Aromamizer Supreme V3 RDTA (Advanced Version) by Steam Crave

Review by Jen_Turista

Steam Crave Aromamizer Supreme V3 RDTA (Advanced Version): All You’ll Ever Need Indeed!

Howdy doo my lovelies! I am here again with another hardware review, but this time we will be looking at a rebuildable device! I know it’s been out in the market for quite a while now, but I think it is still worth a look, and I am referring to the Steam Crave Aromamizer Supreme V3 RDTA!

The very kind folks at Sourcemore.com (much love, Joyi!) sent me this device for review. Sourcemoreare a very reputable vape retailer based out of China – and I can say that being one of their repeat customers. They sell a whole host of devices and supplies for your every vaping need, so be sure to check them out! Sourcemore also likes giving back to their customers, for example, using the code SUPE will get you a cheeky discount on the device we are reviewing today. Sweet, huh?

I haven’t reviewed (and owned, really) a lot of Steam Crave devices as yet. One thing I will say is that their devices are certainly unique and have an identity to them. The Aromamizer Supreme V3 RDTA is no exception to that, being a distinct Steam Crave product just based on its looks.

This RDTA comes in either the Standard Version or the Advanced Version which we are reviewing today. The difference between the two is that the Standard Version has just the single coil build deck, and the Advanced version has, in addition, a dual coil post-less build deck, plus a mesh build kit.

At the outset, I can already tell you that this atomiser is for the rebuilder or hobbyist vaper, with all the extras that come with the device alongside the usage possibilities that it offers.

So yes, there is a lot to discuss on this RDTA, folks! Let’s get down to it then, shall we?

As always, my review will be based on my experience in using this device as an average vaper.

Packaging and Contents

I was sent the retail version of the Steam Crave Aromamizer Supreme V3 RDTA (Advanced Version), containing:

• The atomiser itself, with the straight glass and 5 mm chimney installed, gives it a 6mL capacity.
• Velocity-style single coil deck, preinstalled.
• Dual coil post-less deck together with its squonk pin and extra post screws.
• Bubble glass to slightly increase e-liquid capacity to 7 mL.
• And the 7 mm chimney to be used with said bubble glass.
• 510 drip tip adaptor.
• Spares include o-rings, t-tool, post screws, and a gasket seemingly made from silicon.
• Paperwork including the user manual and sticker.
• 2 x 6 mm cotton laces for the mesh deck.

Speaking of the Mesh Deck, it comes as a kit in an inner box that includes:

• The mesh deck together with its squonk pin.
• Mesh coil bending and a shaping tool.
• Spare post screws and springs.
• 2 x SS316L mesh strips (0.15 ohm, 40-70 W).
• 2 x Kanthal A1 square mesh strips (0.15 ohm, 40-85W).

As you can see, this kit is jam-packed with accessories, and 3 deck options to choose from! Not only that, as the kit is an RDTA, there is a configuration possible to use the atomiser as an RDA by removing the chimney and glass, and adding the silicone gasket on top. It works, but personally, I think this atomiser shines more as an RTA.

You can pretty much get started right away after opening the box up, especially in the case of the mesh deck. For everything that you get with the kit, I do wish that Steam Crave include some simple fused Clapton coils for the single and dual coil decks, along with some wicks. However, as I said at the start of this review, this kit is for the rebuilder and an experienced one at that. So, I can’t really complain about not having the coils and cotton included as most rebuilders will have their own preferred supplies.

Salient Features over and above what’s already mentioned include:

• 25 mm diameter, making it friendly to most mods in the market.
• Side and bottom airflow.
• Juice control ring.
• Top-fill with a quarter-turn of the top cap.

Impressions and Experience

A. The Tank, in General

The atomiser comes in a black box that has a magnetised flip cover. The tank and all its accessories are on a compartmentalised velvet-lined foam tray, as is what I’ve seen from Steam Crave products before. Now, this is all subjective, but the packaging in and of itself doesn’t quite scream high-end to me; for example, velvet can be perceived as a bit tacky these days, to be honest. But the packaging is compact with minimal wasted space, of which I am a fan.

The Aromamizer Supreme RDTA v3 looks quite tall and imposing despite its 25 mm diameter, and this is perhaps due to the simplicity in aesthetics that Steam Crave implemented here. There is relatively minimal branding around, with the top cap having engraving that is elegantly done, and on the atomiser base with design credits. There are helpful indicators of locking/unlocking the juice control ring, and that’s about it in terms of Steam Crave making their mark on the atty. All in all, I have to say that it looks like a premium atomiser, in contrast to the packaging it came with.

Up top is a typical 810 drip tip which is very comfortable to use. The top cap is lined with silicon to help make the atty leak-resistant. Below the glass section is the juice control ring, and then underneath it is the airflow control ring. The deck slots inside and is held into the rest of the atomiser with an o-ring and the threaded base.

Disassembling the tank for cleaning is easy enough, but I did have some trouble initially with the airflow control ring. Perhaps because of storage or changes in air pressure and humidity during transport, the ring was completely unmovable with grip alone. And so, if you come across a similar situation, I’d advise you to remove the exterior metal portion of the airflow ring and check the o-ring underneath for any damage. If there is none, then all it needs is a little lubrication (stock VG should do it), and this is what I’ve done for the unit I received. Now, the airflow control ring moves with just the right amount of resistance. It’s not really a con because this can happen on any atomiser that uses o-rings for any rotating/sliding parts.

Filling the tank is very easy owing to the big, kidney-shaped holes as its fill port. Because this atty has a juice control feature, I recommend that you put the ring into the “locked” position when refilling just to help avoid any leaking issues. Once filled, then you can put this ring into the “unlocked” position to properly wick your cotton. The juice control ring functions via a sliding ring of metal that obscures/expose two wide holes at the base of the juice chamber as you rotate this ring.

The airflow control ring comes as a wide piece of metal with three main airflow settings (all open, 2 rows open, 1 row open) and no stops (infinite rotation). The rows that I’m referring to are the three rows of holes done in a sort of honeycomb style on either side of the atomiser. At its most open setting, I did get bags of airflow with only a very slight restriction. And there is effective airflow control as I cut down the rows of airflow holes open, which is always good so that it caters to those who like a more restricted DL vape.

I did not experience any leaking with this atomiser, apart from some inevitable juice/condensation collection at the base whenever I unscrewed it from the atty to swap out decks. It’s not much but if this happens to you too, I highly recommend cleaning the base before reinstalling the atty to lessen the mess. Because the decks themselves are exposed to e-liquid, swapping out decks does involve some e-liquid-to-fingers action, but again, this is a nature of the beast type of thing and should be expected. Come prepared with your towels and tissues when swapping out decks.

B. Velocity-style Single Coil Deck Build

This is the easiest deck to build on, I must say. The deck is in that quarter-pipe shape with generous space for 3 mm ID coils; I would say even 4 mm ID coils can comfortably fit into this deck. Airflow goes into the coil mostly via the holes on the side and a few holes at the bottom of the deck. One thing to note is that the post screws and post holes are really small- so bear this in mind if you’re planning to install flat and wide exotic coils in this deck. Some may not fit.

For my main build in this deck, I used a Ni80 3 mm ID tri-core fused Clapton coil that ohmed out to 0.19, which is pretty darn close to specs (0.21 as it said on the tin). I didn’t really space it out as the coil I used was flat and wide, but thankfully it fit the post holes perfectly. I positioned the coil in such a way that maximises the side airflow in addition to the bottom airflow (refer to photos).

With regard to wicking, and this actually applies to all build decks with this atomiser, I recommend wicking to the diameter of the coils used, but always ensuring that the ends are trimmed to the edge of the deck or just a couple of millimetres beyond it to be on the safe side. Additionally, I recommend thinning out the wick ends very well (I took the photos before I finished the wicking process). The thing is, the wicking wells appear to be generous but I have found that stuffing it to “just enough” or how I would normally do it, unfortunately, gets me dry hits. So thin out your wicks well and place them into the wicking wells (note that I said “place” and not “stuff”) so that they are just sitting comfortably in the wicking wells, and that should give you a pleasant vaping experience with no dry hits!

This build deck performed as I expected given the coil that I was using. Flavour was decent (7.5/10) for an RDTA, and running my build at 50W with the airflow wide open gave me enough clouds. All in all, I was quite happy with this build deck!

C. Mesh Deck Build

This was, by far, the trickiest of the three build decks! Not in terms of the coil installation but with the wicking. But let’s go through this step-by-step…

The build deck is a typical mesh build deck with 2 clamps on either end to grip the mesh strip. The middle block is not spring-loaded though, so bear this in mind too if you’re used to spring-loaded ceramic middle blocks in mesh attys (like me).

Bend the strip using the included mesh tool and slot each end into the deck. When tightening the screws, make sure that you don’t overdo it and that your mesh is level and has no kinks. Once you’re happy with the coil positioning, pulse the mesh at no more than 20W. With mesh, you always want to see the heat coming from the centre and outwards. Sure, most people will say that there is no need to pulse mesh coils, but I always do it for 2 things: 1) it gets rid of unwanted elements on the strip, and 2) it assures me of coil positioning when I see that the strip is heating up evenly.

Then comes the wicking. Over the above what I’ve mentioned in the single-coil deck section of this review, there are a few more things to keep in mind when wicking mesh coils:

1. Apart from ensuring that the wick ends are thinned very well, I recommend cutting the wick at a 45-degree angle to ensure that there is enough cotton to make contact with the mesh and that there isn’t too much going down the juice wells.
2. Always make sure that the cotton is above your mesh coil. This ensures that all of the mesh is in contact with cotton which helps prevent dry hits with mesh.
3. When tucking the wick ends into the juice wells, make sure to just “push” the cotton towards the mesh so that cotton naturally falls into the juice wells. This action also helps to ensure that the mesh is always going to be in contact with cotton. Don’t push it down the wells or stuff it down, that will only lead to dry hits.

So, I actually needed three tries to get this build deck wicking properly for me. But when I did, I was rewarded with awesome flavour (8/10), and amazingly warm for mesh! I think that is because of the small diameter of the chamber where the puff travels from the coils to my mouth, there is less room for the air to travel and so I get that warm vape even at just 40W. Overall, I am quite happy with this build deck, but I cannot emphasize enough that one must learn to wick this deck properly to get the most out of it. Dry hits with mesh are just painful and I would not wish it on my worst enemy!

D. Dual Coil Post-less Deck Build

So, I’ve said that the single-coil was the easiest, the mesh deck the trickiest, and now that we come to the dual-coil post-less deck, I have to say that this is by far the best one for me. But starting from the beginning…

The deck is relatively on the small side. You could possibly get by (and just) with a pair of 3 mm ID simple fused Clapton coils on the deck; I wouldn’t recommend anything wider than that or more elaborate exotic coils. What I did use for my build are my own wraps, a pair of 6-wrap, 2.5 mm ID simple fused Clapton coils with coil legs trimmed to about 4 mm (using a Coily tool). That gave me the exact coil positioning I wanted especially in terms of where the air will hit the coils.

Simply prep your coils, drop them into the slots, install them, and then position them as you like. I refer again to the wicking advice I gave for the single-coil deck as the exact same principles apply here.

My build ohmed out to 0.3 just as I wanted, and vaping it at 45 W was adequately warm and flavourful enough for me (8.5/10). Vaping dessert flavours, I could pick out subtle base notes such as crumble or biscuit, that I wouldn’t have otherwise using stock sub-ohm coils. I vaped my build at the most open airflow setting, and it was just blooming perfect for my kind of DL. Of course, the power applied to the coils is going to be down to your build and vape preferences, but I am confident that this build deck can handle anything you throw at it- as long as it’s not super-exotic coils more than 3 mm in ID!

This deck can also be built using a single-coil if you so wish. Just make sure that you use at least a 3 mm ID coil for this configuration, but I wouldn’t go over a 4 mm ID to ensure that the coil doesn’t get in contact with the metal chamber.

Overall: Yay or Nay?

Oh yes, the Steam Crave Aromamizer Supreme V3 RDTA gets a very solid Yay from me! If you want an RDTA that is versatile enough to give you different vaping experiences, this one is for you!

The atomiser coming with 3 decks is a huge pro, as essentially you are getting 3 atomisers for the price of one! Certainly, I can only recommend this RTA to experienced vapers used to rebuilding and have adequate knowledge of Ohm’s Law. And although there is sort of a learning curve to using this atomiser (particularly the wicking), once you’ve mastered it and tuned this RTA to your preference, it’s really difficult to put it down.

This is a worthy investment for the hobbyist, I must say!

As usual, to pick this up, head over to the links to Sourcemore at the start of the review and remember to add that code at checkout. Once again, my deepest thanks to Sourcemore.com for providing this RDTA for my review!

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This review was written by jen_turista who is very active within the vape community. You can go give her a follow on Instagram and Twitter.