Old Goat
Administrator
ADVKEN Manta RTA Review: A Leaky Love-Hate Relationship
Hey folks, Old Goat here — and today I’m talking about a tank that promised greatness but ended up giving me more headaches than hits: the ADVKEN Manta RTA. A tank that looks the part, talks a big game, and even delivers a decent vape if you can convince it not to dump half your juice all over your mod.
Spoiler alert: I couldn’t.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s take a slow, leaky walk through what was supposed to be an elegant rebuildable experience... and ended up more like a Greek tragedy in stainless steel and cracked glass.
Specs & Features (On Paper, It Sounds Fantastic)
Diameter: 24mm
Height: ~46mm (with bubble glass)
Capacity: 3ml (straight glass), 4.5ml (bubble glass)
Deck: Dual coil, velocity-style posts
Material: Stainless steel construction
Airflow: Bottom adjustable dual airflow
Fill System: Top-fill with threaded cap
Drip Tip: 810 wide bore
Threading: 510 connection
Everything about this tank reads like a solid mid-range RTA from the golden era of rebuildables. Velocity-style deck? Great for beginners. Adjustable airflow? Of course. 4.5ml capacity? Sounds lovely. But here’s the thing — just because something looks good on paper doesn’t mean it works in practice.
Build Quality & Design: Pretty, But Temperamental
I’ll give ADVKEN this: the Manta RTA looks sharp. The curves of the tank match its namesake — smooth, flowing, almost manta ray-like in silhouette. The stainless steel finish is clean, and the machining isn’t bad. Threads are passable, and the 810 drip tip is wide and comfy.
But this beauty comes with baggage.
The top cap is threaded, which is fine, but compared to modern quick-release systems, it feels a bit clunky. The airflow ring is reasonably smooth, though prone to collecting juice if (or rather, when) the tank starts leaking. And speaking of that…
Let’s talk about the bubble glass. I was barely two tanks in before mine cracked. No drops. No harsh bumps. Just sitting there, weeping quietly from the seam like it had seen too much. A fatal flaw for a tank that already struggles to contain its e-liquid.
Building & Wicking: The Real Villain
Here’s where the Manta really earns its reputation — not as a flavour machine, but as a wicking nightmare.
The deck is deceptively simple: dual coil, velocity-style posts with generous holes. Great. You’ll get your coils in with no issue. But the wicking? That’s where things go sideways.
The juice wells are just shallow enough to mess with your judgement. Tuck in too little cotton, and you’re swimming in e-liquid. Go too thick or leave your tails too long, and you get dry hits faster than you can say “what the hell just happened?”
It’s a balancing act that requires the patience of a monk and the precision of a bomb defusal expert. And even when you get it “right,” you’re not guaranteed a dry mod by morning.
Leaking: An Unwanted Feature
Let’s not sugar-coat it — this tank leaks. Not always. Not predictably. But often enough that I stopped carrying it outside the house. Nothing ruins your day like discovering your mod’s 510 has turned into a swimming pool.
I wicked carefully. I thinned my cotton. I fluffed. I tucked. I tried more. I tried less. I even begged. And still, every now and then, I’d look down and see juice seeping from the airflow holes like the tank was trying to cry for help.
If your perfect wicking job is slightly off — and I mean microscopically — you're in for a flood. It’s a harsh penalty system for a tank that should be way more forgiving.
Flavour & Airflow: The One Redeeming Trait
Now I’ll be fair — when it’s wicked just right and it’s behaving, the flavour is decent. Not groundbreaking. Not category-leading. But good.
It has a rich, warm delivery that works well with custards, bakeries, and dessert vapes. Fruits and brighter profiles feel a bit dull, lacking the clarity you’d get from something like a Blaze RTA or even the older Kylin V2. But for thick, creamy builds? It gets the job done.
Airflow is smooth, reasonably adjustable, and works well with dual coil builds. Fully open, it’s a comfortable restricted DL. Close it down, and you can tighten the draw to suit your mood. But all the airflow options in the world won’t save you from a leaking base.
Final Thoughts: Built to Frustrate, Not to Last
So here’s the blunt truth from your Old Goat:
The ADVKEN Manta RTA is a beautiful pain in the butt. It teases you with its looks, seduces you with promises of rich flavour and a smooth draw… and then slowly dribbles juice all over your hands and gear like a toddler with a sippy cup.
If you love tinkering, enjoy chasing the mythical “perfect wick,” and don’t mind keeping your tank upright at all times, maybe — maybe — you’ll get along with the Manta. But for the rest of us? There are better, more stable RTAs out there that won’t betray you at the first sign of cotton fatigue.
Pros
Cons
– The Old Goat
(Still soggy, still salty, still searching for a leak-free vape)
Hey folks, Old Goat here — and today I’m talking about a tank that promised greatness but ended up giving me more headaches than hits: the ADVKEN Manta RTA. A tank that looks the part, talks a big game, and even delivers a decent vape if you can convince it not to dump half your juice all over your mod.
Spoiler alert: I couldn’t.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s take a slow, leaky walk through what was supposed to be an elegant rebuildable experience... and ended up more like a Greek tragedy in stainless steel and cracked glass.
Specs & Features (On Paper, It Sounds Fantastic)
Diameter: 24mm
Height: ~46mm (with bubble glass)
Capacity: 3ml (straight glass), 4.5ml (bubble glass)
Deck: Dual coil, velocity-style posts
Material: Stainless steel construction
Airflow: Bottom adjustable dual airflow
Fill System: Top-fill with threaded cap
Drip Tip: 810 wide bore
Threading: 510 connection
Everything about this tank reads like a solid mid-range RTA from the golden era of rebuildables. Velocity-style deck? Great for beginners. Adjustable airflow? Of course. 4.5ml capacity? Sounds lovely. But here’s the thing — just because something looks good on paper doesn’t mean it works in practice.
Build Quality & Design: Pretty, But Temperamental
I’ll give ADVKEN this: the Manta RTA looks sharp. The curves of the tank match its namesake — smooth, flowing, almost manta ray-like in silhouette. The stainless steel finish is clean, and the machining isn’t bad. Threads are passable, and the 810 drip tip is wide and comfy.
But this beauty comes with baggage.
The top cap is threaded, which is fine, but compared to modern quick-release systems, it feels a bit clunky. The airflow ring is reasonably smooth, though prone to collecting juice if (or rather, when) the tank starts leaking. And speaking of that…
Let’s talk about the bubble glass. I was barely two tanks in before mine cracked. No drops. No harsh bumps. Just sitting there, weeping quietly from the seam like it had seen too much. A fatal flaw for a tank that already struggles to contain its e-liquid.
Building & Wicking: The Real Villain
Here’s where the Manta really earns its reputation — not as a flavour machine, but as a wicking nightmare.
The deck is deceptively simple: dual coil, velocity-style posts with generous holes. Great. You’ll get your coils in with no issue. But the wicking? That’s where things go sideways.
The juice wells are just shallow enough to mess with your judgement. Tuck in too little cotton, and you’re swimming in e-liquid. Go too thick or leave your tails too long, and you get dry hits faster than you can say “what the hell just happened?”
It’s a balancing act that requires the patience of a monk and the precision of a bomb defusal expert. And even when you get it “right,” you’re not guaranteed a dry mod by morning.
Leaking: An Unwanted Feature
Let’s not sugar-coat it — this tank leaks. Not always. Not predictably. But often enough that I stopped carrying it outside the house. Nothing ruins your day like discovering your mod’s 510 has turned into a swimming pool.
I wicked carefully. I thinned my cotton. I fluffed. I tucked. I tried more. I tried less. I even begged. And still, every now and then, I’d look down and see juice seeping from the airflow holes like the tank was trying to cry for help.
If your perfect wicking job is slightly off — and I mean microscopically — you're in for a flood. It’s a harsh penalty system for a tank that should be way more forgiving.
Flavour & Airflow: The One Redeeming Trait
Now I’ll be fair — when it’s wicked just right and it’s behaving, the flavour is decent. Not groundbreaking. Not category-leading. But good.
It has a rich, warm delivery that works well with custards, bakeries, and dessert vapes. Fruits and brighter profiles feel a bit dull, lacking the clarity you’d get from something like a Blaze RTA or even the older Kylin V2. But for thick, creamy builds? It gets the job done.
Airflow is smooth, reasonably adjustable, and works well with dual coil builds. Fully open, it’s a comfortable restricted DL. Close it down, and you can tighten the draw to suit your mood. But all the airflow options in the world won’t save you from a leaking base.
Final Thoughts: Built to Frustrate, Not to Last
So here’s the blunt truth from your Old Goat:
The ADVKEN Manta RTA is a beautiful pain in the butt. It teases you with its looks, seduces you with promises of rich flavour and a smooth draw… and then slowly dribbles juice all over your hands and gear like a toddler with a sippy cup.
If you love tinkering, enjoy chasing the mythical “perfect wick,” and don’t mind keeping your tank upright at all times, maybe — maybe — you’ll get along with the Manta. But for the rest of us? There are better, more stable RTAs out there that won’t betray you at the first sign of cotton fatigue.
Pros
- Solid flavour (when it works)
Nice design and aesthetics
Smooth dual airflow
Good juice capacity
Easy coil installation
Cons
- Nightmarish wicking precision required
Frequent leaking if not wicked perfectly
Cracked bubble glass within days
Top cap threads feel outdated
Flavour is decent, not exceptional
– The Old Goat
(Still soggy, still salty, still searching for a leak-free vape)