The Ehpro Kelpie RTA is a single coil tank and a joint project between award winning UK based vape reviewer Victor Mullin aka Vaping With Vic and popular vaping company EHPRO.
This is Vic’s first design and has it’s fair to say been hugely anticipated to say the least, not only among his 56k plus [and growing fast] YouTube channel subscribers but the wider vaping community. Since writing Vic has also released a new dripper. You can check out our Ehpro Kelpie RDA review here.
EHPRO have a solid track record with releases such as the awesome True MTL RTA which our Michelle absolutely loved – the 101 Pro Kit which Laura-ann enjoyed – the Panther RDA which our Kevin really liked and the Morph Tank from way back ‘in the day’.
Like I said a very good stable of vape devices indeed so has the Kelpie followed in those footsteps?
The Kelpie RTA was sent to be free of charge by Ehpro for the purpose of this review – thank you – and as always freebies in no way affect my thoughts and opinions. And BTW neither does Vic being a mate of mine who I enjoy catching up with at Expos. As an aside we don’t see eye to eye on some of the politics around vaping but I do enjoy his rants…mostly lol.
OK the scene is set and for the record a Kelpie is a fabled shape shifting creature ‘found’ in Scottish lochs and water.
So has the Kelpie made a splash with me? Let’s take a look…
Inside the Box
I received my Kelpie in the reviewer ‘sample’ box and I think the only difference is mine doesn’t have the nicotine warning…great to see easy open thumb holes too…OK inside you’ll find:
- Fully assembled Kelpie RTA
- Spare 3.5ml Bubble Glass
- Screwdriver
- X2 Pre-made coils
- Pack of o-rings
- X4 Phillips screws
- User manual
Kelpie RTA Specs
- Top fill design
- Single Coil
- 30 hole perforated airflow
- 2ml & 3.5ml Capacity
- Diameter: 25mm
- Height: 32mm (Not including 510 or drip tip)
- Choice of black or stainless steel
Key Features
The Ehpro Kelpie is a 25mm single coil RTA designed by Ecigclick Vape Award winning reviewer Victor Mullin aka Vaping With Vic and is his first project.
It features a half pipe honeycomb airflow but with a bit of a twist. There are 30 holes with those directly under the coil bored slightly smaller. The others surround the coil and appear to be drilled in slightly different angles…nice touch.
The clever deck design means no matter which way your coil legs have been wrapped they will fit in easily – either sharing one side or splitting them.
The Kelpie RTA has a bottom airflow design that first impressions suggests the size of it means this is going to be an airy tank – as to if that’s the case I’ll tackle later.
The chamber is domed and given this is a relatively small RTA it means the coil is closer to your mouth suggesting this will be a very flavoursome vape indeed…as to if that’s the case we shall see very soon.
Design and Build Quality
EHPRO generally make decent tanks and the machining on the Kelpie is first rate with little or no screeching even straight out of the box – those threads are smooth.
The same can be said for the airflow control. I have found very many smaller RTAs with bottom fed air are tricky to adjust whilst on a mod. No issues at all with the Kelpie as the generous yet understated knurling makes for a good grip – good tension too.
A cause for concern on some of the first batch has been the looseness of the sliding top fill.
Sad to say mine is looser than a wizard’s sleeve. Whilst I have taken this out and about I’ve so far had no leaks but do find myself constantly checking for a damp patch in my pocket…ooer missus…I guess it’s just the luck of the draw in this first batch as some are loose whilst others are tight and do snap shut with a satisfying click.
Screw Up With the Screws?
One bone of contention from many vape reviewers is the quality of the Phillips head screws. As our very own Flat-Cap Vaper pointed out in his video review, you can check that out here
Whilst I can see their point I personally don’t have an issue with them – they are what they are and can be replaced…indeed the next batch will be using hex screws. Put it this way the screws are certainly not a ‘deal-breaker’ for me… 😉
Design wise it’s the mirror of the designer…wide and short – ooo slap my wrist haha.
However it is a very good looking tank [like I said a mirror image of the designer lol]. The knurling is extremely effective but doesn’t detract from the looks and that 810 drip tip is a stunner.
I love the logo – very cool – and again on my stainless steel version it’s most definitely not in your face.
So a very good build [on the whole]and for me it stands out in the looks department…so how does the Ehpro Kelpie RTA vape?
How Does the Ehpro Kelpie RTA Perform?
First up the build and this is about as easy as you could want. Let’s put it this way if you’re looking for your first RTA this is perfect for a first timer.
As I’ve already said it doesn’t matter which way your coil legs are pointed. Simply unscrew the screws and slide the legs into the post holes from the wide open side and screw down.
There’s no need to pre-measure as there’s plenty of room to snip them off.
I found having the top of the coil slightly and I mean a mm or so below the screws gave me my best vape.
BTW I used a 3mm quad core Clapton as well as one of those supplied out of the box. To be honest I found both were very good as you’ll soon see.
Quick and Nasty Wicking
Wicking was an absolute doddle too. Vic’s Kelpie introductory video [above] shows you two ways to go and to be honest I’d stick with those if I was you.
On pretty much all RTAs too much or too little cotton can mean dry hits or leaks. Follow Vic’s tutorial and you shouldn’t have any of those issues whatsoever. For the record I used what he calls the ‘quick and nasty method’ – as in snipping the tails at the base of the juice well and thinning out well.
Airflow on the Kelpie RTA
As I said earlier and given the size of the airflow control port I was expecting this to be a very airy vape.
However I guess the abundance of honeycomb holes on the deck dissipate the air somewhat.
Whilst it’s not the tightest single coil RTA I’ve vaped on – such as the Augvape Intake – it’s not the loosest either. Indeed wide open it suits my style of vaping perfectly. Closed right off and you can get a loose-ish mouth to lung vape.
I couldn’t find a 510 adapter so wasn’t able to thoroughly test it out as a pure MTL vape though one other reviewer I’ve seen has tried and says it works very well indeed.
How’s the Flavour and Clouds Off the Ehpro Kelpie RTA
As always it’s the zillion dollar question…how’s the flavour?
One word…WOW!
A combination of very clever airflow and a reduced domed barrel means the flavour off the Kelpie RTA is phenomenal even at much lower temperatures.
Using the supplied coil I’m getting 0.22ohms and running it at just 45w and trust me that flavour is zinging off my taste buds with impressive vaper to match! I pushed it to 55w and felt a marked increase in both flavour and clouds – however past that on my build and I could feel it was too much.
I have popped in the last of my Wotofo Quad Core Fused Claptons which came out slightly lower at 0.18ohms and vaped steadily at 60w.
Again the vape warmed up with awesome flavour and amazing clouds. Pushed to 70w again I felt things whilst nowhere near hot were a little on the edge so to speak.
So, and depending on your build, this little guy performs very well indeed at the mid-range wattage.
Nice one young Victor [I am old enough to be his dad lol] great job indeed!
Pros
- Easy/clever build deck
- Easy wicking
- Stunning design
- Phenomenal flavour
- Incredible clouds
- Good airflow
- Wicked right and no leaks – even from the loose fill port
- Bubble glass included
- Coils ‘n cotton included
Cons
- Loose fill port [on some]
- Poor screws – not really an issue for me
Final Review Verdict
This has been one of the most eagerly anticipated vape releases of the year and I think you can tell the wait has been worth it!
It goes without saying – rants aside lol – Vic knows a thing or two about vaping and the design of the Kelpie shows that perfectly.
The airflow whilst nothing new per se’ has a bit of innovation with those smaller and angled holes really wrapping the coil in just enough air not to wash it out. That smaller domed barrel only adds to the flavour production and if vapour is your thing even at mid-range this little cutie chucks.
The flavour is as I’ve said phenomenal – it’s that simple.
It’s a bit of a drinker and tied into the 3.5ml limit you will be filling it quite a bit and on mine the bloody slide to open and close fill port is now looser than when it first arrived which is a shame…I’m just one of the unlucky ones I guess. However it’s certainly not put me off using it by any means and is definitely in my rotation.
In fact I might be pulling the trigger on a black one from the new batch to match it up with my other mods.
For his first design Vic has absolutely nailed the Kelpie and I wouldn’t hesitate in buying one from the new batch, especially if you’re new to the rebuildable scene…
As to the scores on the doors I have to be honest and mark the one I’ve received…however the new batch should see better screws and hopefully a tighter fill port…
Other than that – the Ehpro Kelpie RTA is highly and I mean highly recommended.
