Gitchy
Achiever
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2017
- Messages
- 2,938
Lilia @Sourcemore sent me this to try out. I am not affiliated with POTV or Sourcemore, nor do I get paid to review things.
The BP Mods Pioneer MTL RTA
https://www.sourcemore.com/bp-mods-pioneer-rta.html
I also got a code to bring this down to $30.89 and it is BMPR.
The Pioneer RTA came out last year sometime and it’s a testament to this place that there’s already a cracking thread on how to set it up. I think this review would have been quite different if it wasn’t for the advice given by all the MTL apes in the MTL section. The thread is here:
https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/...o-lung/threads/pioneer-rta-by-bp-mods.196433/
The RTA is a 22mm MTL set up. The version I got has 3.5ml capacity but of course the TPD version is only 2ml. Airflow is very much set up for MTL with 6 small holes and a wide open one on the airflow ring. There are also 510 pins included that restrict or open up the airflow even more for the more specific vapers out there. As is the way these days you can also buy extras to either restrict the airflow more or open it up for RDL. I did buy the RDL kit so will mention that later.
In the box you get:
1 Pioneer RTA
1 Ultem Drip Tip
1 Clear Drip Tip
1 PCTG Tank Tube
1 Ultem Tank Tube
1 Accessories Pack
1 User Manual
Looks wise it’s a nice RTA. The box is nice. I don’t usually bother reporting on the box but I liked this one, it has a wee sleeve on it and reminded me of a fancy perfume or aftershave box. The RTA itself looks proper as well, it has a PCTG glass on it that’s frosted. You can still see the juice perfectly though, despite the frosting. The top cap has fins on it and looks classy. The whole thing looks classy in a minimal sort of way and looks higher end than a few of the other MTL RTAs I’ve tried. You get a few drip tip tops and can switch between the ultem one, a greyish plastic (peek?) one and a clearer PCTG one, which I changed to pretty much straight away.
The top cap twists off on a half turn exposing decent sized kidney shaped fill holes. You can fill it up nice and quickly. The airflow ring on the bottom is a little fiddly to adjust as it is pretty thin but once you’ve got it set to your preferred draw it is very smooth in MTL mode and with the added airflow pins (a 0.8, a 1.2 and a 1.5) there’s a great degree of airflow customisation, from a loose mtl right down to super tight for those who prefer that.
The deck is nice and easy to build on. It has juice wells to let the cotton soak up the juice and these work well. The posts use slotted screws to keep the wire in and although they could be a wee bit bigger they are easy to unscrew with the usual small screwdrivers we will all inevitably have sitting around. A nice feature is that the airflow restrictors are incorporated into 510 pins so you can adjust them easily without having to empty the tank, just flip it upside down and unscrew. This does loosen one of the posts inside the deck though so you do need to be careful not to dislodge it if there’s a build in there.
In use it’s very much an MTL RTA (funny that). I went through several different coils until I settled on a plain round 28aw g SS coming out about 0.75 ohms. I just like the simplicity and the vapour of a round wire when I vape MTL, although I do usually prefer kanthal wire. Claptons, fused claptons, twisted wire etc just don’t do it for me in an MTL set up. I did try all of these types of wires but they just don’t give me the same satisfaction as they’re a bit too much.
Wicking is easy enough if you follow the guides in the thread I linked above. I’m glad the thread is there as I would have just fired some cotton in haphazardly and the tank would have gurgled and perhaps leaked on me and I’d be writing now that I hate this tank and that the wicking is too finicky. You just have to make sure that the cotton comes straight and flatish from the coil into the juice well with no bending up so that it could possibly hit the chamber in the chimney as the chamber is quite low to help with flavour. You also need to ensure that the cotton is not hitting the sides and is quite fitted to help stop any gurgling. There’s a great video from the designer in the thread in the MTL section that explains it much better than I can. So, because other apes had done all the figuring out I have had no issues with wicking this tank. It’s been a dream really. I barely get any condensation on the bottom of the tank and I’ve had no leaks whatsoever with minimal gurgling happening only when I’ve wicked it a little too sausage fingerdley. When done right you get a good flavour from the tank and the vapour is nice and smooth.
I also bought myself the optional DTL kit and that comes in the same style nice wee box, only smaller. You get a new chimney that’s got a bigger chamber on it to take bigger wicking for the RDL coils and handle the increased vapour. You also get a new, bigger drip tip and 2 different 510 pins, one a 2.9mm and the other a 2.0mm. A wee pack of o-rings is included as well.
The optional DTL kit works for a decent RDL draw. I was a little disappointed with the flavour from it as I am a fan of single coil RTAs and this is not any better than any of the ones I already have. It kind of reminds me of the ones that came out 2 or 3 years ago and is similar, flavour wise, to the Serpent SMM that I used for a long time. Things have moved on though. I do like my fruity juice and I also feel that this might work a lot better with dessert type juice so I’ve mixed some up and I’m waiting for it to steep properly before I try again. The draw is also quite noisy as it’s trying to take a load of air through the small airflow ring, even fully open. It’s a valiant attempt though and I will probably use it again when I find a juice that suits it.
In all I love the Pioneer RTA for MTL vaping and I’m so glad I decided to read up on it beforehand. The options for airflow have allowed me to find the perfect set up for myself and I am pretty fussy MTL wise as I like a reasonably airy draw, but not too airy. I’ve been using it constantly for a few weeks now and It’s still enjoyable. I’ve now given my go to stock coil MTL tank to a friend so it must be decent. RDL it’s not great. In its standard configuration it’s clearly MTL only and with the DTL kit it’s ok but nothing too special. It is still decent in DTL mode though and might go better with different flavours from what I usually use.
The BP Mods Pioneer MTL RTA
https://www.sourcemore.com/bp-mods-pioneer-rta.html
I also got a code to bring this down to $30.89 and it is BMPR.
The Pioneer RTA came out last year sometime and it’s a testament to this place that there’s already a cracking thread on how to set it up. I think this review would have been quite different if it wasn’t for the advice given by all the MTL apes in the MTL section. The thread is here:
https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/...o-lung/threads/pioneer-rta-by-bp-mods.196433/
The RTA is a 22mm MTL set up. The version I got has 3.5ml capacity but of course the TPD version is only 2ml. Airflow is very much set up for MTL with 6 small holes and a wide open one on the airflow ring. There are also 510 pins included that restrict or open up the airflow even more for the more specific vapers out there. As is the way these days you can also buy extras to either restrict the airflow more or open it up for RDL. I did buy the RDL kit so will mention that later.
In the box you get:
1 Pioneer RTA
1 Ultem Drip Tip
1 Clear Drip Tip
1 PCTG Tank Tube
1 Ultem Tank Tube
1 Accessories Pack
1 User Manual
Looks wise it’s a nice RTA. The box is nice. I don’t usually bother reporting on the box but I liked this one, it has a wee sleeve on it and reminded me of a fancy perfume or aftershave box. The RTA itself looks proper as well, it has a PCTG glass on it that’s frosted. You can still see the juice perfectly though, despite the frosting. The top cap has fins on it and looks classy. The whole thing looks classy in a minimal sort of way and looks higher end than a few of the other MTL RTAs I’ve tried. You get a few drip tip tops and can switch between the ultem one, a greyish plastic (peek?) one and a clearer PCTG one, which I changed to pretty much straight away.
The top cap twists off on a half turn exposing decent sized kidney shaped fill holes. You can fill it up nice and quickly. The airflow ring on the bottom is a little fiddly to adjust as it is pretty thin but once you’ve got it set to your preferred draw it is very smooth in MTL mode and with the added airflow pins (a 0.8, a 1.2 and a 1.5) there’s a great degree of airflow customisation, from a loose mtl right down to super tight for those who prefer that.
The deck is nice and easy to build on. It has juice wells to let the cotton soak up the juice and these work well. The posts use slotted screws to keep the wire in and although they could be a wee bit bigger they are easy to unscrew with the usual small screwdrivers we will all inevitably have sitting around. A nice feature is that the airflow restrictors are incorporated into 510 pins so you can adjust them easily without having to empty the tank, just flip it upside down and unscrew. This does loosen one of the posts inside the deck though so you do need to be careful not to dislodge it if there’s a build in there.
In use it’s very much an MTL RTA (funny that). I went through several different coils until I settled on a plain round 28aw g SS coming out about 0.75 ohms. I just like the simplicity and the vapour of a round wire when I vape MTL, although I do usually prefer kanthal wire. Claptons, fused claptons, twisted wire etc just don’t do it for me in an MTL set up. I did try all of these types of wires but they just don’t give me the same satisfaction as they’re a bit too much.
Wicking is easy enough if you follow the guides in the thread I linked above. I’m glad the thread is there as I would have just fired some cotton in haphazardly and the tank would have gurgled and perhaps leaked on me and I’d be writing now that I hate this tank and that the wicking is too finicky. You just have to make sure that the cotton comes straight and flatish from the coil into the juice well with no bending up so that it could possibly hit the chamber in the chimney as the chamber is quite low to help with flavour. You also need to ensure that the cotton is not hitting the sides and is quite fitted to help stop any gurgling. There’s a great video from the designer in the thread in the MTL section that explains it much better than I can. So, because other apes had done all the figuring out I have had no issues with wicking this tank. It’s been a dream really. I barely get any condensation on the bottom of the tank and I’ve had no leaks whatsoever with minimal gurgling happening only when I’ve wicked it a little too sausage fingerdley. When done right you get a good flavour from the tank and the vapour is nice and smooth.
I also bought myself the optional DTL kit and that comes in the same style nice wee box, only smaller. You get a new chimney that’s got a bigger chamber on it to take bigger wicking for the RDL coils and handle the increased vapour. You also get a new, bigger drip tip and 2 different 510 pins, one a 2.9mm and the other a 2.0mm. A wee pack of o-rings is included as well.
The optional DTL kit works for a decent RDL draw. I was a little disappointed with the flavour from it as I am a fan of single coil RTAs and this is not any better than any of the ones I already have. It kind of reminds me of the ones that came out 2 or 3 years ago and is similar, flavour wise, to the Serpent SMM that I used for a long time. Things have moved on though. I do like my fruity juice and I also feel that this might work a lot better with dessert type juice so I’ve mixed some up and I’m waiting for it to steep properly before I try again. The draw is also quite noisy as it’s trying to take a load of air through the small airflow ring, even fully open. It’s a valiant attempt though and I will probably use it again when I find a juice that suits it.
In all I love the Pioneer RTA for MTL vaping and I’m so glad I decided to read up on it beforehand. The options for airflow have allowed me to find the perfect set up for myself and I am pretty fussy MTL wise as I like a reasonably airy draw, but not too airy. I’ve been using it constantly for a few weeks now and It’s still enjoyable. I’ve now given my go to stock coil MTL tank to a friend so it must be decent. RDL it’s not great. In its standard configuration it’s clearly MTL only and with the DTL kit it’s ok but nothing too special. It is still decent in DTL mode though and might go better with different flavours from what I usually use.
