Hello peeps,
Another Steamcrave Product, this time the Ragnar RDTA. It’s a new 35mm RDTA that is compatible with several different decks. The nice thing is that the decks fit for both the Ragnar and Aromamizer Plus V2, of which I did a review some time ago.
Steamcrave is known for producing large tanks, and this one is no exception.
Specifications:
In the box:
1* PLUS Mesh deck kit
1* PLUS Velocity Deck
1* Aromamizer Ragnar RDTA
1* 18ml glass
1* Chamber reducer
1* Spare part bag of O rings and grub screws, slotted screws
1* Allen Key
1* 25ml conversion chimney
2* 25ml glass
1* Vape Band
1* SteamCrave Sticker
1* Manual
I got the advanced kit, so it additionally included two large 25ml glass extensions, Mesh deck and velocity deck. Very richly packed box if you ask me.
Review:
As I am used from Steamcrave, this RDTA is well made with smooth threading. Obviously, it is large with its 35mm diameter, so getting a wide mod is quite a good thing. I got the Hadron 220W for review earlier and it’s a very nice match.
Taking this tank apart is simple, everything unscrews easily. Enlarging the tank with the 25ml glass and extender is a matter of seconds, just as transforming it into an RDA. Capacity of this tank is just insane with the extension glass, but even with the regular glass you have a 18ml capacity. Refill once per day or sometimes even once per two days.
I’ve been using this tank in as well in RDA mode on the Hadron 220 with the squonk backpack attached, a very nice combination, design and performance wise.
Under the top cap you will find two massive fill holes, big enough to pour liquid into it from a bottle without tip. It is very important with this tank to close down the juice flow control while filling, because if you don’t you will end up with major leaks from the airflow, that is probably due to air pressure.
Drip-tip is also exceptionally wide for me, but it is comfortable, and it fits the tank well.
Talking about the juice flow control, there is not much to say, it is a fantastic feature and, on this tank, even a necessity to not make a mess. Ring turns smoothly and the markings on the ring are clear.
So many airflow options this tank has, even many more than the Aromamizer Plus V2. I guess I don’t have to tell you that you can get A LOT of airflow on this tank. It is also possible to get a nice restricted airflow for those that like. Also, here the ring turns smoothly, but it would have been nice if it also would have had something to grab onto just like on the juice flow control.
Build deck is easily accessible by unscrewing the base of the tank. Default build deck that was installed is massive, much larger than the Aromamizer Plus v2, but steamcrave included a chamber reducer that falls right into place and makes the tank compatible with the included Mesh and Velocity Deck (the same ones as on the Aromamizer Plus v2. Really nice that Steamcrave invented this chamber reducer.
Overall, I find that the vape from this tank is quite the same as on the Aromamizer Plus V2, but I think the larger build deck with the large chamber is more interesting for those that are vaping at very high wattage levels. I generally do not vape above 90W.
It just vapes fantastically, delivering insanely large clouds and a lot of flavor. Below part I also covered in my earlier review of the Aromamizer Plus V2 going through the decks I tried on the Ragnar as well.
The Decks
Probably one of the main reasons I would buy this tank, you have 5 deck options! I own all apart from the single coil deck.
For all decks there is one rule to make them really perform, really comb out those ends of the cotton very well and do not stuff them into the wicking slot. The cotton needs to lay loose in the wicking slot so that the liquid can be easily sucked up from the bottom of the tank.
All decks (apart from mesh, has philips) have allen screw-heads which I like. From my experience allen screws do not get dull so easily as Philips or flathead screws. The tri-tool that comes with it has an OK allen key allowing to easily get the screws in or out.
Mesh deck:
It’s an easy deck as most mesh decks with its clamps. Just be sure to put enough cotton in, the strips that came with it were perfectly sized to pull through straight away.
This is the first mesh deck I have owned that does not have the spring-loaded ceramic ‘pusher’ under the coil. I was a bit worried I would get many dry hits because of cotton not being ‘pushed’ against the coil. Steam Crave did however add several holes on the bottom making sure it is saturated well. This is the first mesh deck that surprisingly did not give me even 1 (!!) dry hit, the cotton is so well saturated that it does not even give dry hits a chance. Maybe it is the way I wicked as well, but I just used the cotton strip that came with it, combed it out well and that’s it. The flavor on the mesh deck is outstanding, hard to say it is better than the other tanks I tried (Kylin M and Zeus X Mesh), because for me Mesh builds in general are flavor wise just great.
Still, I would say this is my favorite mesh-deck so far just for not having any dry hits and a very well dense saturated hit each time, even when chain vaping. Love it.
Postless decks (standard and series):
There is a total of three postless decks, 1 larger dual that is included with the Ragnar, and the series and regular dual, which only fit with the chamber reducer installed. The only difference with the series deck is that it multiplies the coil resistance in stead of dividing it by two. This is useful for some mods that do not allow low coil resistance builds.
I like postless decks mainly because they are easy to build on. The only thing that is important to know is the leg length of the coil to properly sit on the deck, in this case 5mm is perfect. Same as on all the decks, important to really comb out the cotton well and not stuff the wicking slot.
The dual deck included with the Ragnar is quite a bit larger and additionally has bottom honeycomb airflow. Flavor wise it is very similar to the dual deck on the Aromamizer Plus V2. The additional bottom airflow does help for higher wattage vaping to not get too warm hits.
The flavor on the postless decks is just top-notch. With the cotton being saturated well it just provides the flavor you would expect the juice tastes like. The further you get your coils out, the better the flavor gets.
Velocity deck
Flavor and performance wise very similar to the postless deck, the velocity deck however for me takes a bit longer to build and wick. The straight posts allow for a close cut of the coil legs.
The deck works well as the others, but I personally would not see the need to get this deck if you already have the postless and mesh deck, velocity seems a bit old-school and is a type of deck you don’t see much anymore.
Overall deck thoughts
Flavor and vaper production on all decks are just outstanding. Just having the option to switch between decks is a massive pro. Even with a tank full you can exchange the decks if you feel like changing your deck-style, simply close the Juice Flow Control, screw of the base, replace the deck and screw back the base. As simple as that. I for example have all decks laying around already prepared to be used, whenever I feel the deck, I am using needs a fresh wick I can just put in another deck.
The cotton is saturated very well (if wicked properly) and I did not experience any leaking issues on any of the decks.
Conclusion:
To me it is the same vape performance wise as the Aromamizer Plus V2, but this tank is just larger. It has more juice capacity and more airflow options.
Highly recommending this tank for those that are looking for a large versatile tank. Within seconds you go from RDTA to RDA and vice versa. And on a day you feel ‘Meshy’ you can just switch between decks. Cloud and flavor production on this tank are insane (in a positive way).
Again, a very nice experience with another Steamcrave product.
Thank you,
Sjoerd
