Better flavour from tanks than drippers?!?

Hardware Rebuildable Atomizers and Tanks
1

This might be a bit controversial as you always hear the exact opposite, that drippers giver you superior flavour, or at best, that the flavour of modern tanks is getting close to the flavour of drippers - but for me it has always been the other way around :astonished:

Ever since I bought my first RDA and RDTA and put in my first simple roundwire builds, I have had better flavour from the RDTA than I had from the RDA. At the time I just thought it was because my RDTA was of better quality than my RDA, and that I just needed to find a better RDA. But now a year down the road and with several RDA’s and RTA’s in my collection, though not nearly as many as some others here, I am beginning to doubt that :thinking:

You know what they say: Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action :wink: And I still consistently get better flavour from my RTA’s, so I am all but ready to declare this an ene… a pattern .

I will concede that I might simply be better at picking RTA’s than RDA’s, that I have somehow managed to avoid all the best RDA’s while picking the very best RTA’s available. But the more gear I acquire the less and less plausible this sounds.

There might also be other factors afoot, like my favourite builds simply works better in RTA’s than RDA’s, that my preferred wattage range is more suited for RTA’s, or that the flavours I prefer simply taste better in a RTA, but I have made some hypothesises of why RTA’s might simply be better for flavour than RDA’s:

1) Size
Size matters, and in the world of vaping bigger is not always better, in fact smaller is usually better. Because of having to sit inside the tank, both the build deck and the chamber has to be much smaller than on a RDA, this also means that there is much less dead air or corners where the flavour can hide. Even when comparing it to a small RDA like the Wasp nano, or including the chimney, there is less air in a standard size RTA than in a RDA.

2) Airflow
Almost all RTA’s have bottom airflow, whereas it is rather rare in RDA’s because of leaking problems, and the most common type for RDA’s is side airflow. There is I believe a general consensus that you usually get better flavour from bottom airflow, though there might also be some exceptions to this rule, or some dissenting opinions.

3) Saturation
The biggest difference between RTA’s and RDA’s is that in a RTA the wicks are constantly submerged in e-juice, this should also mean that they are constantly 100% (or close to 100%) saturated. Only if there is some kind of problem with your wicking will the saturation level drop considerable under 100%. On a RDA however the saturation level is constantly fluctuating, when you drip or squonk it takes a little time for the juice to work its way into the wicks, and as you are vaping the wicks will get dryer and dryer until you drip or squonk again.
If this hypothesis is true, then it should also mean that the frequency of your dripping/squonking should have an impact, e.g. the better you are at keeping your wicks wet the better flavour you should get.

Personally I’m inclined to believe that it is point 3 saturation that is the most plausible explanation. The fact that I also got better flavour from my RDTA even though it had a big build deck and side airflow, makes the first two hypothesises a bit questionable, though they might still be a contributing factor. Unfortunately my RDTA is out of commission, otherwise I could have made a direct comparison with it against my RTA’s.

Anyway the reason I’m writing all of this is not just to share my experience, but also to get your take on this:

Am I really the only one that gets better flavour from tanks than drippers?
What do you think is the main factor for why one type gives better flavour than the other?
Have I just not found the right dripper yet, is it a matter of personal preference or am I doing something wrong?

And for convenience I have also added this little poll:

  • I get better flavour from RDA’s
  • I get better flavour from RTA’s
  • I get better flavour from RDTA’s
  • Depends on the individual atomizer
  • Ehh… it’s all the same to me

0 voters

Show results
7 Likes
2

I’m the same (but I only use Steam Crave RDTA’s), but I’ve never been able to surpass the flavor from the SC RDTA’s.

9 Likes
3

I am also a Steam Crave RDTA user. And like @SessionDrummer I have not found anything that surpasses the flavor production of a SC RDTA

8 Likes
4

I had to go with it Depends on the individual atomizer.

I say this because I have juice that I actually like better in a tank and others that I like more in my drippers or squonkers.

When I add a new juice to my rotation I try it first with a dripper and if I like it I will set it up in one of my tank and squonker setups to compare.

I have yet to try any RDTA setups so I have no idea about those.

7 Likes
5

Interesting. You make some very good points for sure.

I used to be all RTA all the time. People would tell me I should drip if I really love flavor. But as I’d be puffing away on my Boreas RTA I was simply unable to believe that. FYI - to date the Augvape Boreas RTA is still the best all around tank I’ve used…and I’ve had a fair plenty.

My prior experience with RDAs was riddled with failures and dissatisfaction. This was prior to my getting into RTAs, and also before temp control. So for about 2 years I was all about the RTAs and TC which, as I’ve said before, will force you to learn proper wicking. Otherwise TC is a trip down anemia road. So during this time I learned to perfect my wicking.

Then one day my friend @LordVapor encouraged me to get a Goon RDA, which I did. This was better than any RDA I’d ever owned, and it set me on a path of discovery. Since then I’ve acquired several RDAs. While I’m not claiming to be any expert on them, I’ve found that flavor factor to be better in RDAs than RTAs most definitely.

Yes, bottom air flow inherently provides better flavor. Among the RDAs I have, the best flavor is from the Cigreen Gear, the Lost Vape Delirium, The Freak Show V2 and the Reload clone - all bottom air.

As to your points about chamber size, etc, yes these are contributing factors. Most definitely. One of the best flavor RDAs I’ve had was a clone of the Hadaly. Tiny build deck for a single coil but it packed a big flavor punch. However, I think airflow, build and wicking have the most influence of all the variables (opinions vary :slight_smile:) . I would recommend to anyone to check out the YouTuber - Vaping with Oen. His vids on air flow were very illuminating to me. Since I’ve watched those I’ve gained a better understanding of what’s going on and have adjusted how I position my builds as well as my wicks.

Since I mentioned kick ass flavor with certain RDAs, let me also add my favorite flavor RTAs, just to be fair to the tanks.

SMOK TF RTA G4 :star2: :star2: :star2: :star2: :star2:
Coil Art Azeroth :star2: :star2: :star2: :star2: :star:
Sigelei Moonshot :star2: :star2: :star2: :star2: :star:
Augvape Boreas :star2: :star2: :star2: :star2: :star:
Geekvape Ammit Dual Coil :star2: :star2: :star2: :star: :star:

These are my opinions only. And you know what they say about opinion :wink:

9 Likes
6

I voted “Depends on the atomizer”. And I think the comparison’s could be classed by style/type. RDA, RDTA, RTA. All have their place
I have to agree with @SthrnMixer on the Boreas v1. Out of the numerous RTA’s I possess the Boreas is un-matched for flavor.
For RDTA’s…Coilart Azeroth hands down.
But in the RDA camp I recently acquired the Digi Flavor Drop, which I would pit against all other RDA challengers.

Now I need take my top 3 and compare, which I’ve never done. And in retrospect, renders this reply useless I guess. :thinking:

8 Likes
7

What kind of build on the Drop? I find flavor severely lacking on this one and have tried numerous builds. I’ve had a couple good ones, but nothing great.

1 Like
8

I did vote rda. But there are too many factors. There really is no winner but we are all winners when we don’t smoke!!!

That being said all rdas and rta and rdtas are amazing. But you need to pick the right build, place your coils correctly, wick properly, and so on and the flavor should be great. So as long as your not using an atty that is purely for cloads and you can’t properly close down the airflow and so on.

But yes. I do love me supreme and my new addition of the reload rta. And yes I am a fan boy of the velocity v2, goon v1, and rebel recoil. And the entheon, kfv5. And I am still playing with builds for the Aries.

9 Likes
9

I don’t have a vast experience with RTAs and RDTAs, nor with drippers. But I’ve always had more than reasonable experiences with drippers and I’ve had some pretty disappointing experiences with both RDTAs and RTAs… so I just had to say that RDAs give the better flavor.

I’m still a big fan of both the Goon v1 and Tsunami 24 (and I’ll probably use them until they break). Even though you make a point with your bottom airflow giving the best flavor, I think the Goon puts that myth to its grave. It may help but it’s not a requirement.

You’re also right that if your wick becomes dryer, the flavor drops … but that’s why you keep dripping/squonking on a dripper. Most drippers also have a bit of a juice well (some even as much as a small tank, e.g. Dead Rabbit), so the wick stays in constant contact with the juice and stays wet enough to give you full flavor.

7 Likes
10

I also voted for the rda as producing better favor but can’t really comment about it while typing on the phone. I may comment later on after work.

5 Likes
11

I always use rta because i’m mostly out and about, so dripping became a hard task. I usually use my pharaoh, since i had them for a while and figured out how to recoil and rewick them.
That being said, i started vaping with an rda, and it gave meh flavor, but it was a cheap cloned rda.
I tried my friend’s hadaly and it was good, so… I chose depends on individual rda/rta and the coiling and wicking of it.

4 Likes
12

Comparing my best flavor producing RTA’s to my best flavor producing RDA’s, I perceive very little difference if any. I’ll go with no difference in terms of one being better than the other. There are just some wonderful atties out there right now.

7 Likes
13

Fused claptons. 26gx3/36g.
3mm i.d., 6 wraps

3 Likes
14

I voted “depends on atomizer” because that’s what my experience is. For the longest time and still do sometimes I used to use my Aromamizer v1. I thought it was the most amazing flavor I’ve ever gotten.

I then got introduced to RDA’s but still they weren’t as good. Long story short, I use my peerless RDA and wasp nano for flavor testing and squonking.

My drop with single coil build (4mm - staggered fused Clapton - 28*2/32 - 6-8 wraps - 316l ss) on my regular mods, together with my kendo cotton gold, because I do believe if the cotton or wicking material sucks you never get great flavor, for me personally I take this over cb2 and prime any day. Tricky to work with tho.

For flavor testing or if I want something less airy I’ll use my royal hunter RDA, older but for me personally really good.

And I hate to say it, but I retired my Aromamizer v1 and my 4 kensei’s for the kylin mini when I can’t sqonk or drip. I hate everything about this RTA but can’t knock that flavor tho. Guess that makes it worth the absolute nightmare this RTA provides.

5 Likes
15

Sorry guys, ran outta likes before I got to the bottom. You bottom’ers are liked anyway. I was thinking about the whole RDTA vs. RTA thing, and although I will not stop using all of my many Steam Crave’s I never found any solid explanation as to the REAL differences (if any) between an RDTA vs. RTA, and often wondered (being a Steam Crave fanboy) if they didn’t just make it up. Would hate to see this pretty interesting poll skewed with RDTA votes going to RTA’s and vice versa. I mean think about it, RDTA = Rebuidable Dripping (??) Tank Atomizer. I’m not dripping, that’s why I bought a TANK (RDTA). See ??? Did they just ADD the “D” to sell more stuff ?? Stand out with a new and exciting “thing” ?? No clue. I’m guessing my beloved Steam Craves (RDTA’s) are really just RTA’s. I’ve also heard the, “Well, the D is for dripping, and it’s knida like Auto-Dripping” argument, but, ummmm …

8 Likes
16

that tank rocks, and only paid 10$ for it, PIA to rewick, but worth it !!!

2 Likes
17

I have many RDA’s and my favorite is 22ml OBS Cheetah II mini, if only it had a BF pin.
I have many RTA’s and there are to many to name, that give great flavor. I will come back to this post and expand on that, in the middle of mixing research and flavor notes etc.

2 Likes
18

ye i totally agree with ya on that tank…amazing flvr, but FFS rewiking is a bitch of all bitches

2 Likes
19

I’ve never liked RDA’s because of the flavor being great for 1-2 hits then fading. I don’t like dripping every 2 hits so the flavor saturation was never good.

I do use sub ohm tanks 95% of the time, I find a lot of the newer tanks give fantastic flavor.

But my favorite for flavor is my Steam Crave Aromamizer Supreme. It’s a fully saturated wet and flavorful vape with every hit. I just like the easiness of prebuilt coils, I like to mix but not build, so I don’t use it much anymore. Every once in a while I load her up and go, and it reminds me what I love about her…now you made me pull her out again…sigh

3 Likes
20

Thanks :blush:

I have also tried a Reload RDA clone, and yes I got very good flavour from it (thought perhaps not quite as good as my RTA’s), unfortunately the clone I bought was of very poor quality and I ended up throwing it in the bin after only a few hours of use. I guess that is what you get for being a cheapskate and buying the cheapest clone instead of the best :grin:

I am also a big fan of Morten Oen and have subscribed and watched every single video he has posted since the beginning, and I have learned a lot from this. Even if he only does RDA’s then most of it also applies to RTA’s and RDTA’s, and once you understand the principles you can make a lot of assumptions simply by looking at an atty.

Sure, but not all drippers have a deep juice well, and many squonkers have a pin that sits flush with the bottom of the deck, meaning that any juice that aren’t absorbed by the wicks will be sucked out again. On top of that we have human behaviour and different purposes of dripping, for example personally I like to line up 10 different flavours and drip a bit of each instead of dripping the same. But I get your point.

No problem, my point of this was really more of a Tanks vs. Drippers than the type of tanks, splitting tanks up in RTA’s and RDTA’s was really more of an afterthought. Besides as I understand it, arguments can be made for it being classified as either of the two.
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Thanks everybody for all the answers - keep them coming :smiley:

So far it looks like the majority has choosen RDA’s, which I also expected as you constantly hear people say you get bet flavour from RDA’s. The majority is however smaller than I thought it would be, which at least means that I’m not alone in get better flavour from tanks.

I had however also hoped, that there were some that had a possible explanation or just a vague idea of why you get better flavour from RDA’s (if that is what you get). So if any of you have an idea of this, please come forward and share it with us.

1 Like