When it comes to vaporizers, there are a lot of different parts and pieces that all come together. From box mods, batteries, tanks and atomizers, there’s a whole bunch of gear that goes into a single vaporizer. 

Differences between RBA, RDA, RTA and RDTA

• What's a Vaporizer
• Different Types of Atomizers

If you’re just beginning your vaping journey and are shopping for a new vaporizer, you’ve probably come across a variety of terms. To help you understand what to look out for prior to purchasing, we’ve come up with a nifty little guide that will steer you in the right direction. 

What's a Vaporizer

A vaporizer is an electronic device that allows you to consume e-liquids that often contain nicotine. As an alternative to cigarettes, vaporizers are designed to give you a hit of nicotine, without any nasty toxic byproducts or carcinogens that cigarettes often have. 

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Vaporizers come in all shapes and sizes, from small pens to larger box mods that can give you a small hit or allow you to blow big clouds (if that’s what you’re into). Since vaporizers are electronic devices, a battery is usually required. Smaller vaporizers usually contain build-in batteries but larger mods usually require a separate battery that has to be recharged in order to use it. 

The other main part of a vaporizer is the tank, that’s where you hold all of that glorious e-liquid. In order for the e-liquid to get vaporized when you press on the power button, it needs to be fit slowly into a cotton wick. A metal or ceramic coil is usually used to heat the e-liquid from a cotton wick, pushing the vapor upwards into the mouthpiece as the user inhales. 

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All of this magic is usually done behind the scenes. The vaper simply has to push on the power button to start the vaporizing process and inhale as the e-liquid is transformed into a glorious vapor that’s ready for them to inhale.  

 

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Vaping can be a personalized and tailored experience, not only can you change the temperature to find your sweet spot but there are a variety of flavors too. The best part about having a separate vape tank is that you have a few options for the atomizer customization, allowing you to enjoy an optimal experience. 

Different Types of Atomizers

When it comes to enjoying the best vaping experience, you may need to experiment a little with what suits you best. You may have heard the time RBA or “ReBuildable Atomizers”, this is a really important term to know if you plan on shopping for new vape tank parts. 

In the RBA category, you have two different types of atomizer:

• Rebuildable Tank Atomizer (RTA): this is a tank system with a rebuildable coil, you simply fill up the tank system until you’ve used all of your vape liquid up and then refill again to use it. There is quite a steep learning curve when it comes to using RTAs and they do take patience because of a few different parts. However, vaping enthusiasts swear that RTAs are the best for flavor.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Rebuildable Drip Atomizer (RDA): for this system, you have to build your own coils. That involves wrapping a piece of wire to create a coil, attaching it to your system and then also adding some cotton wick. You can build coils differently to provide your vaporizer with various resistances, it all depends on how you like to vaporize your e-liquids. To use this type of vaporizer, you have to drip e-liquid onto the wick before use. Depending on your build, type of e-liquid and coil, one drip could give you somewhere between 2-5 hits before burning the cotton. An RDA is a great choice if you like to switch up your vape juice often as you can quickly drip another flavor over your cotton and use it straight away. 
  

You may also see RDTA in vape stores and online, it means Rebuildable Dripping Tank Atomizer. It’s exactly the same as an RDA, but the key difference is that it has a tank to store the e-liquid.

The great benefit of using RTAs and RDAs is that you can build coils yourself to save costs and also custom build them to your specifications. Pre-made coils that you can buy from the store can be limited for some tanks, only letting you use certain resistances and if they turn out to be a dud, you’ll have to throw it out. RBAs are often used by purist vaping enthusiasts that want to tailor their vaping experience and take it to the next level. 

Creating your own vaporizer builds isn’t as difficult as it sounds. If you’re new to vaping, we recommend that you start with an RDA system because they’re the easiest system to learn.