Full Disclosure:
Let’s get all the disclosures out of the way. This tank was sent to me directly from UD specifically for the purposes of this review. This will not in any way, shape, or form cause me to give this tank a favorable review or change my opinion in any way.
First Impression Out Of The Box:
Nice packaging. Everything is in a hard clear plastic box with a cardboard sleeve. This is a big tank considering it only holds 4mls. Kind of digging the baby blue o'rings.
What’s In The box:
* Athlon 25 tank
* Preinstalled .15 coil
* Velocity styled deck
* Spare glass
* Spare o'rings in blue, red and clear
* Spare deck screws
* Allen wrench
* User manual
* Warranty card
From Top To Bottom:
The first thing you notice on the Athlon is the 15.5mm wide bore delrin drip tip. Unfortunately it is a female connection that slides onto 2 o'rings that protrude from the top cap. You can run your own 510 drip tips but it looks stupid because the orings on the top cap are exposed. I don’t know when companies are going to start listening to us about this. I talk to a lot of vapers online and in person. I don’t know any vapers that like or enjoy proprietary drip tips. Most vapers I speak with want Goon style drip tips with a 510 adapter as well. We want flat top caps or at the very least a slightly raised platform on the top cap. Another issue with the Athlon is you only get one drip tip and it is proprietary So if you lose it you are just out of luck.
Aside from the protruding part of the top cap it is nicely done and well machined with a little knurling on it. The knurling is not deep but it does help you get a grip when refilling the tank. There is an oring on the inside of the top cap that insures against leaking. The threading is good but you may need to push down a little on the top cap in order to get the threads to catch. Once the top cap is removed you will see two kidney shaped fill ports. They are kind of small but so far all of my juice bottles fit without a problem.The Athlon has a 4 ml capacity. There is a 2ml extension plate available but it looks like it is a separate purchase because it was not included in the one I was sent.
Below the fill ports is the AFC. The AFC has 3 rectangular slots. The airflow on the Athlon is not wide open at all. It's more like a medium lung hit that runs the full spectrum of a medium lung hit. I’ll explain, it's not a loose lung hit and it's not a restrictive lung hit. It’s right in the middle. Kind of loose but you can definitely feel some restriction. All three slots open and it's almost airy but not quite. With one slot open it is not quite a MTL type vape. With 2 slots open it is right in the middle of the other two descriptions I just mentioned. The AFC has stoppers on both sides and it is easily adjustable. The Athlon is a top airflow only tank.
The barrel has a very conical design to it that definitely contributes to the intense flavor I get from this tank. Since it is top airflow only the chimney has a double walled design to it. Air goes down the chimney thru the exterior wall, hits the coil and comes back up full of flavor through the inner wall. I was never a fan of top airflow only tanks but this tank has some great flavor. Definitely pleasantly surprised.
The orings on the top and bottom of the tank are of good thickness and I love the fact that they include spares of different colors. The Athlon has no JFC but to be honest it's not needed because there is no bottom airflow and this tank has never even sweated juice never mind leaking.
The base is 25mm wide and has a cup like interior that accepts the drop in coils or drop in RBA deck. When using the RBA deck you have to make sure you have the air holes on each side of the outer chimney. The factory coils you can just drop in without actually lining up anything. The outer ring of the base has some kind of trapezoid design on it. The 510 pin is gold plated and not adjustable. The total length of the tank from top to bottom is 47.5mm.
The Deck And Coils:
I’m not going to lie, the first time I wicked this deck I messed it up big time. It’s a velocity styled deck but it almost looked like it wicked like a Aromamizer Supreme. It does not. The problem is if you place your cotton across the deck you will severely hinder the airflow, which is already not that loose to begin with. This deck needs short wicks and you have to make sure you tuck them in good so they do not interfere with the airflow. Do that and you will be introduced to some intense flavor. The RBA deck has tighter airflow than the factory but not by much. It is tighter enough to mention though. At the same time the RBA section has better flavor as well.
The factory coil is really nice. I love the fact that UD is using SS 316 in their coils. I don’t know why more manufacturers don't do this. I like vaping in TC so this is a definite plus. It’s just a smart move on UD’s part because they can get the TC and Power vaper with one coil. Smart, very smart. Wish more companies did this. The factory octuple coil ohms out at .15 and is rated from 60-120 watts. It vapes really well and the flavor is very good. The coils are easy to install because they just drop right in. Excellent job on these UD.
Building And Wicking:
This is not a big deck at all. Simple claptons will do in this deck. Anything more may not fit. The post holes are 2.5mm x 2mm and there are two terminals per post. The deck itself is only 16.5mm. Again the wicks need to be kept short and out of the way of the airflow.
But Deuces, How Does She Vape:
I am a TC vaper, flavor chaser and I am not into the super high wattage cloudy tanks. I love the airflow on this tank. Super smooth and just the right amount of resistance for me. I get great flavor and I really enjoy the deck on this tank. I definitely like it better than the factory coils. That's not to say the factory coils are not good because they are. In fact they are great, but I like the RBA better. Love the vape I get off the factory coils and the fact that I can use them in TC. Big plus in my book.
Right now I’m using the RBA. I have simple dual claptons in there ohming out at .25 at 65 watts in TC at 500 degrees. The vape is just wonderful. Just enough restriction, intense flavor and the clouds are not too shabby either. Really surprised at how good the flavor is because I tend to gravitate towards bottom airflow tanks. I also like the fact that the Athlon does not rip through juice like some of the tanks being produced today.
Conclusion:
This is my jam. This is exactly how I like to vape. It’s my kind of airflow, flavor and clouds. It’s not one of those airy, juice sucking, cloud monsters but I think it's a great compromise of flavor and clouds. It’s a very middle of road vape for lack of a better term. That’s not a bad thing because let's face it, not everyone vapes at 200-300 watts. In fact I’ll bet the average vaper is anywhere between 40-120 watts. If you are on the high end of that average then you will love the Athlon 25 by UD. Yeah the Athlon 25 has a few little quirks but what tank does not? The important thing is the vape quality far outweighs the little quirks it has. Deucesjack approved? You betcha. If your vape style is similar to mine then go get one. You will not be disappointed.
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Pros and Cons:
A note about Pros and Cons. These are my Pros and Cons. They are very subjective. What may be a pro to me could be a con to you and vice versa.
Pros:
* Flavor
* No leaks
* RBA included
* Factory SS 316 coils
* Conical design
* Machined well
* Drop in style
* Smooth airflow
* Not a juice killer
* Very good cloud production
* Lots of spare parts
Cons:
* Proprietary drip tip
* No spare drip tip
* 2ml extension not included
* RBA deck is small
Specs:
* Diameter: 25mm
* Capacity: 4ml
* Thread: 510
* 25mm diameter and 16.5mm Velocity style build deck
* Easy top filling and top targeted airflow
* Amazing flavor with huge vape production
* Plug-pull style coil installation system
The Tank On Different Mods:
On The Laisimo Wyvern:
On The Eleaf QC:
On The Ijoy Captain:
On The Lost Vape Triade:
On The Smoant Battlestar:
On The Vaporesso Nebula:
On The Sx Mini G Class:
For more information on the UD Athlon 25 please visit http://www.yourcig.com/product/athlon-25-mini-tank.html
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