The Kanger Subtank is made from food grade stainless steel. It’s design features precise, finely detailed cuts and etches that scream quality. When I first opened a Subtank box the tank gave the impression of being an expensive scientific instrument more than it did a device for eliquid.
The Kanger Subtank is heavy, twice as heavy as the Atlantis, and taller as well. It is not for the faint of heart, but it is, without a doubt, the best tank on the market today. But that doesn’t always equate to being the tank you need, or want, to buy. For as terrific as it is, there are ample negatives that need to be considered before plunking down $45 for one.
In the video below I give you a look at various parts of the Subtank, and demonstrate the vapor production with a 50:50 PG:VG eliquid at 6mg nicotine. As you will see, the performance is hard to beat. But, is it difficult to use? Is it top heavy? What kind of maintenance does it require? All good questions, so let’s talk about that.
Is it difficult to use? No, not if you want to use it exclusively as a glassomizer. When used as a glassomizer it is no more difficult than any other. It’s when you convert it to an RBA that it becomes somewhat more difficult for vapers that do not rebuild their atomizers. So, whatever your experience now, today, will dictate the difficulty you’ll have with it. But, handling is another matter.
Handling the Subtank is cumbersome at first. I don’t think you can quite understand just how big it is until you’re holding one. It is taller than the Aerotank Turbo, but thankfully the diameter is perfect for most tube and box mods. You do not need a 26650 device for it to look “right”. Still, it will take a few refills to develop enough muscle memory to make it feel normal, so handling it in the beginning must be done with care.
Is it top heavy? On just about everything, yes. Certainly the larger your battery the less top heavy it will be, but unless you’re using a full size tube or box mod it will be top heavy in the extreme. Let’s put it this way, you don’t want to use an eLeaf iStick with it. The iStick’s 20W will power the 1.2ohm coil, but it won’t provide a ‘great vape’ with the .5ohm coil.
Maintenance will depend on how you use it. All tanks and glassomizers require some maintenance. Example: my wife came to me to the other day telling me that her iStickwas no longer reading the atomizer in her Council of Vapor Stratos glassomizer. After verifying the problem I went about cleaning every contact on both devices with Q-Tips and alcohol and when I was done I had 3 Q-Tips that looked like I had just cleaned one of my cats ears, but the iStick was functioning properly again. Using the Kanger Subtank as a glassomizer you’ll have to treat it as any other glassomizer.
If you use the Subtank as an RBA there will be a bit more maintenance involved. The RBA component will require cleaning, as well as the contacts on the tank. I’ve found that when using an RBA the ‘gunking up’ happens more quickly than when using a glassomizer, so that must be considered.
The Bottom Line
As someone deeply involved in the industry I am thrilled beyond measure with both theAtlantis and the Subtank. These two tanks bring with them a much better vape experience for anyone that owns one, and this is just the first version of these major advancements. By this time next year I imagine we’ll talk about the Atlantis and Subtank with bemusement at our enthusiasm for them. What seems special today, tremendous flavor, and vapor that can blind you from seeing your computer screen with every drag, will be an everyday experience. How do I know this?
I cannot reveal things that I know today about a couple of devices that will soon, very, very soon, hit the market. But, what I can say with certainty is that where we are headed is bringing the flavor and vapor of the Atlantis and Subtank to smaller and smaller devices. Inside of a month you’ll know what I’m talking about. Until that time expect great things to happen to each of our ‘vape experiences’.
Should you buy a Kanger Subtank?
That depends. If you are buying it just to have the latest and greatest than by all means have at it. You’ll be very impressed with it, even if you don’t wind up using it regularly. If you are currently using an Aerotank or one of the better iClear tanks, or some other glassomizer, and you don’t mind the size and weight then yes, sure, try the Subtank, I’m sure you’ll love it. If, however, you’ve tried the Aspire Atlantis and found it too big, or you didn’t enjoy the sub-ohm experience, then you’ll probably like the Subtank even less. It’s bigger, more complicated, and almost $10 more expensive. My advice would be to wait for a couple of months.
As for myself, I choose the Aspire Atlantis over the Subtank for a couple of reasons. Flavor and vapor using the .5ohm coil in each tank reveals an almost 99% identical vape. And although with the Subtank I can use the 1.2ohm coil, or go with the RBA, it’s just too big to use everyday. I’m the “Spinner and X.Jet guy”, and it was easy to trade my Spinner and X.Jet’s for the Aspire SubΩ battery and Atlantis. Handling is very similar, but the vape experience is vastly superior with the Aspire combo. I take the Aspire “kit” with me everywhere now, something I just would not do with the Subtank and some larger APV. I love the Kanger Subtank from www.ave40.com, it’s just not an everyday tank for me, but it may be for you.
John Manzione | Publisher.
The Kanger Subtank is heavy, twice as heavy as the Atlantis, and taller as well. It is not for the faint of heart, but it is, without a doubt, the best tank on the market today. But that doesn’t always equate to being the tank you need, or want, to buy. For as terrific as it is, there are ample negatives that need to be considered before plunking down $45 for one.
In the video below I give you a look at various parts of the Subtank, and demonstrate the vapor production with a 50:50 PG:VG eliquid at 6mg nicotine. As you will see, the performance is hard to beat. But, is it difficult to use? Is it top heavy? What kind of maintenance does it require? All good questions, so let’s talk about that.
Is it difficult to use? No, not if you want to use it exclusively as a glassomizer. When used as a glassomizer it is no more difficult than any other. It’s when you convert it to an RBA that it becomes somewhat more difficult for vapers that do not rebuild their atomizers. So, whatever your experience now, today, will dictate the difficulty you’ll have with it. But, handling is another matter.
Handling the Subtank is cumbersome at first. I don’t think you can quite understand just how big it is until you’re holding one. It is taller than the Aerotank Turbo, but thankfully the diameter is perfect for most tube and box mods. You do not need a 26650 device for it to look “right”. Still, it will take a few refills to develop enough muscle memory to make it feel normal, so handling it in the beginning must be done with care.
Is it top heavy? On just about everything, yes. Certainly the larger your battery the less top heavy it will be, but unless you’re using a full size tube or box mod it will be top heavy in the extreme. Let’s put it this way, you don’t want to use an eLeaf iStick with it. The iStick’s 20W will power the 1.2ohm coil, but it won’t provide a ‘great vape’ with the .5ohm coil.
Maintenance will depend on how you use it. All tanks and glassomizers require some maintenance. Example: my wife came to me to the other day telling me that her iStickwas no longer reading the atomizer in her Council of Vapor Stratos glassomizer. After verifying the problem I went about cleaning every contact on both devices with Q-Tips and alcohol and when I was done I had 3 Q-Tips that looked like I had just cleaned one of my cats ears, but the iStick was functioning properly again. Using the Kanger Subtank as a glassomizer you’ll have to treat it as any other glassomizer.
If you use the Subtank as an RBA there will be a bit more maintenance involved. The RBA component will require cleaning, as well as the contacts on the tank. I’ve found that when using an RBA the ‘gunking up’ happens more quickly than when using a glassomizer, so that must be considered.
The Bottom Line
As someone deeply involved in the industry I am thrilled beyond measure with both theAtlantis and the Subtank. These two tanks bring with them a much better vape experience for anyone that owns one, and this is just the first version of these major advancements. By this time next year I imagine we’ll talk about the Atlantis and Subtank with bemusement at our enthusiasm for them. What seems special today, tremendous flavor, and vapor that can blind you from seeing your computer screen with every drag, will be an everyday experience. How do I know this?
I cannot reveal things that I know today about a couple of devices that will soon, very, very soon, hit the market. But, what I can say with certainty is that where we are headed is bringing the flavor and vapor of the Atlantis and Subtank to smaller and smaller devices. Inside of a month you’ll know what I’m talking about. Until that time expect great things to happen to each of our ‘vape experiences’.
Should you buy a Kanger Subtank?
That depends. If you are buying it just to have the latest and greatest than by all means have at it. You’ll be very impressed with it, even if you don’t wind up using it regularly. If you are currently using an Aerotank or one of the better iClear tanks, or some other glassomizer, and you don’t mind the size and weight then yes, sure, try the Subtank, I’m sure you’ll love it. If, however, you’ve tried the Aspire Atlantis and found it too big, or you didn’t enjoy the sub-ohm experience, then you’ll probably like the Subtank even less. It’s bigger, more complicated, and almost $10 more expensive. My advice would be to wait for a couple of months.
As for myself, I choose the Aspire Atlantis over the Subtank for a couple of reasons. Flavor and vapor using the .5ohm coil in each tank reveals an almost 99% identical vape. And although with the Subtank I can use the 1.2ohm coil, or go with the RBA, it’s just too big to use everyday. I’m the “Spinner and X.Jet guy”, and it was easy to trade my Spinner and X.Jet’s for the Aspire SubΩ battery and Atlantis. Handling is very similar, but the vape experience is vastly superior with the Aspire combo. I take the Aspire “kit” with me everywhere now, something I just would not do with the Subtank and some larger APV. I love the Kanger Subtank from www.ave40.com, it’s just not an everyday tank for me, but it may be for you.
John Manzione | Publisher.