Chris 'majorvapes' SissonIt feels like it’s been a while since I’ve reviewed just an atomizer but recently Wotofo launched a new MTL RTA called the COG RTA. It’s another collaboration with Matt from Suck My Mod a notable Youtube reviewer and well loved vaping community member. The design of this new RTA specifically targets MTL users and especially folks who enjoy using nic salts. It incorporates a new style of airflow that aims to give users five different levels of airflow with a simple click of the airflow control ring on the base but what’s different is how it does it. Here are my honest thoughts on the COG RTA from Wotofo.
Package contents:
| 1 x | COG MTL RTA |
|---|---|
| 2 x | 2.5mm Thick Cotton Strip |
| 1 x | Dual Core Fused Clapton Coil 0.8ohm |
| 1 x | Single-Strand Coil 1.2ohm |
| 1 x | Cross Head Screwdriver |
| 1 x | User Manual |
| 1 x | bag O-rings |
Listed features and specs:
| Dimensions: | 51x22mm |
|---|---|
| Capacity: | 3ml(2ml TPD) |
| Base deck diameter: | 22mm |
| Air flow options: | 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6mm |
Packaging and contents:
The kit comes packed in Wotofos typical black and green coloured packaging. I like their colour scheme but it wreaks havoc on my camera. The box itself is clear so you can see the RTA inside and they list the contents on the side and some basic company info on the back. Inside you get the COG RTA, a user manual and a caution card but also a Philips head screwdriver and four packages of other stuff. Wotofo always includes all the necessary extras and they do it very neatly with their packaging and labels. In the extra packs you get some cotton strips, two different coils and some spare screws and o-rings. One coil is a 2.5mm dual fused clapton 2×30/38g Ni80 rated 0.8ohms and the other is a 2.5mm single strand 28g Ni80 coil. No real extras but everything you need neatly packaged and ready to go.
The COG RTA:
The COG RTA is an interesting looking tank. It holds 3ml of liquid(2ml if TPD), stands roughly 51mm tall with an overall diameter of 22mm. It’s mainly made of PCTG plastic which should reduce the chance of the tank cracking compared with other plastics but something they don’t recommend is washing the tank in hot water. One thing Wotofo seems to be going for with the COG is it’s nearly all see-through. Part of the top cap, the tank and even the bottom of the build deck are all transparent so you can really see a lot of this tank. The chimney housing inside and most of the base are made of metal so you can’t see your coil firing but it does give the tank a very unique overall look.
At the top if comes equipped with a nice sloped black delrin MTL style drip tip which is nice and tight and not just a generic tip like we see popped onto so many others. However mine seems a bit loose and it unfortunately doesn’t take much to knock it off the tank and replacing it didn’t seem to help much either. It sits on the mostly clear finely threaded top fill cap which is easy to use and remove but the fine threads are a tiny bit of a concern. Just under the top cap are the mid sized kidney shaped fill holes as well as a slotted screw that would let you take the tank completely apart for cleaning. The fill ports give plenty of clearance and so far haven’t been an issue when filling it. Inside the tank the chimney is stamped on one side with a cog and on the other some rather unsightly CE markings. The chimney however is nice and small with a concave top to help concentrate flavour but also let you remove the deck without draining the tank.
Unscrewing the tank from the base we see the two post MTL-centric deck. A single hole at the base of the deck provides airflow to the coil which is held in place by two T-shaped posts which use really convenient spring-loaded clamps. It makes building on this thing a breeze and with the pre-made coils I had this thing up and running in just a couple of minutes. Now the real innovation on this thing comes from the how the airflow is controlled which from outside appearances looks the same as most others. A simple airflow control ring with 5 indents of varying size and two small open cyclops slots help you adjust the airflow to your liking but it’s inside how it’s adjusted that is different. If you flip the tank upside down you can actually see the clicky gear system which either increases or decreases the size of the airflow leading to the deck and it does it in increments of 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6mm so you can fine tune it to your liking. An innovative new twist on airflow but how does it stack up!?
Build, wick and Performance:
Now as I’ve already mentioned this thing is a breeze to work on so even novices shouldn’t have any trouble getting it up and running. It’s really just a matter of loosening off the two post screws, sliding in your coil, tightening the screws back down and making some fine adjustments with your driver if any. Clip off any excess leads and make sure to bend over any part of the leads sticking out as there isn’t much space between the posts and the chimney housing. Run your cotton through and trim just past the fill holes then tuck your tails in and you’re set.
Performance will obviously depend on what you put in there but I have to note the airflow despite having so much adjustability still seems a tad loose on even the tightest 0.8mm option. I’m personally a fan of 1mm airflow so I’d expect a 0.8mm to be quite tight but even the smallest setting doesn’t seem as tight as I’d expect. I’m not sure if it’s the chamber size which I don’t suspect it is or if there’s a ‘leak’ in the cog system letting additional air through. It still gives a fairly tight mouth to lung hit on the smallest option so it’s not like it’s not mouth to lung-centric but I know a lot of die hard MTL fans might find it not quite right. I personally can live with it and despite being a tiny bit loose I’m still enjoying the overall performance of the tank. With the small chamber, flavour is concentrated and well defined but again will ultimately depend on how you build it.
Overall:
There’s quite a lot I enjoy about the COG RTA, the look and style of the tank are on point, building and using it are a breeze but it has to be said that despite the interesting airflow design it still comes off just a bit loose, that is if I’m really being picky. For me performance overall is still really darn good though, even with the slightly loose MTL hit with the right build this thing puts out some great flavour. Since I’m used to switching through all kinds of different airflow systems on a regular basis it’s not a huge deal to me and I still think most mtl fans will appreciate it’s other features and performance.