Back in the “stone age” of vaping , that is, before 2010, “ burners ” were used to vaporize e-liquid . Initially, “burners” were just a metal tube with a connection pin on one end (510, 808-d, 401,...), by 2010, the 510 connection pin became the standard.
Inside this old “atomizer” is a ceramic cup containing a coil (usually a Kanthal coil), with a cotton wick threaded through the coil (the wick is usually made of silica fiber). Around the cup is a layer of iron mesh like a dome over the coil. The e-liquid will drip from the open end of the metal tube through the wire mesh and then flow into the coil. The resistance of the coil is located between 1.5 and 3.0 ohms.
By 2010, when people were getting tired of constantly dripping e-liquid, upgraded versions of the old atomizers appeared. First came the Cartomizres, and then came the combination of the old atomizers and cartomizers, called RTA .
Many vapers complained that cartomizers and RTAs diluted the flavor of e-liquid, which led to the rise of the habit of dripping e-liquid directly onto the coil, because according to vapers at that time, e-liquid dripping directly onto the coil could achieve the most perfect flavor.
Around the same time, vapers began experimenting with rolling their own coils for their atomizers by purchasing wire and tools. By mid-2011, the combination of the habit of dripping e-liquid and homemade coils (with some types of wicks such as silicon, cotton...) produced the first batch of RDAs . RDA is short for Rebuildable Dripping Atomizers.
And five years later, RDA design has come a long way, but the basic principles of RDA remain the same.
RDAs have a cylindrical body, including a base that contains the connection posts and a build chamber that has metal pins with screws to secure a homemade or store-bought coil. The wick is threaded through the coil. All RDAs have airflow holes engraved into the body, and the RDA will have a juice tray that can hold a small amount of e-juice. All of this is covered by a cap with a hole on the top for the drip tip .
RDAs are used by dripping e-juice directly onto the coils in the build chamber or onto the cotton wicks. An RDA typically holds 10-30 drops of e-juice. E-juice can be dripped through a drip tip, but users usually remove the top cap when they want to drip e-juice. A proper RDA can be vaped for a minute or two before the cotton dries out. The exact time depends entirely on the RDA, coil, wattage, and other parameters.
Over the next four years, many changes in vape technology emerged and are incorporated into today's RDAs:
New types of coils: micro coils, twisted coils, Clapton coils.
Coil wire: Kanthal, Nickel, Titanium, Stainless Steel.
Wick material varies.
Advanced air vent design.
For vapers who are thinking about buying their first RDA, Youtube is a great resource to learn what you need and how to build a suitable coil pair. Most popular RDAs have many videos that show the components, from simple to complex builds for that RDA.
In a way, the RDA is a laboratory that drives evolution in the vaping world.
RDA vapers are the ones who popularized the high wattage, low ohm method starting about four years ago. Some curious vapers realized that by rolling low resistance coils and using high wattage, they could create a rich and flavorful vape, and this revolutionized the vaping world.
Most sub ohm tanks that have appeared on the market in the past two years have a single goal: to replace the flavor and vapor production of popular RDAs and eliminate the need to constantly add e-juice every few minutes. For most of us, sub ohm tanks have come close to achieving that goal, but RDAs continue to be the purest and most popular form of vaping for serious vapers.
