vaporesso ad
Reviews

Wotofo Cog RTA Review

By Staff Editor 10th August 2020 5 Mins

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

For a number of years, MTL vaping was becoming less and less popular among enthusiasts. Since the end of 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. Matt is a self-proclaimed “vape nerd”, frequently talking about air pressure and turbulence when reviewing atomisers. The goal with the Cog was to create smooth airflow, with true adjustment under the coil. Has this concept paid off?

Construction fit and finish of the Cog is 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.

I’m fond of the aesthetic of this RTA. It has a clean, minimal style and with a 22mm diameter, it pairs nicely with smaller mods. The low weight of the tank stops your setup from becoming top heavy, too. Some have voiced displeasure with the CE marking being placed on the chimney but it really doesn’t bother me.

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 spring-loaded clamp system to secure the leads of your coil.

The clamps allow for a lot of versatility with builds and I had no troubles 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 re-fill. Making this more convenient would necessitate a taller tank, without additional capacity, though, so I can see why this design choice was made.

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. 0.8mm, 1mm, 1.2mm, 1.4mm and 1.6mm inlets are all available here and, in my view, this covers 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 the new king of budget MTL RTAs. In the near future, I would love to see a 24mm version of this RTA, as this would allow for extra capacity and be a better match for larger mods. I also hope to see a direct lung RTA which uses a similar airflow concept. I have no doubt that this airflow design will be popping up in a number of atomisers this year.

Pros:

  • Easy build deck
  • True airflow adjustment
  • Great flavour

Cons:

  • Top cap can be fiddly
Vaporesso Ad
Vaporesso Ad

Recommended

About this author
Staff Editor
Sure