Introduction
I liked the Berserker V3, but it was hard to wick unless you used a 3.0mm coil (which seems just wrong for MTL) and the wicking became filthy within a day or two. It’s not that it was totally shit, but there are plenty of MTL RTAs that don’t have these issues.
So, does the new Berserker Mini V3 MTL RTA solve the above issues? In a word – Yes.
Product overview
The Berserker Mini V3 is a 22mm MTL RTA with 2/4ml juice capacity, fixed airflow and (the best) swappable airflow pins.
- Berserker Mini V3 MTL RTA (fitted with 2ml tank)
- 4ml glass tank + 4ml metal tank + chimney extension
- 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 & 2.0mm airflow pins (standard version)
- 0.8, 1.0, 1.2 1.6 & 2.0mm airflow pins (simple version)
- extra juice flow ring with three juice flow options (standard version only)
- four drip-tips (standard version)
- two drip-tips (simple version)
- 2×2.5mm superfine MTL fused clapton coils
This is where things get slightly complicated, as there are two versions;
I have no idea if stores will be offering both versions, or if these versions are for specific markets.
Either way, I have the simple version and this review will be based on that version.
First impressions
Although the aesthetics are very similar to the original 24mm Berserker V3, the Mini V3 doesn’t have as good proportions, while in short (2ml) mode, it’s a decent looking RTA, in tall (4ml) mode, it looks overly tall and would only look good on a side-by-side mod.
Apart from the different proportions, it’s just a shrunken down Berserker V3, as the name suggests; it has the top-cap and juice filling system, the same deck with removable ring and chamber reducer – just everything is on a smaller scale.
The only issue I have with the design is that due to it having very minimalist and smooth aesthetics, there’s no knurling to grip when removing the RTA from the mod or accessing the deck, try not to over-tighten and you’re good.
Build
The build process is very simple, but you need to remove the ring surrounding the deck, because otherwise you will have problems dropping your coil low enough with a coiling rod. Once you’ve done that, it’s just a case of inserting the coil leads, aligning and dropping the coil, and tightening everything up.
You could put the ring back on the deck at this point, but I found it easier to insert, fluff and trim the wicks with the ring removed, put the ring back and then put the ends of the wick into place.
The wicking is a huge improvement over the original V3; there’s no need to consider using a bigger coil to get enough cotton on the deck and the wicking stays clean and works well for a long time – these were my two biggest issues with the V3 and the Mini version seems to have solved them well.
How does it perform?
- Build one – 2.5mm superfine MTL fused clapton – this was one of the supplied coils, the resistance came to 0.85ohm. Unless you have very specific needs, no other coils are required. From the tightest to loosest airflow pins, this has you covered. My personal preference was the 1.2mm pin at 16.5w. The flavor is really sharp, it picks up the different flavors and sub-flavors of the juice really well and has a well balanced throat hit.
- Build two – 2.5mm 28g round wire – the resistance came to 0.95ohm. The only reason to choose a build like this for me, is for tobacco juices. With other juices, it’s good – but the MTL fused clapton is much better. With tobacco juices and the 0.8 and 1.0mm pins, this was really nice, the flavor was good, the draw was good and the throat hit was excellent.
Airflow
This is going to be opinionated, so bear with me. Air flow control rings have been replaced by pins/inserts in a lot of recent MTL RTAs, and for the most part this is a good thing; it’s not about how much air is hitting your coil, it’s about the pressure with which the air hits the coil.
The important part is how it’s implemented, if you have to take apart the RTA to swap pins then it’s annoying. If you have to actually remove the coil/wick, then it’s a nightmare.
Fortunately, the Berserker V3 (original and mini versions) have the best air-flow pin system on the market. The air-flow pin is part of a removable 510 pin that doesn’t require any tools to swap.
Conclusion
Only the lack of knurling is stopping me from calling this a perfect MTL RTA; the air-flow pin system is perfect, it’s easy to work on, comes with decent accessories, and most importantly it performs really well.
Disclaimer
The Vandy Vape Berserker Mini V3 was supplied for the purposes of this review by Healthcabin.
This review was written by Owen from Vaping Underground, click to view original review there with more details.
