The first impression of the Drop Solo is that it’s just a smaller 22mm replica of the original.

However, upon closer inspection, you’ll notice a few minor differences, over the apparent size decrease.

The Drop Solo as per its name is a designated single coil RDA, so one set of posts have been removed. It’s still possible to run two coils using that single post, but due to the size of the chamber, it’s probably best to stick to single.

Two top caps come with the Drop Solo, a full stainless steel and a PMMA version. The PMMA top cap is a shade shorter and offers you the ability to see your build through its translucent sides.

Both caps have the same stepped top cap on the inside which allows you to shut off each airflow hole at a time. However, only the stainless steel cap has the ‘T’ shaped airflow slots consisting of 10 airflow holes, whereas the PMMA cap only has 3 rows of two (hence the shorter size).

There are two notches on either cap that align with notches on the base. Again this is a slightly revised design which was not present in the original Drop.

The drip tip that comes with the stainless steel barrel has also had a slight update, it’s an 810 made of PMMA and is quite short in stature with a slightly curved center. I think it’s a little too though, and find my mouth always ends up resting on the top cap.

The other PMMA drip tip which comes pre-installed on the PMMA cap is made from the same material, and although it doesn’t look as good is far more practical. There’s also a 520 adapter present in the pack if you wish to use your own 510 drip tips.

The Drop Solo doesn’t have the same form as flavor chasing low profile RDA’s, but it’s by no means a huge eyesore and remains pretty compact.

The simplified engraved ‘Drop’ and ‘Solo’ logos on either side of the RDA look so much more stylish than on the original. Especially with the matte black version we have for review.

The Black version also comes with a slightly tinted PMMA (compared to a clear one with other colors). This also looks better on the eye as you don’t see as much of the internals through the RDA, but enough to see your wicks and juice.

The only thing that slightly disappoints me with the overall style of the Drop Solo is the drip tips. While the short curved 810 looks great and is incredibly stealthy, the other one ruins the look somewhat. Which is a real shame because it’s a more practical drip tip to use, and assists in producing better flavor.

I would’ve like to have seen something a bit more like the drip tip that comes with the Recurve RDA, which is kind of between the two. It’s curved, not too tall and far more comfortable than the tiny one included.

On the whole, though I think the Drop Solo is a good looking and stylish RDA which won’t look out of place on any small device.

The build quality of the Drop solo is excellent, from the matte finish on our black version to the tolerances of o-rings.

Everything fits together seamlessly and without much of a struggle. I’d actually say it’s a slight step up in build quality over the original Drop, not that that was a poorly built atomizer, but the Drop Solo just feels a little more polished.

The real innovation came with the original Drop and the design of the build deck and airflow.

In essence, the Drop solo is just a single post reduced version of the original.

The Drop was a huge success due to its versatile build deck, which gave users the chance to position coils in a number of ways.

Its little brother may only have two posts to work with, but still maintains that level of versatility. I’d go as far as saying it’s the most versatile single-coil RDA I can think of.

The general way to position coils you coils is to slot the coil legs down vertically, then bend the coil over so it’s in line with the airflow.

However, there’s also the ability to feed them upwards or have one over and one under (see picture). If you want to get really creative you could position dual coils horizontally, or even one vertical coil. The only slight restriction with that is if you are using it in squonk mod, the squonk pin sits relatively high from the base of the deck, so space is a little crowded in squonk mod – but it’s great to have options.

The ease of snipping your leads will depend on which way you install the coil, and although it can be a little fiddly at times, it’s worth it.

The issue that comes with all of this versatility is getting the coil position just right for maximum performance and flavor can be a little trial and error. It’s also slightly dependant on which top cap you are using, as the PMMA one doesn’t have to the top row.

However, it is still an easy build deck to work with, and actually quite a joy. The post screws are robust, and you have the option of flathead or Allen in the kit.

Wicking is just like with the original Drop or Dead Rabbit for that matter where it uses capillary action to feed the juice up the wick to the high positioned coils.

It’s best to make sure you comb your wicks out and ensure you have plenty resting on the deck, so it can easily soak up the juice as you squonk and feed it to your coils.

As you’d expect the Drop Dead is an excellent RDA for squonking, as the coil position and the airflow is so high.

The squonk pin is raised from the deck, so it’s always wise to make sure you have plenty of wick on the base to soak up that juice.

I think adopting the higher horizontal airflow makes it for more leak-proof than the original Drop and an excellent RDA for squonking.

The Drop Solo doesn’t disappoint on performance, but if you expected it to topple the best single coil flavor RDA’s available….then think again.

However when it comes to airflow and a versatile build deck that allows you to be experimental, then the Drop Solo is excellent.

I tried several builds and different airflow combinations over the course of two weeks, and below are my findings.

If the Drop Solo was released last year, I’m sure I’d be saying it had excellent flavor production.

But with such an influx of single coil RDA’s, it, unfortunately, falls into the category of just good. The likes of the Recurve and Dpro Mini easily outperform the Drop Solo on flavor.

It’s probably because the Drop Solo has so much excess space for the airflow to swoosh around in, and it’s a minimized chamber that usually leads to the best flavor.

I’m by no means suggesting the Drop Solo is bad for flavor, it’s really not. It’s just not quite as good as the others I’ve mentioned.

Where the Drop Solo potentially has those other RDAs beat, is with the openness and volume of airflow.

Fully open the Drop Solo is quite possibly the airiest single coil RDA I’ve tried, which is excellent if you want to chuck clouds. However, it’s far too airy to produce any notable flavor.

Dialing the airflow in (which is incredibly easy) to leave just 4 or 6 holes open seemed to produce the best results for a flavorful restrictive lung vape.

While it does have the ability to be used in MTL mode, with the airflow cut right down and a 510 drip tip on top, I still feel there is too much excess air for it to really shine as an MTL RDA.

The single coil RDA market has become so hot recently that picking an outright best RDA is virtually impossible.

It also depends what’s most important to you in an RDA.

For me, a single coil RDA should be all about producing the best flavor possible, and sadly that’s where I think the Drop Solo falls a little short.

However if you the type of vaper that likes wide open airflow even from a single coil, or someone that loves to experiment and try different builds then that’s where the Drop Solo really finds it’s groove.

It’s a well designed, extremely versatile and attractive RDA with excellent build quality. But that’s not enough to replace my Wotofo Recurve as my daily driver.