I have to admit, all these years later, I’m still not convinced ceramic is the future of vape coil technology. But the all-new Joyetech Riftcore DUO RTA does an interesting job making a case to the contrary. Combining plate-like heating elements with a mesh design to ensure even ramping throughout the cotton wick, and easier “self-cleaning,” the Riftcore is certainly an ambitious new RTA. (Rebuildable Tank Atomizer) But is it a good one?

Well, the good news is that the Riftcore DUO is a solid, flavorful RTA. However, this supposedly dummy-proof design doesn’t quite sell the concept through its flavor, and definitely won’t live up to the claims Joyetech’s marketing team drummed up for the tank. Let’s see why.

At first glance, the Joyetech Riftcore DUO is unremarkable. Its squatty format and surprisingly narrow mouthpiece make it seem like a much smaller atomizer than the 26mm diameter implies. This is furthered along by the 3.5mL capacity, which isn’t much by modern standards, or even standards from a few years back. So, right from the outset, be prepared to refill early and often with the Riftcore.

But Joyetech is banking on you not minding the refilling frequency, because it’s promising unparalleled flavor and long-term performance through its marketing campaign. Using terms like “vertically oriented RFC mesh” and “molecular heating” Joyetech genuinely believes this tech is changing the game for vape tanks.

Even bolder is Joyetech’s claim that the permanent RFC mesh heating plates will offer 1 million puffs before needing to be replaced. Knowing how most vapers are, those numbers will never be approached. But I wish someone would find the time to do just that. [ED NOTE: What about you, man?”]

There’s no two ways about it, the build deck is the key highlight of the Joyetech Riftcore DUO RTA. As we’ve mentioned, the deck foregoes traditional coil mounts and instead features two mesh heating plates, each registering at 0.5 ohms. Depending on your style of sub-ohm vaping, you can leave both plates in for a fairly loose 0.25-ohm resistance, or remove one for a snugger draw.

The cotton then sits in between the plates, held in place by the chimney when attached. No screws, no tightening, no adjustments and wonky resistance readings. It’s pretty damn easy to rewick and use – and Joyetech was nice enough to include five pre-cut wicks perfectly fit for the deck. But experienced users will have no problem fitting their own wicks in, depending on preference.

Joyetech was also thoughtful enough to include a measuring and placement tool in the box, to boot. But it’s largely unnecessary, since this is about as easy as vape building gets.

The rest of the Riftcore DUO isn’t nearly as innovative but is solidly built with nice machining and smooth threading throughout.

Though the Riftcore DUO is squarely a sub-ohm tank, with a relatively low base resistance, I was surprised at how well the RTA performed at low wattages. Like, wattages I haven’t used outside of MTL specialty tanks. Even the manual suggests a central wattage range of 30-50 watts, and I won’t argue those claims, since that tier offered a decent combination of flavor and vapor production – nothing world-beating on either end, but certainly passable by today’s standards.

But that’s one of my only complaints – and it’s a big one. The flavor was just that – decent….And decent isn’t a word that is going to move units, no matter how easy a tank is to wick and set up. Though the flavor was clean, and the tank heated quickly and evenly with no hot spots to be found, it was just kind of “there.”

In other words, I’d never cite the Joyetech Riftcore DUO for having weak flavor, but there’s nothing here that’s making me put down my GeekVape ZEUS (reviewed here) or Uwell Fancier (reviewed here), either. Whereas those more traditional RTAs offered rich, nuanced bursts of flavor, even from complex liquids, the Riftcore offered pretty banal puffs, more akin to early sub-ohm tanks than coil-free RTAs.

Even pushing the deck a little further to 70 watts doesn’t do much other than give you a warmer vape. To its credit, the Riftcore didn’t get too hot, or scorch any wicks, but again, there’s just not enough here to make me LOVE the tank over my current slate of favorites.

I think my biggest problem with the Joyetech Riftcore DUO is just how limited it is. While I may love this resistance level, there really aren’t any customization options for more-creative vapers. Either you vape at 0.25 or 0.5 ohms, with little fluctuation to be had. That’s more than enough for most, but after crafting lower- and higher-resistance builds in hundreds of other RTAs, this innovation seems a little restrictive.

Look, the Joyetech Riftcore DUO is a solid, no-frills RTA, which is great. But that’s all it is, no matter how many adjectives and technologies Joyetech wants to throw our way. If you’re tired of finicky coil building and don’t like too much variance in your sub-ohm vaping, this is a solid consideration. But those who like more customization options, or deeper, unreal levels of flavor should probably keep hunting.

Score: B-