Youde UD Goliath v2 RTA Review

Just because the Youde Goliath v2 RTA was released way back in July 2015 doesn’t mean its life as come to end. Despite today’s myriad of top-fill, wide-bore, low-ohm sub-ohm tanks and richly appointed RTA’s are all the rage, let’s not forget that the Youde Goliath v2 was one of, if not the first of, an RTA with a removable deck and prebuilt half-ohm coil heads. Still one of the best performing tanks on the market, the Youde Goliath v2 is one helluva tank.

However, there are a few things you need to know upfront before we get into a proper review of this super tank. If you plan to purchase the Youde UD Goliath v2 there are a couple of things that will be confusing, even after reading their business-card-size instruction manual.

I suppose that taking the time to learn how this tank functions before filling it with e-juice would make things easier, but sometimes we just like to jump in, feet first, and go fill and vape. Doing that can lead to confusion, so I want to touch on these issues first.

E-Liquid Flow Mechanism

The most confusing part of the Youde UD Goliath v2 is knowing which way to to turn the e-liquid flow ring for full-flow. This middle ring on the tank, the ring with the Goliath name and the EKG line (graph) is the flow control ring. Above that is an engraving, tiny in size, of a drop, or a teardrop. Turning the flow control ring to the highest point on the graph opens the flow to the maximum. Turning the ring in the opposite direction shuts off the e-liquid flow completely, making it possible to change the coil head or RBA (included) without losing any e-liquid in the process.

The Youde Goliath v2 is Factory Tight

The other important and confusing part of the Goliath v2 tank is how difficult it is to turn any ring at first. It comes from the factory with all the parts firmly fastened, so even if you can follow the quick-start card you may think you’re doing it wrong. Thankfully, the e-liquid flow ring become easier to turn the more you do it. However, the base can still be a bitch to remove if you tighten it too much. The O-Ring that meets the base is so good at what it is meant to do that tightening it just a tad too tight will make it a real core to remove.

Filling the Tank

The Youde UD Goliath is not a top-fill tank. The tank was released nearly a year ago, before the popularity of top-filling, so I didn’t expect when I first purchased the tank last August. If you decide to buy one now you might expect it to be a top-fill, and the Goliath v3 probably will be, but for now filling the tank is done through the very small e-liquid flow slots. Actually, the e-liquid flow slots are large for e-liquid flow slots, but as a method for filling the tank, they are considered small. Whew!

To fill the tank, you’ll need to unscrew the base of the tank from the upper part of the tank. This upper part of the Goliath v2 begins at the top of the tank, all the way down to the bottom of the e-liquid flow ring. Once removed you will see the two slots, and if you twist the flow ring you will see how this e-liquid flow system works. When closed no e-liquid can leak from the tank, making it easy to swap out coil heads or the RBA section.

It will take time to fill 5mL of e-juice into the tank. Make sure to only use one of the slots so the other doesn’t get gunked up with juice and slow down the air displacement any more than it has to be. With thick e-juice it can take me as much as 3 minutes to fill from a glass dropper. Once the tank is full, screw on the base (not too tight) and make sure the e-liquid flow ring is set to maximum opening if you are a lung hit vaper. Remember, the teardrop above the ring is the alignment point, so twist the ring until the highest point in the EKG line is under that drop.

About The Youde Goliath v2

I consider the Youde UD Goliath v2 an RTA with gonzo size coil heads. The RBA deck screws into the base the same way the coil heads do, which is the best way Youde UD could go about building a tank like this.

Builders can this love tank as much as non-builders who might be looking for the best performing sub-ohm tank. This removable RBA deck is easy to build on, and with the added benefit of being able to remove only the deck, you can switch the RBA for a coil head any time you want. More on the RBA deck further on in this review.

I’m in the process of working with the new Gemini RTA from Vaporesso and although it is a gorgeous tank, there is no option for non-builders to enjoy it. It seems a waste to build such a beautiful tank that will appeal only to vapers that build their own coils. I suspect Vaporesso thought so as well because they went and built the Gemini Tank, a nearly identical tank that uses the cCell ceramic coil heads. Everything else, from the drip tip to the airflow is identical in both Gemini tanks.

The RBA comes with a two-pin deck instead of the four pin deck like the older Goblin RTA. If you want to build single coils the Goliath includes an adapter (an airflow blocker).

Airflow

The Goliath V2 tank has two 2.8 mm holes each side of the tank with a 6mm air outlet at the top, resulting in some awe-inspiring vapor production.

Drip Tip

Like every other part of the Youde Goliath v2, the drip tip is all stainless steel. Inside the drip tip, and going into the chimney as well, is plenty of rifling to bring a denser, more flavorful stream of vapor into your lungs. The drip tip is removable, and standard sized. It is not a wide-bore drip tip you see so often today.

Coil Heads

The coil heads for the Youde Goliath v2 have a ceramic scaffold around the dual coils and organic cotton. These are large coil heads, and they are magnificent flavor and vapor producing heads. To maximize the performance of the coil heads I suggest fluffing out the cotton a little from the two square slots in the ceramic scaffold. I found they wick better this way.

The coil heads are available in Ni200 (Pure Nickel) (0.12Ω), & Kanthal A1 (0.2Ω, & 0.5Ω). In the box are two Dual Coil Kanthal heads, rated at 30-50w. I found 30-watts to be plenty of power, but could comfortably vape at 40w with the airflow and e-liquid flow at the maximum opening.

What makes the coil heads truly unique in that they are very easy to rebuild if you wanted to. The ceramic scaffold can be removed, the bottom of the coil head comes out, making for the removal of the wire and cotton an easy job. Build new coils, attach, stuff with cotton, put the ceramic scaffold back in place and you’re ready to go. The ceramic scaffolds last at least two months, for me they have anyway, so if you want to save money and rebuild the prebuilt coil heads you can.

For Vaper that would prefer to rebuild their own coils, the Youde Goliath is the best option. And for Vapers that prefer prebuilt coil heads, they can enjoy a true RTA experience (RDA with lots of e-juice) without trouble of having to build coils.

Real World Usage

The Youde Goliath v2 is a superb sub-ohm tank that should not be anywhere near “end of life”. When I suggested this review to some friends I was told that everyone that wanted the Goliath had had plenty of time to pick one up, and even if they haven’t they’ve probably read several reviews or watched several videos on it already. Maybe. Maybe not. The Goliath v2 gives off a scary vibe to some vapers. It shouldn’t.

The biggest thing I noticed when I first started vaping with the Youde Goliath was how stays fairly cool, especially compared to newer sub ohm tanks with short, wide-bore drips and very high wattage needs.  Heat dissipation is remarkable. To this day it is still my “most used” tank, and the fact that I can experience such great flavor and tons of vapor while not having to deal with hot tip drip or hot glass is one of the reasons I still use it daily.

John reviewed the newer Youde Zephyrus v2 just a couple of weeks ago and declared it his all time favorite sub-ohm tank. Since he never bothered to try my Goliath I asked him to the day after his review published. He told me the vape experience, i.e., flavor and vapor, was almost identical to the Zephyrus v2. Maybe. To me, the Goliath has the edge in vapor production, but the Zephyrus and Goliath do offer just about identical flavor production.

Considering the Goliath is a year old, I’d say that says a lot about where Youde was in flavor and vapor when many other tanks were just started to come into play. I admit the e-liquid flow control is a bit complicated when compared to something like the CoV Phoenix, which automatically shuts down eliquid flow when you fill it and opens it back up when you screw on the top cap, but then again the Phoenix can get very hot very quickly.

The engineering of the Youde Goliath is beautiful. The threading and other machining is nearly perfect. For a mid-2015 tank the Goliath v2 was about as innovative as you could get, and performance was so far removed from mainstream sub-ohm tanks it was ridiculous. Even so, in April 2016 the Youde Goliath is still a tank worth considering. RTA’s are all the rage now, and considering the Goliath offers the best of both world’s, I highly recommend it.

Inside the Youde Goliath box you’ll find 2x ROCC 0.5-ohm coil heads, a removable RBA base, and a replacement glass tank, along with several O-Rings, a screwdriver, screws, and the airflow blocker for single coil builds with the RBA deck.

The end is near for the Youde Goliath. Our friends over at MyVaporStore just blew through their remaining stock at $17.95. This tank sold for $34.99 for many months. I missed this sale, others will be doing the same thing. Whatever takes its place will have big shoes to fill.

Tom McBride

Grade: A+

 

• Youde Goliath V2 RTA, upgraded version of Youde Goliath
• Supports single and double coil installation
• E-liquid and airflow adjustment
• Rotating of the tank will adjust liquid flow
• Rifling design throughout the atomizer
• Unique ceramic ROCC head for great flavor
• 1ml E-juice capacity
• 49mm in height

What’s in the Box:

• 1 x Youde Goliath V2 RTA
• 1 x Drip Tip
• 1 x Bag of Backup O-Rings and Screws
• 1 x Screwdriver
• 1 x ROCC Head
• 2 x OCC Head
• 1 x Manual Assembly Core
• 1 x Manual Blocking Pores and E-liquid Baffle
• 1 x Backup Glass Tank
• 1 x Backup Sealing Ring
• 1 x Box 1 x English User Manual