The Hellvape Passage RDA is the latest offering to be designed by Matt Culley – the Youtube vape reviewer from Suck My Mod.
Hellvape seem to be knee deep in reviewer designed atomisers at the moment and Matt is certainly no stranger to designing with two versions of the Serpent RTA – the SMM and Serpent Elevate as well as the Hermetic RDA by Blitz under his belt.
What Can We Expect From The Hellvape Passage RDA?
It’s a 24mm diameter at the base and 25mm at its widest point. It has a very interesting airflow and post design, something you don’t see on your everyday RDAs.
The dual post deck features a clamp system with floating clamps that make it easier to install uneven coils.
We also have a bit of a different style airflow system which has given the tank it’s name, but more about that in a bit!
The Hellvape Passage RDA was sent to me for the purposes of this review (thankyou) and, as always, this hasn’t changed my opinion at all.
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In the Box
- 24mm Passage RDA
- Spare 810 Drip Tip
- 510 Adaptor Pin
- BF Pin for sqounking
- Accessory Bag
- Passage Sticker
- User Manual
Specs and Features
- 24mm Diameter
- 810 resin Ag+ technology drip tip with 99.9% effective rate
- Leak Resistant Design
- Dual coil
- Innovative airflow passage system
- Internal honeycomb airflow holes
- 2 post design with separation blocks for easy installation
- Locking barrel
- Available Colours – Black, Matte Black, Gun Metal, Piano Black, Purple, Stainless Steel, Rainbow, Gold and Blue and each come with a different drip tip.
Key Features
A couple of things really stand out for me with the Hellvape Passage RDA.
Firstly, the clamp style on those posts with two single separation blocks that move up and down with ease means you have a couple of options when choosing how to mount your coil.
Either have both legs above the block and share the space or have one leg up and one leg down by pushing your coil legs under the block.
Secondly, that airflow! This is the reason the RDA is called The Passage (not any other reason you may have been thinking…).
The altered airflow system directs air down through three passages on either side of the top cap which then passes through a 9 hole honeycomb system before hitting your coils side on.
Hellvape have also introduces us to a resin Ag+ antibacterial and antimicrobial 810 drip tip and who doesn’t want a nice clean, bacteria free mouthpiece?
Design and Build Quality
Top Cap / Drip Tip
The Ag+ Resin 810 tip is super comfortable to vape with. It’s just the right height and looks really good too.
It also features a ring of metal around the bottom which is branded with Hellvape on one side and Ag+ on the other, a little touch that I really like. It fits into the RDA nice and secure but comes out when you want it to without much of a fight.
The top cap has a nice knurled ring around the top to help you grip on when adjusting your airflow and o-ring tolerances are really nice with just the right amount of tension.
Airflow
When you pop the top cap out of the chamber, you’ll see exactly how the airflow has been designed.
Three deep passages are recessed into each side which travel down into a 9 hole honeycomb design.
The honeycomb area will turn away from the centre of your coils when adjusting the airflow, but don’t worry. There’s a little locking system on the barrel which allows you just enough space to turn the whole top cap and line the airflow back up no matter how open or closed your airflow is.
I really like this design as it means the centre of the coil always has access to direct airflow.
Deck
First off, you have a lovely deep juice well that will make any ‘over dripper’ or ‘over squonker’ sigh with relief.
The hole for the juice to flow, when the BF pin is installed, is position directly between the posts, which are slightly raised from the deck, ensuring even distribution of liquid to your cotton.
Each large post has a sliding block which moves up and down freely. The blocks also have little slants cut into them meaning your coil leg pushes in underneath them with ease.
This gives you the freedom to choose between sharing one space between both coil legs or a more velocity style install with one leg up above the clamp and one below on each side.
The posts come installed with flathead screws but there’s a couple of grub screws in the spares bag in case you want to change them out.
Overall I really like the innovation that’s gone into the Hellvape Passage RDA. They’ve done something a little different with both the posts and the airflow and it shows some really out of the box thinking.
How Does The Hellvape Passage RDA Perform?
Building
Quite simply, building on the Passage RDA is an absolute dream.
I’ve been cutting my coil legs to 4.5 mm using the Coily Tool and the coils slip right in perfectly.
There is absolutely no fussing with these clamps. They move up and down very freely and once you crank the screws down they’re held in really securely.
Once you have your coils installed, raise them up until the top of the coil is directly in line with the opening of the post. This will ensure that your coil is directly level with the honeycomb airflow and give you the best flavour production.
I’ve found 3mm inner diameter coils to the be perfect for me but there’s certainly enough space to go bigger or smaller depending on your preference.
Wicking
Wicking, again, is really easy. Really fluff up the ends of your cotton and cut them so that they just reach the bottom of the deck and no more.
This will allow you to utilise the full juice capacity of the deck and allow the air to travel freely without being choked by loads of cotton.
Squonking
If you want to squonk using the Passage RDA then just unscrew the 510 pin using a flathead screwdriver and screw in the supplied squonk pin using the allen key provided.
It works really as a squonk atomiser firstly because of the deep juice well and secondly, due to the way the airflow is configured, it’s almost leak proof.
So even if you tend to over-squonk it won’t come flooding out from under the top cap or the airflow.
Flavour and Clouds from the Passage RDA
For this review I’ve been using Raspberry Slush which is a 70/30 VG/PG and 1.5mg nicotine strength e-liquid.
I’ve had numerous builds in the Passage RDA so far and it has been flavour, flavour, flavour all the way.
I currently have two 3mm 5 wrap Tri-Core fused Claptons in here and flavour and cloud production is absolutely spot on.
The airflow is super smooth and has a nice but small amount of restriction to it when fully open. Closing the airflow will give you a much warmer and more dense vape but be careful, the more restrictive the airflow the warmer the top cap gets. It and can get really really hot.
Single / Dual Coil
The Passage RDA is definitely not a single coil atomiser. I tried it (very very briefly) and you can just tell it wasn’t made for just one coil.
Dual coil is where the Passage RDA absolutely shines.
Pros
- Fantastic Flavour
- Easy to build on
- Great cloud production
- Smooth airflow
- Excellent build quality
- Looks great
- Two 810 drip tips included
- Innovative design
Cons
- Can get really hot when vaping
Final Review Verdict
What can I say, this is pretty much a gush fest! I have loved the Passage RDA since I first threw some coils into it.
The only niggly point I have is how hot it can get. I’ve definitely found myself having to put it down for a little bit to let it cool but it certainly doesn’t stop me from picking it straight back up again. You could just stick a slightly longer 810 drip tip on top and you probably wouldn’t notice it much.
Building on the Passage RDA is an absolute dream. Your coils slip right into place and there’s absolutely no fussing around with the clamps as they move so smoothly.
The airflow is gorgeous and smooth and flavour is absolutely spot on. You can tell I like it right?
Safe to say Matt from Suck My Mod and Hellvape have smashed it with what they set out to achieve.
If you’re looking for an innovatively designed RDA that will chuck clouds and flavour all day, then this might be the one for you.
Would I replace it if I lost it tomorrow? Absolutely!
Have you used the Hellvape Passage RDA? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
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I am having no luck with the Passage. I’ve tried multiple builds and have no flavor. Will attempt again with different coils after reading this I have hope again.