Here you go then
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I got myself a Merlin RTA (imported from the States - no UK/EU vendor thus far, but the usual Chinese retailers do have them available). So here's a little mini-review. The photos are taken using my phone, so may not be the best quality... but you'll get the general idea.
I bought the tank from SubtankSupply in Kentucky - it's also available from ECiggity. I'm hopeful that some shops in the UK will get some in at some point. It took about five days to get to me, and cost $43.49 including delivery.
It's a 4ml capacity, top-fill tank with JFC and AFC. The design of the deck is pretty unique, having two velocity-style posts offset from the centre. This makes it ideal for a single-coil setup, which is what it was primarily designed for - but it also allows for dual coils one above the other. I've not tried that setup thus far, but from other reports it's not really worthwhile (so I'm not sure why they're really there - but I guess it caters for all).
Wicking is really straightforward - simply poke the cotton / rayon through the coil, cut it to length, and push it down into the juice wells, much like a dripper. In my experience it's worth keeping the juice holes in the deck clear of wick, but YMMV. I'm using a 3.5mm coil here with rayon, and had to trim the edge of the tails of the wick slightly to avoid choking the wells, but it's a very quick job nonetheless. Those of you using cotton will probably not have any need to trim.
Wick through coil (3.5mm diameter, 0.42mm SS wire in this case):
Poked down into juice wells (keeping liquid holes clear):
The JFC works in much the same way as the Griffin and other similar tanks, by turning the tank body. Whilst it only has two holes, liquid delivery to the coil is excellent as long as you have the wicking sorted (see above). It's stiff, but not overly stiff. Enough resistance to keep it where it is in your pocket.
The top fill is great - the "divots" in the top cap allow easy grip, and it's held on by just a couple of threads, so very easy to access whilst simultaneously being sturdy and unlikely to undo on its own. Nice big holes to get any sort of dropper bottle in. As with all other tanks, make sure the JFC is closed before filling.
Take note of the black o-ring in the centre of the top of the tank. This can get stuck to the top cap - but I've not had this issue. If it gets stuck, just poke it back in.
The AFC is perfect - enough resistance to stop it turning on its own, but not too stiff. The tank is not massively airy, but it's probably not ideal for MTL in its basic form - however! It comes with airflow adapter that screws into the air hole (much like the Bachelor Nano, but included in with the deal) and narrows the air flow down quite a bit. This adapter is fitted already on delivery, so remember to remove it if you like larger airflow. Wide open, without the adapter, I'd say it's a slightly restricted lung hit, about on par with the Bachelor, which is perfect for me. I can't comment on air flow with the minimum possible restriction, so debatable whether it's good for MTL - however other sites seem to suggest it's adequate. No pictures of the adapter I'm afraid
The tank does break down into its component parts, and you get a spare glass section in the box. The glass section is sturdy and does not feel fragile in any way, but note that there is a slight "lip" when assembled, as the edge of the glass protrudes ever so slightly past the edge of the metal sections. Bear this in mind if using pliers to separate the tank, as catching that lip will no doubt result in a broken tank. It's a good idea to lubricate the o-ring in the chimney before assembling to avoid it getting seized.
There's also the usual spares, and the ever-present allen key. All seem of good quality, and the o-rings appear to be standard-issue nitrile, so spares in the future shouldn't be a problem. No unusually shaped gaskets here! It also comes with a notch coil, which I am yet to try out.
No pictures of these bits I'm afraid, the box is at home!
The included drip tip is, I believe, delrin - and it's actually really nice. Wide-bore, smooth finish, and works well with the tank. The tank does have a standard 510 hole, so feel free to use your own tip.
All wicked up and good to go! I particularly like the fact that the engraved logo on the chimney lines up perfectly with the AFC hole.
Mine came perfectly clean, with no smell or taste of machine oil - popped a build straight in and got clean flavour. Note that the grub screws on mine did have a tendency to snip wires, so I gently filed down the tips of them using a metal nail file. This cured the problem.
Threading is generally good. I did have a minor issue with mine - a slight deformity in one of the juice holes on the deck edge, probably caused by imperfect drilling or punching. A gentle squeeze with some long-nosed pliers sorted this. Until I did that, the tank was difficult to screw together. It's now perfect.
The 510 is slightly long, although it's fine on my VTC Mini. Those with shorter 510s on their mods (Rolo owners, I'm looking at you) may potentially have an issue, but it should be ok. The 510 screw is adjustable, and brass.
One minor caveat - some people have stated that the AFC ring on the black version of this tank is loose, due to the wrong o-ring having been used. People with this issue are having replacement bases shipped out by Augvape. The SS one seems to have less of an issue in this area.
Overall I'm well impressed with this tank. Flavour is excellent, better than my Bachelor (and the Nano). No leaking to date, and as long as the build is right, there have been no issues with wicking. Highly recommended!
*EDIT* totally forgot to mention - it's 23mm in diameter (with no flared sections, so a true 23mm), and 47.5mm in height excluding the 510 and drip tip.
CRAZY, detailed review with photos. I know that took a long time to write, everyone should be appreciative of your time! THANKS.
. Getting another one shipped out today. It's very unfortunate that the manufacturing people are screwing these up because they are the BEST RTA's I have used. I'm not giving up the the Black one until I get a good one.
