Last Updated on August 24, 2017 by Team Spinfuel

The front of the asMODus Voluna RTA  ($36.95 at Element Vape) box is fairly nondescript, except for one notable inclusion:

“For professional use only.”

By a show of hands, how many vapers reading this qualify themselves as “professionals?” Odd terminology, for sure.

While I’m obviously kidding around, and realize that asMODus is simply trying to ensure safety on the part of less-experienced customers, there might be a subtle double meaning here. Because the Voluna, the US-based company’s first rebuildable tank atomizer, requires a little more skill and experience than the average vape tank.

But when the Voluna is placed in the right hands? Well, it’s a fantastic experience for anyone who masters its tricky wicking needs.

Voluna RTA - Ugly box. Gorgeous tank...

asMODus Voluna RTA Review – SPINFUEL VAPE MAGAZINEWhen first opening the asMODus Voluna RTA box, you’ll notice there’s a slight discrepancy between the packaging and the product within. Inside a black and blue blotched cardboard box, with minimal branding and no mention of the contents, asMODus didn’t aim to make much of a first impression.

However, peeking through the plastic window is the Voluna itself … and what a sight it is. The asMODus Voluna RTA is a fantastic looking piece of vape hardware. Coming in matte black, brass/gold, or rainbow iridescent color options, this RTA will stand out against all comers.

My highly polished, gold-colored edition is a showpiece of smooth, high-quality machining, thoughtful design aesthetics, and an overall sense of uniqueness, amid a sea of competing “me too” tanks and RDAs.

Though it’s stout – perhaps TOO stout – the 25mm asMODus Voluna looks at home on virtually any device, even with the bold, bright gold exterior.

The rest of the box offers standard fare: spare parts, a few coils for building, Allen wrench, and the usual documentation cards.

This RTA (Rebuildable Tank Atomizer) is for advanced users only. There are risks involved to the user without a solid understanding of coils, ohms, and building coils. Results of misuse or improper care includes damaging of your mods, and batteries.

The asMODus Voluna 25mm RTA is a flavor-orientated single-coil platform, featuring a user-friendly two-post build deck design with dual slotted bottom airflow and 2.5mL tank reservoir.

AVAILABLE AT ELEMENT VAPE

Golden. Inside and out...

The baby smooth threading throughout the asMODus Voluna ensures that assembly and cleaning will be a breeze. Opening up the bottom cap exposes a dual-post build deck, each with a single terminal wide enough to accommodate any commonly used coil diameter. Likewise, the ample deck space allows for even the most complicated builds to be seated without any concern of cramping or accidental contact with the chimney.

“ELEMENT

The two-sided bottom AFC ring locks for security, but is supple enough to allow for opening and closing with minimal effort. My only gripe with the airflow control is that it is somewhat narrow, posing a little difficulty when trying to adjust it while attached to a mod. It wasn’t a major concern, but I did struggle a bit when the Voluna was attached to evices with raised lips around the 510 connections.

The roomy chimney section is noteworthy. Not just because of its size, but also because it is purported to condense the vapor as it rises toward the mouthpiece, concentrating it for premier flavor. Which is why it’s a bit surprising that asMODus chose to use an ultra-wide bore Delrin drip tip, rather than a narrower option that might have further concentrated the flavor and vapor.

The drip tip is removable, and covers one of the widest, most accessible top-fill ports I’ve seen. I tried every bottle type in my collection, and nearly all of them fit inside the ports with no effort, filling without an ounce of wasted juice. With the handful of thicker tipped bottles and droppers on hand, I simply angled the Voluna RTA slightly toward me, and rested the tips on the edge, where they also poured smoothly without incident.

Finally, asMODus claims the Voluna’s wicking holes were positioned to minimize leaking and flooding. This is the one major debate I had with the company’s product description for the Voluna. Though it is possible to wick the device in a way that prevents leaking, there’s nothing special about the juice flow’s positioning. AND yet it took me a long while before I figured it out.

(Perhaps this is what the company meant by “for professionals only.”)

Trying to vape the Voluna RTA...

The asMODus Voluna RTA is all about the builders, as the tank has one of the easiest decks I’ve seen yet. Spacious, but not too wide, with terminals that can handle even the thickest wire, there is little today’s average builder could devise to choke this deck.

The downside to such a generous build area? Capacity. Because of the extended diameter of the deck, the Voluna only holds 2.5mL of e-liquid. Massive coils + small capacity = lots of refilling. This is math I never like to do.

In that spirit, I started small, and worked my way upward, until wicking became awkward. First, I started with a 26ga Kanthal, spaced build for flavor. With eight wraps, it came out to a modest 0.8 ohm.  Given the resistance, I figured I’d try for a flavor test first, and cut off the airflow nearly all the way. I wicked the 3.0mm coil as I normally would, gently filling the juice ports, and reassembled the Voluna for a first vape.

Right away, the flavor was immense. At 50 watts on a SMOK T-Priv, the Voluna produced a nice restricted lung hit, with rich, warm, flavorful vapor. It wasn’t a cloud machine at this level, but the vapor abundance surprised me, nonetheless.

However, this is where things already started to get messy. While making a slight airflow adjustment, I noticed my fingers came back covered in e-liquid. Closer investigation revealed that the entire bottom airflow was completely flooded, despite what I thought was a complete wicking job.

I took the Voluna apart, and noticed dry spots on the cotton immediately above the juice ports. Clearly, even my fluffed out wick was too much to allow the liquid to pass. I quickly re-wicked, choosing to shorten the length, leaving the ports 75% open beneath the tails.

The results were better, but there was still notable droplets on the airflow ring, even after giving it a quick rinse under the faucet. By the time my first tank was done, the airflow had once again pooled with e-liquid, forcing me to wick it a third time.

Well, you know what they say about third times. Instead of putting cotton into the wicking holes, I chose to fold the tails under, onto the build deck, loosely covering them instead. Now, the juice ports were completely open. I fully expected the asMODus Voluna to drown in juice, but to my surprise, there was no further leaks with this build.

Aiming higher...

Despite the asMODus Voluna’s flavorful performance at relatively high resistance, this RTA was meant to produce more vapor than this. So, I swapped in a pair of Clapton coils, reading at 0.27 ohms, re-wicked using my initial approach, and topped off the tank.

Unsurprisingly, even the greater wattage and greater juice consumption wasn’t enough to move liquid through those ports while cotton was in them. My AFC ring was soaked in seconds, and even after a thorough cleaning, they simply refilled themselves with each 80-watt puff.

Using the fold-under approach once more, I once again found success, vaping an entire tankful with no further leakage.

Lesson learned, friends. Those “wicking ports” are called that in name only. Simply lay your cotton onto the holes, covering them completely, and you’ll enjoy fantastic juice flow.

Paper towels aside, how does the Voluna perform?

The asMODus Voluna RTA provides an immensely flavorful, productive vape, with clouds that aren’t just abundant, but also milky and dense. Though much of this could be attributed to the max-VG liquid in the tank, I don’t recall my other RTAs producing such results.

Clouds aside, the asMODus Voluna RTA is very much a flavor-first tank, rewarding users with dripper-like enjoyment in most every puff. I say “most” because once the Voluna begins to get low on e-liquid, the coils tend to get dry quickly – often within a matter of 2-3 puffs. Have your unicorn bottles handy when bringing the Voluna out for the day, as you’ll need to keep the juice levels fairly high throughout.

I should mention that, despite the earlier wicking/leaking issues, the Voluna allows for filling to near full tanks. Whereas other tanks tend to leak if overfilled, due to loss of vacuum, asMODus made a device that can reach its listed capacity. Considering the diminutive size of the tank itself, every drop matters.

One concern worth mentioning is the one-piece top cap/drip tip combination. Though I found it to work well, it was a bit awkward to use in higher-resistance/restricted lung setups. I would have loved to see asMODus include a separate top cap for 510 drip tips, to improve the experience for more flavor-focused vapers.

asmodus voluna rdta large2

Wrapping up…

In spite of the early leaking issues, the asMODus Voluna RTA is a top-tier Rebuildable Tank Atomizer that delivers flavorful vapor to a wide range of audiences. Though I won’t go as far as to call it a potential MTL tank, the Voluna is far more versatile than its wide drip tip and thirsty design implies.

When used as a cloud machine, the Voluna delivers in spades, without ever sacrificing flavor amid the cloud production.

The Score

It’s not flawless, but when built correctly – not necessarily by the hands of a “professional,” mind you – the Voluna is a tremendous first attempt by asMODus, that gets a lot more things right than wrong.

Score: A-

asMODus Voluna RTA Review – SPINFUEL VAPE MAGAZINE

AsMODus Voluna RTA Specs and Package Contents

Voluna RTA Features:

  • 25mm Diameter
    • Threaded Top Cap
      • Two Large Fill Ports
      • 2.5ml Capacity
    • Two Post Build Deck
    • Single Terminal Per Post
      • 2.5mm Per Post
      • Top Mounted Hex Screws
  • Dual 5mm by 3.5mm Airflow Channels
  • Four Wicking Ports
    • Positioned For Less Leaking And Flooding
  • PEEK Insulator
  • Dual Bottom Adjustable Airflow
    • 13mm by 2mm Each Airslot
    • Fully Closeable
  • Drip Tip Built In To Top Cap
    • Proprietary 8mm Tapered Bore Delrin Drip Tip
  • Gold Plated 510 Connection
  • 304 Stainless Steel Construction

Voluna RTA Package Contents

  • Asmodus Voluna RTA
  • Spare Parts Pack
  • Spare Glass Section
  • Two Prebuilt Fused Clapton Coils
  • Allen Key