Thanks to http://shop.steamcrave.com for sending me the Steam Crave Glaz RTA for an unbiased review.
In the box you will find:
- 1 x Glaz RTA whole unit
- 1 x Spare 7ml glass
- 1 x 7ml PC tank
- 1 x Allen Key
- 1 x spare o ring and grub screws
- 1x Vape band
- 1 x User manual
- 1 x Steam Crave sticker
Getting to know the Steam Crave Glaz 31mm RTA
I am guessing since your reading this review you have heard of Steam Crave before, one of the best tank mfg’s in the vape game. Not a big name in my local vape shops but when I walk in with one of their tanks or RDA’s they get attention. What I really appreciate about Steam Crave is they are not the type to release a new product every month. They take there time to put out quality products and if you have owned their products in the past I am sure you will agree.
There new line is the Glaz series and comes in both a RTA which is up for review here and the RDSA (really just an RDA) that I reviewed earlier this week.
The Glaz series is a bit of a departure from there normal airflow, instead of side it is now an angled bottom airflow.
The Glass RTA also features what I believe to be a first for them, a slide top refill.
Slide tops are getting more and more popular, I prefer just a normal screw off top. The Steam Crave Aromamizer Plus 30mm RTA being a great example of it, uses a huge kidney shaped opening so you can pour your juice directly from a bottle, this one not so much. With slide tops you have to be careful when putting them in your pocket or a bag, the top does not lock so it can be easily opened. I would suggest using the supplied vape band to stop that from happening.
Being 31mm is a little odd but overhang is slight and generally not a bother to me, you may get about 0.5mm overhang on most mods that are setup for 30mm tanks.
Comparing to the Steam Crave Aromamizer Plus 30mm they are pretty close.
If you already own a Aromamizer Plus keep in mind the Glaz RTA is designed to have a tighter airflow. To show you how tight I have tried to close off the airflow on my Aromamizer Plus to mimic the Glaz RTA full open. Both of these are without builds which will also change the airflow.
Steam Crave did send me this video link on how to install the glass, I had already done it and had no problems but it needs to be noted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKvSLKLN44g&feature=youtu.be
The Builds
I tried a lot of builds in the Glaz RTA, both dual and single coil and here are my 2 favorites.
26g core fused claptons with 36g outer wrap kanthal 3mm inner diameter post 8 wrap in a dual coil config at 0.30 ohms. I put the exact same build in the Aromamizer Plus so I could compare.
I normally build lower for the Aromamizer Plus but wanted to see of the Glaz could dethrone the king and that build worked best on it. Flavor wise there almost identical, airflow wise not so much, the Aromamizer Plus is much airier. For me and many others the Aromamizer Plus is a flavor chucker and one of my all time favorite tanks. The Glaz is really close, I might give the nod to the AP over the Glaz but was pretty happy with both. I prefer more airflow, just a touch more really so the AP won out in the end but that is just a preference, the Glaz really does chuck flavor. The AP is more build friendly, hard to put a bad build in it but that is not the case with the Glaz, bad coil positioning and the flavor suffers, follow my build above and you will get great results. No need to go over 3mm inner diameter coils as well in the Glaz, it will restrict airflow too much, my 3.5mm ID build only lasted a tankful as the flavor was just not there.
I tried a few single coil builds, why not, it is easy to set up in the Glaz. My favorite was a big staple clapton on a 4mm post. Worked well but there was a performance drop off compared to the dual coil build above.
Wicking is pretty straightforward and trust me, you don’t need too much. Just enough to enter the wicking slots and make sure it is not tightly packed, that will affect performance. No leaking problems or dry hits, one of the easiest tanks to wick.
Being a postless deck you will need to precut your leads, I used a coil jig and cut to the end of the barrel and it lined up perfectly:
So what’s not to like?
The airflow, gotta get back to that. It is tight not just for a large tank but tighter than most of my 24 and 25mm dual coil tanks. It is a restricted deep lung hit, meant for flavor and it delivers but I can close down my Aromamizer Plus and get as good if not better flavor but with the option to run it wide open, definite con.
As I already pointed out the slide top could be a problem when carrying the tank in a bag or pocket, use the supplied vape band to secure it.
They do not include a spare glass chimney, would have been nice to include a spare in the packaging but they do sell spare parts including the chimney here: 7ml glass chamber for Glaz RTA (2pcs/pack),
Not very forgiving on builds like the Aromamizer Plus, when setup right the Glaz RTA puts out great flavor but bad coil positioning will result in sub par performance.
When unscrewing the tank care has to be taken as well, one time I went to unscrew the tank to put it on another mod and OH NO, the tank unscrewed from the deck! Luckily I hardly had any juice in it and I noticed right away. When unscrewing the tank it is best to hold it by the airflow control ring like this:
NOT LIKE THIS:
Pros:
- Great flavor when setup just right
- Solid build construction
- Excellent grub screws
- 810 TFV style drip tip compatible, friction fit 810’s will just slide out though
- Wicks really well, just make sure your wicks are not tightly packed
- No leaks with 8 to 10 builds
- Looks beefy, I already have 2 friends who have ordered it after seeing and trying mine
Cons:
- Care has to be taken with the slide top, can easily open when in a bag or pocket
- No spare glass chimney included
- I would have liked more airflow
- Not as many options as the Glaz RSDA or Aromamizer Plus though that may change
- Only 7ml juice capacity for a 31mm tank, the Aromamizer Plus holds 10ml with the standard glass
Final Thoughts
Will the Glaz RTA replace my Aromamizer Plus? Not a chance, I love the AP, one of my all time favorite tanks. I had actually thought about giving the Glaz RTA to one of my friends until I heard that Steam Crave will probably put out an extension kit for it to up it’s juice capacity. I love 30mm RTA’s for the ability to carry so much juice, I can be out all day and not worry about carrying extra juice with me. The Glaz RTA with only 7ml capacity didn’t allow for that, it burns through juice and found myself refilling before I got home.
If you already have an Aromamizer Plus and love it then the Glaz RTA won’t retire it IMO. If you are deciding between the 2 then my choice would be the Aromamizer Plus over the Glaz RTA. Tried to convince my friend of that but he didn’t want to hear it, the Glaz RTA is what he wanted. If you just love Steam Crave products then have at it, is it the best product they have put out?..No, but with the right build it is a tasty tank for sure.
To find out more info check out the Steam Crave site here, they ship out of New York as well: Now Chase for Flavor! - Steam Crave, Aromamizer, Squonk
Check out how this stacks up to other tasty gear and meet the Steampugs team of reviewers. Your bound to have a good time and read up on some great products, not so great ones too http://www.steampugs.co.uk/
Thanks mang!