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I mentioned this before, but it bears repeating; I don’t build nearly the same number of coils that I did a year ago, but I haven’t giving it up entirely. In fact, with the recent waves of awesome RTA’s my joy of coil building is returning. One such awesome RTA is the Vaporesso Gemini RTA, which is the topic of this review.
Before I start in on the review I think it’s worth going over the differences between an RDA and the newer RTA’s. If you already are well-versed on the differences, you can skip this part and get to the review.
An RTA is “Rebuildable Tank Atomizer” and it is, in essence, just like an RDA, or a “Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer”. The main difference is that an RTA has a tank that holds a substantial amount of e-Juice. Well, substantial compared to a normal RDA. Some RTA’s are gorgeous, like the Vaporesso Gemini RTA, and some have very advanced designs and features that make the vape experience a whole lot more enjoyable than an RDA ever could. Again, the Vaporesso Gemini RTA fits this description.
The reason why I prefer a solid RTA over an RDA is when using an RTA you don’t need to keep ‘dripping’ e-liquid onto the cotton every 3, 4, or 5 drags from the drip tip. With an RTA the cotton runs dry only when the tank is empty and you’ve continued vaping anyway, with an RDA the cotton runs dry after a few hits because there isn’t much of a juice reservoir. With an RTA the tank keeps saturating the cotton for you so you don’t have to.
But…
Although an RTA is an answer to the prays of people that love the RDA vape experience but tire of dripping e-liquid constantly, you will still need to build the coils you put in the tank. Most of the time. Some RTA’s, like the Goliath v2, are Hybrids, they offer a removable “coil deck” in which you can replace the deck with a nice prebuilt coil head. I like those as well, but that’s not the situation here with the Gemini RTA, there is only the deck to deal with.
Now, the things I mention above make RTA’s sound great (they are), but there are negatives too. One of those negatives you may find in some RTA’s is that you have less room to build a coil or two than a RDA has because of all the extra features in the tank that are needed to maximize performance. An RTA is definitely more complicated to look at, but the payoff for me outnumber the negatives.
The modern RTA is gaining in popularity with the vaping community because they offer a vape experience every bit as good as most RDA’s without the hassle of dripping juice onto the cotton. When all is said and done, it’s that simple.
Vaporesso Gemini RTA/Sub-Ohm
The Gemini from Vaporesso comes in two models, and both are spectacular examples of good, modern vape technology. In addition to the Gemini RTA there is a Gemini Sub-Ohm Tank that looks almost the same, with 
minor differences, and runs off the cCell Ceramic Coil. I enjoy the Vaporesso cCell Target tank a lot, but the Gemini Sub-Ohm Tank makes the cCell Target look downright amateurish…well, almost.
If you would rather not go down Rebuildable Road you should look into the flavorful, massive vapor producing Gemini Sub-Ohm Tank rather than the Gemini RTA. That is, if you like ceramic coils. I bought both models, the RTA and the Sub-ohm, and if I only had these two tanks to use I imagine it would divide up something like 60/40, 60% of the time using the RTA, 40% using the Sub-Ohm. But the only reason why the RTA gets a little more use is the freedom of building the coils I want, though the cCell Ceramic is one of my favorite coil systems.
The Gemini RTA by Vaporesso
The deck in the Gemini RTA is like many other rebuildables on the market, but the Gemini RTA has added some features that other RTA’s lack. For instance; the Gemini RTA has a much improved airflow system. The airflow design brings in air from four Cyclops-style holes on the base of the tank, as well as a top airflow system directly below the drip tip. It’s been my experience that the top airflow system doesn’t do much for flavor but it certainly allows for a higher wattage vape. The top airflow cools the vapor effectively. Opening the airflow also helps create even more vapor than the 4 bottom flow air slots. Both the Gemini RTA and Sub-Ohm feature these airflow slots, top and bottom.
Also shared on both the RTA and Sub-Ohm is a damn good top fill method… Simply unscrew the top cap to reveal two large fill slots. Choose one and stick with it during the fill so as not to block the air displacement created when filling the tank.
Both the RTA and Sub-ohm Gemini’s feature an adjustable e-juice control system, making the flow of eliquid being wicked inside the coil/cotton or ceramic/wire coils easy to control. To open or close the eliquid flow ports all you need to do is twist the tank chamber clockwise or counterclockwise. You’ll easily see which is which when turning the chamber, but just in case; counterclockwise shuts the ports, clockwise opens them. Regulating eliquid is effective, and needed more than ever in modern tanks.
Other
Comparing the RTA and Sub-Ohm side by side you will think the RTA is wider than the Sub-Ohm, but both sport 
22mm diameters. What makes it seem wider in the RTA is the deck chimney component, which makes room for a good sized.
The Gemini RTA has a 3.5mL e-juice capacity that will last about two hours, maybe more depending on the build you use and the wattage it takes.
The Gemini RTA has a 13.5mm wide-bore drip tip and a 510 adapter, so you can use whatever drip tip you want, though the one provided is just about perfect.
The Deck of the Gemini RTA
The deck is a two-post affair, and the build deck is roomy, a full 16mm roomy. Each post on the deck has a pair of holes for the coil ends. Using Grub screws on the sides of the posts will secure the wires. Simple, yea?
The Gemini RTA integrates a side-tension two-post, with 2mm terminal post holes on that wide 16mm deck, it allows for large and complex build styles, if that’s your thing. With the addition of the center stand-alone post the Gemini RTA provides added stability while you build.
I wasn’t really in the mood to wrap my own coils so I wound up using the prebuilt (wrapped) 2.5mm diameter Clapton coils that are included in the ‘parts bag’. I was impressed by the machining of this RTA, and the tiny screws you’ll use to tighten the wire to the posts, you’ll experience a nice, smooth threading. Although the Gemini RTA can accommodate dual coils I decided to go with a single coil setup. The prebuilt coils came in at 0.43-0.51 ohms, and with just 39-watts I found my sweet spot, with the top airflow shut, and 42-watts with the top airflow open. I used my DNA 200 WISMEC Reuleaux for this review, so the ohms reading were based on the Reuleaux with the latest DNA 200 firmware.
Note* After the review was complete I decide to set both Clapton coils on the RTA deck. The ohms came in a 0.26, but not a whole lot of difference in performance despite a higher wattage of 46-watts.
What’s missing from the Gemini RTA is cotton. Reviewing the Krixus I was happy to see a tiny box of organic cotton, but the Gemini RTA did not supply any. So, I grabbed some Kho Gen Do cotton and went about wicking my coil. If you’ve never seen the Gemini RTA I think you’ll be surprised by the amount of wicking that can be done. You don’t want to overdo it, but its nice to have the option to do some real fluffing.
Naturally, with the Gemini Sub-Ohm all this talk about posts, cotton, wire, wicking, and decks doesn’t apply. When you purchase the Gemini Sub-Ohm Tank you get 2x 0.5-ohm cCell coil heads. These coils heads find their sweet spot in the Gemini Sub-Ohm at just 32-33 watts, increasing battery life and decreasing e-liquid consumption when compared to something like the Horizon Krixus.
Conclusion
The Gemini RTA provides a ton of vapor, but remember that when it comes to flavor it all depends on the coil wire, the build itself (Clapton, Snake, etc.), the cotton and the eliquid. This is one reason so many old-timers that build are having so much fun with the latest ceramic prebuilt coils.
My preference for the RTA is that vaping with the bottom airflow wide open, the top airflow off, and with the provided Clapton coils the vapor and flavor were spectacular in this setup. You can pick up the Gemini RTA at ElementVapes for $29.95
Grade: A
Tom McBride
Specifications:
- 22mm Diameter
- Large Build Deck (Velocity Style)
- 2mm Post Holes
- Top Fill Method
- Delrin Wide Bore Drip Tip
- Glass Tank
- Stainless Steel Construction
- Four Cyclops Adjustable Airflow Holes
- Adjustable Top Airflow
- Bottom Airflow Below Coils
- Juice Control
Package Contents:
- 1 x Gemini RTA
- 1 x Gemini Replacement Glass Tube
- 1 x 510 Drip Tip
- 1 x 510 Drip Tip Adapter
- 1 x Allen Key
- 2 x Prebuilt Clapton Coils
- 4 x Spare Allen Screws
- 4 x Spare O-Rings
1 x User Manual
