Advken Manta Tank Review
The Advken Manta RTA was one of the breakout hits of 2017, and the Chinese manufacturer has been riding the wave of success ever since, releasing several other atomizers under the Manta brand. The latest one is the Advken Manta tank, a 24mm atty that stands out because of its unusual design, impressive e-liquid capacity and the fact that it comes with two mesh coils. Let’s check it out:
A Look at the Contents
The Advken Manta tank comes in the same style packaging as the Manta RTA, a small cardboard box with the Manta logo and the name of the product on the front, and a list of kit contents and company information on the back.
Inside the flip top box we have the UFO-shaped Manta tank, a spare glass tube, a spare coil head (the other comes pre-installed in the tank), a bag of spare o-rings, and a branded cleaning cloth that looks more suited for polishing than soaking up e-liquid in case of leaks. The kit doesn’t include a user manual, which can be considered a small con. However, the spare glass section and mesh coil definitely make up for it.
Design and Build Quality
The unusual design line is one of the main things that help the Advken Manta tank stand out from the plethora of sub-ohm tanks available on the market right now. The bulging glass section kind of makes it look like a flying saucer, in my opinion. Whether you agree with that or not, one thing is for sure – the Manta tank has a unique look. I’m kind of one the fence about it, though. At first I thought it was hideous, but I’ve gotten used to it over the last couple of weeks, although I still wouldn’t say I’m crazy about it.
The Manta tank measures 24mm in diameter and 47.5mm in length, from the tip of the drip tip to the bottom of the tank, not including the non-adjustable 510 pin. It is primarily made of 304 stainless steel and resin. It has an e-liquid capacity of 5ml, and comes in available in only two color options – stainless steel and black.
Starting from the top, we have an 810 connection resin drip tip with a honeycomb-pattern and an unusually narrow bore than matches the diameter of the chimney it connects to. I say it’s unusual because the drip tip looks massive from the outside, but it actually shrinks to the size of the chimney. I haven’t found that to be an issue, but if you prefer wide bore tips, you’ll probably be a bit disappointed. That said, this is one sexy looking drip tip!
Further down, we have a stainless steel top cap that looks very similar to that of the Manta RTA, only this one doesn’t unscrew to reveal the fill port, but is actually pushed outwards. It features the same ball bearing system we’ve seen on the Freemax Mesh Pro and Eleaf Duro tank, which makes refilling the tank a simple and clean affair. However, I wish Advken would have marked the spot where you have to apply pressure on the top cap in order to slide it outwards a bit more obvious. AS it stands, we only have a small arrow that’s really hard to see. I recommend looking for the Manta logo on the tank, because that arrow is right above it.
We then have a large metallic piece that links the top cap to the short but very wide glass section of the tank, which isn’t actual glass, but resin. As you can see in the pictures, the pattern on the tank matches the drip tip, and it extends so much outside the metal body of the atomizers that it kind of looks like a flying saucer. Although the Advken Manta tank is just 24mm at the base, around the resin section, it measures a whopping 30mm.
Finally, at the bottom of the Advken Manta tank, we have an adjustable airflow system similar to that of the Manta RTA, only this time with three medium sized air slots on either side.
While there is no question that the Manta tank has an eye-catching design, there are some issues that you should be aware of. First of all, the UFO-like resin section extends so far out that it makes adjusting the airflow ring underneath almost impossible when using it with a box mod. I can barely fit my fingers between the resin section and the mod, and I have really skinny fingers. I think it’s virtually impossible for someone with large fingers to do it. And the fact that the tension on the airflow ring is much higher than it should be doesn’t help either. I was able to loosen it up a bit by removing the metallic ring and lubricating the o-ring underneath with a drop of e-liquid.
The second issue has to do with the structural integrity of the tank. Because the resin section is so exposed, should you accidentally drop this tank, or even bang it on a hard surface by mistake, there is a high chance that the resin will break or at least chip. Just be careful with it is all I’m trying to say.
How It Vapes
The Advken Manta is the first tank that I have ever reviewed to come with not one but two mesh coils. That’s a huge pro in my book, because while mesh coils are probably going to replace regular while coils in the not so distant future, most companies only include one of them in their kits. Mesh is blowing up in the vaping industry, but it’s way to early to call it mainstream, so having two such coils is one big advantage the Manta has over its competition.
The included coil-heads look a bit different on the outside, but judging by the mesh coils inside, the resistance (0.16Ω and 0.20Ω) as well as the vaping experience I have had with them, I can honestly say that I have not noticed any significant difference between them. Yes, one of them allows you to up the power output by around 10W, but otherwise, they are about the same in both vapor production and flavor.
One important thing to keep in mind is that the Advken Manta tank coil-heads are compatible with SMOK Baby Beast style coils, probably the most popular coil type in the vaping industry. That’s a huge pro, as you have so many options available, in case you’re not happy with the stock coils, or if you just want to try out other materials, resistances or coil configurations.
Setting up the Advken Manta tank is so easy that the company didn’t even bother including a user manual. All you have to do is unscrew the base of the tank, and you’ll find a coil-head already installed. Drop a bit of e-liquid on the cotton wick around the mesh coil to make sure it’s saturated, then screw the base back on, fill up the tank through the top fill port, give the coil a few minutes to soak some juice, and you’re good to go.
Mesh coils are insanely popular these days for very good reason – they are much better at bringing out the flavor in an e-liquid than most regular wire coils – and the ones included in the Advken Manta tank kit are no different. Whichever one you decide to try first, you can expect plumes of flavorful vapor, unless the e-liquid you’re using sucks, in which case, spend some money on some good stuff, because these coils deserve it.
The one con I could come up with has to do with the airflow system of the Advken Manta tank. It works well, but it can be quite loud, especially with all six slots wide open. I don’t consider that to be a deal breaker, but it\s worth pointing out for vapers who hate turbulent airflow.
I have been using this tank for two weeks now, and I have had no issues with it performance-wise. It hasn’t leaked at all, the coils have been holding up well, and those coils vape like a dream.
Conclusion
The Advken Manta tank has a weird design and some minor flaws, like the inability to adjust the bottom airflow because of the bulging resin section or the tight airflow ring, but those can easily be overlooked thanks to the two awesome mesh coils included. Mesh is the way to go, so kudos to Advken for including not one but two of these babies, and I hope other companies follow their example in the near future. So if you’re not completely put off by the looks of this device, I highly recommend considering it as you’re next sub-ohm tank.
The Advken Manta tank was sent to me for the purpose of this review by Heaven Gifts. They currently have it in stock for $39.99.
