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Vandy Vape B3 MTL RTA review by Antony Lord
The Vandy vape and AlexVapersMD Berserker is the atomiser that got me back into mouth to lung (MTL) vaping so I’m always eager to get my hands on any new version that comes along. This time they’ve actually dropped the Berserker name and cut it down to simply “B3” but I think we all know what the “B” means and along with the name change there’s a radical ground up design change… ooh, controversial! As always our friends over at Sourcemore have been kind enough to send one over for review.
Specifications:
As is normally the case with the Berserker lineup you get a lot of extras included in the box:
Sourcemore sent over the stainless steel version for me to try out but it’s also available in matte black, gunmetal, frosted grey, and (shudder) gold so you have a great range to pick from and the clear window on the box makes it easy to see what you’re buying. (The TPD version comes with the usual warning label where the B3/AlexVapersMD logo sits)
Starting at the top of the B3 you have a convenient quarter turn fill cap which exposes two good sized fill ports all topped off with a standard 510 drip tip. Although there are three drip tips included I can’t say I’m actually a fan of any of them, the one fitted as standard is the best out of the three but in the end I ended up using one of my own here.
There are four tank sections included, two 2ml and two 6ml ones with a chimney extension for the latter. Changing the glass is relatively straightforward but there's not a lot to grab hold of at the top so I ended up using the top cap itself to loosen off the top and change the tank sections over and once again to tighten everything back up once done.
The B3 is a marvellously squat 31.5mm (excluding the drip tip and 510 connector) with the 2ml tank sections fitted but grows to a whopping 43.5mm with the 6ml tank sections fitted, the Germans will love it!
The 2ml section is obviously the one to go for if you like short atomisers, and this worked best with the innokin Gozee mod I was using, but it does come with a few issues. At least 1ml of e-liquid is permanently hidden behind the large stainless steel section at the base and once you take the o-rings into consideration you only have an effective 1mm window to see your e-liquid rendering it virtually useless!
On the other hand the 6ml tank sections make the B3 very tall, especially for a MTL atomiser, but this does at least alleviate some of the issues with the 2ml tank sections. In the end I can’t help but wonder if a shorter 3 or 4ml extension might have been a better option here.
The build deck and chimney section are the biggest departures from previous Berserker designs. You now have a really short squat chimney section which is slightly domed, and the build deck does away with the earlier raised gta style deck with removable airflow inserts to something much more old school. There’s a simple two post section with a removable outer ring that has large wick holes on either side.
As the included superfine fused claptons are one again Nichrome I opted to go for my standard MTL setup with a simple Kanthal round wire build. Clamping the coil in position was a doddle and it’s easy to cut the excess wire around the back of the posts as well. For wicking you might need a little more cotton than you initially think as you need enough to cover those two fairly large wick ports but you need to keep everything super fluffy to avoid creating a choke point, luckily I managed to judge this just about right on my first attempt so it isn’t too difficult.
The airflow on the B3 is the other big departure from earlier designs. Instead of hot swappable airflow discs that you slid into the deck with an adjustable airflow ring for further finer tuning the airflow is now fixed and all the adjustment is made with the removable airpins that pull double duty as the positive post. Changing the pins is simplicity itself as the 510 pin protrudes quite a way and there’s a small lip at the base for you grab onto with your fingernails, the insulator however is rubber much like you’d find on a stock coil tank so I’d say this is absolutely NOT safe to use with any sort of mechanical mod!
You do get a much narrower choice of airflows this time around as well with a 1.2mm pin fitted as standard and 0.8, 1.4 and 2.0mm pins included in the box. If you like a tight MTL this is probably fine but if you prefer a looser “modern” MTL like myself it may not be so great…. I tend to prefer around a 1.6mm draw which makes the 1.4mm a fraction too tight whilst the 2.0mm is bordering on a restricted direct lung, the lack of any adjustable airflow hinders the latter as well. Spare Airpins are available should you lose one but they are the same as you get in the box so it’s not as though Vandy vape have tried to cut costs and make extra airflow options available as an extra purchase.
Having said that the flavour is superb just as with all the earlier Berserker lineup and I’ve got used to that 1.4mm airflow.
Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion:
I have mixed feelings about the B3 MTL RTA. The flavour is just as good as it's alway been but the narrow choice of airflow options make this a difficult call for me. If you like a tighter draw then this should be right up there on your watch list, if you prefer a looser draw like myself I would happily have sacrificed the two extra drip tips (neither of which I will ever use) for one extra 1.6mm airpin!
Many thanks to Sourcemore for sending the Vandy vape B3 MTL RTA over for review. As always they’ve sent me a handy discount code for you to use as well:
$24.89- Vandy Vape Berserker V3 (B3) MTL RTA
Code: V3BR
@Sourcemore
The Vandy vape and AlexVapersMD Berserker is the atomiser that got me back into mouth to lung (MTL) vaping so I’m always eager to get my hands on any new version that comes along. This time they’ve actually dropped the Berserker name and cut it down to simply “B3” but I think we all know what the “B” means and along with the name change there’s a radical ground up design change… ooh, controversial! As always our friends over at Sourcemore have been kind enough to send one over for review.
Specifications:
- 24 mm diameter
- 2ml / 6ml capacity with 4 tank sections supplied
- 3 MTL drip tips included
- 4 airpins included
As is normally the case with the Berserker lineup you get a lot of extras included in the box:
- Two pei (ultem) tanks (2ml and 6ml)
- Two glass tanks (2ml and 6ml)
- Chimney extension for 6ml tank sections
- Three 510 MTL drip tips
- Four airpins (0.8, 1.2, 1.4, 2.0 mm)
- Two superfine fused claptons (ni80)
- Big bag of spare o-rings etc.
Sourcemore sent over the stainless steel version for me to try out but it’s also available in matte black, gunmetal, frosted grey, and (shudder) gold so you have a great range to pick from and the clear window on the box makes it easy to see what you’re buying. (The TPD version comes with the usual warning label where the B3/AlexVapersMD logo sits)
Starting at the top of the B3 you have a convenient quarter turn fill cap which exposes two good sized fill ports all topped off with a standard 510 drip tip. Although there are three drip tips included I can’t say I’m actually a fan of any of them, the one fitted as standard is the best out of the three but in the end I ended up using one of my own here.
There are four tank sections included, two 2ml and two 6ml ones with a chimney extension for the latter. Changing the glass is relatively straightforward but there's not a lot to grab hold of at the top so I ended up using the top cap itself to loosen off the top and change the tank sections over and once again to tighten everything back up once done.
The B3 is a marvellously squat 31.5mm (excluding the drip tip and 510 connector) with the 2ml tank sections fitted but grows to a whopping 43.5mm with the 6ml tank sections fitted, the Germans will love it!
The 2ml section is obviously the one to go for if you like short atomisers, and this worked best with the innokin Gozee mod I was using, but it does come with a few issues. At least 1ml of e-liquid is permanently hidden behind the large stainless steel section at the base and once you take the o-rings into consideration you only have an effective 1mm window to see your e-liquid rendering it virtually useless!
On the other hand the 6ml tank sections make the B3 very tall, especially for a MTL atomiser, but this does at least alleviate some of the issues with the 2ml tank sections. In the end I can’t help but wonder if a shorter 3 or 4ml extension might have been a better option here.
The build deck and chimney section are the biggest departures from previous Berserker designs. You now have a really short squat chimney section which is slightly domed, and the build deck does away with the earlier raised gta style deck with removable airflow inserts to something much more old school. There’s a simple two post section with a removable outer ring that has large wick holes on either side.
As the included superfine fused claptons are one again Nichrome I opted to go for my standard MTL setup with a simple Kanthal round wire build. Clamping the coil in position was a doddle and it’s easy to cut the excess wire around the back of the posts as well. For wicking you might need a little more cotton than you initially think as you need enough to cover those two fairly large wick ports but you need to keep everything super fluffy to avoid creating a choke point, luckily I managed to judge this just about right on my first attempt so it isn’t too difficult.
The airflow on the B3 is the other big departure from earlier designs. Instead of hot swappable airflow discs that you slid into the deck with an adjustable airflow ring for further finer tuning the airflow is now fixed and all the adjustment is made with the removable airpins that pull double duty as the positive post. Changing the pins is simplicity itself as the 510 pin protrudes quite a way and there’s a small lip at the base for you grab onto with your fingernails, the insulator however is rubber much like you’d find on a stock coil tank so I’d say this is absolutely NOT safe to use with any sort of mechanical mod!
You do get a much narrower choice of airflows this time around as well with a 1.2mm pin fitted as standard and 0.8, 1.4 and 2.0mm pins included in the box. If you like a tight MTL this is probably fine but if you prefer a looser “modern” MTL like myself it may not be so great…. I tend to prefer around a 1.6mm draw which makes the 1.4mm a fraction too tight whilst the 2.0mm is bordering on a restricted direct lung, the lack of any adjustable airflow hinders the latter as well. Spare Airpins are available should you lose one but they are the same as you get in the box so it’s not as though Vandy vape have tried to cut costs and make extra airflow options available as an extra purchase.
Having said that the flavour is superb just as with all the earlier Berserker lineup and I’ve got used to that 1.4mm airflow.
Pros:
- It’s a Berserker!
- Easily adjustable airpins
- Easy to build and wick
- Great flavour.
Cons:
- Only a narrow range of airflow options
- 2ml tank is impractical, 6ml tank is too tall
- NOT suitable for mech mods
Conclusion:
I have mixed feelings about the B3 MTL RTA. The flavour is just as good as it's alway been but the narrow choice of airflow options make this a difficult call for me. If you like a tighter draw then this should be right up there on your watch list, if you prefer a looser draw like myself I would happily have sacrificed the two extra drip tips (neither of which I will ever use) for one extra 1.6mm airpin!
Many thanks to Sourcemore for sending the Vandy vape B3 MTL RTA over for review. As always they’ve sent me a handy discount code for you to use as well:
$24.89- Vandy Vape Berserker V3 (B3) MTL RTA
Code: V3BR
@Sourcemore
