Mephisto RDA Review (iVOGO Clone)

mephisto reviewed

iVOGO Mephisto Review

The iVOGO Mephisto RDA is a 1:1 clone of the authentic Mephisto RDA made by El Diablo, who is a modder from the Philippines. The authentic Mephisto RDA retails for $110-125 USD. The iVOGO Mephisto RDA clone featured in this review comes from the US Warehouse of Angelcigs.com, and retails for $24.99 USD.

The iVOGO Mephisto I reviewed came packaged in an attractive orange presentation box printed with the iVOGO brand, and bears the image and name of the Mephisto RDA. The box includes the RDA main body with black airflow control (AFC) ring installed, two additional AFC rings, and a parts package of spare o-rings, cotton, and a flat head screwdriver.

ivogo mephisto in box

MEPHISTO RDA SPECIFICATIONS

Brand: iVOGO
Type: rebuildable dripping atomizer
Materials: 304 grade stainless steel ( AFC is copper, brass, and black pvd)
Connection threading: 510
Diameter: 22mm
Height: 30mm
Weight: 107g

Features:
3 hole adjustable air flow control
Delrin insulated drip tip entry
Spot welded negative post/insulated positive post
Adjustable 510 connection pin
Silver plated copper contacts

Package contents:
1:1 designed Mephisto rebuildable dripper
3 colored AFC rings
1 pack cotton wick
1 pack spare orings
1 pack mini flat head screwdriver and nichrome wire

BUILD QUALITY

The Mephisto RDA is a well constructed, and attractive dripper bearing some similarities to another very popular dripping atomizer, the Zenith RDA. While similar to the Zenith, the Mephisto has a few aesthetic, and structural differences that do set it apart. The Mephisto has a flatter top with rounded edges, and a raised 510 drip tip hole, which in my opinion makes for a more interesting, and aesthetically appealing design than the Zenith RDA. There is a heat sink groove deeply milled around the circumference of the top cap. The Mephisto logo is engraved in a bold, deep font on each of the three different colored AFC rings which appear to be pvd coated, not plated. I am particularly impressed by the tonal quality of the copper and brass colored rings.

The Mephisto RDA has two 4mm Cyclops style air holes drilled into side of the top cap while each of the AFC rings has 3 air holes of the same size which can be used in single or dual coil configurations. Each of the AFC rings fits like a sleeve over the body of the top cap and is held snug by an o-ring however, the black AFC ring has the loosest fit of the three rings and it does tend to move off its intended air flow setting easily. Both the copper, and brass AFC have a more snug fit and stay in place without issue.

Mephisto airflow control rings

The Mephisto has a large delrin insulated drip tip hole which keeps your drip tip from getting too hot during use, especially while running a sub ohm build. This aspect of the Mephisto is definitely reminiscent of the Zenith RDA which uses the same insulated drip tip hole. The inner chamber of the top cap has a conical shape for the purpose of flavor enhancement. Using a conical shaped inner chamber as opposed to a reduced chamber decreases the overall weight of the atomizer which is definitely noticeable when handling the Mephisto RDA.

top view Mephisto RDA

Now we come to the aspect of the Mephisto that really sets it apart from the Zenith RDA, or any other RDA for that matter, which is the post holes. The Mephisto has whopping 3mm post holes, which are certainly large enough to fit even the thickest of wire gauges in a dual coil configuration. There are also beefy flat head screws that are large enough that you could use your fingers to tighten and loosen them. The drip well of the Mephisto is nice and deep at 4mm in depth.

Being a 1:1 replication of the authentic Mephisto RDA, the clone’s negative posts are spot welded to prevent them from loosening, and spinning. The base of the atomizer is deeply engraved with the name El Diablo and a serial #. The 510 pin is silver plated copper and adjustable.

ivogo Mephisto deck

PERFORMANCE

I was actually very excited to do my first build on this Mephisto because of its single coil capabilities, something that I do not have the possibility for with my Cartel Stillare RDA. Using twisted 30 gauge Kanthal wire, I made a 7/8 wrap on a rounded toothpick which metered out to a 1.2 ohm result. I was blown away at how much space there is within 3mm post holes, so needless to say catching my wires was very easy. If at any point I decide to run a dual coil build in the Mephisto it’s clear that it will also be a breeze, and there should not be any struggle to fit even triple twisted wire into these humongous post holes. With the 4mm deep drip well there is also less concern about over dripping.

Build coil for review

The adjustable 510 pin makes the Mephisto an ideal atomizer for hybrid adapting mechanical mods like the Stingray X, and 4Nine. I used the included flat-head mini screwdriver to adjust the 510 to extend approximately 1.5mm beyond the 510 threads before attaching it to the Stingray X hybrid adapter. The Mephisto looks, and performs nicely in hybrid mode. Even with a single coil build at 1.2 ohms and the 4mm air hole half closed, the vapor production Mephisto is full and dense. I have also noticed that even with the AFC adjusted to fully open the air hole, the flavor produced did not taste reduced or washed out like I have found with some other RDAs.

Mephisto with Stingray

To further highlight some of the features of the Mephisto RDA, I put together a photo comparison between the Mephisto and Cartel Stillare RDA to demonstrate the differences. While both RDAs have a Cyclops style air holes, you can see that the Mephisto is not as wide in width, but is larger in height. I find this makes it easier to keep the adjusted air flow centered on the coil, whether the AFC is fully open or partially closed off. The difference in post hole size is also rather dramatic, and the drip well of the Mephisto has about 1mm more in depth.

Another difference that I greatly appreciate is the width of the drip tip hole on the Mephisto, I LOVE IT! This one aspect alone has positively improved my overall dripping experience because it has taken the hassle out of dripping. With many other 20mm + RDAs including the Stillare, when dripping through the drip hole there is a tendency for the e-liquid to form a juice bubble and get stuck because the walls of hole are too narrow. So you end up with more e-liquid in the base of the drip tip hole, while the rest slides down the walls of the dripper, instead of onto your wick. The only way to remedy this is to pull off the entire top cap and apply the e liquid directly on the wick. #toomuchwork

With the wide bore drip tip hole of the Mephisto it is not necessary to remove the entire top cap in order to re-juice the wicks. When used in conjunction with an equally wide bore drip tip, all you have to do is drip your e-liquid into the bore to efficiently re-juice the wick. Finally dripping is once again what is used to be back in the day of 510 and 306 dripping atomizers, when the drip tip was actually used for its intended purpose, DRIPPING.

It is also worth mentioning that I find the Mephisto to be a better flavor producing atomizer than the Stillare. While reduced chamber atomizers have been touted as superior flavor producers, I find the conical shaped chamber of the Mephisto to be a better flavor producer than the flat reduced chamber of the Stillare.

mephisto RDA Close up

OVERALL

In terms of aesthetics and function, the iVOGO Mephisto RDA 1:1 clone is the 22mm dripper that I have always wanted, and I mean that sincerely. I have the size and aesthetic versatility that I wanted, the single coil configuration that I prefer, dual coil capabilities just in case I change my mind, and the ability to drip without the hassle and work of constantly removing and re positioning the entire top cap in order to re-juice my wicks and enjoy a good vape.

In a market with innumerable rebuildable dripping atomizers to choose from it can be a challenge to weed through the variety of drippers and determine what, if any genuine benefits dripper A offers over drippers B, D, R, and Y. Well let me simplify this for those who are interested. If you want a good quality 22mm dripper that is easy to build on (single, dual, or micro nano tricera top), has adequate adjustable air flow, a drip hole that you can literally drip into, produces great flavor, and can match the variety of metals found in most vape gear collections today, then the Mephisto RDA is for you. For info on more RDAs, check out our article on the Best RDAs.

Final for mephisto clone review

Buy a Mephisto RDA

Buy for $24.99 – Exact version reviewed, ships from the USA.

Buy for $8.96 – Only comes with 1 AFC ring, ships from China.

4 thoughts on “Mephisto RDA Review (iVOGO Clone)”

  1. This is another great review. Sounds like it might be a good first dripper for the new Wotofo ZNA 30 clone. The big question is will the airflow be okay given the info in your Wotofo review. I’m new to this and think it’s probably a stupid question, but I think the answer is yes because it doesn’t look like it relies on the 510 connector for airflow right?

    1. Hi Bill :) Not a stupid question at all. Yes the Mephisto has sufficient air flow because the body of the RDA supplies its own air, so it is not reliant on the Wotofo for air, so you answered correctly! :) Fewer and fewer devices rely on 510 connections for air, especially 22mm atomizers. Also Bill, just realized that I have an extra spool of 32 gauge Kanthal wire, and a good amount of silica wick, so I will throw some in your package when I send the ZNA. That way when you are ready to start rebuilding, you have something to play around with. :)

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