ThunderHead Creations TAUREN RDA VORTEX 30 Review

Design & Build Quality

The Vortex 30 is a big tank with a 30mm diameter. It looks big to begin with, but where I really see the size is when I put it on a mod. It overhangs on every dual battery mod I own (and I own many), which irks me. I like a flush look with my tanks and mods, and the 30mm diameter makes it hard to find a mod that it fits onto properly.

The good news is this is the extent of my complaints about the design. Other than the size, I like everything else about this tank. The stainless steel body is precisely machined and there are no imperfections whatsoever on either of my two test units. 

The design is simple, but there’s enough going on that it doesn’t look too plain. I like the broad ridges on the top cap, and the engraved Tauren logo looks especially good on my ‘Silver Black’ tank. Silver Black is the only color where the logo is colored differently from the body so I like how it stands out a bit.

The short 810 drip tip is removable on the Tauren. The o-rings are on the drip tip, so it can be replaced with any other 810 drip tip that has o-rings.

This tank is made up of four pieces: an 810 drip tip, a top cap, an inner chamber, and a build deck. 

The top cap has 42 airflow holes on each side, for a total of 84 holes. The inner chamber functions as the airflow control. When the tank is fully assembled and sitting on a mod, the inner chamber locks onto the build deck, and the top cap can be rotated against the inner chamber to close down the airflow.

The inner chamber has a large airflow slot on either side which directs airflow down to the large airflow slots on the build deck, as well as to the airflow holes underneath it.

This setup leads to airflow going to the sides and top of the coils, as well as through the bottom and center of the coils.

Build Deck

The build deck on the Tauren RDA Vortex 30 isn’t as spacious as I expected for a 30mm tank. This is because of the large airflow walls on each side of the build deck which reduce space by about 8mm per side. This leaves an overall width of 14mm for coils.

Even with this reduction in space, there’s still enough room to comfortably install two 3mm ID coils, with room to spare. 4mm ID coils should also fit, but I didn’t try them myself.

The postless build deck on the Vortex 30 is easy to work with. The terminals are secured by hex-head grub screws, which work well, and there are extras included in the box.

Also included with the Vortex 30 are two 3mm ID Ni80 clapton coils. These coils aren’t pre-trimmed, so you’ll need to do that yourself. However, ThunderHead Creations includes a coil leg measuring block in the box.

After much trial and error, I’ve discovered that the best length to trim the coil legs is 5mm. This length ensures that they are perfectly aligned with the airflow slots on the build deck wall, ensuring optimal flavor.

Installing the coils is straightforward. Just loosen the grub screws, drop in the coils, and tighten them back up. At this point, I recommend doing a dry burn of the coils to ensure they’re heating up evenly. 

If you don’t know how to do this, I’ll run you through it real quick. Install the deck on a mod and pulse the wattage at 30-40W until you see the coils start to heat up. While you do this, strum the coils with a pair of tweezers. This will work out any hot spots and ensure that the coils heat up uniformly.

These coils are 0.28Ω each, but once trimmed and installed as a pair, my mods read them as 0.11Ω. This is fairly low resistance, so be sure that you have a good mod and an even better set of quality batteries before vaping.

Once the coils have cooled, it’s wicking time. 20mm of cotton on each side of the coil seemed to be the perfect amount to drop down into the juice well without overstuffing it. Comb, cut, and then tuck in your cotton, and you’re good to go.

Performance

It’s been a while since I’ve tried a new RDA, but I’m experienced enough to know a good one when I see one. I’ll admit that I don’t use my rebuildable tanks as often as I used to, but I still keep my Drop V2 RDA on my desk, sitting on top of a mod and ready to go for a few puffs from time to time.

Well, in the last few weeks, the Vortex 30 has handily replaced the Drop V2 as my go-to RDA. I’ve been vaping the 0.11Ω dual coil build at 120W, and it vapes like a dream. Despite the name, the ‘vortex’ airflow doesn’t feel turbulent or rough, and it’s actually very smooth and quiet.

The best flavor from this RDA occurs with the airflow wide open. Closing it down makes the airflow marginally tighter but reduces the flavor. Leaving the airflow open allows the airflow to do its full work and really hit the coil from all angles like it’s supposed to.

The wide 810 drip tip makes dripping easy, but it’s just as good when used with a squonk mod. The hollow 510 pin feeds ejuice up into the juice well nicely, and as long as the cotton is trimmed to the appropriate length, there are no issues with wicking.

Verdict

The Tauren RDA Vortex 30 is a breath of fresh air in a world of disposable vapes. The feeling of building on a new deck and experimenting to get things just right takes me back to the golden days of vaping. It’s not just the nostalgia of using an RDA, but the nostalgia of using a new, good RDA. 

This tank has everything going for it and then some: Plenty of flavor, smooth airflow, and a build deck so easy to build on that my mother could do it. Trim the coil legs to 5mm and your cotton to 20mm per side, and you’ll have an RDA experience that is as good as it gets in 2025.

The only thing I dislike about the Tauren RDA Vortex 30 is the 30mm diameter doesn’t sit flush on any of my mods. It’s an aesthetic problem, though, and not a performance one, so I guess I’ll just have to learn to live with it.

If you’re a vaper looking for a new rebuildable tank, the Tauren RDA Vortex 30 is worth the purchase.

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