I think that's nearly half the reason people think they're the best.
Quality? *check*
Design? *check*
...but they're still just a plastic on plastic design. I don't really get where the "best" comes in. They have nice colors and an awesome style but I'm not understanding how much better they are than a Phiniac or a glass Siam Mod tank.
Not only that, but you also have to take the entire top cap off to fill it because it is the drip tip, that doesn't seem easier, it seems messier.
I intend to make a video very soon to show the steps to disassemble and reassemble the lavatank and how to fill and refill. I have used pretty much every other tank out there. I was skeptical about the lavatank before I owned one and really didn't understand what was so "great" about them, either. After having used one, I now understand the difference.
Yes, the drip tip is incorporated into the top cap. It is much easier to remove that top cap, refill and replace than it is to fill any other standard type of cap without an incorporated drip tip. With a phiniac, you need a tank tool and you pour liquid along it to fill the tank or you have to pry the top cap off. You have to slide the carto down and if you slide it too far, you get over the punched hole and liquid can trickle out where the hole is. When you slide it back up into place, more liquid comes out with the tank tool. With the lava tank, you have none of these problems. All you do is pop off the top cap, pour your liquid in without overfilling, start to put the top cap on, tilt the tank to get the air bubble over the punched hole and push it into place. It is so much less time consuming.
Yes the lava tank is shipped with a clear plastic tube. The end caps are not just plastic, though. Most are acrylic and poly resin which are impervious to any liquids I've used. Also, there is now a supplier called "Bedazzled" who cuts clear fused quartz tubes that specifically fit the lavatanks for $10 a piece. I have tried two of them on my tanks (didn't really have a need to, honestly), and I'm really impressed with the fit and finish of them.
I would suggest trying to get your hands on one to see for yourself. Just because I think they're the best doesn't necessarily mean that you will, too. Try one out and if you don't like it, I'm sure you'd have absolutely no trouble selling or trading it for something else, whatever that may be. What I find more than anything is that the people who don't care for the lavatank are people who don't like cartomizers, not the tank, itself.
