Mutation X v4 clone by Tobeco
Until recently, I’ve been using my Mutation X v1 clone a lot. So much so, my other rda’s, including the Marquis, have barely seen light of day. I just seem to have nailed creating really good builds on it, and managed to settle on a very good airflow setting. This was further improved by the purchase of a pyrex bellcap ( which I’ll cover another time! ) and all was well with the flavour-chasing world.
Until recently. Unfortunately I saw images coming through of a new Mutation X… the REAL v4! I own the ‘pretender’ v4, the YEP rda, but this rarely gets used as it’s a 100% cloudchaser with poor flavour production, so to say I was excited was an understatement! And the reason for my excitement…. under coil airflow.
I had been looking at the Freakshow or Freakshow Mini as my next purchase for it’s under-coil air system, but the New Mutation X v4 had that and more! So I could feel a purchase coming.
And I did.
So, several days ago I received my new Shiny, and I’ve been getting to grips with it since. Following are my thoughts on the Mutation X v4
EXTERIOR
The Mutation X v4 clone I ordered is by Tobeco in White. This came in a small padded box which contained the RDA, a ‘cooling’ extension with drip tip adapter, and a small pack of spare screws and o-rings.
The main body of the v4 has a nice weight to it, being a lacquered white stainless steel. On this is printed a Mutation x V4 logo with a tribal wing icon, as per the original v4. The paint and print finish is very good, and so far has resisted any knocks and scratches.
Threading on this dripper is generally very good. It’s a little scratchy but I imagine this will wear-in OK, and is already smoother after some use. Attaching the RDA shell to the deck is a little tight though, and I’m concerned that the bottom airflow cut-outs will start to shred the three o-rings holding it in place as it passes over them.
The airflow is, on the face of it, extremely flexible. The side-wall 9 hole vents can be independently opened and closed to the bottom holes, as well as having the ability to close off one side for single coil use. BUT there is a potential annoyance for some people ( doesn’t impact on me, as I always dual-coil and prefer bottom airflow only)Â that unlike the original Indulgence v4, the Tobeco doesn’t come with bottom airflow silicone plugs to close one or both off. Unlike the side airflow, the bottom cut-outs are built into the RDA wall and are not really adjustable. If the side vents are to remain pointing over the coils, then the bottom vents have to remain in an open position. If the RDA chamber is rotated to close the bottom vents then the side vents will no longer be positioned over the coils ( see images in this paragraph )
At the end of the day the day, without bottom vent plugs, Tobeco assumes you will 
always use the bottom vents while being able to adjust the side ones. If you don’t like bottom airflow then you are going to have to find some way to block them off. What seemed to have an infinite number of air intake choices has suddenly become a lot more restricted.
While we are looking at the externals of the Mutation X v4 and it’s flexibility, we can look at the drip-tip and chamber extension. The drip-tip that comes with this unit is a tapered chuff style and is actually very comfortable in use. Although this is a non-standard 510 fitting, being approx 13mm diameter, this won’t be a concern to those who dislike it’s style and feel, as the v4 also comes with an interchangeable 510 drip-tip adapter ( see image left, drip tip is taken from my Subtank MIni )
For those who like a cooler vape, the chamber can be extended with an opaque plastic extension ring that does look and play the part ( also see left )
INTERIOR
Finally the deck itself. General this is easy to build on. Four posts ( two negative and a dual centre ) mean coils are easy to insert and adjust. The holes in the post are generous enough to take quite a large thickness of wire, and I have no problems with my twisted 26 gauge coils. But here is where problem number two sneaks in. These posts are wire-cutters! Care must be taken when tightening the screws, because the space under the screw, combined and the screw-end sharpness, will snip thinner wire with ease. I’ve been caught out with a single wire 26 gauge build, and it is frustrating to say the least when the coil leg is suddenly chopped in two!
The juice wells are deep, but are shaped in an exaggerated ‘kidney’ form, with the centre of the well near the centre posts being rather narrow. This means wicks can be placed down into either end of the well but there isn’t much scope for extending the wicks under and behind the coil. Care must be taken not to stuff too much wick into the wells, as any over-dripping will immediately run down the bottom airflow holes and out onto your hand! While on this point, dripping onto the coils isn’t advisable either for the same reason, as they sit directly over the bottom air holes ( See images )
PERFORMANCE
So how does it vape? Well it’s actually quite good! Niggles aside, when a build is executed well ( and it isn’t that difficult despite what I’ve said ), the performance of the Mutation X v4 is as good as any of my other RDA’s. I exclusively vape with bottom airflow only so I can control the draw by rotating the v4’s body ( the position of the closed side airflow is irrelevant ). The vape has good flavour and still produces a good chunk of cloud, and is nice and warm due to the smallish chamber size. Stick the ‘cooling’ extension on and yes, the vapour produced is somewhat cooler but the trade-off is reduced flavour.
SUMMARY
Overall I am very happy with the Tobeco Mutation X v4 clone. Cloudchasers and flavourchasers alike will enjoy this dripper, and little irritations aside, this is well worth the money paid for it. I just wish Tobeco had gone the extra mile and included the bottom airflow plugs as well!
PEEGOREVAPES RATING : 4/5
I bought this from E-BAY at £14.99 free postage
Cheers, Peegore
PeegoreVapes 