First off, If I buy a not so nice tank, I won't review it. I don't enjoy dissing companies and there is no pleasure or benefit for others in reviewing an inferior quality product. Also, just because we don't necessarily like someone, it does not mean that he or she cannot produce something worth its salt.
Whether you like the somewhat hyperactive, Mr Rip Trippers (RT) character, or not, there is one thing you must admit — as an extremely popular You Tube vape reviewer, he has reviewed many RTA's. It therefore stands to reason that he has acquired plentiful knowledge of RTA's and by collaborating with Digiflavor to design and create a great RTA, there is a good chance the product will be innovative and effective.
Secondly, if you enjoyed the very popular Pharaoh RDA in 2016, it is most likely that if RT and Digiflavor were to make a "Pharaoh RTA" — it may just be a winner! And this one is, in my books...
With this in mind, and after watching a few online reviews, I decided to buy the Pharaoh RTA. Here is my review 3 days in.
Price
For what you get, off the bat, the price is just fantastic. There are many RDA's and RTA's out now around the 1K plus mark, and are the most basic, un-special tanks, with nothing that great except for the "name" or the "brand", or that it is "Made in the USA". This Pharaoh RTA was just over R600. I was both surprised and pleased at the "fair" price. A nice, generous bag of spares is included.
Appearance
Overall, the 25mm Pharaoh RTA looks solid, bulky, but classy. Some may not like the fact that it is slightly cone shaped, being larger on top and thinner at the base. I like this, it is not only different, but was designed for easy handling. Yes, it is robust, and it will require a big mod.
Build quality
This is built for single coils mainly. I'm a single coil enthusiast, I don't know about you? However, just as in the case if the Pharaoh RDA, you can also slot in two coils if you like, but there really is no need.
I used a single 22Ga Kanthal on a 3.5 ID with 7 1/2 wraps giving me a modest 0.52 Ohms. The vape is near perfect. The threads are clean and smooth. It takes 4.7ml of e-liquid. Included is a stainless extension tube if you want an additional 3ml of juice. However, the extension tube may be a bit "bulky" of some. I found it makes the tank too big. The overall construction is really neat. This is a good quality RTA all round, IMO.
Ease of build
Placing and setting the single coil is a breeze. I like the 2 dark blue, heat treated, thick Phillips screw heads on the deck, and the fact that you get 4 spares. Personally, grub screws are mindlessly irritating, in general. It's about time we are seeing less and less grub screws on new RTA's. The Pharaoh deck is very much like the Pharaoh RDA, but a tad bit smaller. The build deck allows for plenty of space and minimal fiddling around before the coil is properly set on the excellent spring loaded clamps.
Wicking
Here is a potential con for some die hard critics. However, it may just turn out as a surprising pro! There is a special wicking technique that RT himself describes in his You Tube clip where he uses the inner layer of flat Japanese cotton. You have to sort of wick with no fluffing, then tuck the wick in the slots, with a folded piece of Kanthal, then fold the remainder of cotton upwards before trimming the excess. Although this may at first, appear daunting, I followed the exact instructions and it turned out fantastic. However, in the "Mike Vapes" (very positive) review, he used normal cotton, with the same folding technique, with great success. I re wicked using the usual classing method of wicking with no leaks or dry hits. So RT's method is not a must.
Airflow
There are so many clever, useful airflow options, and this is a hugely positive feature on this tank. First off, the big bottom airflow opens and closes in "clicks". I love this as I often struggle to adjust an airflow ring without first having to remove it from the mod. Tanks without the clicking action ring tend to have tight airflow rings that usually annoys me. This ring is perfect.
Then you have a top airflow ring that is knurled and engraved with a pleasant looking pattern. Two chamfered edges channel the air into a neat big hole. Usually I just keep all airflow rings fully open on other tanks, but this is the first tank that I actually tweak and use to control the airflow to my liking. This is a generous, non- gimmicky airflow system that actually works effectively.
Drip Tip
Yes, there will alway be the pedantic drip trip enthusiasts. Personally, I don't mind factory issue drip tips, and this one is adequate for me. But if you want, there is an adapter included for your personal drip tip. This has a chunky metal screw-on drip tip, with a plastic piece that surrounds an inner Delrin tube which may be removed if you like it so.
Juice filling
The top-cap is easily removed revealing two massive slots to easily fill the tank up. Very nice indeed. This is another positive evolutionary step in the unfolding vaping game.
Juice flow control
This is my personal subjective con. I dislike juice flow control systems in general because A: I never need it — I just don't see the point. And B: I almost always inadvertently, close the juice flow ring which leads to a dry hit and burned cotton. I just wish it wasn't there.
How does it vape?
In conclusion, when wicked as described by RT, this tank vapes absolutely amazingly. I am super impressed. The airflow options gives the user so much variety. There is plenty of juice space. It is really well designed. The cloud density and production performs the same as any duel coil RTA I have ever tried. The flavor production is way on par and very satisfying. I can bump up the wattage into the 80's and 90's without any dry hits, but my happy place is in between 40 and 50 Watts maximum.
I am extremely happy with this tank and will highly recommend this unit to anyone looking for an effective, good quality single coil RTA. Especially based on what you get for the price.
To all the RT haters, I am sorry, but he got this one right. And if you buy it, you must watch his You Tube clip. It will be most useful.
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with the ring off....
