I received this Bonza Kit free of charge from HealthCabin for the purpose of this review. Regardless of this, it will not color my opinion on this review in any way, shape or form.
Packaging
The Bonza Kit comes in rectangular box with a photo of the kit printed on the front and on one of the sides, it also says «Bonza Kit» and «The Vaping Bogan» together with Vandy Vape’s logo. On one side you find a QR-code to Vandy Vape’s Instagram and a scratch and sniff to check for authenticity.
On the backside you find what the kit contains, an informative text and main features of the kit. When you open the box up you will find the mod sitting in a cutout on the left, to the right you find the RDA and underneath that, the spare magnets and the 18650 battery adaptor with the spring inside. But Vandy Vape, why no cutouts on the side of the box to make it easier to open up?
The Tube
It is a 27 mm wide hybrid mechanical mod made in collaboration between Vandy Vape and the Vaping Bogan. That’s one person that I don’t have to introduce since most of you know of him and some of you know him.
The first impression I get when I hold the mod for the first time is that it looks real short for a 21700 mod… And it is actually really short, 86 mm short if we talk facts. I think the shortest 18650 tube I have is precisely 86 mm and that is considered to be a fairly short mod. Even though the Bonza is a mod with girth with its 27 mm it is still pleasant to hold and since it is so short it isn’t as heavy as you would think.
The reason they have managed to make it as short as it is, is because of the compact switch it has. It isn’t a constant contact switch since it doesn’t have room for that. It is a classic switch that you can use with magnets or a spring and the kit comes with both, so the ones that prefer a spring have that possibility.
The switch is made out of 4 pieces if you exclude the magnets or the spring. It is the upper threaded part that has a plastic ring as a protection so the battery doesn’t get contact before it should, the lower part that act as the button and in between those parts you use either the spring or the magnets and it is hold together with the silver plated contact screw on top that you screw into the lower part.
With the magnets the throw is pretty firm and pleasant and with the slightly stronger spring I can imagine that the throw gets somewhat too firm for some people, since it takes some force to push the button. Me personally, likes when the throw is firm and I do like both options given with this kit. One thing I haven’t experienced is a hot button with this mod and that pleases me a lot.
One thing I have gotten with the Bonza is arcing… And I might add pretty much of it as well. The pic above shows you the amount of arc marks on the silver-plated contact screw and to be honest it is lots of marks. Had this switch had a «constant contact switch» I imagine it wouldn’t have any arcing issues at all.
As I said earlier it is 27 mm wide and the one I got sent to me is made out of copper and painted with some wrinkle black color. All the threads on the mod is real nice and smooth and I got no complaints at all.
The paint however isn’t really to my liking at all, since it gives the mod almost a wet feel and it has happened that I look for liquid on the mod when there is none. This is of course subjective and someone else will love the paint and the feel of it.
It is split in the middle, so it got 2 parts that make the mod, it is the switch and finally the short sleeve at the bottom. One nice thing about the sleeve is that you can turn it so the Bogan skull engraved on it lines up with whatever logo or engraving you got on the RDA. A nice thing for all the OCD people out there. And Vandy Vape and Bogan have already come out with different sleeves and extension tubes for the aftermarket, so those of you that wanna mix things up with new sleeves and stuff will be able to do that.
At the top and the bottom of the mod you will find 2 bands engraved into the mod and it is the same engraving you can find on the first Bonza RDA and the sequel V1.5. You do also find 3 venting holes spread out around the bottom of the mod and as far as I can tell they do work as intended. On the button you will find Bonza and a pattern engraved.
Inside the mod you will find Delrin lining to prevent any batteries to get contact with the internals in case a wrap is torn. It has Delrin on the inside of the top and bottom part, as well as at the top of the mod and on the upper part of the switch. So Vandy Vape and Bogan have taken the safety precautions seriously.
The Bonza 1.5 RDA
It is a 24 mm 3-piece RDA, intended for dual coils, made in collaboration between Vandy Vape and The Vaping Bogan, and it is the second Bonza they made together.
The first thought when I open the box is that it is a nice looking RDA with nicely made engravings. The one in the kit is the black painted copper one and the Bogan skull with the crossed mechs is really clean. The pattern on top of the barrel does also look nice and works as a knurling to give you a better grip when adjusting the airflow.
First impression just by looking at it, is that it does look like the old one, but when you take the barrel off, you can see that everything is beefier this time around. Posts are more heavy duty, as well as the clamps.
Another thing is that the bottom part of the barrel hides the deck entirely now, not like on the old one where you could see a small lip of the deck showing underneath the barrel. So now it is one color from top to bottom, no matter which color you go for.
As with the old one, this as well is real easy to both build and wick and the coils do sit nice and snug in place. And with a depth of 9 mm, the juice well can hold a fair amount of liquid, which means dripping less often or squonk less.
If you for some reason loosen the post screw too much so that the clamp fall down, the easiest way to get it back in place again is to take that post off of the deck and attach the clamp while it is loose. When that is done, you just put the post back on again and problem solved.
The airflow is basically the same as before with one exception, now you can close it off row by row, from the upper row down to the lower row of air holes. As before you can also close off the whole airflow from the side. And to top it off, the barrel does also have cutouts that correlate to notches on the deck, meaning that you can turn the barrel to make the airflow hit directly on the coils no matter what.
Another thing with the airflow is that it is buttery smooth, it doesn’t whistle or make any noises at all. Wide open it is a cloud chucker’s dream and closed down it is almost like an open MTL draw.
As most RDA’s nowadays, this one as well utilizes 810 drip tips and the resin drip tip it comes with is really nice looking. I have tried it with some of the ones I have and they all sit nice and snug on it. It does also come with a black delrin 810 drip tip and a 510 drip tip adaptor. Another thing that's good is the O-rings that hold everything nice and snug.
How does it vape, is something I know you would like to know at this point. Well… it is an upgrade from the old one, no doubt, and it is made better than before. The airflow adjustment now is just peachy and it is real easy to find an airflow setting that suites my vaping style.
One thing that was good on the old one already, was the flavor, and on the 1.5 it might even be a tad better than before. I like how it vapes and the density of the clouds.
Assessment
It is a nice kit they have put together. The Bonza 1.5 is well built and will for sure provide you with good flavor. The mod is also well built and works as it should without any misfiring or hot buttons but I do get a lot of arcing. I must be honest and say that the switch isn’t my favorite one but it does do the job. Despite that I have had a nice experience with this kit and I am sure that a lot of other people will have the same experience as I have had.
Can I recommend it to others?
I sure can for the seasoned vapers out there. The new vapers that wanna get this kit just because they like Bogan and find it cool to have a mech mod he has his name on, should stay clear of this one until they know about Ohm’s Law and battery safety and whatnot. The RDA, however, is something I think a lot of people can get as long as they can build it and know what they are doing. Safety first is the main thing here.
Pros Mod
Machining
Delrin lined
Threads
Usable with 18650, 20700, 21700
18650 battery sleeve
No battery rattle
Exchangeable sleeves
Pros RDA
Machining
Good flavor
Hybrid safe
Squonk ready
O-rings
Easy to build
Looks
Spare clamps
Cons Mod
I am getting quite a lot of Arcing in this switch
Not my favorite switch (subjective con)
The paint gives the mod a wet feel (subjective con)
Parameters
Bonza Tube
Width: 27 mm
Length: 86 mm
Bonza 1.5 RDA
Width: 24 mm
Height: 31 mm (with drip tip)
Kit colors: SS, Copper/Black, 7-color, Copper, Brass, Copper/Matte Black
Package includes
1 x Bonza mechanical mod
1 x 18650 battery sleeve
1 x Bonza 1.5 RDA
1 x Extra spring
2 x Sets of magnets
1 x Goodie bag
1 x Manual
You will find it here
Bonza Kit for $73.99 at the time I wrote the review.
And before ending this review I want to point out a few things of importance to those new to mech mods and also the seasoned user. Remember to always pay attention to…
Battery safety
Ohms law
Having a hybrid connection you must make sure to have a protruding enough 510 pin on the atomizer
Keeping your mech mod clean at all times. Meaning the connections, switch, threading and internally
Thanks for reading this far and Vape on!
Norseman
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