Steam Crave Glaz RTA V2 review by Mjag....A worthy upgrade?

Thanks again for taking the time to view my review of the Steam Crave Glaz RTA V2 which was supplied directly from Steam Crave.

Specs:

  • Diameter 31mm, juice capacity 7ml, bubble glass 10ml
  • Cage metal frame with regular glass tube design instead of threading glass
  • Extra glass chimney included
  • Improved deck for more airflow and wider coils hitting(you can still get semi-restrictive airflow by AFC adjustment), compatible with Glaz V1.
  • Available in Stainless Steel, Black and Gunmetal

Glaz V2 deck improvements:

  • Wider air hole to hit wider coils
  • bigger air holes for bigger airflow
  • bigger juice holes
  • Glaz V2 deck is compatible with V1

In the box you will find:

  • Glaz RTA V2 whole unit
  • Spare 7ml glass
  • Spare 10ml bubble glass
  • Spare chimney glass
  • Vape band
  • Allen Key
  • Spare o ring and grub screws
  • User manual
  • Steam Crave sticker

Getting to know the Glaz V2

Having reviewed the original Glaz RTA almost 1 year ago my cons from that review are copied below:

Cons:

  • Care has to be taken with the slide top, can easily open when in a bag or pocket (Not fixed with V2)
  • No spare glass chimney included (Fixed with V2)
  • I would have liked more airflow (Fixed with V2)
  • Not as many options as the Glaz RSDA or Aromamizer Plus though that may change (Not fixed with V2)
  • Only 7ml juice capacity for a 31mm tank, the Aromamizer Plus holds 10ml with the standard glass (Fixed with V2)

What I love about Steam Crave is they do listen to criticism, they go back and fix problems and that usually also relates to products already on the market. A great example is the new V2 decks works on the V1 which solves the tighter airflow and increases flavor. No need to replace your V1, just buy the new deck which is an easy swap, I did that to my V1.

V1 deck to the left, V2 on the right, just remove the 510 and unscrew the old deck, screw in the new one, easy peasy:

The airflow inlet on the V1 and 2 are the same, the increased airflow comes from the deck itself, you can see that in the bottom pic:

The gold is my V1, black is the V2. The V2 also improves by adding a steel cage which allows for them to get rid of the threaded glass chimney, that is now friction fit with an o-ring. They include a spare glass chimney, something the V1 did not. Only comes with (1) 10ml bubble glass and (2) 7ml straight glass, would have liked that the other way around, the bubble is more likely to break than the straight.

Still has the exact same sliding top-fill, something I constantly complain about in my reviews. For anyone carrying this tank in your pocket or purse use the included vape band to stop it from opening up.

One thing I hate about sliding top-fill tanks as well is the opening is always smaller. Here is a pic with the Aromamizer Plus and it’s screw-off top cap vs the opening on the Glaz V2.

I can pour my liquid directly into the Plus but have a hard time using bullnose juice bottles on the Glaz V2, I so prefer the wide-open kidney slots.

The improved deck on the V2 is the real star here. Not only have they increased and improved airflow, my biggest complaint on the V1, but they also made the wicking slots more efficient by increasing the size of the feed holes.

One thing that still bugs me, something I have mentioned in other reviews, the use of clear o-rings, they are known for not being as durable as the normal black. The first thing that happened to me when I went to clean the tank and install the bubble glass was this.

I had to force out the glass as it was stuck being careful not to break the glass in the process. Luckily Steam Crave includes a bunch of spare o-rings in the package. I then made sure and lubricated all of the o-rings with juice to prevent this in the future and didn’t have another problem during the 6 to 8 builds I tried, I suggest you do the same.

They have not changed the 810, still need to use TFV style 810 drip tips with the dual o-rings, friction fit 810 drip tips will not work, too loose.

Builds and Performance

One thing I noticed with the original Glaz RTA was it was finicky with builds to get the best performance, unfortunately, the V2 is no different. The same can be said about a lot of RTA’s, the build is the heart of any rebuildable but some are more forgiving like the Steam Crave Aromamizer Plus.

I tried just about anything and got good to meh results, the worst was trying the coil position higher than normal, muted flavor and it was ripped out after a single tank. What I did find was close to the airflow and edge of the sides with an opening, trying to get the airflow to go under the coil as much as possible. Fancy coils doing the best, the build below with some SS316L staple coils on the 3mm post.

That was good but it wasn’t until I used the same coil placement but this time with 32g 6 core 38g wrap SS316L fused claptons from Advanced Vape Supply on a 3.5mm post that the flavor really came alive, it definitely was the ah-ha moment for me.

I currently have the same wire but with a 3mm post and it is good but the 3.5mm post build was better and that is what I will be going back to. All the builds used the same juice, I do that for consistency and it is a juice I know very well and make myself…DIY for life!

WIcking is not as simple as the Aromamizer Plus but not bad either. You want to cut your wicks right at the bottom o-ring like this.

When the wicks drop down it should be right to that o-ring, not below.

If using 3.5mm coils make sure you thin out the wicks, when placing the wicks into the wicking slots they should not be tight, just enough to dam up the wicking slots.

It does take a little practice but once you get it you can replicate much easier and get great results.

DIrect comparison to the V1 and Plus

I had already installed a V2 deck in my original, Steam Crave sells it for less than $11 https://shop.steamcrave.com/glazrtav2deck_p1002.html but I went ahead and put the V1 deck back in for this comparison.

I already had an idea having used the V2 deck in my original Glaz but was never able to do a side by side comparison until now on how much better the V2 is. It only took me a few ml of juice to say yep, the V2 is definitely an upgrade. Not just for airflow but flavor as well, it is immediately apparent. The V2 deck is going back on my original, the V1 deck will never see the light of day again.

Compared to the Aromamizer Plus with the same build, the Glaz V2 is a lot closer than I imagined, the Plus is one of my all-time favorite rebuildables. Flavor-wise the Glaz V2 with the 3.5mm build is right there, with some juices I thought I was hallucinating thinking the V2 might actually be a little better. The Aromamizer Plus is still easier to build and wick and has more deck options like the Postless, Velocity, Series and Single Coil. Also has more options to hold more juice up to 20ml and really is a tank every vape enthusiast should own. The Glaz V2 is not as option packed but I would not be surprised if Steam Crave builds on that, that has been their history and why they are one of the premier companies in vaping today.

How does 31mm look on various 30mm compatible mods?

Just gnats pube of overhang on most mods that take 30mm tanks, no overhang on the Aegis Legend.

Pros:

  • Great flavor with the right build, definite improvement over the original Glaz RTA
  • Improved airflow and more efficient wicking over the original Glaz RTA
  • Bubble glass increases capacity to 10ml (verified with a syringe, 10ml, and just a touch more)
  • No more threaded glass chimney and this time they include a spare
  • V2 deck fits the V1 and offers the same improvements in airflow and flavor
  • Excellent grub screws

Cons:

  • No improvement on the slide top, still too loose to put into a pocket or purse, use the included vape band to secure the slide top cap. Would love it if they went with the Plus screw off top cap instead.
  • Coil placement critical to get the best performance, if not flavor suffers
  • Still not as build forgiving as the Aromamizer Plus but an improvement over the original Glaz RTA
  • Friction fit 810 drip tips fit loose, need to use 810 drip tips with dual o-rings
  • Only 1 bubble glass included, would have preferred 2 and limit the 7ml straight glass to only 1

Final Thoughts

Steam Crave is one of those companies that spend their time designing great products and watch out for the customers by giving them options to upgrade their legacy products. The Glaz V2 is a perfect example of this, you can buy the V2 deck for under $11 and upgrade your original Glaz RTA and enjoy the same performance, what other company does that? The Armamizer Plus came out close to 3 years ago and earlier this year they added a bubble glass and more deck options, the best keeps getting better. Maybe I am fanboying out too much, but I don’t think I can name another vape product that I bought almost 3 years ago that I still use today other than the Plus, that is saying something.

Now, will the Glaz V2 RTA enjoy the same longevity? I have my doubt’s with the way it is currently set-up but with Steam Craves track record I would not be surprised if they improve it further. I would like to see the airflow under the coil extended more towards the center so that it hits the coils more evenly from under. I think that would help with making coil placement not as critical, as of now you gotta get it right or it is just not as good. I would also like to see the wicking slots widened to match the Aromamizer Plus, with bigger builds you have to do a lot of thinning of the wicks. Get rid of the slide top and go back to the screw on top with huge kidney-shaped fill ports, that is basically a blanket statement to all tank makers…please, can the slide top just go away already!!!

All in though, the Steam Crave Glaz V2 is a pretty damn good RTA, more suited to flavor chasers than the clouds bro crowd. I am late to this review by a lot, personal and business that I could not avoid but I have enjoyed my extended review time with the Glaz V2. Steam Crave was also understanding as to why this review took so long, I thank them for that.

A worthy upgrade over the original Glaz RTA?..yep :+1:

You can get more info and order directly from Steam Crave here: https://shop.steamcrave.com/glazrtav2_p0977.html
Or buy the V2 deck for your V1 Glaz RTA here: https://shop.steamcrave.com/glazrtav2deck_p1002.html

Check out how this stacks up to other tasty gear and meet the Steampugs team of reviewers. Your bound to have a good time and read up on some great products, not so great ones too http://www.steampugs.co.uk/

13 Likes

Great, great, GREAT review @mjag. Love the direct A/B comparisons, great pics, AND (for the love of God), the “where to cut the wicks” pic, love it. I still don’t have any glaz’s as of yet, but I think you may have just forced me into that with the v.2. Slide top issues not withstanding of course, as I can only assume the nightmare of an open Glaz in a pocket.

I appreciate the time you took getting this together, in a very straightforward way, with great compare/contrasts.

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Oh yeah, liked that too ^^^

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Thank you Dman!

I am still hopeful for a V3, mostly for that top cap…grrrrrr. Although it never slipped open on me but then again never went into my pocket. I also wish the deck was more forgiving, just feels like a couple more improvements and it could be one of there best RTA’S, I hope they keep improving it.

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Hehe I hear ya, I’ve never had great luck with them.

Agreed.

Love the detailed wick pics too !!!

https://i.imgur.com/gldpLHC.jpg

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Enjoyed the review, Mjag! I know this is an older post, but I was trying to catch up on my reading.

I’d love to have this rta to go on my Aegis Legend my ex son-in-law gave me a while back. It would be a great fit, and it turns out, I just happen to have a can of those 6 core fused claptons in 3.5mm sitting handy! :slight_smile: I just bought a Hellvape Rebirth rta for the Legend, but that’s why they put 510s on 'em…so you can take 'em off! :slight_smile: I’ve got a spare Battlestar sitting here I can put the Rebirth on

Regarding the top cap, would a half-turn bayonet cap work and still have the big juice ports? It would be cool if that was the case.

I’m with you on the spare glass situation too. In my case, I would much rather have a spare bubble glass but even 7ml straight glass is more capacity than I’m used to.

Thanks for the rundown and I’ll catch you on the next one!

.

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Michael, it is always good to hear from you, how have you been?

I would still recommend the Aromamizer Plus over the Glaz but some do prefer the Glaz better. The Plus is on closeout at Steamcrave website in the $25 range so good time to pick one up.

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I’m doing well lately. I kinda went slack on mixing and vaping stuff for a while. I got into digital painting and only mixed up my 2 juices that I vape all the time but I’m getting back into it a little.

Man, I’d love to pick up an aromamizer, but I just spent my monthly budget on 2 RTAs and some COTN Threads wicks. I’ll see if I can manage it somehow.

My main problem now is, I’ve got 6 mods and attys…and only 2 juices that I like well enough to vape regularly. :slight_smile:

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@mjag Thanks for the great review and pictures. I thought I read somewhere that the Glaze is squonkable. The pictures of the deck and pin don’t appear to be. I may be confused between products. Steamcrave will soon have a new Squonk backpack for the new Hadron 220 mod, and they had a Squonk mod in the past; however, they only seem to have one squonk RDA. Maybe that was also called “Glaze”? I would love to see a deck capable of Squonk for the Aromamizer Plus! Maybe the upcoming Mesh deck will be.

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The Glaz RDA is squonkable, the Glaz RTA is not. It is a good RDA, I think they could have done better though. The Asgard 30mm RDA is pretty damn good, that’s probably what will be on the Hadron once the backpack is released

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Maggie Lou confirmed on Face Book the new mesh deck for the Steam Crave Aromamizer Plus will have a squonk pin! This causes a small delay in pre-order announcement but I’m ok with that for sure :star_struck:

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I just went over to there FB group and professed my love for Maggie Luo and this announcement…I will be sending out wedding invitations soon…just gotta get a bunch of mesh decks first :wink:

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