The Geekvape Z RDA review and this makes a refreshing change!
It seems that the last year or two has predominantly been over shadowed by pod mods, flavour bans and disposable pen systems.
Every now and then a rebuildable tank or dripper pops up from random manufacturers and all the hobbyist vapers go a little nuts for 10 minutes, before going back to their Pod-Mod and putting their new rebuildable down.
Are RDA’s dying a death? With improvements in Sub-Ohm tank coils, better flavour, more vapour production and ease of use, do Rebuildable Dripping Atomisers still have a place in 2021?
Personally I still love an RDA. Sat on top of a high powered device of any description, I thoroughly enjoy a big fat cloud and a build deck which is an ease to build on.
With Geekvape popping up with a 25mm dripper with a familiar looking build deck, is this a last ditch attempt to see if RDA’s sell? Or the start of a new era of drippers?
What Can We Expect From the Geekvape Z RDA
The 25mm Z RDA has a build deck capable of managing a chunky dual coil build if that’s your thing thanks to the 4-terminal GTA design.
If the deck design looks familiar, you may want to check out the Geekvape Zeus X RTA as its pretty much exactly the same style.
The Z RDA features top adjustable airflow which is pretty much leak-proof and the final production kit will also come with a squonk pin, however my sample packaging did not include one.
Inside the Box
- 1 x Z RDA
- 1 x Spare 810 Drip tip
- 1 x T-Tool
- 1 x Coiling Rod
- 1 x Spares Bag
- 4 x Clapton Coils
- 4 x Cotton Laces
Specs and Features
- Diameter: 25.0mm
- Height: 33.7mm
- Single/Dual coil: Both
- Available Colours: Black | Stainless Steel | Gunmetal | Gold | Blue | Rainbow
Key Features
- Leak-Proof Design
- Anti-Spit System
- Zeus X Style Build Deck
- Dual Adjustable Top Airflow
Design and Build Quality
I received the Stainless Steel variant of the Geekvape Z RDA, the finish on the barrel is slightly brushed and the pre-installed drip-tip is a low profile black 810.
However, you can also fit your own Goon style 810 drip-tips if you’re not a fan of the low profile one. Personally its a little too short or me.
Geekvape Z RDA the Barrel
The outer barrel is held in place via two O-Rings however its not quite tight enough, meaning its very easy to remove.
Now that may sound like a good thing, but I feel the tolerances of the O-rings needs changing slightly, the barrel can easily come off with the lightest of pulls.
The inside of the barrel is a little different, firstly due to the airflow ring and how the top-airflow system works, there is still some of the usual doming in place, but this is over-shadowed by the airflow system
The inside of the chamber is designed to force the air to firstly travel down, around the inside of the chamber, and then back up over the coils and into your mouth.
It’s clever, but it does mean the sound from this RDA is a little odd.
Geekvape Z RDA Airflow
The top-airflow adjustment ring is removable and held in place by a single O-Ring, again tolerances are a little on the loose side, however when adjusting the airflow, its smooth and not too stiff.
Geekvape Z RDA Deck
Like I’ve said a few times already, if you’re familiar with the Geekvape Zeus X RTA, then you’ll be right at home with the Z RDA.
The deck consists of four posts of which they are paired together by what i can only describe as a bridge, separating the positive and negative is the usual peak insulator.
The deck makes use of flat-headed grub screws which personally I feel are a little on the small side, meaning you may have to double check your flat-head screwdriver collection, but worse case you could always use the provided tri-tool.
The juice well is a little on the short side, but its deep enough to allow for a little over-dripping/squonking and with the design of the airflow, I would imagine you’d have to over-drip by around 4ml to get any leaking through the airflow.
Yeah that would be stupid!
Base
The Z RDA base is much like the majority of RDA’s with the usual etched information.
The 510 pin protrudes and is adjustable along with being removable and is Hybrid Safe for all the Mechanical Mod users out there.
How Does The Geekvape Z RDA Perform?
Build Time
I went for a pair of Fused Claptons from Proper Coils over the Claptons that are provided with the RDA.
I have nothing against Geekvape’s pre-made coils, in fact they’re very similar to the Vandy Vape and Wotofo Pre-Made coils which all do a fairly decent job, but I really want to put some power through this RDA and it can handle.
So a pair of Fused Claptons, coming out at 0.09Ω should do the trick.
Here’s the basics:
If you’re going for a dual coil build, be sure to firstly open the screw terminals to almost their maximum.
I found trimming my coils to 5mm was best for me to allow for a little height away from the deck terminals.
But be warned, double check your coil leads under the terminals as its not too difficult to leave them to long which will cause an atomiser short.
I used a coil rod to position the coils in the centre of the deck and also made sure the coils were at approximately the same height.
Once installed, be sure to centre the coils and gently pulse the coils at a low wattage to strum out the hot spots.
Wicking couldn’t be simpler with an RDA, with the 3mm inner diameter coils, the Vapefly Firebolt Cotton is one of my favourite’s.
Its up to you at this point if you like to rake/thin out your cotton a little bit, and I’ve found cutting my cotton around 0.5cm over the edge of the deck was best for laying the cotton ends in place.
Next up, saturate the cotton with your desired e-liquid and Crack On!
When it comes to building on the Geekvape Z RDA, it couldn’t be much simpler to be honest, these ‘Drop In’ style build decks make it super easy to fit your coils.
The only minor things to keep in mind is the legs under the terminals and the small sized flat head grub screws
Geekvape Z RDA Squonking
Geekvape state a BF pin will be, or is available, however I didn’t receive one in my sample packaging. But I would imagine the Z RDA isn’t a bad squonker, but probably not the best either.
However due to the top airflow, it’ll probably work quite well as even the most aggressive over-squonker, will struggle to flood this dripper.
Flavour, Clouds & Performance
First thing I have to remember to mention, and its going back to the Top-Airflow situation..
Even with a taller 810 drip-tip installed, if you’re a bit of a ‘Primer Puffer’ (Blow through RDA before inhaling) then you’ll soon notice the airflow basically shoots right over your lips.
Yes I get it, this is a top airflow RDA, but I feel like the airflow position is a little too high, especially when using the shorter low-profile drip tip.
The other thing that bothers me, that even with a taller drip tip, your lips touch the airflow adjustment ring, which can get a little warm at times and isn’t exactly comfortable.
When it comes to flavour however, the Geekvape Z RDA performs very well, at 100 watts on the 0.09Ω Dual Coil build, the vape is warm and full of flavour and obviously chucks the clouds.
The airflow in general has a slight whistle to it across the range, but does quieten down once you get past half way closed at which point I find the RDA a little too restrictive.
Performance wise, its a flavour banger and clearly chucks clouds, but I cant say I’m the biggest fan of this RDA, and it all comes down to airflow positioning.
Pros
- Great Flavour
- Easy to build on
- Nice aesthetics
- Decent build quality
Cons
- Loose tolerances on the O-Rings
- Top-Airflow ring touches your lips
- Primer Puffs cloud your face
Final Review Verdict
I’m really torn with this one, mainly because performance wise, its a decent RDA, the trouble is you constantly feel like you’re either going to A) melt your lips on the airflow ring or B) lose the barrel!
When it comes to build quality and the deck its well made and a joy to build on. Perfect perhaps for someone looking to get into the RDA world and also seasoned vapers.
However the build quality is let down by the O-Rings which aren’t quite tight enough and the low profile drip-tip is a waste of time unless you like to have your lips all over the top section of the barrel.
Have you used the Geekvape Z RDA? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
