VapersCanadaKRMA Gen by Mission XV. Mission XV “launched” in 2017 with the KRMA RDA. Mission XV’s mantra has always been to engineer comprehensive and flawless vaping products.
The subtle styling of the original is carried forward to the newest release – the KRMA Gen. I’ve had a slight inside track and have been witness to some of the development and refinements made along the way. The KRMA Gen is a 22mm single-airflow atomizer that comes with a 1mL tank section.
Let’s get a few thoughts from Mission XV:
The KRMA was a brilliant RDA whose haters gave the title of “hype atty”. It proved the naysayers wrong with its brilliant performance. The KRMA Gen follows the KRMA and the collab project the Day Won. It seems to take a lot of cues from both. How did the KRMA Gen come into being?
- Mission XV wanted to inject more versatility into our products, the Goal for KRMA Gen was to impress as many different vaping styles as possible, in one complete package. We are not in the habit of creating “hype” products. Rather we focus on the user experience to help us determine our design elements while holding true to our initial goals when conceptualizing the design. Factors such as ease of build, flavor production, quality of material/design and machining all play a major role in how we design our products. The KRMA Gen is an evolution of everything we’ve learned while creating and receiving feedback from the KRMA RDA and Day Won while inserting new design elements and functions that make the KRMA Gen a unique product of its own.
Was there something missing in the KRMA and Day Won?
- Both the KRMA RDA and Day Won in their times were creative and functionally advanced pieces, however as time progresses, we at Mission XV enjoy challenging ourselves to create even more unique and versatile pieces. KRMA RDA and Day Won did not accommodate individuals that wanted true MTL experience, which we evolved to correct in the KRMA Gen.
Single Airflow design yet the KRMA Gen is completely versatile. How hard was that to accomplish?
- Mission set out to accommodate all vaping styles, but also in doing so would not sacrifice the functionality and performance of the KRMA Gen. Our goal in offering bottom airflow, which can be used wide open or reduced based on preference, is based on our opinion that bottom fed airflow is superior for flavor production. This was not an easy task to accomplish, especially since we wanted to preserve users’ ability to squonk (use their squonk devices). However, this final design shows the ability to use bottom airflow in an RDTSA without fear of leaking/ over squonking, while creating fantastic flavor production and accommodating a wide range of vaping styles.
What’s next for Mission XV?
- The main focus of Mission XV is to continue to innovate and create unique offerings for our supporters. A significant pivot in our focus will be to offer small run, limited products, and accessories, fondly dubbed (Mission Limited). You will see new innovative accessory pieces for mods and atomizers that will push the boundaries of what people think is possible.
Dimensions:
22mm diameter
Height
- Without drip tip 21mm
- With drip tip 26.5mm
Drip tip
- Outer dia 12.2mm
- Bore dia 4.5mm
- O-ring 1mm dia x 6.5mm id
Build deck
- Set screw m2.5 x 3mm flat head
- Airflow inlet 3.5mm x 1.75mm
- Airflow outlet 4mm dia
- O-ring 1mm dia x 17mm id
- 510 pin hex tool 2mm
- Air reducers 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.5mm
- 1ml capacity ( extension 2ml is an accessory)
Disclosure: None, proto was received for testing purposes – retail version purchased.
Packaging: The KRMA Gen comes in the now-familiar “baggie”, this time with a yellow foam insert. Everything you need is included ( air restrictors with orings, spare screws, o-rings, squonk pin and allen key ) so full marks for another great presentation from Mission XV.
Fit and Finish: Again, everything you’d expect from the Mission group. Everything fits as it should with no overly tight or loose pieces.
- SS is well machined and rates high in the looks and finish department. Mine came with no traces or odour of machine oil.
- Bottom engraving is deep and clean – and has the Mission XV logo and a simple wavy pattern.
- Slotted grub screws were smooth and don’t easily strip.
- Airflow adjustment is smooth.
- Fill port stays snug as the low dome actually locks it into place when the cap is on. The fill hole is large enough to handle glass droppers for filling. The low dome also reduces the chamber for increased flavour rendition.
- Reducers use o-rings so the fitment is excellent. Note the reducers are difficult to change if you have a build installed. You’re best starting from scratch if you want to change up the reducer size. With no reducer, the airflow size is 3mm.
- Building is easy with ample deck space to build 3mm coil if that’s your thing. Posts have ample clearance for Clapton or parallel configurations and there is a sort of “divot” that makes it easier to trap round wire. Quick note – when wicking, don’t leave your tails too long. I cut both tails short, hanging about halfway down the tank – you have to leave some room so the tails don’t block your e-liquid.
Test 1 Restricted DL: I built a simple Clapton build using 28/38 K1 7-wrap Clapton on a 2mm bit – ohms out to 0.85ish. No restrictors installed – airflow open full. Airflow doesn’t feel turbulent, there is noise, but no whistle. Pumping up the wattage to the upper range, the vape is warm, dense and very flavourful. The KRMA Gen is capable of decent cloud production, but I don’t feel like that’s the wheel-house. The final version had the single airflow opened larger than the prototypes. The intended effect was to make it closer to the original KRMA in usage. My only complaint would be the standard tank section is too small for DL use – it does an excellent job if you throw in on a squonker.
Test 2 Tight MTL: Second time, I built it with a standard 28 gauge K1 round wire 7 wrap on a 2.5mm bit – ohms out to around 1.2ish. 1mm insert was used – airflow slightly closed but not really required with the pin installed / squonk pin not used. In MTL, the draw using the insert is tight and smooth with just a little wind noise. Compared to the proto, the retail version of the KRMA Gen has a bigger air hole but the restrictors negate any effect the larger hole has. In MTL mode, the KRMA Gen worked well with 50/50 salts as well as 12mg traditional nic e-liquids. The 1mL stock tank capacity is not as big an issue for MTL. Flavour rendition was also excellent – MTL vaping is the KRMA Gen’s forte.
Verdict: I have a love of Mission XV products. The KRMA Gen takes styling points from the KRMA and Day Won and add a tank section. The KRMA Gen is versatile. DL, restricted DL, loose MTL right down to tight MTL are all possible – and achieved without sacrifice. Again, the only minor issue is the 1mL stock tank size – not an issue if you vape MTL and the provided bottom-feed pin allows the KRMA Gen to be squonkable.
Smooth draw and excellent flavour, add the KRMA Gen to Mission XV’s “Stellar” lineup. Now in my regular rotation…
*Recommended.
1st release is via smaller lists starting 11/14/2019. As production ramps up, the KRMA Gen by Mission XV will be more readily available on the company website.
Included in retail package:
- 22mm domed cap
- 22mm tunnel airflow build deck
- 510 drip tip
- 4 airflow disk inserts (1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.5mm)
- 1ml tank portion
- Flathead screws
- Bottom feed pin
- KRMA Gen spares kit
- Bottom feed tool
