RTA's vs RDA's

[Rob Fisher]

If you ask any veteran vaper what is the best vape they will always tell you the best flavour comes from an RDA (or bottom fed RDA aka Squonker).

Now sitting here in my vape cave celebrating my four-year vaping anniversary I wonder why I’m pretty much an RTA man through and through despite having squonked for the first 2 to 3 years of my vaping journey.

OK it must be said I vape menthol juices almost exclusively and that may be a factor… also I hate and detest the mess of dripping and squonking… it’s a hassle and it is messy… hard bottles vs soft bottles and I’m still not sure which is better… dripping on the go is also a pain… but if I was getting better flavour from drippers I would certainly do it… but I don’t… and that’s the crux of the issue… I get the best flavour from my Skyline, Flo and Exocet’s in the Billet Box’s and even the 24mm Vapor Giant and Tanko RTA’s!

My latest BF RDA (The Flave 22 Titanium Limited Edition) on top of the Armor Mech Squonker is doing a pretty good job with a 3mm Fused Clapton Single Coil and it is what got me thinking because it’s probably the best squonking setup I have had with a 22mm RDA. I was thinking… Mmmm this I could use all day… no over squonking and great flavour!

Bottom line for me with XXX by Vapor Mountain is that my RTA’s driven at around the 28 watt point with singles coils give me the flavour I’m looking for and keeps me happy.

Tell me what your favourite is... Tank or Dripper and which one?

 

[Rob Fisher]

I should have added that there is no right or wrong answer because whatever floats your boat is the right way... I'm just interested to see if I'm alone with my RTA's!

 

[TheV]

I'm yet to find my feet in this wonderful world of vaping.
I've been from stock coils to dual coil drippers to dual coil tanks to single coil tanks to single coil drippers.
As my journey of discovery progresses my tastes seem to change and evolve.
At this very point in time I feel like the BB+Exo (thus single coil tank) provides the best experience for me.
So much so that I'm not sure what to do with the rest of my hardware.
I'm still open to new experiences and I have a bunch of new things coming in... but I'm more convinced than ever (for now) that single coil tanks is where I belong

 

[antonherbst]

I have a bit of both

My OL16 is a bottom feeder RDA that gives me amazing flavor on the REO.
Then i have my Merlin mini with NI80 as an RTA setup that give me similar flavor as the OL16.

 

[Huffapuff]

I really enjoyed RTAs in the beginning, but never liked the struggle of getting the wicking right to avoid leaks/dry hits. Even on RTAs I'd used for ages - mostly it'd be fine, but every so often something would go wrong and I'd get so annoyed having to redo it.

Then I managed to score a great deal on an old Reo and it all changed. It just worked all the time. Simple to wick and continuous fresh flavour.

I sold my last tank on Friday and squonk exclusively now. I run a Vaporesso Transformer on my Reo, Wasp on my VT inbox and Hadaly on my Therion 75c. But for me the Hadaly isn't the best for squonking so the search for another squonk-friendly RDA continues

 

[Seemo.wm]

RDAs for me. i prefer the forgiveness in wicking that a dripper offers. i dont mind carrying the juice bottle for this convenience.
Currently using the Icon and Goon

 

[Jp1905]

I love RDAs,the OG Goon was the best thing Ive owned,and the worst Ive sold...Had the goon22 on a boxer mech squonker(clone),and loved it,and still miss it.I got sick of RTAs because I battle to wick them,always get leaks,and apart from that I had a flaming experience with a Kylin.

I eventually got the Goon 1.5 but overdripping was the biggest issue with the cyclops style airslots.

I picked up a clone reload RTA to give tanks a try,and so far really enjoying it.I can not comment on the HE tanks as I have never vaped on any but I believe some tanks could be really really close to RDAs.

I got the SXK Solo RDA from @Amir and as lovely as it is,its not for me.Super small and I get spitback and burnt lips the whole time.

I am yet to find a happy place with these tiny single coil bf RDAs,but the Goon22 was my favourite.

For now,Ill stick to the Minikin and Reload combo,maybe I can hint at the wife to get me a authentic for christmas...


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[Silver]

@Rob Fisher , this is a fantastic thread!

Great to read your OP and the comments thus far.

My take on it is that it depends on the type of vape you're after and the type of juice you like.
I think fruity menthols tend to do well in most vape devices and I think the difference between a RDA and today's good tanks is quite small for these type of juices. And you like convenience.

For me its a bit of all three
- Tanks for convenience - mainly fruity menthols
- BF dripper (RM2 on Reo) for tobacco MTL, no other MTL tank ive tried comes close
- petri rda for the occasional drip and a bit of fun - mainly desserts / richer flavours

I also like my RM2 for my Blackbird tobacco MTL because of a simple thing. That juice shreds wicks. So i need to rewick each bottle. I share some of @Huffapuff 's woes regarding wicking some of the tanks, so there is no way I am rewicking so often in a tank. Too much admin. And anyway, the flavour in that RM2 is tops. Besides, show me a good MTL tank that comes close to the RM2 and Im all ears.

Overall, I would say Im more of a tank person with forgiving juices that I dont need to rewick too often. But for the MTL tobacco its the BF Reo "dripper" all the way.

 

[Petrus]

Oom @Rob Fisher, personally my two best setups with OL16's on top....After many attempts and leaking issues, I am very happy with the Ijoy Captain RTA. The flavour is great, and no leaking, so I am a happy chappy.

 

[Tai]

For fruit/menthol and specifically xxx, nothing ive tried comes close to the Rose3 rta (it never got much love on our forum but has saved me loads of money as i dont want or need any other rta). Its just a perfect full and balanced vape, bringing out that menthol hit on the inhale and the fruit on exhale. Im often just dumbstruck by this tank and very glad i have 2 of them.

I do however feel the Rose does not bring the best out of deserts, which is where the Flave rda's on squonk mods come in for me. The 22 giving a sharper flavour profile and the 24 more of a rounded fuller vape (great for heavy custard/doughnut type vapes).

Its the first time in years im completely satisfied and happy with my vape gear

 

[Friep]

For me it's rda all the way. The simplicity of wicking and building on them is just a win. Never get airlocks or weird unexplainable leaking. I always thought that an rda is high maintenance and an effort to keep dripping and vaping but you get used to it. My nighttime favorite setup is an original goon 24mm just epic flavour in this one. My daily driver is an sxk hadaly.

 

[Rob Fisher]

I can really understand those that dislike RTA's because of the wicking and leaking issues... I almost gave up on RTA's... the Serpent Mini 25 resurrected my interest in RTA's... they really worked for me (except a black one which was a complete lemon)... and then the Skyline arrived and the rest is history... and special mention has to be made of the Exocet and Flo in the Billet Box... if I was only allowed one device on the planet it would be a BB with a Flo no question. The BB for me ticks all the box's... I guess that's why I ordered two more today!

 

[RenaldoRheeder]

Now there is a question. I was convinced that RTAs was my Happy place. Then I decided to try squonking - just so that I could tick the box. Now I'm really confused. I guess the next couple of months - as I play with the various RTAs and RDAs - will tell. And then there is also the SXK BB that entered the scene. I would not be able to pick a single one from the lot.


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[Rob Fisher]

Now there is a question. I was convinced that RTAs was my Happy place. Then I decided to try squonking - just so that I could tick the box. Now I'm really confused. I guess the next couple of months - as I play with the various RTAs and RDAs - will tell. And then there is also the SXK BB that entered the scene. I would not be able to pick a single one from the lot.

And therein lies the issue! There are so many options available to us these days and vape equipment has improved in leaps and bounds... finding the perfect vape is not easy and it depends on a ton of variables... your juice choices... clouds vs flavour... the amount of power and heat or the lack thereof that works for you... airflow... easy of use... juice capacity... ease of build... single or dual coils and the list goes on and on...

My happy please is a single coil RTA at around the 28 watt mark with a coil resistance of between 0.4Ω to 0.6Ω

 

[jamie]

Single coil RTA’s for me. Although my RDA experience is very limited, it’s just never appealed to me other than for testing juice and for how easy it is to wick.

RTAs can be really frustrating at first, but once you master them it’s worth it.

I like to keep things simple, 22mm tanks, single wire coils, my small Serpent Alto has been my daily xxx tank for months.

This weekend I picked up the SXK BB & exocet and this will no doubt become my main device.

 

[kev mac]

If you ask any veteran vaper what is the best vape they will always tell you the best flavour comes from an RDA (or bottom fed RDA aka Squonker).

Now sitting here in my vape cave celebrating my four-year vaping anniversary I wonder why I’m pretty much an RTA man through and through despite having squonked for the first 2 to 3 years of my vaping journey.

OK it must be said I vape menthol juices almost exclusively and that may be a factor… also I hate and detest the mess of dripping and squonking… it’s a hassle and it is messy… hard bottles vs soft bottles and I’m still not sure which is better… dripping on the go is also a pain… but if I was getting better flavour from drippers I would certainly do it… but I don’t… and that’s the crux of the issue… I get the best flavour from my Skyline, Flo and Exocet’s in the Billet Box’s and even the 24mm Vapor Giant and Tanko RTA’s!

My latest BF RDA (The Flave 22 Titanium Limited Edition) on top of the Armor Mech Squonker is doing a pretty good job with a 3mm Fused Clapton Single Coil and it is what got me thinking because it’s probably the best squonking setup I have had with a 22mm RDA. I was thinking… Mmmm this I could use all day… no over squonking and great flavour!

Bottom line for me with XXX by Vapor Mountain is that my RTA’s driven at around the 28 watt point with singles coils give me the flavour I’m looking for and keeps me happy.

Tell me what your favourite is... Tank or Dripper and which one?
View attachment 109698

With the advances made by RTA makers in the last year or so in terms of tank design especially flavor wise this former dripping junkie has retired the RDA collection to the closet.My favorite RTAs (VCST,Ammit,Modfather,Boreaus)rival drippers in terms of flavor and surpass them in ease of use.These are my opinions of course and hopefully improvements in sqounking technology will bring my RDAs back to the fold.Until then I will continue using tanks.

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

I started out with the old eVod clearomizers. Great at the time but 1.5 ohm and very low wattage. MTL only.

Moved on to RTAs. Started DL vaping with the subtank mini. This was a fantastic tank with a RBA deck which never leaked. I still nostalgically use it from time to time (both top and bottom fill tanks).

Went through many RTAs and ended up with the Skyclone which IMHO is yet to be bettered. I use it from time to time.

Now squonking 90% of the time using Hadaly, Wasp and Goon 1.5. I seem to be lucky as I almost never oversquonk, and have only once had a mild dry burn. Easy to build. Even easier to wick. Great flavor (I don't need huge clouds).

 

[Andre]

Five basic setups, covering the whole spectrum, from my side and I love them all equally. Each one has its strong and weak points.

1. Reos, all with OL16s with ceramic wicking. My workhorses. Each one dedicated to a specific juice category. Also used to test new DIY juices.
2. BBs, more work than the Reos in my case, but awesome flavour. Have 2 tanks for each BB. Each tank dedicated to an ADV juice. Running them with Flows and Exocets.
3. VT Inboxes with Chalice 4s with ceramic wicking. One dedicated to coffee and spicy juices. The other one used for cool fruity juices.
4. Pico with Skyline RTA and Provari 3 and SX Mini with GEM RTAs. Have tried many RTAs - only these 2 have met my expectations. Great flavour, no moisture.
5. Hohm Slice with Hadaly RDA. Occasional use to compare different versions of my DIY concoctions.

 

[Daniel]

Also been through the hype train , trying different RDAs/RTAs but eventually it all comes down to the Three F's , Flavour , Function and last Finances....

I used to be like a headless chicken trying this and that , ended up costing me a load of money along the way.

After many iterations , some swearing some coughing and finally some sense .....

Daily drivers are my Skyclone/Pico with a fruity ADV & BRRT Box/ExoClone , although my Pico is battered and bruised still going.
On the go squonking SXK Solo/Pico Squeeze FTW! Just can't beat this on the three F's
At home mostly squonking, trying out the different clone BF RDAs on my Therion BF & RDA's on my VGOD150 (best damn mod still to date IMO)
Lagertha (my first and only remaining Reo) + RM2 for that lazy Sunday tobacco MTL ...
Not sure what it classifies as but the little Gusto Pod device works a treat going out , especially if you going to have a few .....

The rest are all .... meh ....

 

[Bear_Vapes]

The Serpent mini 25 in single coil mode with 24g ni80 6 wrap 3mm and opus glitch at 35w. I haven't found a better vape yet.
Using a wasp nano at the moment, flavor is great with big coils but a lot of airflow means less intense flavor for me.
RTA is a win for me I own 3 serpent mini 25s.

 

[Silver]

The Serpent mini 25 in single coil mode with 24g ni80 6 wrap 3mm and opus glitch at 35w. I haven't found a better vape yet.
Using a wasp nano at the moment, flavor is great with big coils but a lot of airflow means less intense flavor for me.
RTA is a win for me I own 3 serpent mini 25s.

Yup, that SM25 when set up right is a superb vape
Is Glitch a menthol, cant remember, but i recall the Sm25 was brilliant with menthols

 

[Ash]

I love my RTA's but always, ALWAYS had issues with 1 or another. I have tried many Tanks and SM22 was as close to perfect till the Skyline arrived. 3 Skylines later and still loving every bit of it. This is the only RTA I have now. Will I buy something else to try, I cannot see a reason yet as the Skyline over the last few months have proved to be perfect for me in every way. In fact I have not even bothered reading or even looking at other tanks, that is how happy I am with my skylines.

Then to add to that will be the BB with Exocets. Match made in heaven for a grab and go device. Compact, Robust and flavourful Vape. What more would you need. As good as the Odis flow might be, I am very happy with exocets.

Just recently I have been getting into RDA's and so far the 1's I love using is The Armor and Entheon. Great flavour. Waiting to try a Haku as I hear good things about it too. But with RDA's it must be single coil. I chase flavour and not clouds.

So I guess for me its RTA & RDA rather than RTA vs RDA. Best of all worlds. Different options for different moods of the day.

PS. My juice pref. with all of these is PANAMA only. I am a Menthol only user.