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Geek Vape Griffin 25 Plus
When I decide on a final grade for each product I review, I treat an A+ as a ten out of ten, flawless to the 100th degree and jumping off the Richter scale awesome! There’s been plenty of ‘A’ worthy products but there’s always something that makes me erase the ever so rare plus. I’ve yet to give any product the full perfection grade so you might be witnessing a first from me! Read along and tell me if you agree with my conclusion that the Griffin 25 Plus by Geek Vape doesn’t deserve this truly rare grade.
Just when I thought the Geek Vape Griffin 25, a benchmark RTA and bar raiser that’s well-known for its performance couldn’t get any better, it definitely just reached the top of Everest; so to speak. Comparing the Griffin 25 with the Griffin 25 Plus ($33.95 at Element Vape) might seem minimal, but I promise the changes Geek Vape made tally up to a substantial advantage. Geek Vape made everything bigger, easier and stronger while making it much less complicated to wick! Looking at my Griffin 25 sitting next to the Griffin 25 Plus is depressing as I wonder how vaping life was before the Plus came into my life. CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE
I hope I don’t sound too cliché because visually, the differences are subtle. The Geek Vape Griffin 25 Plus is in fact 26mm in diameter around the base all the way to the top cap. It’s not something you’d notice right off the bat but side by side it’s night and day. The Griffin 25 Plus is made from the same superior Stainless Steel as before and is available in Black or Stainless Steel variations. The top-fill method stayed the same with two huge kidney shaped holes to fill up the 5ml eJuice capacity. All the threading is smooth besides a little squeak when unscrewing the tank pieces holding the glass together but quickly fades after a few uses.
The high-temperature resistant silica glass only gets warm to the touch with a replacement tucked nicely in the box (no frosted version this time unfortunately). Since the first generation Griffin, I’ve always enjoyed the included Teal and Orange O-rings Geek Vape supplies so I changed the preinstalled clear ones out immediately to the Orange after removing it from the package. A silicone stopper for single coil builds is included and is made much stronger and thicker than the one for the Griffin 25.
Once you unscrew the tank section off, then you can see where the major improvements were made. The 18.9mm Velocity-style build deck (3.2mm bigger than the 25) is completely redesigned and feature elevated 4mm x 5.5mm thick, extremely durable posts (I refer to them as field goal posts, similar to the Herakles RTA-2 but supersized). The rectangle post holes are 3mm x 2mm (versus 2mm circle post holes) which allows ample room for those ridiculously massive coils while leaving plenty of room for some fluffy cotton wicks. The grub screws used pair up just right, cinching your leads down as tight as you want while showing no signs of unwanted loosening. The adjustable 510 connection pin is Gold-plated and surrounded by some nicely machined threads.
The Griffin 25 Plus is wicked entirely different thanks to the newly integrated RDTA juice flow channels (similar to the Aromamizer Supreme and SMOK TF-RDTA). After eliminating the cotton retention ring of the Griffin 25 and adding four small oval holes under the posts, Geek Vape gives us a much more efficient wicking system and increasing the overall cotton surface area. Another spec with a noticeable change is the two large 11.7mm x 2mm adjustable juice flow slots instead of the four oval holes from the Griffin 25. These elongated slots help keep each end of your cotton saturated and able to handle the constant vape abuse. The chimney chamber also increased in size by 2.5mm to compensate for the much bigger and stronger build space.
Geek Vape has also done away with the single 5mm oval air hole underneath each coil and went with the tried-and-true Kennedy-style airflow design. Taking inspiration from the Tsunami RDA, Geek Vape threw four 4mm airflow tubes, two under each coil, giving you much more controlled airflow directly to and around your coils. The ‘stove-pipe’ design (as some refer to it as) helps dramatically with a concentrated type of draw, rendering the top airflow unnecessary to achieve the Griffin performance we’ve grown to expect. Turning something good into a standout trait is a job well done.
Dual 13.8mm x 2mm adjustable bottom airflow slots feeding air through the powerhouse Kennedy airflow is enough to get monster pulls with the right build. The airflow ring is super smooth, clicks into place and has stoppers at both the open and closed positions. My airflow stays wide open just about one hundred percent of the time; besides when refilling of course. The knurling pattern changed slightly from top to bottom but serves no real purpose other than a more refined appearance. CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE
The top adjustable airflow functions identically as the Griffin 25 with no changes made other than making the top airflow ring click into place rather than a fluid movement of yesteryear. The 13.5mm wide bore Delrin drip tip is firmly held on with two thick O-rings. Instead of having to buy a completely separate product for a non-top airflow version, Geek Vape included an additional top cap that’s doesn’t have top airflow. The top cap and 13mm drip tip are one solid piece of Delrin with a huge seal underneath blocking the top airflow channels on the chimney and closing it off airtight. I used the non-top airflow the last two weeks and have to say I prefer it over the top airflow. It dissipates heat extremely well, produces very little condensation and stays around room temperature even after running triple digit wattages. The O-ring that surrounds the seal ended up snapping after a week of heavy use but extras are included in the bag of goodies so no worries there. There’s also a 510 drip tip adapter if neither work to your liking.
I installed a dual Clapton SS316L build which read at 0.28Ω and stayed in the build deck for most of the review period. I vaped it in both Power Mode (100-110W) and TC Mode (80W @ 500°F) and both performed extraordinarily well. I rewicked this same build over 10 times since the flavor and vapor I was consistently getting was top notch! Wicking the Griffin 25 Plus is the same process as any other RDTA; set your cotton ends on top of the juice holes; not too much but not too little. Avoid shoving your cotton down and clogging those juice holes as they need room to breathe to saturate your cotton properly. I made sure each hole was plenty covered and tucked any leftover cotton underneath the posts. The way this thing gulps eJuice is exactly how all RTA’s should with no dry hits and putting out warm dense vapor.
Note: Input .0118 on your WISMEC Reuleaux TCR setting for a very accurate SS316L temperature controlled vape!
One question Griffin 25 owners might say is why should I pay for another Griffin with an upgraded deck? Find a picture online comparing the two decks side by side and there’s your answer. I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I know there’s a superior product out and I’m stuck with the ‘older’ version, it’s time for an upgrade. With wattage past the 100W mark the past week and a half, even with a 5ml capacity, your eJuice will disappear pretty quickly. You don’t buy a monster RTA like the Griffin 25 Plus and expect to preserve eJuice do you? If you want to limit your liquid usage, buy a Sub-Ohm Tank. The Geek Vape Griffin 25 Plus holds the championship belt for RTA’s in my opinion!
Available at Element Vape for $33.95
Final Grade – A Well Deserved A+
“Most of my RTAs have been benched since the Griffin 25 Plus was promoted to first string quarterback! Top to bottom and side to side, the Plus is the best RTA ever released in my book!”
Team Spinfuel
Features & Specs – Griffin 25 Plus
Griffin 25 Plus RTA by Geek Vape Features:
- 25mm Diameter
- 5mL Juice Reservoir
- Superior Stainless Steel Construction
- High-Temp Resistant Silica Glass Reinforcement
- Enlarged 18.9mm Build Deck
- Unique Velocity-Style Two-Post Design
- Deckmilled Bottom Negative Posts
- Top Positive Posts
- PEEK Insulators
- Single or Dual Configurations
- Ceramic Single Coil Adapter
- Adjustable Dual Exterior Airflow
- Dual Internal Air Tubes Inside Chamber
- Bottom Airflow Control for Direct Air Channels
- Quad Top Airflow Control
- Convenient Threaded Top-Fill Method
- Black Delrin Straight Bore
- Adjustable Gold-Plated 510 Contact Pin
In The Box:
- 1 Griffin 25 Plus
- 1 Flat Top Cap
- 1 Ceramic Block
- 1 Replacement Glass Tube
- 1 Alley Key
- Spare Parts and O-Rings
