RDA Review: YachtVape Meshlock

Submitted by u/6581r4AR  

I've had the YachtVape Meshlock RDA for a little bit of time now, and I wanted to try to have a go at getting it to work as e-mesh and then make a write-up on my experience. Here is what happened.

The TLDR of it is, this RDA is a hard pass.

Can it technically be used?

Yes. If it's all I had and there were literally no other options, I would still use it in power mode.

Can it be used in Temp control modes?

Yes and no. After a lot of remeshing the thing, it would occasionally work in TC-SS. But at a moments notice, it would suddenly show sub 1w usage, and even on other occasions, it would start glowing red hot, despite having the wattage limits set to 30w-35w.

I would say about 60% of the time it would seem to work in temp control. However, this definition of 'work' is loose, and only implies that it's not freaking out or showing sub 1w usage. It was still not easy to try and dial in the temp range for making sure the full dose was gone before 10 seconds.

Is it worth the costs?

Nowhere near. It costs me $45USD+tax.

Is the meshlock clamp a good thing?

No. The max mesh width the clamps will hold is 7.6mm. This is slightly narrower than even the Digiflavor 150 mesh wire. You will 100% have to trim the ends of the mesh into a taper in order to clamp it up. This ultimately affects how the contacts make connection with the mesh, and the resistance of it.

The clamp's springs are actually very strong, so it can make a good contact, but I found that folding over the mesh like in Minty's vid helped with temp control modes a slight amount. Furthermore, the clamps being as tight as they are, makes loading a mesh a very fiddly process. Having to very firmly hold the clamp open, while manipulating a delicate mesh, is not ideal.

Is general handling ok?

No. Already mentioned that handling the clamps are cumbersome when remeshing, but the space that the meshlock mechanisms take up on top of the RDA, means that there is little internal space between the mesh and the sides/top of the outer casing. Furthermore, to add insult to injury, the top ring meant for controlling air flow has a further slanted inner bevel in the upper inner corner that limits this internal space more. It is about 2mm-3mm away from touching the mesh in a normal install. I found myself only putting the top on halfway, past only the top o-ring, in order to give myself peace of mind that it was not going to touch the mesh and short anything.

How does it compare?

It doesn't. It can't

Now, I'm new to the e-mesh, and I understand that even in normal conditions there might be some troubleshooting and growing pains. However, to try to give myself a frame of reference in how things should be, I went and bought the Vandy Vape clone from DHgate (Mesh RDA Tank Atomizer 24mm Adjustable). I only had to wait 12 days for delivery surprisingly. The clone worked out of the box with no faff, and no troubleshooting.