i have built and continue to build and use both decks.
they are nearly identical as far as building goes, but the v2 has a locking chimney ring tightened with a small screw, where the v1 has a threaded chimney. At first i thought the v2 screw would be finicky, but it actually makes the rba unit much easier to disassemble since you don't have to worry about overtightened threads, trying to twist two smooth sections of a slippery juice covered cylinder, or the wrong section unscrewing.
The v1 had two tiny juice channels in the bottom deck, which worked great with 60/40 vg/pg and lower, but had trouble wicking anything over 70%vg without using special methods like pancake wicking and frequently repriming (covering the air hole and giving a hard suck to pull juice into the wick.) The v2 has nice big juice holes, which wick higher vg juices much more efficiently, though still might struggle with max vg and require special wicking methods which i have not tried in the v2, 80/20 is as high as i've tried and it worked pretty well. The only "downside" of the new juice holes is that you need to be certain to cover them or you risk flooding or severe leaking. Either way an improvement, though i would have liked it if they kept the bottom juice channels as well as the new holes.
The airflow might be a touch better in the v2, but i think thats more the changes to the unit itself adding a second air channel.
The v2 subtank has air channels on either side of the deck, as opposed to just one rotating one. I lung hit and always keep both wide open, but some people have complained about not being able to close off all air like you could on the v1.
overall i wouldn't really say the v2 is radically better, but then again the v1 rba worked great. They made some solid and logical improvements and did increase it's performance. I would still like to see bottom juice channels make a comeback, and i personally would like a higher airflow option than the ones given. I actually would like it if kanger built a true RTA without the coils at all, though i understand the money isn't really in the tank selling, but in the coils they can charge the plebs for. I recently purchased an Eciggity Billow V2 RTA, and while i am still finding the sweet spot build wise, so far I am loving it. I usually am going back and forth between my subox/subtank and mechmod/billow v2. Love the subox though.
