INTRODUCTION
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Hello everyone Pizza Dave here, delivering a review of the Elder Dragon RDA by Wotofo. This rda goes by a couple of names. Over here in the states, we call it the Elder Dragon, but over in Japan it is called the Ryujin. This is all thanks to the collaboration with Japanese reviewer Ryusei Sakaue. This is one of the many collaborations that Wotofo has taken on this year, and often times these have paid off. I have enjoyed many of these collaborated designs throughout the year, so let’s dive right in and see if they came up with another winner with this design.
Disclaimer: This device was sent to me by Wotofo for review.
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WHAT YOU GET
Available in Rainbow, Stainless, Gunmetal, Black, Blue and Gold.
STOCK SHOT
PACKAGING
UNBOXED
______________________________________________________________________________
BUILD DECK AND WICKING
The build deck on the Elder Dragon is nothing really new in the world of Wotofo. It is similar to what we have seen with the Recurve and the Serpent Elevate. This design is a post-less deck that utilizes 4 post holes for a single coil so it will work no matter what way you wrap your coil. Using the included coil tool, I snipped my leads as noted, and they pop right in at a perfect height for the air flow on the coil. One could play with this a bit, but I found that where they have it is about perfect, and it allows you to rest your coil tool within notches on the deck for simple placement. Due to the air flow inlets, I stuck with 3mm coils on each build and it seemed to be just right for this rda. Wicking this rda is simple and straight forward. Snip the cotton just long enough to tuck into the shallow juice well and you are all set.
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AIR FLOW
One big standout on this rda design is the air flow. It features two air inlets on the sides that are somewhat similar to what we saw on the pulse series of rdas from Vandy Vape. One difference however is how far these come in. They get very close to the coil and are aimed right at the bottom half of the coil. They also are not overly large. It creates a smooth, more restricted lung hit, even with the air flow wide open. Speaking of wide open, there aren’t many other ways to really hit this one. The top cap locks into position, but does allow you to close both holes off slightly. You cannot rock a single air flow inlet, as the design inhibits this. I loved the air flow wide open anyway, so I have no gripes with this design. Side not to the air flow inlets. They can be removed for cleaning purposes. They have screws up through the bottom of the rda for removal. I don’t really know why you would ever need to do this. I think the real reason they are attached this way is because they were easier to machine separately than having this all done in one shot, but hey, it is what it is.
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PHOTO GALLERY
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HOW IT VAPES / FINAL THOUGHTS
Before I dive fully into how it vapes, I want to talk about how it drips or squonks. This rda has a shallow juice well, with air flow inlets positioned lower on the sides. It can be over squonked or over dripped if you are not careful. I used mine as a squonker 95% of the time and found that it takes a certain level of caution during use. I could watch my liquid come up the air flow holes, and then let off the squonk bottle and watch it suck right back down. If you do over squonk a bit, it will be a bit slurpy for that first puff or two. Ok, so now we got that out of the way, I have a serious question for you. Do you like flavor? If you answered yes to this question, then you will want to keep on reading. To keep this short, this one is definitely for the flavor chasers out there. It brought out all sorts of great notes in my liquids, and I didn’t find a juice that didn’t taste good within. The small chamber, combined with that air flow makes for a delicious experience. The restricted lung hit is also a win for me, as it is what I seem to be gravitating to more all the time. I think the big deciding factor for if you would buy it or not comes down to styling. It looks….WEIRD. It is bubbly, and has some funky lines and notches. I just know the styling won’t be for everything, and that can be a big con for some. I was able to get over how it looked once I vaped it, but it is definitely something to consider. Another thing to look at are the drip tip options. I like most of the included resin tips, but the top is narrow, so many of your tips will overhang the top on this as well. The last con would be dripping in this. I just don’t think it’s a good design to be used as a dripper. Squonking alone is one of those puff, puff, squonk styles, as there is practically no juice well to be had. The bottom line on this one is, if you squonk, like flavor, and can deal with the design, it’s a solid rda to pick up.
OVEN TEST
If this were to accidentally go into the pizza oven would I go out and get another? Yes. It’s cheap, and just tastes so dang good.
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PROS
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CONS
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Thank you everyone for reading my review and thank you to Wotofo for sending this my way for review. I am seeing this online for about $35.
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Pizza Dave – delivering real reviews with no extra toppings
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REVIEW CRITERIA: I use each item extensively for about two weeks to ensure I have collected enough data to adequately write a review. I use the same e liquid in tanks or rdas throughout all my reviews to ensure that I am comparing apples to apples between all modern equipment. I do not post reviews until I feel confident that I have used all products enough to give an educated review. The reason I started doing reviews was due to poor purchasing decisions in my vaping infancy about two years ago. Back then, I purchased several different pieces of hardware without really enjoying them and I hope my reviews can guide people into spending their hard-earned money more wisely than I did! ****Keep in mind that some items I receive may be pre-release and not in retail packaging. Quality may be less than the finished product and what is in the package may differ from the retail package as well.
______________________________________________________________________________
Hello everyone Pizza Dave here, delivering a review of the Elder Dragon RDA by Wotofo. This rda goes by a couple of names. Over here in the states, we call it the Elder Dragon, but over in Japan it is called the Ryujin. This is all thanks to the collaboration with Japanese reviewer Ryusei Sakaue. This is one of the many collaborations that Wotofo has taken on this year, and often times these have paid off. I have enjoyed many of these collaborated designs throughout the year, so let’s dive right in and see if they came up with another winner with this design.
Disclaimer: This device was sent to me by Wotofo for review.
______________________________________________________________________________
WHAT YOU GET
- 1 Elder Dragon RDA
- 1 Resin 810 drip tip
- 1 Frosted 810 drip tip
- 1 510 drip tip adapter
- 1 set of fused Clapton coils
- 1 set of agletted cotton strips
- 1 Coil snipping tool (coily style)
- Screwdriver
- Spare parts
- Paperwork
Available in Rainbow, Stainless, Gunmetal, Black, Blue and Gold.
STOCK SHOT
PACKAGING
UNBOXED
______________________________________________________________________________
BUILD DECK AND WICKING
The build deck on the Elder Dragon is nothing really new in the world of Wotofo. It is similar to what we have seen with the Recurve and the Serpent Elevate. This design is a post-less deck that utilizes 4 post holes for a single coil so it will work no matter what way you wrap your coil. Using the included coil tool, I snipped my leads as noted, and they pop right in at a perfect height for the air flow on the coil. One could play with this a bit, but I found that where they have it is about perfect, and it allows you to rest your coil tool within notches on the deck for simple placement. Due to the air flow inlets, I stuck with 3mm coils on each build and it seemed to be just right for this rda. Wicking this rda is simple and straight forward. Snip the cotton just long enough to tuck into the shallow juice well and you are all set.
______________________________________________________________________________
AIR FLOW
One big standout on this rda design is the air flow. It features two air inlets on the sides that are somewhat similar to what we saw on the pulse series of rdas from Vandy Vape. One difference however is how far these come in. They get very close to the coil and are aimed right at the bottom half of the coil. They also are not overly large. It creates a smooth, more restricted lung hit, even with the air flow wide open. Speaking of wide open, there aren’t many other ways to really hit this one. The top cap locks into position, but does allow you to close both holes off slightly. You cannot rock a single air flow inlet, as the design inhibits this. I loved the air flow wide open anyway, so I have no gripes with this design. Side not to the air flow inlets. They can be removed for cleaning purposes. They have screws up through the bottom of the rda for removal. I don’t really know why you would ever need to do this. I think the real reason they are attached this way is because they were easier to machine separately than having this all done in one shot, but hey, it is what it is.
______________________________________________________________________________
PHOTO GALLERY
______________________________________________________________________________
HOW IT VAPES / FINAL THOUGHTS
Before I dive fully into how it vapes, I want to talk about how it drips or squonks. This rda has a shallow juice well, with air flow inlets positioned lower on the sides. It can be over squonked or over dripped if you are not careful. I used mine as a squonker 95% of the time and found that it takes a certain level of caution during use. I could watch my liquid come up the air flow holes, and then let off the squonk bottle and watch it suck right back down. If you do over squonk a bit, it will be a bit slurpy for that first puff or two. Ok, so now we got that out of the way, I have a serious question for you. Do you like flavor? If you answered yes to this question, then you will want to keep on reading. To keep this short, this one is definitely for the flavor chasers out there. It brought out all sorts of great notes in my liquids, and I didn’t find a juice that didn’t taste good within. The small chamber, combined with that air flow makes for a delicious experience. The restricted lung hit is also a win for me, as it is what I seem to be gravitating to more all the time. I think the big deciding factor for if you would buy it or not comes down to styling. It looks….WEIRD. It is bubbly, and has some funky lines and notches. I just know the styling won’t be for everything, and that can be a big con for some. I was able to get over how it looked once I vaped it, but it is definitely something to consider. Another thing to look at are the drip tip options. I like most of the included resin tips, but the top is narrow, so many of your tips will overhang the top on this as well. The last con would be dripping in this. I just don’t think it’s a good design to be used as a dripper. Squonking alone is one of those puff, puff, squonk styles, as there is practically no juice well to be had. The bottom line on this one is, if you squonk, like flavor, and can deal with the design, it’s a solid rda to pick up.
OVEN TEST
If this were to accidentally go into the pizza oven would I go out and get another? Yes. It’s cheap, and just tastes so dang good.
______________________________________________________________________________
PROS
- Flavor is outstanding
- Easy to build
- Smooth air flow
- Comes in 6 colors
- Affordable price point
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CONS
- Design might be a turn off
- Uses smaller 810 drip tips (always that 510 option though!)
- Can be oversquonked or overdripped
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Thank you everyone for reading my review and thank you to Wotofo for sending this my way for review. I am seeing this online for about $35.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Pizza Dave – delivering real reviews with no extra toppings
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
REVIEW CRITERIA: I use each item extensively for about two weeks to ensure I have collected enough data to adequately write a review. I use the same e liquid in tanks or rdas throughout all my reviews to ensure that I am comparing apples to apples between all modern equipment. I do not post reviews until I feel confident that I have used all products enough to give an educated review. The reason I started doing reviews was due to poor purchasing decisions in my vaping infancy about two years ago. Back then, I purchased several different pieces of hardware without really enjoying them and I hope my reviews can guide people into spending their hard-earned money more wisely than I did! ****Keep in mind that some items I receive may be pre-release and not in retail packaging. Quality may be less than the finished product and what is in the package may differ from the retail package as well.
