This will be a review of the GeekVape Zeus X dual-coil rebuildable tank. This review has not been solicited by anyone, all items and materials were purchased by me at retail prices, and I have been using it for some 3 weeks. So you know where I am coming from, I have been vaping since 2012 or 2013, I can’t remember that far back, and have used mostly MTL clearomizers and tanks with drop-in coils. The Zeus X is my first RTA. I liked it well enough to buy a second after a week, so there’s your executive summary.
Prior to purchase, I used a methodical scientific process to determine which RTA to buy. That is, I watched a lot of videos and noted which tanks made me squee because shiny. I then trimmed the list to the ones available at my usual suppliers and were in stock and did not require a bank loan. The Zeus X made the final cut because it was still especially shiny.
What comes in the box: aside from the actual Zeus X, you get a second glass outer tank (straight-sided cylinder) packet of o-rings, extra grub screws, a tiny tri-tool for the grub screws, allen wrench (also for grub screws), an extra drip tip, a drip tip adaptor, a couple pieces of agleted cotton, and a couple of pre-made Clapton coils. Both drip tips are 810 size, and one can substitute any other tip of the same sizing, and the included adaptor can be used to permit 510-sized drip tips. (I think they are 510s? The littler ones, that used to be all there was.) There is also a bare-bones user manual and three cards in an envelope, the utility of which is opaque to me so I just put them back.
The extra grub screws mean one has a choice about which to use on the coil deck; there is in all a full set of phillips, slot, and hex heads. Check to be sure all have some kind of head before swapping any out. Aside from installing a new coil, the tank requires no tools of any kind to take completely apart.
From the point of view of a complete rebuildable newbie, the coil deck is straightforward to set up with either a single coil or a dual coil set. I had heard that the space available for snipping leads was tight; this is true but not as fiddley as I’d thought it might be. I have had no difficulty dropping in coils, trimming leads, and going on my merry way. I did try using the tri-tool, but quickly discarded it in favour of the allen wrench. I detest the tri-tool, to be honest, and strongly recommend getting actual tools made for purpose.
Wicking is also a simple and straightforward process: thread the wick, trim the wick, stuff the wick. No contortions required, or even tweezers if you don’t chew your nails.
Putting the tank back together: this is not quite as simple as it might appear; the tank consists of a central column (body), a chimney insert, the outer glass part, the airflow cover ring, and top with the drip tip.
The chimney must fit aligned with two tabs on the coil deck. One might think that setting it in place first, then over it the body with the glass part (which screws into the deck), is the way to go, and it is possible to do it that way. The issue with that, which I know from experience, is that the chimney may not seat itself completely into the body when the latter is screwed on over it, with the result that coils flood, dogs howl, and chaos is loosed into the world.
I have had a much better experiences when seating the chimney into the body with my fingers prior to screwing the whole thing onto the deck. It may be marginally better to align the chimney air holes with those of the body when seating the chimney, but it is not a requirement as they will align themselves as you screw the assembly to the deck.
The tank breathes from the top, and also fills from the top, though not from the same openings as who would want that? Filling is a doddle; twist off the top cap (is not a screw-on, but instead a simpler twist-lock) and there’s two fill ports exposed. Using the bubble glass will allow about 5ml of fluid. The spare glass will allow less but still a fair amount. The fill ports are bit small if using a dropper, otherwise they are perfectly adequate.
The air ports (one on either side) are exposed in tandem as the cover ring is adjusted. I set mine to about half-way and stopped thinking about it. It is not loose and does not need much if any attention once set as desired.
There are o-rings everywhere. I mean every. Where. Any place one piece meets another, there is an o-ring. Not all are tightly fitting, and they range colour from black and green to nearly invisible when dropped by accident into the sink. There are a rather high proportion of that last kind.
Actual vaping experience is excellent; flavours are well forward; I am indifferent to cloud production and as a consequence have limited my builds to a single coil so as to have what I consider only a respectable amount of clouding in my near vicinity. Nevertheless, there’s a noticeable increase over what I had been accustomed to with my previous (drop-in coil, MTL) tanks. It is not silent, but it is not noisy to the point of attracting attention from strangers or waking the cat. Taking it out and about with me, in a hip pocket or tossed into a handlebar bag, has been refreshingly free of any issues whatsoever, that is to say, it’s not leaked, or come to pieces, or anything of that kind. The act of vaping-pocketing-vaping-pocketing did not result in any fitting being loosened, or even air flow setting changing.
As my very first rebuildable experience, I had rather low expectations for how difficult managing all the extra tasks involved in using an RTA day to day would be. However, it’s been at the worst a bit fiddley, and actually mostly a breeze to tear down, clean, and set up fresh. As a consequence, I find that I am keeping my in-use tank cleaner and I change out wicks much more often than before.
Prior to purchase, I used a methodical scientific process to determine which RTA to buy. That is, I watched a lot of videos and noted which tanks made me squee because shiny. I then trimmed the list to the ones available at my usual suppliers and were in stock and did not require a bank loan. The Zeus X made the final cut because it was still especially shiny.
What comes in the box: aside from the actual Zeus X, you get a second glass outer tank (straight-sided cylinder) packet of o-rings, extra grub screws, a tiny tri-tool for the grub screws, allen wrench (also for grub screws), an extra drip tip, a drip tip adaptor, a couple pieces of agleted cotton, and a couple of pre-made Clapton coils. Both drip tips are 810 size, and one can substitute any other tip of the same sizing, and the included adaptor can be used to permit 510-sized drip tips. (I think they are 510s? The littler ones, that used to be all there was.) There is also a bare-bones user manual and three cards in an envelope, the utility of which is opaque to me so I just put them back.
The extra grub screws mean one has a choice about which to use on the coil deck; there is in all a full set of phillips, slot, and hex heads. Check to be sure all have some kind of head before swapping any out. Aside from installing a new coil, the tank requires no tools of any kind to take completely apart.
From the point of view of a complete rebuildable newbie, the coil deck is straightforward to set up with either a single coil or a dual coil set. I had heard that the space available for snipping leads was tight; this is true but not as fiddley as I’d thought it might be. I have had no difficulty dropping in coils, trimming leads, and going on my merry way. I did try using the tri-tool, but quickly discarded it in favour of the allen wrench. I detest the tri-tool, to be honest, and strongly recommend getting actual tools made for purpose.
Wicking is also a simple and straightforward process: thread the wick, trim the wick, stuff the wick. No contortions required, or even tweezers if you don’t chew your nails.
Putting the tank back together: this is not quite as simple as it might appear; the tank consists of a central column (body), a chimney insert, the outer glass part, the airflow cover ring, and top with the drip tip.
The chimney must fit aligned with two tabs on the coil deck. One might think that setting it in place first, then over it the body with the glass part (which screws into the deck), is the way to go, and it is possible to do it that way. The issue with that, which I know from experience, is that the chimney may not seat itself completely into the body when the latter is screwed on over it, with the result that coils flood, dogs howl, and chaos is loosed into the world.
I have had a much better experiences when seating the chimney into the body with my fingers prior to screwing the whole thing onto the deck. It may be marginally better to align the chimney air holes with those of the body when seating the chimney, but it is not a requirement as they will align themselves as you screw the assembly to the deck.
The tank breathes from the top, and also fills from the top, though not from the same openings as who would want that? Filling is a doddle; twist off the top cap (is not a screw-on, but instead a simpler twist-lock) and there’s two fill ports exposed. Using the bubble glass will allow about 5ml of fluid. The spare glass will allow less but still a fair amount. The fill ports are bit small if using a dropper, otherwise they are perfectly adequate.
The air ports (one on either side) are exposed in tandem as the cover ring is adjusted. I set mine to about half-way and stopped thinking about it. It is not loose and does not need much if any attention once set as desired.
There are o-rings everywhere. I mean every. Where. Any place one piece meets another, there is an o-ring. Not all are tightly fitting, and they range colour from black and green to nearly invisible when dropped by accident into the sink. There are a rather high proportion of that last kind.
Actual vaping experience is excellent; flavours are well forward; I am indifferent to cloud production and as a consequence have limited my builds to a single coil so as to have what I consider only a respectable amount of clouding in my near vicinity. Nevertheless, there’s a noticeable increase over what I had been accustomed to with my previous (drop-in coil, MTL) tanks. It is not silent, but it is not noisy to the point of attracting attention from strangers or waking the cat. Taking it out and about with me, in a hip pocket or tossed into a handlebar bag, has been refreshingly free of any issues whatsoever, that is to say, it’s not leaked, or come to pieces, or anything of that kind. The act of vaping-pocketing-vaping-pocketing did not result in any fitting being loosened, or even air flow setting changing.
As my very first rebuildable experience, I had rather low expectations for how difficult managing all the extra tasks involved in using an RTA day to day would be. However, it’s been at the worst a bit fiddley, and actually mostly a breeze to tear down, clean, and set up fresh. As a consequence, I find that I am keeping my in-use tank cleaner and I change out wicks much more often than before.
