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Smallest RTA rebuildable and RTA with premade coils?

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
hopefully without turning this into a big project I'm about to start searching for small RTA rebuildable and ones that only use premade coils. I will probably get one of each type, but I would like the coils to be on the cheaper side like $1.50 each with a 5-10 pack on fasttech and not likely to be discontinued any time soon. Much prefer juice flow control also. I use a TFV8 regular size and might get the baby one but they have no juice flow and the coils aren't that cheap. I had a vaporesso Gemini RTA rebuildable mega and it wasn't gigantic or anything and it had juice flow but I preferred the TFV8 performance better and sold the Gemini but open to rebuying the non mega gemini.


Any suggestions while I'm searching though everything also? Not necessarily looking for absolute smallest where I have to refill it all the time but generally small.


thanks in advance.
 

choderfett

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
whats the difference between a small RTA rebuildable and ones that only use premade coils?
Arn't both still referencing a RTA or do you mean a subohm?

small RTA I recommend would be serpent SMM.
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
whats the difference between a small RTA rebuildable and ones that only use premade coils?
Arn't both still referencing a RTA or do you mean a subohm?
small RTA I recommend would be serpent SMM


yea I didn't know, but you're right I basically meant RTA or RDTA etc AND just a subohm tank.
thanks for the suggestion too.
 

Clapton

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
What do you mean with small? slim or short ?

TFV8 (Baby beast) is slim and short but with the RBA it has almost no capacity.
The ADVKEN MANTA RTA is very short to its capacity but a little wider with the bubble tank. it has a lot of capacity and flavour (my favorite overall!)

If You wanna go with 22mm, i would try the AMMIT 22 single coil RDA

A lot of options- a lot of pain ;)
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
OK here's the list I came up with. This actually took forever because there's so many RTAs and I haven't looked at RTAs for about a year.

when I said I wanted a small RTA, I guess I meant short and stout in order to use up the full 24mm of my single 18650 MOD, and my dual 18650 can fit 25mm with no overhang, but a little overhang I'm not too opposed to if it means I can use a tank I prefer more than a narrower one.
Use up the full mm of the MOD in order to hold more juice in the tank, in theory should correlate, but some tanks are wider but hold less juice due to a large build deck and/or chimney or shorter height.


There were tons that didn't make my list because a quick image search showed they didn't have much to offer over the others. Or they had IMO worse decks, like the old type with no opening to put the wire through, they just clamp up against a post, sometimes a cylindrical post, all of which I don't think is best for a big fused Clapton wire I use.

Basically I did searches for "best RTA of 2017" "best RTA" etc etc, found articles, reddit posts etc. Saw what was popular and therefore should be good tanks before even seeing what they looked like. Then figured out if fasttech has it and lots of spare parts (extra glass, gaskets, o rings etc), and also had clones of it, then it's usually a good (popular) tank. Same thing if there's a lot of youtube videos, especially from the more popular channels usually means it's a worthwhile tank.


I still have to check through fasttech for just "RTA" but it's going to be thousands of results and I doubt I missed anything.

So anyways, here's what I've come up with. If it says 24x55 or something, that means millimeters.

I'm gonna sort of nit pick between these and get a few. Depending on certain specifics like "top air flow only" which I think is a good idea. It basically makes juice flow obsolete except for when filling. I don't think I personally can tell the difference between all the air flow styles (swirly, multi angled, direct under coil etc), but I do notice wide open vs tight draw of course but that's besides the point. What I mean is that top air flow leak-proof designs may not be preferred by some people vs other types of air flow but I doubt I'll notice after getting used to it. True if you wick right, you won't have leaks, and if you need juice flow to decrease intake and prevent leaks probably means you're not using the tank to its full potential, But I think juice flow (or leak proof top air) is a must in summer heat - in a car etc, they just start leaking sometimes. I'm vaping an octa coil premade TFV8 right now flavorless %100 VG (flavor thins the juice due to PG or alcohol base) so I'm vaping the thickest juice possible but it still leaks sometimes at room temperature. Would be nice if it were leak-proof. And it's only very rarely it leaks in this settings but it does decide to leak sometimes for whatever reason.

You can nit pick them however you want, I'm just posting this to hopefully save others a lot of time who are new to RTAs and don't want to make a research project out of narrowing down the newest RTAs. FYI not much has changed since about 14 months ago, biggest change I would say are the top air flow leak-proof ones. If it's flooding from not enough cotton or from heat thinning the juice, then you'll be sucking up the juice like a straw and may need to rebuild anyway but at least will not have juice pouring all over you mod etc. can probably do the blow outward trick and clear a gurgle and then wipe but if it keeps flooding, something's wrong.


MOST of these mm sizes are correct, especially if it says confirmed which means I found a picture the manufacture made showing measurements, or found a video someone measuring it, but a few random 'confirmed' measurements may mean I only found the size of the tank confirmed and estimated the height of the included drip tip based on scale.

JF = has juice flow. Doesn't have JF if it doesn't say JF (but a couple still might because I didn't go much further into depth about these yet other than googling the name + "juice flow" and then [find] "juice flow" in the google results. (some call it juice control also I've learned afterwards).

Velocity means dual coil (velocity style).
Single means Single coil only (or maybe can do dual but not meant to).

a lot seem to have shifted back to single coil-only, which, with a big dual clapton/alien etc coil, should be plenty of vapor, and for a single 18650 MOD will conserve battery life.

also please note some things just might be wrong because as I noted about how I determined if they have juice flow or not with a simple google search and then "find" "juice flow" on the first page or so, I didn't go much into depth for each tank yet because it's just too much time. But probably %95 of info is correct.

Mage RTA: 24x39 w tip confirmed 3.5ml velocity.

merlin MTL (meant to be MTL, google MTL vaping if not sure. it includes various chimney reducer size tiny inserts): single 22x43 w shorter included tip. 3ml confirmed.

Merlin Mini single or velocity 24x42.5 w tip 2ml confirmed no JF

engine rta leakproof top air, Dual velocity, 25x55 w tip. 5.2ml - also a 23mm mini not sure ml on the mini.

ijoy captain elite mini Single 22.5X46 prolly not w tip. 2or3ml at same height using bubble tank included.

ijoy captain rta non-elite mini. JF dual postless air flow hits sides (which could help prevent leaking, but probably also has air flwo form under which can leak) 4ml confirmed, not 3.8 stated. 25.5x52 w tip confirmed

AZEROTH RTA triple
Triple 28 RTA :
these are triple postless tanks I might get 1 just for fun regardless of nit picking the specs I didn't compare yet.

griffin rta NON mini JF 25x65 w ctip 5ml velocity

griffin rta mini JF 25x46 w tip 3ml velocity

Herakles RTA velocity JF 25x67 6ml OR mini 24x58 3ml

gemini mega rta JF 25x67 4.5ml. Non mega 22.5mm x 67 3ml same height just fatter. I had one of these a year ago when I also got a TFV8 and sold it and stuck with the TFV8 because I ended up preferring the TFV8's wider air flow and ability to use premade octa coils. It basically the same as the Griffin 25 and Aromamizer.

TFV8: been using this for about a year. It's a great tank, maybe the most popular (will have parts available for a long time and cheap), premade coils are cheap from china and the included RBA dual velocity is good also. I didn't include pre-made coil "sub ohm tanks" in this list because that's a different project. I've been using premade 6 or octa (octa 8 coil but really is 4 single strand wires doubled up in parallel and isn't a huge noticeable difference vs a 5 wrap dual fused Clapton build), been using premade coils mostly lately, for about $2 and last me about 3 weeks or more is practically free, but it's nice to build you own and dry burn and change out to fresh cotton weekly and change coil metal every month or so is the consensus (some more or less).
I don't really like the rubber seal at the top, it swells and then can't close the tank. I figured out I can just cut a piece off of it (if removed fully though, the tank won't stay closed). I don't like swelling gaskets reacting with juice possibly leaching stuff etc - I would prefer to just unscrew a threaded cap than this hinged gasket cap. It's also quite tall and I prefer shorter but it does hold 6ml so might not need to carry a small bottle of juice with you. Confirmed 24.5X64 w/included tip.
mini TFV8 baby beast and big baby beast: basically same thing as above but smaller.
 
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vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
Wotofo Sapor RTA 22mm JF dual coil 2ml 22mm x aprox 52 w tip. no leak top air

Wotofo Sapor RTA 25mm JF dual coil 25mm 47.5mm w cap. 3.5 or 4ml unclear. no leak top air.

Kylin RTA mini Single, air hits sides (but still may leak from under air). 24.4mmX about 40mm w- tip 3or5ml same size

Kylin RTA single/dual. 24x61 6ml or 49mm 2ml. hits side coil (but still may leak from under air)

Govad RTA 24mmX50 4ml confirmed. Single. hits side coil (but still may leak from under air)

zeus rta 25x45.5 Single 4ml confirmed. 2ml TPD version is shorter but still 25mm. top air means no leaks.

pharaoh mini JF 24mm w/ cap 47mm 2ml TPD version. OR 24x 55w cap 4.5ml Single or buy additional decks. Kind of reminds me of the Zeus media blast finish, has JF which zeus doesn't but zeus has leak proof top air. Seems overpriced at $47 on fasttech I would, and am probably getting the Zeus instead (plus a couple others probably).

Advken Manta RTA 24mm 41mm even with shorter option 3 or 4.5ml option. Dual velocity esque

berserker MTL tight air Single 24X43mm 4.5ml, 2ml is shorter

ammit rta V2 dual coil version 25X47 3ml 3or6ml adapter included, 6ml about 55mm. hits side coil (but still may leak from under air).

Kayfun not trying to spend $100 on an RTA, Fasttech removed "kayfun" from results of 316L clone/style versions, need to search "prime style rta" instead. Might get one to mimic the performance of the original protank 1/2 which originally made me enjoy vaping. But kayfuns are quite tall and should be able to mimic protank good enough if not better with any of these other single coil RTAs with a single strand 1.8ohm build and using tight air flow (not to mention the protank doesn't wick as good, is more leak prone, and not supposed to rebuild protank without adding low resistance leads to the main coil wire) but I still might get a protank 2 also just to have it.

serpent smm - 24x45 single postless 4ml

Voluna 25mm RTA - dual velocity 25x45 2.5ml

Hotcig Centaur 24X42.5 in 2ml mode. 4ml extension included. Single coil, Easily shorts if excess wire is not cut flush after building (saw this in a video, any RTA with a similar deck would have same issue).

_____________________________________

so that's my list of what I think are the most worthwhile current RTAs in 24-25mm or similar range. If I missed anything please do let me know, thanks! Hope I saved others some time!
 
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minimag03

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Wait, so you made a "list of what I think are the most worthwhile current RTAs in 24-25mm or similar range" for others to use, but you haven't tried any of them and are asking for advice on which one(s) to buy? ... lol


So are you still searching for an RTA(s)? I know of two that I didn't see on your list of the most worthwhile current RTAs that I think you might enjoy more than the ones you listed (judging by your posts).

The OBS Nano Engine (not the standard or the mini). Top airflow directed from the side, 5ml+ capacity, and is 25mm.

The Wake RTA is also a good option for you since it's a rebuildable tank that can also use pre-made coil heads, but it is bottom airflow. (I'd personally go with the Nano).
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
well, I didn't find any more attys to add to the list after finalizing the search by going through all of Fasttech's "atomizers".

I think fasttech is just screwed up or something:
If I just type in "RTA" on the main page, it says there's 499 results, 394 of them in the category "Atomizers", 76 in "misc accessories", the other ~25 in random categories like "drip tips", "coil heads" etc.

So ok I go to the Atomizer category to look though them all, apparently there's many more which aren't listed though. The 499 items make up 8 pages I looked through them all and didn't see most of the ones I already listed but they are listed on Fasttech. And if I search those items separately, they show up in the Atomizer category (and also have "RTA" attached to their names). So I dunno what the problem is. If I search "Zeus rta", it'll show it in the Atomizer category, but if I go through all 8 pages of the 395 atomizers, the Zeus isn't there.

But, I don't think there's even anything I missed worth while for me or those looking for 24-25mm ish RTA that are mostly stout and not too tall, and that accommodate big coils like fused claptons.
As mentioned, I basically voided out all attys with small wire holes meant mostly for single strand wire because I use fused claptons, but can still use thin single strand wire in a large velocity deck or similar).
____________________________________________________________________________________________



Wait, so you made a "list of what I think are the most worthwhile current RTAs in 24-25mm or similar range" for others to use, but you haven't tried any of them and are asking for advice on which one(s) to buy? ... lol


So are you still searching for an RTA(s)? I know of two that I didn't see on your list of the most worthwhile current RTAs that I think you might enjoy more than the ones you listed (judging by your posts).

The OBS Nano Engine (not the standard or the mini). Top airflow directed from the side, 5ml+ capacity, and is 25mm.

The Wake RTA is also a good option for you since it's a rebuildable tank that can also use pre-made coil heads, but it is bottom airflow. (I'd personally go with the Nano).

I didn't use any of those tanks listed other than the TFV8 and Gemini, but I watched a lot of reviews which were mostly all positives, and saw the star ratings and don't think I listed any POS or defective tanks.

YES! the OBS Engine (nano and standard) are great tanks, thanks for pointing out that I missed that. I might actually get one of those too.

The reason it's not on the list is because it ended up in my "sub ohm tank" folder simply as "OBS Engine", and I didn't yet search about sub ohm tanks which use premade coils to have figure out that there are RTA-only Engines.
It ended up categorized as a sub tank because I must have done a google image search for simply OBS Engine (first thing I did was look at pictures) and saw the premade coil next to it along with the other RBA pictures and probably figured it was a RBA that can also use Premade coils (like TFV8s), but there's about 4 different Engine tanks.
Or I saw the premade coils when "OBS Engine" is searched on Fasttech.
There are probably at least a few others which ended up in my sub ohm folder but might be RTA-only versions because of this same confusion, but I would have listed them with these later.
Besides the TFV8 that I listed as an RTA, any sub ohm tanks which also have an RBA deck I'll list as a sub-ohm tank though.
But thanks for pointing out that the Standard OBS engine (and 25mm nano, and 23mm mini) are RBA-only.



OBS Engine RTA Standard 25mm: dual velocity, 25x54.5 w/ tip confirmed by manufacturer's 'parameters" graphic, 5.3ml, leak proof top air.

OBS Engine Nano RTA 25mm: single, 5.3 ml 25x54.5 w tip confirmed by saw in manual during review most likely means w/ included tip because Standard version was confirmed same size with tip. Leak proof top air. (identical to standard version besides dual vs single coil deck).

OBS Engine Mini RTA 23mm:
dual velocity 3.5ml 23X54.5 w/ tip most likely. Leak proof top air. Basically identical to the Standard dual velocity version but is 23mm instead of 25mm hence the 3.5ml vs 5.3ml.
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
just wanted to add one more tid bit as if my posts haven't been long enough already which is that if you're new to vaping or even if not, don't be afraid to put a 25mm tank on a 24mm MOD.

When I first started looking at newer tank videos, a lot of reviewers seemed to be very preoccupied with making sure there was no overhang and I thought it was silly. Sure a 30mm tank on a 24mm mod may look ridiculous but don't be afraid to put a 25mm on a 24mm MOD if you really like that 25mm tank (and that 24mm MOD).

A US dime coin is 1.35mm thick. Which means a 25mm tank on a 24mm MOD will overhanging the mod at a distance that is less than half the thickness of a US dime, which is practically nothing.
 

lucifah

Shinyitis Victim
VU Donator
Bronze Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Doggystyle is a nice small RTA (22mm), very low profile, but good capacity (4ml, I think). Tastes very good, but deck is a bit fiddly. Only bottom fill and plastic tanks, but haven't had problems and replacements are cheap as chips.

Edit to add: Discontinued, I believe, but decent clones available through the normal Chinese channels. :)
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
minimag, after all that reply, I realized I did list the OBS Engine and the mini (but I must have though mini was the nano) but there are different.
 

minimag03

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
The Nano is very different from the other Engines. It brings the airflow down to directly hit the coil compared to just throwing it on top. It's kinda the gold-standard of top-airflow RTAs, at least affordable ones.

But if you want a tank than can accept both pre-made coils AND your own builds, that Wake tank is about the newest thing out there. It's supposed to be great too.
 

Iliketurtles

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Big Baby Beast comes with RBA (and extended glass section) as well as taking standard coils, both jobs in one.
 

lucifah

Shinyitis Victim
VU Donator
Bronze Contributor
Member For 3 Years
merlin MTL (meant to be MTL, google MTL vaping if not sure. it includes various chimney reducer size tiny inserts): single 22x43 w shorter included tip. 3ml confirmed. JF but unscrews tank if too much.

The Merlin MTL most definitely has no juice flow control. It looks like, but it isn't one. The only thing you'd achieve is separating the chimney from the base and thereby you'd open the tank, if you twist it. Unless you meant juice flow from the inside of the tank to all over the place, then yes, that can be controlled :) Source: me, vaping on it right now.
Otherwise I can confirm everything else you said. It is a little bit airy for most hardcore MTL people, even with small inserts and side air screws closed off. However, unlike most reviewers, I think it's a great tank and tastes good too, if you don't need it to have a super tight draw.
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
The Merlin MTL most definitely has no juice flow control. It looks like, but it isn't one. The only thing you'd achieve is separating the chimney from the base and thereby you'd open the tank, if you twist it. Unless you meant juice flow from the inside of the tank to all over the place, then yes, that can be controlled Source: me, vaping on it right now.
Otherwise I can confirm everything else you said. It is a little bit airy for most hardcore MTL people, even with small inserts and side air screws closed off. However, unlike most reviewers, I think it's a great tank and tastes good too, if you don't need it to have a super tight draw.


CORRECT! thanks! I edited it out. NO Juice flow control on the merlin MTL RTA. The way I determined if each RTA had JF or not was usually simply by googling the name plus juice flow, Googled "Merlin rta juice flow", and then Ctrl+f [find] "Juice flow" on the page to see what I found. When doing that for the merlin shows misinformation, including a full on review of it here saying it has JF.


Augvape Merlin RTA
The Merlin is a 23mm RTA (Rebuildable Tank Atomizer) designed by Roxy and produced by Augvape who are an American manufacturer. The tank features all of the typical features you can expect including juice flow control, dual adjustable airflow, top filling and a 4ml capacity.

https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/reviews/rba/augvape-merlin-rta.html

also find this on the first page of google result:
I got a Merlin RTA (not mini) and experiencing minor leaking at the 'juice flow...
reddit^

And this:
The Merlin Mini does not have juice flow control like its predecessor and that's due to its size.
vapingunderground^

And:
Augvape Merlin - should juice flow ring rotate? - The Vaping Forum

And:
Something else worth mentioning is that this tank is supposed to have juice flow control, but it seems that regardless of where the juice flow control is ...
augvape,com^

And
23 mm diameter - 4ml Capacity - Single and dual coil capable - 1.8mm post holes - 3mm juice feed holes - Top filling through two large fill slots - Juice flow.
augvape's official page for it^

EDIT: sorry, now I see why, there's an Augvape merlin RTA AND and a separate Augvape Merlin RTA MTL version.
hate when they do that. I'd rather they just came up with a different name, sometimes even for V2 and v3 and V2 mini and V3 nano etc makes thing complicated, but I guess "mini/nano" is perfectly acceptable when there's not much difference other than size.
IMO the MTL Merlin should have a completely different name than the non-MTL. Being an MTL is a huge difference, practically a different atty category.
 
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lucifah

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Member For 3 Years
Being an MTL is a huge difference, practically a different atty category.

Yeah, except that the Merlin MTL is fully capable of (restricted) DL. Just a re-purposed tank apparently. Still like it though :)
I agree that names should be less confusing! Almost purchased the wrong Merlin!
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
hmm decisions decision, not really sure which MTL to get.

The mini Merlin I basically voided out because it's only 2ml. It is a bit shorter than the full size one though because it's 24mm, not 22. The Mini is 24x43 w tip confirmed, and that IS an MTL tip.

The $23 standard Merlin is only 22ml but holds 3ml which I guess will do. It's 22x54 using the MTL tip, or 22 x aprox 47 (give or take just 1mm or so on the 47mm) using the short, wide black tip which isn't really an MTL tip.

The mini I believe only includes 2 sizes of chimney reducers but the standard includes 4.

Berserker MTL $45 on fasttech but $28 with MAP code, $30 elsewhere China, I don't think includes any reducers, you have to like the air flow they decided on, but it'll hold 4.5ml at 24x43 including the MTL tip caliper confirmed.

so basically the 4.5ml capacity of the berserker is attractive but doesn't have chimney reducer options. It also has individual holes for the air flow instead of the Merlin's oval slot which might be more prone to whistling when set as restrictive but on the other hand probably allows more wide open air flow if that even happens to be preferred with an MTL.

There's also the $30 Innokin Ares RTA MTL which I didn't originally list because I didn't pick up on it being an MTL. Holds 5ml, and just going by Fasttech's specs it's 24x54 which probably includes the tip since the Berserker holds 4.5ml at 43mm wip included.
I don't think this includes any chimney reducers either, and I originally might have seen this tank but didn't included it in my "best" list because it seems to be a bit genesis top coil-esque being that the wick tails have to tuck down quite a distance meaning that juice might not wick as well or as quickly. I guess the reason for top-coil-esque is to have the coil closer to the mouth for better flavor at the expense of slower wicking. If you ask me, I'd rather have it wick faster. No one wants a burnt coil, and how much flavor difference is a ~8mm difference in distance from the coil to mouth going to make?

Also not listed probably because I didn't know what MTL meant at the time is the $30 Fumytech Rose MTL, which isn't top-coil esque BTW.
Just by going by Fasttech's specs it'll hold 3.5ml at 24x55 which even if that includes the tip, I think the Merlin Standard is a better choice at 22x54mm 3ml because even though the Merlin holds .5ml less, it includes various chimney reducers and I'm almost certain the Rose doesn't.

Lastly is the $25 Cthulhu Hastur MTL which includes 5 reducers sizes and you can buy 5 more different ones for $3.20 which are dual-holed and might produce a different/better MTL flavor.
Holds 3.5 @ 24x52mm including the tip confirmed by caliper video.
This one is also top-coil-esque having long wick tails that may not feed the coil as quickly but might give better flavor since the coil is closer to the mouth.


MTL is all about flavor basically, a lot of MTL reviews say they're getting the best flavor of basically all their tanks.
Most of these listed above are very new like 2 months or so, so if MTL picks up more, I think we'll be seeing more MTL tanks, like 25mm ones that hold more juice also without being tall, some genesis top col -esque and some not, and most with various reducers.
------------------------------
Edit, personally I'm getting the berserker. I vape very thick %100VG juice (and am going to start trying VG-based flavors which adds no thinner alcohol/PG based flavors to the mix at all), so I want to avoid those two top coil--genesis-esque RTAs regardless of chimney reducer options and ml capacity and cheaper price of them. Thick juice and long wicks is a combination for a burnt hit that ruins the cotton that overrides the benefits IMO.

So it was between the berserker and the Merlin for neither being genesis-esque. I'd rather have the 4.5ml of the berserker vs 3ml Merlin regardless that merlin includes chimney options and berserker doesn't.

Might as well add that there's a digiflavor siren MTL but it's also top coil-genesis-esque and not for me. Probably some other MTLs such as the Kayfuns but I'm not going to google like crazy, I already listed all the ones FT has when search "MTL RTA" and added two or three others I stumbled on that weren't in the results but were mentioned in reviews as competition.
 
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vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
Too late to edit a previous post and there's at least a few incorrect specs in there (I got specs from others/manufacturers/fasttech and there's way too much exageration or misinformation on height and ml capacity, but written below are upgraded specs confirmed by syringe or caliper in youtube videos).
---
If you just want specs, just skip to the specs post lol, the rest of this is kinda just rant and reasoning.


All I'm wanting is decent mls in a compact, short single-coil RTA WITH JUICE FLOW CONTROL (JF). They exist, but not with JF.
I know a lot of people are Okay without JF but I've had plenty of tanks leak and I'm sure you have too. Even if you wick perfectly, tanks just leak sometimes. I don't know why. It'll be working fine and then leak a few days later or something.
When you refill, it leaks.
When it's hot outside or in a hot car etc, it leaks no matter how perfect you wick.
If you want to change juice to something with more % flavor (flavor base is thinner than VG) or use a different VG/PG/Flavor ratio, it leaks.
Leave tank on its side, it leaks.
But, close the JF a bit and there's nothing to worry about. I mean, JF is only a metal-to-metal connection which juice can definitely still seep through, but it usually doesn't.
Funny thing is I vape thick %100 VG, often flavorless, and I still get leaks. I stuff plenty of cotton through the coil it's a miracle it doesn't rip when inserted. I tried rolled compacted cotton to fit even more but it still leaks. I try looser cotton, it still leaks. I build ~5 wrap 3mm dual fused kanthal claptons BTW. I cut the cotton so it ends up barely touching the bottom of the deck, sometimes I'll stuff more in the wicking channel, sometimes I'll cut some of the tail long-ways to reduce it - it still leaks.
I think leaking is what recently fried the charging circuit on my DNA200 mod. Worked perfectly for over a year until I had very bad leaking with defective premade coils. USB still works fine in escribe.
I just don't see why they would omit JF on tanks. All it requires is the coil chamber overlap the wicking ports and then a small ~3mm knurled ring to adjust JF. There's no reason NOT to add JF unless to save like 3mm on height, you can just leave the JF open if you want. Every popular vape reviewer suggests to close the JF at least when filling a tank to prevent leaking, so even if they somehow never get leaks like I described, I know they obviously get leaks when refilling without JF.


So I'm personally currently avoiding all tanks without JF at the expense of not being able to choose some that are shorter and hold good mls such as the Kylin mini 24.3mm x 43mm w/ tip and holds 5ml which are good specs but no JF.
Most people will say they're ok without JF but maybe I have bad luck, but even if not, there are still times when tanks leak regardless (hot in summer or hot in car etc). I'm not going to debate JF vs non JF. I'm not even going to assume that I'm building wrong because I've built like 100 times with various methods but it usually ends up leaking at least a little bit. My o-rings look fine also BTW. If you are okay with no JF, hopefully the size and ml specs I list will help you find an RTA that doesn't have JF.

At least now I know exactly what to look for when searching for a new tank next time- I just want decent mls in a short tank with JF. I don't have to nit pick 2mm on height or .5ml capacity which takes a long time if there's a lot of RTAs to search through because they're not all listed in one place either. I know the general dimensions and capacity that are 'good enough' for a compact single coil rta with JF I'm waiting for.
All these youtube vape reviewers and bloggers, half of the video is building a coil and then vaping on it trying to convince you to buy it via a link in description or something so they get a cut of the sale or trying to make things seem better than they are so that manufacturers are more likely to send them more free stuff for review -- there needs to be a person who lists tanks and MODs in chronological order as they come out so you can get out of the loop for a few months or whatever and then check that list and only need to sort through what you missed if you've already refined all of the previous attys (and mods and RDAs etc). With syringe and caliper confirmed specs for each item, I would pay for something like that.

For my bigger dual coil tank for use with dual/triple 3000mAh 18650s, I did find a few that hold good mls and have JF such as the Ammit dual coil
25mmx55mm w/ tip caliper confirmed tall mode (5.75ml syringe confirmed, not 6ml), 27mm at tank is quote bulky though. But I haven't found anything that has JF and holds much juice for a single coil compact RTA for use with a small, single 18650 MOD.

The only tank I'm getting that doesn't have JF is the Berserker MTL only because it's an MTL and none of the other MTLs have JF that I know of except the kayfun if it is an MTL. I'm hoping MTL will recreate the performance I liked from the original Protank 1 in flavor etc (minus the leaking/gurgling of the protank 1-2 of course). If the berserker gives me hell with leaking etc, a kayfun does have JF and is a tight-draw MTL if I'm not mistaken but they're quite tall for a single 18650 small MOD (24mm VT75 nano) and/or might not hold decent mls for a single coil fused clapton build for thick vapor if they have a short version.
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
Notes:
--Some tanks are meant for dual coil but they're postless decks such as the Ammit dual coil, and yes you sort of can put a single coil in there, I've seen it in videos you just stagger to the other side's screw, but this is at the expense of a few things which I'm not sure will give such a good vape. Some tanks have a silicone insert you can plug the other side to make a single coil but personally I'm concerned about a silicone plug being so close to the coil possibly leaching and/or melting.
With a single coil in a deck meant for dual, you'll need extra cotton in the wick holes because they're meant to fit two wicks in each side. Maybe closing the JF (if it has) will work though just using a regular amount of single coil wick.
Some of these decks have a raised air flow metal area in the center that the coil isn't supposed to be above when in dual coil mode, so you'd have to raise the single coil up above that raised area a bit (only about 2-3mm) but still may mean it takes a bit longer to wick if you chain vape. I think the main concern though is that a single in a deck meant for dual will be too air'y of a draw, thus resulting in sub par performance.
This is why I omitted trying to 'hack' a single build into a dual coil RTA in hopes that the specs of said dual coil RTA would be good for my small, single 18650 single coil RTA (single coil to conserve battery life). I asked about building dual thin wound wire builds to make these dual deck RTAs save battery on a smaller single 18650 MOD but the consensus was that a single clapton would be better.

--clickable air flow is really a step backwards IMO. I have a tfv8, and when the air flow ring gets juiced from a leak or just heated from vaping, it spins easily but I've never had a problem with it moving by itself. Reviewers/vapers seem to be always concerned about air flow stopping at fully open instead of just spinning around but I don't see that need either. I'm not sure about the other RTAs, but the Ammit dual coil which I'm getting does have clicking air flow. This means you probably can't precisely tune it, it might not be able to be set in between clicks. I never though I'd care about air flow being so precise but I recently changed types of coils in my sub ohm tank and found that I want to have the air flow just right with the new coils, and this fine adjustment may not be possible if the air adjustment CLICKS to the next amount. Whistling air flow is something else though, and yes that does suck and should be a thing of the past by now if there's a way to avoid that (honey comb inlet or something IDK).

-Kylin mini is 24.3mm x 43mm w/ tip and holds 5ml which are good specs but has no JF. I don't know what manufactures are even thinking making tanks that aren't on that same par of capacity and compact size (and with JF, but even if not, still, why even make it larger and hold less if it's obviously possible with the Kylin mini to have those specs)? I guess larger build deck and/or chimney are plusses at the expense of reduced juice capacity and larger dimensions but if I'm not mistaken these tanks are machine-made and all they have to do is change the specs in the computer and the machines makes it however size they want - they don't have to make a whole separate assembly line of machinery to change a tank's specs slightly such as to make a V1 with larger juice capacity and a V2 with smaller capacity but with a larger deck and chimney.
We use big coils now that are like 5X the amount of vapor as a "1.8 ohm single coil round wire build", we need tanks to hold more mls. I know the 2ml TPD law is used in some countries but many tanks have a 3ml mode or only max out at like 4ml and still are quite larger than the Kylin 5ml. But all they even have to add for most of these tanks is an optional bubble glass and the capacity is increased by about 2ml. This 3ml and 3.5 ml capacity is just stupid - that's practically all we had with a friggin 18mm protank 1 using tiny 1.8ohm round coils.

- The Jual KS RTA is a great concept. It keeps the overall MOD height low and holds 7 frigin mls. They should make that in glass instead of plastic and it's still a compact overall MOD but can maybe hold 10mls.


-Top Air Flow (TAF) RTAs
I said previously that TAF is good to prevent leaking, but in reality it won't prevent FLOODING the build deck like JF does. If you have flooding for any reason (heat, add thinner juice, etc), a TAF RTA will flood the tank and possibly render it useless. No I have NOT used a TAF RTA but in theory what happens is the deck will just fill with juice instead of leaking out air flow on bottom-air tanks. With the Zeus RTA TAF, it has sort of straws on each side that go to the TAF intake. If you blow out to clear a flood, it might clean out the chamber and make it vape-able again (similar to how you can blow out on a bottom air flow RTA and juice will get on your MOD but you might be able to continue vaping fine, at least for a while). However I don't see this as a replacement for JF because with JF you can at least correct the problem and continue vaping whereas with TAF it might just keep flooding until you're all out of juice.
And also I'm not sure about this if it's even noticeable or not but I would think bottom air flow is better performance than TAF anyway.
Thus I voided out all RTAs with top air flow as a replacement for JF. The Wotofo Sapor is TAF and has JF too but doesn't have the height or ml specs I was looking for in a single coil RTA smaller version (sapor is dual-only velocity deck, and doesn't hold as much as other dual coil JF RTAs if considering as a dual coil RTA). With other TAF RTAs besides the Zeus which has those sort of straws chambers, the others like the Engine RTA and Sapor have the In and Out air flow at the top under the mouthpiece, so if you get a flood and blow out, it might not even clear the flood and thus not be vape'able until emptied and rebuilt. With JF, you can close it off a bit and vape fine until you rebuild or just keep it like that.




-I do a lot of physical work and stuff, so I want a small single 18650 3000 mAh MOD to not interfere in pocket, but not something miniature like a juul which barely holds any liquid or battery. The larger Ammit dual coil RTA I'm getting is 25x55mm w/ tip caliper confirmed 5.75ml syringe confirmed. 27mm tank - which is good capacity and not super tall but would likely be too bulky for my mini set up VT75 nano (not to mention kill single 18650 quick with dual claptons). Bigger tanks like this I'll use at other times with a dual 18650 VT250s 6000 mAh.
I'm just mentioning the reason why I nit picked the specs so much to find a small single coil RTA that holds decent mls. A few mms in tank height isn't really anything, maybe the size of a chick pea or something, and it may be possible to find smaller drip tips than the stock ones, but I still want the smaller set-up to be small as possible because once you start accepting taller and bulkier tanks in order to hold more juice, before you know it you're considering the largest tanks available. I could just use an RDA on the smaller MOD and a 5-10ml bottle of juice in pocket, and I love RDAs except for the whole dripping process of course, but when I'm in the middle of doing something and want to hit the vape real quick, i don't want to be bothered by opening bottles and dripping etc. Also, to me, squonks and RDTAs are basically just genesis atomizers, top coil sub-par wicking vs bottom coil RTAs. They're just Genesis style tanks that have small wells and they wick upward and take longer to wick and I prefer to drip onto the top of the coils instead of just juicing the bottom of the wicks like a squonk does. But I will consider a few RDTAs or RDAs with very deep wells because they're very compact and don't leak if you can close off the air, and then just keep a 5-10ml bottle in pocket keeps the overall set-up compact and light.
But, I'd rather just wait and hope a compact bottom coil RTA comes out that holds decent mls with JF.



I actually still have to check through all (well, most) Sub Ohm Tanks (premade coil tanks) for a small MOD sub tank, and something big to replace my TFV8 which has giant premade coils and an RBA deck insert but hopefully with JF which the TFV8 doesn't have, and I don't like the silicone gasket on the TFV8 fill port because it possibly leaches unknown chemicals and it also expands from juice and eventually you can't even close the tank but I figured out that cutting off some of it lets it to close again and won't leak unless you leave it sideways.
I'm not trying to go too crazy with nit picking specs on the sub tanks even though I actually usually prefer to just use a premade $2 sub tank coil (only about $1 a week for coils) vs building an RTA, but this whole process is just a PITA. Once I get a list of tanks to then find the TRUE capacity and dimension of from videos with calipers and syringes, it's not too bad, but just making the list to begin with is pain because there's so much to choose from and I don't even know where to start (Like I said, if someone, a reviewer or vape aficionado or someone would make a chronological list of gear as it's released, and maybe also list caliper and syringe true specs of as much of it as they can, or at least just the manufacturer's specs (often exaggerated though) I would pay/donate for that because it makes keeping up with vape gear so much easier.
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
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Here are my 3 picks thus far
. But once I look though Sub Tanks, I might actually not get any of these because some sub tanks might have JF and better capacity and smaller size, and also have good priced coils which should be available for a while and not become hard to find coils. And they might have RBA sections to add dual/single clapton builds, and they might also have big premade octa-12 coils like the TFV8.


+Dual coil for dual/triple 3000 mAh 18650:
Ammit Dual Coil RTA, 25x55 w/ tip caliper confirmed 6ml mode (5.75ml syringe confirmed). 27mm tank. JF video confirmed.
25X47 3ml syringe confirmed in 3ml mode but he got a little bit dripped out not much though and then basically called it a 2.5ml tank instead of 3ml, he didn't show 6ml filling but mentioned same thing in final thoughts and called it a 5.5ml tank but I think I would call it a 2.75ml mini mode and 5.75ml tall from the small amount that showed leaking when max filled it to the brim.
Reason chose = Basically same as Kylin non mini except this is better size and capacity in mini mode but I won't bother dual coiling in mini mode. The Kylin non mini is 1mm smaller at base and tank though which must mean a smaller chimney chamber if it holds same ml (didn't see 6ml mode syringe confirmed on Kylin non mini though so may be exaggerated so I'ma go with the Ammit and also Ammit is not a sketchy (IMHO) gold plated deck.



+Single coil RTA for the small single 18650 MOD (or to save battery on dual 18650 at the expense of less vapor), I might get the Govad RTA unless I find a sub tank which is better for that MOD.
Govad RTA 24x50.5 caliper confirmed w/ tip. 26mm tank. 4.75ml syringe confirmed (2ml is same size, just remove the black plastic BS thing). JF video confirmed. Single coil only.
Reason = is only 5mm shorter than the Ammit dual coil which is 5.75ml syringe confirmed but the only reason would get Govad is for 24mm MOD for single coil.
Not as short as I'd like in a single-only, and I would even sacrafice about 1ml if could find one shorter with JF, but will have to make due with this until something smaller comes out with JF (or if I find a sub tank that better fits this need).



+ Berserker MTL. single coil. 24x42 4.5ml, no JF, $28 MAP code = reason already listed vs other MTLs previous post.
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
The rest below were considered but I chose the 3 above instead for reasons listed.
Some of the specs below are upgraded since the previous post I can't edit now. They're confirmed by caliper and/or syringe ml in youtube videos and will note if so.




TFV8
w/ cap 24.5x64, 5.5ml (not 6ml advertised), caliper and syringe confirmed
50mm is TFV8 without black tip
13mm is TVF8 black cap give or take maybe 1-2mm (tape measure converted to mm).
(these two are just sort of note to self:
38mm including tip is Mad Hatter v2 tape measure converted
Protank 2 is 18x68 2.5ml


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TOP AIR CATEGORY
OBS Engine RTA Standard 25mm: dual velocity, 25x55 w/ tip confirmed by manufacturer's graphic, 5.3ml, no JF video confirmed. TOP AIR

OBS Engine Mini RTA 23mm: dual velocity 3.5ml 23X55 w/ tip most likely. top air. Basically identical to the Standard dual velocity version but is 23mm instead of 25mm hence the 3.5ml vs 5.3ml. =reason not= sapor also dual velocity, holds same ml, 8mm shorter, and has JF

OBS Engine Nano RTA 25mm: single, 5.3 ml 25x55 w tip confirmed saw manual during review TOP AIR. no JF video confirmed. (identical to standard besides dual vs single coil deck).

zeus rta 25x46 Single 4ml confirmed. 2ml is shorter. TOP AIR. =reason not= don't want top air as explained, and has no JF.

Wotofo Sapor RTA JF dual velocity 25x48 w tip 3.5ml TOP AIR. =reason not= The only top air I found that has JF but they kind of contradict each other and I don't think top air is preferred performance, so just getting a JF bottom air. Would be good for single 18650 but is velocity dual only. If compared to other duals, is quite short but doesn't hold much for big dual coils so would have to sacrifice getting 7mm taller but getting 2.75ml more Ammit dual/Kylin non mini which also are not top air flow. Even if it were single and not top air, the Govad is only 2.5mm taller but holds 1.25ml more w/ JF too.


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Herakles RTA dual velocity, has JF, 25x67 6ml. =reason not= quite taller than others that also have JF and 6ml (or 5.75ml syringe confirmed). This might have most air in the RTA-4 Version though if you like very airy.

Advken Manta RTA 24x41 5ml syringe confirmed (not 4.5ml advertised). No JF confirmed. Dual velocity esque =reason not= cant single coil as my single 18650 battery saver pocket mod. Has good size and ml specs but no JF. Kylin has similar ml and size specs but not JF but can single coil.

serpent smm - 24x45 single 4ml no JF =reason not= Kylin mini basically identical but holds 1ml more and 2mm shorter.

Voluna 25mm RTA - dual velocity 25x45 2.5ml no JF = holds half of the Kylin mini. 2.5ml for dual coil-only means needs refill often.

griffin rta mini, dual velocity, JF, 25x46 w tip 3ml = it's 9mm shorter than Ammit 6ml (about a chick pea shorter) and holds 3ml less than Ammit if wanted to use for dual coil (griffin can only dual). Even if it could single, Govad has better specs and JF. Govad: 24x50.5 caliper confirmed w/ tip. 26mm tank. 4.75ml syringe confirmed JF video confirmed. Single coil only.


Ammit Single coil RTA, 24x56 5ml syringe confirmed, tank is 25mm, JF video confirmed, 24x48 w tip caliper confirmed in 2ml mode, add 8mm makes it about 56mm tall in 5ml mode. Couldn't find caliper confirmed in tall mode but a video said 56.5mm but doesn't show caliper. 10mm drip tip confirmed (manufacturer's pic), and tank extension looks a bit shorter than the drip tip so would say extension is about 8mm give or take 1mm making tall 5ml mode about 56mm (which isn't very short for a 5ml tank BTW).
=reason not= Govad single coil with JF holds only 1/4ml less but is 5.5mm shorter might be worth the ml difference to be more compact (although Govad tank is 1mm thicker).
This Ammit in short mode also is only 2ml but only 2.5mm shorter than Govad which holds 4.75ml. 2ml is TPD law so it can't hold more but just saying.



Kylin RTA Mini Single only, 25x43 5ml (3ml is same height non bubble tank), NO JF confirmed.
=reason not= if bought would be to risk no JF for good capacity and short height for single coil single 18650. I'll just wait for something similar size with JF (or maybe there's a sub tank with similar size and ml specs but with JF.


Kylin RTA non mini dual postless, 24x55.4 manufacturers graphic size confirmed, 6ml couldn't find syringe confirmed, 26mm tank.
24x43.5 2ml syringe and caliper confirmed. JF video confirmed.
=reason not= very similar to Ammit dual but chose Ammit for reasons written under Ammit.


iJoy captain rta (non-elite version). JF, dual postless. 4ml syringe confirmed, not 3.8ml advertised. 25.5x52 w tip confirmed
=reason not= already a tall tank for 25.5 diameter only 4ml, so rather get 1.75-2ml more at only 3mm taller on Ammit/Kaylin non mini. And I dont like rubber on top fill and dunno if it's the same as TFV8 how it won't stay shut if fully removed. leaches possibly and definitely expands and cant close on TFV8 soak water but I cut it.

Hotcig Centaur single coil 24X38 w/ tip 2ml mode caliper confirmed. no JF confirmed. 3.5ml tall mode syringe confirmed (not 4ml advertised). 3.5ml tall mode height unknown but probably about 48mm (10mm more from extension). =reason not= only holds 3.5ml at about 48mm tall mode. Kylin mini single coil holds 5ml at 43mm, but kylin mini base 1mm larger is 25mm, but still.




pharaoh mini, 24x55 w cap 5ml, JF. Couldn't find syringe confirmed 5ml tall mode. Claims 2ml in short mode and saw syringe confirmed 2.75ml instead of 2ml advertised (breaks 2ml TPD law), so probably is 5ml in tall mode.
24x47 2.75ml syringe and caliper confirmed in mini mode.
$30 with MAP code, not $48 or whatever I wrote in previous post because I didn't know about the whole MAP loophole bypass showing a lower price than the MSRP.
Single or buy additional velocity dual deck(s) I haven't found them though. Sort of overpriced by about $8 compared to most tanks about %30 more $22 usually vs $30 and then buy ~$6-10 deck (FT or domestic) = the price of about 2 tanks.
=reason not== In 5ml mode, if want single coil only, Govad single and JF holds only .25ml less (if pharoa mini is even truly 5ml, but who knows might even be 5ml+) but Govad is 4.5mm shorter (.25ml more at expense of 4.5mm height is not really worth it IMHO).
-In 5ml mode, with dual deck insert, Ammit dual is .75ml more at same height if you're ok with a 25mm base 27mm tank.
- In short mode (2.75ml), Govad (single coil 24mm base, 26mm tank if ok with that vs Pharaoh's 24mm base and tank) Govad holds 2ml more and is only 3.2mm taller and has JF also.

EDIT, I want juice flow so much for all tanks that I'm considering not getting the berserker and instead getting a MTL kayfun aka prime styled clone with JF even though it holds less and is larger.


IJOY EXO RTA has juice flow. I missed this one, doesn't come up in the searches for "juice control / flow etc", and it also has a dual or single deck insert. Didn't nit pick the ml and mm specs though yet.
 
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vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
Mission Completed! (sorry long, but if you're on same wavelength as me with tanks, will appreciate it).
I decided not to bother with premade coil tanks. I'm only using RTA/RDA, but maybe also a sub tank only for giant premade coils like TFV12 T14. I might the EXO X Sub listed below but only for RBA deck. I realized I don't really have much use for tiny premade coils.

Premade coils are quick and easy, but they're usually small. I'd rather just build a single/dual RTA TC SS.
But giant coils like TFV12's v12-t14 "14 coils" (it's really 7 doubled up round coil builds) but still a lot of coil wire. I might get a TFV12 just for that giant coil for fun but that's not how I usualyl vape (plus it kills battery fast and I don't want to carry a triple 18650 anymore). I'd rather get a quad+ coil RDA than a TFV12 T14, or even a triple RTA if I have to. I previoulsy listed a couple triple RTAs but they don't have Juice Flow, I can't find any with JF. I can't find any triple or quad RDAs that have big posts for fused clapton either but I'll look into it. Even if it's a 30mm RDA on a 25mm MOD, as mentioned that type of huge vapor I'd only do for fun now and then and don't care if the tank overhangs even that much. The TFV12 has a triple coil RBA deck optional (and it's not like those quad/six-coil velocity decks which take more time to wick upward like the So Horney RTA), but there's no JF on the TFVs but I might get one anyway for fun.
Other than that, an RTA with JF and dual fused clapton is plenty enough vapor.

I've taken apart TFV8 "10 coil" coils, and the amount of wire that's resistance wire used for vaping (not low resitance tails used to ground the coil) isn't much if at all more than the amount of wire in a 3mm 6-wrap dual fused clapton build. I haven't done a side-by-side because I didn't have two MODS capable of, but I'm not sure if the TFV8 "10 coil" is more vapor than a dual fused clapton build. I vape them at around the same wattage also which should tell something. Sometimes I think the dual claptons are just as much vapor as V-10 coils, and I'm even more so convinced that the dual claptons taste better and that I get a sort of funny cottony taste with TFV-10 coils, but sometimes I think the T10s taste fine if not a bit better - I'll do a side by side though now that I can. But even a T-14 coil would probably loose on both flavor and vapor production vs a big 30mm RDA with lots of fused claptons in it. As long as there's no crazy spit back from claptons.


Instead of using premade coils (except maybe the T14 unless I get a giant RDA instead), I'm just going to make a whole bunch of coils all at once while I have all the materials and tools out. I'll put the cotton in, and clip the wire ends to the right length so when it's time to change a coil, I can just change it quickly. Or just dry burn and replace cotton but that takes time and also kills battery.
Yes fused claptons do give some spit back and big TFV coils usually don't. But spitback sometimes indicates it's getting a too much juice flow which can be adjusted, or if it's an RDA, you just need to vape past the spit back for a couple puffs before it's perfect.
I'll also try some round wire builds which don't spit back and also save battery life, but not as much vapor as claptons, but should be on par with the smaller premade coils in terms of vapor production (not much vapor) but good on battery life for a small 18650 MOD (can't have both huge vapor and long battery life if want a small pocket MOD to last).


Another plus for building coils is I can finally try TC becuase I HATE wattage ramp up time with dual fused clapton kanthal builds. I heard evolv's president say in this recent interview pitching their new DNA400 technology which has a "playback or "record" or "something" feature which basically makes wattage vaping similar to TC but when using kanthal which he says people say TC (stainless steel) is terrible for flavor but he says this new technology fixes that (and also having to change TC setting now and then). It's basically a set-and-forget type wattage TC for kanthal. But anyway, I did a quick google on TC SS flavor vs kanthal wattage, and it doesn't seem like a huge consensus that SS kills flavor.
Yes they make premade TC coils too but again, they're usually (or always) smaller premade coils which I'd rather just build myself. I only want the premade coils for the giant 14 coil ones. Not to mention a lot of these premade coils become discontinued and you'll have to build your own if the Sub tank even has an optional RBA deck. Plus some coils are like $3 ea, so it's nice to be able to build one for like 15 cents instead.
New DNA400 chip coming real soon.
 
Last edited:

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
Another negative for premade coils (not counting big "10 coil" TFV8 coils I've been using quite often or the T14 coils), the smaller ones often have one large air hole through the center and I hated that type of air flow with TFV T-6 coils, even if the air flow ring is adjusted smaller, I don't really like that air flow.
And, premades have a bunch more o-rings near the heat of the coil, and I don't really trust that - with an RTA, it's just metal and cotton.
And, unless I'm wrong, you shouldn't pre-rinse a premade coil with water because the cotton will get soaked, so you might be vaping machining oil because no one even rinses premade coils. If you do rinse them, to dry them it should be something quick like a hair dryer otherwise it can grow mold if you just leave it out to dry slowly.


I also trust bottom coil RTAs to wick better than sub tank vertical coils (premade coils that spiral top to bottom). Although I haven't gotten burnt hits because I don't risk vaping larger premade coils near an empty juice level (which means not using the tank's full ml capacity and refilling more often than needed), nor do I chain vape when juice level is low, but the vertical coils need to wick all the way up to the top when juice level is low or else it'll be a burnt hit up top on the coil - which is not a problem with a bottom coil RTA that can vape almost all the ml capacity before refilling.

To be honest, I haven't had too much leaking problems with Authentic TFV8 V10 or V6 coils even though that tank doesn't have juice flow (but non authentic coils shorted out and un-usable burnt hits 2 for 2 tries with fake T6 coils and a fake T10 coil leaked horribly and I think is what fried my DNA's charging circuit), but again, I'd only want that TFV12 for the giant premade coils (authentic only), not the smaller coils which I'd rather build a single/dual fused clapton TC coil in an RTA. And that would be a rarity to vape such big coils because it kills battery fast. I'd rather use a giant RDA than a T14 coil anyway.

Sooooo anyways, I didn't go too crazy looking through sub ohm tanks trying to find ones that had what I was looking for (premade coils and RBA deck option). I found the IJOY EXO X SUB/RTA though which seems to be the best for that category even though I'd only use it as an RTA instead of with its premade coils. The EXO X specs when used as a single coil RTA with the optional RBA deck are close compared to Govad I previously listed in top picks.


IJOY EXO RTA is another added pick. This some how didn't come up when I did the search for RTAs. Someone mentioned it. THANK YOU!

There are so many more sub tanks I didn't bother to list because they don't have JF, or don't have an RBA deck, and don't offer giant premade coils. Most (probably %95) don't have an RBA deck nor giant premade coils so I have no reason to get those and hope I can always find premade coils to buy for it vs just building TC (or wattage) builds in a future-proof RTA instead. If anything I'll get a TFV12 to replace my TFV8 just for the T14 coil (but I'd prefer a giant RDA).



Here are just a few Sub tanks which I wrote down why I personally wouldn't get them:

ijoy exo s and XL don't have JF like the X does, so No.
kanger toptank, protank 4/5 etc don't bother with.
kanger subtank Mini-C and Kanger Pangu have JF but no RBA and small coils I can build better.
obs engine sub = no RBA
herakles pro has JF but no RBA and coils are tiny I'd rather build single round or clapton
OBS ACE Tank has single RBA, JF. manual says w tip 22x64 4.5ml is too tall for that capacity. premade coils are tiny.
ijoy tornado = NO, and no JF
obs v tank = NO, TFV8 clone basically. no JF
Vaporesso Cascade = NO JF, no RBA.
wake sub tank = NO JF, NO RBA
Digiflavor Espresso = no JF, RBA but vertical single, holds only 2ml at 50mm.
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
EXO RTA and EXO X are two additional ones I might get plus the ammit dual and the Govad single (and the berserker MTL or kayfun clone MTL). I might get all of them and see for myself because they're all a little bit different in terms of:
-different drip tip sizes
-different deck air flow
-Some have different bottom air flow (Ammit's air flow ring clicks into stages which isn't as precise as just having it not click into stages, so I dunno why they'd even do that).
-different diameter maybe not great for small 24mm MODs like VT75 nano but I'll compromise with some overhang if all other specs are preferred.

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IJOY EXO RTA (separate dual and single decks included), 26mm tank, base maybe 25-25.5mm, w/ tip in short 2ml mode 40.6mm caliper confirmed, w/ tip tall mode 51.1mm. 6.4ml syringe confirmed, not 6ml advertised. Has JF.
Confirmed 510 drip tip though and might prefer bigger tip for clouds but you do get huge bottom air flow through the coil deck and can install a restrictor if it's too airy (dual velocity deck doesn't have optional restrictor). Only thing I don't like is it's a 510 drip tip instead of something larger which you could just adapter to a 510 like most tanks.
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IJOY EXO X SUB TANK /RTA. Has JF. One size tank (no mini mode). 24.7x48.6 w/tip caliper confirmed (not 53mm manufacturer's picture). Has an 810 (or something bigger than 510) and includes 510 adapter. 4.7ml says box, 5ml was syringe confirmed (maybe even 5.25 ml would fit because it had decent bubble with 5ml and he only had 5ml in the syringe). Includes a couple coils but they're not huge so I'd rather just build my own. Can buy a separate single coil rebuildable deck for this ( XS-1 deck ). XS-1 Out of stock on Fasttech for $6 but can get direct from ijoy $10 shipped.

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Until I get these tanks, and the additional XS-1 RBA for the EXO X, I'm not sure of a few things:
if can Juice flow the XS-1 in the EXO X.
If the RBA decks (single and dual) from the EXO RTA fit the EXO X and thus might as well just buy a spare EXO RTA instead of the XS-1 RBA.
If there's a dual coil RBA available for the EXO X (ijoys page for the XS-1 also shows a dual coil linked below).
https://www.ijoyusa.com/products/copy-of-exo-xs-c4-coil
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
I might go back through my previous list and get a tank which only holds around 2ml in mini mode for my 'small pocket MOD" even though it's tempting to just get something slightly taller to hold much more juice.
If using a single fused clapton (more vapor than a round wire but uses more battery and juice), it might not have enough battery to vape a larger tank. Basically, whatever tank holds the most in mini single coil mode might be best for a small pocket MOD but only in terms of 'small in pocket', and that tank might not be highlighted in blue, I didn't check that part yet.





Other than those, I'm getting a glass RDA, single and/or dual coil if available. Because I think it's great to be able to see through if it's time to redrip vs having to take the cap off and carefully put back on lined up with coils and air holes. You can sort of taste when it's time to redrip but I like to see. I dunno if it'll be too foggy to even see but I'll see what happens.
ST GOON V1.5 RDA GLASS has a wide enough drip tip that i can use the drip tip as a drip tip and not get juice all over the cap.
Currently I use Madhatter V2 RDA which is pretty neat because it's a hinged cap, so to redrip I just flip the cap (often using just my lips so I don't even put my fingers on the tip because I'm a germaphobe like that when out and about). But I still take the cap off to check when to redrip sometimes. If they could make an RDA from glass (if glass doesn't end up being too foggy to see the wicks) and somehow make it a hinged top without using glue or anything sketchy to connect the glass to the metal hinge, that IMHO would be perfect. And with side air flow because I find side flow is just as good in an RDA and avoids leaking you may get with bottom air flow.

The end.
PS. When I look to upgrade tanks in a year or so, there better be a few that stand out as popular favorites with exclusive features because I'm not doing this whole refining thing again. This is not fun, the market is too saturated with IMHO a lot of BS atomizers. In simple, there's nothing break-through really in the past year or two. Some try to be but it's usually a fail like those ceramic chip coils or adding stupid LED lights or something. Max capacity in smallest form, with juice flow, with various chimney air flow restrictor sizes, boasting minimal o-rings and no fake gold or paint colors just plain clean stainless steel, with single and dual coil decks included, with 810 drip tip and not stuck with only a 510. With bubble tank optional for those who want more ml and don't care about the bubble look. With 24mm and 25mm and maybe 26mm versions. If you meet those specs, which isn't hard, I don't see any competition. I couldn't care less about aesthetics and colors, but they can make all the snazzy colors too. Sure once a manufacturer starts making those tanks and the other brands realize it's probably the best model to follow, they'll start making them 1mm smaller and adding other small little features which will then create a lot of tanks to look through but they should all be 'good enough' anyway and not take long to find a new favorite tank. And yes, max capacity in small form factor might mean a smaller build deck and thus fits less coils (less vapor) but they can make a V1 geared towards more ml capacity and a V2 geared towards larger deck size but less ml.
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
Reviewers/vapers seem to be always concerned about air flow stopping at fully open instead of just spinning around but I don't see that need either.

except when the 'stop' is used to control juice flow.

EDIT: I ended up settling on a kayfun V5 (not sure if will get 3 or 4ml smaller version or the 5-6ml version or both, the clones are cheap and suposidly high grade clean 316L stainless also), instead of getting the berserker for the MTL tank.

only because the Kayfun has juice flow. The berserker is much shorter and holds more, and the 5ml kayfun is quite tall for a 5ml tank but I just must have juice flow. The berserker even has a 7ml bubble tank on fasttech for like $2 that doesn't increase height.
Both similar decks (which aren't great IMHO but are meant for micro round builds and not big exotic coils).

Someone did a side by side of these two and basically said both are great mtl tanks, same great flavor, same draw etc but noted the kayfun has JF. Also kayfun is a bit more air'y at largest air slot vs the berseker but the berseker is tighter at smallest hole which I'm happy it's not the other way around.

https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/threads/vv-berserker-vs-sm-kayfun-prime.830493


I know I know, 'wick it right and it won't leak' but I've tried stuffing as much cotton in the coil and wicking channels as it would allow and tried the opposite of wicking it loosely but still get leaks on RTAs even using %100 VG. Maybe it's just from refilling but I still get leaks and hate that.
The berseker is also know to be particularly leaky according to multiple fasttech threads.


I want a good MTL tank. I also ordered a protank just as a sort of souvenir because I loved this tank when it first came out but the leaking/gurgling/burnt hits suck on it. Should be solved with the kayfun and similar vape experience. I realize the protank is basically an MTL tank, and knew it tasted better than a cloud tank I'm using now like the TFV8.
 
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Pastorfuzz

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
VU Patreon
The original Goblin. Dual coil RTA. Advertised as 3ml capacity with an optional 4.2ml glass and chimney combo.
These have great flavor and vapor for what they are and are cheap as hell at $6.45 on the Bay.
I do 2mm 5 wrap coils in them. Can't go much bigger or the coils will hit the chimney and short your build.
Very easy to wick. The only downside is they are bottom fill.
 

vapesmooth1234

Member For 4 Years
just a follow up since I bought these 3:
Govad
Ammit dual
EXO RTA


Govad is all good, no problems. Cap threading could be a bit smoother but it's not bad.

But the EXO holds 1.65ml more than the govad and is only .6mm taller and has dual/single decks so I really wanted the EXO as my main RTA for dual/single because it beats the Ammit and Govad on capacity and size. And the EXO has separate single/dual decks which I outlined previously on how it's better to use a single deck for a single coil instead of trying to put a single in a dual deck (With or without the somewhat sketchy silicone inset block on one side some tanks have because it's probably not a good idea to have silicone right near the coil).



EXO I just started using right now. First problem is the juice flow is too loose. I dunno if it's an undersized or ring or what but I'll try to see if there's a way to make it tighter. I'm afraid it will close by itself and not notice and burn the cotton, or open if stored in pocket supposed to be closed and leak.
And the drip tip is so short that I have to put my mouth all over the cap, and I'm basically a germaphobe. I put my MOD in my pocket with my keys and I do clean my keys about once a week but I don't like having my out-and-about hands in my pocket to get my keys and then touch my MOD and then put it in my mouth.
Usually I'll wipe the tip on the inside of the bottom side of my shirt but the EXO I'll have to wipe the whole knurled cap which stuff can maybe cling to easier.

I'll probably change the tip. It'll make it a few mm taller but still be shorter than the Ammit dual, and only slightly taller than the Govad but hold 1.65ml more.


Other than that (mainly the loose JF) I like the EXO. I wasn't sure I'd like the 510 tip vs the others are 810 but I think I might prefer it. And the EXO includes a chimney restrictor insert which I haven't used but sort of makes it more MTL than DTL. I like the way the single EXO deck hits. And the dual deck is velocity I prefer over postless Ammit.

I haven't tried the Ammit because I might sell it new sealed and use the EXO dual deck for dual builds.
 

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