Getting back to normal life after such a wonderful few weeks vaycay with my girls has…well…been tricky shall we say…I knew I had stuff to do…and literally millions (ahem…3 people…maybe 4 including my mother) of adorning fans who were poised with anticipation to see what literal nonsense I would come up with next…and it’s been a while…but you know, you go away, you have fun, you come back and everything just seems like…a bit of a chore…like…standing up for example…
Vastly overrated if you want my opinion…
And the reason for all this self centered procrastination?..in a word…beer. You see…when I arrived at our little resort on the outskirts of Manavgat in Turkey I had an epiphany…I thought ‘It’s all inclusive so…free beer!..wait…it’s not free beer…it’s pre-paid beer?..so…the more I drink…the cheaper it becomes…?’…which led me to my next thought…'So…if it becomes cheaper the more I drink it…then surely if I drink enough…the cost of each beer would eventually cancel out the pre-paid price I paid for the all inclusive?..thus becoming…FREE BEER!..and let me tell you, there’s only one thing better than an ice cold beer in 35 degree heat whilst dangling your legs in a swimming pool…and that’s FREE beer in 35 degree heat whilst dangling your legs in a swimming pool…and with that premise set firmly in my mind…I graciously…and bravely…accepted my self imposed challenge…
And so it began…we even had a couple of friends come over and spend a week with us, and upon imparting my new found wisdom upon one of them…
He too was feeling particularly competitive with said theory, leaving our better halves to pick up the slack when it came to things like…being grown ups for example, the situation only becoming worse…when we realised whilst quietly enjoying our early morning ‘coffee’…
That the same theory could also be adapted…for food…
I can’t even use the excuse that it was our first time ‘all-inclusive’…regardless…I digress, and I will spare you the liver crippling details of the following weeks, suffice to say, that once we returned…getting back to work…seemed an all too arduous task for a lot longer than it should of done, and phoning in sick at work on the following Monday morning with the excuse “I just don’t want to”…was met with understandable threats of violence and general disdain for my very existence…so drag my ass in I did…
So…here I am…explaining my absence to a group of people who probably couldn’t give less of a shit whilst 3 stone heavier and nursing a semi serious drinking problem…maybe it’s time I just stfu and tell you about something to do with vaping…how bow dat…that’d be nice wouldn’t it (be a fucking first I’ll tell you that much) …onwards buttercup! we’re havin a Mage Rage …
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Welcome back my fluffy little cloud kittens, I have missed you all terribly…both of you…and you mum. In between beers I have been gathering various awesome bits and bobs from this crazy show we call …vape…business…?.. (literally no sense whatsoever) for your perusal, and today’s ramblings came courtesy of those bloody lovely people from one of my favourite manufacturers CoilArt, and more specifically, TWO of their latest tanks from their ‘Mage’ family, The Mage RTA V2 (imaginative) …and the Mage sub tank with mesh coils…I don’t believe that’s its full name…because that would be silly…
We don’t really need to start with either one because to be perfectly honest they’re both exactly the same…to look at anyways, the only thing separating the two is their innards, so the majority of this review will concentrate on the Mage RTA V2… So…what indeedy have CoilArt got for us this time…
The Lowdown
The Mage RTA V2 is a 24mm, 3.5ml or 5.5ml capacity, bottom airflow (kinda…we’ll come to that shortly) tank with a postless dual coil build deck, an 810 drip tip (kinda…again…we’ll come to that later) and is available in your standard colours of Black, Gunmetal, Gold & SS.
Indeed…in my opinion…not at all ugly, but then I tend to feel that way about most of CoilArts gear, aesthetically pleasing and real classy looking…and I do love a nice bit of knurling…you know what I don’t love though?..taking the picture, editing the picture, and only on inserting the picture…realising that the very nicely made gold and frosted drip tip…is much like myself… a bit pissed…
Still, I do love the look of that thin gold ring with the ‘Mage’ etching…nice attention to detail…that drip tip however, is both a blessing and a curse, yes it’s an 810, but if you pop it out and look in the top, it’s pretty much a 510 chimney, which is fine, I mean at least you can use 810 tips which most of us have in abundance these days, but don’t expect the airyness that a wide chimney can deliver, because obviously with a 510 hole, you get a slight restriction, on the plus side though, it does come with a 510 adapter for all you hardcore 510 lovers, and although stumpy…the 810 tip provided is very nicely put together…that being said…with the 510 hole also comes one drawback, the 810 hole is kinda shallow and with TFV8 style tips (O ring) it bottoms out when it hits the 510 hole, so you get a tiny tiny gap, I mean you can barely see it…but it’s there…
Fabulously sporting the latest in hat fashions from MooMoo Mods , these tips sell out quicker than European lager at an all inclusive holiday resort let me tell you…(my god you’re obsessed)…but speak to Jas at MooMoo if you can’t find what you want on his site, he knocked out that Cogs tip for me in a day and he’s a jolly nice chap to boot…true legend.
In its standard guise the Mage V2 will supply you with 3.5ml of your finest, adequate…and indeed acceptable for most RTA’s, However…supplied with both the RTA V2 and Sub Ohm tanks is a 5.5ml bubble tank…and although the box does actually call it ‘Bubble Glass’…it’s actually frosted plastic…
Or PCTG plastic to be exact…which as we all know…is actually Glycol-modified Poly-Cyclohexylenedimethylene Terephthalate…
Love the fact that CoilArt have included a bubble tank, and…and although some might not agree…I love the fact that it’s plastic…sorry…I mean Glycol-modified Poly-Cyclohexylenedimethylene Terephthalate…because the thing with Glycol-modified Poly-Cyclohexylenedimethylene Terephthalate…apart from its incredibly catchy name, is that it’s quite nifty at being relatively heat, chemical AND impact resistant…so it won’t leach, it shouldn’t crack with menthol, it shouldn’t melt when you bang up the old wattage into silly territory and if you have ever had this reaction…
As you watch your rig topple over in super slow motion onto the hard table top, transforming your prize toy complete with glass bubble tank into the world’s most frustrating jigsaw puzzle…then Glycol-modified Poly-Cyclohexylenedimethylene Terephthalate…is nothing short…of a nigh on impossible to pronounce…blessing.
Filling this gluttonous little chubster is done by unscrewing the knurled top cap and inserting your thingy into the oversized kidney shaped doofers…those are technical terms folks…all this alcohol appears to have turned me into some kind of freaky genius…
Love how recessed this top fill is, perfect for those times when you wake up after a few too many loud mouth soups and have uncontrollable hands…or…lunchtime …as I have been calling it lately…
Generally speaking the appearance and build quality of the exterior on both tanks is very impressive, the only slight con I’d give it in this area is the knurled top cap I just mentioned, and the reason for that is that five times out of ten whenever I was going to refill it…I would unscrew the whole top instead of just the cap, making the tank spew it’s contents all over my hands…if I could give you one little tip …(that’s what she said…) when you fit the bubble tank…and why wouldn’t you?..make sure it’s screwed down super tight, and then when refilling don’t over tighten the top cap…do that and you should be golden, I guess this is where hinged or slider top caps come into their own.
The Build Deck
Okay…this is the area that separates the magicians from the Mages, the performance of any RTA is almost always decided here…(omg you’re so dramatic…have you been drinking?..)…yes…?..now…things might look a little ‘familiar’ here…
I’m sure you have…and I’m also sure you too are a fan of the super recessed top fill (you’re going to hell) …now…CoilArt may well be designed in Californ-I-A …however…it would appear their business practices are comin’ straight outta China…Kylin Mini anyone?..
Hey…I ain’t judgin’…okay maybe a little…but if it ain’t broke…don’t fix it, and the Kylin Mini has exceptional airflow…so…why the fuck not? Because this kind of airflow…works.
Of course…it’s not a straight copy, for starters we have a dual postless deck instead of a paltry single…
And the wick channels are guarded instead of open cut-outs, but the principle is the same, and annoyingly…and surprisingly seeing as how much flack the Kylin Mini got for this…the grub screws are also the wrong way around, meaning flat wire coils will be very upset when you ask them how they feel about post holes that are screwed this way…
You don’t talk to your coils? Okay…each to their own and all that …(?) …You will of course have to trim the ends off your legs before you place the coils in…
NOT YOUR LEGS!!!..fml do I have to be so fucking specific?!..Your coil legs!!..Give me strength…(sigh)
Fortunately for you folk…I’m known to be a massive professional…at least I think ‘professional’ is the term they use…
So I nailed it first time…obviously…
Now coil placement is EVERYTHING with the Mage V2, all those little tiny holes are very needy, they need easy access to the outside of you coil so don’t sit them too high, and don’t sit them in the middle, try and follow the curvature of the deck with the outside of your coil for best performance…it was only after I took that build pick that pulled them out ever so slightly closer to the side.
Wicking is straightforward and the same rules apply to this as to any, trim your tails out, don’t over stuff it, and don’t tuck your wicks in too far…on with the sploodge…
Yum yum pigs tum…just pop everything back together, and you’re golden.
The Vape
Nothing. Short. Of. Phenomenal.
I could stop right there…but I’m four pints in so other than the overwhelming urge for me to tell you that I love you… I also feel like talking twaddle for several more hours…until I fall asleep with my head in a pizza…
The flavour I get from the Mage V2 is as good…if not better…than any RTA I have tried before it, even the Manta which for me was one of the best flavour machines of last year and one I still use regularly. It’s better than the Kylin Mini, it’s better than the Ammit dual coil, it’s better than anything from OBS and it’s not just by a little bit either, it’s as close to RDA flavour that I have had thus far from an RTA…and this all down to the incredible bottom airflow.
It’s only when you look through the side that you can see just how low the domed chamber sits to your coils, there is simply no place for the air to go other than past your coils, straight up your chimney and into your pie hole…
Which is no mean feat when you consider that there is still enough room for some sizeable chunky coils…which is a good job seeing as CoilArt DON’T INCLUDE COILS IN THE PACKAGE! …Not mad or anything…come on CoilArt, you SELL coils, stop being so fucking scrooge and put some in the package!..YOU’RE CALLED COILART FFS!..No one should ever…EVER…E.V.E.R…have to buy their own coils when they buy an RTA. Would you buy a car with no engine??..Would you buy a can with no beer in it?..Okay, that’s a bad example…I’m just thirsty…I’ll let you read the specs while I go grab myself and early morning ‘coffee’ real quick…
The Specs (Mage RTA V2)
Main Features:
● Capacity: 3.5ml
● Diameter: 2.4cm
● Thread: 510
● Material: stainless steel
● 24K golden-plated postless deck
● Top cap with knurling design, easy to screw out
Specification
Product Details Brand: CoilART
Type: Rebuildable Atomizer
Material: Stainless Steel
Dimension and Weight Product weight: 0.0800 kg
Package weight: 0.0900 kg
Product size (L x W x H): 2.40 x 2.40 x 4.60 cm / 0.94 x 0.94 x 1.81 inches
Package size (L x W x H): 3.00 x 3.00 x 7.40 cm / 1.18 x 1.18 x 2.91 inches
Package Contents Package Contents: 1 x RTA, 1 x 5.5ml Bubble Tube, 1 x Accessory Bag
Mage Sub Tank with mesh coils
I’m only going to touch on this subject because to all intents and purposes it’s the same tank, apart from the extra .5ml it can hold, obviously the clue is in the title as to where the main difference lies…Now… I have made it no secret in the past that I am just simply not interested in sub ohm tanks, the coils don’t last, they’re expensive to replace compared to making your own build and they don’t perform nearly as well…but…something has happened just lately with stock coils…mesh.
Could this very well be the latest vape fashion that could bring popularity back to the struggling to impress stock coil market?..I actually believe it could well be, because the flavour you get from stock mesh coils…is rather epic, I’m not talking RTA epic…but stock coil epic for sure. Yes, they’re still expensive and no, they still don’t perform as well as home made coils and you do get flavour fade after a certain time… but, for people that don’t/can’t build for themselves?..these things knock the shiny shit out of any store bought conventional coils on the market today that DON’T employ mesh as their heat source…it’s pretty much that simple, I have had the same coil in this tank for 2 weeks now and although at first you do get a shitty after taste, power through half a tank or so and you are well on your way to a full flavoured, thick, saturated vape that lasts way longer than anything you can buy off the shelf…Mesh…for stock coils…is most definitely where it’s at…and even though you do get a 0.4ohm conventional coil within the package…I highly doubt you’ll use it once you have tried the Mesh.
The Specs (Mage Sub tank with mesh coils)
Main Features:
● Capacity: 4ml
● Diameter: 2.4cm
● Thread: 510
● Installed with 0.2 ohm MAGE Mesh coil
● Top cap with knurling design, easy to screw out
● 810 drip tip
Specification
Product Details Brand: CoilART
Type: Clearomizer
Material: Glass,Stainless Steel
Dimension and Weight Product weight: 0.0480 kg
Package weight: 0.0580 kg
Product size (L x W x H): 2.40 x 2.40 x 4.40 cm / 0.94 x 0.94 x 1.73 inches
Package size (L x W x H): 7.50 x 4.00 x 10.00 cm / 2.95 x 1.57 x 3.94 inches
Package Contents Package Contents: 1 x Clearomizer, 1 x Extra 5.5ml Bubble Tube, 1 x Extra Coil
Final Thoughts
My final thoughts on the latest from CoilArt’s Mage family would be this…
Absolute home run.
Yes, the grub screws are the wrong way not lending itself to flat wires in the slightest, no…you don’t get coils with it from a company whose name would suggest they really should supply them, and yes, coil placement is everything with this build deck…but…get it right, and you are rewarded with what is for me…probably the best flavour tank of this year so far, the airflow is spot nigh on perfect…the hourglass shape inlet on the AFC might be an odd choice for fine tuning but it’s still one of the smoothest…almost bassy sounding airflows I have ever had the privilege to try…and the weird thing is…I have been using these tanks side by side for the last few weeks and I don’t subconsciously choose one over the other, I really don’t mind at all which one I vape on…me…liking stock coils…must be the alcohol…
And of course, as history has proven, CoilArt aren’t all about the Benjamins…in my experience they have more often than not provided me with good quality gear at affordable prices and it’s no surprise in this area again…
Currently you can get the Mage V2 RTA for a distinctly average price tag of £27.31 / $36.07 which is slightly below the full blown retail…find that deal here…
And and even bigger surprise is the lowly price tag of the Sub Tank with mesh coil, a measly £19.50 / $25.76 is all they ask for probably the best flavour Sub Ohm tank on the market…find that deal here…also slightly below the full retail price…
CoilArt Mage Sub Tank with Mesh Coil
I’ll drink to that…(again)
If you decide to prise open the purse strings and pull the trigger on either of these tanks I truly believe that you, just like myself, will forgive their little quirks and slight annoyances, because once you have run in either coils, the flavour and vapour quality is top tier…top tier…that rhymes with something I like very much right now…but seeing as this review has had me busy pretty much all day…it would appear another problem has arisen…
Impromptu trip to the off-licence it is then…
Until next time
Cheers (also rhymes with beers btw…it’s like fate)
Pugs
good to be back 
…
