RBA....is it worth it?

[Rule62]

I wouldn't get one. Unless your ready to have a big ol yard sale on the classies or a bunch of dusty tubes

Seriously though, I'd strongly suggest a grand. They are only slightly larger than a mini but the 18650 kills an 18490, 6ml bottle is double the 3ml and the ease of access / filling the bottle vs the tiny mini put the grand over the top.

I started with minis but once I got grands the minis were sold / traded off

That's the problem. I never trade off or sell anything. I'm a 'pack rat'. I have stuff around here that belongs in a vape museum. Boxes of CE2s, CE3s, old V2 batteries and cartos, little home made 14500 box mods...

 

[super_X_drifter]

i think you are agreeing with me, despite my small gap in knowledge... and if thats the case... Yay! First off, if you were, then awesome because I have been working with the learning curve... I mean I only started 3 months ago, actually at the 3 month mark today.

As far as bottom feed mods... I haven't looked too much into them for two reasons. (Please correct me if I am mistaken)

First they appear to be unregulated and I prefer to play it safe and stick to regulated, not because I don't know how to work the unregulated the math, the theory is rather simple. It is the safety features of the regulated, that if I am slightly careless that make me prefer the regulated. I am not saying that I feel regulated can't have something bad happen, but if I am careless and say don't pay attention to my battery the device will cut off instead of discharging below a safe level.

Second I am still in the early stages of the vape game, and while I am trying to gather as much information as possible, I haven't come across too much on bottom feed, plus the only things I have seen for them have been unregulated, and expensive. Some day I may venture towards a bottom feeder, but I am a very budget vaper for the time being. I almost immediately wanted/was ready to make the leap to my SVD shortly after getting my eGo V V2 mega, then I started rebuilding my kanger coils and it was awesome and about a week or so after was eyeballing the RSST, and have been, just recently I bought 2 Aga t2s from the classifieds, got a great deal, and needed that glass. Some day I may get into bottom feed mods, but I predict that will be quite some time from now.

Any who, I feel that this post got away from me... lol...

P.S. if there are regulated bottom feeders, please don't tell me... I don't want to be eyeballing something else for a long time... lol... there is a reason at the b&m when the salesperson offered to let me try the provari, that i declined...

Good post bro

You have learned fast. Yep, it's seems that many people don't find out about the awesomeness of bottom feed mods until they have spent lots of $$ on other devices. I was lucky and was pointed towards them about a month into vaping.

They make vaping much easier and more satisfying than smoking ever was

And Yes, there are regulated ones - I'm vaping off one right now - a REO VV grand. Here it is:

I also have mech grands. Here's one with a custom door made from a motherboard that a fellow catfish made for me:

Check us out over in the most vibrant and friendly forum on ECF here:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/reos-mods/

Look forward to seeing you there

Oh, here's a short vid on how they roll
http://youtu.be/WaDqS2kPLo0

 

[Wickeddeuce]

@super shot you a pm... nothing mean... just wanted to share a little bit of my story... thanks, id like to consider myself a quick study... especially since i am military intelligence and its part of my job to learn quickly...

and gah... now i am having that spark of desire start for a reo...

 

[super_X_drifter]

I did too have a spark. Went with it and have bought 9 REOs in just over a year . Their the only mods I own. I don't even consider any other mods

 

[WarHawk-AVG]

I dunno...is RBA worth it?

 

[Wickeddeuce]

paint me jealous... 9 mods, reos at that, which from a brief look at the website, are not cheap... whew... if you take my wifes vape expenses and mine (this includes everything for diy and rebuilding coils, as well as devices) we have barely spent more than the cost of a reo... now devices and tanks... half way or maybe a little more to a reo, just my wifes 2 eGos, my eGo VV, and my SVD not even half way... and let me add ive caught grief on the amount spent... lol

 

[Vaslovik]

Like Dooooood! Nothing vapes like a well set up RBA, NOTHING!

I left clearos and Protanks behind a long way back and wouldn't use anything but an RBA again.

 

[super_X_drifter]

paint me jealous... 9 mods, reos at that, which from a brief look at the website, are not cheap... whew... if you take my wifes vape expenses and mine (this includes everything for diy and rebuilding coils, as well as devices) we have barely spent more than the cost of a reo... now devices and tanks... half way or maybe a little more to a reo, just my wifes 2 eGos, my eGo VV, and my SVD not even half way... and let me add ive caught grief on the amount spent... lol

I've sold and traded some to get others and rare RBAs. I am currently down to 5 . One was a gift (yep he just sent it to me) from the dude Rob who makes REOs. It was a brand new woodvil

But I've got a ton of quality bottomfed RBAs . Some of em, like the chalice, can cost as much as 2 or 3 REOs if you can find one

You will get there in your time. You will be glad when you do. So will I

 

[Vaslovik]

With the resources available to me online, anything is possible.



I have a Protank 3 and a Vivi Nova that I use right now, and I actually have had a Smoktek RSST in my shopping cart for a few days. I just haven't pulled the trigger yet. I've just been trying to determine if it's worth it. I guess for 30 bucks, it can't hurt to try.

I think you will be quite happy with the RSST. As genesis RBA's go it's a very nice one for the price. I use one every day, and I can't say a bad thing about it. You can get it cheaper than $30 though. Get yourself a bunch of 400 mesh and 28 kanthal and go at it. You will not be sorry.

 

[GoodNews!]

Cheers to hoping that RDA's will really be the solution for me. For me, the two main problems I've had across a span of devices is first, a predominant wicky taste that never seems to go away, and can sometimes be too acidic or harsh to bear, no matter how well I know the device is wicking, and second, that along with this, it seems these same devices will turn perfectly good juice into strange tastes such as fish slime, sea salt, cotton candy, monkey ...., or just flavors that are too weak to even identify with the juice name - in my opinion, if you load up a Blueberry juice in a clearomizer, it should at least taste clean, and should at least taste somewhat like blueberries, with no nasty aftertastes or weird flavors. Yet I just haven't been able to get that.

I'm not endlessly chasing a flavor paradise, but I at least want to taste my juice, and have the vapor taste clean. I do believe that even the simplest of vaping devices can give great flavor, and a clean vapor at that, it just seems that the QC is extremely, extremely off balance with the vendors I've shopped at, both online and locally, and I haven't been able to experience a good vape on any device but the ones that the shop has up for sampling - and in this case, I believe it has to be said that if a shop loads a sample device and tastes it, and there's a bad taste, obviously they'll change it out for a new one to prevent customers from disliking the juice and blaming it on that before they buy it.

So for me, my hope is just to get a clean taste, and I hope that issues such as weak build models and contaminants won't get in the way of that - I only have about $20 to spend on the atomizer itself, and I want to shop at a local shop that seems to want to help me. If they do end up selling me a junkier product, I at least hope they'll be ways to clean it - and since I'm trying for super-high ohms, I'm hoping that the lower heat won't break down any chemicals or coating as much. I probably wouldn't recommend a cheap device any more than anyone else, but at the moment, money is just tight and I hope the vendor will be honest with me about which of the lower priced models really won't present any unneeded problems. My health really relies on it.

 

[Wickeddeuce]

I've sold and traded some to get others and rare RBAs. I am currently down to 5 . One was a gift (yep he just sent it to me) from the dude Rob who makes REOs. It was a brand new woodvil

But I've got a ton of quality bottomfed RBAs . Some of em, like the chalice, can cost as much as 2 or 3 REOs if you can find one

You will get there in your time. You will be glad when you do. So will I

well... thats pretty cool... and thats pretty wild...

a 3-5 hundred dollar rba? does it have any special features? is it made out of gold?

 

[super_X_drifter]

well... thats pretty cool... and thats pretty wild...

a 3-5 hundred dollar rba? does it have any special features? is it made out of gold?

It originally retailed for about 160. It is engineered and crafted to crazy tolerances. It is crafted of thick SS and titanium. The fact that they were made in very limited runs made them rare and costly. It also vapes and looks amazing. It's the one in the middle below - a working collectors item:

Here's a link for when Mark Bugs makes the chalice again:
http://markbugs.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=57&product_id=53

 

[Wickeddeuce]

well it definitely looks nice, and since its a collectors item, i get why it sells for so much... but gyah.... i cant wait till i have expendable income... of course itll be really nice when if i ever have my own vape store... then ill have excuses galore to have everything i could ever want... muahahahahaha

 

[G Izlude]

I may be wrong, but the genesis style atomizers were not a lead up to the rba...

I think we're in agreement but we're misunderstanding each other. At one point in time, there were Those who liked the vape the RBA provided, but wanted or needed the convenience of a tank in either the form of a carto-tank or a clearomizer. Genesis style was a way to bring a tank to the rebuildable platform. It was a good first step in the right direction and while they work for the most part, they're not without their serious quirks. The coil is above the juice. Gravity pulls juice away from the coil. This is the most serious drawback. I watch some people vape their genesis at a 45 degree incline to get the juice to flow towards the coil. This just looks totally silly as if they're taking a drink from their vaporizer. It required implements like stainless steel mesh which you cannot just run out and buy with confidence that your local vapist will have it in stock. You can use SS rope, but again this is not a real "wick," it merely something for your juice to flow against when you are again forced to tip your device to get juice to the coil; absurd IMO.

Was it a good first step toward bringing a tank to the rebuildable? Yes, it was! Was it more trouble that it was worth? Yes, it was... IMHO! Then SM designed a tank with a deck under the juice to build a coil on. every toot you take creates a vacuum that pulls a little more juice into the chamber for your wick to soak into the coil. Gravity assist rather than counters this. It doesn't need any R/NR wire combination like the Ithaka. It has far fewer parts unlike the Ithaka, and it's a really easy build. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten a hot leg on a genesis because the terminals required one leg to be longer than the other. But I cant recall ever popping a coil because of a hot leg on a Kayfun.

If you're still vaping a Genesis because it's what you have and you can't justify the expense of a Kayfun, I can forgive that. But for someone moving to their first rebuildable system to look at the many Kayfun derivatives out there, compare them to any genesis and honestly say, "Hell yeah, that genesis seems like it'll be so much better to build on" is absurd!

 

[catalinaflyer]

Well I really want to post on this thread but the little Umpa Lumpa Troll got on here before me, gonna do it anyway.

Personally I started off like most everyone, a semi disposable Ego and Clearo. My first rebuildable was actually an Octopus dripper that my local B&M gave me and honestly I'm still chasing that first real nic buzz I got from it.

I now have bottom coil RBA's, Genesis style RBA's, dual coil drippers and the list goes on. However I still rotate throughout the day with an Iclear 30S, a Kanger PT2 with a micro coil - cotton wick head and wait, get this, my daily rotation includes not one of my $100+ RBA's but an RSST Genesis. Personally I have not found a tank system that for the money even comes close to the RSST and again that's my opinion. I've had a Fogger (RIP), have 2 Kayfun's and I still go back to the RSST with a hybrid Cotton/SS Mesh wick and micro-coil. No I don't have to tip it or any of that suggested stuff, it works, works very well and unless I try to vape it upside down there's no way for it to leak or flood or any of that. Just like Phil Busardo said, when setup properly - DAMN -.

Nothing against Reo's and Reo users, have looked at them many times but I'm not going to suck on something I have to squonk first. I looked up squonk on the urban dictionary and after I got done laughing my *** off I decided I wouldn't be joining the Reo revolution.

 

[steel bender]

I'd suggest starting out with a little dripper like the Igo L. It's a great easy place to get started and find out if you like rebuilding. That's what I did after getting tired of rebuilding protanks. Plus, if you move on to something else, it's still real nice to have for trying out new flavors.

As for genesis vs. the kayfun, well, I have both an aga t2 and a kfl clone and I've got to second the "genesis epiphany". Yes, they can be a pain to set up and need to be kept upright, but for me, it produces a vape far above and beyond anything else I've tried. As to what Christopher F. Lively said, I've never had to tilt my aga t2 at an incline, unless I'm trying to vape it down to the last drop. It stays at home however, as the kayfun produces a vape that is not quite so amazing, but still very very good. Also, it never leaks and it's easy to set up, which is why it comes to work with me every day and also is my go to vape, if I happen to be struggling to get that perfect genny set up, which still happens to me every now and then. I can't comment on a reo, I'm still in love with my tubes.

 

[super_X_drifter]

Well I really want to post on this thread but the little Umpa Lumpa Troll got on here before me, gonna do it anyway.

Personally I started off like most everyone, a semi disposable Ego and Clearo. My first rebuildable was actually an Octopus dripper that my local B&M gave me and honestly I'm still chasing that first real nic buzz I got from it.

I now have bottom coil RBA's, Genesis style RBA's, dual coil drippers and the list goes on. However I still rotate throughout the day with an Iclear 30S, a Kanger PT2 with a micro coil - cotton wick head and wait, get this, my daily rotation includes not one of my $100+ RBA's but an RSST Genesis. Personally I have not found a tank system that for the money even comes close to the RSST and again that's my opinion. I've had a Fogger (RIP), have 2 Kayfun's and I still go back to the RSST with a hybrid Cotton/SS Mesh wick and micro-coil. No I don't have to tip it or any of that suggested stuff, it works, works very well and unless I try to vape it upside down there's no way for it to leak or flood or any of that. Just like Phil Busardo said, when setup properly - DAMN -.

Nothing against Reo's and Reo users, have looked at them many times but I'm not going to suck on something I have to squonk first. I looked up squonk on the urban dictionary and after I got done laughing my *** off I decided I wouldn't be joining the Reo revolution.

Lobbing big old softies right down the middle

You place something roughly the size and shape of a penis up to your mouth and suck it dozens if not hundreds of times a day and your concerned with a word someone attached to squeezing a concealed bottle to send juice to an RBA?

That don't make no sense homie.

I wouldn't let a word stop me from getting an AYuss kickin vape.

If I did I'd be more concerned with "dildo" or "deek-a-like" than squonk

 

[BobC]

I guess that's why you got the free REO Woodvil Super_X, you're about the most vocal proponent of the device on ECF, better then payin for advertisement.

 

[catalinaflyer]

Lobbing big old softies right down the middle

You place something roughly the size and shape of a penis up to your mouth and suck it dozens if not hundreds of times a day and your concerned with a word someone attached to squeezing a concealed bottle to send juice to an RBA?

That don't make no sense homie.

I wouldn't let a word stop me from getting an AYuss kickin vape.

If I did I'd be more concerned with "dildo" or "deek-a-like" than squonk

I'm truly sorry if I offended someone with that comment, it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek humor and certainly not a slam on Reo users.

 

[super_X_drifter]

No offense brother. It's all good I thought it was funny