OBS Engine 2 RTA Review by KingPin! (inc. wicking guide)

[KingPin!]

Hi Folks,

Back when I was reviewing the OBS Crius 2 Dual Coil RTA, I caught wind that OBS were soon to release the Engine 2. A few of us have since been chatting in the forum about its release…and here it is conveyor belt style!



Number 2 you say? Let’s set this straight, there’s actually been a few Engine’s in the series now

Engine RTA 25mm (dual coil)
Engine Mini RTA 23mm (dual coil)
Engine Sub 25mm (factory pre-made coils)
Engine Sub Mini 23mm (factory pre-made coils)
Engine Nano RTA 25mm (single coil)

So this is really the 4th generation amongst the rebuildable Engine tanks. Despite their overly confusing naming system; my expectations are high, after all with that many tanks under their belt surely it’s fully optimised with this latest release, is this just a podium spot product to remind other companies why top airflow put OBS on the map? …..Let’s find out what they have in store.

Heaven Gifts kindly sent me this for the once over. I don’t like to make recommendations in my reviews instead I’ll share my findings to bolster your research should you be interested in the product.

My Measurements

• Capacity: 5ml
• Height: 51.8mm (visible height)
• Outside Diameter: Base: 24.7mm, Widest point: 26mm
• Airflow: 3 slots (Width: 7.3mm x Height: 2.5mm)
• Juice Port: Single opening (Width: 9.9 x Height: 4mm)
• Post width 7.5mm (with a height space of 4.6mm)
• Chamber Dimensions: Height: 16.2mm x Diameter: 12mm
• Type: Dual Coil RTA
• Drip tip: 510 (bore 5mm stepped up to 8.9mm)
• Material: Food grade 304 steel
• Thread: 510 thread (4.85mm length)

It Comes With

• 1 x Engine 2 RTA
• 1 x Spare Glass Tube
• 2 x Coils
• 1 x Spare Parts
• 2 x spare grub screws
• 1 x Phillips Screwdriver
• Spare O-ring’s
• 1 x Cotton
• 1 x User Manual

Product Information: https://www.heavengifts.com/product/OBS-Engine-2-RTA.html
Available Colours: Black, Stainless
Discount Code: AHG15 (15% off)

Impressions and Build Quality

I’m going to breeze through this section because it’s all very much what we have seen so many times before, especially as I have no real complaints about any of the assembly so I’ll “try” to keep it all brief;

The drip tip is similar to the 510 we saw on the Crius 2 Dual Coil, except slightly modified with a 2 step bore rather than an extreme taper. It also has a wide base to cover the silver plate on the top cap like the other engines. I actually prefer it to the Crius version although still find the bore too wide for my personal tastes.



There were no issues with any O-ring resistance or threading on my tank. The OBS signature plunge quick refill mechanism doesn’t seem to be causing any pressure effects. In fact it feels far more effortless than other RTA’s they’ve released recently. There’s still a little juice that’s squeezed out after you push the refill cap down, so keep a tissue handy as always.



The airflow is in keeping with the other engine tanks. Expect a fairly restricted draw off the bat even though there are 3 slots.

They’ve ditched the frame inside the glass tank so it no longer has the “reactor” look from previous versions but with good reason, easier wicking and juice movement. So I’m happy with that modification even if it loses a little bit of the aesthetic appeal I really liked from its predecessors.



Styling and paintwork is very much in line with their other tanks. Love the matte black as always. Gone are the lines and stripes seen before which to be fair would have only highlighted the fact the tank has “girth” beyond its base.

The 5ml glass section is thick and should be able to withstand a few knocks. If you happen to break it there is a spare.

The chamber is pretty standard nothing much going on here. There is no side airflow inside the chamber as seen before, instead the chamber is sealed and sitting on cut outs located on the deck; which creates a seal for air to travel down the narrow space and through the decks bottom airflow ports.




The base is still press fit, you cannot remove it or adjust the positive pin (at least I wasn’t able to) which makes full disassembly and cleaning a little more tricky, in fact cleaning a lot of the top airflow tanks can quite tricky (especially the chamber area). The tank has lost its squared edges around the base area and is now reminding me a little of the Themis and Zeus Dual coils tanks we’ve seen this year.




Finally the tank breaks down into 4 parts for cleaning and maintenance.

 

[KingPin!]

Building & Mounting

This is going to be the main focus of my review since it’s the major area of change; and with the deck craziness it probably needs it too.

I’m a coil builder at heart, whilst there’s plenty of far more gifted builders out there than I, it’s my favourite vaping hobby. The reason I’m saying this is I very much look for versatility in every product I review i.e. what coils I can get in there, what’s the mounting experience like, what sort of options I have for positioning, can I tinker with sizes, are the screws any good etc etc …well here’s the thing with the Engine 2, I feel it’s restrictive to point it’s a bit of a one trick pony and here’s why I think this;

You are coil limited: There is approx. a height of 4.6mm to get a coil in here without shorting out, by the time you factor in the wire thickness and having enough room for airflow to get around the coil you’re looking at a 2.5mm inner diameter (ID) coil. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, I’ve got a few atomisers that work best with a 2.5mm ID. The problem I find is wire thickness limitation (not my finest build sorry about that) to prove a point though I only just managed to get these twisted 26g clapton coils in here and this was pushing it. As a result I’m now sticking with normal fused claptons which leads me to my second point.




Post mounts: I thoroughly recommend leaving your coil legs long enough to tug on, because you’ll need to pull on the wire to one side whilst securing the grub screw. As you start tightening up the screw it’s trying its very best to eject the very wire it’s supposed to be securing! The mount cut out has the tiniest little lip which might as well not be there. It just makes for a very frustrating mounting experience especially combined with trying to keep the coil straight. Coming back to why I’m using fused claptons; this is something I definitely don’t want to be messing about with using fancy coils and thicker legs.



The screws: I’m not a fan of phillips screws anyway but these have really shallow cut outs. I ended up slipping often and found it hard to get decent torque, on top of that as you first heat the coils (dry burning) the screws always seem to come lose, then you end up recycling the juggling act mentioned above (be wary of snipping those leads too early). Another thing, why are the screw heads so big? They actually take up available space in themselves, this could have been remedied by setting the screws into the post so they stay out of the way.



Positioning – really there is only one way to position a coil...I mean you lack space as it is. When I first got the deck out I thought maybe I could run a larger ID single coil right through the middle of the posts which actually has a larger space, but that idea failed when I found I had to bend the legs back over the coil itself. I ended up positing like so (make sure not to pull too far out or you’ll get a short on the chamber)




Width of coil: There is a width of 7.5mm build space between the posts, Actually this isn’t too shabby at all, but if you try anything bigger you’ll find wicking a lot more difficult, again another reason I’m sticking with fused claptons to ensure I get enough wraps in.



I think it’s fair to say I’m not a fan of the post system on the engine 2. Don’t get me wrong I don’t hate the idea of inverted posts at all, after all its keeps everything out of the way. I just think OBS could have done a better job of covering these areas in particular.

 

[KingPin!]

Wicking

Thankfully wicking is a whole different story. OBS nailed it: gone are the days of “have I wicked this right?” from the Engine Nano, I found this to be a very forgiving RTA, plonk in the wicks and done ….well not quite that easy there is a little bit of barbershop attention required (or stylist for the modern city goer).

Here’s how I do it, it’s all the usual’s (for those who’ve managed to survive through my other reviews) Cotton Bacon V2, Scottish roll method (google that). I’m using a 2.5mm ID coil. I’ve already gone through the mounting and positioning above so ill assume you have dried burned and checked for hotspots already.

Insert the cotton, it should be snug without moving the coil side to side, move it back and forth to settle it into position.



Rake away excess cotton beforehand so the cotton feels like it’s combing in the same direction from all angles. You don’t need to remove too much material for this RTA, see my next picture below:



I rest my scissors against the edge of the outer base and use that as a guide to straight cut the cotton.




Again resting the scissors at an angle; I cut away the edges. You aren’t removing loads of material here but it helps when feeding the cotton into the well. You’ll end up with something that looks like this:




Now take your tweezers and push the cotton into the wells from the bottom of the cotton and work up. The wells will take a fair amount, try to push the cotton down into the well as far as it will go each time you feed a bit in. I find I don’t have to cut excess away as long as I’ve raked enough away. If you feel like you are forcing the cotton into the well…. stop…remove it and rake a bit more away, then rinse and repeat. Unlike some tanks it’s ok to have a little bit of resistance here.



If you completed the above steps ok you should end up with something like the below.



Juice her up and check for gaps, sculpt the cotton a little if required, and then make sure the cotton isn’t going to interfere with the threading.



Reassemble, and fill a quarter way just to make sure its wicking ok and you should be good to go!

If it’s not wicking properly don’t panic because you can turn the tank upside down (with the refill lid closed) and unscrew the base to inspect the deck ...another thing I like about this wicking experience.

How’s the Vape?

There’s been so many top airflow tanks released toward the end of last year into this one and I’ve used/reviewed a fair few of them. To be honest I was expecting more from the Engine 2, especially with the promise of bottom airflow and it being the 4th generation.

I really thought this one was going to be a stand out amongst the crowd looking at the pics before its release, however I find it sits more in the middle of the crowd. That’s isn’t to say it’s bad but I built up my expectations too much I think.

After using this it’s not really proper bottom airflow, it’s more like the bottom bit of the airflow we saw on the original Zeus and Horus RTA’s, where air is hitting a channel wall underneath via the side and making its way up, unlike say a dedicated bottom airflow seen on the Uwell D2 which is focused.

The airflow channel is a simple rectangle cut out, I was thinking OBS was going to be at least angle it up or incorporate a scoop or something to really direct the air around the coil but it just doesn’t feel that way on the draw.

Put it this way I mostly vape minty/menthol flavours and I’m getting a lot of the mint without the other fruity flavour notes in my juices. I tried both nichrome and stainless steel wire types to rule that out and it’s just the same. It’s like the tank is crying out for slightly larger coils but the build space works against you.

The drip tip is an improvement over the one found on the Crius 2 Dual Coil RDA although I still prefer using my own 510, which ends up showing the silver plate up top. I would have preferred this area to be black as well so it’s not so noticeable.

It’s not all bad though the tank definitely has its pros as well.

The draw seems fairly restricted off the bat even with the three airflow holes wide open up top, which suits my style well.

You get a nice thick vapour production and the vape is moist for a top airflow. I’ve never had a problem with it keeping up when chain vaping and I’m not noticing any pressure affect and oversaturation of the cotton when refilling.

The draw is pretty quiet overall, perhaps a little hollow if that makes sense. I’m not noticing the airflow being choppy either.

Last but not least you don’t have to worry about leaking…for some this is the biggest draw towards top airflows and I totally get it, they are my go to tank design for journeys and work as well.

Pros

• OBS styling – still a whiff of the original engine theme
• Love their matte black paint jobs
• Very forgiving wicking and it keeps up when chain vaping
• Moist Vapour production for top airflow
• Nice draw if you like a mid to tight restriction
• The tapered shape of the tank isn’t all that noticeable in terms of the bubble tanks we see today
• Standard 510 drip tip connection (good fitting)
• Quick access to the deck area
• Nice threading and finish throughout
• Thick glass tank
• No leaking
• Easy refilling system
• Decent capacity at 5ml

Cons

• [Personal] I wasn’t a fan of the stock drip tip although its comfortable to use
• Building can be frustrating
• Flavour was ok
• Limited as to the size and type of coils it will take

Final Conclusion

I’m on the fence with the Engine 2 RTA, on the one hand OBS have ticked a lot of boxes so I don’t want to give you the impression this is an awful top airflow RTA because it’s not, it just doesn’t stand out from the crowd for me.

With the wealth of research and development out there now and this being the 4th iteration, including the fact it was top airflow that put OBS on the map, I was just expecting more.

I get they want to drive innovation in this space, but I do believe they missed the mark in two key areas for my liking. I don’t think this is a back to the drawing board moment for OBS; rather I think they need to overhaul the mounting experience and tweak the airflow, perhaps do something with the posts themselves in the chamber to focus flavour a bit more.


Thanks for taking the time to read my review, I hope the information serves you well…. until next time KingPin!

 

[Vape Fan]

Great detailed review.

hmmm...Between the limiting coil id / ease of mounting them, and what you described as AF not being totally aimed at coil, think I'll pass on this one.

 

[KingPin!]

Great detailed review.

hmmm...Between the limiting coil id / ease of mounting them, and what you described as AF not being totally aimed at coil, think I'll pass on this one.

Thanks matey

I was really hoping this was gonna be the crowning top airflow champ being I love OBS styling. Admittedly my bar was set critically high, after all they’ve had a fair few goes to hone it in now

 

[Vape Fan]

Thanks matey

I was really hoping this was gonna be the crowning top airflow champ being I love OBS styling. Admittedly my bar was set critically high, after all they’ve had a fair few goes to hone it in now

I had hopes too. I'm no designer, but I don't get the screws with heads, why with that mass for posts there's nothing to help hold the wire in and they look like they could be a bit wider to help the coil hand straight down, and the air flow - like you say - is kinda plain jane with no direction to speak of so why have that cupped shape....anyways,

Looks pretty much like a fail. Esp if the flavor isn't great. Has to be great flavor to keep up with the rest of the pack. 1 Engine too many and we'll probably see the end of 'em after this, 'cept for a Nano 2 maybe.

 

[f1r3b1rd]

Great review!! Thank for pointing out the mounting issue... that was a concern I had.

 

[inspects]

Fantastic review, KP......

 

[St.Roostifer]

Fantastic detailed review and tutorial KP! You covered everything and then some.

My feelings on this are exactly what vape fan has already said so no point in me echoing his sentiments on the Engine 2.

I had high expectations going into this so that's my bad but with how well they did with the nano, I really didn't think OBS could go wrong. To me, it's was a no-brainer. Oops, how does that saying go about making assumptions?

Lucky for me I'm not the biggest fan of dual coil rtas so this isn't too much of a biggie. But I will say this, if I was in the market for a dual coil top airflow rta, I'd go with the Themis... not the Engine 2.

Again, great work on this review KP and look forward to your next whatever it may be.

 

[KingPin!]

Great review!! Thank for pointing out the mounting issue... that was a concern I had.

Thanks matey no problem at all ...I have heard its easier to invert the whole deck when mounting, either way your still going to have to leave those leads long enough to hold whilst securing in my opinion

Fantastic review, KP......

Thank you kind sir

 

[KingPin!]

Fantastic detailed review and tutorial KP! You covered everything and then some.

My feelings on this are exactly what vape fan has already said so no point in me echoing his sentiments on the Engine 2.

I had high expectations going into this so that's my bad but with how well they did with the nano, I really didn't think OBS could go wrong. To me, it's was a no-brainer. Oops, how does that saying go about making assumptions?

Lucky for me I'm not the biggest fan of dual coil rtas so this isn't too much of a biggie. But I will say this, if I was in the market for a dual coil top airflow rta, I'd go with the Themis... not the Engine 2.

Again, great work on this review KP and look forward to your next whatever it may be.

Thanks matey it’s much appreciated ...I think it’s fair to say we were all excited for it, at least those of us discussing its pre release in the forum thread including me.

I’m still mindful of my closing though ...this is not a complete fail ...in fact as I type this I’m vaping on it at work, once those coils are in place it’s hassle free thereafter

As you say though I do feel there are better flavoured top airflows out there if that’s what you are after

 

[Letitia9]

Good read and thorough as always but...I do agree the screws themselves are a miss, I agree you are limited build wise. That being said I have a 3.5mm twisted ss 6 wrap spaced coils in my E2. My coils are set lower and more snugged into the af cradles than yours and flavor is much better than the og. Not being a dual coil lover I cannot speak to how it compares to other dual rtas but I am getting good flavor with nuances intact and present. My juices are very fruit forward but I don't use menthol or any coolants so perhaps that makes a difference as well. I'm thinking my sweet spot build will land at 3mm using tri or quad core fc or staggered fc coils. as for installing the coils the leadsdo slip but I can slip the edge my fingernail inside the chanel to keep the lead from sipping out. Truthfully the parallel tri or quads will be easier to catch and bonus is they won't get twisted.

All in all I'm pleased with the rta and looking forward to the Nano II but do agree they could have put a little more thought into the deck. I am loving the af btw.

 

[inspects]

Thanks...KP.....!

 

[KingPin!]

Good read and thorough as always but...I do agree the screws themselves are a miss, I agree you are limited build wise. That being said I have a 3.5mm twisted ss 6 wrap spaced coils in my E2. My coils are set lower and more snugged into the af cradles than yours and flavor is much better than the og. Not being a dual coil lover I cannot speak to how it compares to other dual rtas but I am getting good flavor with nuances intact and present. My juices are very fruit forward but I don't use menthol or any coolants so perhaps that makes a difference as well. I'm thinking my sweet spot build will land at 3mm using tri or quad core fc or staggered fc coils. as for installing the coils the leadsdo slip but I can slip the edge my fingernail inside the chanel to keep the lead from sipping out. Truthfully the parallel tri or quads will be easier to catch and bonus is they won't get twisted.

All in all I'm pleased with the rta and looking forward to the Nano II but do agree they could have put a little more thought into the deck. I am loving the af btw.

Many Thanks Letitia

3.5mm! that must be really tight In there? In the interest of fairness since I’m on the fence .....What size are your cores and wraps (and metal type) because I’ll try and replicate exactly the same coil build your using when I next get some build time

Really wanna see the tank how you see it also if you get a chance can you share a side on pic so I can see the positioning

 

[Letitia9]

Many Thanks Letitia

3.5mm! that must be really tight In there? In the interest of fairness since I’m on the fence .....What size are your cores and wraps (and metal type) because I’ll try and replicate exactly the same coil build your using when I next get some build time

Really wanna see the tank how you see it also if you get a chance can you share a side on pic so I can see the positioning

AVS 316L twisted 26gx2. I'll get a pic later today for you.

 

[jhpk13]

Thanks for the well written review.

I have a 3mm 6 wrap in my engine 2 and it seems to work well. Flavors are better than the original Engine.

Definitely less liquid drip around the refill port when the cap is closed. When I close the fill hole, it seems like the liquid gets sucked back into the closure area. If that makes sense .

It doesn't leak but incorrectly wicking will cause excessive hot liquid to hit your tongue because the fluid "floods" the post area. Ouch .

 

[KingPin!]

Thanks for the well written review.

I have a 3mm 6 wrap in my engine 2 and it seems to work well. Flavors are better than the original Engine.

Definitely less liquid drip around the refill port when the cap is closed. When I close the fill hole, it seems like the liquid gets sucked back into the closure area. If that makes sense .

It doesn't leak but incorrectly wicking will cause excessive hot liquid to hit your tongue because the fluid "floods" the post area. Ouch .

Thanks mate

Agree this one seems to do well with the plunge action, more so than the crius 2 dual coil did

Not really experienced spitting on this atty ...in terms of wicking if you find it spitting try to tighten the amount of cotton you have inside the coil, it definitely helps on most tanks

In addition I’ve found on most of these top airflow tanks; filling it past the top of the glass leads to a little spitting for the first few hits

 

[bobnat]

Great camera work, KP!

 

[KingPin!]

Great camera work, KP!

Thanks matey just giving my new DSLR a whirl



Liked the colour

 

[Teresa P]

Got mine today, and I'll have to say someone at OBS was obviously drunk AF when they did this deck design. I honestly could have installed coils in three other tanks in the time it took me to put one set in this one. But, it's done and over and hopefully won't need to be done again for a long while. And as much as it behooves me to admit this, it's a 100% improvement over the OG as far as flavor and performance. The original is one tank I never could make myself get along with, gave three of them away (yes, I tried three times to convince myself I liked it ), but after all the cussing and fussing was overwith trying to coil it, I'm actually fairly pleased. It'll be a good work tank that doesn't leak all over my pant leg when tucked in the pistol holster underneath the breeches....HA!

 

[KingPin!]

Got mine today, and I'll have to say someone at OBS was obviously drunk AF when they did this deck design. I honestly could have installed coils in three other tanks in the time it took me to put one set in this one. But, it's done and over and hopefully won't need to be done again for a long while. And as much as it behooves me to admit this, it's a 100% improvement over the OG as far as flavor and performance. The original is one tank I never could make myself get along with, gave three of them away (yes, I tried three times to convince myself I liked it ), but after all the cussing and fussing was overwith trying to coil it, I'm actually fairly pleased. It'll be a good work tank that doesn't leak all over my pant leg when tucked in the pistol holster underneath the breeches....HA!

You should write reviews Teresa! Hahaha

Glad I’m not the only one that had troubles mounting on this mofo ...once it’s done though I agree it’s hassle free

Oh yeah I totally forgot about your vape holster! Are you still using it?

 

[Teresa P]

Oh yeah I totally forgot about your vape holster! Are you still using it?

I am, it's very handy at work. When I do get a break, half of it's over by the time I make my way to my locker to get my vape so this way it's always on me. Only thing is, the Boreas tends to "weep" a bit at the AF, even closed, and leaves a greasy smudge on my pants. This new tank will avert that, so I'm glad it worked out. I've gone through one tank of juice so far and liking it better and better.
No one wants me to write reviews, trust me. This "brutal honesty" thing spares no feelings....

 

[KingPin!]

I am, it's very handy at work. When I do get a break, half of it's over by the time I make my way to my locker to get my vape so this way it's always on me. Only thing is, the Boreas tends to "weep" a bit at the AF, even closed, and leaves a greasy smudge on my pants. This new tank will avert that, so I'm glad it worked out. I've gone through one tank of juice so far and liking it better and better.
No one wants me to write reviews, trust me. This "brutal honesty" thing spares no feelings....

Excellent! I love top airflow for work as well, can’t stand dealing with a leaky tanks travelling in the car and when I’ve got no sparsies with me

Seriously on the review front how about this format....?

Outta my way! Teresa’s review corner

You’re in for it today...I’m hot, bothered, and pissed off

Final Conclusion....

If you made it this far... you’re the 1%! Congratulaitions, you should be proud you made it although my giveaway prize is singular

.....GFY

 

[Teresa P]

Excellent! I love top airflow for work as well, can’t stand dealing with a leaky tanks travelling in the car and when I’ve got no sparsies with me

Seriously on the review front how about this format....?

Outta my way! Teresa’s review corner

You’re in for it today...I’m hot, bothered, and pissed off

Final Conclusion....

If you made it this far... you’re the 1%! Congratulaitions, you should be proud you made it although my giveaway prize is singular

.....GFY

YES!!!