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REVIEWS
WOTOFO COG RTA
By Benedict Jones
For a number of years, MTL vaping was becoming less
and less popular among enthusiasts. Since 2018 it’s been
steadily on the rise, though, and releases like the Kayfun
Lite 2019 helped spark this trend. Manufacturers Wotofo
and prolific YouTuber Matt from SMM collaborated for their
latest release, the Cog MTL RTA. The goal with the Cog was
to create smooth airflow, with true adjustment under the
coil so has this design philosophy paid off?
Construction, fit and finish of the Cog are excellent. Due to
the PCTG elements, this is a fairly light tank but tolerances
and machining are both spot on, with smooth threads and
nice finishing. The tank section feels very secure when
assembled and all my favourite 510 drip tips sit snugly
when installed.
This is a rebuildable tank, so it’s not aimed at total
newcomers to vaping but with that said, I do think it’s a
great option for MTL vapers who want to give building a try.
The build deck is rather spacious, with a convenient springloaded
clamp system to secure the leads of your coil.
The clamps allow for a lot of versatility with builds and I had
no trouble installing a range of coils, from tiny 28g micro
coils all the way up to more exotic MTL Fused Claptons.
Adjusting the height of your coil to alter the throat hit or
further restrict airflow is nice and easy too, since those
clamps really lock the coil down and don’t allow it to slip
when making changes.
Wicking can be a sticking point with certain MTL tanks
but that’s not the case here. The Cog features GTA-style
wicking, which we’ve seen many times before. I’ve found
that cutting the wicks so they’re just long enough to get
caught in the well always results in a good experience when
using standard MTL builds. For particularly low wattage
builds, such as a 28g 2.5mm coil, a slightly longer wick
might be more appropriate though.
The top-fill design is simple and while I haven’t had any
problems with it, I can see how some users may find it a
little fiddly. The top cap itself is very short, which means
you’ll need to remove your drip tip to thread it back on after
a refill.
specifications
Dimensions: 22mm*34mm
E-liquid capacity: 3ml/2ml (TPD edition)
Materials: Stainless steel, PCTG
Airflow: 0.8mm, 1mm, 1.2mm, 1.4mm, 1.6mm rotating inlets
The landmark feature of the Cog is its airflow design. An
intricate gear system in the base of the tanks allows you
to choose from one of five airflow diameters under the coil,
on the fly. This is important because no matter what you
change about the airflow on the outside of the tank, what is
fed directly to the coil will have the biggest impact.
I’m happy to report that this system has been executed
perfectly. The 0.8mm, 1mm, 1.2mm, 1.4mm and 1.6mm
inlets which are all available here, cover the whole spectrum
of MTL vaping. 0.8mm is a super tight draw that old school
MTL purists will love. 1.6mm is substantially more open,
which should cater to those who enjoy exotic MTL coils
and slightly higher wattages. Airflow is extremely smooth
regardless of setting and which one you use will be entirely
down to personal preference. I find myself hovering
between the 1.2mm and 1.4mm settings, since my MTL
build of choice is 26g round wire.
In terms of flavour, the Cog performs fantastically. My
standard 2.5mm 26g 7 wrap build provides the same level
of flavour here as I get from my Kayfun, which for a long
time, has been the king of MTL RTAs in my book. This is a
huge achievement, likely made possible by a super smooth
draw, combined with a condensed chimney and fairly short
design.
In summary the Cog is a triumphant return to RTAs for Matt
from SMM and Wotofo. With a slick aesthetic, easy build
deck and great performance, I think we are looking at one
of the best budget MTL RTAs available today.”
PROS
- Easy build deck
- True airflow adjustment
- Great flavour
CONS
- Top cap can be fiddly
VM29 143