Pizza Dave Delivers - An RDA Review - The Hotrod by Swedish Vaper

Status
Not open for further replies.

pizzadave80

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Dec 23, 2016
382
183
39
INTRODUCTION

______________________________________________________________________________


Hello everyone Pizza Dave here, delivering a review of the Hotrod rda by Swedish Vaper. This rda is a dual coil, 24mm atomizer, which features a two-post deck, bottom air flow, and glass viewing windows. The company goes all in with the Hot Rod theme as well, packaging everything in an old-school tin package, with everything laid out neatly. The top cap of the rda is designed to look like an engine piston and the air flow resembles an engine block. It seems like the company really put a lot of thought into this product, so let’s dive down and find out how they did.



Disclaimer: This device was sent to me by Buybest for review.

______________________________________________________________________________

WHAT YOU GET

  • 1 - Hotrod RDA
  • 1 - 810 drip tip
  • 1 - Spare glass liner
  • 1 – Spare parts bag
  • Tools
  • 2 – Coils
  • Cotton
  • Paperwork

Available in Blue, Black, and Gunmetal


Packaging
69KpJND.jpg


Out of Box
eSftdcO.jpg


Stock Shot
WUk0njY.jpg

______________________________________________________________________________


BUILD DECK, WICKING, AND SQUONKING



The deck of this rda has two large posts, so the coils share each post. The post openings offer ample room for coils and I never felt like I was battling this design to get a build in. I precut my leads by holding them over the post and marking how long to snip them. You could also install the coils, then contort them with a coil rod to access the extra lead to cut. Either way works.


Wicking on this rda doesn’t need to be talked about much. Simply snip and tuck the cotton so it is just barely at the bottom of the rda. Nothing too crazy.



The Squonking action of this rda comes up through the 510 and comes out of a post near the build deck. It feeds to the edges of the atomizer first, before it kind of overflows to the juice well but also to the air flow. I didn’t get it to leak often, but having liquid hit the sides of the cotton and not the bottom isn’t ideal. I would have liked to the see the squonking ports come in under the deck instead of the top. Since the air flow sits right under the coils, this rda is not idea for dripping either. Sure, you can remove the cap and paint the coils or drip along the sides, but it is not something you can drip through the top as it will pool up right on top of the deck, over the air flow inlets and has the potential to leak this was as well.





______________________________________________________________________________


AIR FLOW

The Hotrod rda features a bottom air flow setup that has 10 small holes that are pointing outward at a slight angle. The air flow is still very tight to the deck, so the best position for coils is close to the deck and pushed down low right next to the air flow. I left this one wide open for the most part and found the air flow to be very smooth. The air flow can be adjusted via a bottom air flow ring. When closing down, air flow never gets too turbulent and it offers a decent range of adjustment. The air flow is probably my favorite aspect of this rda as it was surprisingly smooth, all the time.




______________________________________________________________________________


PHOTO GALLERY


xupK9ZA.jpg


jY7oELm.jpg


4Ejw6ai.jpg


nRfP9vu.jpg


z5c1wRu.jpg


r2hWJ8N.jpg




______________________________________________________________________________


HOW IT VAPES / FINAL THOUGHTS


The Hotrod rda is a rda that I have a love/hate relationship with. The first draw from this thing and the only thought that came to mind was how smooth the air flow was. The second thought was how flavorless it was. I had a set of Claptons installed and they were positioned straight out from the posts and flavor just never popped. I took these out, and tossed a set of fused Claptons in, pushed them low, and tight to the deck and it was a huge difference. Air flow remained smooth, flavor was brought out more, and I could actually enjoy it a little. Then another con reared its head. I used this as a squonker, and I would watch the liquid come up and right over the middle of the post and pool on top of the air flow inlets and will eventually leak. The other aspect to how this squonks that sucks is how it doesn’t hit the very bottom of the cotton. Since it comes in high and hits the sides, I had several cases where the cotton would be dry at the bottom, and slow to wick right up by the coil. I could rock it back and forth and get liquid to hit the cotton, but I would have never known that if it didn’t have the windows. This brings me to my last con. The glass windows are kind of cool. I like being able to see what is going on, but like every other glass atomizer, the glass insulates the top cap and allows heat to build up. Running this thing at 70w will heat up the top cap to an uncomfortable level if you at all chain vape this thing. The windows also get all nasty and expose dirty coils, so they are one of those things that’s cool right away, but the novelty wears off quick.


When I first got this rda, I really wanted to enjoy it. I love the engine theme and like how they put some small details into it and created something unique. However, I found myself feeling let down every time I tried to vape this. I never felt like the flavor was amazing and it seems average at best. The squonking action of the rda is a huge letdown, as I had to baby it each time, I used it. This was a big letdown for me, and I see this one hitting the box to never be used again.




OVEN TEST


If this were to accidentally go into the pizza oven would I go out and get another? Let this engine burn.



______________________________________________________________________________



PROS

  • Cool design aspects
  • Smooth airflow

______________________________________________________________________________

CONS

  • Not drip friendly
  • Not squonk friendly
  • Flavor is meh
  • Top cap gets hot


______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________



Thank you everyone for reading my review and thank you to Buybest for sending it my way for review. I am seeing this online for about $30, but Buybest does have it for $18.99.


______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________


Pizza Dave – delivering real reviews with no extra toppings


______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________


REVIEW CRITERIA: I use each item extensively for about two weeks to ensure I have collected enough data to adequately write a review. I use the same e liquid in tanks or rdas throughout all my reviews to ensure that I am comparing apples to apples between all modern equipment. I do not post reviews until I feel confident that I have used all products enough to give an educated review. The reason I started doing reviews was due to poor purchasing decisions in my vaping infancy about two years ago. Back then, I purchased several different pieces of hardware without really enjoying them and I hope my reviews can guide people into spending their hard-earned money more wisely than I did! ****Keep in mind that some items I receive may be pre-release and not in retail packaging. Quality may be less than the finished product and what is in the package may differ from the retail package as well.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread