable to use this product? An RDA Bottom Feeder
• Description of the test configuration used: As it is
• Description of the ideal configuration with this product: With a good BF dripper!

was the product liked by the reviewer: Yes

Overall average of the Vapelier for this product: 4.1 / 5

The mood ticket of the reviewer

The most beautiful girl in the world can only give what she has ... And the best of kits must take into account the weaknesses of its least successful link. It is thus and here, it is the dripper which is a bit the poor relation of our kit of the day. 

However, if we accept that this proposal from Sigelei is rather reserved for intermediate vapers who are making their first entry into the world of BF, we are not on a bad set. The box does better than behave well and the dripper, failing to be revolutionary, may be sufficient for the first assemblies of the geeks in the making. It will of course be necessary to ignore the possibility of adjusting its airflow and take into account the fact that this RDA, if it is not sluggish, lacks a little precision to exalt the tasty subtleties of our favorite liquids.

So here we have a half-success that could have been a game-changer with a little more attention paid to the dripper. But this is where Sigelei confronts his past with a strong experience on mods of all kinds but a panel of atomizers released which does not really plead in his favor.

The whole thing gets 4.1 / 5. The box would have done much better alone. The dripper would have done worse. It is necessary to know reason to keep then, cut for a happy medium!

(c) Copyright Le Vapelier SAS 2014 - Only full reproduction of this article is authorized - Any modification of any kind is totally prohibited and infringes the rights of this copyright.