RDA Reviews

AIM-9 RDA by ASVAPE

The AIM-9 is the latest RDA by Chinese manufacturer ASVAPE. It is 24mm in diameter and considered by some to be a Tsunami based design, featuring a Velocity style deck and post arrangement along with bottom airflow. It does differ in number of ways to the Tsunami and features a closed-in top cap and slotted airflow along with shorter posts.

by VapeMaster
Aug 3, 2017

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AIM-9 RDA by ASVAPE

In all honesty I can’t fairly compare it to a Tsunami because I’ve never purchased one, but the vape the AIM-9 offers certainly does remind me of another RDA I own. However we are getting ahead of ourselves so let’s cut right to it and see what the AIM-9 RDA has to offer you!

AIM-9 RDA features

304 Stainless Steel Construction and Gold-Plated Base/Deck
Diameter: 24mm
Height: 38mm
Juice Well: 0.85ml
Weight: 51.7g
510 Threaded
Adjustable Bottom Airflow
Gold-plated 304 Stainless Steel 510 Pin
22mm Diameter Build Deck
Dual Coil Builds Only
Gold Plated Bridge Post
Dual post Velocity Style Easy to Build
PCM Drip Tip
Also available in a Gold-Plated finish

What’s in the box?

1x AIM-9 RDA
1x Wide Bore PCM Drip Tip (Pre-Fitted)
Spare O-Rings
Spare Screws
Allen Key
Organic Cotton
2x Clapton Coils (Dual Build 0.14ohm Resistance)
510 Drip Tip Adapter
User Guide card

AIM-9 RDA styling and build quality

While the name of this RDA might sound a bit unusual to some, the geek in me will share with you that the AIM-9 is the designation of the American Sidewinder missile, so there you go!

One thing I cannot fault about the AIM-9 RDA is the construction which is extremely good. The entire RDA is solid and weighty, so it should last you a good amount of time. In my opinion it surprisingly compares well with far more expensive RDA’s and considering what it offers I feel it is very fairly priced.

This RDA is 24mm in diameter so there is a good chance it will overhang on smaller, more compact devices but it looks great on devices such as my Lost Vape Therion 166 and my Asmodus Minikin V2!

The top cap is held on very securely by double O-rings with the only problem being that it is very difficult to remove the first time. I advise you fit the RDA to an atomizer stand because it did take me a fair bit of effort and I would hate for you to end up pulling the 510 pin out of your device. Once you do get it removed make sure to heavily lubricate those O-rings and you won’t have any more trouble.

The 510 pin in the base is adjustable and when I first received this RDA it did need tightening up. The pin is also Gold-Plated for excellent conductivity. The AIM-9 features a Velocity style 22mm build deck with a typical two post arrangement. The holes in the posts are of a good size and can easily accommodate Clapton Coils. The side tension grub screws worked well, as did the included Allen key which makes a nice change.

There is a good amount of room on the deck so it is very easy to work with. What is interesting is that the airflow slots which rise up through the well feature a slotted design, which might help to promote better flavour but it also serves to cut down on the amount of juice leaking out if you accidentally over drip.

This RDA comes with a wide bore PCM drip tip which is slightly tapered but should you not wish to make use of it you can happily swap it out for one of your own, providing you fit the included 510 drip tip adapter.

Airflow

Fully opened up the airflow caters to a direct lung inhale style of vape and this can be dialled down to a progressively more restrictive lung inhale. Even though the airflow can be heavily closed down it still won’t suit a mouth to lung vape because it still feels a bit too loose. The airflow adjustment works well and is easily accomplished by turning the top cap.

Ease of use

Since this RDA features a Velocity style deck it is extremely simple to work worth but do keep in mind that due to the design of the top cap, it is dual coil only. However since the deck offers plenty of space for coils and wicking so it might be a good choice if you are someone who is planning to move from single to dual coils for the first time. As I said earlier the screws work well and did not cut the wire. The included Clapton coils were very straightforward to fit and do result in a 0.14ohm Resistance build which will require very high Wattage. If that doesn’t suit you it would be best to fit your own choice of coils.

How does it vape?

Making use of the included coils which I had already wicked with some Japanese cotton, I primed the wicks and filled up the well with some Dr Fog’s Blueberry Cupcake. Given the Resistance of the coils I started vaping at 90 Watts and steadily increased this to 120 Watts.

I was very impressed by the flavour since the AIM-9 offers a very moist and saturate vape. In many respects it compares well with my Kennedy Trickster but since the Kennedy has a taller top cap there is still a noticeable difference. All the same consider that this RDA costs £34.99 and the Kennedy is in the £85.00 region so I think you’re getting a pretty good deal in terms of vape quality!

I also decided to vape some Colonel Boom’s Lt. Ripley in this RDA and once again the flavour was very pleasant and I was not disappointed! Cloud production was excellent and the AIM-9 puts out some very dense vapour.

The only thing you have to keep in mind is just like all bottom airflow RDA’s if you overfill or are clumsy when dripping it will leak on you.

Conclusion

For £34.95 this is a solid dual coil RDA which offers great flavour and very good vapour production. When you factor in the overall quality construction and the fact that it is very easy to work with I feel it is well worth checking out!

If you would like to purchase one you can get it directly from no1.ejuice. Many thanks to no1.ejuice and ASVAPE who kindly sent this RDA to Planet of the Vapes for us to review.