What is a bottom feeder?
The ” bottom-feeder ” literally means ” feeding from below “. It is also common to encounter the names ” BF “, ” Squonk ” or even ” Squeeze Box ” in vaping jargon. More precisely, the bottom-feeder refers to a very specific type of operation, since it is intended to facilitate the feeding of drippers.
The dripper is an essential component to understand the role of the bottom-feeder
A dripper is a reconstructable atomizer. Drippers allow you to benefit from better restitution of the flavours of your e-liquids compared to conventional atomizers. Their great precision in this area also makes them perfect allies when it comes to tasting an e-liquid and getting a concrete idea of it. They also have a major advantage regarding the production of large vapour clouds; since their greater airflow allows the use of lower resistance. They are therefore able to heat more efficiently and produce ever more vape!
While drippers were still little used until now, more and more users wishing to benefit from a more intense and also tastier vape are now turning to this new kind of atomizer to personalize their Pod as they wish. wish. The dripper also has no tank; which means that it must necessarily be supplied with e-liquid through another source. This is where the bottom-feeder comes into play.
The bottom-feeder, a simple alternative solution for drippers users
The bottom feeder allows a simple and fast feeding of the resistance of your dripper. Indeed, since the latter has no tank, it must be regularly fed so that the cotton of its resistance never runs out of e-liquid and that steam can be produced continuously. Thus, through a small flexible vial containing said e-liquid, the resistance of your dripper can be fed from the bottom much faster than usual.
As an example, let’s take the case of a classic rebuildable Box on which we would add a dripper. To ensure the operation of your Mechanical or Electro Box, it would be necessary to open its mechanism and manually soak the wick of the resistance; which is not always practical daily.
On the other hand, in the case of a bottom-feeder installation, the tankless atomizer is connected directly through a small pipe, to the flexible bottle placed just below. By pressing this bottle, the liquid will then rise in the pipe until it reaches the atomizer and its resistance. With a simple pressure on the vial, the cotton of the resistance installed on your dripper will be soaked in e-liquid and you can vape serenely!
The characteristics of the bottom feeder
As you can imagine, an electronic or mechanical Mod must have enough space to be able to integrate a bottom-feeder configuration. Indeed, a Box of this type generally has a rectangular format which allows it to accommodate everything necessary: a battery, a small flexible bottle, as well as a small pipe to make the connection with the resistance of the dripper.
The small bottle in question generally offers a large capacity, between 6 and 11 ml; which is much more than what the reservoirs integrated into traditional clearomizers or atomizers allow (between 2 and 5 ml ). Once the bottle is full, you won’t have to refill it right away and you’ll enjoy great vaping autonomy!
In addition, the design of a Box accommodating a bottom-feeder configuration is designed to simplify access to the small flexible tank to be squeezed as much as possible. In doing so, compatible Mods generally have an opening, allowing you to easily exert the pressure necessary to feed the system; and this, without having to disassemble anything. Finally, it is also advisable to opt for an atomizer compatible with the bottom-feeder. The latter must thus have a breakthrough connector 510, to let the liquid pass.
The advantages of the bottom feeder
The bottom-feeder is firstly a considerable time saver for vapers who have a rebuildable atomizer of the dripper type, as well as an adapted Box. Indeed, as mentioned above, you don’t have to worry about dismantling your Box to power the dripper. In addition, a Pod Mod compatible with the bottom-feeder has a quick disassembly, which will allow you to extract the bottle and easily refill it with e-liquid. Using a large capacity bottle also guarantees you greater autonomy of use until the next refill.
Moreover, by opting for the bottom-feeder, you will benefit from all the advantages associated with the use of a dripper: a tastier e-liquid, a more intense vapour, for a much more appreciable vaping experience in the end!
Bottom feeder disadvantages
Although the BF greatly simplifies the use of a dripper daily, filling the soft bottle is still more tedious to perform than on a classic Box with an atomizer / clearomizer; where you just have to fill the tank. Indeed, even if the comfortable capacity of this type of bottle reduces the frequency of its refills, it is still appropriate when necessary: to open the Box, remove the bottle, and then refill it with e-liquid before repositioning it.
In addition, pressing the bottle too hard or too repetitively can cause e-liquid to leak through the air inlets. It is therefore advisable to space the pressures so as not to overfeed the dripper with liquid.