Ok, I have been buying clone RTA and RDA to see how I like them. $11-$20 to test drive a particular rebuildable is pretty painless if I hate it. So far I've bought two authentics after trying their respective clones. Guess I feel I should justify my purchase habits so the anti-clone folks don't get all riled up...
Tobecco has really stepped up their game since my Russian clone which needed considerable work. Threads still suck and it has a stripped fill screw, not to mention the razor sharp bits that shredded my fingers but it vapes really good.
The Orchid. This thing rocks! Every part is well crafted and threads are as good as my real Russian. I was worried about wicking since kayfun type atomizers can be finicky with wicking and this has twice the chance to mess up. Guess I got lucky. Got it first try. Chain vaped trying to get a dry hit but it hadn't happened. This hits very similar to a RDA. I think the flavor is only slightly more muted than a dripper. The draw is airy enough to lung hit but restrictive enough to allow for mouth to lung. Really the only flaws I can find are the lack of a fill screw, the microscopic Allen screw's and the post holes aren't chamfered to avoid cutting wires. Although I didn't cut any wires. If you're looking for a nice RTA for $20, you can't go wrong here.
The 454. This is really a nice looking piece. I almost bought the real deal based on reviews but bought a tugboat instead. Still wanted to try it out. My reason for choosing the tugboat was for its simplicity and juice well. This is a very well crafted RDA. My initial instinct was right though. With the way the negative screw's are taking up space in the well make it a bit more hassle to build and wick. I may end up totally loving it once I get a few build into it. Initially tried 24g which made very little room to get wicks inserted. If I did a low ohm, like .3 or lower or used 28g I think it would be a lot easier. I was going for .5 or .6 and with dual 24g the could were too big. Couldn't get in to adjust with tweezers. Tried both vertical and horizontal. Think it is probably designed for vertical builds. It's going to be fun to learn on it though because the negative ring gives you a lot of freedom. I cannot fault the quality though. I've fondled the real thing but don't have one to a/b but I can say it would fool me and I thought the authentic was of very high quality.
I think possibly the orchid stole the 454's thunder. I can't put this thing down!
Also ordered krankberry juice. Smells awesome but letting it steep with the top off because I put a drop on my hand to taste and it had a bit of perfume/soap tinge that seems common in fruity/sour juices. Usually 24 hours topples tames that.
Tobecco has really stepped up their game since my Russian clone which needed considerable work. Threads still suck and it has a stripped fill screw, not to mention the razor sharp bits that shredded my fingers but it vapes really good.
The Orchid. This thing rocks! Every part is well crafted and threads are as good as my real Russian. I was worried about wicking since kayfun type atomizers can be finicky with wicking and this has twice the chance to mess up. Guess I got lucky. Got it first try. Chain vaped trying to get a dry hit but it hadn't happened. This hits very similar to a RDA. I think the flavor is only slightly more muted than a dripper. The draw is airy enough to lung hit but restrictive enough to allow for mouth to lung. Really the only flaws I can find are the lack of a fill screw, the microscopic Allen screw's and the post holes aren't chamfered to avoid cutting wires. Although I didn't cut any wires. If you're looking for a nice RTA for $20, you can't go wrong here.
The 454. This is really a nice looking piece. I almost bought the real deal based on reviews but bought a tugboat instead. Still wanted to try it out. My reason for choosing the tugboat was for its simplicity and juice well. This is a very well crafted RDA. My initial instinct was right though. With the way the negative screw's are taking up space in the well make it a bit more hassle to build and wick. I may end up totally loving it once I get a few build into it. Initially tried 24g which made very little room to get wicks inserted. If I did a low ohm, like .3 or lower or used 28g I think it would be a lot easier. I was going for .5 or .6 and with dual 24g the could were too big. Couldn't get in to adjust with tweezers. Tried both vertical and horizontal. Think it is probably designed for vertical builds. It's going to be fun to learn on it though because the negative ring gives you a lot of freedom. I cannot fault the quality though. I've fondled the real thing but don't have one to a/b but I can say it would fool me and I thought the authentic was of very high quality.
I think possibly the orchid stole the 454's thunder. I can't put this thing down!
Also ordered krankberry juice. Smells awesome but letting it steep with the top off because I put a drop on my hand to taste and it had a bit of perfume/soap tinge that seems common in fruity/sour juices. Usually 24 hours topples tames that.
