ZenAnarchi
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Well now, I’ve lived with the Kayfun BB rba for a couple of weeks, and I thought I’d share my experiences with this (rather feeble) attempt at a review. Literally, I haven’t touched a rta or another rba since I received the Kf BB; it has given me a chance to form a subjective, definitive opinion about it.
Packaging & Contents
Like all products from Svoëmesto, the packaging is very classy, but I do have to wonder why they needed such a large box; it is a bit much. Especially when it contains so little… The box comes in a sleeve, and as a special “F*ckYou” to YouTube, here are the website addresses and QR codes. Sourced here in Norway, I paid appr. £90 for it, including shipping.
The box oozes elegance, but truly doesn’t contain much. There’s a QR code instead of a user manual, a pouch with a few orings, 2 grub screws, and the 510 adapter. And a disclaimer about not knowing the long term effects of vaping (must be for the American market).
First Impressions
Oh, you shiny beauty! Okay, the finish is not high gloss stainless steel, but she is a beaut. The finish is excellent and the logo has a patina look to it. Well machined it is, but there are some minor tooling marks in the juice wells.
There are lots of threads on this rba. The chamber is threaded, which is a bit old school, and there is a bottom cap that is threaded, as well. But not the chimney, which is secured by a deep-set oring. The threads are lovely and smooth, though.
I was unable to find a serial number anywhere on the rba, even though they state that there is one, which is strange.
Interestingly, the chimney has a narrow bore with a flat top, not concave at the top as almost all other rbas are. The chimney is at least 1-1.5mm narrower than most. Here it is next to the Dope chimney.
The chamber is typical Svoëmesto, with straight sides going directly to an angled concave roof. I did not purchase the other two chambers, so testing was done entirely on the standard chamber.
The deck is also the same as their rtas. The screws are rather dainty, but they’re long and smooth. There is a good deal of room between the posts, so 3.0mm id is no problem. Fitting a coil is simple.
The Areokon airflow control screw is the same as the rta, but a bit shorter, so my mtl pro screw will not work. The airflow is tuned by screwing the screw within the cylindrical positive pin; in for tighter and out for looser. I was able to dial in a draw similar to a 0.9-1.0 mm air pin, and with the screw removed, it gives a 1.8mm airflow. It can be tuned with a build in the deck, and once happy, you simply forget about it.
The juice wells are rather large, but like other Kayfuns, there are very small juice flow ports on each side at the bottom. The ports are venturi shaped and extend a ways under the deck.
My Builds & Juices
My builds were pretty basic, some 30g ss round wire with 5 + 6 wraps, .85ohms and 1.0ohms, respectively. I did try a fused clapton 1.0ohms with 5 wraps, but it cooked the juice and lost some flavor, must have been too warm. My coil placement was basically as low as possible, about 2mm over the airflow.
You may wonder why I’m building on a sbs mod… Well, because of the cylindrical positive pin on the rba, it would not read on my Futon or my Hyperion, because their 510 pins were too small in diameter. This is the only dna mod it would work on.
Temperature Control is about the only way I vape these days, and I like a vape that is somewhat cooler than most. However, I did try it in a wide range of temperatures and airflows.
Preferring a tight draw, I did eventually land on something equivalent to a 1.0mm, as this was where the flavor was best.
Different tanks were tried out, both a std boro and a Crypt tank, and I tried it in 3 different mods, as well.
Wicking was a breeze, just not too tight and all’s well. I utilized BP mods cotton and Fiber N Cotton 2, and both worked equally well (although I still prefer the BP). Using a Mark Todd top trim and a bit of fluffing, a wee flip, I simply teased it in.
Juices
To try and get a gauge of how well the Kayfun performs, I tried it with three different juices, a fruit juice, a dessert juice, and a tobacco hybrid juice. I know all them very well indeed, and I went through at least 10ml of each during the tests. I even had a Boxx tank with a nautilus coil filled with each for comparison while I vaped.
XVault Le Jardin White Peach & Guava 50:50 vg/pg, 6mg 50:50 salts:freebase - One of my favorites right now, this was an absolute joy to vape in the Kayfun. It did take me a few attempts at building/wicking, since this was the first I tried, but I got it dialed in. The quality of the flavor was on par with most, if not all rbas. The dry white peach came through under the sour notes of the guava, and I was most pleased.
Glas Bix Blueberry Cake 65:35 vg/pg, 6mg 50:50 salts:freebase - Was a bit concerned about using anything other than a 50:50 juice with the Kayfun, but I needn’t have worried. I thinned the wicks and made sure they were a bit looser in the wells, and wicking was no problem. No problem that is, until I switched over to my Pulse Mini and forgot to press the tank firmly down around the rba. This closed off juice ports (see below) and I got a rather nasty dry hit! Otherwise, I was rather surprised how good the flavor was, even with a cooler vape. It is one of the few times that the cake flavor came through on the exhale without lots of wattage, and it wasn’t too sweet.
Manabush Cafe Cappuccino 50:50 vg/pg, 9mg 35:65 salts:freebase. This is one of my go-to wake up juices, and I always find it stimulating. In this case, however, it was actually unbelievable. The nuances I tasted were out of this world, with coffee and chocolate singing in harmony with the earthy tones of the tobacco (okay, a bit poetic, but it was delicious). The 9mg gave me a lovely throat hit, and I was chain-vaping it before I realized it. It makes me wonder how it could possibly be better with the complex flavors chamber.
Personally, I feel the whole point of aios is to use them out and about. Anyone who has carried around a rebuildable knows that it is a bit precarious. The mod is always shifting around, and this can affect the vacuum on some rtas/rbas. I can safely report that the Kayfun traveled well, and I did not have a problem. I did have one minor tank-dumping, but that was at home, and it was because I was lazy and didn’t place the cotton carefully enough.
Positives
This product does exactly what it says on the label; it’s a Svoëmesto Kayfun deck on a rba. If you’re a bit of a Kayfun fan-boy as I am, it’s a must have.
(Excuse the abundant juice and fingerprints)
The most important positive is unquestionably the flavor…Wow! There aren’t many rbas (or rtas for that matter) that can compare with it flavor wise, imo. It is easily up there with the Dope and Skynet, and can handle different types of juice, as well.
This is a quality product for a reasonable price. You have to love the feeling of (semi-) high end gear. However, I am a bit skeptical that it is entirely produced in Germany for this price.
This rba is for mtl vapers only! Some may think this a negative, but for a diehard mtl vaper like myself, it’s perfect. There are way too many rbas out there that try to do everything… Jack of all trades etc.
The Kayfun wicked well, even with a somewhat thicker juice. I chain-vaped it many times, and never experienced an issue. Wicking it is forgiving, though not quite as much as with their rtas. And rewicking is a doddle after a few attempts.
There are several other minor positives, but let me say it again: the Flavor…Wow!
Negatives
A screw on chamber will be seen as a big negative by some, and I do understand. Those of us used to accessing the deck of their rba with ease will be disappointed. I didn’t need to access the deck much, and I did manage to take the deck out without dumping the juice, but it is a pita.
Tank placement is something to watch out for. The rba is about a 0.5cm longer than a typical boro tank, but it does fit in every mod I’ve tried it in. Therefore, like with a few other rbas, one has to make sure that the tank is bottomed out so as not to cover the juice flow ports.
By far the most irritating negative I experienced was that the positive pin on the rba refused to read on my Futon. The design is a bit different from their rtas with a larger diameter, and it is a design flaw.
In the first place, having a 510 adapter to keep track of should be a no-no these days; it takes me longer to find it than it does to wick the bloody thing. And worse yet, if you tighten it too much on the mod, the adapter gets stuck, and it is a pain to get it off.
Lastly, a small note to those of you who prefer a truly tight draw, like me. When the airflow screw is very tight, I experienced air leaking from between the top of chimney and the flush nut. I had to try several nuts before I found one that worked with a super-tight draw.
CONCLUSION
“Thank God this review is over!”, I can hear you saying… Hold on just a wee bit longer!
This is a very, very good rba, and I am well pleased that I picked one up. Subjectively, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I do say subjectively; your experience may vary.
Flavor depth is top class and exceptional, just what I look for in a rebuildable. As a flavor-chaser, I’d be hard pressed to not place this rba in my top 3, even though it is far from perfect.
It’s a Kayfun deck on a rba…what else do you want?!?
If you have questions, please ask. I’ll try and answer as well I am able. And if you don’t care for my review, you can kindly keep it to yourself…
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