OFRF are a new player in the Vaping game and originally caused quite a stir with their nexMESH next generation mesh coil. They are back with their second offering, the OFRF Gear RTA.
OFRF’s goals with the Gear RTA were to produce a compact RTA that could be used on smaller, single battery mods but still deliver a flavor intensity usually only found in RDA's used with bigger mods. And to deliver an easy wicking, easy build, single coil RTA perfect for both those new to rebuildables and advanced users alike. Did they get it right? Let’s find out how it compares to others on the market in this in-depth review.
OFRF Gear RTA Features
OFRF Gear RTA First Impressions
The OFRF Gear RTA came in a fairly small white box with the O in OFRF being a transparent viewing window into the box. The rest of the box includes fairly standard information, but is quite minimal in appearance. When you look down you see the gear logo etched into the top of the RTA – a pretty nifty aesthetic here! I received the Stainless Steel version and the other available finishes include Blue, Black, Gold, Rainbow and Gunmetal Grey. The packaging holds the rest of the items securely so they will not get damaged in transit. These are the smoked out larger Poly-carbonate tank, extra drip tip, coils, cotton, manual, screw driver and spares kit.
The OFRF Gear RTA is undoubtedly the smallest RTA I have seen, being not that much bigger than your average RDA. The build quality and attention to detail is top notch. I really like the notched out gear shape on the top of the RTA and the bottom adjustable airflow is very easy to turn. You can see the word GEAR on one side and the OFRF logo on the other when you look through the tank. The included drip tips are a unique shape that kind of buldge out from the centre and taper back into the mouth end. You have the choice of a Delrin 7mm bore or a Smoked Poly-carbonate 8mm bore, you can also use your own 510 should you wish to. The bottom of the RTA has printed branding and safety stamps, the Gold plated 510 protrudes nicely and has a German Peek insulator surround
Building and Wicking OFRF Gear RTA
The OFRF Gear RTA has a floating easy build deck with 4 terminals designed for a single coil, so you are able to choose which terminals you want to use according to which direction your coil has been wound. The terminals have a large flat head screws and are separated with a dividing wall, there is also a lip on each to minimise your coil legs slipping out. Once you have chosen which screws you will use, you simply loosen them off and install your coil underneath the over-sized flat bottom of the screw heads then cinch down accordingly. Centre the coil with a mandrel of your choice and then clip off the excess coil legs. Next give the coils a good pulsing and strum to ensure there are no particular hotspots and the coils are glowing evenly.
Wicking the OFRF Gear RTA is a breeze given it comes with shoelace cotton. Simply slide the shoelace end into the coil and pull firmly so the cotton is even on both sides. Cut each side so the cotton is roughly in line with the base of the RTA and then stuff down into the generous sized juice channels. Prime the cotton and coil and you are ready to get down to business. Screw the top cap off and fill the tank – the smaller glass tank holds just over 2ml (TPD complaint) of e-liquid and the larger one holds just over 3ml. I have no doubt you can pretty much use any filling bottle or tip here given the fill ports go in 2 semi circles almost around the whole diameter of the RTA.
OFRF Gear RTA Performance
With the supplied coil, the build came in at 0.37 ohms and I found that between 45 and 50 watts was the sweet spot. At this wattage range I found that I was getting top flavour right off the bat. I don’t think the OFRF Gear RTA is designed to be a high wattage monster, given the proximity of your mouth to the coil – I believe it shines with less exotic coils that will work with the domed design to deliver top notch flavour as the most important priority. I think this would appeal to a lot of vapers out there who carry their vape around all day, as less wattage contributes to increased battery life.
I think the airflow really compliments the design of the OFRF Gear RTA and is by far an airy vape. I also wouldn’t describe it as being restrictive either – it settles somewhere in the middle and is very efficient for what it is meant to do. The adjustable airflow does stop at fully open, so you can’t freely rotate it, which I personally prefer to an endless adjustment.
Given the proximity of the juice wells to the coil, I have not experienced any dry hits at all and the wicking really seems to keep up well. I have not experienced any spit-back with this build, most likely to do with how tight the cotton is through the wick – you can get away with this because of how close the juice is coming up through the ports to the coil. There has been no leaking to speak of, which is great for a bottom airflow RTA. The OFRF Gear RTA is very thirsty, so prepare to fill this puppy often. I opted to run with the bigger tank to extend the filling period, however make sure you have a juice bottle handy when you are out and about with this one.
Pros and Cons
Conclusion
In conclusion the OFRF Gear RTA is a fantastic performer that is very simple to use and looks great. All of the extras included are a nice touch and the manual is actually easy to understand and follow. The build quality is next to none, the airflow is perfect and it really puts out some crazy flavor.
The only drawback I can find on using the OFRF Gear RTA is that it is thirsty. You do need to fill it often and will need to take a stash of e–juice with you on your travels. It’s not such a problem really in comparison to the performance it delivers I can live with that.
All told I think the OFRF Gear RTA is a really solid performer and I will continue to use it daily. It’s super easy to build on, small and convenient with a superb flavour output. If you are in the market for a small RTA that packs a punch, I would have no hesitation on recommending you pick one up.
I hope you enjoyed our OFRF Gear RTA review. As always, thanks for reading and feel free to leave any questions or comments below!