It’s fair to say we have tried our fair share of drippers. Over 110 on the last count. I guess that saves you a lot of trial and error in your search for the best RDA!
The only questions you need to ask yourself are:
- Do you want an RDA for Flavour?
- Do you want an RDA for clouds?
- Are you a beginner looking for an easy RDA to build on?
- Maybe you want mesh? Single coil? Dual coil?
Well, whatever it is you are looking for you are in the right place.
What Are the Best RDA’s So Far this year?
This will be updated if new RDA’s that are reviewed impress us enough to land a spot on the best of list.
Unfortunately there have not been very many to choose from in the last year – so you may see the return of some older ones! I also note the absence of new MTL RDA’s which is a shame!
OK.. Let’s get straight in there and see what RDA’s performed for us.
1. Wotofo Profile PS RDA – (Editor’s Choice)
The Wotofo Profile PS Dual Mesh RDA is a shining example that you can vape mesh without fear!
This 28.5mm diameter RDA delivers thick cloud and very good flavour. For those that like to play around there are pins included that let you drip or squonk in either parallel or series mode just by swapping out a connection pin on the RDA.
Plus you get all the other great features including the adjustable honeycomb airflow plus plenty of goodies to enable you to build this straight away.
If you are looking for a solid mesh RDA then this is worth checking out.
Features
- Drip or squonk in parallel or series mode
- 28.5mm diameter
- Easy to build on
- Honeycomb adjustable airflow
- Thick cloud and very good flavour
2. Wotofo Recurve Dual (Best Dual Coil RDA)
Well we liked the single coil version and the dual coil Recurve RDA is no different. It ticks all the boxes.
The 24mm diameter makes it a good contender to sit on top of most mods comfortably and with its clean lines and design looks good too.
The Recurve Dual is also easy to build for all levels of vaper. Excellent flavour. Smooth airflow and deep juice well. Oh and it’s a dream to squonk as well.
If the pros above sound like what you are looking for in a dual coil RDA then the Recurve could just be the one.
Features
- Excellent flavour
- Easy dual coil building
- Great for squonking and standard vaping
- 24mm Diameter
- One of the most popular dual coil RDA’s among vapers
3. Hellvape Drop Dead V2 RDA
This is the newest update to the RDA which merged together two epic ranges – the Drop RDA and Dead Rabbit RDA.
The new Drop Dead V2 includes a much-improved airflow and a deeper juice well of 6.2mm. The iconic “Bunny ear” posts have been replaced with a simple-to-use postless deck!
Plus they have increased the quantity of incoming air inlets from 28 up to 36 which means you have 21 combinations of airflow adjustment!
This is ideal for drippers or Squonk fans!
Features
- Great quality and design
- Increased airflow adjustment
- Ideal for squonkers or drippers!
- Simple dual coil build deck
- Large clamp holes for more extravagant coil types
4. Digiflavor Drop V2 RDA
The original Digiflavor Drop RDA was a classic RDA which many people still swear by!
It was then updated to the Drop V1.5 and updated further for the V2!
This version keeps the 24mm diameter meaning it should be perfect on the majority of box mods whilst also allowing a good size build deck.
Talking of build decks – you will find large posts with plenty of room for the more extravagant coil types.
The airflow has been designed to cater to RDL and DTL vapers with plenty of adjustment options by rotating the side barrel.
If you are a squonk fan, fear not as a Squonk Pin and solid 510 pin (dripping) are both included in the kit.
Included in the kit are coils, cotton and tools to get you up and ready in no time, just add e-liquid and a mod!
Features
- Excellent flavour and vapour production
- Silky smooth airflow
- Wide range of airflow adjustment
- Easy to build on
- Generous kit contents
5. Wotofo Recurve V2 RDA (Best Single & Dual Coil RDA)
The Recurve V2 RDA is brought to us by Wotofo in collaboration with American YouTube reviewer Mike Vapes and is the update to the original Recurve RDA.
For this version the build deck has had a total redesign. The addition of airflow adaptors which allow single or dual airflow inlets mean this is an RDA which is suitable for single or dual coil builds without compromise!
The kit includes both solid and hollow (squonk) 510 pins to keep drippers and squonkers happy!
Features
- Single (up to 5mm) or dual (2x3mm) coil compatible
- Airflow adaptors mean the airflow can be truly tailored for the coil setup
- Squonk pin and solid (drip) 510 pins included
- Clean and tasty flavour
- Great vapour production
- Easy to build
6. Hellvape Dead Rabbit Pro RDA
There are quite a few Hellvape RDA’s on this list for a reason – they make some beauties!
The Dead Rabbit Pro RDA is a stunner! One of the main features is the fact you can customise the look of this with different colour side and bottom airflow rings and drip tips. In fact you get a spare side ring and drip tip included in the kit.
But is this all about looks? How does it perform?
The flavour and vapour production really impressed in review – with our Kev saying…
“Hellvape has created many Dead Rabbit products, and so far I’ve got to say this is my favourite RDA. I am very impressed by the flavour and vapour production this one can produce as well as the different combinations of looks that can be customised!”
You get 2 airflow adjustment options – side and bottom which means you can really tailor the incoming air to suit your preference. You can open both airflows to give mega clouds or close one off. There are a lot of possible combinations!
This is designed for dual coil builds with a postless deck – allowing more space for building.
Also the kit includes all you need to get started (apart from e-liquid and mod of course)! Not to mention there are both solid and hollow (squonk) 510 pins included in the kit to make this RDA more versatile.
Features
- Easy to customise the appearance with lots of different colour combinations
- Easy to build
- Dual airflow with a lot of options
- Excellent flavour and vapour
- Suitable for dripping or squonking
7. Hellvape Passage RDA (Best RDA for Flavour)
(Currently Not Available)
The Hellvape Passage RDA was a design collaboration between Hellvape and Matt from Suck My Mod who both have quite a pedigree of designing great vape gear!
Two features make the Passage RDA stand out and they include the deck and the airflow design!
The airflow is designed to be leak resistant with an outer barrel containing the adjustable airflow inlet slot. The airflow is then channelled via the passage (hence the name) to the inner barrel which has the honeycomb airflow inlets.
The airflow then hits the coils side on.
As for the deck this has a 2 post design but the clever thing here is that there are multiple clamp options. The clamping blocks move up and down the post as you turn the clamp screws and you can clamp coils above or below the clamping block.
This is for dual coil builds and as there are different clamping options it should accommodate the most awkward of coil leg directions!
For us the Passage RDA is our top pick for a combination of flavour, cloud and ease of use.
Features
- Superb flavour and clouds
- Leak resistant design
- Great for squonking and standard vaping
- Easy to build on
- Top dual coil dripper
- Deep juice well
8. Hellvape Dead Rabbit V2 (Best RDA for Cloud)
(Currently Not Available)
Now the Hellvape Dead Rabbit RDA is pretty much a classic! Many DTL enthusiasts will still rate this in their all-time best RDA list.
With the Dead Rabbit V2 Hellvape have managed to tweak and improve things further.
Airflow has been improved as well as the updated angled post legs and juice block for those using the RDA in squonk mode.
The Dead Rabbit V2 is super easy to build on, is built with top quality materials and it looks the part as well.
And of course the flavour rocks on this thing.
Features
- Superb flavour
- Deck designed to make coil leg trimming super easy
- Excellent build quality
- Comes with a squonk 510 pin and solid 510 pin
- Overall high quality RDA
9. Wotofo STNG MTL RDA – (Best MTL RDA For Flavour)
In 2018 the tide started to turn from DTL back to MTL and one of the best little releases for MTL enthusiasts of late has been the STNG MTL RDA.
THE STNG is a 22mm RDA that has been built primarily for single coil builds.
The flavour this little thing chucks out is very good and it also has the bonus of coming with a BF pin for the squonkers out there.
The airflow allows for a true mouth to lung draw, so if you are looking for the tighter ‘cigarette like’ draw then that is available.
You get a great kit of goodies with this too including coils and plenty of spares!
Features
- Single coil MTL design
- Can provide a ‘cigarette style’ draw
- Easy to build on
- Comes with a squonk 510 pin and solid 510 pin
10. Vapefly Holic MTL RDA – (Best MTL RDA for Beginners)
(Currently Not Available)
The Holic MTL RDA has a single coil build deck and the posts have slots in which really make getting those coil legs in so much easier! Also to help with building the deck has notches cut out to align your coiling tool with to get the coil perfectly central.
Airflow wise this has the usual rotating outer barrel for adjustment plus the option of fine tuning the airflow with the two screw adjustable valves on the deck.
On review this gave a wonderful MTL airflow adjustment and even a restricted DTL if that is something you enjoy!
Although this is only 22mm diameter – ideal for smaller mods – you also get a beauty ring which takes the diameter up to 25mm so it will still look great on larger devices. Oh and of course you can stick this on a squonker too and it performs well!
Features
- Simple single coil deck
- Alignment notches to help centralise the coil
- Comes with a squonk 510 pin and solid 510 pin
- Adjustable airflow barrel and deck fine tuning screws
- Generous kit contents including coils, spares and Firebolt cotton
11. Vandy Vape Berserker MTL RDA – (Best MTL RDA For Airflow Options)
(Currently Not Available)
This is a tiny little RDA at only 18mm in diameter which should fit a lot of smaller mods nicely, but if you did want to make it look a bit better on a larger mod you also get 22mm and 24mm beauty rings.
The main feature of this is the massive range of airflow options. By installing (or not!) the different sized supplied airflow tubes into the deck plus the adjustable airflow inlets on the barrel you can customise the airflow to your preference precisely!
Having a single coil build deck which harks back to the older Doggy Style and Kayfun style decks this is easy to build on.
A deep juice well means if you squonk or drip you will be vaping longer between adding e-liquid! Talking of e-liquid this even handled thicker mixtures up to 70%VG in our review with no wicking issues and kicking out the flavour!
Oh and as usual you get a great kit full of goodies to get you started.
Features
- Tiny 18mm diameter will fit on most mods plus 22mm and 24mm beauty rings to look better on larger mods
- Easy to build deck design – ideal for newbies
- Comes with a squonk 510 pin and solid 510 pin
- 42 possible airflow options with the included AFC tubes
- Great kit contents including coils and plenty of spares
12. Vandy Vape Mesh V2 RDA (Best Squonk RDA)
(Currently Not Available)
There are many Squonk RDA’s on this list as most nowadays come with dual compatibility. So you won’t go far wrong with any of them. We do, however, have a soft spot for the Vandy Vape Mesh V2 RDA.
The flavour and cloud produced by the Mesh V2 RDA scored pretty much top marks by Kevin (one of the most experienced vapers on the team) making this one of his go to RDA’s.
Everything else from the ease of build, design and quality also impressed. The 25.5mm dripper will look the part on most mods and the addition of a deep 2mm juice well and a multitude of extras included rounds things off very nicely indeed.
Safe to say this should be on your shopping lit if you are looking for a flavour RDA.
Features
- Triple threat – Easy to build on | Top Flavour | Impressive Cloud
- 25.5mm Diameter
- As good in squonk RDA mode as it is in dripper mode
- Easy to build on
- 2mm Deep juice well
13. Augvape Druga 2 RDA (Best RDA For Beginners)
(Currently Not Available)
The Augvape Druga 2 RDA is one of the newest drippers on the list and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.
This can be used as a dual coil RDA with a simple spacious build deck with big clamps to pin down those coil legs. Should be a breeze for even newbies to get to grips with. That’s not to say it isn’t a good pick for veteran vapers out there.
A 6mm deep juice well means less dripping or squonking action and more time spent vaping!
The outer barrel has 6 airflow holes to help with deliver superb flavour and clouds.
Features
- Big and easy to build deck
- Comes with a squonk 510 pin and solid 510 pin
- Adjustable airflow
- Delivers on both cloud and flavour
- Generous kit contents including coils, cotton and spares
14. Hellvape Hellbeast RDA (Editor’s Choice)
(Currently Not Available)
One of the most popular brands when it comes to RBA’s is of course Hellvape and they have certainly done nothing to harm that reputation with the Hellbeast RDA.
This dual coil, 24mm diameter RDA is squonk compatible and has nailed the airflow (72 holes!) which in turn makes that flavour pop.
Our reviewer found this to be one of the easiest RDA’s he has built on as well so for vapers just starting out in the RDA world this could be a good entry RDA.
Features
- Very good flavour and cloud production
- Very good airflow
- Squonk compatible
- 24mm Diameter
RDA Frequently Asked Questions
What is a RDA Vape?
An RDA vape sits within a category of vapes known as RBA’s (Rebuildable Atomizers). Under this category we have RDA’s (Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer), RTA’s (Rebuildable Tank Atomizers), RDTA’s (Rebuildable Dripping Tank Atomizers).
All rebuildable atomizers, including RDA’s, allow you to build your own coils and add your own cotton. RDA’s are regarded, by many vapers, to offer the best flavour and cloud production of any atomizer.
What Does RDA Stand For in Vaping?
The term RDA stands for “Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer”.
What is the Best RDA Vape?
If you are on this page then take a look at out top rated RDA’s here. We have 10 superb drippers to choose from.
What is Better - RDA, RDTA or RTA?
The question should be – What type of atomizer fits with your vaping style and needs? Many prefer RTA’s and RDTA’s as they have tanks that you can fill and you don’t need to continuously drip e-liquid as you do with an RDA. RDA’s, however, are preferred by many as they can provide superior flavour and vapour.
What is the Best RDA for Beginners?
There are a number of RDA’s that are great for beginners. The Hellvape Hellbeast and Geek Vape Tengu are just two examples. We have more recommendations above.
What is the Best RDA For Flavour?
There are some great RDA’s for flavour. That is what they are designed to deliver. We recommend the Geek Vape Loop, Wotofo Profile PS and Hellvape Hellbeast. We have other recommendations above.
Are RDA's Better than Vape Tanks?
RDA’s can offer superior flavour and clouds as well as being cheaper in the long run. Vape tanks, on the other hand, are easier to use and don’t require constant dripping. What is it you want from a vape?
How Long do RDA Coils Last?
The time RDA coils last will vary from vaper to vaper and how you vape. As wire for RBA’s is very cheap to buy many vapers choose to rebuild regularly to get the best performance from their RDA. One thing is for sure. RDA coils can last a lot longer than stock coils.
How Do You Clean RDA Coils?
You can clean your RDA coils by removing the cotton. Rinse coils under water and use a wire brush to clean. You can then dry burn to remove any excess flavour. See are full guide to cleaning coils here.
How Do You Wick a RDA?
Wicking techniques can differ for each RDA. Be sure to check out our reviews for the RDA you have to see best wicking techniques for that particular device.
Can you use squonk RDA on regulated mod?
Most, if not all, Squonk RDA’s come with two pins. One BF (Bottom Feed) pin and one regular pin. These can be swapped out depending on the mod you are using. So yes, you can use a squonk RDA on a regulated mod.
Agree with the comment below. Profile PS is sub par compared to the Profile 1.5, even the original. Constant dry hits or constant juice leaking out of the air holes, its a lose- lose.
The main problem I have with this list is half of it is discontinued now and cant be purchased anywhere. Desperately trying to find an RDA to replace my Profile PS. Settled on the Vandy Vape Mesh 2 and guess what? Discontinued and cant be brought anywhere.
If you’re going to do lists like this one, aptly named 2024, at least make sure the products haven’t been discounted years previously and can actually be purchased!
We have updated the page to reflect what is currently available – sadly there are not as many RDA’s on the market as there used to be
MESH TANKS!
Profile 1.5 is way better quality than Profile PS. I have both and the build of the PS at first seems solid, but the springs wear out so fast you will be dry hitting and wicking every few minutes.
The issue with all of these reviews is that all of it just cover unboxing and first impressions. Use the devices for more than just a review and see how the longevity of each of these hold up.
Profile PS is harder to wick, it’s finicky and I am sure you will have dry hits after a while. I have never had this issue with the Profile 1.5.
Also, the 1.5 accommodates more mesh variations than the PS
I’ve spent so much money on different devices – even though we watch review after review after review. Longevity is a massive issue.
I’ve only been squonking for about 16 months and using a mongrel RDA on a vandyvape pulse V2 since Christmas. And I find the mongrel to be brilliant. 9ml juice wells mean I squonk a lot less than the recurve v1. The single coil is so easy that even I, who has hand to eye coordination problems, can manage it easily.