RTAs – Rebuildable Tank Atomizers – bridge the gap between the customizability and exceptional performance offered by rebuildable dripping atomizers and the convenience of tank systems.
If you’re looking for a top-quality vaping experience that doesn’t require you to keep a constant supply of pre-made coils, finding the best RTA vape on the market is the ideal solution.
But how do you choose from the huge selection of RTA tanks on the market? How do you make sure you’re getting the best rebuildable tank atomizer?
Top 10 Best RTAs
We’ve put together this list of suggestions to help you make your choice, and there’s plenty of useful general information about RTAs below the main list too. So let’s dive in…
1 – Hellvape Dead Rabbit V2
The Dead Rabbit V2 RTA costs $34.99.
The Dead Rabbit V2 from Hellvape earns the title of best RTA vape for bringing the major benefits of the RDA of the same name into a tank format.
The design takes cues from most RTAs on the market, but with a few little extra details that set it apart a little, including chain-like ring designs around the top and bottom sections, the Dead Rabbit logo visible on the chamber through the glass tank section and the airflow slots moved to the top.
The tank has a 2 ml capacity, but includes bubble glass which lets you extend this to 5 ml, and has a simple push-to-open top-filling system.
The deck will be immediately familiar to you if you’ve used the RDA of the same name before, with four rabbit-ear like posts sticking up from the deck, with terminals in the upwards-facing sections. This is ideal for an RTA because it maximizes building space and makes it easy to put together dual-coil builds.
The positive posts are gold-plated for better connectivity, and there is tons of space in the terminals to support unusual wire types. The airflow system improves the performance further, channeling air in from the top of the tank to the side of the coils with a honeycomb-shaped array for the inlet.
2 – GeekVape Zeus X
You can get the Zeus X for $27.95.
The Zeus X from GeekVape is another RTA tank that combines modern design features with the sort of flexibility that many modern devices miss out on.
The tank has a simple enough design, with a 4 ml bubble glass central section, with the chamber visible inside and a wide-bore drip tip on the top. The adjustable airflow slots are on the upper section, though, which offers side coil airflow (in combination with the internal airflow chamber) and reduces the risk of leaking from the RTA. It has a top-refilling system, which you can easily access with a quarter-turn of the top cap.
The deck has a (debatably) “postless” design, with two raised horizontal sections on either side of the deck with two terminals in each. These are opened up from either side, and do a great job of offering a lot of building space within the chamber, as well as making dual coil building pretty simple. There are two big wicking ports behind either of these sections, and it’s easy to get set up whether you’re working with one or two coils. It also comes with two pre-built Clapton coils, so you can get set up easily even if you’ve never made a coil before.
3 – Dovpo Blotto Mini RTA
You can pick up the Blotto Mini for $29.99.
The Blotto Mini from Dovpo blends excellent performance with up-to-date features, an innovate approach to airflow and the sort of flexibility you don’t find in many devices. The resulting RTA tank looks basically pretty cool, with a glass body, metallic top and bottom sections and the chamber (complete with skull logo) visible in the middle, with nice extras like a top-filling design to make it easier to use. The adjustable airflow system basically works like any other on the outside, except the usual slots are replaced with arrays of circular holes you can open up or close off to suit your preferences.
The deck is where the Blotto Mini really comes to life, with two horn-like towers coming up from either side of the deck, with terminals to connect coils at either side of them, and a slightly curved base. The horn-like sections have several small holes running up the inside, and the curved base has an array of slots, to offer 242 degree airflow around your build. This pushes the performance to the next level, and unlike many of the RTAs on this list, it also comfortably supports dual coil builds in addition to single-coil ones. The standard tank has a 2 ml capacity, but includes bubble glass and PCTG options for a 4 ml capacity.
4 – Wotofo x MrJustRight x the Vapor Chronicles Profile Unity
You can pick up the Wotofo MrJustRight for $37.95.
This huge collaborative effort from Wotofo, MrJustRight and the Vapor Chronicles takes a well-deserved spot among the best-rated RTAs for changing up the traditional post design for RTAs to allow you to build with mesh coils, as well as generally excellent performance as a result. The RTA has a 3.5 ml juice capacity as standard (extendable to 5 ml with the included adapter), with a glass tank section on the upper half and a metallic part below where the deck sits. The Profile Unity has slot style adjustable airflow, with a wide-bore drip tip as standard to give you an airy, direct-to-lung vaping experience.
The performance is only improved by the support for mesh coils on the Profile Unity. The usual terminals have been replaced by clamps, which you tighten or loosen with screws on their sides, and make it easy to install strips of mesh and also make standard-style coils easier to attach. The kit comes with a mesh coil for you to use, along with a bending tool so you can get a nice arc over your wick material. There are also huge wicking ports to support the extra space you need with a mesh coil. But whether you’re using mesh or standard coils, the Profile Unity is a pleasure to set up and vape with.
5 – SvoeMesto Kayfun Lite RTA
You can get the Kayfun Lite for $164.99.
The Kayfun series has been consistently among the most popular RTAs since the style of tank first took off. The 24 mm edition of the Kayfun Lite takes a lot of cues from its ancestors, with a focus on MTL (mouth to lung) draws and essentially the same build deck you’ll be very familiar with if you’ve used a Kayfun before.
The design is a lot more compact than older versions, with a thin band of PEI plastic for the tank and the usual solid metallic sections for the base and top. The tank holds 3.5 ml (although you can buy an extension to 5 ml if you like), and you access it by opening up the base. This is a little less convenient than top-filling systems, but it does allow you access to the deck even if you have a full tank of juice.
The deck itself is straightforward-but-effective. Like previous versions of the Kayfun, it has two screw-point terminals on either side of a central airflow hole, only supporting single-coil builds but offering an intuitive and flexible platform for putting coils together. It has nice big spots for your wicks and even features a 5 mm juice well to ensure a consistent supply of liquid.
The airflow opens up directly underneath the coil, which offers the sort of performance you’d expect from a top ten RTA, but the outer airflow hole is a circular hole (adjusted from the 510 connector itself) that makes it ideal for MTL vaping.
The Kayfun Lite is pretty expensive, but the build quality is hard to fault and the performance is what you’d expect from a legendary RTA.
6 – Oumier Wasp Nano RTA
The Wasp Nano RTA costs $21.95.
The Wasp Nano RTA vape from Oumier is essentially like the RDA of the same name put into rebuildable tank form. It’s pretty small in comparison to some RTAs, with a 23 mm diameter but just 34 mm in height, holding 2 ml of e-juice, with large dual fill-holes located directly underneath the unique glass mouthpiece. It has three adjustable airflow slots around the base, which open up on either side of your coil in the center of the deck. This doesn’t offer the same type of direct airflow as under-coil outlets, but the performance is still great and the system is very well-designed.
The deck is basically exactly the same as on the RDA: there are two posts on either side of the deck, with a single terminal on each to support single-coil builds only. This leaves your coil right in the middle of the deck, with the air outlets positioned in the middle of each post. The terminals have flat-head screws to open and close them, and they measure 14 by 6.5 mm so there is plenty of room for more elaborate wire types and builds generally. It also has nice big sections cut out of the deck so it’s easy to set your wick up.
7 – Vapefly Brunhilde RTA
The Brunhilde from Vapefly is a bit of a blast from the past for this best rebuildable atomizer run-down, working essentially like the “Genesis” style devices that were essentially the original RTAs. Unlike most RTAs these days, the deck is positioned above the 5 ml tank, and it uses stainless steel wire as a wick. You still wick your coil with cotton, but the SS gets the juice up to the deck from the tank.
The Brunhilde looks awesome because of this, with a completely metallic top cap, which opens up towards the bottom with a kind of winged helmet detail that leaves plenty of space to see into the glass tank. There’s also a really convenient side-filling port so you can easily stay topped up with juice.
The deck is really well-made, with a two-post design that keeps the focus on single-coil builds. Like on the Druga, there are two terminals in each post but it’s more for flexibility in terms of coil layout that for squeezing two coils in. The airflow inlet is directly underneath where your coil sits, and it comes with six screw-on covers (with different-sized holes) so you can control how much air you get from below the coil. The result is a device that works a lot more like an RDA than most of the top RTA options on this list, but removes the need to constantly drip in the process.
8 – Augvape Druga RTA
You can pick up the Druga RTA for $38.
The Druga RTA from Augvape is a beautifully-designed RTA tank with an easy-to-use deck and great performance all-round. The tank has a great look, with an almost entirely glass body with metallic top and bottom sections for the deck and top cap.
The straight-sided glass can hold 2.4 ml of juice, but it also comes with a bulb tube that extends this to 3.5 ml, and it has a convenient top-filling system too. The Druga RTA has a 24 mm diameter, so it fits perfectly on top of most mods, and this leaves plenty of room for building too.
The deck has a pretty unique design, with two posts at either side of a central channel, and each has a terminal at either end. Despite this, the layout makes single coil builds the better, simply because to place the coils in the middle of the deck there isn’t much space for more than one. So really it’s best to think about it as a flexible single-coil deck, and with your coil sitting in the center it gets the most out of the two air outlets positioned at either side of the coil at a 45-degree angle. This layout means that the Druga RTA does exceptionally well when it comes to flavor in particular, but the vapor production is hard to fault too.
9 – Silverplay 24mm RTA
The Silverplay is available for the very low price of $14.99.
The Silverplay RTA comes from the company of the same name, and is another single-coil focused RTA that does a great job when it comes to performance. The 24 mm edition is a contender for the title of best rebuildable tank atomizer thanks to the well-designed but simple build deck and extra features like the internal juice flow control. The RTA has a 2 ml juice capacity, with a simple top-filling system that just requires a quarter-turn of the top cap to access. The RTA tank has a single slot adjustable airflow system, as well as a few “shields” that offer you control over the internal parts of the airflow system.
The airflow hole opens up directly beneath the coil on the deck, which is ideal in terms of performance. The deck has two terminals on either side of this airflow slot, adjustable with a Phillips head screwdriver. While the deck is pretty basic in terms of design – apart from the pretty cool-looking gold plating – the 24 mm diameter of the tank leaves plenty of space for rebuilding and makes it easy to set up. The two-piece chimney also incorporates a juice flow control ring that can help if you have problems with dry wicks or flooding.
10 – Steam Crave Glaz Mini
You can pick up the Glaz Mini for $39.90.
The Glaz Mini from Steam Crave is a single-coil focused RTA that really places the emphasis on flavor. It has a fairly straightforward appearance for an RTA, with a small glass section around the bottom and metal sections at the top and bottom. The top one comes with an optional extension that boosts the juice capacity from 2 ml to 5 ml, and also adds the Steam Crave logo to the outside. The flavor focus is immediately obvious thanks to the fairly small, hole-style adjustable airflow system and the standard bore drip tip. Most of the options for best RTA have bigger, slot-style airflow and wide-bore tips, so this is a really great device if flavor is your priority.
The deck is nice and simple, thanks to the single-coil focus for the tank. It has two Phillips-head screws which you use to attach your coil, right in the center of the deck and with the airflow coming up directly underneath it. This maximizes performance from the fairly small airflow holes in terms of vapor, but still allows for excellent flavor. There are nice big spots for your wicks on either side, and the combination makes it really easy to get the device working well. It also has a pretty unique glass chamber for the deck, which is intended to further improve the flavor.
A Brief Guide to Rebuildable Tank Atomizers (RTAs)
What is an RTA?
If you’re wondering “What does RTA stand for?” or “What is an RTA?” the answer is basically the same: it’s a rebuildable tank atomizer.
Picking this apart, any atomizer is the thing that turns your vape juice into an inhalable vapor, and tank refers to the fact that there is a tank that can hold a lot of e-liquid for you to vape throughout the day. In this way, any sub-ohm vape tank is a tank atomizer.
The “rebuildable” part is what really explains what RTAs are. A rebuildable atomizer is any atomizer where you wrap your own coil and set it up yourself instead of depending on pre-made coils. You wrap the coil, attach it to two “posts” to complete the circuit and insert a wick before you start vaping.
In a rebuildable dripping atomizer (RDA) you apply e-liquid directly to the wick and use it for a short period of time before applying more. In an RTA, there is a tank to supply e-liquid to the coil without you having to drip regularly.
So the answer to “what is an RTA?” is simple: a tank system where you make your own coils to vape with.
Types of RTA Vapes:
There are a few main types of RTA, although all of them meet the basic definition described above.
- Ordinary RTA: Most RTAs are just like sub-ohm tanks, except with a deck towards the bottom of the tank, which contains two or more posts to attach your coil and ports so the wicks can absorb liquid from the surrounding tank.
- Genesis-Style RTA: These RTAs work a lot like ordinary RTAs, except the deck is above the tank and the wicks hang down through the bottom of the deck into it.
- RDTA: Rebuildable dripping tank atomizers are a lot like genesis-style devices but are designed to be used more like an RDA. The wicks cover the holes and rest on the deck, so you can top up your liquid by simply tilting the tank.
- Sub Ohm Tanks with RBA Heads: These are devices that can serve as ordinary sub ohm tanks but also have an RBA (rebuildable atomizer) attachment so you can turn them into an RTA if you want to.
Rebuildable Atomizers for Beginners: Which are the Best RTAs for Newer Vapers?
If you haven’t built your own coils before, the world of rebuildable atomizers might seem a little daunting. It means changing the screw-in, screw-out simplicity of pre-made coils and replacing it with the much more technical process of wrapping your own coil and setting it up to vape yourself.
Rebuildable tank atomizers are a little more complicated than ordinary vape tanks, and generally rebuildable atomizers are only recommended for more experienced vapers.
However, there are some factors that can help you find the best rebuildable atomizers for beginners.
- How many posts? Generally speaking, most rebuildable tank atomizers these days have two-post layouts. The majority of the contenders for the title of best RTA listed above use this approach. Older designs would either have screws to trap your wire under, or would have three posts so you couldn’t make multi-coil builds without sharing the center post. Two-post, Velocity-style deck RTAs make this much simpler, with big and easily opened holes in the posts and being perfectly setup for multi-coil builds. If you’re new to RTAs, choose one with a two-post deck or a postless deck.
- How much deck space? Another major factor affecting how difficult RTAs are to use is how much space you have to put together your build. Bigger decks are generally easier to build on, so the bigger the deck, the better the RTA is for beginners. Genesis-style RTAs or RDTAs tend to have the biggest decks, so they’re worth considering if you’re new to rebuilding.
- How do you wick it? Wicking is one of the most important parts of setting up an RTA, but also one of the most challenging aspects. Most RTAs have wicking channels, which you insert the tips of your wicks into so they can soak up e-juice. However, some wicking channels are better than others. The best tank-based rebuildable atomizers for beginners will have bigger wicking channels, or a unique approach to make things easier like you’ll find on the OBS Engine.
If you’re struggling to find a great RTA tank for beginners, the best advice is to check out some RTA reviews.
Good reviews will give you plenty of detail about how easy the device is to build on and how suitable it is for anybody new to rebuilding. Alternatively, if you’re willing to put a bit of time into learning how to rebuild, it’s really not too difficult, and after a little bit of practice you’ll be able to build comfortably on most RTAs on the market.
Check out this more detailed guide to rebuildable atomizers if you’re interested in learning more.
Conclusion: RTAs Keep Getting Better
Things have improved drastically since the early days of RTA vapes. Back then, companies crammed small build decks into leak-prone tanks that were very fiddly to set up.
Now RTAs are much more user-friendly and dependable, and devices like the rebuildable tank atomizers listed above work just as well as sub-ohm tanks but offer so much more flexibility to tailor their performance to your preferences.
If you’re getting sick and tired of paying for packs of pre-built coils, investing in an RTA tank could change your vaping life for the better.