VV Berserker vs. SM Kayfun Prime

[VictorC]

Here it goes, my very subjective assessment of two new MTL tanks, Berserker (with supplied 4.5 ml tank) and Kayfun Prime (with optional 4.5ml tank). Same coil (round Kanthal, 27 GA, 6 wraps, 2.5 mm) and same juice (70%VG/30%PG). Please keep in mind that I am not a professional reviewer and simply sharing my experience.

Cleanliness on arrival
Both tanks arrived clean with no smell of oil. Quick rinse and you good to go.
score B:5 KP:5

Fit & finish
Both are excellent, but KP has an edge here, machining and threading on it is flawless.
score B:4 KP:5

Drip tip
Berserker wins, the shape of their drip tip is very comfortable and better than the one on KP
score B:5 KP:4

Juice flow Control
There is none on Berserker. KP has it, might not be the best implementation as you still need to count rotations, but does the job well.
score B:0 KP:4

Air flow control
AFC ring on Berserker is under engineered, it’s loose and can be easily knocked off into a different position. KP implementation is much better, but over engineered and stiff.
score B:2 KP:4

Top fill
Berserker - gurgling and sometimes flooding, Kayfun, as expected (due to JFC), zero issues. I have to mention that bottom fill addresses gurgling/flooding with Berserker
score B:1 KP:5

Ease of re-building
Both are excellent, easy to re-build without draining the tank
score B:5, KP:5

Flavour
Both produce excellent flavour
score B:5 KP:5

Draw
Both are MTL tanks. At the smallest setting B is tighter, at the largest KP is a more open which may have appeal to a broader audience. At the middle settings they are almost identical, yet KP seems a bit more airy. Both are very quiet, produce smooth draw with no turbulence.
score B:5 KP:5

Aesthetics (no score)
This is very subjective but I prefer the cleaner look of KP with no visible gaskets/o-rings.

Cost (no score)
Simple fact, one is made in China and another one in Germany. Berserker comes with both tank options and you can buy 4 of them for the price of one KP. And 4.5 ml tank is optional for KP. You to judge.

Bottom line. They are similar and yet very different RTAs but both deliver a very good quality mouth-to-lung vape.

Cheers, Victor

 

[Cool_Breeze]

How important is Juice Flow Control?

 

[VictorC]

How important is Juice Flow Control?

It protects the "vacuum-based" tanks from flooding during top refill or leaking on the airplane. Also helps to correct (to a certain degree) the error when cotton wick is wrong (too thin or too thick) for chosen PG/VG percentage.

 

[G and C]

Great review and comparison, thanks for doing that.

I think the biggest thing here is price point. I would expect finer machining and more bells and whistles at the $100+ price point of the Kayfun. For $30, I'm really happy that the Berserker is a darn fine MTL RTA. For $100+, I'm expecting the Kayfun to be one of the best MTL RTAs I've ever tried.

 

[LilWhiteClouder]

It protects the "vacuum-based" tanks from flooding during top refill or leaking on the airplane. Also helps to correct (to a certain degree) the error when cotton wick is wrong (too thin or too thick) for chosen PG/VG percentage.

I, too, enjoyed your review. Fairly strict DL vaper but I do enjoy a lighter draw but full flavored vape. Watching the Kfun evolve has been interesting and might just be Prime time for me.
Overly agree in aesthetics between these two, KF hands down "sexier". B looks like a more bubbly version of my evil eye big Buddha 30mm RTA.

 

[LilWhiteClouder]

This really caught my eye...

It protects the "vacuum-based" tanks from flooding during top refill or leaking on the airplane.

Learned and really understood this concept from discussion around the Merlin Rta.
I Actually flew, for the first time, with vape gear earlier this month. Started preparing the Merlin with a decent build a week prior. Had about 1/2 tank juice when Stowed. Made sure air and juice flows shutoff. No leaks. Popped it right back on mod and quickly vaped outside after landing.
That feature and a cigalike were key for me when traveling.

 

[traianescu]

the poor Berserker.. he is loosing the war .. at least, does it have lower juice consumtion than kay prime ?

 

[VictorC]

the poor Berserker.. he is loosing the war .. at least, does it have lower juice consumtion than kay prime ?

I disagree, Berserker is an excellent RTA I can recommend it to any MTL user. The juice consumption, flavour/quality of vape is the same. KP has JFC and a bit more airy. Aside from the higher price point (which is important for many) those are 2 main differences.

 

[traianescu]

right now, Berserker have the tightest draw in the world

the thing that will be difficult in the future, will be to find the o-rings for it, the 2 that holds the glass tank are really strange..

 

[Cosmic_Glaze]

I hear this question on the forum all the time about juice consumption of a tank. Can someone explain how a 2 tanks with the same exact build at the same wattage can differ in the amount of juice that it goes through?

 

[traianescu]

i'll give you two known tanks - nautilus mini and nautilus 2... the new one consumes more, with the same coil
i know what you mean, about coil, airlflow, etc.. but as from the example, it is not the same..

 

[soulseek]

The fact that an RTA, manufactured in China and 1/4th the price, is even comparable as an experience to the Kayfun, is very telling.

 

[stols001]

IDK the answer to that one either. I have other mysteries, like why on earth does the Kabuki tank (which takes Nautlius coils) cause my coils to last so much longer. Oh, they taste better too, but the mysterious coil life gets me wondering-- I do think maybe the fact that it is 3 ml instead of 2, that and maybe the "revolutionary" airflow which I have almost closed off, LOL. I think tanks just have mysterious differences, and I'm not even going to try to understand....

Anna

 

[traianescu]

@VictorC , after a few other days, any new impression ? One of these must be a better mtl tank than the other one

 

[VictorC]

@VictorC , after a few other days, any new impression ? One of these must be a better mtl tank than the other one

After vaping them both side by side for couple days, my subjective score remains same Really great MTL experience.

 

[rootlinux01]

Great review

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

 

[traianescu]

@VictorC which one are you using more? Which one gives better flavour ?

 

[evan le'garde]

Draw
Both are MTL tanks. At the smallest setting B is tighter, at the largest KP is a more open which may have appeal to a broader audience. At the middle settings they are almost identical, yet KP seems a bit more airy. Both are very quiet, produce smooth draw with no turbulence.
score B:5 KP:5


Cheers, Victor

When you say "smooth draw" do you mean there is an absence of throat hit / kick ?.

If not then could you please state whether the Prime produces a profound throat hit or not.

 

[VictorC]

TH is mostly dependent on the nic level and PG/VG ratio in the juice. I am getting very similar TH with both because my builds/eliquids are the same. Smooth draw = consistent from start to stop with no turbulence.

 

[evan le'garde]

TH is mostly dependent on the nic level and PG/VG ratio in the juice. I am getting very similar TH with both because my builds/eliquids are the same. Smooth draw = consistent from start to stop with no turbulence.

You're getting similar throat hits with both but is the throat hit from the Prime satisfying enough.