The 6 Best Rebuildable Tank Atomizers (RTAs) for 2024
Our picks — compared live
Rebuildable Tank Atomizers (RTAs) – Specifications
| RTA Tank | Diameter | Tank Capacity | Coil Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dovpo Blotto – Best RTA of 2024 | 28 mm | 6 mL | Single & Dual Coil | |
| Innokin Ares 2 RTA – Runner-up | 22 mm | 2 mL | Single Coil | |
| Geek Vape Zeus X Mesh RTA | 25 mm | 4.5 mL | Single MESH coil | |
| Vandy Vape BERSERKER V2 MTL 22mm RDA | 22 mm | 1.5 mL | Single Coil | |
| Hellvape DESTINY 24mm RTA | 24 mm | 4 mL | Single Coil | |
| QP Design Gata RTA | 24 mm | 4 mL | Single Coil |
No More Pre-Made Coils
The most popular reason people get into rebuilding atomizers is to avoid having to buy pricey premade coils. Many, though, fall in love with vaping for a second time after this jump, after they realize they can now customize their vaping experience precisely to their liking.
With tanks and pod systems that rely on premade coils, you are stuck with what the manufacturer produces. Admittedly, today we have a wider choice between different premade coils for the most popular atomizers. With older or more obscure tanks, the choice between coils might be severely limited.
This matters because the coils are primarily responsible for the vaping experience’s core part, vaporizing the juice. By using larger or smaller coils, contact or spaced, made of Kanthal, Stainless Steel, Nickel, or Adamantium, you can affect your vape’s heat, density, and even flavor profile.
The primary reason for going rebuildable, though, remains the same: you can avoid the cost of premade coils by using a roll of wire and a pack of Japanese cotton pads you can buy for peanuts.
Why Use an RTA Over an RDA?
By being shorter and able to take larger coils while having more direct airflow, RDAs are the best choice for both flavor and cloud chasers . But they are, admittedly, inconvenient.
When vaping with an RDA, you are continuously dripping juice. If you don’t do it, two or three hits down the road, you will inhale a charred wick’s fumes. So, most of the time, you end up using both your hands to vape, holding your mod in one hand, the juice bottle in the other. Then, juggling them when you have to do anything else, like, say, unlocking a door.
RTAs solve this problem by having a juice reservoir in the form of a tank. With an RTA, you only have to refill it every now and then. The best part is that, if you are a light MTL vaper who doesn’t consume a load of juice, this “every now and then” may mean “two or three times per week.”
Why use an RTA over an RDTA?
Admittedly RDTAs have the same primary benefit of RTAs over RDAs since they also come with a tank. Plus, by being closer to RDAs, they also – usually – have an edge in both flavor and vapor production over an average RTA.
Both RDAs and RDTAs, though, are suboptimal for use when you are on the move. The problem is that they are both open systems, with both their coil chamber and, up to a point, their juice reservoir exposed. Tilt them, and you will have leakage. And don’t even think about carrying them in your pants pockets , unless you don’t mind looking like you had “an accident.”
Conclusion
Like with our RDTA guide , there is no clear winner among our contestants. The perfect atomizer for someone who likes big fluffy clouds and unrestricted DL airflow can be, at the same time, the worst possible option for those who prefer tight MTL vaping.
Vandy Vape’s BSKR v2 is one of the best options for pure MTL vaping available in the market but has evolved to also allow restricted DL vaping.
The same goes for Innokin’s Ares 2, which performs just as great for both types of vaping. They provide a similar vaping experience, making a choice between them a matter of personal preference between their decks and looks.
The BSKR v2 has a more classic look that follows in the footsteps of the beloved Nautilus atomizer by Aspire and a similarly more traditional (and fiddly) deck. Still, we think it’s more forgiving in its wicking. The Ares 2 by Innokin, on the other hand, is a more modern tank in every regard. It’s made for the hobbyist vaper, who likes the very idea of having to experiment with it to find the perfect way to wick it. Or fiddle with its airflow in two separate places to pinpoint the optimal setting for him.
For DL vapers, the choice is easier, since Dovpo’s Blotto RDA leads the pack. You don’t like the idea of having to invest the time to find the optimal way to build it? Nor have to deal with a busted mod after your whole tank’s contents leaked on (and in) it? Then, maybe the Zeus X by Geekvape would be a better choice.
Hellvape’s destiny RTA is an excellent middle ground between the two. If we were talking about gaming, it would be the default character. The somewhat generic, average hero. The best choice for the vast majority of people who don’t like overthinking if they should go with the swift stealthy assassin or the two-sword-wielding barbarian.
I have to admit that QP Design’s Gata can be an equally good performer, but I don’t like the proximity of its air restrictor to the coil. That’s why I can’t suggest it over solutions like the Ares 2, where there is no chance of melting such a part and inhaling toxic fumes. If you are careful while rebuilding it, though, it’s just as good as the rest of them.
We hope we provided the best choices for everyone. Both those who treat vaping as the most efficient way to quit smoking and those who see it as a hobby. Those who want to save money on coil costs, and those who wish to adjust their vaping experience precisely to their liking. Hopefully, everyone will find a significant upgrade to their existing tank among our choices and stay off the stinkies.
Keep vaping, and do tell us in the comments section below what your next tank will be – and why.