The Vandy Vape Iconic User-Friendly RDA Preview

I think “user-friendly” is an overused term. Yet, I’m guilty of writing it 2-3 times per review. Because the vape industry has continued to evolve and improve device designs, to the point where even beginners can dabble in advanced vaping. A great example of this is the Vandy Vape Iconic RDA.

Created with input from prolific YouTube reviewer Mike Vapes, the VandyVape Iconic RDA isn’t claiming to be the most-innovative, most-powerful, most-anything RDA. But, if you know anything about Mr. Vapes and his review videos, it’s that he’s really pragmatic, and appreciates simplicity.

We just got our stainless steel Vandy Vape Iconic test model in, and from first glance, it looks like… well … another cloud-chucking RDA. But there are some things worth mentioning, so let’s take a quick peek and see why people are talking about this all-new dripper.

Full disclosure: I did not use the original Vandy Vape Icon RDA, which is apparently the predecessor to the Iconic. So, I can’t really make an early comparison between the two. (Yes, I’ve heard of Google, but I’m going to do this preview blindly, for a more honest reaction.)

My first impression of the user-friendly Iconic RDA? Plain. Granted, there’s only so much a company can do with a rebuildable dripping atomizer. Sure, we’ve seen some gaudy ones, but they usually lack in the performance department. Overall, the industry has pretty much determined the general form factor of an RDA, leaving it up to companies to improve and optimize proven designs.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The included drip tips are colorful. The etched logo is smooth and well-presented. And the airflow featured a nice beveled cutout. But did it stand out against an ever-growing slate of competitors? Not exactly.

Opening the simplified packaging reveals a fairly extensive package. In addition to the 24mm Iconic RDA itself, users will receive three drip-tips – one resin, one Delrin, one “frosted.” Not a bad start! But the box also includes an extra gold plated 510 pin, a gold plated squonk pin, a ton of spare parts, coils and a detailed manual. A very nice offering for newcomers, to be sure.

Removing the Iconic RDA’s standard issue body reveals a roomy, dual-clamp build deck, which should provide as much room as necessary for creative coil junkies. Plus, each post has staggered terminals, so placing coils should be easier, as should adjusting them.

We only put a quick build in there, and the clamps did their job well. They were a little stiff at first, but I imagine regular use will loosen things considerably. Still, they never came loose, nor did the coils ever have inconsistent resistance readings.

(One note: the Vandy Vape Iconic RDA is a dual-coil focused setup, with no adapters to make this a single-coil experience.)

The Iconic RDA also features both side and bottom-mounted airflow ports. In my travels, I’ve found these dual-airflow RDAs to be a little too open and airy for my liking. But it’s clear that Mike Vapes had room-filling clouds in mind when designing the Iconic.

The one thing that really jumped at me, though was the MASSIVE 7.5mm deep juice well – giving users roughly 2mL of e-liquid capacity. As a notorious over-dripper and aggressive squonker, this really appeals to me. As we get it set up for testing this coming week, we’ll be sure to see how well the juice capacity improves performance and liquid flow throughout the atomizer.

It wouldn’t be a preview if we didn’t go into it with some questions and comments about what we’ve seen so far. And we have a few.

For starters, I’m curious how the 2mL juice capacity is going to work with the bottom-set airflow slots. According to the promotional materials, the airflow is angled to prevent leaking, but it’s not quite making sense at first glance. These wide airflow slots, combined with massive juice capacity, sure sounds like a leaky disaster waiting to happen. My fingers are crossed Vandy Vape quells my concerns.

Speaking of airflow, Vandy Vape is pushing a direct-to-coil airflow configuration. I’m interested to see how this much windiness affects flavor in favor of monstrous vapor production. And can this airflow be closed off and adjusted, or are we all relegated to one settings?

Finally, we’re curious to see if this is truly a collaborative project, or just a name drop. Whereas some celebrity collaborations have proven to be outstanding, such as Innokin’s PBusardo/VapinGreek MTL line of tanks and RTAs. But we’ve also seen some really disconnected efforts, which little connection between the namesake and the final product.

We haven’t even juiced up the Vandy Vape Iconic RDA, so we have a lot of things to cover in the next week or so. Stay tuned for our full review soon!

Element Vape carries nearly the whole Vandy Vape line, including the Iconic RDA. 

Vandy Vape Iconic RDA Features:

• 24mm Diameter
• Two Post Clamp Style Build Deck
  • 1.5mm Clamping Space
    • Top Mounted Phillips Screws
  • PEEK Insulator
  • 8mm Deep Juice Well
• Side Airflow and Bottom Tubes Airflow System
  • Bottom Airflow Tubes
    • Allow Extra Room in Juice Well and Prevents Risk of Leaking
    • Positioned Under Coil
    • Two Per Side
  • Side Airflow System
    • 8.5mm by 1.5mm Each Airslot
• Gold Plated 510 Contact
  • Squonk-Ready 510 Pin
• 304 Stainless Steel
• 810 Drip Tips
  • 12mm Bore Resin Drip Tip
    • Color At Random
  • 18.5mm Bore Delrin Doc Drip Tip
  • 18.5mm Bore Frosted Doc Drip Tip

Vandy Vape Iconic RDA Includes:

• One Vandy Vape Iconic 24mm RDA
• 810 Drip Tips
  • 12mm Bore Resin Drip Tip
    • Color At Random
  • 18.5mm Bore Delrin Doc Drip Tip
  • 18.5mm Bore Frosted Doc Drip Tip
• One Mini Phillips Screwdriver
• One Bottom Feed 510 Pin
• Spare Part Pack
• User Manual