Damn Vape Intense MTL RDA Review: Tiny Mesh Strips, Big Flavor

The Damn Vape Intense MTL RDA is a small mesh RDA meant for MTL vaping but it can also be used for DL. If you haven’t heard of Damn Vape, they’re a small manufacturer that has made a few RDAs and RTAs in the past. But out of all of their past products, the Intense MTL RDA is definitely the most interesting. 

It features a two post build deck and uses small mesh strips for coils. The way this RDA functions is a bit confusing until you see it in action but essentially, the PEEK insulator doubles as a cotton tightness controller. It can be tightened or loosened against your cotton to ensure full contact with the mesh.

The Intense RDA has a 24mm diameter and includes a spare polycarbonate frosted top cap. It also includes a hollow squonk pin for squonking.

Box Contents

• 1 x Intense MTL RDA
• 2 x Mesh Strips
• 1 x Extra Polycarbonate Top Cap
• 1 x Airflow Insert
• 1 x Spare Parts Bag
• 1 x User Manual

Specifications

• 24mm Diameter
• Stainless Steel Construction
• 510 Drip Tip
• DL or MTL Airflow
• Uses Small Mesh Strips
• Squonk Compatible

Design & Build Quality

The Intense RDA is a 24mm diameter tank but it’s actually very small. It’s a very short tank. It has a simple look but there are a few design elements that give it some personality like the notches along the top cap. These notches also make it easier to adjust the airflow. “INTENSE” is cleanly inscribed on the base of the tank. 

It’s made entirely out of stainless steel and I have to say that it looks clean. The machining is very well done. The airflow holes are perfectly cut and the top cap and mid cap fit together easily. I can’t find anything to complain about with the construction of this RDA so good job to Damn Vape.

This RDA uses a 510 drip tip and although I can understand why they did it, I’m not a fan. Yes, the 510 is better for MTL vaping but it’s nearly impossible to drip down. In order to drip you have to remove the top/mid cap and it gets to be a pain. Because of this, the Intense RDA worked best for me as a squonk RDA; it’s just a lot more convenient to squonk with.

Word of advice: if you’re planning on squonking, change out the pins before you build. The 510 pin is what holds one of the posts on the deck so you can’t change it out without ruining your build. Swap out the pins before you build!

Included in the package is an extra top cap made of polycarbonate. It’s frosted and looks neat, but it’s a little mismatched with the stainless steel body. I found that the top cap gets hot with this RDA so the PC top cap is a good alternative. If you’re chain vaping and don’t want to burn your lips, the PC cap is the way to go.

Build Deck

This build deck isn’t your typical mesh deck. It consists of two vertical posts and a PEEK insulator that has to be removed before you wick. The package comes with two small mesh strips that fit perfectly between the posts. The screws are small Phillips head screws that unscrew and tighten smoothly.

If you’ve never built a mesh coil, this deck is still very easy to use. I started off by loosening the screws just a bit, enough that the clamps would open. I then removed the PEEK insulator that sits behind the posts (the large beige, semi-circular piece). The screw for the PEEK insulator doesn’t have to be unscrewed all the way, only about half way.

Drop the mesh strip into the posts and tighten it down. Try to ensure that the mesh strip is even in both posts. It should fit perfectly.

For wicking you want to use a strip of cotton, not a lace like you normally would for a regular coil. Situate the cotton behind the mesh (on the side where the PEEK insulator was) and thread some cotton underneath the strip. As long as the cotton is touching the base of the build deck so that it can absorb ejuice it’s good.

Now, replace the PEEK insulator and tighten it so that it pushes up against the cotton. As long as it’s tight and pushing the cotton up against the mesh there won’t be any hot spots. I like this deck design a lot because it basically eliminates any chance of hot spots as long as you tighten the insulator enough. Don’t overdo it though. Once I started to feel resistance in tightening the insulator, I stopped. 

I coated my cotton with ejuice and waited a few minutes. Boom! Ready to vape.

NOTE: I want to point out that there’s no way of using a regular coil with this RDA. The inside of the midcap has a block that feeds airflow to the coil and it nearly touches the mesh strip. There’s just no room for a regular coil. Plus, the way that the posts are arranged makes it nearly impossible to install a normal coil. This is a pure mesh RDA.

Airflow

As interesting as the deck design on this RDA are the airflow configurations. The mid cap has a single slot that feeds directly to the mesh coil. There’s an airflow insert that you can push into the slot on the midcap for MTL use.

The top cap has a single slot and three smaller airflow holes. Without the airflow insert, the Intense RDA delivers a slightly restricted DL draw. It’s nice but it’s not what I would use this RDA for. The MTL vape is where this RDA really shines.

Inserting the airflow insert delivers a whole different experience. It’s a MTL draw with the airflow set to the slot and it only gets tighter and more restricted as you use the holes. This is where the Intense RDA vapes the best. MTL vapers will definitely appreciate the draw from this RDA.

Performance

There’s really no way to use a regular coil with the Intense RDA so I tested it exclusively using the mesh strips that it comes with. Damn Vape don’t specify what the coils are made of or their resistance but my build ended up being 0.18ohm.

For a MTL tank, 0.18ohm is awfully low. It would have made more sense to include a 0.3ohm mesh strip or even 0.4. I ended up vaping at around 30W. I tried going up to 40 but it tasted like it was burning the mesh & cotton so I turned it back down.

Surprisingly, even with the low resistance and vaping at a mere 30W, the flavor is good. It’s a few notches below what I get from the Profile 1.5 RDA or Mesh V2 RDA but it’s decent and certainly not bad. It’s an enjoyable vape that produces some good clouds too.

As I mentioned before, the MTL draw is where it’s at. I liked using the first hole following the slot and it’s a tight MTL vape. If you’re a MTL vaper you’ll like the draw, guaranteed.

I used the Intense RDA exclusively as a squonk RDA and I had no issues to speak of. As long as I made sure my cotton was touching the bottom of the build deck, it wicked marvelously and without a problem. The juice well isn’t super deep but I had no leaking, even when I oversquonked. The airflow holes are positioned at the top of the tank so this adds a layer of protection for leaking and oversquonking.

Verdict

As the first mesh MTL RDA, the Intense RDA has a lot of good going on. The design is nice and it’s super easy to build on. It’s not great for dripping with but that’s almost irrelevant with how good it does as a squonk RDA. It’s also not my favorite tank for DL but it performs great as a MTL tank which is what it’s really aiming to be.

If you decide to take the plunge and get this RDA, I suggest grabbing some extra mesh coils. It’s not compatible with larger mesh or regular coils so you’ll be happy that you did.

All things considered, the Damn Vape Intense RDA is a damn good tank.

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