Hellvape Dead Rabbit R Tank Review

Hellvape have been on fire this year, releasing various tanks and RTA’s for us vapers to sink our teeth into. Only recently I reviewed their Fat Rabbit RTA, which was a classic example of great machining and is a testiment to Hellvape’s dedication to quality and ease of use that they are so well known for.

Today’s review is of their latest tank, and it’s not just your typical rebuildable RTA, there’s a lot going on under the hood, and definitely not what you’d expect!

The Hellvape Dead Rabbit R Tank, is a fantastic fusion of traditional RTA’s meets rebuildable mesh coils!

Let’s check out Hellvape’s Dead Rabbit R Tank!

Big thanks goes to Vaporstate, who sent this out for the purposes of review!

Photos

General Info & Features

Hellvape’s latest Dead Rabbit, the Dead Rabbit R Tank, takes Hellvape’s classic styling, super accurate machining, build quality and reliablility and blends it with their latest innovation, in place rebuildable mesh coils.

The R Tank is built tough from 304 stainless steel, with pyrex tank sections, and is reasonably sized, coming in at about 25mm in diameter with a height of 51mm, making sure you’ll get this onto most devices without overhang.

Design-wise as you can see I received the Gunmetal version which is quite nice. You’ll find the usual dead rabbit logo inscribed on the outside, along with some additional celtic knot bands around the base and the top cap, giving it a really high end look all the while giving you something to grip onto when taking things apart for cleaning.

A quick rundown from top to bottom, up top is a large delrin 510 drip tip, above a quarter turn bayonet style cap that when removed, reveals two large kidney shaped fill ports, Glass tank section that can be swapped out for a larger capacity of 6.5mls using the provided bubble glass, and deck below that screws smoothly into the rest of the tank for easy removal. Underneath is a pretty standard 510 with gold plated pin, removable with a flat head screwdriver. This pin is fixed and protrudes at a decent length so that you can use this on your favourite hybrid/mech mods should you choose.

The Deck and Build

Hellvape don’t do things by halves and the deck is no exception. While the rest of the tank might resemble a straight forward RTA on the outside, it’s far from ordinary under the hood.

We’ve all seen the rebuildable mesh coils that are available from various companies like Vapefly, and Wotofo. They’re great because you can rebuild them with new mesh and cotton and save yourself tonnes of money on replaceable coils. Well, Hellvape have taken that idea one step further. Instead of removeable rebuildable mesh coils, Hellvape have build this straight into the deck. Yep, that’s right, you’ll be building your mesh coil right onto the deck itself.

It’s quite a clever idea, and quite easy to use too. I’m sure you’ve all seen build videos on rebuildable coils before so I won’t go too far in explaining the process. It’s a simple matter of wrapping your mesh around the provided coiling tool, wrapping your cotton strip around that, pinching tightly while inserting the entire build legs down into the provided cylindrical deck section, then tightening the screws down to hold the whole lot in place. You can see how I’ve done it in the photos above.

Of particular concern to me initially, was how I was going to make sure the coil legs actually slotted into the coil clamps at the bottom of the deck when I couldn’t even see them. But that was all abated once I realized that Hellvape have lined these up directly below the small slot opening of the deck, so all you need to do is make sure the legs are on the correct position (where you’re naturally pinching the cotton strip) as you’re lowering the whole lot onto the base. There’s plenty of room to get it right, and missing those clamps has been a non-issue for me since the first build that I did.

Of note, the screws that actually clamp your coil legs down are actually hidden away inside the airflow control ring. You simply rotate the airflow ring around a little further than you normally would and you’ll see them through the airflow slots on one side of the tank, easily accessible with your small screwdriver.

Mesh Coil Specs

You’ll receive 5 × 0.2ohm KA1 mesh pieces in the kit that are your standard honeycomb design with 2 legs. They’re very similar to what you would get with any other rebuildable coil system, I haven’t measured the size difference however. I will update here when I do.

The recommended power output for these mesh coils is between 50-60 Watts, but I’ve found them best at just a little under. I do tend to close up my airflow a little however, so a much more open airflow would match these specifications. So far only the 0.2 ohm mesh coils are available, hopefully Hellvape release some different mesh coils for a larger range of wattage choices.

I’ve been using the R Tank for a few weeks now and each build has lasted about 4-5 days of consistent usage before I begin to get a slight burnt taste and change my build out. Not bad for a mesh coil, but not the longest lasting that I’ve encountered.

Filling

Filling is a dream, with Hellvape providing a quarter turn bayonet system on the top cap (my favourite) that when unscrewed reveals two large kidney shaped fill ports, with a slight step down below, so that you don’t push your e-liquid nozzle too far into the tank, with the fill ports large enough to get the tank filled really quickly.
The top cap has an inner seal that covers the entire underside of the cap too, so you can be sure you’ve got yourself a nice seal with no risk of any air getting in there causing leaks.

Airflow

The airflow is quite generous. It’s not completely open but it’s not far from it, so this is sure to satisfy those who love a nice big lung inhale. The airflow ring at the base has two large cyclops style airflow slots for plenty of airflow adjustment, with an included strip through the centre, splitting up the airflow to ensure you don’t get any whistling, all the while making the airflow just that tiny bit more turbulent for a really flavoursome vape.

Any Leaks?

No. I haven’t experienced any leaks. Just the usual seepage if the tank is left for a few days without vaping on it, due to the cotton getting over saturated, but that is normal behaviour for mesh coils, specially if there is a bottom airflow.

I have heard mention of others getting leaks, but these have all been attributed to not quite getting the building correct. This happens if you do not seat the coil tool and coil right down into the deck properly, or if you clip your cotton strip too short leaving a gap in the side.

Pros:

• Great build quality
• Stylish and attractive design
• Excellent airflow and flavour
• Innovative deck and mesh coil building
• Large e-liquid capacity
• Easy to build on

Cons:

• Building can be a little daunting at first but has a short leaning curve.

Where to Buy:

You can pick up the Hellvape Dead Rabbit R Tank locally from Vaporstate’s online store. They’ve got them listed for the $60 AUD mark, which is an excellent price.

Conclusion

This is such an interesting tank, it’s quite innovative, but it’s also really easy to use too. If you’re like me, new things are always a little daunting, but I promise you once you’ve done your first build on this tank, you’re reservations will be pushed aside. It really is quite straight forward to build on.

I’ve not had any issues while using this for the last 2-3 weeks, if anything, it’s exceeded all of my expectations and would make for an excellent tank to own for the long term considering the rebuildable nature of it. It has great airflow, flavour, a large e-liquid capacity, and all the makings for a good solid long lasting tank.

If you’re looking at getting into rebuildables, this is an excellent option, it comes with everything you need to get started, and additional mesh and cotton strips are available in packs of 10 for continued usage.

Excellent work Hellvape. Loving this one!!

Shane Presser

Shane Presser has been vaping since 2013, and has extensive experience with advanced equipment, coil builds and DIY mixing. He is the man behind VapersGarage, and also more recently Aussie Vape Stores, a resource to help vapers find their nearest Vape Shops, and eLiquid Vendors.