Steve K's Vaping World

I have taken an interest in rebuildable tanks lately.  This is partly out of a desire to throw a ton of wattage at a tank, and having something reliable that will last a long time in the current political environment is a pretty good idea.  In that spirit, GeekVape hooked me up with their new flagship RBA, the Griffin 25 Plus.  So that means it’s review time!

Disclosure I received this product for review purposes from GeekVape.  This review contains affiliate links.

Specs and features

To say the GeekVape Griffin 25 Plus is full-featured is a bit of an understatement.  I’ll run down some of the highlights here, but check out GeekVape’s product page for all the details you want.

• 5ml capacity
• Glass tank
• Adjustable bottom airflow
• Binary top airflow
• Included non-adjustable airflow top
• Adjustable e-liquid flow control
• Multi-tool and a ton of extra gaskets included
• Velocity-style build deck
• Single coil adapter

Unlike several other RDAs I’ve reviewed in the past, the Griffin doesn’t come with any pre-built coils or cotton.  While I would love to have the clapton coils that are pictured on the product page included, I certainly understand why there’s no pre-builts.  This is a pretty serious tank and I imagine most people would prefer to roll their own coils.

There’s one drawback, and that is that I can’t give an accurate review of vapor production since it depends a lot on the coil build.  I built a pair of coils using the Coilmaster jig which results in a net resistance of .24 ohm.  I’ll use that as a general reference.

Design

The GeekVape tank is of course a decently sized tank considering it has a 5ml holding capacity.  I got the stainless version, but it’s also available in black.

At the bottom of the tank you’ll find the very large air control slots.  The positive connector pin is also adjustable if you happen to have a vaporizer that’s a bit picky about contact.

Inside is a fairly typical setup for this type of tank.  There’s a chimney attachment that fits over the build deck.  The chimney is slotted which serves as the e-liquid flow adjustment.  You tighten or loosen the tank between the glass and the base to adjust the size of the liquid port.

This is great, but I found myself forgetting about that feature a little too frequently, which did result in the occasional leak or burnt cotton.  I chalk that up mostly to user error.

The build deck is a very open and large platform, making it easy to mount coils.  There’s two sets of eyelets so you have one for each coil.  If you prefer the mono coil approach (you hipster) there’s a little silicone widget included that you can use to block off the liquid and air holes, a very nice touch.

Speaking of air holes, the deck uses a design that features two ports that are located directly below the coil area to ensure plenty of air hits the coil on the way up.

Air travels up the chimney stem and to one of two top caps.  The pre-installed version is the one with the air control.  There’s not really an adjustment exactly.  It’s more a matter of either covering or uncovering the holes.

Honestly, when it came to vaping, I didn’t really notice that much of a difference.  The alternate top cap is shorter because it lacks the air control.  Also, that cap is made of plastic so it’s a little less likely to burn your lips if you get crazy with the voltage.

And get crazy with the voltage I did.  For the most part, I cruise with this setup at the 70-80 watt range.  It can go higher, but things do get a bit dicier. I think that may come down to my coil build and how well I managed to pack the cotton.

Which brings me to…

Leaks

I’ve come to the decision that it’s just damn near impossible to work with an RBA tank and not have some leaks.  This is particularly true when you replace the cap after refilling.  When you close the tank, it’s going to displace some air, that usually ends up meaning liquid will rush out the nearest opening.

Whether or not this leaks depends on a lot of factors including how thick your e-liquid is (I tend to use a higher PG concentration, so the liquid is thin) and the amount of cotton you use in your coil builds.

Determining the right amount of cotton is a bit of a black art, too much and you get dry hits, too little and it’s flood town.

Of course I’m an idiot.  Geekvape mostly solved this issue but I keep forgetting to actually use the e-liquid control feature.   If you close the eliquid port all the way, it’s not going to flood.  You can then slowly open it to control the amount of liquid that enters the chamber.

I will also mention that the non-airflow control top cap absolutely sucks for leaking.  If you use the airflow control cap and leave it open when you put the cap back on, some of that extra air pressure comes out the top vents.  The control-less cap pushes everything down instead.

I suppose I should get used to mastering the fine art of leak control.  As I said before, I think rebuildable tanks are a necessity these days.  GeekVape has produced a pretty stellar example in the Griffin 25 Plus.  The performance is great, and if you remember to use the features the right way, you can even fill it without dumping half your e-liquid all over your hand.

This is a tank worth consideration.  You can pick one up at Heaven Gifts for around $40  Don’t forget I have a coupon code.  Use ASTEVEVAPE to save 15% on your entire order.