After getting some crummy clones, I decided to finally spend a little cash and get something authentic. I went back and forth with a ton of different RDAs. I finally decided to look at Rip Tripper's top rda list and narrowed it down from there. Some were too expensive, some didn't support dual coils, some weren't flavor chasers, etc. I finally decided on the Vertex V2. I bought it from epikvape on Monday night and received it today. Props to them for the quick shipping!
Unboxing and Packaging
Well, it's not so much an unboxing as an unbagging...
To be honest, the packaging is very underwhelming. After dropping $90 on this, I was expecting something much nicer. Even my clones come in nicer boxes for a fraction of the price. TBM (The Boss mod) also doesn't provide any spare o rings or screws. Just the mod and a weird wrist band.
I mean come on, who's even going to wear this thing?
The RDA itself was at least nicely wrapped in bubble wrap.
Still, I would have preferred if they had skipped the big wrist band in favor of a nicer box or some spare parts. It's not a big deal, but first impressions are everything.
The RDA
(note: green base not included)
Being my first authentic device, I don't have a good basis to compare this to, but I am very content with the build quality with the Vertex. I didn't notice any burrs or gouges, though there were a few light scratches on the inside of the barrel. Definitely not a big deal to me. All the holes and airslots are cut nicely and everything fits together with a nice click and feels very solid. There is a nice weight to the RDA as well and the 510 threads are very smooth. The screws are also giant compared to other RDAs I've seen. Finally, this did not reek of machine oil, like some of the clones I've received (I'm looking at you, FT Kayfun 4). A quick 10 minute soak in hot water and Dawn made it good to go. I would like to get my hands on a couple more authentics to really see how the build quality stacks up.
Build
Building on this is pretty standard. The nice part is it has giant post holes for some thicker gauge wire.
Glowing nicely with a .8 ohm twisted 28g coil:
Wicked and juiced (using rayon and Space Jam Venus juice):
Yay vapor!
So, how does it perform?
One of the main reasons I bought the Vertex V2 was due to the airflow options. You've got two giant holes in the inner barrel for your dual coil setup and a small slot for your single coil setup. The outer barrel has three cyclops slots on each side, allowing you to really fine tune your airflow preferences. Wide open you get a very airy draw, but you still can close it way down for a dense, hot vape. Changing your airflow is also very easy as you have a separate ring to control your airflow, rather than trying to twist the entire topcap of your RDA (like a Veritas).
Flavor wise, this RDA blew me away. It is easily on the Veritas level, which has been my go to in comparing for flavor. Vapor is also decent, though I don't notice a big difference between the Veritas and Vertex V2. I am not a cloud chaser, though, so I'm probably not the best person to ask about vapor production. It definitely seems more suited for flavor chasing than blowing clouds.
I haven't had any leaks with it yet, but I have also been sitting at my desk. I will report back if I get any leaking, but I do like that the outer AFC ring can be turned to shut out all airholes. It's probably not as leakproof as the Veritas, as that is designed for the juice to run away from the air hole when tilted, but it doesn't seem like it'll leak that easily. Another big plus for this device is the little lip that surrounds the build deck. This acts as a little condensation/liquid catcher and prevents any juice from getting on the top of your mod. Finding a ton of juice on my mod after removing the atomizer is a pet peeve of mine.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Build quality is great
- AMAZING flavor
- Easy to build and wick
- Doesn't look like it'll leak (will test this out further)
- Great airflow controller design
Cons:
- Packaging is a joke
- No spares, but you get a silly wrist band instead
- Kind of ugly in my opinion
Conclusion:
So far, would I recommend the Vertex V2? Hell yes! It's easy to see why Rip Trippers loved his and put it at the top of his RDAs for 2014 list. It's got the same great flavor production as the Veritas while being easier to build and giving you more airflow and coil options. Other than the packaging, this RDA is definitely a winner to me, at least based on my first build and initial impressions.
Sorry for the super long post! I hope you at least enjoyed the pictures.
Happy vaping!
Some pictures for comparison:
Unboxing and Packaging
Well, it's not so much an unboxing as an unbagging...
To be honest, the packaging is very underwhelming. After dropping $90 on this, I was expecting something much nicer. Even my clones come in nicer boxes for a fraction of the price. TBM (The Boss mod) also doesn't provide any spare o rings or screws. Just the mod and a weird wrist band.
I mean come on, who's even going to wear this thing?
The RDA itself was at least nicely wrapped in bubble wrap.
Still, I would have preferred if they had skipped the big wrist band in favor of a nicer box or some spare parts. It's not a big deal, but first impressions are everything.
The RDA
(note: green base not included)
Being my first authentic device, I don't have a good basis to compare this to, but I am very content with the build quality with the Vertex. I didn't notice any burrs or gouges, though there were a few light scratches on the inside of the barrel. Definitely not a big deal to me. All the holes and airslots are cut nicely and everything fits together with a nice click and feels very solid. There is a nice weight to the RDA as well and the 510 threads are very smooth. The screws are also giant compared to other RDAs I've seen. Finally, this did not reek of machine oil, like some of the clones I've received (I'm looking at you, FT Kayfun 4). A quick 10 minute soak in hot water and Dawn made it good to go. I would like to get my hands on a couple more authentics to really see how the build quality stacks up.
Build
Building on this is pretty standard. The nice part is it has giant post holes for some thicker gauge wire.
Glowing nicely with a .8 ohm twisted 28g coil:
Wicked and juiced (using rayon and Space Jam Venus juice):
Yay vapor!
So, how does it perform?
One of the main reasons I bought the Vertex V2 was due to the airflow options. You've got two giant holes in the inner barrel for your dual coil setup and a small slot for your single coil setup. The outer barrel has three cyclops slots on each side, allowing you to really fine tune your airflow preferences. Wide open you get a very airy draw, but you still can close it way down for a dense, hot vape. Changing your airflow is also very easy as you have a separate ring to control your airflow, rather than trying to twist the entire topcap of your RDA (like a Veritas).
Flavor wise, this RDA blew me away. It is easily on the Veritas level, which has been my go to in comparing for flavor. Vapor is also decent, though I don't notice a big difference between the Veritas and Vertex V2. I am not a cloud chaser, though, so I'm probably not the best person to ask about vapor production. It definitely seems more suited for flavor chasing than blowing clouds.
I haven't had any leaks with it yet, but I have also been sitting at my desk. I will report back if I get any leaking, but I do like that the outer AFC ring can be turned to shut out all airholes. It's probably not as leakproof as the Veritas, as that is designed for the juice to run away from the air hole when tilted, but it doesn't seem like it'll leak that easily. Another big plus for this device is the little lip that surrounds the build deck. This acts as a little condensation/liquid catcher and prevents any juice from getting on the top of your mod. Finding a ton of juice on my mod after removing the atomizer is a pet peeve of mine.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Build quality is great
- AMAZING flavor
- Easy to build and wick
- Doesn't look like it'll leak (will test this out further)
- Great airflow controller design
Cons:
- Packaging is a joke
- No spares, but you get a silly wrist band instead
- Kind of ugly in my opinion
Conclusion:
So far, would I recommend the Vertex V2? Hell yes! It's easy to see why Rip Trippers loved his and put it at the top of his RDAs for 2014 list. It's got the same great flavor production as the Veritas while being easier to build and giving you more airflow and coil options. Other than the packaging, this RDA is definitely a winner to me, at least based on my first build and initial impressions.
Sorry for the super long post! I hope you at least enjoyed the pictures.
Happy vaping!
Some pictures for comparison:
