Today we will be looking at the Vandy Vape Mutant BF RDA.
There’s no denying that the Vandy Vape back catalogue is extensive. But they also have a fine reputation for teaming up with reviewers to produce some jaw dropping pieces of kit.
This time around they have collaborated with YouTube reviewer, Twisted 420. They’ve created a dual coil dripping atomiser that is primarily designed for squonking.
What Can We Expect From The Mutant RDA by Vandy Vape?
This little beauty boasts a multifunction airflow system to help you fine-tune your vaping experience. It comes in with a 25mm diameter and features an innovative deck with vertical coil placement.
After I’d finished examining this little beauty, I coiled it with the supplied coils, screwed it onto my Desire Designs Cut squonker, smothered it in Flavour Boss Dictators Lemonade (70:30, VG/PG ratio) and began to vape.
Time to skip to the good bit…
Disclaimer: The Mutant BF RTA was sent to us for the purpose of this review. All opinions are based on my own experience and road-testing.
In the Box
- Vandy Vape Mutant BF RDA
- 810 resin drip tip installed
- Spares bag, including: O rings, 510 squonk pin, 510 drip tip adapter, grub screws
- 2 x 0.39 Ohms coils
Features and Specs
Dimensions
- Width: 25mm
- Height: 26mm
- Drip tip connection: 810
Deck
- Post Type: Dual post, vertical coil placement
- Connection: Protruding gold plated 510
Design and Build Quality
Size
The Vandy Vape Mutant RDA is unashamedly good looking. The lines, grooves and curves of the barrel are soft yet striking.
The 26mm height is not what I’d consider small, but considering that it needs to accommodate chunky complex coils, you can understand why.
The barrel feels good in the hand. The knurling is well placed in the top 3rd of the barrel to allow comfortable and confident airflow control.
The proportions on the Mutant work well. With almost square dimensions it doesn’t feel too tall or too wide and looks perfect on my squonk mod.
Juice Well Depth
Being a squonking RDA the need for a massive juice well isn’t necessary. Which is good considering you don’t get much of one on the Mutant.
Never is this truer than when it comes to squonking. Because the airflow slots are vertical to allow alignment with the coils, this means that the base of the airflow sits really close to the top of the juice well.
With the vertically cascading squonk action, however, you do get guaranteed soakage on your wicks each time squonk.
Now, being a northern lad, I can be pretty heavy handed.
Add to this that the juice will run down the outside of the coil and what you end up with is a sticky, juicy mess if you’re not careful.
Moral of the story…squonk lightly!
Post Type | Mutant Build
The post design left me scratching my head for a good few minutes. Visually it was stunning. I can’t fault the post design for making vertical coiling so straight forward.
One thing to mention for those new to rebuildable atomisers is that you’re going to have to have your coil legs facing in opposite directions.
Now this won’t be a problem for coil builders as they can build to whatever specification they desire. But, if you’re using pre-built coils just be mindful that unwrapping or adding a wrap to a coil may alter your Ohms.
Coil placement is a breeze. Rest the coil in place and tighten the grub screw. I really liked the little hook on the inside of the coil rest to prevent movement….nice touch.
I really like the way the posts were angled to allow the snips to get right in and let me trim my coils right down.
Air flow
Now it’s time to get stuck in to the good bit!
The airflow on the Mutant is something else. There are 4 options available to allow you to fine tune you experience. 
To house this the barrel is in 2 parts that fit securely together to appear seamless and the thickness of the airflow ring doesn’t intrude into the inner chamber. This gives less chance of a short with the coil making contact with the barrel.
The 4 airflow options are mirrored around the barrel and as you’d expect, there’s no single coiling option. The options range from small to large punched holes to diagonal and straight lots. All design to restrict the airflow in particular ways.
To reduce the airflow you need to grab the entire barrel. The airflow control locks into the top of the juice well, providing a really secure base for fine tuning.
One thing I did find a bit of a pain was dismantling the barrel to change the airflow option.
But remember, it’s my job to be picky.
How Does The Vandy Vape Mutant RDA Perform?
Squonk Time
After coiling with the supplied complex coils, I began the hard part…wicking. Now I class myself as a pretty competent rebuildable user, but even I struggled getting the Muji cotton I was using teased through the coils without messing up my alignment.
After realising I could fiddle with the coils later, I edged the cotton through millimetre by millimetre with my tweezers. I then spread the juice well end out and trimmed the top of the cotton to sit flush with the juice port.
After a few re-wicks, I found that cutting the wicks just shorter than the port allowed the juice to flow down more easily.
I then mounted the Mutant on my vape mod and squonked away. I was a bit too heavy handed at first and completely flooded the dripper out of the air inlet. Take it easy here and be gentle.
I began with the airflow set to the large holes. With them fully open I took my first hit…masses of vapour but the flavour was a bit loose.
Time to move on to the next slot type!
Moving round the airflow options I found my perfect centre with the horizontal configuration. This gave just the right amount of restriction and bags of flavour, which is definitely what I look for.
Leaking
When it came to leaking, that wasn’t linked to my over-squonking, I have to admit there was none. The 2 barrel parts sit snugly together with an O ring placed at the top and the bottom of the inner barrel for extra peace of mind.
There are also 2 O rings on the deck, keeping everything nicely secured. This is definitely a well put together piece of kit!
Is The Mutant BF RDA For Beginners?
In a word NO.
This has got to be the most difficult dripper I’ve ever wicked. The placement of coils is really easy and I commend Vandy Vape for this. But you have to be really gentle with the wicking or you could end up ripping out your coils.
But for those of us a little bit more practiced, the Mutant RDA is something to behold!
I love how it squonks from the top allowing that lovely juice to cascade down the coil and wick alike.
Take your time finding the balance in the airflow settings and you’ll have an RDA that you won’t tire of for a long time.
Pros
- Build quality
- Choice of air flow
- Beautiful looks
- Flavour
Cons
- Difficult to wick
- Tendency to leak if over-squonked
Final Verdict
I can’t really knock the Vandy Vape Mutant RDA. The build quality is spot on. The choice of airflow opens it up to a range of different users. And with practice, even the wicking becomes easier.
The matt black version I was sent matched perfectly with my mod and the aesthetics scream masculine beauty.
I hope that this is something we begin to see more of in terms of vertical coil squonkers in the near future….I can’t wait to compare them to the Mutant.
Would I buy the Vandy Vape Mutant RDA again if I lost the device? Most definitely.
Have you used the Mutant BF RDA? Would love to hear what you think the comments below!
