I have never used RTA’s or RDA’s, I don’t even know what that stands for but I am intrigued after reading different experiences with them here. Do they really improve flavor? Are they cheaper?
Any advice, links, suggestions, guidance would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you
By the way, I changed my user name 
9 Likes
yes, you should give it a try. if you like it, then upgrade to a squonk mod so you’ll have the convenience of a tank’s juice capacity. Make your own coils, have some fun doing it, never worry that your tank coils will stop being manufactured, and save money. Plenty of us around to help you out if you need it.
12 Likes
Depends do U like the convenience of ready made coils or pods. I use rta which is short for rebuiltable tank atomiser for me I switched to rta because I got sick of changing coils every few days and some times I buy a pack of 3 coils and U get 1 dud coil that’s $6 in my currency. Also over the last 2 yrs in Australia there’s a war on vaping this was probably the main reason I switched. With rta all U need is wire cotton and spare orings and glasses. So 1 coil costs me a few cents not $6 . Also i only build coil every 2 weeks but I clean coil and replace cotton every week. I havent tried every tank so I can’t say if flavour is that much better in rta. I use dwarv clones both mtl and dl. I recently bought a Ragnar rdta that thing is a beast. I’m sure more experience vapers will have more to say as I never used RDA. Watch some videos on rta rda also watch coil building videos and see if you like that aspect of vaping.
7 Likes
My opinion is a resounding YES you should try at least one and simply see how you go. As others have said you’re not tied to a particular manufacturer and their decisions on what they charge for a coil and when they decide to discontinue it.
Building coils etc is a bit of a learning curve and all RTAs etc are not the same but it’s well worth a go in my opinion.
Wire and cotton are cheap and will last you a long time but it can be a little fiddly so as long as your hands and eyes are up for it do some research on what appeals to you and go for it.
Edit… by the way RTA = rebuildable tank atomiser and RDA = rebuildable dripping atomiser.
12 Likes
Sorry I forgot to add but if you decide to try one perhaps ask on here first as someone may well have that particular one and could offer you their thoughts.
10 Likes
@TimWV Hell YES you should try rebuilding. Granted pre-made coils have come a LONG way, but IMO rebuildables are or CAN be far superior in flavor.
RTA’s Rebuildable Tanks
RDA Rebuildable Drippers (i.e. no glass tank)
VERY much so.
Once you get past the apprehension of making coils (not hard at all), the cost for the wire and cotton, is as close to 0 as you can get, and you’ll never had to worry about needing specific prebuilt coil/atomizers ever again. Just cheap wire, and cotton.
12 Likes
Yes! Is the short answer.
Whilst now with all the great prebuilt coils, theres not a huge amount of difference in flavour, there are lots more added benefits to them.
Price being one, even if you buy a pre built exotic coils (just very fancy wrapped coils), they work out at about 50p a coil (in the UK) compared to £3-4 for “plug and go” coils. A coil in a RBA will last you a good couple of months just change the wick once a week or so whoch takes about 2 minutes and costs literally pennies.
For me though the biggest advantage with a RDA is testing flavours. A couple of drops and you get the flavour, and 90% of the time it drowns out the previous flavour. So you can test new flavours and recipes really quickly. Plus if you do get a particularly pungent flavouring such as coffees, whip out the cotton and put a fresh on in, rather than having to spend £3-4 on a new coil.
I will say, dont go too low on your builds until you know more about ohms law, but if you stick above 0.3 ohms you will be fine on a single battery mod, or 0.15 ohms on a dual 
13 Likes
What RDA brand/model should I get as a beginner?
4 Likes
Absolutely! You should get an affordable rebuildable devise and give it a try. I am not a super taster by any stretch, so I can’t say that they will improve flavor, but they will undoubtedly save you a ton of money. And just like with juice mixing, once you get the hang of it, you will have confidence in knowing that you free from the whims of the commercial marketplace and the regulators. Self sufficiency is empowering.
10 Likes
My first rebuildable was the Innokin Ares 2. It is still available at a very affordable price and it was specifically designed as an easy devise to learn on. There are many You Tube reviews to look at.
8 Likes
Ive got the Digiflavour Drop, I havent tried the V1.5, but the original is a breeze to build on, and delivers great vapor and flavour.
But i have just picked up the Wotofo recurve Dual and that is super easy too. But watch some vidoes on youtube to give you a better idea
6 Likes
I like to flavor test with a Clapton coil and no cotton. It holds enough juice for several hits at a time and you don’t have to mess with cotton. Just a dry burn to clean it between flavors.
6 Likes
BOOM… right there. Don’t let the regulators back you into a corner.
It’s not as difficult as it may seem right now. It’s like tieing your shoes. Much harder to describe with words, than it actually is to do.
10 Likes
What do you want to vape on? Mesh or wire? There a lot of choices for beginners. You dont want to get extravagant as it could put you off the rebuildable experience. If you want a coil or mesh as you have a choice with it the geek vape zues rta is very beginner friendly with either the dual coil deck or mesh deck. It is just very beginner friendly device.
7 Likes
The R in RTA/RDA is Rebuildable. The other letters T is Tank D is device.
Should you switch is a question you have to answer yourself. There are pros and cons to any device you decide. Are you willing to build coils? Takes up time. Could be as easy as wrapping round wire around a screwdriver. Could be difficult as making more sophisticated type coils. Are you willing to learn Ohm’s law? There are free calculator’s to tell you the Ohms. Safety first. Are you willing to go through the expense of buying a separate mod from the RTA/RDA? Matching battery’s to heat the coils.
Rebuildable RTA/RDA are more efficient. Your nicotine levels can normally be lower due to efficiency. Do you want to be able to be more mobil go the RTA route. If you don’t mind dripping you can go the RDA route. If you want both portability with the RDA you buy a squonk mod.
Think about yourself. The why and how you want to vape time and expense of rebuilding. Wire decision. Cotton change.
Commercial mesh coils can give you the better taste sometimes. Will those coils be available in the future though. All things to think about.
8 Likes
Ahhh yeh, i never thought about doing that! Thank you!
3 Likes
As others have said - Yes.
Starting down this road can be very scary at first, though well worth it.
I almost exclusively use RDAs myself, and will never go back.
For the basics, I’d suggest you watch introductory reviews for different models. Mike Vapes, Vaping With Vic and Vaping Bogan are ones who tend to do a damn good job of going through the steps for each model, including coils and cotton loading.
7 Likes
As @rcleven said a rta or rda or you could get a rdta like this steam crave supreme v3 and use it as a tank or rda on this squonk. I do prefer the squonk side of it as i dont need the perfect cotton build as i control the juice on it. So if i dry hit im a fing idiot 
8 Likes
Thank you for the help. I’m not sure if I want to go with a squonk device as I already have more devices than I could use in my lifetime lol however, it is something I’ve been thinking about. What do you think of RTA’s? I’ve been seriously considering getting a Geek Vape Zeus RDA and a Zeus RTA Just to see which option I like best. Also, do you have an opinion on pre made coils (I have never built coils) until I can get some practice building them?
4 Likes