• The upgraded version of original Dead Rabbit RTA
• Built with precision machining with knurled top cap
• Adjustable top side diagonal honeycomb airflow
• Comes with a PC thermal insulation plate
• Single or dual coil configurations
• Y style “Rabbit Ear” deck

Dead Rabbit SQ, Still Better As A Dripper?

The Hell Vape Dead Rabbit truly took the vaping world by storm. Even if you weren’t around actively vaping when it came out, you’ve likely heard of the Dead Rabbit somewhere in a shop, some blog online, or on some sort of sale. And for good reason! The ease of build, the flavor, and the simplicity behind the design is something all manufacturers should take note of. But how is it really as a single coil squonker?

The Bad

                Lets get the bad out of the way first, then we’ll talk about the good. Because there is quite a bit of good about this little RDA:

• It leaks. Yup it leaks out of the base. Regardless of how dry the o-rings are when putting the top cap on, or how solid the squonk pin is, it leaks and forms a ring around the base of the 510. Very annoying.
• The cap’s tabs are angled like a pyramid, so the RDA cap slips off the deck occasionally (minor annoyance, not really a con).
• Very high coil placement that relies 100% on capillary action (more on this later).

The Good

                What is the bad without the good? There is far more good than bad. Heck the entire thing is really quite good. I had to really dig to find any actual cons. So the drip tip doesn’t count. There are really only 2 cons. But the Pros are fantastic!

• Build quality! There are no burrs or sharp edges inside or out. I had issues with the air flow control at first but had no issues taking it apart
• Flavor machine! This thing has terrific flavor.
• Precise squonk juice delivery system. Its purely and simply great.
• Easy build deck, quite forgiving. I’d completely suggest this as a first RDA

The Explanation

Now for the good, and there is a good bit of this! We’ll stop at the top and work down. The drip tip is really quite nice! Although, its random but then again its random. If the color works, then great! If not its still very comfortable.

The top airflow adjustment cap is easy to manipulate to find the sweet spot for your airflow. Now, mine came with the AFC o-ring all out of sorts. As well as the o-Rings were missing. So I immediately contacted Hell Vape and they sent me 2 full parts boxes. Amazing customer service. It did come from China so the shipping was over 2 weeks but hey, it’s all good! Now it got a smooth but firm adjustment to it.

The barrel is well done and the black coating on mine is perfectly applied. The one thing I really do like about the all black version is that it is matte, but it has a slight sheen to it that is also quite smooth. Don’t think chalk board, think more dry erase board. Very nice. The airflow slots are cut perfectly and have no sharp edges. It’s a really nice thing to see.

The deck is stainless with one gold plated positive post that still uses the Dead Rabbit style ears, just with one set not two. Its really quite easy to install. Just pre clip your leads evenly but without too much worry, then drop it in. Pull them up a tad, glow and strum, then wick, drop juice over the coil, then vape. Done. Just like that. SUPER easy to put a coil in.

The squonk channels are on the sides that inject liquid directly into the base of the cotton for maximum efficiency despite the angle you’re holding it on. I really like this feature in a squonk RDA so that liquid can be evenly distributed. This unfortunately brings me to one of the cons. This RDA relies 100% on capillary action to bring juice up to the coils. I feel like I have to squonk more often and use more liquid to keep that coil wet. I use my Asmodus Spruzza with this RDA and 5 pump for ever 10-15 draws will do it. I know it doesn’t seem like a lot, but compared to the Wotofo Nudge, I would do a small squonk and get over 10 puffs out of it, then another small squonk. This appears to be due to the height of the coils that you have no say in. Perhaps the Drop Solo is better in this regard.

The other strange thing about the deck is that it leaks! I don’t know where it is coming from. I have a spring loaded 510, the squonk pin is fully inside, and the o-rings are not super loose on the deck. Yet I still get liquid on the underside of the deck on top of my 510. I think a small o-ring on the squonk pin would fix this. It hasn’t caused any issues also due to the small gasket on my 510, but its worth mentioning.

Now for the flavor. Its really quite good! I have built the coils a varying heights and I detect no hugve flavor loss. Now, I don’t put the coil so high that I’m worried about it touching the top cap. But its been higher and lower and all is good with super smooth airflow. At times when the wick is fully saturated it does have a slight whistle but that wouldn’t be present if the airflow was open all the way.

Overview:

Overall this is a really good RDA, the only major complaints I have is the leaking thing and solely reliant on capillary action of the cotton. But like I said, it doesn’t get past my 510 down into the rest of the mod. But that’s really it. As far as the capillary action goes, its not a total deal breaker but you do have to be more mindful of dry hits.

This still begs the question, is the Dead Rabbit SQ a better squonker than a dripper? I would have to say no. I believe this shines as a single coil dripper. You can drip liquid directly onto the coil then it runs down the cotton and then gets pulled back up while vaping it. To test this I swapped the squonk pin for the solid one and frankly the entire experience was much better. I will continue to use this as a squonk RDA until I find the perfect squonking RDA, when that happens, I will be installing the solid pin and using it as a dripper.

Great device, fantastic quality, decent squonker. Just perhaps better as a dripper.

The Amazing Dead Rabbit RTA (Review)

By Allen L

The Dead Rabbit RTA is a pretty amazing device. Most of the time, I stick with Sub Ohm tanks for convenience, but I have been looking into getting started with another RTA after taking a break for quite a while. I had been looking for a new one, but didn’t see anything that piqued my interested until I saw the Dead Rabbit by HellVape. My first choice on color would have been the stainless steel, but I heard some other reviewers mention that there were some issues with getting that particular tank, in that color, to lock closed. I ended up going with the black version to use on my original VooPoo Drag, and I haven’t been disappointed. I ordered it from EightVape and it was in my mailbox 2 days later.

Right out of the box, everything was extremely clean, and the overall high quality of the device was obvious. It’s nice and heavy, and very durable. The black device came with the purple drip tip shown in the ad copy, along with a replacement one in black and white marble. I originally thought I would probably want to change the drip tip, but I have found this one to be really comfortable for me, and just the right height.

This deck is really easy to build on. So much so that I just recommended it to a friend of mine who wanted to try his first RTA, but was a little intimidated by the building process. I think this is probably the perfect tank for the beginner to learn to build on. With the black model, I didn’t have any problems at all getting everything put together after wicking, and I had everything ready to go in about 15 minutes.

The fill slots on this tank are definitely one of my favorite features. They are huge, and the recess is very deep. In other words, you wont have a problem filling this thing with your regular gorilla bottles or even glass droppers, and you don’t have to worry about leaking. The way the metal is textured, removing the top piece to fill it up isn’t a problem, since you can get a really good grip on it. This also prevents you from unscrewing the entire device, even when it’s on your mod. 

Unlike some other reviews I saw before purchasing, I didn’t have any issues with a whistling sound. Some people said to lower the coils as much as possible, and some said to raise them. I put them in my usual position just a little ways off the build deck, and am having no issues with whistling of any kind. Being a top airflow device, using this thing wide open like I do with my other tanks was just too much. At about a 1/3 of the way open, the draw and flavor are perfect.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking to pick up one of the best RTA’s on the market, or even for someone just looking to start building for the first time. At the current price on EightVape, this is a steal. I plan on getting at least one more of these to add to my collection.