Disclaimer: I dig RDAs, own several and use a Magma and my old Igo W daily. I have been building for over a year; I'm no Rip Tripper but I know what makes a good build.
OP, I hate to be a downer but if your goals are only flavor and TH, and things like airflow, vapor production are of little concern to you - you are (arguably) wasting time and money in the RDA world.
Now, some amazing, peerless flavor can come out of a good RDA setup, but this is a question of heat and juice in my opinion, not one of device (broad statement, I realize ofc that device and build do matter to a degree). I have encountered certain juices that contain nuances of flavor that ONLY high wattage delivery can reveal; it follows that these juices are well suited for RDAs, as no non-dripping device is as capable of performing properly at the highest power level.
However - do not make the mistake, as I did, of following that logic to the conclusion that RDAs are the premier flavor delivery devices. RDAs at their core are designed for accessibility, simplicity, full control of vape experience and the ability to use much higher power than a standard device, if desired.
Looking at what seems to yield the best flavor consistently, I do not believe that flavor production is the driving force in RDA design. Even newer RDAs intended for 'flavor builds' are only designed to deliver superior flavor versus other RDAs, not versus all devices.
For a select few juices I have found, RDAs are the best choice for flavor, as Kayfuns and clearos/cartos burn too easily when trying to heat-activate subtle flavors, especially at 30+W. Penguin's Yellow Eyes is a great example; in my Kayfun it tastes like lemony cake. In my Magma at high power, it really tastes like a lemon crumble.
Even so, the vast majority of liquids I have tried respond little to not at all to high power vs regular power. Using those liquids in RDAs vs my Kayfun, I get peerless vapor production and high nicotine delivery, no equal. I also get a drastically reduced TH, and flavor lacking in either clarity (blander, fuzzier) or balance (full flavor but one element of the flavor overwhelms other elements).
I have never tried an RDA of any build in all my time that yielded equivalent TH to a Kayfun/tank, whether using closed draw, open draw, lower or higher power. Tanks are still king of TH in my book, I've experienced this 100% of the time.
With a few exceptions that speak entirely to specific liquids, using the identical power settings, wicking material and liquid I have never had any RDA yield equivalent flavor to my Kayfun, dare I say even to my Nautilus Mini with a fresh tank/coil (honestly I haven't had the Mini long enough to really say that). Of course you can apply far more power to the RDA to increase performance than you can the tank, but it's up to the juice whether that will increase your flavor output. In most of my experiences, it does not.
To recap: I love RDAs and use them daily. They are beautiful devices and provide exceptional vape performance. But I no longer believe they are the premier atomizing device for all vaping, as I once did.
If you're craving great flavor and a strong TH, don't bend over backwards trying to get different RDAs to perform like a Kayfun-type device. Just go for the Kayfun or equivalent, master your builds and be content in the knowledge that you have, at least for now, the best device for you.
Hope this helps! Sorry for my lack of brevity.
I went from egos to a mech mod with a KFL+V2 and this was what helped me to quit analogs. I've been vaping exclusively for a couple weeks or so, and a buddy suggested I try dripping (as does every vaper that I meet in person). He turned me towards the Veritas by Faceless/iHybrid mods. Ok, I thought, touted as a "flavor chaser's dripper", and "practically leak-proof" and so on and so forth. I confess that the real selling point on a dripper was not having to dump a tank and re-wick to change flavors.
Mind you, these people enjoy the sub-ohm realms, and I do not. I do enjoy VG heavy blends (currently the Millenium Potion "Black Tea" at 65%VG / 35%PG), and decent yet cool clouds that burst with flavor.
So far, the KFL+V2 with a 1.3ohm coil on a tarsius customs brass 4nine clone has been fantastic! but I figured, is there more?
So I drop the $120 on the Veritas, get a telescoping mech (M16/Sentinel clone, brass) and wrap a 28ga 2.5mm 1.5ohm single coil on it...
meh.... ok. More cloud, less dense, a third of the flavor.
So, I wrap it with 28ga 1.2ohm 1mm dual coils, and though slightly better, with the AFC almost closed its still too airy and light feeling.
Not satisfying.
So... I wrap a 26ga 0.125" 1ohm single coil on it, thicker cloud, AFC still almost closed, better flavor, but nowhere near my KFL+ @ 1.3ohms, and completely unsatisfying as an analog substitute. 0 Throat hit, even with juice that has great TH in the KFL+. Feels like 0 Nic even though its 1.8%. I'm not what anyone would consider a "Cloud chaser" so the clouds do nothing except piss me off. They have very little flavor compared to the KFL+, and feel like air.
And now, I'm here, putting it to you guys. Am I doing something wrong? Is an airy, light throat hit as good as drippers get? What am I missing in the equation that others seem to think is the cat's meow? Am I the kind of vaper that should be relegated to tanks forever? Do I need a 30watt box mod? Do I need to tap the 480v plugs at work and wire them straight to my atty?
How do I, as a lover of Throat Hit and Flavor above all else, get a satisfying vape from my RDA?
