User Level – Intermediate to Advanced
Ease of Use – 3
Quality – 4
Durability – 4
Price Range – $45 to $50
Overall Rating – 3.75
Typically, when you see the name Sigelei on a product, you are confident that what you are getting is a quality piece of vaping equipment designed with the best performance for the end user in mind. Their reputation for mods is superior in the industry, and I have never heard of a user having a big issue with one. It’s been quite a while since they put out a new atomizer of any type, and of course this had the community racing to pick one up. With the increase in RTA demand as users try to match the performance they get from regular sub tanks, a company with a reputation like theirs should have been a blessing to the market. Unfortunately, the Moonshot just doesn’t live up to the hype.
The Moonshot is the latest in a recent upswing of sub ohm capable RTA’s taking over market demand. The desire makes sense, since most sub tanks run on coil packs costing $6 or more each that only last a couple weeks at the outside. The RTA option for tanks has been around for a long time. Typically, you can purchase a separate RTA adapter, or in some tanks they come with one. Usually they are pretty limited and not enjoyed by users without modifying them for better liquid flow. The new push for RTA only sub tanks lets users have the performance of an RDA without the need to drip every couple hits. Most are rated to 150 watts, however the Moonshot boasts for operation up to 200 watts to be more in line with the majority of regulated mods on the market right now.
On the surface, the Moonshot appears to be a solid design: adjustable airflow, Delran wide bore drip tip, quality stainless steel construction. It comes with a replacement glass and two different size allen wrenches, along with replacement screws and gaskets. Once you disassemble it, the issues become apparent quickly.
The build deck is a two post design, situated close to the deck itself. The airflow holes sit at an equal height to the posts meaning the user has to place their coils above the deck space significantly which also reduces the size of wire and coils that can be installed. The build deck actually separates from the base with the airflow ring, with the positive post serving to hold everything together on the deck. When reassembled a notched sleeve sits over the build deck and then screws in to the base plate to secure the two pieces together. The chimney and glass assembly then screws in to the top of the sleeve.
The tank itself is small, even for a 22mm size tank, only holding about 1.5ml of liquid. Because of the size of the sleeve, juice flow to the ports actually becomes constricted easily – especially with heavier VG liquids which you would want to run in a sub tank at higher wattages. This leads to dry hits when you get above 70 watts on an almost constant basis no matter how you wick or build your coils. After several different builds, I actually ran in to the build deck no longer wanting to seat low enough to let the positive pin connect fully and read. That meant full disassembly AGAIN and troubleshooting to see where the issue was.
Overall I have to say that I am incredibly disappointed in the product. Although it may be capable of mechanically taking 200 watts, the limits in coil size and constriction of liquid flow to the deck keep this from really being achievable. The height on the build deck for not only the posts but the airflow holes makes this a challenge that’s worse than dealing with the RTA kits for normal sub tanks. In a tank that is strictly an RTA operation, this makes it a poor choice compared to just about every other RTA out there. This is one of those times that it’s better to save your money and wait for them to correct the design shortcomings in a “version 2” than sour yourself on the Sigelei brand all together.
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