Name: Elder Dragon RDA (Wotofo) – Atomizer – received by the manufacturer
Type: RDA atomizer (Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer)
Colors: Black, Silver, Gold, Blue, Rainbow, Gun Metal
Price: ~ € 30
Japanese design for the new Wotofo atomizer: Elder Dragon RDA with BF pin
For the first 2019 review, our team decided to launch the test of a new atomizer that, although already available in Italy, has not yet passed under the magnifying glass of our most emblazoned youtubers and reviewers. So for Italy this absolutely a preview, and you know the Flavourist also exists for this…
We are going to talk about the Elder Dragon (Ryujin) RDA, the latest creation by Wotofo, a 22 mm Japanese-inspired dripper, thanks to the precious contribution provided by the reviewer, as well as Japanese youtuber, Ryusei Sakaue. We will try to understand if, in the infinite multitude of devices for vaping, the new Wotofo dripper will manage to emerge and be appreciated for its performances, replicating the commercial fortunes of some of its predecessors.
As usual, at the start of the article we take a look at the content of the packaging.
IN THE BOX
1 x Wotofo Elder Dragon RDA
1 x Coil trimming tool
1 x Extra drip tip
1 x 510 drip tip adaptor
2 x Tri Core Clapton coils – 0.17ohm
2 x 3 mm agleted cotton
1 x Spare screws and O-rings
1 x User manual
DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY
As mentioned at the beginning, the Elder Dragon RDA is a dripper designed in Japan. And the clear reference to the roots of the millenarian culture of this country immediately transpires from the design of the product, which has a rather unusual and unprecedented form; The Elder Dragon in fact, aesthetically is noted for the profile of a small religious temple, a sacred Japanese pagoda. We know well that the appearance of an object is always influenced by the subjectivity of personal tastes, and this also applies to the Elder Dragon. Maybe you will not like it so much, but sincerely our team really enjoyed the design of this new RDA by Wotofo. Harmonious and round lines that recall well the typical Japanese construction and that definitely met our aesthetic tastes.
The build quality of the Elder Dragon is fine and the atom has very little to envy to many high end devices currently on the market. Made entirely of opaque stainless steel with a light satin finish, with resin drip tip and gold-plated pin, this dripper does not have any deburring and o-rings always work with the right resistance (it is however advisable to grease them with a bit of liquid before inserting the top cap on the deck). The manufacture and the cleaning of the deck is also excellent, equipped with a peek insulator and quality screws, not subject to easy stripping.
FEATURES
The Elder Dragon has a diameter of 22 mm, a total height of 34.5 mm and a weight of about 39.5 grams. It consists of 2 parts plus the drip tip. It’s possible, to facilitate the cleaning of the deck, to remove the two small air-inlets by unscrewing the external screws under the base of the deck.
In our opinion, the deck is the most interesting part of this RDA. It is a postless for single coil with 4 side screws, which allow you to choose the coil installation direction at will. The manufacturer has included in the package a graduated trimming tool to make easier and more precise the cut of the coil legs, signaling to 6 mm the most appropriate measure for this atomizer.
From the center of the deck there are four small divergent small tubes for conveying air – two for each air-inlet. The inclination of the tubes allows to direct the air flow exactly under the coil, significantly improving the aromatic yield of the atom and preventing (almost completely) the leakage of the liquid from the atomizer in case of over-squonking. On the deck side there are two notches perpendicular to the air holes, to facilitate positioning and centering of the coil as much as possible.
The top cap with the characteristic pagoda shape has four holes for airflow control (in pairs of two opposing ones) with a diameter of about 2 mm. The Elder Dragon, however, does not seem to be equipped with a real airflow control, as the top cap rotation on the deck is limited: it seems to have been designed only to open or close the 4 holes.
The drip tip supplied are two with 810 connection plus an adapter for drip tip 510. Considering its particular shape it will not be easy to aesthetically adapt other 810 drip tip different from those supplied.
COILING, WICKING AND FILLING
The postless solution, the side notches and the trimming tool made available by Wotofo, make the operations of coiling on this atom really easy. Just as simple is the positioning of the cotton inside the two juice deep well on the sides of the deck. It may be useful and convenient to thin the ends of the cotton, slightly reducing the volume inside the deep well, sufficiently large but not too generous. The manufacturer also provides in the package two strips of cotton already ready for 3 mm coil diameter, which is definitely the most suitable measure for this RDA.
PERFORMANCES AND FLAVOUR
The Elder Dragon is an atomizer that can be used both as a pure RDA and in a squonk configuration. As we have already said in the past for other similar 22 mm RDAs, we believe that the most appropriate use for these types of atom is with a BF pin, while being aware that pure dripping is the system able to enhance better than any other the aromatic yield of an atomizer. However, it must be considered that a 22 mm RDA can’t have a large juice deep well (unless you increase its depth by increasing the height of the whole atomizer), therefore the use in dripping presupposes that the vaper has to drip rather frequently.
That said, we can closely analyze the performances of the new creation by Wotofo. We mounted one of the fused clapton supplied by the manufacturer, a 26 awg x 3 + 38 awg x 1 of Ni80 for a coil value of about 0.20 ohms (recommended power range between 40 and 70 watts). In our opinion, the Elder Dragon, with this type of coil, is good at a wattage not exceeding 50 watts, limit beyond the heat becomes excessive and compromises the aromatic yield. Between 40 and 45 watt it gives the best of itself, offering the vaper remarkable aromatic performance. At these wattages, with the air holes completely open, the puff is full-bodied and satisfying and the steam production is thick and fat.
The regulation of the air on the Elder Dragon, as mentioned above, is practically non-existent as the excursion of the top cap that allows you to open and close the air holes, although it also allows to split the opening, does not help the vaping. In fact, with partially open holes, the puff will be less fluid and noisy with an annoying hissing breath during inhalation.
TO CONCLUDE
Elder Dragon or Ryujin (its Japanese name) is a product of satisfactory quality at a reasonable price, which stands out above all for the pleasant shape of a small pagoda. It is not an innovative atomizer (on the other hand, how many atomizer has been really innovative in the last two years?), but offers excellent build solidity and high performance and is suitable for all expert vapers and lovers of BF and half restricted flavor chasing.
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Recommended to: skilled and hardcore vapers.
