Hi All, Anthony Vapes back here with my review of the Vandy vape Widowmaker rda, please see the bottom for disclaimers and links. Note: This is marked as a sample version.
Introduction:
The Vandy Vape Widowmaker rda is the latest RDA from popular vape manufacturer Vandy Vape. They probably don’t need much of an introduction these days as they have made many popular products. They also pump out a ton of products. I personally went back and looked at how many of their products i’ve reviewed since 2018 until now and not including this one 17 in total. So they make a lot of stuff. I also see they are quite up and down, they made some really good products like the Jackaroo mod, kylin 2 RTA, and Bonza and Bonza V1.5 RDAs, but also some not so good ones like the Bonza Mech Kit, Simple Ex kit, Maze RDA, and Pyro V2 RDTA so they seem very hit and miss overall. The Widowmaker RDA is a Dual coil DTL RDA with an included squonk pin and is designed in collaboration with youtube reviewer El Mono Vapeador who I never heard of until now personally. It’s available in 5 colors SS, Gold, Matte black, Rainbow and Gunmetal. Looking around online they are available on lots of sites mostly in the 25-30 USD price range so good pricing. Elementvape has them for 28.95 in the US.
Manufacturer's Specs
album
Initial Impressions
When I first got this RDA I was pretty happy to get gold, usually review samples are always SS or black so nice to get something a little different. Outside of that it seemed mostly like your pretty standard side airflow postless deck RDA. there are some minor difference on this one though the biggest one being that it has 3 different AFC rings a small oval, a large circle, and a large honeycomb. Historically i’ve always found it to be a useless gimmick as 1 always tends to shine over the others so was curious to see if this one would break that mould. Overall though it felt like just another side airflow postless deck RDA from the start though.
Build Deck and Wicking (pics above)
Let’s talk about the build deck now. It’s essentially a postless deck operation wise as you just drop your coils in a hole but there are posts that stick up so while you do need to precut your leads you do get wiggle room to adjust them so the pre-cut doesn't have to be perfect. Personally i really like decks like this. They don’t include a tool to precut your leads however sadly which VV does on many of their atomizers. It’s almost become a standard these days but not enough for me to call it a con yet if it’s missing, but it sure would have been nice. Personally I found the best lead length to be around 7-8MM. It’s very similar to the rebirth deck except thankfully with this one, each coil lead gets its own hole so they can be installed 1 at a time. The post screws are really good quality hex head grub screws. No complaints there. Overall nothing innovative, but a great deck and a personal favorite type of mine, however an included coil cutting tool would have been nice.
Wicking on it is quite easy. It’s an RDA so nothing fancy just drop your wick leads to the bottom.
Performance
Performance wise, I used it as a Dual Coil RDA only as intended by the design. I ran 4 builds in this 1 fancy 3mm ID build, 1 fancy 3.5 mm ID build, 1 fancy 4mm ID build and 1 simple round 3.5mm ID build. With that said, the Flavor on this one is pretty average with the right build. It’s not great by any means at it’s best but it’s sufficient. I’ve had much worse but also have had much better. It is however pretty universal and the air is plenty adjustable so it does work overall well with any build it just doesn't shine with any of them. Overall it’s a good universal RDA flavorwise, but nothing great and nothing flavor chasers would really go after, but good enough for a beginner to enjoy and have some wiggle room as far as builds go.
Airflow, Misc. Details, and Extras
Let’s talk about the airflow now. This RDA comes with 3 different airflow rings. One is a large circle, one is a small oval, and 1 is a honeycomb with 3 rows of 5 small circles on it. The large circle one is a pretty airy DTL vape and offers very little adjustment. The oval is a restricted DTL vape and offers a little adjustment but not much. The honeycomb however is clearly the best and the only one to use in reality. Fully open it offers an airy DTL vape and it can be closed down to a restricted DTL vape. Basically it offers everything the other 2 do and more and can give the same vape as the others and then some. Which again makes the other 2 useless and i’m not sure why companies don’t realize this especially with a reviewer collaboration. Overall just use the honey comb and it does offer an airy and restirect DTL vape and closes off i column of 3 at a time from the left side. The AFC is smooth and easy to adjust but is not on a stopper. Also worth noting is the air is mostly quiet and no whistle but the small oval ring is a bit loud while the other 2 are not.
The top cap locks into place. The top cap is quite nice and thick though and dissipates heat really well and doesn't get hot while chain vaping. There are a few design choices here I don’t care for though. 1st off is taking off the top cap is a process. It doesn't just pop off you really have to remove the AFC ring 1st which also pulls out the drip tip and drip tip cap. Mine you the drip tip cap is for the 810/510 tips only as the other included drip tip is proprietary in size and takes the place of the drop tip top cap. After that is removed then you can pull off the top cap so you are left with 3 pieces. Kind of annoying especially since the only reason it exists is to allow the useless gimmick of different AFC rings. Not to mention the top cap itself is a little tight to pull off, not super bad but tighter then i prefer. Personally I like being able to pop off the top cap easily at will on an RDA. On top of that screwing on or off a mod requires you to try and grip only above the AFC ring as grabbing the right which makes up more then half the body won’t unscrew it, it just free spins. And grabbing the bottom art is way too smooth. Not a fan of that at all.
It comes with 2 drip tips, one is a Clear black tinted (likely PMMA or PC) friction fit 810 tip however, it’s tinted so dark it practically looks black delrin. The other one is a simple black delrin drip tip but is a larger size then an 810 and takes the place of the drop tip cap. They include a delrin 510 adapter as well. No 510 tip though but not a big deal. 2 Tips and an adapter is good in my book. The Drip tips all fit very well in the RDA. snug, not loose, not tight. You can use your own as well and most should work just fine. I tried a couple other 810 tips with no issues personally. The quality on the Vandy Vape Widowmaker RDA is pretty good overall. The paint job is really nice on my gold with no signs of damage or chipping, The o-rings all fit good enough but the top cap is a little tight and harder to get off then it should be. The airflow adjustment is simple and easy. The post screws are great quality as well (hex grub screws) and 4 spare screws are included (but the spare ones are philips for some reason) and 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. The Side air is raised up high enough off the deck that it creates plenty of room for juice. The over squonk protection and Over drip protection is pretty good. I used it as both a dripper and a squonker and it worked well both ways. 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 (sadly phillips) , 1 screwdriver, 2 allen wrenches, and a 510 tip adapter. They also include 2 coils (no cotton though) but they are clearly labeled which is great. 26x2+35g Ni80 fused claptons. 2.8mm ID, 6 wraps, .3 ohms. So good job labeling the coils. good amount of accessories overall no complaints there. A coil elad cutting tool would have been nice though. Branding is pretty well done. There is an engraved logo of a “WM” and the word widowmaker under it. It’s in a matching color and doesn't stand out much and isn’t cringy so no complaints there from me.
Pros:
So with all that said, do I recommend this RDA?I don’t like to do a hard yes or no, and this one i have to lean a little towards the no. So many good dual coil RDAs out these days it’s really hard to compete in that market these days. What vandy vape and el mono vapeador gave us here is a pretty decent side airflow RDA that already has been bested performance wise by many, with a bunch of odd design choices and some extra useless accessories. I can’t really see any reason to run out and buy one these days. It’s not bad by any means, but really didn’t even need to be made. Tons of better side airflow RDAs came out in 2017 and 2018 already so not a great start to 2019 here. I won't be adding 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
Spreadsheet of Recommendations here
Best of 2018 list here
Best of 2017 list here
Introduction:
The Vandy Vape Widowmaker rda is the latest RDA from popular vape manufacturer Vandy Vape. They probably don’t need much of an introduction these days as they have made many popular products. They also pump out a ton of products. I personally went back and looked at how many of their products i’ve reviewed since 2018 until now and not including this one 17 in total. So they make a lot of stuff. I also see they are quite up and down, they made some really good products like the Jackaroo mod, kylin 2 RTA, and Bonza and Bonza V1.5 RDAs, but also some not so good ones like the Bonza Mech Kit, Simple Ex kit, Maze RDA, and Pyro V2 RDTA so they seem very hit and miss overall. The Widowmaker RDA is a Dual coil DTL RDA with an included squonk pin and is designed in collaboration with youtube reviewer El Mono Vapeador who I never heard of until now personally. It’s available in 5 colors SS, Gold, Matte black, Rainbow and Gunmetal. Looking around online they are available on lots of sites mostly in the 25-30 USD price range so good pricing. Elementvape has them for 28.95 in the US.
Manufacturer's Specs
- Collaboration with El Mono Vapeador
- 24mm Diameter
- 5mm Deep Juice Well
- Superior Stainless Steel Construction
- Quad Post Build Deck - 4 Open Terminals
- Side Secured via Gold-Plated Hex Screws
- PEEK Insulator
- Single or Dual Coil Configuration
- Dual Slotted Airflow Control Rings - 3 Interchangeable Options
- Dual Sided 15 Multihole Bored Airflow Ring
- Dual Slotted Oval Airflow Hole Ring
- Dual Bored Single Airflow Hole Ring
- Side Airflow is Slanted Down To Coil
- 810 Delrin Drip Tip
- 810 Frosted Drip Tip
- BF Squonk Ready
- 510 Connection
- Available in Stainless Steel, Black, Rainbow, Gold, Grey
- 1 Vandy Vape Widowmaker RDA
- 1 810 Drip Tip
- 1 510 Drip Tip Adapter
- 1 Hex Screwdriver
- 1 User Manual
- 1 Spare Parts
album
Initial Impressions
When I first got this RDA I was pretty happy to get gold, usually review samples are always SS or black so nice to get something a little different. Outside of that it seemed mostly like your pretty standard side airflow postless deck RDA. there are some minor difference on this one though the biggest one being that it has 3 different AFC rings a small oval, a large circle, and a large honeycomb. Historically i’ve always found it to be a useless gimmick as 1 always tends to shine over the others so was curious to see if this one would break that mould. Overall though it felt like just another side airflow postless deck RDA from the start though.
Build Deck and Wicking (pics above)
Let’s talk about the build deck now. It’s essentially a postless deck operation wise as you just drop your coils in a hole but there are posts that stick up so while you do need to precut your leads you do get wiggle room to adjust them so the pre-cut doesn't have to be perfect. Personally i really like decks like this. They don’t include a tool to precut your leads however sadly which VV does on many of their atomizers. It’s almost become a standard these days but not enough for me to call it a con yet if it’s missing, but it sure would have been nice. Personally I found the best lead length to be around 7-8MM. It’s very similar to the rebirth deck except thankfully with this one, each coil lead gets its own hole so they can be installed 1 at a time. The post screws are really good quality hex head grub screws. No complaints there. Overall nothing innovative, but a great deck and a personal favorite type of mine, however an included coil cutting tool would have been nice.
Wicking on it is quite easy. It’s an RDA so nothing fancy just drop your wick leads to the bottom.
Performance
Performance wise, I used it as a Dual Coil RDA only as intended by the design. I ran 4 builds in this 1 fancy 3mm ID build, 1 fancy 3.5 mm ID build, 1 fancy 4mm ID build and 1 simple round 3.5mm ID build. With that said, the Flavor on this one is pretty average with the right build. It’s not great by any means at it’s best but it’s sufficient. I’ve had much worse but also have had much better. It is however pretty universal and the air is plenty adjustable so it does work overall well with any build it just doesn't shine with any of them. Overall it’s a good universal RDA flavorwise, but nothing great and nothing flavor chasers would really go after, but good enough for a beginner to enjoy and have some wiggle room as far as builds go.
Airflow, Misc. Details, and Extras
Let’s talk about the airflow now. This RDA comes with 3 different airflow rings. One is a large circle, one is a small oval, and 1 is a honeycomb with 3 rows of 5 small circles on it. The large circle one is a pretty airy DTL vape and offers very little adjustment. The oval is a restricted DTL vape and offers a little adjustment but not much. The honeycomb however is clearly the best and the only one to use in reality. Fully open it offers an airy DTL vape and it can be closed down to a restricted DTL vape. Basically it offers everything the other 2 do and more and can give the same vape as the others and then some. Which again makes the other 2 useless and i’m not sure why companies don’t realize this especially with a reviewer collaboration. Overall just use the honey comb and it does offer an airy and restirect DTL vape and closes off i column of 3 at a time from the left side. The AFC is smooth and easy to adjust but is not on a stopper. Also worth noting is the air is mostly quiet and no whistle but the small oval ring is a bit loud while the other 2 are not.
The top cap locks into place. The top cap is quite nice and thick though and dissipates heat really well and doesn't get hot while chain vaping. There are a few design choices here I don’t care for though. 1st off is taking off the top cap is a process. It doesn't just pop off you really have to remove the AFC ring 1st which also pulls out the drip tip and drip tip cap. Mine you the drip tip cap is for the 810/510 tips only as the other included drip tip is proprietary in size and takes the place of the drop tip top cap. After that is removed then you can pull off the top cap so you are left with 3 pieces. Kind of annoying especially since the only reason it exists is to allow the useless gimmick of different AFC rings. Not to mention the top cap itself is a little tight to pull off, not super bad but tighter then i prefer. Personally I like being able to pop off the top cap easily at will on an RDA. On top of that screwing on or off a mod requires you to try and grip only above the AFC ring as grabbing the right which makes up more then half the body won’t unscrew it, it just free spins. And grabbing the bottom art is way too smooth. Not a fan of that at all.
It comes with 2 drip tips, one is a Clear black tinted (likely PMMA or PC) friction fit 810 tip however, it’s tinted so dark it practically looks black delrin. The other one is a simple black delrin drip tip but is a larger size then an 810 and takes the place of the drop tip cap. They include a delrin 510 adapter as well. No 510 tip though but not a big deal. 2 Tips and an adapter is good in my book. The Drip tips all fit very well in the RDA. snug, not loose, not tight. You can use your own as well and most should work just fine. I tried a couple other 810 tips with no issues personally. The quality on the Vandy Vape Widowmaker RDA is pretty good overall. The paint job is really nice on my gold with no signs of damage or chipping, The o-rings all fit good enough but the top cap is a little tight and harder to get off then it should be. The airflow adjustment is simple and easy. The post screws are great quality as well (hex grub screws) and 4 spare screws are included (but the spare ones are philips for some reason) and 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. The Side air is raised up high enough off the deck that it creates plenty of room for juice. The over squonk protection and Over drip protection is pretty good. I used it as both a dripper and a squonker and it worked well both ways. 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 (sadly phillips) , 1 screwdriver, 2 allen wrenches, and a 510 tip adapter. They also include 2 coils (no cotton though) but they are clearly labeled which is great. 26x2+35g Ni80 fused claptons. 2.8mm ID, 6 wraps, .3 ohms. So good job labeling the coils. good amount of accessories overall no complaints there. A coil elad cutting tool would have been nice though. Branding is pretty well done. There is an engraved logo of a “WM” and the word widowmaker under it. It’s in a matching color and doesn't stand out much and isn’t cringy so no complaints there from me.
Pros:
- 2 Drip Tips (Dark tinted PMMA and Proprietary Black delrin) and 510 adapter
- standard positive and squonk pin included
- plenty of spare o-rings
- Color Options (5)
- great quality post screws
- Good over squonk protection
- works well as a dripper or squonker
- good build quality overall
- Price point (under 30 USD)
- Good Size Juice Well
- Good simple branding
- easy to adjust airflow
- dissipates heat really well
- nicely labeled pair of coils included
- nice easy to use build deck (a coil cutting tool would have been nice though)
- good range of builds to provide good flavor with
- Useless extra AFC rings
- top cap is harder to get off then it should be
- extra pieces to take off top cap
- Flavor overall is just average at it’s best
- not easy to get on or off mods due to AFC ring not on a stopper
So with all that said, do I recommend this RDA?I don’t like to do a hard yes or no, and this one i have to lean a little towards the no. So many good dual coil RDAs out these days it’s really hard to compete in that market these days. What vandy vape and el mono vapeador gave us here is a pretty decent side airflow RDA that already has been bested performance wise by many, with a bunch of odd design choices and some extra useless accessories. I can’t really see any reason to run out and buy one these days. It’s not bad by any means, but really didn’t even need to be made. Tons of better side airflow RDAs came out in 2017 and 2018 already so not a great start to 2019 here. I won't be adding 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
Spreadsheet of Recommendations here
Best of 2018 list here
Best of 2017 list here
