The NarDA, or the NarMods Dripping Atomizer, is one of the most sought after, more highly revered flavour attys on the market. They are hard to acquire, aren’t cheap, and seem to be not that different looking than most other RDAs. It took us some serious patience and a lot of F5 wars (webpage refreshing) to get one. So what makes these attys so special? It’s all in the design thinking…
At first glance, they seem deceivingly simple. This is where the beauty lies, Nareg Tatian (the creator/owner) had tapped into some thinking that seems so simple, yet no one else has tried (or done well). The secret is the dual airflow hitting the coils in the perfect spot in the perfect way. It creates outstanding flavour that (thanks to the simple build deck) is easy to replicate every time. The tear dropped airflow with the concave sections help direct the airflow directly at the coil with incredible accuracy, and your wick leads help further by blocking the rest of the dead space in the vapor chamber. Basically it all leads to crisp clean flavour with a depth to it like nothing we have tasted before.
We had high expectations and they were met, we have never waited for an atty to arrive like we did for our NarDA. And to be honest, the first impression on the first build wasn’t good. This atty is constantly seen, lovingly displayed on every high end mod you can think of all over the web and social channels. Most of these Mods are DNA40s which had us believe this was a high ohm, low watt building atty, and that just doesn’t seem to be the case. Don’t get us wrong, this is a flavour atty all the way, but she loves the power. That’s not saying you need a super low build with tons of watts, it’s more that whatever you build you need to account for a sweet spot of about 4.3V, our first builds were designed or run much lower and the flavour was good but not incredible. But the second we realized our mistake (thanks Peter for giving us a helping hand) it’s been nothing but flavour nirvana! The NarDA is the best flavour and vapor quality atty we have ever experienced. The dual airflow creates some pretty dense, glorious clouds, nothing a cloud chaser would go nuts for, but for us flavourchasers it’s damn good (so good in fact we added a new rating criteria, ‘Vapor Production’) .
The materials and build quality are outstanding, it’s not a heavy atty but it’s rock solid. The o-ring and drip tip tolerances are incredible, they are very accurate to almost to a point of annoyance. They are tight, and we have experienced some trouble with the matted finish version we acquired, the top cap can be hard to get on at times. Keeping it lubed with juice and putting it on with the outer airflow holes perpendicular to the internal airflow posts then twisting into final position works best. It’s getting better overtime as the o-rings wear in, it really is more of a testament to the milling accuracy more than a con.
Building on this deck is a pleasure. We think it’s easy for the more experienced builder, it’s not that it’s a difficult deck, it’s more that you need to be good at spinning a coil and manipulating your leads (which have nothing to do with the atty or its design). If you can handle spinning a coil and then bend your leads to point out parallel to the coil you will have not an ounce of building trouble. The oversized screw heads are a securing dream, simply place your leads under the head and tighten down, no wrapping around, or fitting into a hole or groove. Nothing is too tight or hard to manage. Our current favourite build is a 3mm, 24awg, 4 wrap spaced coil, coming it at 0.35 Ohms, run straight with an X wick run at 50W. It’s unbelievable flavour with just the amount of warmth we like (pretty warm). That 4.3V magic sweet spot seems to be what matters, so build what you like an dial in those volts (it really comes down to what warmth and battery life you are looking for). We have tried the angled build as well (last 3 pics in the gallery), it’s popular with Clapton builds (gives you a bit more room for your build), it produces fine flavour too, but feel the straight build (coil hit straight on by both airflow channels) is best.
Airflow is pretty great wide open. With the build we run it’s a perfect balance, a nice slightly restricted lung hit. The NarDA does have an AFC, but this is where the only real con comes up for us, it can be a little loud and even whistle at some apertures when closing it down. It seems to be an unavoidable dilemma based on the design, the dual airflow channels are directly across from each other, closing them down are going to cause an airflow resistance enough to make it whistle. Maybe some bevelling will help, maybe not (might screw with the killer simple design aesthetic too). But to be honest with the flavour so incredible and the ability to build it so it functions well fully open, who cares.
Wicking is pretty perfect, and with the flavour dialled in like it is, you can taste it going dry way before you get a true dry hit. Leaning to split the wick lead and placing it in an X shape is pretty easy and becomes second nature pretty fast. We have noticed that the NarDA loves her juice, it goes quick. The juice capacity is decent for the design, somewhere around 15-20 drops, but that only buys you about 7 glorious long flavourful hauls before it’s time to redrip. So you might go throw more juice with this atty but you will have a great time doing it (it’s the dual airflow hitting that coil, it’s high air volume sucking that juice and producing that flavour and vapor quality)!
So is it worth the trouble, time, and expense to get a NarDA?
Hell yes it is! Sure, $100 is pretty steep for an atty, and to be fair we graded it as such, but, and a big but, there is nothing else out there like a NarDA. So value becomes pretty relative, right? The NarDA truly is the one dripper you could own and nothing else, we know many vapers that have done just that, cleared their collection of all other RDAs. So with that in mind, and the unbelievable flavour/vapor experience we would be crazy not to tell you to do everything in your power to secure your own. Get one as soon as you can, it will change your vapelyfe forever.
Hopefully we don’t hear trouble for this, but we have noticed that NarMods releases anywhere from 70-a couple hundred a month on their website and it’s usually just after office hours (PST) on Fridays or Weekends so keep your eye out on their site, you may just luck out! Buy all the awesome accessories if you want them, but you don’t need them (it’s awesome stock).
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Hey guys, loved your review so much I went and got one myself. Just wondering, do you ever do build vids or such on how to best install and wick in this little beauty. I’m sure I’ll work it out but there’s not much out there on this rare rda. Would love to be getting this thing right as I know this is the rda for me but I’m still fumbling the build atm.
Thanks for your great reviews
David
Hey David,
Video builds are something we have been thinking about. We may add them in the future. The best way to build is with 26awg, 5-7 wraps, spaced or micro perfectly parallel with the screws right down the middle. You want the top of the coil just barely popping up over the airflow posts so that most of the airflow is hitting the bottom and sides of the coil. Aim for a 0.4-0.6 Ohm coil and run it around 3.8-4.3V. Try that and let us know.
Legends! Thanks so much for the reply!
I’ve gotten pretty great flavour after a few goes with your initial recommendation of 24awg, 4 spaced wraps parallel with the screws. Best flavour i’ve ever gotten though i’ve found that whatever i’m doing with the wick (did a organic cotton Scottish roll, fairly snug in the coil, divided into the 4 juice wells) the flavour and juice retention already seems to have worn down after a day of vaping. Will keep playing with it but if do have any additional tip on best wicking technique I would be forever grateful!
Will now be ordering myself some 26awg as i don’t have any to play with right now!
Thanks again! Love your website and reviews. very helpful
David
Hey David,
You have the right idea with a snug wick through the coil. Grab a bag of Cotton Bacon v2 with the 26awg, it’s awesome cotton, great flavour and easy to work with. Good luck and let us know if you figure something out! Vape on!
HI David,
Did you mean 26 awg with a 2.5mm or 3mm inner diameter?
Been messing around with a few builds and so far found that coil position is really important for this RDA. The closer to the air inlets the better. If somehow some of that incoming air misses the coil and goes directly up, the vape tends to be a bit harsh.
I just got this rda but it is a clone one. My current build is 28awg parallel came out at 0.48 ohm. The flavour is fantastic and i love the airflow. The only complaint i have is i got a little spitback and it will get hot after 7-8 puffs. But overall, this rda is the champion at the moment. FLAVOURRRR!!!
Hey Faris,
Glad you are digging it! I agree with you on all points. Spitback seems to be an issue due to the dual airflow hitting the coil, extra air pressure. All you can do is turn down the watts till it becomes tolerable or absent. Vape on!
hey!…been trying for a month now to get one of these …is that still accurate ?…the part about the weekend and night time releases ??…please i need help…anyone?
Hey Adrian,
Sad to say, NarMods hasn’t been releasing the NarDA in a timely manner lately. There is a new Satin finish called “Bright” that has been sold mostly through lists as of late. Your best bet is to try and get into the NarMods Facebook group. I’ll let you know if anything changes.
I’ve been trying to get my hands on a NarDa for while now! Any tips on how someone would go about joining their facebook page?? Hint….Hint
Hey Vic,
The group is closed down at the moment and to be honest being in the group doesn’t make it any easier really. The demand is much higher than the amount produced, they are very frustrating to try and get. The best thing you can do is visit the Nar Mods site and hope to get them when they are in stock.
Hey guys im getting into flavor attys, im dont have all the money to buy those great flavorchasing attys, please help me choose from these bad boys. I just need 1! hehehe. Narda, M-atty or hobo drifter! Thank you!
Hey Paulo,
Really all three are great choices. If you are thinking the Hobo try to grab the authentic, they are easier to get and are reasonably priced. If you were more of a cloudchaser the M-Atty might be the smoothest transition for you. Good luck!
I own an authentic Matty and a clone Narda. I have tried on both so many different build using 24AWG and 26AWG Ni80 from 0.25 ohm to 0.8ohm, 2.5 to 3mm dia, all in single coil config, in the end I would say Narda and Matty have a totally different character that cannot be compared to each other. Matty will give me a good flavour from the first puff but the layering man, the layering of tone is something that I have never experienced with any other atty and I do own and collect so many different mid-high end atty since end of 2013 when I start vaping up until today in both cotton and mesh configs. Matty is the only atty that truly able to bring up to my palate the subtle underlaying flavours of an E-juice. Narda on the other hand gives me way more in your face flavour compared to Matty, smooth taste but it cannot ever bring the rich subtle underlying flavour of an E-juice the way Matty can.
Lately I just straight refuse to buy an authentic on the first get go due to the fact that 99% of the time I have to buy limited run atty from flippers. I always buy clone first, and if I like it I buy the authentic, but I don’t know if it is worth it for me to buy authentic Narda as I am a very busy businessman and the only way I can get my hand on an authnetic Narda is by paying $450 from a flipper. Based on my experrience on some atty, authentic will perform way better than clone and more often than not, they just perform the same. Which category Narda is at?
I have been using my clone Narda way more than my authentic Matty due to the fact that I still love my Mechanical Mod when I am away from home. No matter what kind of build I throw on my Matty it just simply cannot perform on mechanical mod while on the other hand my clone Narda also perform well on a mechanical with 26awg ni80 2.5mm 6 wraps spaced. On regulated, it is totally the opposite.
Hey Dwi,
Thanks for the long, well said comment. As for your question about the Narda clone, they are pretty identical to the authentic, as long as you have a 316SS clone you can expect identical performance.
just a newbie… and NarDA clone was my first RDA, after hang around with rta tank for a month.
and its a goodbye to rta since i try the cute small narda.
Hi Ryan,
Thank you very much for your article full of great suggestions! I would have only a question about the build: are 26awg and 24awg to be intended as kantal a1, nichrome or ssl?
Thank you again for helpful and good vaping!
Hey Marco,
Any of the materials you are suggesting will work great. Kanthal is always easy to get and works great, SS can also do temp control, and Nichrome ramps up a tad quicker than the others (doesn’t last as long though).