RBA Reviews

EHPro Big Bear RDTA

The Big Bear is the latest RDTA (Rebuildable Dripping Tank Atomizer) from EHPro and it features a highly unique design! Unlike other RDTA’s the Big Bear separates the tank section into two parts which allows you to vape two different E-Liquid flavours at the same time.

by VapeMaster
May 25, 2017

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EHPro Big Bear RDTA

Designed for either dual or single coil use and featuring a beginner friendly deck design the Big Bear sounds very appealing so let’s have a good look and see what it has to offer!

EHPro Big Bear RDTA features

Stainless Steel and High Temperature Resistant Glass Construction
23mm Diameter
53.5mm Height
510 Threaded
PEEK Insulator
Side Intake Adjustable Airflow
Single or Dual Coil Setup
Side Refilling
Tank Capacity is Split into Two Separate Sections. 2ml x 2
Delrin Drip Tip

What’s in the box?

1 x Big Bear RDTA
Spare O-Rings
Spare Screws
1 x Allen Key
2 x Pre-Made Coils
1 x Spare Glass tube
1 x User Manual

EHPro Big Bear RDTA styling and build quality

As you would expect from EHPro the quality of the machining is excellent and all of the Stainless Steel parts fit together extremely well with no sharp edges to be found! At 23mm in diameter and 53.5mm in height this is not a small atomizer so it won’t anyone who prefers something low profile. The Big Bear feels very solid and weighty so it should last you some time.

The deck design is in many ways like a redesigned Velocity two post arrangement with decent sized post holes but instead of the conventional side tension grub screws the Big Bear features both side tension and vertical tension grub screws. This has the benefit that it prevents the coils from twisting as much when you are tightening the screws. In addition there is a large metal piece in the centre that is machined as part of the posts and this reduces the amount of air which passes through to the other side of the deck.

At the base of the deck is a removable wicking ring and only after taking that off do you clearly see the unique madness of this RDTA. Looking down the fill ports you can notice that there is a solid wall of metal separating the juice chamber into two separate 2ml capacity sections and this is allows you to top up the Big Bear with two of your favourite flavours or if you’re not feeling that adventurous you can simply fill up both with one flavour.

Directly beneath the deck you will notice the two very large side filling which have absolutely tons of room for juice bottle nozzles or droppers. The top cap of the Big Bear is made from Delrin and features knurling around the edge since it also serves as the airflow controller. The included drip tip is also made from Delrin and is of the wide bore variety but sadly you are stuck with it and cannot replace it with one from your collection.

Should you wish to set up the Big Bear with a single coil only a rubber grommet is included which plugs nicely into the deck and blocks off the opposite airflow. Do keep in mind that due to the nature of the design you will be limited to 2ml of E-Liquid only with a single coil.

Airflow

The airflow slots on this RDTA are massive so as you would expect it does result in an extremely airy vape and you can only reduce that so much by closing down the slots. I would personally say it is way to airy for a restrictive mouth to lung vape even when using the Big Bear with only a single coil set up and the airflow almost completely closed down but you might actually find it acceptable if you prefer a looser draw.

Ease of use

Building and wicking this RDTA is very straightforward since it is essentially a redesigned Velocity style deck so you are unlikely to run into any serious problems. There is a wicking ring that unscrews from the deck so do make sure to remove that first before fitting your wicks and then replacing it.

The post screws work well and hold the wire very securely. Since each post has a side tension screw and a vertical tension screw your coils don’t tend to deform a great deal when tightening up the screws. Filling is done by removing the top cap and squeezing juice through the large side filling ports. Since the top cap covers those two ports when fitted the Big Bear shouldn’t leak as long as you keep it upright and don’t overfill.

How does it vape?

Ordinarily I wouldn’t chose to mix my E-Liquids but since this is actually a major feature of this particular RDTA it had to be done. I decided to go for two flavours that would hopefully complement each other so it was time to stick some Manabush E-Liquid in the Big Bear blender namely Coyote Coconut and Powwow Sauce. To some folks that might be a form of sacrilege and rest assured it is not something which I would normally choose to do. Funnily enough I was expected to get some mixed bag kind of flavour but the way this RDTA vapes is very unique and you tend to get one flavour on the inhale and the other on the exhale.

On the inhale I got the usual suspects such as tobacco, maple, Hobnob biscuits and custard but the tobacco was stronger no doubt probably a result of the added Coyote yet surprisingly enough on the exhale I got subtle maple and a very noticeable coconut taste. I have to admit I actually enjoyed this concoction despite my misgivings but I expect it won’t work quite so well with every pairing of E-Liquid which you might try.

While I did find the flavour to be enjoyable enough I personally did not find it to be as crisp and rich as the VGOD Tricktank or the Smokjoy Demon Hunter which personally gave me a more flavoursome vape. Of course there are nice things to be found about the Big Bear, the draw in particular is very pleasant and feels smooth and the airflow adjustment works well.

The vapour production is excellent and this RDTA puts out some very generous clouds which will fog your room up quickly. In some respects while this is certainly nice I feel that EHPro have sacrificed things somewhat in the flavour department in favour of greater cloud production.

Depending on your build the juice can drain fairly quickly especially when you factor in the amount of airflow that this RDTA has. On the plus side of things the Big Bear actually has a 4ml capacity that is split between two 2ml reservoirs and it is simple enough to refill.

Conclusion

The Big Bear RDTA is solidly constructed, straightforward to use and offers a decent enough vape at an attractive price point. The option to allow you to vape two different E-Liquids is perhaps something of an oddity but it may actually be desirable to DIY E-Liquid enthusiasts or to people who get bored of flavours easily. Of course despite that option you can happily fill up both juice reservoirs with the same E-Liquid if you wish (my personal preference) so you lose nothing by having an additional option.

I do feel that the Big Bear is perhaps a bit too airy when using standard sized coils and it loses out a bit in flavour compared to others on the market so to ideally get the best from this RDTA it is far more suited to larger coils such as Claptons, Fused Claptons and twisted. The vapour production was excellent and cannot be faulted so if you’re looking for another RDTA for clouds then this one might suit you nicely.

At the end of the day this is a well-made product which is convenient to use so if you are looking for an RDTA that offers something different to others out there then this might actually be worth a look!

Many thanks to EHPro who sent the Big Bear RDTA to Planet of the Vapes for us to review. If you would like to purchase this product it is currently sold by a variety of UK vendors.