INTRODUCTION
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Hello everyone Pizza Dave here, delivering a review of the Drop Dead by Hellvape. This rda is a collaboration between Heathen and The Vapor Chronicles, both of which are Youtube reviewers. Billy (Heathen) came up with the Dead Rabbit and Brian (Vapor Chronicles) released the Drop last fall/winter. Unless you’ve been under a rock or are new to vaping, both rdas were wildly successful. Being friends, they decided to take aspects of each and came up with the Drop Dead. This device essentially takes the deck of the Drop, and cap of the dead rabbit, and meshes them together to make something new. Many are calling this a bit of a cash grab, so let’s dive in, see how it works, and I will give my final thoughts down at the bottom and see if this one is worth your cash or not!
Disclaimer: This device was sent to me by Buy Best for review.
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WHAT YOU GET
STOCK SHOT
PACKAGING
UNBOXED
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BUILD DECK AND WICKING
If you have seen the deck of the Drop, then you basically saw the deck from the Drop Dead. They took the same post configuration, made some minute changes to the size, and colored them in the same fashion as the Dead Rabbit deck. This deck has its name for your ability to DROP your coils in, and snip later. This is a false statement, as super long leads will be too long and will bottom out. Slight snipping is required, but it is not a deal breaker. Like the Drop and Dead Rabbit, coil position is key to performance. I place my coils in the middle road between the center (touching) and the air flow outside. The height of my coils aligns with the air flow, so the top of the coil is even with the top of the air flow (roughly). Small movements in the coil makes a huge difference, so you may have to play around with them a bit until you find what feels and tastes just right for you. Wicking on this is a breeze but must be done neatly to provide a good wicking action. The coil placement is high, so the wicking, especially when squonking, is critical. I usually fluff my wicks slightly but try to keep them in a cylindrical shape. I have had zero problems with wicking, and since the air flow is high, one can drip and squonk a ton without worry about it leaking JUST DON’T PULL THE CAP WITH A FULL JUICE WELL.
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AIR FLOW
The air flow on this is very similar to the Dead Rabbit. The only aspect of the Drop is the fact that it has holes on it rather than one wide open slot. I tip my hat to them with the air flow design in a few ways. The holes seem to smooth the air flow out slightly which results in essentially a Dead Rabbit with smoother air flow. To keep the air flow aligned, they didn’t do a full locking top cap. It has a channel which allows it to be remain centered even when air flow is choked down. That is a great aspect that many may overlook. I love the way this locks in as the top cap isn’t too tight, yet the locking nature makes for mess free, easy removal from your mod. I rocked this one with air flow full open and like the feel of this air flow better than both the Drop and Dead Rabbit.
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HOW IT VAPES
This is always the million-dollar question and is extra important when referring to something so like what is already on the market. Basically, this lands dead center between a Drop and a Dead Rabbit. Flavor is right between, with the Drop being the best of the three. Like I said above, the air flow is like a smoother Dead Rabbit. I like this design better than the Drop, but the side air flow of the Drop provides better flavor because it hits more of the coil surface. Vapor production is solid, and it isn’t bad by any means, it just gets beat out on flavor by the Drop.
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PHOTO GALLERY
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FINAL THOUGHTS
So, cash grab or not? I don’t think so. It offers something a bit different nearly 1 year after the other two were released. These two guys are friends and decided to mesh their rdas and I can safely say if I was in their shoes I probably would have done the same thing! However, the biggest issue I have is that it is so much like those others that it’s a tough market. I think it is a good rda if you don’t have the other two. If you have a Dead Rabbit, this is a very slight upgrade. If you have a Drop, it is a slight downgrade, but this is only on a flavor standpoint. I was not a fan of the Drop. I didn’t like squonking it, and I didn’t like the way the top cap came on and off, but this was is machined quite well, looks good in my opinion, and is a good combination of two very popular rdas. They include nice drip tips, there are a ton of colors available, and it provides a good vape. There isn’t much more we can ask. I will gladly continue to use this rda, and don’t see it collecting dust at all in my future.
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PROS
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CONS
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Thank you everyone for reading my review and thank you to Buy Best for sending it my way for review. Buy Best has these listed for $26.48, which is an average price from other sites.
https://www.buybest.com/product/Hellvape-Drop-Dead-RDA_60085.html
Pizza Dave – delivering real reviews with no extra toppings
REVIEW CRITERIA: I use each item extensively for about two weeks to ensure I have collected enough data to adequately write a review. I use the same e liquid in tanks or rdas throughout all my reviews to ensure that I am comparing apples to apples between all modern equipment. I do not post reviews until I feel confident that I have used all products enough to give an educated review. The reason I started doing reviews was due to poor purchasing decisions in my vaping infancy about two years ago. Back then, I purchased several different pieces of hardware without really enjoying them and I hope my reviews can guide people into spending their hard-earned money more wisely than I did! ****Keep in mind that some items I receive may be pre-release and not in retail packaging. Quality may be less than the finished product and what is in the package may differ from the retail package as well.
______________________________________________________________________________
Hello everyone Pizza Dave here, delivering a review of the Drop Dead by Hellvape. This rda is a collaboration between Heathen and The Vapor Chronicles, both of which are Youtube reviewers. Billy (Heathen) came up with the Dead Rabbit and Brian (Vapor Chronicles) released the Drop last fall/winter. Unless you’ve been under a rock or are new to vaping, both rdas were wildly successful. Being friends, they decided to take aspects of each and came up with the Drop Dead. This device essentially takes the deck of the Drop, and cap of the dead rabbit, and meshes them together to make something new. Many are calling this a bit of a cash grab, so let’s dive in, see how it works, and I will give my final thoughts down at the bottom and see if this one is worth your cash or not!
Disclaimer: This device was sent to me by Buy Best for review.
______________________________________________________________________________
WHAT YOU GET
- 1 Drop Dead RDA
- 1 810 Resin Drip Tip
- 1 810 Clear Drip Tip
- 1 510 Drip Tip Adapter
- 1 Squonk Pin (regular came pre-installed)
- 1 Phillips Screwdriver
- 1 Flathead Screwdriver
- 1 Allen Key
- 1 Spare Parts Bag
- 1 Manual
STOCK SHOT
PACKAGING
UNBOXED
______________________________________________________________________________
BUILD DECK AND WICKING
If you have seen the deck of the Drop, then you basically saw the deck from the Drop Dead. They took the same post configuration, made some minute changes to the size, and colored them in the same fashion as the Dead Rabbit deck. This deck has its name for your ability to DROP your coils in, and snip later. This is a false statement, as super long leads will be too long and will bottom out. Slight snipping is required, but it is not a deal breaker. Like the Drop and Dead Rabbit, coil position is key to performance. I place my coils in the middle road between the center (touching) and the air flow outside. The height of my coils aligns with the air flow, so the top of the coil is even with the top of the air flow (roughly). Small movements in the coil makes a huge difference, so you may have to play around with them a bit until you find what feels and tastes just right for you. Wicking on this is a breeze but must be done neatly to provide a good wicking action. The coil placement is high, so the wicking, especially when squonking, is critical. I usually fluff my wicks slightly but try to keep them in a cylindrical shape. I have had zero problems with wicking, and since the air flow is high, one can drip and squonk a ton without worry about it leaking JUST DON’T PULL THE CAP WITH A FULL JUICE WELL.
______________________________________________________________________________
AIR FLOW
The air flow on this is very similar to the Dead Rabbit. The only aspect of the Drop is the fact that it has holes on it rather than one wide open slot. I tip my hat to them with the air flow design in a few ways. The holes seem to smooth the air flow out slightly which results in essentially a Dead Rabbit with smoother air flow. To keep the air flow aligned, they didn’t do a full locking top cap. It has a channel which allows it to be remain centered even when air flow is choked down. That is a great aspect that many may overlook. I love the way this locks in as the top cap isn’t too tight, yet the locking nature makes for mess free, easy removal from your mod. I rocked this one with air flow full open and like the feel of this air flow better than both the Drop and Dead Rabbit.
______________________________________________________________________________
HOW IT VAPES
This is always the million-dollar question and is extra important when referring to something so like what is already on the market. Basically, this lands dead center between a Drop and a Dead Rabbit. Flavor is right between, with the Drop being the best of the three. Like I said above, the air flow is like a smoother Dead Rabbit. I like this design better than the Drop, but the side air flow of the Drop provides better flavor because it hits more of the coil surface. Vapor production is solid, and it isn’t bad by any means, it just gets beat out on flavor by the Drop.
______________________________________________________________________________
PHOTO GALLERY
______________________________________________________________________________
FINAL THOUGHTS
So, cash grab or not? I don’t think so. It offers something a bit different nearly 1 year after the other two were released. These two guys are friends and decided to mesh their rdas and I can safely say if I was in their shoes I probably would have done the same thing! However, the biggest issue I have is that it is so much like those others that it’s a tough market. I think it is a good rda if you don’t have the other two. If you have a Dead Rabbit, this is a very slight upgrade. If you have a Drop, it is a slight downgrade, but this is only on a flavor standpoint. I was not a fan of the Drop. I didn’t like squonking it, and I didn’t like the way the top cap came on and off, but this was is machined quite well, looks good in my opinion, and is a good combination of two very popular rdas. They include nice drip tips, there are a ton of colors available, and it provides a good vape. There isn’t much more we can ask. I will gladly continue to use this rda, and don’t see it collecting dust at all in my future.
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PROS
- Smooth air flow
- Simple build deck
- Lots of color options
- Good price point
- Adjustable, locking top cap for optimal positioning
- Cool factory drip tips
- Flavor is good
- Machining and fitment are well done
- Knurling for better grip of air flow adjustment
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CONS
- Flavor isn’t as good as Drop
- Finicky to coil placement for best performance
- Some coils are noticeably spitty with them being so high set
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Thank you everyone for reading my review and thank you to Buy Best for sending it my way for review. Buy Best has these listed for $26.48, which is an average price from other sites.
https://www.buybest.com/product/Hellvape-Drop-Dead-RDA_60085.html
Pizza Dave – delivering real reviews with no extra toppings
REVIEW CRITERIA: I use each item extensively for about two weeks to ensure I have collected enough data to adequately write a review. I use the same e liquid in tanks or rdas throughout all my reviews to ensure that I am comparing apples to apples between all modern equipment. I do not post reviews until I feel confident that I have used all products enough to give an educated review. The reason I started doing reviews was due to poor purchasing decisions in my vaping infancy about two years ago. Back then, I purchased several different pieces of hardware without really enjoying them and I hope my reviews can guide people into spending their hard-earned money more wisely than I did! ****Keep in mind that some items I receive may be pre-release and not in retail packaging. Quality may be less than the finished product and what is in the package may differ from the retail package as well.