RDA Review: Cthulhu Iris

We've now received several unanimously positive feedback report about the Cthulhu RDA and its suitability for emesh. In this first account, words & pics kindly supplied by Labros Feb 2023

Intro

This Iris Mesh RDA was purchased on sale from a vape shop in Europe for 25€ and it works well for emesh, the unusual mesh orientation is unlike the Mesh Pro or Vandy Vapes, being in line with the RDA body, which I personally find perfectly okay for dimitri emesh use.

Like the Cthulhu Ceto, this RDA has two vertical clamp posts which retain the mesh 90° differently to the usual RDA types. However, unlike the Ceto, one of the Iris's posts is adjustable, i.e. it can swivel at its base to accomodate a single or dual mesh configuration.

The position of one mesh clamp post can be adjusted by slackening its base screw and swivelling to a new position. In this way, a single or dual mesh can be accommodated

In Use For Emesh

For emesh, the position of the moveable clamp post was adjusted to the single mesh position as shown.

The mesh can be bent to fit the curvature with a central flat part (see pic), which gives a good surface area to load dimitri. However extra care is advisable during loading as spillages can easily fall outside the RDA body. The process of fastidious pre-melting (i.e a few quick clicks periodically during loading so the dimtri speads and sticks to the mesh) helps here.

Note the swivel range of the left hand moveable post

Dimitri emesh setup showing flat horizontal loading area thanks to LogicOverSnacks for the pic

Note from Minty: we have confirmation that the Iris can be set up in a conventional vertically-oriented mesh position, by adusting the moveable clamps to 180° apart and attaching the mesh to the top of the clamps. Note that the resuting reduced vertical clearance between mesh and top can be easily restored from the simple act of not pushing the cap fully home.

Many thanks to @Nikolai’sMauvaiseFoi for reporting.

Conclusion

The Iris appears to be a very valid option for emesh, that's apparently of much higher build quality than Chinese knockoffs. From feedback received so far, these are highly recommended if you can find one.

The Ceto is a very similar device, and we're currently expecting some useful feedback on these too. The main difference between the Ceto and Iris, apart from minor dimensional and cosmetic variations, is that the Ceto has the clamp posts fixed in the single-mesh position, which is nicely convenient for emesh. Thanks again to Labros for taking time out to share his experiences.

The Ceto build deck with it's non-movable clamp posts

Packed in a squeezebox, reminicent of Wish knockoffs. Thanks to u/intrepid_nostalgia for the pic!

From Peter89 on 1 Feb 2023

My Cthulhu Iris was delivered this morning and it looks very good. The precision and smoothness of the parts appears perfect. Looks like the mesh clamps are meant to be used with standard vandy mesh, but a wider mesh can be inserted as well. I'm using the SS316 Vandy #200. Tried with 10mg and worked perfectly in tc mode straight out of the box. Has a small sheet of 304 ss mesh that one can cut to size, but I didn't try that. Really nice packaging by the way, like a jewellery box as if it were an engagement ring. Ordered from https://www.vaprio.eu/product-cthulhu-iris-mesh-bf-rda-4426.html

Note from ML: We have now had several confirmed deliveries of the Iris from the official Cthulhumod site https://www.cthulhumod.com/product/iris-mesh-rda/

From GumbyTheGreen on 27 July 2023

I thought I'd share a couple pics of how I fold and load the mesh on the Iris. This is 33mm of #200 mesh (Minty: Vandy Vape #200 mesh is 10mm wide and reportedly a perfect fit for the Iris). While loading it, to get it level and keep the mod from sliding around, I partially roll up a microfiber cloth, place the mod on the flat part of it, and lean it against the rolled up part as shown. The ring that I pour the spice into is a 3/8” (i.e. 10mm) compression sleeve that I’ve partly crushed to shape in a corner clamp (or vise), both of which I got from my local Lowe’s.

As a side note, I’m loving the ability to take the hit while laying down. Add me to the Iris fan club!