We are constantly on the look out for unique and new design thinking when it comes to attys. And these days it’s getting harder and harder to find it. We all know that dual airflow on a single coil is the magic formula for great flavour in an RDA but almost everything on the market is beginning to look the same. But then we found this gem, the Impact RDA by KMD. This is a stealthy little number, think of it as a wolf in a really pretty sheep’s clothing…

The super clean lines and aesthetic is what the Impact is all about. From the exterior it looks ridiculously simple. It may even take a second for you to figure out the AFC location and system. That’s the thing, now a days your purchase decision is more about aesthetics than function, most RDAs have nailed the flavour formula. And if this is the case the Impact is an extremely beautiful option. The minimalism of it just speaks to us. The materials and tolerances are high and perfect. The inside of the top cap is where all the magic and originality takes place. We have to state we were sceptical of this RDA when we first saw it. The deck is so low profile and the posts/screws are a bit of a bitch to build with. But inside that top cap sits some awesome design thinking. There is a peek insert that directs airflow down from the top AFC to hit the sides of the coil/s. It reminds us of the old school Aeolus that had a top airflow system. But the directional channels are more accurate at getting the air where it needs to go. Not only does this insert take care of airflow but it insulates the entire top cap and stops it from heating up at all. Further there are positional notches that help align the airflow outlets based on a dual or single coil setup. This is some solid design thinking. And a breath of flavourful fresh air.

On our first haul our scepticism evaporated into flavourful vapor. The smooth airflow and perfect flow to the coils create a perfect turbulence that produces thick volumous vapor. We run ours in single coil and haven’t even bothered with a dual build (there is no need). There is an available SCR kit that we have ordered but we have yet to play with it (we are currently abroad), we can only imagine how it would intensify the flavour. Not that the SCR is even needed.

Airflow is controlled by a ring on at the top of the top cap. There are two large slots that can be closed right down to go from an almost open lung hit right down to a very restricted almost MTL. The airflow is quite with a satisfying swoosh on every haul. We run ours about half open for the best flavour and cloud mix.

Building is not the easiest but not the worst either. We went with a 3mm ID, 23 awg, Kanthal, 5 wrap, at 0.23 Ohms and run in anywhere from 35-50W depending on the mood and juice. It’s a great warm vape. The secret we found is to elevate the coil so that the bottom aligns with the top of the screw heads, this way you get the optimal exposure to the airflow outlets. We found using both screws per side and wrapping your wire leads around them makes for the most secure connection. There was trouble reported with some of the first batch of Impacts regarding the gold plated screw heads breaking under pressure. We haven’t had a problem and the modder team were quick to offer stainless replacements at no additional cost. Later units come with them as standard.

The deck is low profile for sure. So juice capacity is a little limited, but with the elevated coil you have nice long wick leads to soak up a good amount of juice. The included BF pin has a nice bore that allows for a nice responsive squonk action. The flavour is accurate enough for you to know the second you need more juice. So like all the thinking in this atty, it all works out perfectly.

The Impact is a real gem. We know that the usual hardcore vaper audience knew about them but we are not so sure about the larger audience, and it should. This is some really original design thinking that needs to be celebrated. Like always with the lower run high end attys, it’s not cheap and very hard to get. But if you have the opportunity, don’t hesitate for a second. We hope to see more amazing products from the team over at KMD Custom Vapes soon. What an atty, with a great name that sure made an Impact on us.