What can you expect from a $200 RDA? Some people will expect a lot, especially today when you have so many places where $200 can get you pretty good vape stuff.
In the build up to the ESG Skyfall release, I remember seeing a clip of the 5-axis CNC manufacturing process. It was impressive for sure, and at that point I knew the ESG Skyfall will not be cheap.
I already own the Skyline, and it has replaced many other tanks in my collection. In fact the Skyline is so versatile that I havent even fully used all the airflow options I have. When I saw that the Skyfall will share the concept with replaceable airflow inserts or “airdiscs”, I got pretty excited.
I had already reviewed the Gas Mods GR1, which also had replaceable airflow options. It was a pretty good RDA for the price. If the Skyfall could be as good in terms of flavor and airflow I thought, I would definitely keep it.
I have not been disappointed with the Skyfall to say the least.
Table of Contents
ESG Skyfall: Pros
- Excellent build quality – No doubt, using the finest material from Europe gets you darn good quality. Everything from the packaging to the spares are prefectly machines, with the exception of one airflow port on mine which is a tad bit loose.
- Large space for coils – Even with the removeable airflow inserts, you have a lot of room for large exotic coils on the Skyfall. This is a pretty flexible RDA. You can pair larger coils with larger airfow, or small round wire with the MTL airflow for example.
- Smooth airflow and flavor – Becuase the airflow is 3x holes instead of one large hole, you can really fine tune your draw and get just the perfect amount of flavor. I would say that no matter how you vape, the conbination of airflow inserts and how high / low you place your coil will get you to that sweet spot.
- Good amount of spares – Unlike some high-end RDAs that come with a single o-ring as spare, you get a pretty good amount of o-rings and screws for this one. You can afford to be careless and still have a fully-functioning RDA months or years from now.
- Looks great as it is – Of course squonking is now about all the different topcaps you can buy, and I’m sure there will be a lot of options for the Skyfall. But for my taste, the default look is already pretty sweet.
ESG Skyfall: Cons
- Slight miss on build quality – For a $200 RDA I cannot let it slide. There should have been zero amount of play in one of my airflow slots.
- Most expensive RDA – Indeed the Skyfall is the most expensive RDA I own, at about $200 for the RDA and one set of additional airflow. The price could have been reduced by about $30 or so if they have chosen to source material from outside Europe and ditched the 5-axis CNC, but then again many people are willing to pay the extra just for those things.
As far as flavor-chasing single coil RDAs go, the Skyfall is up there with the Haku, Venna, KRMA and Basic RDA. It is everything you would expect from a high-end RDA, with emphasis on materials and build quality.
If you can afford one, the Skyfall will keep you squonking happily for months to come. Definitely recommended for any flavor-chaser. At the moment, the Skyfall is only available from the ESG group.
However, you should be able to find them in stock on the ESG website in time.