Finding a decent regulated sqonker at a reasonable price isn’t easy these days with the squonk craze at full frenzy. Well Hcigar might just have it with the VT inbox, an affordable DNA75 squonker that has a lot going for it.
The VT inbox is a simple looking mod. Brick like pretty much. There is some nice curved lines on all the edges making it comfortable to the touch. There are magnetic side panels that are available in 4 colourways to help give it some personalization options. And that’s the thing, there are plenty of 3rd party panels, if you buy yourself a nice pair of stabilized wood you can really improve the aesthetics of this little squonker (almost taking it to a high end appeal). The body is made of raw billet aluminum, it almost looks cheap, it’s pretty light. But, then after using it awhile you notice the durability, after weeks of heavy carefree use there isn’t a mark on it. There are some nice design features, there is a battery removal hole underneath the back panel making it easy to pop out your batteries. The inbox uses a proprietary bottle system, it sits almost in the centre of the mod and works well. The bottle could be a little softer and it seems to lose function with the last 1-2 ml of juice. The internals of the mod are fully encased in molded plastic. Everything fits snuggly, the battery sits nicely, the bottle pops into place, and your DNA75 board is fully protected. It’s a tight little package, really the only nit pick are the buttons, there is no rattle and they are nice and clicky, they just feel a little cheap. Hcigar has also opted for the cheesy DNA75 fire button lights, not our thing but you can control the colour or turn them off in eScribe. The overall size and weight is really nice, height is good, as is the width, it’s really the depth in your hand that might be an issue for some, it’s a tad wide (should be fine for most average hands). It’s clean, simple, and works well.
Not much to be said about the chipset, it’s very good, it’s an Evolve DNA75. Great chip with every feature you could possible want (eScribe). The only issue might be for those of you trying to max out your volts (6.2v limit). We don’t think there are a lot of flavourchasers vaping over 5v, so not really an issue. The chip is pretty efficient, on the single 18650 battery the inbox does pretty well, 4-6 hours of heavy vaping in around 35-45W is pretty normal performance. The screen is the standard, bright DNA big screen (works great).
Fit & Finish is quite good for the price point. There are no rattles, the doors snap on and stay pretty solid with little to no movement. The stock panels/doors fit nice and flush. It feels solid and is really durable and scratch resistant. The milling work on the body is spot on, smooth, with all the right curves in the right places. We even like the bevelling around the screen.
Juice capacity is great, as are most squonkers (8ml bottle). A full bottle will last a half day or more. Filling the bottle is easy thanks to a pop out system. Getting it in and out without making a mess is a bit of a trick however. The feed tube is attached to the base of the 510 (removable for cleaning), so when removing the bottle it leaves the tube coated and sometimes filled with liquid. The trick is to hook the tube with your finger and hold it away from the mod internals while fill the bottle with your free hand. It’s a juggling act, a bit of a pain really (of course this is only for those of us OCD types that don’t want juice dripping all over the internals), it does become habit pretty quickly though. Another great option is grab yourself the killer Supersoft Refill Bottle from Tuttaltrofumo and leave it in till it needs a cleaning.
If you are in the market for an affordable and easy to get regulated squonker, and a DNA75 at that you don’t have a ton of options. Sure there is also Lost Vape’s Therion BF, but with a different form factor, aesthetic, and higher cost (also customizable with door and side panel options). But the simple and clean look of the VT inbox does it for us cheap and cheerfully. The included atty (Maze), isn’t for us, it’s a cloud chucker with a crazy pop-up top cap. Sure it will get you vaping, but do yourself a favour and get a proper BF enabled atty. You can’t really go wrong with this little squonker, even if you have your heart set on something high end, grab this in the meantime to get you through with a really decent vape experience. Think of it as a solid beater squonker (unless you upgrade to stab wood, then it can become a nice baby of a mod). If only we could swap the buttons…
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I would like to know where I can get stabwood panels for the v.t. inbox. I can’t seem to find any. Thank you.
Canadian Custom Vapes (CCV) can hook you up Larry. https://www.facebook.com/groups/861893410590212/