During 2016 I saw this RTA advertised many times. The write ups were both negative and positive, mainly negative. One of the biggest bug-bears of users was the fact that due to the construction, you cannot open it to inspect the coils with a full tank. The coils are encircled by this weird steel tube. There were also reported leaking issues. I dismissed the idea of buying this RTA completely, also because it was cheap (R400) and I figured "Cheap is nasty".
Fast forward to Christmas, I included it, amongst other RTA's and RDA's, on my "Secret Santa" list. To be honest I was hoping that I did not get this item.
Come Christmas Day, I got it. I had so many mixed feelings about this tank, but thought, don't be negative, rise to the challenge.
Upon opening the box, I wondered why there were two Allan keys? I also felt a bit robbed that I never got 4 spare grub screws, only 2. I you tubed the Tornado and immediately regretted choosing this item for the following observations:
The tank does not sit tight on the Mod while building the coil. Hence the spare Allan key, which you must insert through the base centre pin hole to keep the base from spinning while building.
You have to screw in the steel tube to the base before you can test dry fire the coils. All your pinching and tweaking of the coil is done through the top of this ring. This is awkward. Also, to dry fire and wash the coils you have to do it with the mysterious steel tube attached.
I coiled and wicked it using Kanthal, 24, 3 ID, 7 wraps giving me 0.35 Ohms. I assembled the atty and juiced it up through the top side fill. Juice came piddling out the bottom airflow ring. I cursed. Then I hopped onto YouTube to find a solution. Someone with one eye showed me the right way to wick it in a quick simple video clip.
I did a rebuild using Kanthal 22, 3 ID, 6 1/2 wraps giving me 0.24 Ohm. But I lifted the cotton and inserted the ring over the upright cotton from the top. Then I stuffed the cotton down through the steel tube tightly from the top, i.e. over the tube into the four wick sections. I pulled some cotton out of the four cotton holes with sharp tweezers. Then I trimmed off excess cotton protruding out of the holes, assembled and filled with juice. No leaks whatsoever.
Then I vaped this difficult Tornado. Oh my goodness, the best clouds and best flavour than any RTA I own. I vaped on it the whole if Boxing Day and experienced no leaks. Because the cotton needs to be packed in tightly, it works better with a 50/50 or 60/40 juice rather than a heavy VG based juice. I ramped up the Watts to 60 and even 70 W, which I never do: no problem, smooth and cool. I even took it up to 100 Watts, a first ever for me. I blew gloriously thick clouds and got dense flavour.
The irony is that I now love this RTA. Once you learn how to wick it correctly, you end up with a fantastic vape. I won't even try to convince anyone to buy this. All I can say is that I have found my near perfect vape on an RTA and would not hesitate to get another. Truly remarkable! Also, if you own one and it leaks, You Tube it and you will find your answer.
Are there any other Tornado 24mm IJoy RDTA owners who can share their experience?
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