Patriot RDA

Update:

The Patriot is a very solid RDA. When it came out last year I was really taken by the fact that something of this quality was made in the USA. It was a really impressive debut from Innovape.

However – this really quickly got surpassed by some amazing RDA’s. I still love the Patriot RDA, but Innovape need to work on this design – or get the price dirt cheap. We’ve since seen adjustable airflow, deeper juice wells and even some interesting air flow designs.

Don’t get me wrong, the Patriot is still a solid RDA, but its going to be obsolete unless Innovape can do more than just make new colored tops. Just saying. I love this company and want to see them do better!

In stock at:

Brushed Stainless Steel for $74.99 at VaporDNA
Polished Stainless Steel for $79.99 at VaporDNA

Brushed Stainless Steel for $69.99 at VaporAlley (v1 and no custom drill holes)

The Patriot RDA version 1.2

I got my Patriot RDA order in the mail about a week ago. I’ve read and heard all of the rave reviews of this RDA and I thought I’d finally give it a try. For well under $100, I figured it was worth it to give it a shot. So far I’ve been very impressed with the Patriot and the reasons are simple. Its solid, its looks great and its affordable. In this day and age its really easy just to wait a week and find a clone version of whatever you want. Clones can be amazing, but not all of them. What I like about devices like the Patriot is that they’re fairly affordable. You don’t have to gamble in the clone. From all accounts I’ve read – this is not a well cloned device.

What is the Patriot RDA?

The Patriot is designed and built in the USA by Innovape. Its an extremely solid and well priced RDA. It features a mostly conventional 3 post design with base and top cap. Its extremely well designed and vapes incredibly. More on that in a minute.

The version I have is being branded as version 1.2. I never bought version 1, so I can’t really compare. So what’s the difference between version 1 vs version 1.2?

This new version features a longer top cap and the lip actually goes over the base in this version to cover it up. Sure its subtle, but it might make a difference in how flush it looks with your mod.

I’ve also noticed that the version 1 had fixed air hole sizes and no airflow control. Version 1.2 if you buy it from VaporDNA has the option for custom drilling sizes. This is a huge deal for me because I know what I like and what I don’t. The gripe with version 1 is that the draw was a little tight. I personally like 5/64 air holes – they add enough air flow for a solid vape without being too wide. VaporDNA gave me that option which was perfect.

Breaking Down the Patriot RDA

So lets break it down a bit and look at what’s cool about the Patriot RDA. I look at this as a “shovel ready” American version of the Youde IGO-W. The IGO-W is solid, but you need to get a custom top cap with custom airflow to get a decent performance from the unit. The Patriot is ready to go if you order the custom air flow holes. Like the IGO-W, its a very solid RDA for a decent price (though more than the W).

Its fairly basic and straight forward. The deck is outstanding and its a nice size to build on. You can easily do dual or quad coil configurations. I prefer a dual setup and it works like an absolute charm. The Patriot RDA hits like a champ and produces wonderful vapor. I personally like the logo engraving – the “phoenix” is bold looking and stylish without being tacky.

Vapor production and flavor are both outstanding with the 5/64 air hole configuration. Absolutely nothing to complain about.

The Patriot RDA is made with precision machined 303 grade stainless steel. The parts are well made and its very solid. It has a fairly good sized tank which allows for better vapor production and even current draw to the coils. There’s plenty of room to wick the deck so you don’t have to drip nearly as often. The posts are press fit “zero resistance” to make sure the power stays consistent. I’ve had no dry hits on this thing whatsoever.

Also nice is the dynamic “quad ring” seal. It keeps juice in the tank and not on the mod in the event of accidental over-dripping. There are 2 o-rings that fit the cap on tight on both the deck and the drip tip.

The unit also features a heat sink design to keep the Patriot RDA “50% cooler” during chain vapes. I’m not sure what that is 50% of, but I do notice that the Patriot is a well designed RDA that doesn’t get too hot. That’s from my experience this week with my Patriot.

Should I get the Patriot RDA?

Well it depends on what you’re looking for. Personally I love the way it vapes and looks. Its a solid American made RDA and I like having the Patriot in my collection. Is it the best? Well this is where you have to weigh in what you want and what your budget is.

Personally the best RDA available is the Tobh Atty. However they’re really hard to find as they don’t make them in large numbers. The Patriot is easy to find so I’d definitely buy this to use while you’re waiting for the Tobh.

There are other incredible boutique RDA’s out there like the Castle, Magma, Quasar etc. But those units are all well over $100 which again makes a solid case for buying the Patriot. Are they worth all the extra money? I’m not sure they are *that* much better.

The Patriot is outstanding. The price is right. Personally I think you need to have one in your collection as its an incredible performance-based RDA for a very solid price.

In stock at:

Brushed Stainless Steel for $74.99 at VaporDNA
Polished Stainless Steel for $79.99 at VaporDNA

Brushed Stainless Steel for $69.99 at VaporAlley (v1 and no custom drill holes)

Don’t run out of e-juice! Have you tried CRFT e-liquid?