The Oumier Armadillo RDA is up for review today and I’m pretty excited to tell you all about this innovative collaboration between reviewer, Dimi Crazy Damper and flavour-rich rebuildable specialists, Oumier.
6 Year old Shenzhen brand, Oumier is probably best known for their Wasp Nano range of rebuildable, of which I’ve sampled the Wasp Nano RDTA and the Wasp Nano RTA.
I found both very impressive on the flavour front.
Also amongst their rebuildable inventory, the Bulk RTA, which I became slightly obsessed with during the review period.
What Can We Expect From The Armadillo RDA by Oumier
I’d heard nothing about the Armadillo RDA when it arrived on my doorstep and surveying its goon-ish exterior I had no idea the innovative surprise that this dual coil RDA had waiting inside for me.
So, let’s get this show on the road!
This item was sent for the purposes of review by Ave40. As always my views are my own.
In The Box
- Oumier Armadillo RDA
- Multi tool
- Spares kit
- Organic cotton
- User manual
Features
- Size: 24×29.5mm
- Dual coil deck
- Adjustable side airflow
- Versatile multi position coil clamps
Design and Build Quality
Well now, I received the matte black version of the Armadillo and it really is the sexiest armadillo I’ve ever laid eyes on.
A very minimalist exterior, with the option for a squonk or a 510 pin, a thin base, with a barrel that is kept in line by two small notches in the base.
The barrel is clean and simple, with a 10mm x 1.5 mm cyclops style airflow slot either side and a cute and clean Armadillo logo either other side.
Airflow | Top Cap
Airflow is adjusted via a twist of the top cap, which is, in my opinion, the feature which makes this RDA so beautiful.
It’s only about 3-3.5 mm high, with no upper edge, as it has been stylishly rounded, to where the neat, black wide bore drip tip sits in its spot atop the RDA.
The top cap is knurled at the base, with 8 shavings that cut deeper at the bottom and shallower where the top has been rounded…and they sort of give the impression of ramparts.
As well as being functional, the knurling is very visually appealing, in conjunction with this RDA’s minimalist design.
Adjustment has some resistance to it but its smooth and all feels well machined.
The Deck
Popping off the barrel I got a big and pleasant surprise…deep in the vape race, innovations have been getting rarer and sometimes, they even seem a bit unnecessary, yet here I behold an innovation of note that actually may be rather functional.
On sighting the deck, I now know where this RDA gets its name as the dual posts which, together, form one metal ‘wall’ in the centre of the deck, take the shape of a half moon or…an armadillo in profile!!!!
This dividing wall-of-post begins within a mm of the inner wall of the chamber and boasts six screw heads which are accessed at a 90 degree angle, from above.
The first thing I think is…why 6?
Then I see that the ports in the posts follow the half moon shape, so they are staggered up the one side and then down the other.
What this means is that you won’t have to bend your leads and damage your coils, as you can use a lower port for one lead of a coil and a higher port for the other, without the leads from the other side interfering whatsoever.
At first I don’t understand the purpose of the topmost ports but I think these are best suited to smaller coils, with leads that may not reach the ports at a lower level and which, because they are smaller, one could afford to place higher up…but I may be wrong.
Either way, I like the look of it.
However, I am not sure how this ‘barrier wall of armadillo’ is going to affect juice flow when I’m dripping, because at first glance, I can see juice flowing over the side of my coils and straight out the airflow slots when I drip…but we will see.
There is a narrow channel running down between the posts which should capture most of the juice though, as long as I drip slowly.
With the cap and barrel off I can now see that the inside of the top cap is nicely rounded, to assist with airflow inside the chamber.
How Does The Oumier Armadillo RDA Perform?
Oh, yes, I really like the Armadillo RDA, such a pleasure to vape….you simply couldn’t ask for a smoother vape, with better flavour and better airflow.
This RDA absolutely CHUCKS clouds.
The airflow is fairly restricted, even when open. This is due to how close to the airflow slots the coils sit, so that air is forced over your coils, providing one of the most flavourful vapes you’ll ever get.
On a few occasions I did experience leakage through the airflow slots when driving.
It’s a bit tricky with this post design and placement and, unless you drip slowly and allow the cotton to saturate a drip at a time, your juice will have nowhere to go except out of the slots.
The thing is, you learn to work around this and it is a willing sacrifice, as this design really does maximise flavour and the deck design is very functional. I can see no way that it could be improved.
That’s why I will be very hesitant to deduct points for the occasional overflow session.
I really enjoy warm, restricted vaping and at a low setting. This RDA provides one of the most restricted vapes you could get off an RDA and I LOVE using it like this. It’s super smooth and really delicious.
Building
I found building very easy on this spacious deck and really enjoyed the staggered ports as I felt I was doing less damage to by coils that way…with far less PT, of course.
Now I mentioned those six screw heads, accessible from the top, earlier.
While they are accessible from the top, they are actually headless screws, with a notch cut in them.
I found these screws to be very soft and, with the included tool, which didn’t seem to fit them quite right, I immediately saw some stripping with my first build so it’s a good thing there are extras.
I need to make a point about wicking…don’t overwork this deck.
The reason you need thinned down wicks here is that there is no space in between those coils for that juice to come up when squonking. If your wick is too full it may displace the juice, sending it up the side of the coils and straight out of your airflow slots.
A fact that I learned the hard and messy way.
Included Fused Clapton Coils
The included coils are four wrapped fused captions which clocked in at 0.25 Ohm when installed nicely spaced.
I’ve been vaping them at 60W and they provide phenomenal clouds and superior flavour.
Pros
- Sleek minimalist design with a gorgeous finish
- Nice restricted but smooth airflow
- Outstanding flavour, with good coils
- Outstanding vapour production, with good coils
- Innovative deck for numerous coil types
- Easy to build on, except for the poor screws
Cons
- Soft screws strip easily
- One has to take precautions to prevent leakage through the airflow slots
Final Review Verdict
I have to commend Dimi Crazy Damper and Oumier for providing an innovation that actually serves a purpose and provides lots of flexibility.
I find the Oumier Armadillo RDA to be a flavour punching, cloud-hitting success and, while there were one or two niggles, I can see myself vaping on this for a good long time to come. That’s down to the incredible restricted to semi-restricted, smooth airflow and the outstanding vapour quality. Add a deck that offers plenty room for just about any set of coils you could fancy and it’s highly recommended!
Have you used the Armadillo RDA? let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
