Vandy Vape Kylin M
Before we begin, brace yourselves for a mini-rant...
There's been a bit of drama over this because of perceived similarities to the Wotofo Profile Unity RTA. The perceptions are accurate, the drama is unnecessary. Vaping, since its revolutionary start, is evolutionary. Each new mod or atomizer has borrowed something from its predecessor. Those companies that didn't evolve, died. Don't get me wrong. There have been spurts of true genius here and there. By and large, though, it's more iteration than innovation. So when someone says "Hey! They totally stole this from the Wotofo Profile Unity RTA!" I have to respond "No. They created a new iteration... they took the concept one step further... they evolved." If it was theft, it wouldn't be top air (and hence, not on this list), and it wouldn't have spring-loaded clamps. If it was worth angry about, why aren't those that are angry screaming about the Profile's theft of the Digiflavor Themis Mesh deck. If you are offended by an atomizer's use of earlier tech, don't buy it. But, if you don't buy it you have no grounds to complain about it. End the drama...
Moving on...
This RTA is 24mm at the base, but flares out to 26mm. With the bubble glass, its overall diameter is around 28mm. It stands 34mm from the base to the top cap. It comes with a fairly generous bunch of goodies... straight and bubble glass, resin 810 drip tip, 510 drip tip adapter, 4 mesh coils - 2x0.2ohm and 2x0.15ohm, 2x agleted cotton, extra springs for all springy things, a coil bending rod, a little blue screwdriver to add to your collection, and extra screws.
The top cap is threaded rather than hinged or quarter turn, but the threads feel smooth enough. I've had no issues taking it apart and putting it back together again... even in the dark. Underneath the top cap is a deepish well with kidney fill ports at the bottom. In this regard, filling it is a little like filling the Dead Rabbit RTA... fill it to the bottom of the o-ring at the top of that well. With the straight glass, that means adding g 3ml. The bubble glass bumps that to 4.5ml.
Beneath the top cap is a removable AFC ring. The ring is easily movable, but not loose. It also has a stop at full open and full close. Each side of that ring had 19 small air holes over an oval hole. Air can be adjusted 3 holes at a time down to one, but don't even think that this will do MTL. The range is from slightly restricted to restricted DL. The air comes in at the top and is directed down through a tapered tube to the coil.
The deck, as has been discussed, is quite similar to the Wotofo Profile Unity RTA. There are differences, though... the wicking ports are different, and the clamps on the Kylin M are spring-loaded.
As such, building is a breeze... open the clamps about 2 turns, bend the coil.over the supplied rod, drop the coil in place, tighten. That's it. Since its arrival, I've used a Wotofo mesh strip, both styles of the supplied VV strips, and a strip of 150 mesh SS. I see now they're also offering a SS mesh strip and a "dual" mesh strip.
Wicking, on the other hand, takes some finesse - just as it does on all mesh tanks. I first used the provided cotton and found it to be way too much. I then used a rolled up pad and had fair results. I tried rayon and had fair results. I've settled on some Native Wicks Platinum... I split it down and use about 3/5 of the "rope". The wick is tucked in and trimmed at an angle from just a hair away from the top center of the coil to the base of the atomizer. I then clip the pointed tail of wick square and tuck it in. Using this method, I've run through roughly 6 tanks full and not had even a scratchy hit. To verify this method's efficacy, I went back and rebuilt my Profile Unity and Themis Mesh the same way (adding a little extra cotton to the Themis to make up for the lack of the spring-loaded block in the base of the deck on the other two). I had similar, satisfactory results. In fact, with this new wicking method, I'm finally getting the saturated kind of vape I prefer rather than the kind of arid vape I had complained about in the past. It's still not quite as warm as I'd like...
When assembling, the base does not have to be removed from the device. There are two little nubs in the chimney that line up with the slots where the clamps are and the deck turns inside as it's screwed together.
How's it vape? Quite nicely. The Profile Unity is a little better on flavor, but I'll take the leak resistance over such a marginal flavor bump any day. Both of 'em beat the Themis Mesh, but again, only by a small margin. In the end, it really boils down to a question of aesthetics... do you want a tall, straight tank or a short bulging tank? Note that I did not compare the VandyVape Mesh 24 RTA here as it uses the Taifun BT/Cthulhu Ceto vertical mesh deck.
That's not to say that there aren't any cons... there is a learning curve on the wicking, I've already lost one of the springs from the clamps (glad they included spares, but also note that the springs are not needed for use... they're just a convenience. I also had issues installing a regular coil in this one... the chamber is just too small and most every coil with enough diameter to hold a proper amount of cotton for wicking (to prevent flooding) shorted out when the chamber was screwed on. That's not to say it can't be done... just that it's not worth fussing with.
If you're a fan of mesh and top airflow, this is a no-brainer.
