We were stoked when we saw the Moonshot RDTA released. It’s got a rather unique aesthetic and a really compact design. It looks right at home on any mod but also looks great on high end devices. Let’s see how it stacks up…
There is a real industrial flair in the overall design aesthetic. Sigelei’s partnership with California based Suprimo Vape is really elevating Sigelei’s product offerings, we are stoked to get our hands on a Sigelei 213 mod shortly which is also a result of this partnership. The design thinking and overall execution is rather innovative, but at a pretty big cost, usability. Suprimo has rethought the build deck, placing the post holes below the airflow intakes which allows for a more compact design while still creating enough back pressure to stop leaking. The Moonshot has a similar build process to the Pico RTA, the deck removes from the base and is secured to it by the vapor chamber center barrel. With both attys this is done to allow for their compact design, but to build is simply a pain in the ass. There has been thought to help with this, you can loosely secure the deck with an allen key to place your coils and wicks.
Flavour should be incredible based on the design, being so compact and with very little distance for the vapor to travel it should garner rich flavourful vapor. But in actuality it’s good, but not outstanding. This again is an example of poor form over function, great performance isn’t equated just on Flavour and Vapor, it’s the overall experience (Flavour, Vapor, Building, Wicking, Rewicking, Filling, and Refilling).
The Airflow and Draw are great, a nice restricted lung hit that you can dial back as you see fit with the AFC. We have noticed that shutting down the AFC too much will affect the performance, the Moonshot needs a decent amount of air in the vapor chamber or it will effect flavour quite a bit. So basically don’t shut it down more than half.
Wicking is a a finicky process. It’s a balancing act of enough cotton to stop the tank from leaking, but also allowing proper wicking to give you the best performance. The wicking procedure is some odd thinking, you basically wick your coils and then place the vapor barrel over top, then trim to the circumference of the deck, and then shove in the tail ends to allow you to close the chamber so you can secure it to the deck. It’s a tiny little deck and chamber barrel, you need to be patient, and use a cotton hook for sure. There is a bit of flaw in the design in our opinion, there is a protruding lip near the top of the vapor chamber to allow for the chimney threads, this lip seems to block/impede air bubbles during the wicking process. Smoothing this out would improve wicking dramatically, but may be necessary as part of the back pressure equation (so might not be possible).
The build we found worked best was a 24awg, 2.5mm, spaced 5 wrap, dual coil coming in at 0.25-0.3 Ohm run at 50-60W (not pictured). It’s a nice warmish vape, with decent flavour. The advertised promise of 200W seem ridiculous to us, the Moonshot wicks well, but not enough to handle that kind of power for an extended period. We have noticed our wick seems to need to be changed more frequently than other attys. So dealing with this awkward build and rewick process just gets on your nerves. There is very little room of user error, this is definitely for the more experienced builder.
Filling the tank is pretty easy, the threads on the top cap are smooth, and you are able to get it off easily every time. The fill ports are nice and large, but it’s still best to use a narrow fill tip so you don’t get any juice on the inner ledge of the top (if you do, it gets messy on close). We haven’t really experienced any leaking, but it does seem to sweat just enough through the AFC for you to need to use vapor towel (paper towel) on every refill. If you like to keep things clean and tidy this atty might not be for you, it’s definitely a messy one. We find it’s best to remove the atty from your mod for every refill to get the tidiest results.
It’s up to you, are you more interested in how it looks on your mod or how the overall experience of using the Moonshot will effect your daily vape? To us it’s not worth the trouble. It’s beautiful, but a pain in the ass to build and wick, and is a messy fill and refill (which you do frequently based on its size and capacity). We have to give props on the design thinking and creativity but there is more work to be done. There has to be a way to make it easier to use. The packing is dope as hell, some of the best we have ever seen. The price is set too high, this mass produced in Asia, there is no way it needs to cost the same as locally produced attys.
In the end, sorry guys you didn’t make it to the moon.
Wow, I usually find you guys nail your reviews, but I’m reluctant to admit: I think you kissed the mark on this one. While I will admit the build deck not being attached to the base does make building an unnecessary hardship and burden, but in terms of performance, specifically flavor, the moonshot is a beast IMHO. I own my fair share of attys and I get the best flavor by a wide margin from my moonshot. I dunno, maybe you guys gave up on her too quickly, before you really nailed the build or the wicking, I can’t say for certain because I didn’t see your build, but I can say with confidence: the moonshot is capable of providing exceptional flavor, vapor, and an overall incredible vapre experience. I think you should honestly revisit this device. Maybe check out some forums or Reddit posts for building suggestions and tips.
No disrespect, I just think you guys missed the mark on this one and it’s a shame because even with that stupid detached build deck it’s still my favorite rta to date and one of my daily drivers because of how extraordinary the gape I get from her is. Maybe you didn’t vapre it at a high enough wattage? I find I get the best performance in the upper 70’s i.e. like 77-79 watts with anything from a basic round wire dual 3 mm-id micro coil build, to dual fused 28/36 fused claptons, it doesn’t really matter I find, as long as your build comes out around 0.35 ohms. You fire a .35 ohm build at 77.5 watts, give or take a watt by taste, ( given it’s built and wicked correctly of course) and I defy you to tell me she’s not putting out phenomenal flavor.
All the best, keep up the great content guys
Sorry but i think you need to understand the Moonshot a little bit more.
Mine never leaked, even with slightly lesser cotton for the wick and probably wicking is a hassle for you depending on your preference. I did not have to change wick regularly either!
Flavor and Vapor is a beast on this one!
I have my build at 0.2/24awg/6 wraps ⚡️
Best RTA i ever had. Will NEVER give her up.
Hey BlackJack,
If it works for you, great! Still doesn’t change our opinion. Its an awkward atty with more trouble than benefits. We all get to choose what we like right? Vape on!