KingPin!
In my defence, I was left unsupervised ^^
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Member For 4 Years
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Reviewer
Hi Folks
Finally received my Gaia from Cthulhu Mods. The wait was a long one considering I placed a Pre-Order, my expectations were high considering how good the mighty Pindad was by Bombertech
I purchased this RDTA myself, my review comments are my personal views and experiences so far:
What do you get?
First of all this is probably the nicest presentation box I've seen so far, I would be happy receiving an expensive watch in this box!
Open it up and the tank is nicely presented along with the extras...so far so good
At the bottom of the box is the authenticity sticker and some wording with regards to the contents of the box.
Ok great what's in it then? Well you receive a bunch of extras including:
A spare 2 ml glass tank, an entire set of replacement O-rings, 2 spare grub screws, a 510 drip tip adapter, a Squonk pin and a little Phillips screw you put in the juice filling port when using this for squonking
As you can see in the above pic the tank breaks into 6 separate pieces for easy maintenance and cleaning. The tank itself is very clean out of the box there are no inscriptions anywhere except on the bottom which I personally like.
Tank Breakdown
Height: 40 mm / 1.57 inch (with drip tip)
Width: 24 mm / 0.94 inch
Weight: 40g / 1.41 oz
Capacity 2ml (squonk capable)
304 SS tank
Ultem stock Drip Tip
Glass tank (could be Pyrex not sure)
Peek insulators
I think from this point on I'm going to start running comparisons to the Bombertech Pindad from time to time being these two tanks share similar designs for refilling methods and squonking ability (Also being the Pindad is my favourite tank so far so this will be a good benchmark for me to play off)
Threading on the Gaia is very smooth, couldn't find a single burr. Everything fits together really well, and unlike the pindad where you have to screw the base on first as far as it will go before putting the plastic tank on to avoid leaking this one requires no thought with regards to assembly, there really is only one way to assemble it, and it fits together really snug when you do.
The positive pin sits proudly at the bottom of the 510 pin which is good to see.
The first con I've found is the 510 drip tip adapter is really difficult to push in, no matter what I try a little piece of the O-ring sticks out which means it doesn't sit flush...annoying but nothing to write home about could be just a crap o-ring
When assembled the top of the tank comes off like a typical dripper which is held on by an O-ring...I have noticed when placing this top section back on after refilling it snags on the post (or something under there) unless you drop exactly vertically down, however once on turning it for the air vent is very smooth.
There is a second set of airflow holes if you unscrew the top section of the tank. As you can see below
Unlike the bottom airflow this can only be accessed and controlled by screwing or unscrewing that top section ....here is where my second con comes in...it's linked to the bottom airflow i.e. If you want side airflow only, and close off the bottom airflow this puts the side airflow out of alignment with the coils ....erm what? that is a complete fail? Why have it in the first place it adds no value like this
Another con .. there is no stopper on the bottom airflow, you can turn it 360 degrees which means you are either lining up with the hole under the coil or you can see through onto the deck if you turn too far!
Lastly the bottom airholes aren't exactly aligned which means you aren't getting even airflow over both coil see below (didn't adjust between these shots)
Edit: make sure to push the top chamber down fully to avoid the below mine is still slightly off but not as bad as these pics now I've sussed that out!
I'm surprised these things were missed from beta testing they really should have sorted these design issues before release.
Ok ok kingpin ...I've heard enough so what's she like to build on?
It's a standard velocity style deck... if it ain't broke don't fix it and all that. The deck is the same stainless steel as the rest of the tank. The grub screws are Allen key and accommodate a slightly larger Allen key compared with other decks I've used which is good.
Edit: You can really twist these grub screws hard without fear of stripping them which shows they are quality
Don't be expecting huge coil build on this deck...what! don't be a muppet kingpin it's a 24mm ..yeah I know right hold on let me put a side by side with the pindad which is a 22mm (excuse the mashed up cotton on the pindad thatll be Rockets scrumptious RY4 lol)
In case you didn't realise the pindad is on the left
The wicking hole placements are exactly the same ....what...why? Look at all that rim space not being utilised on the Gaia come on guys you could have been more creative here...I get that its bottom airflow so you need space for it but this is tiny
Here's another shot before I juiced it up (I put in just some simple 316L dual coils (7wraps) at 2.5mm diameter
Bear in mind these are tiny coils and they are almost covering the bottom airflow holes!. Also I had to bend in my coil legs because the post holes get in the way of the wicking holes
Also another thing which is inexcusable is the tiny little vent holes when you refill. Notice on the pic above at the far left of the deck how they are both situated at the same end rather than 1 each side in the middle (like on the pindad) this means you get false overflow before the tank is full not good considering the rim of the deck is like 1mm high and it's easy to have an overflow incident during a refill
Edit: Lastly there is no option with this tank to run a single coil its dual coil only I'm afraid (something the pindad offers)
Now I've been really critical of the build deck on the Gaia and I don't think I'm being unfair either...it's one saving grace is the filling well. I actually prefer this to the pindad (which has to be pushed down to refill) this is line up and "squirt" works well no issues (apart from my point in the paragraph above)
Wicking is a breeze on this (not quite as easy as the pindad where you can entirely remove the build deck when wicking but still very easy). I just cut the cotton slightly longer than the base and hang down the cotton just into the top of the tank.
Well how does she vape
Airy is an understatement on the Gaia I have the airvents almost closed and it's still an airy vape..I can't see a time I would ever want to use the "side" vents. I tried and they were useless so will be staying shut
Edit: if you are running bigger coils you might want these open to blow some serious clouds
You also get a load of condensation inside the housing which at some point could lead to leaking
The official line from Cthulhu is they went for a balance between flavour and clouds on this RDTA
I would agree with that it does achieve this and does it really well.
Edit: in my original review I used simple 316l wraps which were disappointing...this tanks shines with bigger coils in it (assuming you manage to get them on the deck ok) having later used fused claptons (2x28g KA1. cores and NI80 38g wrap) this balance is even better than my original review, it really is an intense vape both in flavour and cloud
I tried both the ultem stock drip tip and the 510 adapter and you get better flavour with a 510
Edit: with larger coil builds the Ultem drip tip works really well
Edit; if you run simple coils it's a disappointing vape because it's so airy. I think a lot of it has to do with the this extra peice at the top for side air flow, it's making the conical chamber too high which is why bigger builds are better on this RDTA
Edit: How does it compare with the Pindad, well with a bigger coil build this is more intense than the Pindad if that is what you are after, but on the flavour and smooth vape front the pindad is still the RDTA squonking champ in my opinion
So my final conclusion (Edit)
This tank isn't without its faults as I've pointed out above. Avoid simple coil builds you absolutely need something that's going to give lots of vapour in here because it's so airy, fused clapton work great...the flavour is great as are the clouds, but I do get the feeling Cthulhu have tried to make this a "be all things to all people" as a result have missed a trick to excel in any one area, being they were going for a balance though they have certainly achieved this!
Pros
Solid Construction
Lovely silky threads
Squonk enabled
Very easy to assemble and take apart
Spare glass and yes no plastic tank!
Ultem Drip tip as standard
Easy refilling
Easy to wick
Cheaper than the Pindad by a considerable amount
Intense vape experience with bigger coil builds
Cons
510 drip adapter hard to put in
Side airflow management is woeful
Misaligned airholes
To airy for my liking especially with the small build deck
Poorly designed build deck layout
2ml juice well (not an issue if squonking)
No single coil option
Useless with simple coils
Finally received my Gaia from Cthulhu Mods. The wait was a long one considering I placed a Pre-Order, my expectations were high considering how good the mighty Pindad was by Bombertech
I purchased this RDTA myself, my review comments are my personal views and experiences so far:
What do you get?
First of all this is probably the nicest presentation box I've seen so far, I would be happy receiving an expensive watch in this box!
Open it up and the tank is nicely presented along with the extras...so far so good
At the bottom of the box is the authenticity sticker and some wording with regards to the contents of the box.
Ok great what's in it then? Well you receive a bunch of extras including:
A spare 2 ml glass tank, an entire set of replacement O-rings, 2 spare grub screws, a 510 drip tip adapter, a Squonk pin and a little Phillips screw you put in the juice filling port when using this for squonking
As you can see in the above pic the tank breaks into 6 separate pieces for easy maintenance and cleaning. The tank itself is very clean out of the box there are no inscriptions anywhere except on the bottom which I personally like.
Tank Breakdown
Height: 40 mm / 1.57 inch (with drip tip)
Width: 24 mm / 0.94 inch
Weight: 40g / 1.41 oz
Capacity 2ml (squonk capable)
304 SS tank
Ultem stock Drip Tip
Glass tank (could be Pyrex not sure)
Peek insulators
I think from this point on I'm going to start running comparisons to the Bombertech Pindad from time to time being these two tanks share similar designs for refilling methods and squonking ability (Also being the Pindad is my favourite tank so far so this will be a good benchmark for me to play off)
Threading on the Gaia is very smooth, couldn't find a single burr. Everything fits together really well, and unlike the pindad where you have to screw the base on first as far as it will go before putting the plastic tank on to avoid leaking this one requires no thought with regards to assembly, there really is only one way to assemble it, and it fits together really snug when you do.
The positive pin sits proudly at the bottom of the 510 pin which is good to see.
The first con I've found is the 510 drip tip adapter is really difficult to push in, no matter what I try a little piece of the O-ring sticks out which means it doesn't sit flush...annoying but nothing to write home about could be just a crap o-ring
When assembled the top of the tank comes off like a typical dripper which is held on by an O-ring...I have noticed when placing this top section back on after refilling it snags on the post (or something under there) unless you drop exactly vertically down, however once on turning it for the air vent is very smooth.
There is a second set of airflow holes if you unscrew the top section of the tank. As you can see below
Unlike the bottom airflow this can only be accessed and controlled by screwing or unscrewing that top section ....here is where my second con comes in...it's linked to the bottom airflow i.e. If you want side airflow only, and close off the bottom airflow this puts the side airflow out of alignment with the coils ....erm what? that is a complete fail? Why have it in the first place it adds no value like this
Another con .. there is no stopper on the bottom airflow, you can turn it 360 degrees which means you are either lining up with the hole under the coil or you can see through onto the deck if you turn too far!
Lastly the bottom airholes aren't exactly aligned which means you aren't getting even airflow over both coil see below (didn't adjust between these shots)
Edit: make sure to push the top chamber down fully to avoid the below mine is still slightly off but not as bad as these pics now I've sussed that out!
I'm surprised these things were missed from beta testing they really should have sorted these design issues before release.
Ok ok kingpin ...I've heard enough so what's she like to build on?
It's a standard velocity style deck... if it ain't broke don't fix it and all that. The deck is the same stainless steel as the rest of the tank. The grub screws are Allen key and accommodate a slightly larger Allen key compared with other decks I've used which is good.
Edit: You can really twist these grub screws hard without fear of stripping them which shows they are quality
Don't be expecting huge coil build on this deck...what! don't be a muppet kingpin it's a 24mm ..yeah I know right hold on let me put a side by side with the pindad which is a 22mm (excuse the mashed up cotton on the pindad thatll be Rockets scrumptious RY4 lol)
In case you didn't realise the pindad is on the left
The wicking hole placements are exactly the same ....what...why? Look at all that rim space not being utilised on the Gaia come on guys you could have been more creative here...I get that its bottom airflow so you need space for it but this is tiny
Here's another shot before I juiced it up (I put in just some simple 316L dual coils (7wraps) at 2.5mm diameter
Bear in mind these are tiny coils and they are almost covering the bottom airflow holes!. Also I had to bend in my coil legs because the post holes get in the way of the wicking holes
Also another thing which is inexcusable is the tiny little vent holes when you refill. Notice on the pic above at the far left of the deck how they are both situated at the same end rather than 1 each side in the middle (like on the pindad) this means you get false overflow before the tank is full not good considering the rim of the deck is like 1mm high and it's easy to have an overflow incident during a refill
Edit: Lastly there is no option with this tank to run a single coil its dual coil only I'm afraid (something the pindad offers)
Now I've been really critical of the build deck on the Gaia and I don't think I'm being unfair either...it's one saving grace is the filling well. I actually prefer this to the pindad (which has to be pushed down to refill) this is line up and "squirt" works well no issues (apart from my point in the paragraph above)
Wicking is a breeze on this (not quite as easy as the pindad where you can entirely remove the build deck when wicking but still very easy). I just cut the cotton slightly longer than the base and hang down the cotton just into the top of the tank.
Well how does she vape
Airy is an understatement on the Gaia I have the airvents almost closed and it's still an airy vape..I can't see a time I would ever want to use the "side" vents. I tried and they were useless so will be staying shut
Edit: if you are running bigger coils you might want these open to blow some serious clouds
You also get a load of condensation inside the housing which at some point could lead to leaking
The official line from Cthulhu is they went for a balance between flavour and clouds on this RDTA
I would agree with that it does achieve this and does it really well.
Edit: in my original review I used simple 316l wraps which were disappointing...this tanks shines with bigger coils in it (assuming you manage to get them on the deck ok) having later used fused claptons (2x28g KA1. cores and NI80 38g wrap) this balance is even better than my original review, it really is an intense vape both in flavour and cloud
I tried both the ultem stock drip tip and the 510 adapter and you get better flavour with a 510
Edit: with larger coil builds the Ultem drip tip works really well
Edit; if you run simple coils it's a disappointing vape because it's so airy. I think a lot of it has to do with the this extra peice at the top for side air flow, it's making the conical chamber too high which is why bigger builds are better on this RDTA
Edit: How does it compare with the Pindad, well with a bigger coil build this is more intense than the Pindad if that is what you are after, but on the flavour and smooth vape front the pindad is still the RDTA squonking champ in my opinion
So my final conclusion (Edit)
This tank isn't without its faults as I've pointed out above. Avoid simple coil builds you absolutely need something that's going to give lots of vapour in here because it's so airy, fused clapton work great...the flavour is great as are the clouds, but I do get the feeling Cthulhu have tried to make this a "be all things to all people" as a result have missed a trick to excel in any one area, being they were going for a balance though they have certainly achieved this!
Pros
Solid Construction
Lovely silky threads
Squonk enabled
Very easy to assemble and take apart
Spare glass and yes no plastic tank!
Ultem Drip tip as standard
Easy refilling
Easy to wick
Cheaper than the Pindad by a considerable amount
Intense vape experience with bigger coil builds
Cons
510 drip adapter hard to put in
Side airflow management is woeful
Misaligned airholes
To airy for my liking especially with the small build deck
Poorly designed build deck layout
2ml juice well (not an issue if squonking)
No single coil option
Useless with simple coils
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