Hi All, Anthony Vapes back here with my review of the Vandy vape Phobia V2 rda, please see the bottom for disclaimers and links. Note: This is the sample version.
Introduction:
The Phobia 2 rda is the latest RDAs from popular vape manufacturer Vandy Vape. They came onto the scene in 2017 with a ton of gear and have been a pretty hyped company ever since so probably don’t need no introduction. The Phobia 2 is the follow up to the original phobia which i felt was a rare swing and a miss from a company that mostly made good products, save for the horrible pulse mech squonk box and it’s voltage drop, so hopefully the phobia 2 gets right what the original couldn’t. The phobia 2 is a dual coil DTL RDA with an included squonk pin. It’s available in 4 colors SS, Black, Gunmetal and Rainbow. I only see the for pre-order right now but they are priced around 30 USD so good price point and pretty typical for them. They should be available mid to late october
Manufacturer's Specs
album
Initial Impressions
When I first got this RDA i was pretty impressed with the design of it. It’s not new per say and they kept the original deck design with the massive post screws that I loved on the original phobia but redid the airflow. Still a dual coil DTL postless deck RDA is right up my alley. Also i got the black color and it has a feel like there is a coating on it which i really like and makes it a matte black which reminds me of the fumytech windwalker RDA i had and maybe even the eco RDA IIRC but i’m sure others as well. I also like how vandy vape included a coil clipping lead tool as they seem to be doing with all their rebuildables as of late. It’s a great bonus to have. Overall I was pretty happy from the start
Build Deck and Wicking (pics above)
Let’s talk about the build deck now. It’s a pretty basic postless deck and the same as the original phobia RDA with the massive hex grub screws. I love it personally since i’m a fan of postles decks and good quality hex grub screws. You will however need to precut your leads but the included tool makes that easier. It’s made for dual coils and each lead has its own post hole and you can install your coils 1 at a time. Just as it should be. The coils slide into the holes which are huge then you just tighten them down. Really easy to build on. The post screws come side in but correctly so it won’t bend your leads with flat wires like fused claptons but also work great with round wire as well. My only gripe in the building process is the coil tool is labeled at 7mm leads however that makes the coils too low, 9-10mm works much better. Overall an excellent build deck that is really easy to build on even for beginners.
Wicking on it is quite easy. It’s an RDA so nothing fancy just drop your leads to the bottom.
Performance
Performance wise, I used it as a Dual Coil RDA only, you could run a big single coil if you wanted to but for me i’d rather use a dedicated single coil RDA for that so yeah dual only. I ran 4 builds in this a fancy 3mm ID build, a fancy 3.5 mm ID build, a fancy 4mm ID build and 1 simple round 4mm ID build. For size I found it worked well with all those sizes and as many wraps as you can fit comfortably in it. The flavor is great one of the better dual coil RDAs for sure and even worked great with the simple round wire. Overall a very good dual coil RDA flavorwise that likes a big build.
Overall Impressions, Details, and Extras
Let’s talk about the airflow now. It has side airflow with 3 large vertical holes on each side that you close off by spinning the top part of the top cap as it’s a 2 piece top cap. Here is where it gets annoying though, due to the holes being vertical and not horizontal but they kept the same spin to close off horizontally it results in really not have much control over the airflow. You basically can’t make any difference and it makes no sense. It’s pretty much a keep it open only and lacks the ability to make any meaningful adjustments. They should have made it so you can close off 1 hole at a time or do a vertical step down to close off height of the air holes and not width. In short you basically have no adjustable air as the adjustments are pointless. Pretty bad design flaw from a seasoned company in conjunction with a reviewer. The top cap o-rings are good however and it’s easy to pop off and on both parts of it. There is no stopper so you have to line up the air manually but the o-rings are good so it’s easy to screw on and off your mod even without that.
It comes with 3 standard 810 friction fit drip tips, one is a clear PMMA tip one is a odd looking black delrin tip that looks like a gear is on the bottom and one is a super short ultem tip that is like not even using a drip tip. While normally i’d applaud having 3 options the ultem and delrin ones are ugly and the ultem one is pointless. The clear PMMA one is really nice though and they should have included 1 510 drip tip, over 1 of the 810 tips. It does come with a 510 adapter as well. The Drip tips all fit very well in the RDA. snug, not loose, not tight. You can use your own as well any style works. The quality on the Vandy Vape Phobia 2 RDA is excellent. The o-rings for the top cap onto the base feel right and the top cap is snug but not tight. Very easy to take apart with no issues. The AFC is easy to adjust but sadly pointless, the o-rings fit just right and everything is nicely done. The top cap doesn’t lock into place however it was still easy to get on and off mods. The post screws are excellent quality as well and 4 spare screws are included but the spares are phillips. I don't’ like phillips so didn’t use them but they look decent enough. Still they should have made all the screws hex. I don’t know of anyone who prefers phillips head screws. If they wanted options flat would have been a better choice. It comes with a standard 510 pin and a BF 510 pin like most RDAs these days as well.
The juice well is a good size. Not massive but pretty large. The over squonk protection and Over drip protection is pretty good. The side airflow is high enough up that it doesn't cause any issues leaking when dripping or squonking. I only used it as a dripper as i’m not currently working on a review for any squonk mods but i did put it on a squonk mod just to test it real quick and it worked well. As a dripper you can drip right down the drip tip without taking off the top cap.
It’s a 24mm diameter so should not overhang on most mods on the market today. There is plenty of spare o-rings and 4 spare post screws for it, 1 allen wrench, 2 screwdrivers, and a 510 tip adapter and the really nice coil lead cutting tool. no coils, no cotton however. good amount of accessories overall but some cotton, coils, would have been nice. Branding is pretty nice on it. It does have a smallish sized phobia 2 logo with the skull engraved on one side but it doesn't stand out too much as it matches the color of the RDA.
Pros:
So with all that said, do I recommend this RDA?I don’t like to do a hard yes or no, but this one will lean towards the yes. Overall it’s a really good dual coil RDA. It’s easy to build on, doesn't need a fancy build but really shines with them. Good juice well, works as a dripper and a squonker. Really no major complaints at all from me outside of the airflow basically being not adjustable. It’s a great performer that’s easy to build on and great quality at under 30 USD so worth looking at if your in the market for a new dual coil RDA. I’ve added this to my sheet of recs linked down below.
This is Anthony Vapes just keeping it honest, hopefully you all can say the same and i’ll catch you on my next review.
Product Disclaimer
This product was sent to me from Vandy Vape
Review Disclaimer
Due to possible QC difference your experience may vary.
Reviewer Disclaimer
I’ve been doing vape reviews since late 2016 and have done around 300 reviews to date. I enjoy helping vapers on forums as well and helping contribute to the great vape community. I’m not an “out of the box” reviewer. I do my best to be thorough at all times and have enough experience with many products to tell what’s good and what’s not. All mods get tested with an oscilloscope and stress tested and results are posted in my reviews.
Recommendations and Past Review Links
written reviews list here
Youtube Channel here
Spreadhseet of Recommendations here
Best of 2018 so far list here
Best of 2017 list here
Introduction:
The Phobia 2 rda is the latest RDAs from popular vape manufacturer Vandy Vape. They came onto the scene in 2017 with a ton of gear and have been a pretty hyped company ever since so probably don’t need no introduction. The Phobia 2 is the follow up to the original phobia which i felt was a rare swing and a miss from a company that mostly made good products, save for the horrible pulse mech squonk box and it’s voltage drop, so hopefully the phobia 2 gets right what the original couldn’t. The phobia 2 is a dual coil DTL RDA with an included squonk pin. It’s available in 4 colors SS, Black, Gunmetal and Rainbow. I only see the for pre-order right now but they are priced around 30 USD so good price point and pretty typical for them. They should be available mid to late october
Manufacturer's Specs
- Height: 25.2mm
- Diameter: 24mm
- Capacity: 1ml
- G.W: 130g(included package)
- Good taste in small space
- Deep tank, high hole position, non leaking issue
- Single & Dual coil available
- M4 screw , easy for coil building
- 3 types drip tips
- 1 x Phobia II RDA
- 1 x Accessory bag
- 1 x User Manual
- 1 x 810 Drip Tip
- 1 x PEI Drip Tip
- 1 x 510 Adapter
- 1 x Coil Lead Guide
album
Initial Impressions
When I first got this RDA i was pretty impressed with the design of it. It’s not new per say and they kept the original deck design with the massive post screws that I loved on the original phobia but redid the airflow. Still a dual coil DTL postless deck RDA is right up my alley. Also i got the black color and it has a feel like there is a coating on it which i really like and makes it a matte black which reminds me of the fumytech windwalker RDA i had and maybe even the eco RDA IIRC but i’m sure others as well. I also like how vandy vape included a coil clipping lead tool as they seem to be doing with all their rebuildables as of late. It’s a great bonus to have. Overall I was pretty happy from the start
Build Deck and Wicking (pics above)
Let’s talk about the build deck now. It’s a pretty basic postless deck and the same as the original phobia RDA with the massive hex grub screws. I love it personally since i’m a fan of postles decks and good quality hex grub screws. You will however need to precut your leads but the included tool makes that easier. It’s made for dual coils and each lead has its own post hole and you can install your coils 1 at a time. Just as it should be. The coils slide into the holes which are huge then you just tighten them down. Really easy to build on. The post screws come side in but correctly so it won’t bend your leads with flat wires like fused claptons but also work great with round wire as well. My only gripe in the building process is the coil tool is labeled at 7mm leads however that makes the coils too low, 9-10mm works much better. Overall an excellent build deck that is really easy to build on even for beginners.
Wicking on it is quite easy. It’s an RDA so nothing fancy just drop your leads to the bottom.
Performance
Performance wise, I used it as a Dual Coil RDA only, you could run a big single coil if you wanted to but for me i’d rather use a dedicated single coil RDA for that so yeah dual only. I ran 4 builds in this a fancy 3mm ID build, a fancy 3.5 mm ID build, a fancy 4mm ID build and 1 simple round 4mm ID build. For size I found it worked well with all those sizes and as many wraps as you can fit comfortably in it. The flavor is great one of the better dual coil RDAs for sure and even worked great with the simple round wire. Overall a very good dual coil RDA flavorwise that likes a big build.
Overall Impressions, Details, and Extras
Let’s talk about the airflow now. It has side airflow with 3 large vertical holes on each side that you close off by spinning the top part of the top cap as it’s a 2 piece top cap. Here is where it gets annoying though, due to the holes being vertical and not horizontal but they kept the same spin to close off horizontally it results in really not have much control over the airflow. You basically can’t make any difference and it makes no sense. It’s pretty much a keep it open only and lacks the ability to make any meaningful adjustments. They should have made it so you can close off 1 hole at a time or do a vertical step down to close off height of the air holes and not width. In short you basically have no adjustable air as the adjustments are pointless. Pretty bad design flaw from a seasoned company in conjunction with a reviewer. The top cap o-rings are good however and it’s easy to pop off and on both parts of it. There is no stopper so you have to line up the air manually but the o-rings are good so it’s easy to screw on and off your mod even without that.
It comes with 3 standard 810 friction fit drip tips, one is a clear PMMA tip one is a odd looking black delrin tip that looks like a gear is on the bottom and one is a super short ultem tip that is like not even using a drip tip. While normally i’d applaud having 3 options the ultem and delrin ones are ugly and the ultem one is pointless. The clear PMMA one is really nice though and they should have included 1 510 drip tip, over 1 of the 810 tips. It does come with a 510 adapter as well. The Drip tips all fit very well in the RDA. snug, not loose, not tight. You can use your own as well any style works. The quality on the Vandy Vape Phobia 2 RDA is excellent. The o-rings for the top cap onto the base feel right and the top cap is snug but not tight. Very easy to take apart with no issues. The AFC is easy to adjust but sadly pointless, the o-rings fit just right and everything is nicely done. The top cap doesn’t lock into place however it was still easy to get on and off mods. The post screws are excellent quality as well and 4 spare screws are included but the spares are phillips. I don't’ like phillips so didn’t use them but they look decent enough. Still they should have made all the screws hex. I don’t know of anyone who prefers phillips head screws. If they wanted options flat would have been a better choice. It comes with a standard 510 pin and a BF 510 pin like most RDAs these days as well.
The juice well is a good size. Not massive but pretty large. The over squonk protection and Over drip protection is pretty good. The side airflow is high enough up that it doesn't cause any issues leaking when dripping or squonking. I only used it as a dripper as i’m not currently working on a review for any squonk mods but i did put it on a squonk mod just to test it real quick and it worked well. As a dripper you can drip right down the drip tip without taking off the top cap.
It’s a 24mm diameter so should not overhang on most mods on the market today. There is plenty of spare o-rings and 4 spare post screws for it, 1 allen wrench, 2 screwdrivers, and a 510 tip adapter and the really nice coil lead cutting tool. no coils, no cotton however. good amount of accessories overall but some cotton, coils, would have been nice. Branding is pretty nice on it. It does have a smallish sized phobia 2 logo with the skull engraved on one side but it doesn't stand out too much as it matches the color of the RDA.
Pros:
- 3 Standard 810 Drip Tips (PMMA, ultem, and delrin) and 510 adapter
- standard 510 pin and squonk pin included
- plenty of spare o-rings
- Color Options
- great quality hex grub post screws
- Good over squonk protection
- works well as a dripper or squonker
- great flavor
- simple looks and branding
- great easy to use build deck
- nice size juice well
- good build quality
- Price point (under 30 USD)
- included coil lead cutting tool
- no included coils or cotton
- would have been nice if top cap locked in place
- coil lead tool should have been marked at 9-10mm not 7mm
- AFC doesn't offer any meaningful adjustment.
- 2 of the 810 tips are pretty bad
So with all that said, do I recommend this RDA?I don’t like to do a hard yes or no, but this one will lean towards the yes. Overall it’s a really good dual coil RDA. It’s easy to build on, doesn't need a fancy build but really shines with them. Good juice well, works as a dripper and a squonker. Really no major complaints at all from me outside of the airflow basically being not adjustable. It’s a great performer that’s easy to build on and great quality at under 30 USD so worth looking at if your in the market for a new dual coil RDA. I’ve added this to my sheet of recs linked down below.
This is Anthony Vapes just keeping it honest, hopefully you all can say the same and i’ll catch you on my next review.
Product Disclaimer
This product was sent to me from Vandy Vape
Review Disclaimer
Due to possible QC difference your experience may vary.
Reviewer Disclaimer
I’ve been doing vape reviews since late 2016 and have done around 300 reviews to date. I enjoy helping vapers on forums as well and helping contribute to the great vape community. I’m not an “out of the box” reviewer. I do my best to be thorough at all times and have enough experience with many products to tell what’s good and what’s not. All mods get tested with an oscilloscope and stress tested and results are posted in my reviews.
Recommendations and Past Review Links
written reviews list here
Youtube Channel here
Spreadhseet of Recommendations here
Best of 2018 so far list here
Best of 2017 list here
