I’ve been waiting to get my hands on the Uwell Rafale Tank for months now but with a bunch of new products to try and test out somehow I’ve always put it off until I had enough time to really devote myself to it. The moment actually came a few weeks ago and I finally filled it up with some juice! Oh, the treat! What I was most interested in was whether or not Rafale will be able to top Crown in terms of performance and whether or not it will be able to replace my personal favorite of the last few months, the iSub S tank. So what do you think? Did Uwell Rafale hold its own during testing? Dive into this review with me and find out!
Is it worth buying?
What to say? Would I recommend Uwell Rafale above every other sub-ohm tank I had to pleasure to try? Not really but it is a decent tank. It got on my good side because of the capacity and excellent airflow design so I can’t be too strict with it. If you’re a fan of huge clouds and can tolerate the overly hot drip tip on higher wattages than I’d say go for it! It’s definitely something to have in your collection. If not, if you’re more about the flavor and the ability to vape a consistently cool vape then I’d skip it. There are better ones out there.
Full review
I’ll let you in on a little secret straight from the get go – I’m not a huge fan of this tank. Now, I know that this is in part because I had huge expectations from it. I really wanted it to do well – or to put it more bluntly – I wanted to like it from day one. However, there are some little kinks that really bother me and I wish Uwell sorted through them before releasing the Rafale tank. Nothing major but certainly enough to make you wonder is there a better tank out there for you. So with that in mind, let’s dig into the Uwell Rafale tank review and I’ll tell you exactly what I think could have been done better.
A Word About the Best Tank Packaging Ever
I seriously loved the packaging – this is probably why I started thinking of this tank as superb before I even unpacked it! It comes in a tubular metal casing, all black and sleek and with ‘Uwell Rafale’ written across it in yellow letters – reminds me more of a quality perfume packaging than anything else. Stylish and minimal packaging, much like the tank itself.
Open it and it will reveal the tank itself, snuggly protected in a plastic air-filled coating. This was a smart move on Uwell part – the glass tube on the tank is completely exposed so this works great to protect it.
Uwell Rafale package includes:
- Uwell Rafale Parallel Coil Sub-Ohm Tank
- 2 ohm Parallel 316 Stainless Steel Coil
- 5 ohm Parallel 316 Stainless Steel Coil
- O-Rings
- Additional Quartz Glass Tubing
- UWell Sticker
- Manual
- Authenticity Card
Design and Quality of Make
When it comes to quality of materials I need to commend Uwell. Much like all of their other products, Rafale tank is made from top-grade 304 stainless steel and it really looks like it could withstand severe bombing and walk away without a scratch.
Even though it is a wider-than-usual tank there is a sort of elegance to it. It’s not adorned with unnecessary bells and whistles and it has a very modern, clean feel to it. Uwell sign is etched right below the drip tip and with stylized air flow control those are pretty much all the markings you’re going to find on the tank.
Rather than writing excessively about Rafale features I’ll throw in an official list so you know exactly what you’re getting when buying this one.
Uwell Rafale specifications:
- 24mm Diameter
- Patented Uwell Top Fill System
- Bottom Fill Capable
- 5ml Tank Capacity
- 2 ohm Parallel 316 Stainless Steel Coil Structure
- 60 to 120W
- Organic Cotton Wicking
- 5 ohm Parallel 316 Coil Structure
- 40 to 80W
- Organic Cotton Wicking
- Dual Precision Cut Adjustable Airflow Control
- Patented Uwell Anti Spit Back System
- Food Grade Stainless Steel Construction
- Quartz Glass
Uwell Rafale sub-ohm tank has a 510 connection. You probably know this but it’s worth repeating – if you value your battery, DO NOT connect this tank to a hybrid device! That is unless you really dislike that particular device and want to see it gone.
Drip Tip
The mouthpiece is a wide bore monstrosity that is a bit shorter than the one that was featured on the Crown. It’s easier to use and more pleasurable to vape, I’ll concede to that, but I’m still not happy with it.
The main reason is that it’s non-removable. What you see is what you get and there is no way to customize it. It’s also made from stainless steel – and I’m a guy who prefers a Delrin tip any time of the day. This one gets hot, and I mean really hot, especially when I tried to push it over 100W.
It’s more tolerable at lower Wattages but considering that this tank was built for vaping at 100+ W the tip should be able to handle it without scorching my lips. I definitely recommend using some sort of a resistant slip with this one.
Anti-Spit Back Protection
Frankly, I have no idea how this system works but I’m happy to report that it does. There is sort of a spring inside the device that minimizes hot juice flying to your mouth and causing your tongue to blister. In my case, it worked like a charm. Not once did I have to stick my tongue under a running faucet.
Uwell is extremely confident in this system, so much so that they’ve actually filed for a patent for it. You get a nice little warning about that right on the metal tubing, in case you get any ideas!
Top Fill
Top fill is becoming a norm and I’m super glad to see it. It’s cleaner and easier and doesn’t require you to disassemble your tank to top it up. However, in my personal humble opinion, Rafale’s top fill system is somewhat subpar to Crown’s or even iSub S’s.
You have to twist the drip tip which then causes the plate inside the tank to lower, revealing two holes on the top side of the tank. And that is all nice and dandy but the holes themselves are small in diameter – smaller than the ones that were featured on the Crown. This makes it difficult to fill the tank with a dropper. You have to be extremely careful not to get the juice all over the drip tip and the sides. Slightly larger holes would definitely suit me better and I’m hoping that this will get resolved with the next edition of the Rafale – if there is one.
Capacity and Glass Tubing
At 5ml capacity, Rafale is a considerable improvement on the old Crown and I love it. It doesn’t seem like much but if you’ve been topping up your smaller tank 6-7 times a day this 0.5ml should shave off one fill daily.
The Quartz glass tubing is a sturdier and more durable than the regular Pyrex one we’ve come to expect on tanks. However, no matter how sturdy the glass is I’m very concerned that there is nothing protecting it. A sort of a ribbed cage protection would be a welcome addition that would help ensure that the glass doesn’t get chipped or brakes in case of a fall – what can I say, I’m clumsy, sue me!
That said, no casing means that it’s super easy to see how much liquid there is in the tank. Another plus side is that Uwell includes extra glass tubing in the package – almost as if they expect the fitted one to break soon enough!
Airflow Design
Two large air holes on either side of the bottom part of the tank are a beast! The airflow is massive I had a bit of an issue with the amount of vapor coming out when the airflow is completely opened. You have four settings that will allow you tweak the airflow to your preferred level. There is an audible click to it when you move the bottom part that is pleasant to the ear – it won’t just slide back and forth soundlessly so you have to visually check if you adjusted it or not. Thumbs up, Uwell!
That Overhang
I’m not sure why Uwell Rafale tank was made to be a 24mm tank in diameter. It kind of doesn’t make sense when most mods accommodate 22mm tanks and those are a flush fit. This one is not. You can expect a bit of an overhang with a lot of mods – I did have it with all I’ve tried it on.
It’s not too big of a deal but it does take away something on the aesthetic side of the things. Plus, I always panic I’ll catch the overhang on something and pry the tank off the mod, damaging it in the process.
Vaping Experience
Overall, Uwell Rafale sub-ohm tank offers a solid vaping experience but this does come with a couple of caveats. First of all, it’s all going to depend on the type of the coil you use. A 0.5 ohm coil won’t give you too much in terms of flavor and you will have to burn the coil on the highest recommended setting (80W) to get the most out of your juice. Vapor production is great even on lower wattages and I attribute that to a massive and well-designed airflow.
0.2 ohm coil will give you more in terms of both flavor and ‘cloudage’ – yep, I just invented a word! – but again, it’s going to have to be on higher wattage settings. 0.2 ohm coil really packs a punch when it comes to vapor production so I do believe it’s something that cloud-chasers are going to enjoy.
In both cases, overheating is going to be an issue. I tried vaping at close to 100W but couldn’t draw a decent puff for the life of me. The drip tip simply gets too hot too quickly. For a vape tank that boasts of performing best at ridiculously high wattage, this is a major drawback. I had issues with it at settings as low as 60W and chain-vaping proved to be nearly impossible.
Keep in mind that you will have to be restraining yourself on those high wattages – if you manage to tolerate the heat. Even at moderate temperatures Rafale vape tank consumes a lot of e-juice. You’ll top up your tank, vape away, and be unpleasantly surprised when you look down 15 minutes later to see your tank half empty. At first, I was afraid it was leaking. Thankfully, the build quality is excellent and it doesn’t, it just wicks well and eats up a lot of e-juice.