Today we will be looking at the Geekvape Baron RDA, a dual coil dripping atomiser that is also suitable for squonking as well as boasting a multifunction airflow system, this little beauty could be just what you’re looking for.
Now there’s no other way to put it other than Geekvape are on somewhat of a role at the minute. Turning out mods and atomisers that have reviewers heads turning by the dozen.
After drooling over the BARON for a little, OK a long while, I coiled it with the supplied coils, screwed it into my G Class and smothered it in Flavour Boss Super Manchee (70:30, VG/PG ratio) and began to vape.
I’m keen to cut the waffle, so let’s get straight into the good stuff…
Disclaimer: The Baron RDA was sent to us for the purpose of this review. All opinions are based on my own experience and road-testing.
In the Box
- Geekvape Baron stainless steel 22mm atomiser
- 810 resin drip tip installed
- Imitates PEI Acrylic Drip Tip
- Spares bag, including: O rings, 510 squonk pin, 510 drip tip adapter, grub screws
- T-piece tool
- Allen key
- 2 x complex coils (Claptons)
Features and Specs
Dimensions
- Width: 24mm
- Height: 21.8mm (without drip tip)
- Height: 28.8mm (with drip tip
- Drip tip connection: 810
Deck
- Width: 24mm (without air flow ring)
- Post Type: shared centre post held with screws
- Connection: Protruding gold plated 510
Design and Build Quality
Size
Initially, the short height of the Baron had me certain that I was looking at a powerhouse for flavour. The styling is bold yet understated and the capitalised BARON between 2 of the airflow slots gives a masculine feel to the atomiser.
The feel of the barrel is sturdy. The stainless steel is thick and firm, with smooth lines and subtle knurling at the top.
The proportions work really well too. Short and stocky are the best words to describe this little powerhouse. The airflow inlets are striking and large by comparison to similar RDA in its class.
Juice Well Depth
This gorgeous little RDA has a massive secret. Because the base of the RDA comes up in line with the bottom of the air flow the capacity for juice is massive.
I was using a large bore nozzle on my Flavour Boss bottle and lost count of how many drops I’d let fall over the coils as I was refilling. When squonking you have to be seriously heavy handed to get to the point of overflow. This is a good idea executed well Geekvape, well done.
Post Type
Post TypeI’ve never been a fan of shared post decks. As a simple bloke I like my coils set, secure and primed without any fuss. To say I found recoiling tricky would be an understatement.
What I did like was the angled centre piece to the deck. Sloping down at approximately 45 degrees to allow the juice to run evenly down into the juice well.
The screws on the deck were very easy to access and as you have to secure the coils in place with a finger and thumb on one hand whilst setting them in place. Having screws placed at the top of the deck rather than the side makes coiling a little easier.
Air flow
No this is where things get…interesting! There seems to be a trend for adjustable or adaptable airflow at the moment. Mostly I’ve seen ultem or PEEK insulator material. With the Baron RDA, Geekvape decided to go for a stainless steel ring that sits flush with the top barrel.
The ring has 2 sets of air inlets, mirrored on each side. The first set has vertical slots the match exactly with the top barrel inlets. The other is made of 4 columns of 3 small holes. The air flow using holes looks to be designed for a slightly tighter draw than the vertical slots.
To reduce the airflow you need to grab the entire barrel. There is knurling at the top of the barrel, but it’s such a narrow ring that it’s functionally useless…sure looks good though.
Something to note is that there is no offset for single coiling which is something that some folks may think limits the Baron RDA’s use. Not me though, I do love my dual coils!
How Does The Geekvape Baron RDA Perform?
Dripper Time
After coiling and wicking with the supplies in the box I gave the Geekvape Baron RDA a nice long drink and boy can it drink!
I quickly mounted it on my G Class and took a draw….At this point I had the air flow set at the vertical setting, and wide open.
What I felt was a massively airy draw. There was a fair bit of flavour, but it wasn’t as powerful a hit as I’d have liked. I reduced the air flow down to two slots, this improved the flavour massively and maintained the HUGE clouds that came with the fully open slots. Time to try the holes, I think…
I’m so glad I tried the holes second. This is where the flavour lies and my god it’s good flavour. I quickly turned down to 2 sets of holes and started to smile…this is where the magic happens (for me). This became my default setting when using the Baron RDA from now on.
In terms of leaking, the 2 O-rings on the bottom barrel paired with the O-ring on the outside of the air flow ring give a very secure reservoir for your e-liquid. Add to the the depth of the juice well and you’d have to be really heavy handed to flood out this RDA.
To sum this bit up. If you want clouds use the slots, but if you want flavour by god use the holes 🙂
Building Concern
There was something that niggled me when I was building on the Baron RDA. The size of the supplied coils had me worried about the distance between them and the air flow insert. I mean, if the coil was too large and touched the air flow then surely there’d be a short, and no one wants that.
Another thing that I didn’t enjoy was having to angle the air flow ring around the coils to re-wick. I have my coils set dead-centre in line with the air flow and I was worried about misaligning them when I was changing out my cotton. On a similar note the base of the inner deck comes so far up the size of the atty that it proved difficult to get my scissors in to change out my wicks.
Now these are all things I was able to take in my stride with the amount of experience I have, but I would caution newbies to the RDA world to just take it easy and make sure you take a second look just to make sure everything lines up properly.
All that aside, this little dripper sits proudly on my bedside table for daily use and is going nowhere soon!
Pros
- Build quality
- Choice of air flow
- Beautiful looks
- Flavour
Cons
- Tight build area
- Fiddley air flow ring with longer length coils
Final verdict
There is no real reason for not adding this little beauty to your collection. I absolutely love the Geekvape Baron RDA. It’s airy and full of flavour.
The styling is on point and it’s masculine design will definitely be noticed sat at the bar in the pub. For those of you with a compact dual battery mod it will look gorgeous, but it did look a little “stubby” sat on my G Class. Saying that, I prefer performance to looks and the Baron is staying put!
I’d definitely buy the Geekvape Baron RDA again if I managed to lose it.
