I’m a flavor chaser and possibly borderline tootle puffer looking for an RTA. I currently use the top airflow Griffin 25 with 2 SS twisted pair coils, 8 wraps at .3 ohms. In TC I’m running 400f, anything higher than that tickles my throat and I cough a lot. I vape DTL and I get some flavor but not a ton and maybe I’m chasing a unicorn here but now I’m looking to try something more tuned to flavor than clouds. I’ve narrowed it down to 5 RTAs and have read threads and watched vids and now seek your esteemed opinions. The choices are Cthulhu V3, Augvape Merlin Mini, Coilart Mage, Geek Vape Ammit, and UD Bellus.
I do like top fill, juice control, don’t know about single coil vs dual since I have never had a single coil RTA, juice capacity doesn’t matter too much nor does ease of building/wicking. The Griffin is my first and only RTA and I like it better than the Vaporesso Estoc tank with .5 ceramic coil I was using before. Your input would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!
A couple of more to add to your look see list would be the Kayfun V3 Mini and the Kayfun V5. I was a dual coil guy for a great long while. However, over time, I have really learned to enjoy the simplicity, dependability, and flavor factor of the Kayfuns.
Plus, price-wise, they won’t break the bank.
Got mine from 3F Vape in under 2 weeks for an added 50 cents to the “free shipping” they offer; very happy about that!
I am a 12W 0.1 nickel ohm TC (235C) tootle puffer.
I have two Kayfun V3 Mini clones. They are extremely good for MTL and flavour. (One needed an O ring changing to make it work smoothly, the other was fine from the get go.)
I have a Kayfun 5 mini clone (SXK). It is also extremely good but I had to fit the SvoeMesto air restrictor - you may not need to.
I have a UD Bellus. I never use it. The air hits the coil(s) from the side and is hopeless for flavour. The draw is no good for me either - too open even with just one coil.
I have a Digiflavor Siren. It’s not at all bad - flavour is pretty much as good as Kayfuns. Easy to build. More open than the Kayfuns but I don’t use it much. I don’t know why!
I don’t know about the mini, but I do like the Merlin for flavor despite their seepage issues and have bought several of them. Lots of people like the Ammit, but I’m not a fan of it. I get a lot of juice spitback,maybe I’m doing something wrong. Other good flavor RTAs are the Taifun GT III clone and SJMY clone of the Kayfun V5. I got both of those from 3fvape.
One thing I have noticed is changing up my vg/pg ratio has allowed for me to up the wattage and not cough. at 70/30 anything above 18watts would make me cough, while at 80/20 (and less nic (less than 6mg/ml) I have no problems hitting 25-35 watts. If you have not done so as of yet you may wish to go higher on vg.
I second the serpent mini suggestion for sure. Its a great dtl vape and you’ll have a hard time vaping it above 50 watts, and the flavor is very good. In all seriousness, check out the merlin mini. I kidd you not its one of the best vapes I’ve ever had. The 2 deck options are awesome and both work great for however you want to vape. Ive heard nothing but good things about the original merlin as well
I am pretty much in the same boat as u bikerdude and prefer flavor over clouds. I did my research and got a kayfun 5 mini clone from sxk for being a flavor tank that is easy for my first build. Its perfect for me at .5 and cant wait to try triple twisted in it. I have not had it leak even w/o shutting of the juice flow when filling, the supplied drip tip is snug , and all together i am impressed w/ this clone. In case something would to happen to it, i was debating another but i recently did grab a gemini since it was only $10. It is nice for clouds, easy to build those wild coils but the flavor is not there for me. .I do have a nice flavor dripper as well, freakshow, although the difference is there, its not that bad.
I’d say the kayfun 5 would be a good one to consider too. I’ve had a clone for a few months (cost about 12 dollars from fast tech)and really like it. It’s kind of changed the way I vape. The restricted airflow is really good, I feel it really accentuates the flavour. At low watts you can slowly pull on it and take long puffs, and it works great. The tip helps with this too. I switch tips depending on how I’m vaping it.
I’ve also found that how you wick it affects the airflow too, more wick = more restricted, for me, so you have a bit of variation that way too.
depending on your build (I’ve had plain ss, twisted and clapton coils in it from about 0.4 to 1.2 Ω and run it anywhere between 18 and 40 w), you can def get good flavour and a very satisfying puff with low watts.
Super easy to build too.
Worth considering picking up a clone on the cheap to see how you get on with it. The one I have is the no name ss 304 clone, it’s the cheapest one on there that I’ve seen, and can’t fault it.
Excellent input from all, I love ELR! I’ve ruled out the Cthulhu V3 and the Bellus and I’m going to research the ones you have suggested.
The thing I like about the Ammit is the auxilliary airflow holes that supposedly blow on the side of the coil.
I like the looks of the Mage and the short chimney section.
I can try that, I’m at 75VG and 3 nic now.
I really like the idea of 2 decks included and the Merlin Mini has a very short, narrow chimney which should produce great flavor.
That is exactly how I like to vape.
Back to work and looking forward to some more research this evening and maybe mix up a recipe or two at 80 VG as @CallMeTut suggested.
Yes if you want flavor its hard to beat the merlin. Even though its getting kinda old im gonna write up a review just because I love it so much. Now days there are more good devices than bad so any of those that you mentioned are going to be great. With all the tested designs out there, all the customer feedback, and overall popularity of some devices, companies should know by now what works and what doesnt! Yet there are still crappy things out there lol. When you decide which one you go with, let us know how it goes!
I was gonna say merlin mini. It’s one of my favorites. I don’t use it with the MTL pin. I only use it around 25 watts. I like to vape my Andes and other chocolate flavors in it. I also like kanger mini toptank for chocolates as well.
Pretty impressive list you guys have going. Guess my SteamCrave is tech. a RDTA LOL, but it’s never let me down as far as demo’ing mixes, flavors, etc. Have it on a 200w Fuchai but don’t go over 35w. with two claps @ .30 ohms.
Maybe a kayfun 5 (or a clone) would be a good choice for you. I think it’s popularity is mostly with folk who like vaping this way. I’m puffing it as I type at 25 watts with the airflow closed and some saffron butterscotch juice. Perfect, the flavour is awesome. ss cool at 0.55 Ω.
Are you running it single coil? I was thinking of blocking off one side of my Griffin and trying single coil Clapton on it.
I looked at pics of it but it has a lot of parts and a lot of o-rings and it seemed there were a lot of potential leakage spots. I didn’t watch review vids on it yet but I will before I rule it out.
I have two of the authentic K5’s. They are not as complex as you may initially think. In terms of not leaking and functionality this may be the best single coil TANK ever created. Whatever decision you end up making you cannot go wrong with this one!
Is the K5 a mouth to lung tank only, or could it be used direct to lung? A Scottish bloke who’s hardware review I watched said it was MTL only. I did watch a teardown and build vid and yeah, it didn’t look too complex to work with. The exploded diagram is intimidating but the tank itself doesn’t have to be torn all the way down to coil and wick or fill.
