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Anthony Vapes: Cthulhu Iris Mesh RDA Review

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Reviewer
Hi All, Anthony Vapes back here with my review of the Cthulhu Iris Mesh RDA, please see the bottom for disclaimers and links

Introduction:
The Iris Mesh RDA is the latest mesh RDA from somewhat known manufacturer Cthulhu. I’ve been pretty hit and miss with their products. They’ve made some great atomizers like the azathoth RDA which i loved and the Hastur MTL RTA and the mini version of it, which aren’t my style but are great RTAs for MTL vaping, but also had some stinkers like the M RDA and most recently the Zathog RDA. The Iris Mesh is designed in conjunction with Vape Nation Community and is a follow up to their original Mesh RDA named the ceto. It’s a single or dual coil Mesh RDA with included squonk pin. It’s available in 2 colors SS and Black and available for 44.95 on their site directly.

Manufacturer's Specs
  • Designed in USA
  • 24mm Diameter
  • Massive Juice Well
  • Food-Grade 304 Stainless Steel Construction
  • Cthulhu MOD's First Collaboration with Vape Community
  • Elongated Two-Post Design
  • Adjustable Clamp Post Mechanism - Properly Secure Mesh Sheet
  • Lock Down via Two Phillips Screws Per Post
  • Max Mesh Width - 10mm
  • Two Differing Adjustable Airflow Rings
  • 14 Side Air Holes - Direct-to-Coil
  • Central Filling Port - Exposed via Removing Top Cap
  • 810 ULTEM Wide Bore Drip Tip
  • 810 Delrin Wide Bore Drip Tip
  • Extended 510 Squonk-Ready Bottom-Feeding Pin
  • 510 Connection
Included in box:
  • 1 Iris Mesh BF RDA
  • 2 810 Wide Bore Drip Tip
  • 2 Air Flow Control Rings (for Single and Dual Mesh Coil)
  • 1 Extended Squonk Pin
  • 2 300 Mesh Pad Sheets
  • Spare Bags
  • Instructional Manuals
Picture Album
album



Initial Impressions and features
When I first got this RDA It felt to me like a similar but newer upgraded version of the ceto which i already reviewed. The Ceto was the first Mesh RDA from cthulhu and was made for large single coil mesh strips. The Cool new feature of the Iris Mesh is that it can be used for a single or dual mesh by moving the posts on the build deck. I thought that was a cool idea as i haven’t seen a double mesh RDA before. They also include 2 different AFC rings as well one for the single coil set up and one for the dual coil set up. Sometimes it’s the little details like that, that really stand out to me. Overall I thought this was a pretty cool idea for an RDA from the start.

Build Deck and Wicking (pics above)
Let’s talk about the build deck now. It’s very similar to the ceto mehs RDA from cthulhu in that they use a 2 post vertical deck clamp system. Each post has 2 small phillips screws, i wish they wouldn’t be phillips however the quality is good enough. Flathead would have been nicer though. Either way all you have to do is loosen them up and slide a strip of mesh into it then tighten them down. Very easy to work with. To do dual coil mode you loosen the 510 pin and slide the positive post over so it’s opposite of the negative post then tighten the 510 pin and now you can go dual coil or a smaller single coil if you wanted to i guess. Very easy to build on. The squonk pin goes all the way up as well and has 2 parts the replacement 510 pin on the bottom and a tall chamber you screw onto that to allow it to juice up the cotton all the way through instead of just the bottom and waiting for it to absorb which is a great idea just like they used in the ceto.

Wicking on it is quite easy. Just remember it’s a mesh RDA so you’ll need a ton of cotton. You really can’t overwick mesh. You want to stuff as much as possible in there and make sure the whole mesh strips have cotton pressed up against it or you’ll get dry hits. You also want cotton sticking out of the top and bottom of the mesh strips.

Performance
Performance wise, I used it as a mesh RDA only as intended. It’s not made for anything else really but you could slam some regular coils in if you really wanted but there are better RDAs for that. I used the cthulhu Mesh which is SS304 300 sheets. They don’t have them labeled in the bag sadly but all their mesh is SS304 as i have other bags it it from them that is properly labeled. They should have labeled the bag IMO included. I ran it as a dual coil and single coil so only 2 builds but really the only 2 you can put in this RDA. Running in dual coil the resistance gets really low. Mine is at a .09 build but luckily my gbox S200 still fires it, and while I didn’t test the gbox chip based on other tests on their chips i should be able to get about 140-150 watts from it. I’m vaping it at 150 watts setting and it’s just an ok vape flavorwise. Nothing special. Using the single mesh it’s a lot less limiting resistance wise around a .2ish resistance. Vaping that at around 100-125 watts i felt it performed better than the dual setup, but still was just ok. Not as good as a good well built RDA with some fancy coils in it and not really worth the extra power needed and juice consumption flavorwise. I’d recommend just using it as a single mesh if you wanted to try out a mesh RDA. While mesh premade coils have surpassed the simple round one’s in tanks, It still doesn't give me the vape of non mesh RDAs flavorwise so i’m still not sold on mesh for an RDA flavorwise but it’s right on par with the last one i reviewed a while back in the VV mesh RDA.
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Reviewer
Overall Impressions, Details, and Extras
Let’s talk about the airflow now. It has side airflow and comes with 2 AFC rings to replace. They are easy to pop on and off and are held on my o-rings. The AFC itself is smooth and easy to adjust but not much you can do as far as adjusting or closing air down really as there are air holes 360 degrees around the cap so all you can do is use the right cap and make sure the air holes are aligned so they don’t create a whistle. It won’t whistle when the air is lined up correctly. It’s a DTL and very airy RDA and best used at high wattages. 100+ really. The AFC free spins and is not on a stopper.

It comes with 2 standard 810 friction fit drip tips, one is black delrin and the other is ultem. There is no 510 adapter. Both tips fit excellent in the RDA snug but not tight as they should and you can use any of your own as well. The quality on the Cthulhu Iris Mesh RDA is pretty good. The o-rings all feel right and the top cap is snug but not tight. No complaints on the quality. It comes with a standard 510 pin and a BF 510 pin which has a tube that screws into the top as well. I used it both as a dripper and squonker. The juice well is pretty good and with the airflow being higher up it offers good over drip and over squonk protection. Since there is a ton of cotton you can really squeeze your squonk bottle as it’ll fill up directly through the cotton from the middle thanks to the tube and dripping you can do right down the drip tip as well as it’ll land right in the middle of the cotton. It works great both ways.

It’s a 24mm diameter so should it will not overhang on most mods on the market today. There is plenty of spare o-rings but only 2 spare post screws which is odd since the deck has 4 total. It also comes with a bag of mesh which should be enough to make about 10 coils which is nice. Branding is very simple. Nothing on the outside and only on the bottom just how i like it. They don’t include any cotton though a couple of cotton pads would have been nice.

Pros:
  • 2 Standard 810 tips (Delrin and Ultem)
  • standard 510 pin and squonk pin included
  • good protection for over squonking
  • nice easy to build on deck
  • single or dual mesh coil options is unique
  • Included mesh
  • plenty of spare o-rings
  • AFC is easy to adjust
  • separate AFC rings for single and dual coil option
  • simple branding
Cons:
  • Dual coil isn’t very practical with included mesh due to low resistance
  • Lack of color options
  • more spare screws and flat heads would have been nice
  • flavor from a mesh RDA still doesn't compete with fancy coil builds in RDAs
Conclusion
So with all that said, do I recommend this RDA?I don’t like to do a hard yes or no, i’m gonna lean a little towards the yes. While i’m still not personally sold on mesh in RDAs as i feel it does not perform as good as big fancy builds still in RDAs but uses more juice and watts at times, If you wanted a mesh RDA to try it out, it’s a great option so it’s only a yes if you want to try a mesh RDA, I’ll be adding it to my sheet

This is Anthony Vapes just keeping it honest, hopefully you all can say the same and i’ll catch you on my next review.

Product Disclaimer
This product was sent to me from Cthulhu Mods

Review Disclaimer
Due to possible QC difference your experience may vary.

Reviewer Disclaimer
I’ve been doing vape reviews since late 2016 and have done around 200 reviews to date. I enjoy helping vapers on forums as well and helping contribute to the great vape community. I’m not an “out of the box” reviewer. I do my best to be thorough at all times and have enough experience with many products to tell what’s good and what’s not. All mods get tested with an oscilloscope and stress tested and results are posted in my reviews.

Recommendations and Past Review Links
written reviews list here

Youtube Channel here

Spreadhseet of Recommendations here

Best of 2018 so far list here

Best of 2017 list here
 

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