Baya RTA Rekavape version and kindly provided by shareAvape for review, without receiving money or having any working relationship with them. An MTL RTA with top feeding, which has been very popular in recent years. Average dimensions but a great pro is its capacity of 4.2 ml. The draw, one of the Baya's main features, is adjustable via 3 airpins provided in the package.
22mm diameter and 37 grams weight excluding the drip tip. Also excluding the drip tip and 510 pin, the height is around 37mm and a bit. Made of 316 stainless steel but also available in a titanium version, both Rekavape available on shareAvape.This time, the packaging is standard with a small box featuring the name. Inside is the BAYA with the frosted PC tank pre-installed and the pyrex one packaged separately. In the spare parts box, besides many o-rings and two spare screws, there are also the two airpins, with a third already installed in the Baya.
While stock drip tips usually aren't anything special, this time it's not only well-suited to the Baya but I'm also using it on other atomizers as it seems custom-made for Belarusians. I don't think it has its own name other than "Baya's drip tip," but it's made of steel, it's tall (about 13mm excluding the base, and the hole is 4mm wide). There are two small fins that serve a purely aesthetic purpose, as the heat, at least on the Baya, doesn't reach that point, and they match well with the other fins along the tank.
The tank is held by an o-ring which will then .... against the one on the chamber, both well-sized. Rekavape offers a double choice with a frosted polycarbonate and a pyrex tank, both with a 4.2 ml capacity. That sort of final part of the chamber – a chimney piece – has an internal diameter of 8.5mm, which is irrelevant anyway since the chamber is screwed into it and then narrows along the entire length of the chimney to 4mm and a bit.
Threaded connection with a diameter of 7.5 or 6 mm (difficult to measure with calipers) where the chimney is screwed in and which ensures the seal. You can also see the wicking channels, here with a kind of bevel that I believe is responsible for the Baya's excellent feeding.Refill is only possible from the bottom with any type of bottle given the ample space.
Internal view of the chamber - deck with the seal relying on two o-rings, making it impossible to accidentally uncap it given the "guides" and the friction created. The liquid wets the coil via fixed wicking channels, and the coil's position is "forced" by the two posts - coil jig rest. The positive post has a very pronounced peek insert, which I imagine was placed to dissipate heat and prevent customized wicking in order to avoid over-feeding and dry hits. The flathead screws, which I'm not a fan of, nonetheless provide excellent grip.
In terms of building, everything is decided by the "modder," with the coil position virtually forced to be straight and nothing else. You can play with the height, placing the coil slightly off-center from the airflow hole, and nothing more. The cotton should be folded as one sees fit in the deck, following the peek insert, or you use the cotton's elasticity to hold it between the peek and the jig posts, or slightly lower the peek section to (almost) touch the bottom cap. Whether the position or quantity is good or bad is indicated by the Baya itself, returning a dirty draw, a sign of over-feeding or airflow obstruction. When wicked well, it returns a draw that produces almost no noise. The wicking channels touch a part where it's impossible not to have cotton underneath.I note the presence of a "bottom cap," so the chamber does not enclose the deck, and you don't need to screw it onto a mod or tab to open it.
First part of the airflow system, adjustable thanks to the 3 airpins provided by Rekavape with diameters of 1.2, 1.5, and 1.8mm engraved on the base for easy recognition, and air entering through the two symmetrical, semi-rectangular slots, 5mm wide and perhaps a bit more. No loose insulators, but one is present, as seen in the 510 threading housing. A peek insert plays the major role of holding the positive post in position; it can be extracted by removing the airpin. There's no risk, or at least it never happened to me with a build installed, of deforming the coil by replacing the airpin, as the peek insulator "slots into" the fixed post.
Finally, the airflow system is accessed by unscrewing those two small screws, so there's no risk of the bottom cap sticking to the mod. I don't even understand how it can be so quiet, despite the amount of air it takes in, but evidently the airpins restrict so much, as is fashionable in Italy, that the draw accurately reflects the size of the airpin used. Also created by Rekavape and available on shareAvape is the optional kit that includes the chamber with side airflow to make it dual or to close this bottom one.
Draw: As I said, a lot of air comes in but the noise is near zero. There's the usual feeling of a draw with unnatural pressure/contrast with the 1.2mm, less so with the 1.5mm, and absent with the 1.8mm. Excellent for "normal" MTL, but if you're looking for a very tight draw, you must also like the hardness. Vaping at zero nicotine, I don't feel any throat hit.
Build: It's an atomizer for thin wires given the "fullness" of the deck and the not-so-thick bell/evaporation chamber. I mostly tried 5 wraps of 28g; you can use 29g if you're a fan. With the 1.8mm hole, you can risk a few more wraps, as well as if you have the patience to use it in TC. This is at least in the base version; probably with the double side airflow, something like 27g is allowed.
Flavor: The flavor rendition is good, primarily for less complex liquids like synthetic tobaccos or perhaps icy fruits. Flavored tobaccos and VCTs also perform well, but for creams, I'd lean towards something else unless you prefer them with a more "old school" flavor rendition, without an emphasis on sweet notes.
In some respects, the Baya has thoughtful touches like the well-chosen diameter of the stock drip tip, which encourages using other plastic drip tips of ample diameter if you don't like steel ones, as the flavor benefits. The wicking channels, though fixed, are well-sized without needing special care or guessing the exact position or amount of cotton, besides the advantage, during cleaning, of not having to fear losing them. A virtually 3-piece atomizer for daily use, it cleans in 2 minutes and rebuilds and wicks in 2 minutes. Therefore, the tolerances and geometries are perfectly well-matched; there's no phenomenon of pressure change when a third or a quarter of the tank is missing and the atomizer starts to over-feed. The chosen steel for its construction, an aspect that may not interest everyone, is nevertheless very pleasing to the eye; it looks much heavier and more massive than it actually is.
Rekavape Baya RTA available on shareAvape at the following link:
https://www.shareavape.com/rekavape...-2ml-air-pin-1-2-1-5-1-8mm-22mm-diameter.html along with its various accessories like the side airflow chamber or the chopping kit to reduce it to 2ml, and the titanium version.
A special thanks to all the staff and the entire e-cigarette forum community for the space and opportunity.
