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Last Updated on March 27, 2017 by Team Spinfuel
The Freemax RDTA Starre Review
The definition of an RDTA is a Rebuildable Tank Atomizer but with some type of Dripping system. Once the juice flow control is opened, liquid drips down onto or around your cotton resulting in a Dripping Atomizer. The Freemax Starre RDTA Mini in this review is more of an RTA than a RDTA. You wick it the same way as an RTA by setting your cotton ends in each of the four corner juice canals on the deck. Tighten your chimney portion over your build deck, the juice saturates your wicks and feeds up to the coil. Once the chimney is screwed down, there is a tiny open channel that runs along the bottom between the build deck and the chimney base. Maybe this is what Freemax means by an RDTA.
Freemax Starre RDTA Mini Impressions
From my observation, juice from the tank keeps all four wicks immersed and forces juice into that open channel to ensure your cotton is and stays saturated. From first glance at the huge four juice slots that are not adjustable, I was afraid this would create a pool on my desk. Believe it or not, I get no leaking or dry hits and the tank wicks extraordinary well! The wicking is similar to a Griffin or Herakles RTA in a sense that they have juice canals for your wicks and a ring that you thread on to hold the cotton in place before screwing the chimney section over the build deck.
Freemax claims on the packaging this is the only tank you’ll ever need! With a statement like that, you’d expect nothing less than an all-around good experience and so far, it has delivered. The Freemax Starre RDTA Mini is the little brother to the Starre RDTA. The Mini is a 22mm Atomizer and sits only 2mm shorter in height than the full-size 25.5mm version. It’s available in both Black and Stainless Steel. I’ve been enjoying the Stainless Steel version and fits great and sits flush on top of any of my devices. Deep engravings around the airflow ring are a nice detail rather than laser-etchings seen on similar tanks. The Starre has two adjustable 12mm x 2mm airflow slots that stop in the open and close position. The adjustment ring has way too much restrictiveness and is a challenge to turn when screwed down on a device.
The Freemax Starre RDTA Mini holds 2ml of E-liquid through a top fill port. Nothing fancy here but does work just like any other top fill system. The top cap has some nice knurling for an easy on and off operation. Then fill your juice into the two 3mm wide kidney shaped juice slots. The 13mm Stainless Steel drip tip is Delrin-insulated to dissipate some heat away from your lips. It does help eliminate heat at lower wattages but anything over 70 watts is going to get hot. The drip tip is hefty and held snuggly in place with no wiggle room.
The 16.3mm Velocity build deck is quite spacious for an average sized tank and very roomy to build on. Two
3.5mm air holes sit underneath the coils and give a great amount of needed airflow all around the coils. I attempted to fit some SS316L 6-wrap Fused Claptons’ just to see what I could fit but was unsuccessful. The post holes are 2mm on the positive post and 1.8mm on the negative. The reason for this is unknown but even when inserting some thick gauge wire, there wasn’t a struggle and fit effortlessly into the holes. The side tightening grub screws cinched down and held strong without issues of them backing out. My problem was fitting the chimney over the coils without them making contact and potentially shorting them out.
With the Fused Clapton’s failing to fit properly, the set of 3mm ID Twisted Kanthal coils that were included in the box were surprisingly effective. Twisted coils are great because of the quick ramp up time and I’m able to take shorter pulls and minimize battery drain at higher wattages. The dual coil setup read 0.15Ω and really produced an intense vaping experience. My sweet spot was 75W-85W with wide open airflow. The wicking reminds me of a bubble-blowing machine I got my kids years ago. Even chain vaping at higher wattages, the wicking never let me down. Constant air bubbles signaling wicking efficiency were flowing! At one point, I tried to overwork the coils to see if I could get a dry hit but the wicking held up. I kept checking for leaks at least the first few tanks and never saw any leaking or dribble anywhere. Freemax included a fluffy piece of Organic Japanese Cotton in the box too.
Where this tank shines is in the performance. Let me tell you, the flavor you get from this tank is Grade A! Vapor production is enormous with wide open airflow at 105 watts, plan on signaling an aircraft at 30,000 feet! Thanks to the 15mm chimney, the glass never heats up where it’s hot to the touch. Even scorching hot, sub-ohm builds can be thrown at this tank without a flinch. It’s comforting knowing you can crank the wattage over 100 watts and not worry about dry hits or excessive heat. Did I mention this is only a 22mm tank!
Wicking the Freemax Starre RDTA Mini is pretty straight forward. The only obstacle you need to be aware of is screwing the chimney down over your wicks. After threading the wicks through the coils, I trimmed the ends even with the bottom of the juice flow canals. Taking my thinning tool, I combed through the cotton to fluff and lighten it up for easy absorption. Tuck your wicks into the crevasses with the end of the cotton barely touching the build deck. Then I cut my cotton diagonally from the deck post to the
perimeter of the build space to avoid any cotton catching. Threw a few drops of juice on the ends and made my adjustments to the cotton to make sure the chimney section had a clear path without any cotton in the way of the threads. Tightened the chimney and glass section down, filled up with French Dude eJuice that I’ve been vaping for months and the vaping session commenced!
There are very few disappointments with this tank; the biggest being the adjustable airflow. Attempting to adjust the ultra-restrictive ring will nine times out of ten loosen the tank from the device or separates the glass tank section from the base. I like to adjust the airflow often to find that perfect airy pull at various wattages. As the ring gets some eJuice lubrication and repeated use, it does ease up but is still overly stiff. Speaking of eJuice, you’re going to burn a lot of it and with only a 2ml capacity, plan on refilling often. I’ve put through at least 30ml of juice the last couple days and haven’t had any signs of leaking or condensation issues. Most tanks will accrue some liquid around the airflow ring or under the build deck but not this tank. The wicking is still doing its job and giving me some flawless flavor and clouds upon clouds on demand. I’m quite impressed for such a little guy.
Freemax Starre RDTA Mini Price Tag
Another subjective con could be the price. For someone on a budget, you can find similar tanks for around half the price. The tank costs right around the $40 mark. If you’re not confident in your building and wicking skills, this might be a harder tank to learn and practice on.
Because it’s a smaller tank, hence the Mini in its name, you might be better off finding something with more space. Freemax offers a 5mL version of the tank, which I’ve yet to use. When I do I’ll report back on any differences between the two, other than capacity of course.
Considering the performance you get, the ease of wicking and nonexistent leaking, I would be happy to spend the money knowing I’m getting this kind of experience. Freemax did miniaturize the 25.5mm older sibling into a good Mini rendition. I have a feeling this will be added to my regular lineup replacing some other 22mm RTA’s and RDTA’s. This will exceed your expectations like it did mine if you can get past the minor hiccups.
Freemax Starre 5mL RDTA
The Freemax Starre RDTA is a 25.5mm Atomizer and identical to the Freemax Starre RDTA Mini just bigger! Build deck is identical in terms of post location, post hole and air hole diameters but the full-size is wider by a couple millimeters with bigger juice canals. You wick it the exact same way as the Mini you just need to use a little more cotton because of the bigger wicking channels. Wicks extremely efficiently and is simple to do! Flavor is as good as an RDA and the clouds you can get from over 100W are insane! Same locking airflow ring, glass section, 510-compatible Delrin drip tip and knurling on the top cap pretty much go hand in hand with each other. Only juice capacity is the difference factor; 2ml for the Mini and 5ml with the 25.5mm.
I was able to fit a bigger build ( 0.11-ohm Dual SS316L 6-Wrap 3.0mm ID Fused Clapton) than the Mini but not by much! Can handle 100W plus with no struggle. I do get a little spit back immediately after firing but is completely normal with scorching hot, sub-ohm builds! Leaking is non-existent just like the Freemax Starre RDTA Mini! I used a 50/50 PG/VG eJuice and vaped it over 110W to see if I could get it to leak but it refuses and continuously wicks like a pro! Believe it or not, the drip tip and tank don’t get substantially hot, just warm.
If you own the Freemax Starre RDTA or the Freemax Starre RDTA Mini, there’s no need to go out and buy the other, unless juice capacity is vital. It’s identical in pretty much all aspects except the 3ml difference in juice capacity, slightly larger build deck and obviously the overall diameter. It’s easy to build on, even easier to wick and will perform for you every time! Excellent RDTA from Freemax and for around the same price as the Mini at $35, it really comes down to how much eJuice you need in the tank!
Grade: B+
“The small 2mL capacity isn’t going to please everyone, but remembering that in the UK that 2mL capacity is the limit. The 5mL version certainly addresses this issue, but overall the RDTA Mini is a pleasure to use.”
Team Spinfuel
Freemax RDTA Mini Starre Features & Spec:
- Size: 51.50mm*22.00mm
Capacity: 2mlIn The Box:
1 x Freemax Starre RDTA Mini
1 x Glass Tube
1 x O rings
4 x Socket Cap screws
1 x Wrench
2 x heating Elements
1 x Japanese Organic Cotton
1 x User Manual
