Vandy Vape Berserker V2 MTL RDA: Version Two Done Right!

If you are a mouth to lung vaper, then there’s no need for introductions. But for those who are not in the loop, the Berserker line is synonymous with MTL vaping since the arrival of the Berserker RTA in 2017. Designed by Moldovian YouTuber Alex from Vapers MD, all products that carry the Berserker name are praised for their tight airflow and well thought out design that emulates the draw of a cigarette.

Did I say “all”? Well, that’s not exactly true. The one Berserker product that seems to have failed the test of time is the original Berserker RDA (a product that I reviewed and really liked back then). While it was a great option at its price point back when it came out, subsequent affordable MTL RDAs raised the bar significantly. Now Alex and Vandy Vape cooperate once again and aim to bring the Berserker back to the top with a massive redesign.

So, is the Berserker V2 the affordable MTL RDA to rule them all? Keep reading to find out.

MyVpro sent me this RDA free of charge for the purpose of this review.

Colors: Matte black, gunmetal, SS, rainbow
Price: $31.99 (at MyVpro)

The Berserker V2 is a 22 mm RDA but its chamber size is similar to that of the 18 mm original Berserker RDA due to the thick top cap that houses the airflow tunnel (more on that in the dedicated section). Its body is 24 mm in height, but that’s raised significantly if it’s used with one of the two long drip tips.

Talking about drip tips, the Berserker V2 comes with three (!) of them—two with heatsinks and a black Delrin long one. The one heatsink option is paired with a long Delrin part, and the other can be combined with either a Delrin or an Ultem short mouthpiece. The replaceable parts are not compatible between the two heatsink drip tips, which is a bit of a bummer, but not a real issue—you have more than enough options as it is.

This is primarily a squonk RDA, mainly due to the fact that you will need to remove either the mouthpiece or the whole top cap to drip. On the other hand, the juice well is deep and it being an MTL RDA, consumption is going to be kept low, so you won’t have to drip very often. If you are fine with the extra move once in a while, then it can be used as a dripper. And unlike the original, O-ring tolerances are perfect and not annoyingly tight, so removing the top cap to drip is not going to be an issue.

Build quality is great, and the curvy design of the Berserker V2 is once again reminiscent of more expensive high-end MTL atomizers. The paint on the black one I have been testing seems to be solid and I am confident it won’t be chipping on me. The only nitpicky con I found was the tiny gap that’s created by the slightly protruding base of the RDA. This is barely visible, but might be bothersome for some people. But all things considered, this is a very well-built and designed product.

*Check the kit contents drop-down menu to see all included parts and extras 

The deck features two flathead screws on the one side, which is reminiscent of many older high end MTL RDAs. I was also happy to see that the inserts are not exposed under the build this time, but are covered by a metal part instead. This takes away all concerns with possibly melting them when dry burning your coils.

As expected, this is a single coil deck and it can easily accommodate single strand builds, or even fancy MTL coils like the ones included in the package. While you can raise your coils and get away with larger IDs, I suggest keeping it to up to 3 mm at most—I found my sweet spot using 2.5 mm ID coils.

As with the original, there’s a lot of depth on the juice well, making the Berserker V2 very forgiving when it comes to squonking. But with that in mind, your wick tails will have to be measured against the outer wall to make sure that they will reach the bottom of the well.

Building and wicking

Building on the Berserker V2 is very straightforward, with one caveat. The way the deck is designed, it gives you three options for the position on which you will secure the legs of your coils. You can use the outer side of the screws, the inner side, or one of each. If you are using spaced coils like I do, you’re better of going with the first option—worst case your coil will get a bit more spaced. For micro coils, you can go with either of the other two options. Just make sure you position the coil right above the airflow hole and double check for hotspots. This is not the most meticulously designed deck, but it is relatively easy to work with so I’ll give them a pass on this one.

As for wicking, I got the best results by measuring the length of my wicks against the top O-ring of the RDA base. Other than that, it’s the usual RDA wicking; slightly comb, fluff, place in the well, and drip some juice to get the coil running. When you’re done, place the top cap on and slightly push while you’re turning, until it falls into place.

Back when the original Berserker RDA hit the stores, it was one of two affordable MTL options out there (the other being the Vapefly Galaxies). Yeah, the draw wasn’t as tight as it is in the RTAs and throat hit was not the most defined, but with almost no competition it was hard to gauge its performance. Just the fact that you could squonk on an MTL RDA without breaking the bank and without having to fiddle with the airflow settings was enough for me to declare it the best in its class.

A lot of time has passed since then (at least in vaping) and that’s evident when you look at the ideas put into the airflow of the V2. The airflow is once again adjusted with the use of inserts, but the outside airflow adjustability was ditched for an innovative design. The air is channeled from the fixed hole outside to right under the deck by going half a turn around the inside of the top cap. This design keeps the RDA cool while making leaking almost impossible. And while I feared that it would create turbulence, that’s not the case. Airflow is smooth and relatively quiet. Some people may not like the sound of one-sided airflow, but I think that at this point we have established that dual-sided airflows and MTL don’t mesh well together.

The four inserts come with IDs of 1, 1.4, 1.6 and 2 mm. To adjust the airflow, remove the top cap, pick an insert and place it inside the opening at the side of the deck. All inserts are MTL, but the 2 mm can also be used for a very restricted DL. You could use the RDA without an insert for an even airier draw, but some of the air will escape from the opening left at the area where the insert would go, and you will end up sacrificing some flavor. The ID of the airflow opening under the coils is very small, so no matter what you do there will be a fair bit of restriction there.

All in all, the airflow design is great and, as you will read in the performance section, it feels much more well-tuned than the airflow of the original.

The included coils are fine for regulated mods, but get too warm on a mech squonker, even when adding an extra wrap. Plus, they pop like crazy when fired that high. I quickly reverted to my standard round wire MTL builds and settled for a spaced 6.5-wrap 27-gauge Kanthal coil with a 2.5 mm ID, ohming out at 0.85 ohms. This build was great on a mech squonker as well as at around 15 watts on a regulated mod.

With that build and using the 1 mm insert, I got a similar air intake as the Berserker 1.5 RTA on its largest hole. With the 1.4 mm insert it felt very similar the Innokin Zlide with three holes open. Both of these inserts will cater to most MTLers out there, and that’s how I prefer using the Berserker V2. The 1.6 mm was too loose of an MTL for me, and the 2.0 mm borders on a restricted DL.

Along with the tighter draw, the throat hit is much more defined this time. If I had to pinpoint the reason behind that, I’d go with the fact that the air is channeled through a narrow tunnel before reaching the bottom of the build deck, making the flow of air more consistent throughout the vape. In any case, the throat hit of the original was lackluster, and the new airflow design addresses that issue directly.

Flavor on this RDA is great. I still prefer the overall experience I get from the RTAs of the line, with their super reduced chambers and narrow chimneys, but I can’t fault the Berserker V2 for its performance in the flavor department. This is more of a matter of taste and many would prefer the V2 over the RTAs—I just tend to favor tanks when it comes to MTL vaping.

So, is the Berserker V2 an RDA that you will have to add to your collection? If you are an MTL vaper, and especially one who enjoys using squonk mods, then absolutely. It is a high-performing RDA that’s well-built and designed, with many airflow options for MTL and a whole lot of extras in the package.

More importantly, the V2 is so different from the original that it doesn’t really matter if you already own a V1. The only thing that stayed the same is one of the heatsink drip tips. Everything else has been redesigned from the ground up, and the V2 provides a very different (and much better) overall experience. This is a true version 2, and one of the best MTL RDAs in this price range.

What do you think of the Berserker V2 RDA? Let me know in the comment section.