Disclaimer: I dig RDAs, own several and use a Magma and my old Igo W daily. I have been building for over a year; I'm no Rip Tripper but I know what makes a good build.
I got into rebuilding as many of us do in the pursuit of better vaping. I lucked out and after hating the RSST, I found the Kayfun, which changed everything. Finally the brilliant flavor I smell in my juices is alive! Happy clam, was I.
But, like so many of us, I still hoped that there was better out there. My chief desires in vaping are crisp, clear flavor and a strong TH. Vapor is fun but anything past cartotank level vapor is, to me, a mere novelty.
But I couldn't miss all the buzz about drippers. With so many users raving about a new level of vaping experience and never going back, and the amazing flavor! I figured I had to be missing something, so I jumped in.
It's taken me a year of building and buying and experimenting to finally conclude: I bought into hype. RDAs are truly awesome devices and I would recommend them to many, but they aren't the be-all-end-all vaping platform I read so much about. They have specific uses in which they excel, and excel they do. I'm glad I tried them, I love a good cloud sometimes and I love warm vapor. But, moving into RDAs accomplished very little improvements in my target areas, flavor and TH.
I very much wanted to believe I was getting what I wanted, and convinced myself that I had for a time. Told other vapers they were missing out on the future. But in the end I had to admit to myself that as much as I wanted the hype to ring true, wanted to have found the best vape that exists, I simply hadn't, not by my personal definition. All that money and time later, my Kayfun still gives me the most of what I want for my ADV.
Now, some amazing, peerless flavor can come out of a good RDA setup, but this is a question of heat and juice in my opinion, not one of device (broad statement, I realize ofc that device and build do matter to a degree). I have encountered certain juices that contain nuances of flavor that ONLY high wattage delivery can reveal; it follows that these juices are well suited for RDAs, as no non-dripping device is as capable of performing properly at the highest power level.
However - do not make the mistake, as I did, of following that logic to the conclusion that RDAs are the premier flavor delivery devices. RDAs at their core are designed for accessibility, simplicity, full control of vape experience and the ability to use much higher power than a standard device, if desired.
Looking at what seems to yield the best flavor consistently, I do not believe that flavor production is the driving force in RDA design. Even newer RDAs intended for 'flavor builds' are only designed to deliver superior flavor versus other RDAs, not versus all devices.
For a select few juices I have found, RDAs are the best choice for flavor, as Kayfuns and clearos/cartos burn too easily when trying to heat-activate subtle flavors, especially at 30+W. Penguin's Yellow Eyes is a great example; in my Kayfun it tastes like lemony cake. In my Magma at high power, it really tastes like a lemon crumble.
Even so, the vast majority of liquids I have tried respond little to not at all to high power vs regular power. Using those liquids in RDAs vs my Kayfun, I get peerless vapor production and high nicotine delivery, no equal. I also get a drastically reduced TH, and flavor lacking in either clarity (blander, fuzzier) or balance (full flavor but one element of the flavor overwhelms other elements).
I have never tried an RDA of any build in all my time that yielded equivalent TH to a Kayfun/tank, whether using closed draw, open draw, lower or higher power. Tanks are still king of TH in my book, I've experienced this 100% of the time.
With a few exceptions that speak entirely to specific liquids, using the identical power settings, wicking material and liquid I have never had any RDA yield equivalent flavor to my Kayfun, dare I say even to my Nautilus Mini with a fresh tank/coil (honestly I haven't had the Mini long enough to really say that). Of course you can apply far more power to the RDA to increase performance than you can the tank, but it's up to the juice whether that will increase your flavor output. In most of my experiences, it does not.
To recap: I love RDAs and use them daily. They are beautiful devices and provide exceptional vape performance. But I no longer believe they are the premier atomizing device for all vaping, as I once did.
If you're craving great flavor and a strong TH, don't bend over backwards trying to get different RDAs to perform like a Kayfun-type device. Just go for the Kayfun or equivalent, master your builds and be content in the knowledge that you have, at least for now, the best device for you.
Feedback welcome!
I got into rebuilding as many of us do in the pursuit of better vaping. I lucked out and after hating the RSST, I found the Kayfun, which changed everything. Finally the brilliant flavor I smell in my juices is alive! Happy clam, was I.
But, like so many of us, I still hoped that there was better out there. My chief desires in vaping are crisp, clear flavor and a strong TH. Vapor is fun but anything past cartotank level vapor is, to me, a mere novelty.
But I couldn't miss all the buzz about drippers. With so many users raving about a new level of vaping experience and never going back, and the amazing flavor! I figured I had to be missing something, so I jumped in.
It's taken me a year of building and buying and experimenting to finally conclude: I bought into hype. RDAs are truly awesome devices and I would recommend them to many, but they aren't the be-all-end-all vaping platform I read so much about. They have specific uses in which they excel, and excel they do. I'm glad I tried them, I love a good cloud sometimes and I love warm vapor. But, moving into RDAs accomplished very little improvements in my target areas, flavor and TH.
I very much wanted to believe I was getting what I wanted, and convinced myself that I had for a time. Told other vapers they were missing out on the future. But in the end I had to admit to myself that as much as I wanted the hype to ring true, wanted to have found the best vape that exists, I simply hadn't, not by my personal definition. All that money and time later, my Kayfun still gives me the most of what I want for my ADV.
Now, some amazing, peerless flavor can come out of a good RDA setup, but this is a question of heat and juice in my opinion, not one of device (broad statement, I realize ofc that device and build do matter to a degree). I have encountered certain juices that contain nuances of flavor that ONLY high wattage delivery can reveal; it follows that these juices are well suited for RDAs, as no non-dripping device is as capable of performing properly at the highest power level.
However - do not make the mistake, as I did, of following that logic to the conclusion that RDAs are the premier flavor delivery devices. RDAs at their core are designed for accessibility, simplicity, full control of vape experience and the ability to use much higher power than a standard device, if desired.
Looking at what seems to yield the best flavor consistently, I do not believe that flavor production is the driving force in RDA design. Even newer RDAs intended for 'flavor builds' are only designed to deliver superior flavor versus other RDAs, not versus all devices.
For a select few juices I have found, RDAs are the best choice for flavor, as Kayfuns and clearos/cartos burn too easily when trying to heat-activate subtle flavors, especially at 30+W. Penguin's Yellow Eyes is a great example; in my Kayfun it tastes like lemony cake. In my Magma at high power, it really tastes like a lemon crumble.
Even so, the vast majority of liquids I have tried respond little to not at all to high power vs regular power. Using those liquids in RDAs vs my Kayfun, I get peerless vapor production and high nicotine delivery, no equal. I also get a drastically reduced TH, and flavor lacking in either clarity (blander, fuzzier) or balance (full flavor but one element of the flavor overwhelms other elements).
I have never tried an RDA of any build in all my time that yielded equivalent TH to a Kayfun/tank, whether using closed draw, open draw, lower or higher power. Tanks are still king of TH in my book, I've experienced this 100% of the time.
With a few exceptions that speak entirely to specific liquids, using the identical power settings, wicking material and liquid I have never had any RDA yield equivalent flavor to my Kayfun, dare I say even to my Nautilus Mini with a fresh tank/coil (honestly I haven't had the Mini long enough to really say that). Of course you can apply far more power to the RDA to increase performance than you can the tank, but it's up to the juice whether that will increase your flavor output. In most of my experiences, it does not.
To recap: I love RDAs and use them daily. They are beautiful devices and provide exceptional vape performance. But I no longer believe they are the premier atomizing device for all vaping, as I once did.
If you're craving great flavor and a strong TH, don't bend over backwards trying to get different RDAs to perform like a Kayfun-type device. Just go for the Kayfun or equivalent, master your builds and be content in the knowledge that you have, at least for now, the best device for you.
Feedback welcome!
