Looking for MTL/RDL RTA recommendations coming from Hellvape MD

[ChaoticKinesis]

I've been using the Hellvape MD for a couple years and am generally happy with it but looking for something new that's best used right on the border of MTL and RDL. For reference, I use the MD with the airflow set to 5 (1.8mm diameter) and with the wide-bore drip tip. Usual build is a 28g/40g fused clapton at 30W with TC, or 26.5W on wattage mode if TC is being finicky.

The MD has been by far my favorite RTA up to now for the airflow and flavor. Previously I was using the Vapefly Galaxies wide open and before that the Digiflavor Siren v2 also wide open. For both I'd have preferred if they had just a tad more airflow.

Hoping I can get some feedback from vapors with similar preferences. At least 4mL is preferred and must be leak-proof enough for all day pocket carry including while seated.

Edit: current thoughts on RTAs I'm looking at are as follows.

* Aromamizer Lite v1.5 - this one looks great but impossible to buy new as far as I can tell
* Aromamizer MTL Classic - looks good but I wish its capacity was a bit more than 3.5mL
* BP mods Pioneer - not a fan of the PCTG
* BP mods Sure - not a fan of the PCTG and bottom o-ring assembly, which reviews indicate is loose
* Vapefly Brunhilde MTL - it's so tall, also not sure how I feel about the coil being so close to the drip tip
* Vapefly Alberich - looks good but I'm not sure how I feel about the bottom o-ring assembly with pocket use

 

[Daniel Forsyth]

Brunhilde MTL RTA is definitely your winner
It's my primary RTA and she's an absolute flavour banger!!
5ml so plenty of juice in there and it's a top coil RTA so she's not leaking and I can guarantee that you will get your preferred vape. I vape mine RDL but you can get down to a tight MTL with the inserts and there's a 1.8mm insert just for you!! Very easy. Also very easy to build and wick
I have a few Brunhilde MTL RTA's in rotation

 

[ChaoticKinesis]

Brunhilde MTL RTA is definitely your winner
It's my primary RTA and she's an absolute flavour banger!!
5ml so plenty of juice in there and it's a top coil RTA so she's not leaking and I can guarantee that you will get your preferred vape. I vape mine RDL but you can get down to a tight MTL with the inserts and there's a 1.8mm insert just for you!! Very easy. Also very easy to build and wick
I have a few Brunhilde MTL RTA's in rotation
View attachment 983443

Thanks for the reply. I don't know how I feel about that height and the coil being so close to the drip tip. Does it vape hot?

But mainly the height! I'm so used to short tanks with bubble glass. I feel spoiled by the Galaxies and MD. My MD is 40mm tall including the drip tip.

Also added some thoughts on tanks that I've been considering to the OP.

 

[Daniel Forsyth]

Thanks for the reply. I don't know how I feel about that height and the coil being so close to the drip tip. Does it vape hot?

But mainly the height! I'm so used to short tanks with bubble glass. I feel spoiled by the Galaxies and MD. My MD is 40mm tall including the drip tip.

Also added some thoughts on tanks that I've been considering to the OP.

It most definitely doesn't vape hot. I like a very cool vape myself
And don't be scared of the height of her, it's a very comfortable RTA to use!!

 

[ChaoticKinesis]

It most definitely doesn't vape hot. I like a very cool vape myself
And don't be scared of the height of her, it's a very comfortable RTA to use!!

Found this one in my drawer of old vape stuff I haven't used in years. So you're telling me I don't need to worry about it looking like this?

Just in case you were wondering, no it never left the house in that configuration.

 

[ShowMeTwice]

I totally agree with @Daniel Forsyth on the Brunhilde MTL RTA. It delivers excellent flavor and is super easy to setup and maintain. The Brunhilde does not vape hot MTL or RDL (I vape it both ways).

The Brunhilde is shorter than a Kayfun 4. The K4 is 78mm tall. Brunhilde is 65.5mm. Most importantly, the Brunhilde does not have 10,000 parts like the infamous K4 does.

 

[ShowMeTwice]

@ChaoticKinesis another RTA option to consider is the Dvarw DL. I absolutely love mine. And I would rate the Dvarw's right up there with any of my Kayfun's.

The Dvarw will easily handle your vape requirements. Also, it is a shorter RTA, mine with the 3.6ml tank measures 32.5mm minus a drip tip. With the included drip tip 45mm. They also have a 6ml tank for the Dvarw (40.5mm no DT).

The Dvarw is super easy to build on and maintain.

 

[ChaoticKinesis]

I totally agree with @Daniel Forsyth on the Brunhilde MTL RTA. It delivers excellent flavor and is super easy to setup and maintain. The Brunhilde does not vape hot MTL or RDL (I vape it both ways).

The Brunhilde is shorter than a Kayfun 4. The K4 is 78mm tall. Brunhilde is 65.5mm. Most importantly, the Brunhilde does not have 10,000 parts like the infamous K4 does.

I guess considering how cheaply they can be purchased it doesn't hurt to try, though I still feel like I will never want to leave the house with a Brunhilde MTL.

But if we're on the subject of Kayfuns, I haven't considered using them as a benchmark for a while despite owning the v1, 4, and lite. The K4 in particular was a real POS. Perhaps it's an unpopular opinion but I think others have been doing it better and cheaper for at least 5+ years.

 

[ShowMeTwice]

I still feel like I will never want to leave the house with a Brunhilde MTL

Others on ECF have said that.

But if we're on the subject of Kayfuns, I haven't considered using them as a benchmark for a while despite owning the v1, 4, and lite. The K4 in particular was a real POS. Perhaps it's an unpopular opinion but I think others have been doing it better and cheaper for at least 5+ years.

I've had most of the Kayfun's since the lite. Never had a v1 or K4.

I think it all comes down to what each person prefers and enjoys. As long as we're staying off the stinkies I don't think it matters much.

Heck, I still enjoy dripping in the mornings on mech tube and a decent RDA. Simplicity.

 

[Tor R]

I would perhaps go for a Dvarw FL, whether you should go for MTL or DL setup I can't say anything about.
They are easy to get working, and have a large selection of AFC pins.
They also have a very good selection of parts and excellent customer service.
On the negative side, they are not cheap, some people dislike bottom filling, but FL is excellent in practical use there.

 

[ChaoticKinesis]

After the replies, spending some time going over reviews, and seeing that Sourcemore has my top picks on sale, I caved and went on a bit of a shopping spree. In addition to a Dwarw MTL FL 24 clone, I now have a Brunhilde MTL, Alberich, and Pioneer 1.5 on the way.

I'll be sure to post my thoughts once they arrive.

 

[Daniel Forsyth]

After the replies, spending some time going over reviews, and seeing that Sourcemore has my top picks on sale, I caved and went on a bit of a shopping spree. In addition to a Dwarw MTL FL 24 clone, I now have a Brunhilde MTL, Alberich, and Pioneer 1.5 on the way.

I'll be sure to post my thoughts once they arrive.

All Very Nice choices
I hope you find one that you really like out of those!!

 

[ChaoticKinesis]

Small update in my quest for a new RTA.

I've been vaping the Dvarw for a week now and really enjoying it. Having a 6ml tank is awesome! Minor annoyance is how many times I made a mess because I forgot to replace the metal cap after a rewick. After going back and forth between 2mm x 1 and 1.2mm x 2 airflows, I've settled on the 1.2mm x 2. Once I figured out to raise the coil a bit higher than usual and wick it as short as possible, it vapes just right and fairly quiet.

Today I received my Pioneer 1.5 and I can't say I'm particularly impressed. Flavor is similar or slightly worse than the Dvarw, but with a significantly smaller tank, and so far it's louder. It's also annoying to build because of how tiny everything is. The most annoying thing however has been threading the base. I've owned well over a dozen RTAs over the last 9 years and this one has to have the worst threads I've encountered.

Now I'm looking forward to the Vapeflys. Maybe the Pioneer will grow on me but I'm not so sure. For now I don't really understand why this RTA has been so hyped.

 

[Tor R]

Small update in my quest for a new RTA.

I've been vaping the Dvarw for a week now and really enjoying it. Having a 6ml tank is awesome! Minor annoyance is how many times I made a mess because I forgot to replace the metal cap after a rewick. After going back and forth between 2mm x 1 and 1.2mm x 2 airflows, I've settled on the 1.2mm x 2. Once I figured out to raise the coil a bit higher than usual and wick it as short as possible, it vapes just right and fairly quiet.

Today I received my Pioneer 1.5 and I can't say I'm particularly impressed. Flavor is similar or slightly worse than the Dvarw, but with a significantly smaller tank, and so far it's louder. It's also annoying to build because of how tiny everything is. The most annoying thing however has been threading the base. I've owned well over a dozen RTAs over the last 9 years and this one has to have the worst threads I've encountered.

Now I'm looking forward to the Vapeflys. Maybe the Pioneer will grow on me but I'm not so sure. For now I don't really understand why this RTA has been so hyped.

I'm glad to hear you found an atty you liked.
I wouldn't say Dvarw is the best mtl atty I have, but in terms of price, setup, options, it is right up there with the best.
The fact that you can choose which capacity you choose to buy is a positive.
The airflow system itself is very good, some would say it is difficult when you want to change the airflow, but it is rare that we do it, the options are better than most other brands, it comes standard with 1.2mm in mtl, I bought it myself 0.8mm, 1.0mm, 2x0.8mm, 3x0.6mm and 2x1.2mm.
In my little Dvarw 16 rta there is 2x0.8mm, that atty is top three in my book.

It's a pity to hear that there is bad thread work on the pioneer, I have heard from others that BP Mods have not improved there. I consider Mark Todd to have a knack for quality.

Now that you've found an atty you like, why not expand further with the Dvarw adventure.
There are many of us who use Dvarw in the rotation, and you have people like Rob Fisher here on the forum who have a bunch of Dvarw, and also have Caspardine, Skyline and more, but he uses these Dvarw he has, how does he find time to put up so many i have no idea lol

There is one atty we haven't mentioned though, how could we forget it, SteamPipe's Cabeo RDTA. Available in RDL and MTL, the only difference between the two is the peek insulator and drip tip.
The mtl peek insulator itself has jet screws on each side, adjusts in and out against the coil, and has a huge selection of jets.

 

[ShowMeTwice]

There are many of us who use Dvarw in the rotation, and you have people like Rob Fisher here on the forum who have a bunch of Dvarw, and also have Caspardine, Skyline and more, but he uses these Dvarw he has, how does he find time to put up so many i have no idea lol

Rob has 14 Dvarw DL's. Three are DL FL's and the rest are OG's.

He posted this photo in the KHW FB group right after rewicking all of them. LOL

 

[Tor R]

Rob has 14 Dvarw DL's. Three are DL FL's and the rest are OG's.

He posted this photo in the KHW FB group right after rewicking all of them. LOL
View attachment 984916

He has quite a collection, and he uses them.
Rob also has other high end attys such as Caspardina and Skyline-R.
Dvarw in my opinion is an underrated atty, much better than we care to highlight its qualities.

 

[ShowMeTwice]

He has quite a collection, and he uses them.
Rob also has other high end attys such as Caspardina and Skyline-R.
Dvarw in my opinion is an underrated atty, much better than we care to highlight its qualities.

If you want to see all the lovely gear Rob owns (including many H.E. mods, custom mods and nearly every H.E. RTA, RDTA and RDA) checkout the High End sub at the South African eCig Forum (ecigssa). He's posted photo's of all his gear there.

Rob owns and moderates ecigssa. You will find more people excited, and talking about, high end gear there versus any other vaping forum. I'm a member there (as I am on most of the other ones).

Dvarw's are underrated only because ECF, and the other vape forums, are not high-end vape communities. Dvarw's are very highly rated across the H.E. community. The KHW FB group has over 11,000 members. As to how many own authentic Dvarw's... only Peter Sarkozi knows that. It's very safe to say many, very many.

I have several Dvarw's (MTL and DL). They are without any doubt one of the best RTA's around. Dvarw's are easily in the top 3. The others in my top 3 are the Squape Arise and any of several Kayfun's.

If I was forced to pick only one RTA... it would be a Dvarw, 100% of time. Flavor is right up there with any of my other high-end RTA's. For me, there are no drawbacks or issues to be found with my Dvarw's. IMO they're one of the easiest to setup and maintain.

I think the RTA innovators are, and remain, SvoeMesto, StattQualm and KHW Mods. Those have very large and loyal followings. The rest in the high-end market, in comparison, less so.

Of those, the original RTA innovator is SvoeMesto. Their RTA designs were copied by nearly every manufacturer back in the day (and to this day by many). That speaks volumes.

H.E. RDA's? Oh my, there the spectrum widens significantly to a large number of manufacturers.

 

[Kilz]

Looks like the Dvarw was the winner. Its a good tank, though I like the older ones. The glass on the FL can break, pei tank section on an older one lasts forever.
As someone who likes a lose mtl, its worth learning how to modify rta's. I love my new Kayfun X. But it did need to be modified. Way to tight out of the box. Cut off the top of the airflow pin, drill out the air intake holes under the deck, then the juice intake holes in the bottom of the deck (because you lowered the suction by increesing airflow) and its a perfect vape.

 

[ChaoticKinesis]

Today I finally received the Brunhilde MTL RTA and Alberich.

So far the Brunhilde has been awesome, making it clear competition for my favorite of the bunch! I've been back and forth between the Brunhilde and Dvarw all day. These two RTAs were both incredibly easy to build, wick, offered great airflow variety, and provided a delicious airy MTL from the start.

The Alberich I'm less excited about. It's quite finicky about the amount of cotton and I'm either getting dry hits or leaking when built with a superfine clapton. It wicks fine with a single wire but I don't really like vaping that way. It seems to me that despite coming with a 2.5mm pin, this RTA is more suited toward a traditional MTL vape, which is not really my thing. It has a narrower chimney and I consistently get a significant drop off in flavor when using the two larger pins.

The Pioneer has grown on me (just a bit) but I still don't love it. Like the Alberich, it has a narrower chimney and in general seems better suited toward smaller MTL builds with less airflow. Both of these RTAs took a lot more trial and error to get the wicking right, in order to get rid of dry hits, and in the end I still find them just okay.

In conclusion:
1: tie between Brunhilde and Dvarw
3: Pioneer 1.5
4: Alberich

 

[Daniel Forsyth]

Today I finally received the Brunhilde MTL RTA and Alberich. So far the Brunhilde has been awesome, making it clear competition for my favorite of the bunch! I've been back and forth between the Brunhilde and Dvarw all day. These two RTAs were both incredibly easy to build, wick, offer great airflow variety, and provided a delicious airy MTL from the start.

The Alberich I'm less excited about. It's quite finicky about the amount of cotton and I'm either getting dry hits or leaking when built with a superfine clapton. It wicks fine with a single wire but I don't really like vaping that way. It seems to me that despite coming with a 2.5mm pin, this RTA is more suited toward a traditional MTL vape, which is not really my thing. It has a narrower chimney and there seems to be a significant drop off in flavor when using the two larger pins.

The Pioneer has grown on me (just a bit) but I still don't love it. Like the Alberich, it has a narrower chimney and in general seems better suited toward smaller MTL builds with less airflow. Both of these RTAs took a lot more trial and error to get the wicking right, in order to get rid of dry hits, and in the end I still find them just okay.

In conclusion:
1: tie between Brunhilde and Dvarw
3: Pioneer 1.5
4: Alberich

I'm really happy that you are enjoying the Brunhilde MTL RTA so much Mate
I think it's a real winner myself!! I never did like the Alberich either!