All that glitters isn’t gold. And, despite some really exciting plusses on the gold-plated Wake Sub-Ohm Tank, it ultimately fails to get a great score because of one major setback – longevity. Don’t get us wrong, when things are good, the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank is an A+ performer. But those moments simply don’t last long enough for this reviewer.

Let’s dive in and see why.

As we mentioned in the preview, the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank is a thing of beauty. Wake, the former parent company of the fantastic DotMod brand, has produced a gold-plated gem of an atomizer. It’s not the biggest. It’s not the broadest. And it’s not the most technically “advanced” – as advanced as a vape tank can be, anyway. But the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank is certainly a contender for prettiest tank on the market.

The gold-plated surfaces outnumber the rest by a considerable amount. Instead of just putting gold at the contact points, Wake put gold on virtually every exposed surface, except for the anodized aluminum top cap and AFC ring – which we wouldn’t want high conductivity on, anyway.

Coupled with a striking cadet blue exterior, the 3.5mL capacity Wake Sub-Ohm Tank makes a strong impression as a “high-end” vape product (even if the price is more than appropriate for a wide range of vapers). Heck, even the box and packaging highlights the looks of the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank – and it WILL stand out on shelves when stores start getting them in.

Unfortunately, we did not get the official Wake Sub-Ohm Tank RBA deck for review just yet, but we’ll continue to hunt one down, and let you know if the rebuildable deck changes our final score.

Because we got the standard, prebuilt coil edition of the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank, there’s not a lot of moving parts or difficulty involved with assembling and disassembling the device. The well-laid-out instructions detail the straightforward process, which shouldn’t be a problem for anyone who’s purchased a vape tank in the last few years.

Likewise, the coils are fairly standard, as well, with smooth threading and leak-free operation throughout our extensive testing week. No muss, no fuss – just proven design.

Now, about those coils. During our preview, we expressed some serious concern about the construction quality of the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank coils. On the outside, these gold-plated coil heads seem perfectly machined. However, the pair of 0.5-ohm heads included in the box had some notable flaws, especially the rough placement and installation of the cotton inside the coil.

When we first fired them up, we noticed the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank coils needed a good tank or two before really hitting their stride. Not because of liquid flow, which was excellent, but rather because the cotton seemed to be dense in spots, and limp in others, leading to random spikes in heat while vaping.

What proved to be worse was our worst fears coming to fruition – the coil longevity is horrendous. I hate saying this, because when the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank coils are working well, they are among the most flavorful, enjoyable coils we’ve tried. But these moments were fleeting.

Our first coil gave us three days of absolutely wonderful performance, followed by one day of diminishing returns, and one day that tasted like cotton and heat. Those initial three days offered rich, layered flavors – even from the most complex juices – and wonderfully thick vapor. While the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank wasn’t designed for cloud chucking prowess, it certainly provided some satisfying output.

But to blow through the two included coils in under a week was disappointing to say the least. While the second coil managed four days before tapping out, I was nonetheless underwhelmed when it hit bottom. Keep in mind, I wasn’t chain vaping or abusing these coils for testing purposes. Instead, I used them as intended, well within the stated wattage range.

Because the performance of the coils was so good WHEN it was good, I’ve since ordered replacement coils to try again. I’m hoping the tattered nature of my test coils led to their early demise, rather than indicating the actual performance. If these new replacement heads show some marked improvement in durability, I’ll be the first to print a retraction.

Like I mentioned, when the coils were at their best, the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank is one of the most flavorful vapes I’ve enjoyed in a long while. After the initial coil break in, I was in love with the flavor. And a tankful or two later, the vapor mass and consistency really started to improve, without reducing flavor quality one iota.

Filling the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank is a breeze, with the now-expected top-fill mechanics in place. The bottom AFC ring is smooth and stays in place, even in tighter pockets. This helped make the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank one of the most secure, well-built, and LEAK-PROOF tanks I’ve seen. At no point during testing – even when the coils were meeting an early death – did the Wake ever leak or even get residual e-liquid condensation near the bottom of the tank. Score another one for simple, proven design.

I used the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank on a number of Mods, admittedly trying to find a good color match for the striking cadet blue paint job and gold accents. The best match by a country mile was the fantastic Modefined Sirius, which had a NEARLY identical anodized blue color scheme. It was close enough for my tastes, and the pairing was just as beautiful in action as it was to the eye.

On most Mods, the 24mm Wake Sub-Ohm Tank performed well, with only a handful of older boxes providing any size gaps or fit problems. The gold-plated 510 pin is shallow enough that most devices will pair well, without any gaps.

My biggest regret about the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank is that the available RBA head wasn’t included. Not just because the test coils didn’t last long enough, but rather because I think I’d have even better things to say about the atomizer’s performance and flavor using my own builds. The videos I’ve seen about the RBA head show a fairly sizable, versatile deck, and I can’t wait to try it for myself. Maybe the prebuilt coils are a letdown, but the tank’s flavor-first design and leak-free performance can’t be denied.

I really wanted to give the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank a higher score, because like I said – when it worked, it worked phenomenally. However, to include two high-performing coils that only last a few days is really concerning. I hope that my test Models were nothing more than manufacturing errors, and not indicative of the replacements I have coming in the next few weeks. THAT would be a bigger shame than anything else.

With flavor and vapor this enjoyable, and a beautiful, leak-free design, there’s an awful lot to love about the Wake Sub-Ohm Tank. But it simply didn’t last me long enough to give it my highest recommendation. I expect a functional build deck and RBA section would go a long way toward rectifying this concern, but that doesn’t excuse the coils from such poor longevity.

Score: B-

Wake Sub-Ohm Tank specs:

• 24mm diameter
• Gold Plated Stainless Steel Construction
• Matte anodized Aluminum Top Cap And Airflow Ring
• Adjustable Bottom Airflow
• Acrylic Flavor-Bore Drip Tip
• Top Fill
• Gold Plated Copper 510 Pin

Wake Sub-Ohm Tank contents:

• 1x Wake Sub-Ohm Tank 24mm
• 2x 0.5-ohm coils
• 1x Spare glass
• 1x Extra parts