Down the rabbit hole yet again ? Pioneer RTA.

[carbonbegone]

So .. currently using dvarv's with bell cap type uppers, like the simplicity & minimal parts this configuration offers.
This was a move from kayfun/Russian rta's, the vape is just as good (maybe better ?) but the maintenance & particularly the wicking is easier & more consistent. Quieter too !
Happy with the current program & have 4 or 5 in rotation to minimize fiddling with them, they are very inexpensive @ about 20.00 each (clones) including ditching all that steel in favor of bell caps

Recently Ive been hearing a siren song emanating from these Pioneer rta's.
The apparent unencumbered build deck & simple coil attachment method (no more wrapping wires around screws !) has my attention, as the Dvarv is much less roomy & is somewhat fiddly in that regard.
By most all accounts, the Pioneer is a terrific vape & equal to the Dvarv's performance.
When I tried a Dvarv, after also trying berserker, doggy, et, al - it was apparent that the Dvarv was preferred over the kayfun & I set about changing over & purchased several.

If I were to procure a Pioneer RTA, how likely is it that the device will be the same epiphany that the Dvarv was in comparison to the previous kayfuns from both performance & 'living with it' perspectives ?
My Visa card awaits a determination from the collective .. with muted enthusiasm.
THX !

.

 

[Nailz]

The Pioneer is a tank, that is really close in matching flavor from my Kayfun Primes, and would pick the Pioneer over the Dvarw any day, the Dvarw has it beat in some cases, glass tank and capacity for sure, but if like a good flavor MTL tank, then the Pioneer is a great choice IMO

 

[somdcomputerguy]

Down the rabbit hole yet again?

​

 

[carbonbegone]

Hmmfh, purchased & have been messing with this Pioneer.
Good flavor & overall vape once it's set up correctly, pretty much the same vape experience in all regards as Dvarw.
Finickier to wick & limited coil size options compared to Dvarw though ..
Wicking mostly is the issue, wick cannot touch the sides or back side of the deck or juice migrates up into the intake chamber & gurgles/leaks. This issue is addressed on a BP mods website video.
Coil diameter & distance from the air hole is limited too, for the same reasons ; juice wicking where you don't want it to if any part of the wick is in contact with .. well, anything apparently.
Perhaps getting the larger DL chimney would afford more room for 3mm dia coil & mitigate the wick touching stuff ??
Of note though ; the atty is 45-50 bucks & the roomier chimney is another 20 or so, The several Dvarw clones I have set up with bell caps were 20.00 each at most. I usually have 4-5 atty's in rotation so I'm not messing with them weekly.
Also seems as if one forgets to close the air intake when using the top fill - it upsets the vacuum & will again gurgle & such. Yikes, the impetus for the purchase was to fiddle with less not more.
It IS really easy to install a coil though, so there's that.
I'll continue to work with it, but initially & especially given the price point, it's not doing anything better than Dvarw, but does several things worse.
Unless, ( & it's entirely possible ) that I'm doing it all wrong ?

 

[Molchi]

True with the coil-height, had slight seeping and gurgling till i pulled the coil up a tiny bit, other than that no problems here so far, i also don't get any gurgling after refilling it, but i tend to make 2-3 draws to build up that underpressure instantly. I personally find the vape a bit smoother than on the dvarw, may be just my imagination.
For the pricepoint the comparisobn is not really fair, since it compares a chinaclone with an original, we would need to see how cheap china could clone the pioneer.

 

[Guido Ceccotti]

I have dominated my Pioneer. No flooding or gurgling even after refilling. Smooth draw. Excellent flavor. Overall, a much better vape than Dvarw, IMO. I'm planning to buy another one.

 

[carbonbegone]

What's the preferred coil diameter for good performance & trouble free use in this Pioneer ?
Have always used a 1/8" ( 3.18mm ) diameter mandrill in all my other attys & thats been good.
Maybe thats too large for Pioneer & causing various issues ?

 

[Molchi]

i use 2,5mm at the moment, this way you have a bit more space to the airflowpin to avoid liquid dripping in there.

 

[carbonbegone]

Yea, thanks.
Ive got it working well now with either a 2.5 or a 3mm coil. It is a great vape to be sure.
Just needed to wick it a tiny bit more sparsely than I'm used to & pay attention to coil height & wick location.
Sure it will all become 2nd nature going forward.

For filling & until theres a better method, I just put a 16mm 'O' ring on it - slide it down & cover the slot & I don't need to fiddle with or remember to close the air adjustment / intake.

 

[Molchi]

yea, the coil-height seems to be important. i guess cthats cause of the airpins which were originally like a funnel until reviewers told them that this causes leaking, so the reproduced them the way they are now, this way the place between couil and airpin got reduced a bit.
Nice idea with that o-ring, still weird that you get that gurgling, i keep my airflow open too when refilling, and don't get it, maybe i use a smaler airpin (the 1mm)?

 

[Guido Ceccotti]

NI80 28AWG 7 wraps. 2.5mm ID.

This is how I wick the Pioneer.

Cotton flush with the base, cut the ends at an angle.

Place it in the wicking channels.

Prime it.

Follow Bruce's instructions.

I have ZERO issues vaping it with 70V/30P e-juice.

There's sometimes a very slight gurgling after refilling, with 50/50 e-juice, but it disappears after the first puff. A more steep angled cut, or not angled cut at all could solve that. Anyway, It's not so worrying.

 

[carbonbegone]

It appears the re-filling has ceased to be an issue now.
Careful wicking & removing the top cap rather s-l-o-w-l-y has eliminated the need for Monsieur O ring to join the party.

Just took a little technique readjusting on my part, it's been a few years since I had to do anything a bit differently.
Nice atty, liking it.