The Vandy Vape Requiem RDA is from a company that are a staple for many vapers around the world.
When searching for new devices or looking for your first vape, you will nearly always come across something made by Vandy Vape.
Founded in 2016, they have a large list of products they have released since their inception. I myself own the Kylin M RTA which I was recommended by my local shop and fell in love with it from the first time I saw it.
Some of their most popular products have been the Pulse squonk mod, the Bonza RDA and Mech that was a collaboration with The Vaping Bogan (I have yet to get my grubby mitts on this but love the look of it). Also, The Jackaroo box mod and the Berserker MTL RDA to name a few.
The Requiem RDA was created alongside Youtube vape reviewer El Mono Vapeador, who is also responsible for the Widowmaker RDA and RTA. I’ve been clicking around the internet and found his review channel on YouTube with close to half a million subscribers and over two thousand videos.
Foreword
I have made sure not to watch any reviews or forums about it, this is going to be my new style of reviewing. I will be writing this review as I experience the product, so my views may change throughout the review but I will come to a decision in the final thoughts section at the end of the review.
What to Expect From The Vandy Vape Requiem RDA?
This single coil RDA is a versatile little single coil “apparent” flavour banger. I only say apparent because at the time of writing this part of the review I have not built or used it yet.
The product comes with three top caps which means you can easily change between a Direct Lung, Restricted Lung and a Mouth To Lung airflow system.
The RDA is 22mm in diameter but comes with a stylish beauty ring which makes it 24mm. This is great for vapers who are all about the look of their devices.
Right enough rambling, I hope you are as excited as I am to get all up in the Requiems business and put it through its paces. Let’s Go!
What’s In The Box
- Vandy Vape Requiem
- 3 Different Airflows (DL/RDL/MTL)
- 5MM Winding Rod
- Spare Parts Bag
- Fused Clapton Coil 0.26Ω
Specs & Features
- Length: 15mm
- Diameter: 22mm
- Capacity: 1ml
- Weight: 98g
Build & Design of The Vandy Vape Requiem
Overall look and feel
I was sent the black version so my views will be purely based on the one I received.
Build Deck
I have never had such a thin build deck in my hands before, it stands at a towering 6.3mm from the base to the highest point which is at the top of the screws.
This little beauty has been machined to perfection, I have had my magnifying glass out and looked over the whole build deck and have found no imperfections. You can see the marks from where the build deck has been machined but they have all been smoothed out.
The screw clamps for your coil leads, I believe, where screwed in by a machine because I had real trouble trying to unscrew the negative post. Once I got it loose there were no issues at all, the threads are nice and smooth.
The screw heads are exceptionally large which means you can potentially fit bigger builds in there which is going to be interesting.
The juice wells on the deck are rather small so this will be something to think about when deciding how you are going to run the Vandy Vape Requiem. I will walk you through it further in my review.
AirFlow
The Vandy Vape Requiem comes with three Ultem inserts which give you three different styles of vaping. Direct Lung, Restricted Direct Lung and Mouth To Lung.
Direct Lung Insert
From looking at this airflow insert you can clearly see its for direct lung due to the wide 810 drip tip. If you jump down the side the airflow slots are extremely wide for such a small deck.
The airflow slots sit at 3.9mm in diameter, considering the height of the insert of 7.8mm it’s a lot bigger than it sounds.
Restricted Direct Lung
This insert is sporting a wide bore 510 drip tip for the Restricted Direct Lung vape experience.
The side airflow slots are bigger than the Direct Lung at 5.0mm but then gets split into two smaller holes which sits next to the coils. This will give you the restrictive direct lung vape you are looking for.
Mouth To Lung
This insert has a small 510 drip tip which is typical for a Mouth To Lung vape. The side airflow slots are the same size as the Restricted Direct Lung insert which confused me at first.
Then I looked at the inside airflow which sits right next to your coil and it’s the size of a pin head. I could not get my digital callipers into measuring it as it’s so small. This is a good thing as this size should in theory give you an exceptionally good Mouth To Lung vape.
Beauty Ring
The Vandy Vape Requiem comes with a beauty ring which is a nice touch, it brings the diameter up from 22mm to 24mm.
Build guide for the Vandy Vape Requiem RDA
Can I just say that I was hoping that this would be a pain in the backside to build and would have to spend a lifetime figuring out all the tricks to get it to build perfectly. None of that happened on the Vandy Vape Requiem RDA, it is super easy and quick to install and wick.
Vandy Vape have designed some features that help you along the way which I’ll do my best to explain as I go. But can I just give a crisp high five to whoever came up with all the features and design of the build deck.
Integrating little helpful features into the design but making them so that if you didn’t know that’s what it’s for you wouldn’t even notice it.
I am going to insert a MTL coil to test out the MTL insert then will be moving onto a bigger build to test out the RDL and DL inserts
Right, Let’s Get Building!
To build the Vandy Vape Requiem in MTL, RDL and DL it’s exactly the same. I will use the MTL build as an example.
I am going to be installing a Mouth To Lung Alien coil courtesy of KVTV over on YouTube which ohms out at a .49Ω – .51Ω for my MTL vape.
For a Restricted Mouth to Lung and Direct Lung, I will be using my own Staggered Fused Clapton 2.5mm diameter reading at .23Ω.
Coil Installation
When installing your coils make sure you use your coiling rod provided in the spares bag. Vandy Vape have included an indentation on the notches which you use to attach the top cap.
This notch is for your coiling rod to sit in to make sure your coils are centred perfectly. This is a great feature I did not notice the first time when I built it. I have rebuilt the Vandy Vape Requiem four times and every time I have used the indentations my coils are perfectly placed with no issues.
Wicking
When wicking the Requiem RDA make sure you cut your cotton in line with the side of the build deck, put your scissors up against the O rings and snip. This is the perfect length for your wicks for either dripping or squonking.
Saturate your cotton and your coils and put the top caps back on. That’s how simple it is to build this device.
How Does The Vandy Vape Requiem RDA Perform?
It’s a posh little single coil RDA in my opinion and it performed great.
I will start with the build deck. What can I say except it’s a pleasure to build on. That’s probably why I have rebuilt it four or five times.
The large screw head and the notches either side of them mean that there is no worry about your leads slipping out from under your screws. This also means you can squeeze in slightly bigger builds.
My staggered fused claptons fit in perfectly and that’s two 26 gauge cores, this definitely wouldn’t fit if those screw heads where not the size that they are.
Now down to the main event, the different airflow top caps. I will go through them individually to give you my thoughts on how they performed.
MTL Top Cap
The MTL Top Cap fully open was in my opinion a loose MTL vape but was a pleasant vape that I really enjoyed.
If you turn the airflow barrel all the way closed, I found that it resembled a cigarette style of smoking which combined with the low wattage of 17 watts would be perfect for those first-time vapers who want to jump straight into rebuilding.
Halfway open I found it turned into a turbulent unappealing vape in my opinion. It felt like it was struggling to get the right amount of air through the airflow holes. This setting wasn’t for me.
Restricted Direct to Lung Top Cap
The Restricted Direct Lung Top Cap with the airflow adjuster wide open, on a medium to low wattage knocked my socks off.
I don’t say this much, but it is a perfect restricted direct lung. I did not even need to adjust the airflow barrel one bit. It has a perfect amount of restriction but keeps the flavour of your liquid spot on.
If you were to look up perfect restricted direct lung single coil RDA in the dictionary there should just be a picture of the Vandy Vape Requiem RDA. I am truly blown away by it.
Direct Lung Top Cap
I did not get on with the DTL top cap at all.
If I was to rename this top cap it would be “Slightly Restricted Direct Lung”. I feel that just because of the size of the airflow holes that Vandy Vape were able to manufacture for such a small product, it really limited the airflow capacity that the channels could handle.
Don’t get me wrong I am in no way saying it wasn’t a flavourful vape, I am looking at this purely from a reviewer’s point of view. It says Direct Lung but it doesn’t perform as a Direct Lung.
The Vandy Vape Requiem in Squonk Mode.
Let me get this out there for you guys. I do not like squonking anymore! I squonked for a year about 3 years ago and fell out of love with it.
I reluctantly put the squonk pin into the Vandy Vape Requiem and had the Restricted Direct Lung top cap on. Oh my god Yes Yes Yes! This is what I have been craving for a long time.
It’s a perfect squonking single coil RDA. I must say on top of the only squonk mod I have which is the Topside Dual, it does look ridiculous but if I was to make a suggestion, I would say the Vandy Vape Pulse 2 Squonk Mod with the Vandy Vape Requiem RDA (RDL Top Cap) is a match made in heaven.
Both purchases will not break the bank. Every vape of this RDA is pleasurable and perfect in every way. I have ordered a Pulse 2 squonk mod as this is now replacing any other device to use when I’m out of the house.
Pros
- Looks great
- RDL Top Cap
- MTL Top Cap
- Squonking Ability
- Will look great on any high-end mods.
Cons
- Airflow barrel is ridiculously tough to adjust.
- It’s a pain to use as a dripper.
Final Verdict
It’s more of the same as I mentioned above. I would not bother with the DL Top Cap, just chuck the RDL Top Cap on and you will be happier than a kid in a toy store.
If you are into squonking or are looking into giving it a go, please don’t worry about any other device just get the Vandy Vape Requiem RDA and thank me later.
I have not had this much enjoyment out of a device in such a long time I really enjoyed vaping it day in day out for 2 weeks at least.
The Requiem RDA is hybrid safe, but you will be hard pushed to find a mechanical mod it will look good on. If you do let me know in the comments below.
The device has a high end feel and look to it. I’m personally not keen on Ultem but saying that, I have grown to love and appreciate it on the Vandy Vape Requiem.
I have seen the device on some really high-end mods whilst searching online and wow it fits into that world perfectly, especially with that beauty ring it brings the whole look together.
Have you used or did you buy the Vandy Vape Requiem RDA? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
