The BP Mods Bushido V3 RDA is from a company that is fairly new but already have quite a few products in their stable. I have not tried any of their products yet but I have heard great things about them.
The Hilt Mosfet Mod which looks extremely high end and the Pioneer RTA which we recently reviewed with many people in the vaping world saying it’s up there with the Kayfun, as being one of the best MTL tanks on the market.
What Can You Expect from The BUSHIDO V3 RDA?
The Bushido V3 is an exceedingly small single coil RDA flavour banger for those vapers who are looking for great flavour without having to use a dual coil set up.
This is the first single coil RDA I have used, I was not sure what to expect so come with me and explore the functions and performance of the single-coil device known as the Bushido V3.
The Bushido V3 RDA sports a whopping 22mm, yes I am being sarcastic because apart from Bridges for the Billet Box Boro Tanks, I have never had to work on a build deck this small.
My god, it is compact but from the first look it is extremely well designed and built. I will go into this further into the review. Just a warning you are in for a treat.
It sports a flip top on the housing of the RDA, this is for ‘easy’ dripping instead of having to take the whole top cap off or dripping liquid through the drip tip.
Other features that I will touch more on below are a pretty unique airflow and included squonk pin for the squonkers out there.
What’s In The Box
- The Bushido V3 RDA
- Pin Wrench
- Bottom Feed Pin aka Squonk Pin
- PEEK 510 Insulator
- PM 2X 4mm Screws
- Lots of Spare O’rings
- 2x Premade Clapton Coils
- A courtesy card explaining what not to use and what to use on the RDA is a brilliant touch and I loved it.
Specs & Features
- 22mm deck size
- 33mm height from 510 pin to the top of the drip tip
- Flip Top-Fill Method
- Squonk compatible
- Style Airflow System
Build & Design Quality of The Bushido V3 RDA
Overall Look and Feel
Let’s start with the presentation of the RDA within the box. Even though the box is what I would call the average size for an RDA at 95mm by 95mm, the RDA still looks exceptionally small and unassuming sitting in its black foam housing.
I received the Grey Bushido V3, which to my surprise has a ring of gold around the top of the chamber which turns out to be Genuine Gold.
I love that BP Mods have not put any sort of branding on the RDA but have kept it all to the base around the 510 pin.
I have found that more and more companies are getting away with slapping logos all over the body of the device resulting in a cheaper look.
The BP Mods Bushido V3 is made from Superior 304 Stainless Steel which makes it heavier than expected. It gave me a sense that it was made out of sturdy material and would not be a flimsy easily broken device and in return a long-lasting RDA.
Flip Top Fill Port
Ok, this feature of the RDA has had me arguing with myself since I have received the Bushido V3.
This concept has been used before including the Mad Hatter, iJoy Limitless and the Black Scorpion from the UK.
I have tried the Mad Hatter and the Black Scorpion and have found the flip top to be a pointless feature with the bracket to be flimsy and easily broken.
Also it can be down to bad designing where the inner chamber isn’t sealed properly causing turbulent and uneven airflow which equals to in my opinion a horrendous vape.
The Bushido V3 has managed to ‘fix the problem and has designed a reliable hinge mechanism as well as adding two sets of O’rings on the opening to create a better seal.
Drip Tip
The Bushido V3 RDA comes with a 510 drip tip which can be interchangeable with your own drip tip. I would not bother as the drip tip is perfect for the device.
It’s nice that BP Mods have given the consumer the option to use different drip tips but it bugs me when smaller devices have proprietary drip tips that can’t be changed. It’s great for all you vapers out there that like a bit of ‘Matchy Matchy’.
Build Deck
Considering the build deck is extremely small, BP Mods have managed to fit a whopping great juice well in the build deck measuring approximately 6mm in height.
If I am honest it is one of the deepest juice wells I have seen to date.
It’s great as there is plenty of room for lots of cotton to soak up your favourite liquid, without the worry of over-dripping and having liquid seep out of the RDA all over your mod and your hands.
Coil Spacing
Initially I was very sceptical about fitting coils within the build deck because I have never built on a single coil deck or something so small before. Yes, I did have to put my glasses on as it was a struggle initially.
This device will not fit your 26 gauge tri-core aliens as the legs of your coils have to be connected underneath a screw head and a small indentation on the build deck. I managed with a bit of struggling to get my Staggered Fused Clapton to fit which uses 2 27 gauge NiChrome cores.
The legs are offset so keep this in mind when building or buying pre-made coils, as builders like myself will only sell coils with offset legs for Mouth To Lung vaping.
This is not an issue in the slightest, just be prepared to either take off a wrap or add a wrap to make the lead’s offset.
Side Note: Please be knowledgeable about Ohms Law and Battery Safety when changing coils. The ohms will change when adding or taking off a wrap. If you are unsure please speak to your local vape shop or whoever you are getting your coils from to make sure you are in a safe range.
When purchasing your coils for your Bushido V3 stick with a 2.5mm inner diameter. 3mm will fit but is extremely tight.
This makes it nearly impossible to take out hot spots to glow your coils properly. Plus it will affect your vaping experience due to air not being able to hit your coils evenly and efficiently.
Below is a quick picture diagram of how to build and wick your Bushido V3 RDA.
- Insert your coils making sure you clamp them between the screw head and the base
2. Fit coils evenly spaced between both side
3. Make sure you fill all the juice well with cotton like this
AirFlow
The BP Mods Bushido V3 has a very smart but simple airflow system that has been designed for perfect Restricted Direct Lung vaping. It has a draw that is smoother than your favourite chat up line.
Even if you try and vape direct lung, the airflow is still consistently good and surprisingly quiet.
The ‘tick’ symbol that BP Mods are using to describe the airflow is really smart. If you just look at the symbol for a second, it is a perfect diagram for how the airflow works.
If you over drip or over squonk there is an extra cavity that will catch your liquid to stop it oozing out of your airflow slots on the side. I honestly would have thought that this extra cavity would impede the performance of the airflow system.
Let me tell you this now, somehow it has improved the airflow and made it a delight to vape.
I had a look around the BP Mods website and it states that you can purchase airflow plugs which will change your Bushido from a ‘Restricted Direct Lung’ to a ‘Mouth To Lung’ Device. I didn’t receive the airflow plugs so I cannot comment on the design and quality of them but I will be looking into getting some to try out.
The Bushido V3 In Squonk Mode
Right let’s talk about squonking for a moment. I along with many others went through a period of squonking when it was all the rage. It makes an appearance every couple of years and then goes away just as quickly as it came back.
It’s not for everyone I know but I am really happy that this single coil RDA came with a squonk pin.
My only squonker is a Dovpo Topside Dual which is a beast of a device. With a 22mm RDA on top it did look rather silly. For the sake of the review I continued to use it to test out the squonk pin.
The Bushido is a squonking dream come true. The deep juice well ensures that your wicks are perfectly saturated and gives you a perfect yes perfect vape every time.
I would have preferred it on something like the SQ Mech squonker just for the size issues but this RDA outperforms any other device in squonk mode out there on the market.
How Does the Bushido V3 RDA Perform?
This little beauty even knows it is small and a single-coil, it outperforms the best of them.
I have pushed this poor RDA to its limit and it still performs great. If you do vape higher wattages keep in mind it will get hot very quickly but that is not what the Bushido V3 RDA is all about.
The Bushido RDA shines at mid to low wattage at around 50 watts with a higher ohm say .25ohms and above.
Flavour
The flavour on this RDA is outstanding.
For a single coil device I was taken back by how rich and full the flavours were that I was getting from the device.
I was using my own Staggered Fused Clapton that I use in a lot of other devices but that mixed with the BP Mods Bushido V3 was a match made in heaven.
The adjustable airflow is second to none, even the slightest movement of the adjuster makes a huge difference. This is great because it means that you, the vaper, can dial in your preferred airflow to create a perfect vaping experience.
The sad bugger I am, I did spend a good hour moving the airflow to find the perfect position that suited my needs. It was a fun yet an interesting journey testing out all the different options I had in front of me when it came to the airflow.
The airflow adjuster has just enough tension that it is easy to move when you wanted to adjust it but not so loose that it can be accidentally moved.
I wouldn’t suggest changing the drip tip, the one created by BP Mods is perfect for this device. For such a simple design it fits the bill perfectly. I’ve tried other drip tips and it just doesn’t feel right or as comfortable in the mouth as the one provided.
Let me talk about Squonking the Bushido V3 for a second. I know previously in this review I went on a little rant about how perfect this device is for squonking. I still stand by this statement wholeheartedly but I do not want this to put you off if you are looking for a dripper style RDA.
Dripper
As a dripper, it still outperforms most if not all of the single-coil RDA’s out there but there is a few issues that I have run into. This is mainly because of the Flip Top topper.
The way the flip top is designed only exposes the coil and approximately 0.7mm of your wicks at the most.
You may be thinking to yourself “That’s fine I only need the coils to be saturated,” but what people forget is that if the coils are the only thing saturated then you are prone to “Cotton Collapse.”
This is when the cotton within the coils becomes overly saturated and starts breaking down which then results in dry hits.
I have had a lot of cotton collapse using the flip-top filling method. I resorted to just taking off the whole top cap and just dripping equally over the whole cotton and wicks. This sorted the issue out.
It’s not a big deal but I felt that if BP Mods made the flip-top port wider to expose more of the cotton, you might get a better method of dripping than what they currently have.
On a personal level I feel that the flip-top cap is a gimmick and that it’s not needed. It’s been done before and has not been a success. Some vapers might like it but I feel it is a waste of time to design this feature.
They could have gone for a screw-top feature like The RDA For Vaping by Coilturd, which exposes the whole deck without having to take the top cap off.
Pros
- Small and Compact
- Rich, full flavour
- Sleek and Stylish
- Great as a Squonker
- Nice and Easy Build Deck
- Massive Juice Well
- Airflow System
Cons
- The Flip-Top Design
Final Verdict
I am absolutely in love with this single coil device by BP Mods. They have made a cracking little flavour banger that is not overly sized and priced.
I have one more thing that I think was more of an oversight on BP Mods side which just baffled me beyond belief.
BP Mods have included a set of Clapton coils for you to use but the coils I received were not made to be used in the build deck of the Bushido V3. The coils did not have the legs offset and were made for post less decks. This I feel was probably just an oversight by the company.
As I have previously stated, by removing or adding wraps to a coil it will change the resistance of the coil.
I would not suggest doing this if you are not knowledgeable about Ohms Law and how it will affect the performance of the battery, especially using it in a mechanical mod. This could have catastrophic consequences to new vapers or those not familiar with the above.
I did not try the Claptons provided as I took one of the coils and built it on an ohm’s reader. As the coils came out at a much lower resistance I decided not to use them.
I know I have moaned about a couple of issues with this Bushido V3 RDA but this is just my personal opinion and I love the device. I usually pick up on every devices imperfection.
Did you buy the Bp Mods Bushido V3 RDA? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below.
