Dovpo Blotto Max Review and Build Tutorial – Blotto-ed to the Max!

In for review this week I have the Dovpo Blotto Max RTA. Looking strikingly similar to it’s predecessors, the main difference is going to be it’s size.

Dovpo have had quite a run with Blotto line, FlatCap Vape reviewed the original Blotto in August 2019, and at the time he said it was his “favourite RTA of the year“, high praise indeed!

After this I reviewed the Blotto Mini in June 2020, and the Blotto Single Coil in September 2021, and rated both highly.

The Blotto range is, of course, a creation by the most enjoyably foul-mouthed Australian reviewer “The Vaping Bogan”, aka Sam Parsons. If you haven’t checked out his Youtube channel yet then you definitely should! Here it is.

What Can We Expect From The Blotto Max by Dovpo?

So in 2022, what is there to expect from the Blotto Max? Well for starters, this is actually a double release!

The Blotto Max has obviously increased in size, up to 28mm diameter from 25.5. But there have also been changes to the insulation on the posts, and strengthening of the airflow ring and base.

Not to leave the original Blotto missing these upgrades, Dovpo also announced a Blotto 1.5, that adds the changes made to the Blotto Max, whilst keeping the original diameter.

Although this review is primarily on the Blotto Max, I will talk briefly about the Blotto 1.5 as well.

This was sent over directly from Dovpo for the purpose of review (thank you) as usual, freebies do not affect my review, and I shall report back honestly with what I find.

In The Box

• Blotto Max RTA
• Bubble Glass and PCTG Ultem Coloured Bubble
• Accessory Bag
• Skull Bottle Opener/Coil Tool
• User manual and QC Card

Specs

• Dimensions – 28mm x 44.5mm (excluding 510)
• Capacity – 3.8ml (straight glass) or 2ml TPD Version / 6.2ml (bubble glass)
• Airflow – 272° Airflow
• Coils – Dual Coil

Design and Build Quality

For those that like the familiar shape of the Blotto, you’ll be pleased to see that not much has changed. The Blotto Max is available in Black (which I received) Gunmetal, and Stainless Steel.

There’s still the “bottle-top” design that I’ve always quite liked, however it’s starting to feel a little old hat by now.

Drip Tip

Although it’s rare that I speak at any length on a drip tip (after all, you can change it out to your preference of 810 drip tip easily!) I do really like the one that comes with the Blotto Max.

It’s pretty low profile, and is a combination of PCTG and metal, with a very wide bore. I found it really comfortable, and didn’t change it throughout my testing.

Top Cap

Underneath the bottle top shaped top cap, a simple quarter twist will reveal your kidney shaped fill ports. Although these look slightly small in the photo, you have to remember that the tank itself is noticeably larger than before

Due to this, I never had any issues filling up, and the top cap stayed in place when I needed it to, but was quick and easy to remove.

Bubble Glass

Again you get two bubble glasses in the package. With the standard straight glass the capacity is 3.8ml, but expands to a capacious 6.2ml with the bubble.

I know that some people feel that a bubble glass spoils the lines of a tank, but I think the bulbous nature of it suits a Blotto! As well as the glass, there is also an Ultem coloured PCTG bubble. But as the drip tip is no longer matched to this (like it was on the original black Blotto) I’ve not been a fan.

However, it’s a good option if you often knock over your tank!

As before, you have Bogan’s skull logo on the chamber of the tank. Although I’m never a fan of in-your-face branding, I think this is decently subtle.

The Deck

Looking at the the deck, my first thoughts were “Yup, that’s a Blotto!” You’ve got the same 2 coil deck with the angled holes for your coil legs, the airflow posts that wrap up the sides of the coils to give the 272° airflow, as well as airflow coming from directly beneath your coils.

You have to look quite closely to see what has changed, other than having a little bit more room afforded by the larger size.

There is still 272° of airflow with the posts that rise up on either side of your coils, however these both have metal backs now. In the original Blotto one was backed by an insulator. I believe this is mostly to strengthen them, but I never had any complaints previously.

Other than that, the bottom airflow in the middle, now has the slits running along the length of your coils, rather than crosswise. Whether this will make any difference, we shall see!

Airflow Control Ring

The airflow control ring is around the base of the tank, and as with previous Blottos, it’s a little hard to tell visually what it’s set to without a strong light on it!

Apparently this is another area of the Blotto that has been strengthened. Though whether the makes any difference, I haven’t been able to tell.

Base

On the base you can see your usual regulatory marks, along with what I presume is a batch number, the name of the RTA and Bogan’s signature and logo.

There’s quite a big insulator around the positive pin, and as this sticks up above the negative threads, it looks at first glance like the pin doesn’t protrude all that much, but that’s because some of the height is taken up by the insulator. I’d be perfectly happy putting this on a hybrid mechanical.

How To Build the Dovpo Blotto Max

The first thing that you need to be aware of building the Blotto Max, is that Dovpo don’t supply you with coils or cotton. Honestly I can see arguments both for and against this, but personally I like to have these provided, as it gives people something to get started with.

Especially if they’re new to building!

• First trim your coils to about 4.5mm, I’m using a couple of fused Claptons with an ID of 3mm, you can use the skull bottle opener to do so, but I’m using my ever faithful coily tool here

• Once you’ve done this, unscrew the deck screws, they actually come out quite a long way, so take a look at where your coils legs are going to go in to make sure they won’t get caught on the screws

• Pop your coils in, and place a finger on top to hold them in place as you tighten the screws. This is still the most fiddly bit of building the blotto, and whilst the increased size make it’s a little easier, it’s still a bit of pain. Don’t worry that your coils will end up all wonky, we sort that next!

• Use a coiling jig to straighten your coils and get them running parallel

• Dry fire your coils at a low wattage, and strum with ceramic tweezers to remove and hot spots

• Feed your wick through the coils

• Trim your wick, I always leave it a little bit long at this point, resting my scissors on the base of the tank and cutting at an angle, as I’ll trim it down again in a minute

• Rake out your cotton a little, and give it a bit of fluff, snip off any excess cotton, and finish trimming it up

• Place your wick into the wick ports on either side of your deck. The cotton should go through the ports, but shouldn’t be bunching up on the base of the tank, just hanging slightly is fine

• Prime your cotton with plenty of e-liquid

• Reattach the main tank, and fill it up

• Pop the top cap back on and you’re good to go!

How Does the Dovpo Blotto Max RTA Perform?

So I’ve been using the Blotto Max for a couple of weeks now, and it’s been a decent performer. I’ve tested a range of e-liquids (currently on some more Fizzle) as well as different builds.

I have tried putting in a single coil, but in reality it’s just not the right tank for that. You’d need an absolutely massive coil to get the coverage that you need, and since the under coil airflow bulges up in the middle, it’s not really practical.

Airflow and Cloud Production

Fully open, with a couple of 3mm coils, the airflow is just slightly restrictive. On a 1-10 scale where 1 is the tightest imaginable, and 10 is fully open, this is an 8.

I found the airflow control ring a little stiff to move, but at least it means it’s not going to be knocked out of place.

One thing to note though, is that it’s worth making sure that your tank is screwed down firmly onto your mod, as otherwise the tightness of the AFC ring can lead to you unscrewing the tank from the mod.

Like in previous Blottos, the airflow isn’t as turbulent as you might expect. There’s a little bit of turbulence, mostly from the bottom airflow I think, but it’s pretty well controlled.

Closing down the AFC allows you to really fine tune to get your perfect vape, and I found that you could a really nice restrictive draw by closing it down to about half way.

Cloud production is, as expected, very good. With a couple of 3mm ID coils, it will easily fog out a room with dense vapour!

Flavour

I’ve got absolutely no complaints about the flavour, as with previous Blottos, it’s full and punchy. Handling everything from cooling fruits to rich and creamy deserts with equal aplomb.

Having said that, I think that the flavour game for RTAs has gone up in the past couple of years, and whilst it is still a very solid performer, I’d no longer rate it as top tier considering some of the other tanks on the market today.

Don’t get me wrong, you won’t be disappointed in it, but it’s just not quite as impressive now, as this level of flavour was in 2019 when the first Blotto came out.

How about the Blotto 1.5?

So I said at the top of the review that this was actually a dual release, with the Blotto 1.5 coming out at the same time. Because it is so similar to previous, it hasn’t gotten it’s own review, but I thought I should take a moment to address some of the differences.

In terms of improvements over the original Blotto, all of talk seems to have been on reinforcing and strengthening. Both the metal back airflow posts, and the airflow control ring/base. But to be honest I never had any problems with the Blotto’s I’ve owned, so it certainly wouldn’t cause me to upgrade.

Between it and the Blotto Max, there is a decent difference, mostly in terms of how much space you have to work with. I’ve put exactly the same build (3mm ID coils) into both of them, and flavour is impossible to tell apart.

Airflow on the other hand is quite different. Fully open, the Blotto max has noticeably more airflow than the Blotto 1.5. I think this is mostly due to the 3mm coils taking up a lot of the deck space on the 1.5, and there not being much space for the air to travel around them.

So if you like an airy draw, with chunky coils, then the Blotto Max is the obvious choice. If however you’re happy with a slightly more restrictive draw, then I think it should really just come down to which size you prefer.

Pros

• Good flavour
• Unique looks
• Smooth Airflow

Cons

• Still a little fiddly to get your coils in
• Hasn’t really changed much since the original Blotto

Final Review Verdict

So that was the Dovpo Blotto Max RTA, and I have to say it’s another solid performer. I’ve enjoyed the Blotto’s since they first came out, but I’m starting to feel a little fatigued by them.

Remember, we have now had the Blotto, Blotto Mini, Blotto Single Coil, Blotto Max, and Blotto 1.5. And aside from the Blotto Single Coil being restricted to only being able to use one coil, they really haven’t changed much.

Now that would be a bad thing if the original hadn’t been so successful, but happily it was, and Dovpo have definitely capitalised on the success to build a line of very good tanks.

If you don’t already own a Blotto? It’s a cracking tank, with good performance, and eye catching looks. But if you already own another Blotto or two, I can’t see a massive reason to rush out and get another one. Unless you’re really needing a 28mm or a larger capacity. In which case enjoy!

Did you buy the Dovpo Blotto Max RTA? Let us know what you think in the comments below!