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RDA Vs RTA Vaping Guide

October 12, 2016

Learn the differences between RTAs and RDAs and which type of rebuildable atomizer is right for your vaping needs.

If you’re thinking about branching out from standard kits and want to make your own coils for the rebuildable atomizer on your e-cigarette, read our guide to RDA vs RTA vaping, so you can decide what’s best for you.

Why should you customise?

There are many reasons people want to customise their e-cigarette, but the main advantages are that you get more flavour from your e-liquid, have more control over the power behind your vape, and can get bigger vaping clouds.

For both a RDA vape and RTA vape, you will build your own coil and wick, which can be fiddly until you get used to it, but don’t let that put you off! Making your own coils for your rebuildable atomizer is a rewarding experience, and you’ll soon find it an easy task.

If you’re into sub-ohm vaping, then building your own coils for your RTA or RDA is especially good for you as you'll find that you'll be spending less money buying the materials to build, than you would do if you use and buy prebuilt coil heads.

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What is RTA Vape?

RTA stands simply for Rebuildable Tank Atomizer. The main difference between RTA vaping and RDA atomizers is that RTAs have a tank that holds your e-liquid. E liquid capicity can range from 2ml up to 6ml, and vary based on the make and brand of RTA you want to use. The choices available are large and there's an RTA for everyone that will suit their functional needs as well as style.

The choices available are large and there's an RTA for everyone that will suit their functional needs as well as style.

Components of RTAs

1. Drip tip - the hollow mouthpiece that you use to draw on when vaping on your vape mod. Drip tips come in all kinds of colours and designs, as well as diameter (wide or narrow bore). Often made with Delrin, to remain cool and comfortable against your lips, but also available in pyrex glass or ceramic which perform better at resisting heat.

2. Cap – most tanks are top filled for convenience, the cap unscrews from the top section which holds the glass tube in place. Once unscrewed, slots/holes can be accessed to fill the tank with a unicorn bottle and smaller glass drippers.

3. Chimney – with this particular RTA the chimney is in two parts, but often the chimney would be part of the tank top section and screws into the top of the chamber.

4. Glass tube – this is held in place by the top section and the deck section.

5. Chamber – this screws into place over the deck, posts, coils and wick. The slots in the chamber (juice holes) allow the liquid to flow down (while regulated by the vacuum created in the glass tube) onto the wick.

6. Deck and base section – much like an RDA deck, you can see the posts but the juice wells are no longer present, instead replaced with a housing for the wick. The base section is a hollow chamber the feeds up into the deck to provide air flow holes that blow onto the coil to aid in catalysing the heating of the coil and juice.

The pros:

The tank means you can hold more e-liquid than juice wells in an RDA.
You don’t need to drip as often as with RDA

The cons:

Tanks can be susceptible to leaking if not wicked correctly or left on their side
Flavours can be muted when compared to flavour on an RDA!

3 x Pods Per Pack

Lost Vape UB Max Replacement Coils

DTL

Lost Vape UB Max Replacement Coils

Premium replacement mesh coils for the Lost Vape Centaurus Sub-Ohm Tank, available in 0.15ohm, 0.2ohm, and 0.3ohm DTL resistances.

£9.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK D-Coils - 5 Coils

DTL

SMOK D-Coils - 5 Coils

Smok D-Coil Meshed Replacement Coils – Available in 0.15ohm, 0.23ohm, and 0.4ohm, designed for DTL and RDL vaping styles with...

£9.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Aspire Nautilus BVC Replacement Coils

Pack of 5

£6.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Innokin Endura T18E Coils

MTL

Innokin Endura T18E Coils

Classic Coils for the Prism Tank: 1.5 or 2.0 Ohms

£7.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK RPM 3 Coils - Pack x 5

Replacement Coils for the SMOK RPM 5 Pod Kit x 5

£9.99

SALE

Vaporesso GTI Mesh Coils - 5 Pack

Replacement Vaporesso GTI Mesh Coils x 5

was £9.99 Now £7.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Innokin Zenith Coils 5 x Pack

Replacement coils for the Zenith or Zlide Tank

£6.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK RPM Replacement Coils

Smok RPM Coils

£13.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Aspire PockeX Replacement Coils - 5 Pack

Aspire PockeX Replacement Coils 5 Pack for PockeX AIO Kit or PockeX Box kit

£10.49

5 x Coils Per Pack

Geekvape Z Series Coils

Replacement Z Series coils for GeekVape Zeus Sub-Ohm tank x 5

£11.49

5 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK RPM 2 Replacement coils 5 pack

Smok RPM2 Replacement coils 5 pack

£10.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

VooPoo PNP Coils

Replacement PNP coils

£11.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK LP1 Replacement Coils

Replacement LP1 Coils x 5

£9.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Aspire Flexus AF Mesh Coils x 5

Aspire AF Mesh Replacement Coil x 5

£7.49

5 x Coils Per Pack

VooPoo PnP X Replacement Coils - 5 Pack

DTL/RDL/MTL

VooPoo PnP X Replacement Coils - 5 Pack

Voopoo PnP X Coils, a breakthrough in coil technology, offer a range of resistances for diverse vaping experiences, from MTL...

£11.49

5 x Coils Per Pack

Vaporesso GTX Replacement Coils

DTL/RDL/MTL

Vaporesso GTX Replacement Coils

5 x pack replacement coils

£8.49

3 x Coils Per Pack

VooPoo TPP Replacement Coils

Uniquely designed TPP coils for maximum flavour and cloud production

£6.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Innokin Prism T20S Replacement Coils - 5 Pack

Replacement T20-S coils for the Innokin Prism T20-S tank – 5-pack

£6.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Innokin Endura T18E Pro Coils

Replacement coils for use with the T18E Pro Tank (Pack of 5).

£5.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

VooPoo PNP-TW/DW Replacement Coils

DTL/RDL

VooPoo PNP-TW/DW Replacement Coils

Replacement Voopoo PNP TW Mesh Coils x 5

£11.49

5 x Coils Per Pack

Geekvape B Series Replacement Coils

Replacement B Series coils for the GeekVape Aegis Boost Pod Kits and Nano Tank

£9.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK Nord Coils

Replacement coils for the Smok Nord Pod Kit

£9.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Aspire Nautilus Mesh Coils 1.0ohm

Pack of five Aspire Nautilus Mesh Coils 1.0 ohm

£9.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK LP2 Replacement Coils 5 Pack

Replacement LP2 Coils for the SMOK RPM 4

£13.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK Nord Pro Replacement Coils - 5 Pack

SMOK Nord Pro Replacement Coils (5 Pack)

£9.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK M-Coil Mesh - 5 Pack

Smok M Coils ensure an optimal vaping experience with advanced mesh technology for even heating and a choice of resistances,...

was £11.99 Now £9.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Aspire BP60 replacement coils

DTL/RDL/MTL

Aspire BP60 replacement coils

Replacement BP Coils x 5

£8.49

5 x Coils Per Pack

Lost Vape UB Lite Coil 5 Pack

Lost Vape UB Lite Coil 5 pack

£7.49

5 x Coils Per Pack

Aspire BVC Clearomizer Replacement Coils

Classic Coils 1.6 ohm or 1.8 ohm

£6.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Vapouriz Premium FUSE Replacement Dual Coil

FUSE Replacement Clearomizer Heads: 1.6 Ohms

£5.99

3 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK S1 Baby V2 Single Mesh Sub Ohm Coils 0.15 Ohm

Coils for the Smok Stick Series 0.15ohm

£8.99

4 x Coils Per Pack

Uwell Caliburn G Coils 4 pack

Replacement coils for the Caliburn G Pod Kit

£7.99

4 x Coils Per Pack

Uwell Caliburn G2 Coils 1.2ohm - 4 Pack

4 x Uwell Caliburn G2 Replacement Coils 1.2ohm

£9.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Eleaf GTL Coils x 5

Replacement coils for the Eleaf GTL Pod Tank x 5

£10.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Geekvape P-Series coils - 5 Pack

Replacement GeekVape P-series Coils 5-Pack

£9.49

5 x Coils Per Pack

VooPoo ITO Replacement Coils

Replacement VooPoo ITO Coils x 5

£10.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Aspire Nautilus 2S Sub Ohm Coils 0.4 Ohm

Coils for the Nautilus 2s Tank

£7.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Innokin ZF Replacement Coils - 5 Pack

Replacement Innokin ZF coils 5-pack x 5

£8.49

5 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK TA Coils - 5 Pack

Replacement Smok TA Mesh Coils x 5

£10.99

3 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK Baby V2 A1 Coils 0.17 Ohm

High quality sub ohm coils which deliver a powerful flavour

£9.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Freemax MS Mesh Coils - 5 Pack

Replacement Freemax MS Coils X 5

£9.49

3 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK Baby V2 A2 Dual Coils 0.2 Ohm

Sub Ohm coils designed for use with the Baby V2 Tank

£8.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Innokin Sceptre Replacement Coils - 5 Pack

DTL

MTL/RDL

Innokin Sceptre Replacement Coils - 5 Pack

Replacement Coils for Innokin Sceptre kit 5 pack

£4.99

SALE

Uwell Crown X Replacement Coils - 4 Pack

Uwell Crown X Coils, available in 0.3ohm and 0.6ohm, are designed for the Crown X Pod System, offering quick heating...

was £8.99 Now £6.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Oxva Origin X Replacement Coils

Replacement UNI Coils for the Oxva Origin X Pod Kit x 5

£11.99

3 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK S2 Baby V2 Quadruple Sub Ohm Coils 0.15 Ohm

Quadruple Coils for the Smok Stick Series 0.15ohm

£9.99

3 x Coils Per Pack

HorizonTech Falcon Replacement Coils 3 Pack

Replacement Mesh Coils for the HorizonTech Falcon Legend sub-ohm tank x 3

£7.99

5 x Coils Per Pack

Geekvape M Series Coils

Replacement M Series Mesh Coils for the GeekVape Z Max tank x 5

£10.99

3 x Coils Per Pack

SMOK Mini V2 K1 Coils

Smok Mini V2 K1 coils 3 pack

£7.49

5 x Coils Per Pack

Freemax Fireluke x2 Mesh 0.2 Coil

These sub ohm coils are designed for use with the Freemax Fireluke tank series at 0.2 Ohm

£10.99

What is RDA Vape?

RDA stands for Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer. These differ from the RTAs as they allow you to drip e-liquid directly onto the e-cigarette wick.

The Components of RDAs

1. - Drip Tip

2. Cap -

2a. Some RDAs come with a cap that has a removable top known as a chuff cap – this allows the top to be removed, when dripping, without having to remove the whole cap, or allow the cap to be replaced with a different colour for customisation purposes.

3. Posts – there are many post configurations available. Some decks can also be postless.

4. Deck – the base part of the RDA holds the deck. The area where the posts are is considered as the deck or “build deck”.

5. Juice well – the areas marked are known as the juice wells. Depth and size can vary. The wells can hold a small amount of e-liquid.

6. Coil – the heating element, can come in single, double, quadruple, octuple, etc. configurations.

7. Wick – the cotton wicking material that holds and draws the juice, via convection, is often fed through the coil (sometimes around the circumference on builds such as the “Nano Dragon” coil).

The pros of RDAs:

You'll get better flavours from a dripping atomizer as the vapour has shorter to travel to your mouth
Dripping directly onto the wick means you can vary flavours regularly

The cons of RDAs:

You’ll need to drip more often than with an RTA, as there’s no tank for e-liquid - the juice well holds significantlly less liquid
Susceptable to leaking if over filled will e-liquid

What next?

When you’ve made your choice between a Rebuildable Tank Atomizer (RTA vape uk) and a Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer (RDA vape uk), there are a few things you should consider when you’re building your kit:

Look at the size of the item – choose a bigger deck space for your first build will be much easier than trying to build on a compact space.
Spend some time researching coil and wick materials, so you can be sure you’ve chosen the right one for your RTA or RDA atomizer.
You will need to check the resistance of your coil using an ohm reader to ensure it’s safe and won’t damage your atomizer. (It’s worth doing this regularly when you use your RTA or RDA too!)
Get a bit of an understanding of Ohm's Law before building and especially firing your mod. We would recommend reading steam-engine.org and using their resources to plan out your coil build.
Check out our guide to coil building for some helpful tips!
Invest in a good battery to make the most of your RTA or RDA experience - please ensure that you've read follow our battery safety guide
Watch a few coil building tutorials on YouTube and get an overall idea of what to expect with your first build

Once you’ve chosen your atomizer and materials, and invested in decent kit, you’re ready to get started. Who knows, your journey into RTA or RDA vaping may even lead you to competitive sub-ohm events.

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