Massive market appeal

The highly efficient Aqua Master V2 can provide both direct-lung vaping and mouth-to-lung vaping based on the build.

By Mike Huml

Footoon’s Aqua Master V1 was a relative success. The tank received generally favorable reviews among the vapor community. It was a solid dual-coil RTA, but it was a bit stifled by the overall vapor market where RTAs are a dime a dozen. The Aqua Master V2, however, has been reimagined with an entirely new single-coil deck and a unique airflow system while retaining the original’s classic RTA aesthetic.

Unlike many other tanks and RTAs, the Aqua Master V2 is capable of providing both a true direct-lung vaping experience and a true mouth-to-lung vaping experience based on the build, airflow setting and mouthpiece. This highly efficient RTA has the potential to appeal to a wide market with its features and simplicity. The Aqua Master V2 inevitably has many features found on other tanks, such as top fill capabilities, adjustable airflow, 810 mouthpiece compatibility and an optional 4.5 mL capacity bubble glass tank section. These quality-of-life features are all but necessary for a tank in today’s market, but not all manufacturers handle these features effectively.

Fortunately, Footoon has succeeded in stretching the effectiveness of these features as far as possible. The bubble glass, for instance, brings the default capacity of 2 mL up to an impressive 4.5 mL while not adding unreasonable bulk or looking wonky. The adjustable airflow works in much the same way as any other tank: A ring at the base is rotated until the desired airflow is reached. However, the Aqua Master V2 has four notches that correspond to four very specific airflow states for both direct-lung vaping and mouth-to-lung vaping.

Filling is accomplished by unscrewing the top to reveal two very large kidney-shaped holes that allow for quick filling from any size bottle. Additionally, any 810 mouthpiece can be used, and the Aqua Master V2 is designed to incorporate a gap underneath the 810 o-ring that collects condensed vapor to reduce spitback and leaking. Even these features, while not unique, are well-thought-out and implemented effectively.

The first truly stand-out aspect of the Aqua Master V2 is that it’s designed for single-coil builds, which is a rarity these days. Dual-coil builds have largely become the standard, but single-coil builds still have many benefits. First, single-coil tanks are more efficient in terms of both battery life and e-liquid consumption with little to no impact on vapor production or flavor.

Vapers who are accustomed to dual-coil builds can literally halve the power used for their dual-coil atomizers and get the same results from a single-coil tank, and due to less vapor being produced from one coil compared to two, less liquid is being consumed. Common sense would indicate that this means less vapor production, but this has more to do with airflow rather than the number of coils, and the Aqua Master V2 can certainly provide enough airflow to produce considerable vapor. As an added benefit, single-coil builds are generally easier to use since the user need not worry about building two coils that are exactly identical in order to provide even heat among both coils.

Next is the airflow system. As mentioned above, there are four total airflow settings, two that work best with direct-lung vaping and two that are ideal for mouth-to-lung vaping. The coil receives airflow from three directions: front, back and underneath. Each can be closed off by adjusting the airflow ring. This is important because most tanks on the market can technically achieve tight airflow for mouth-to-lung vaping, but the result is generally anemic vapor production with a hit that is overly harsh. This is due to the fact that internally, the passage of airflow remains the same while the limiting factor is the adjustable airflow ring.

With the Aqua Master V2, the internal airflow is designed to work alongside the external airflow, meaning that builds designed for mouth-to-lung vaping and direct-lung vaping are equally effective and without compromise. However, it should be noted that different builds are required for maximum effectiveness. Direct-lung builds work much better when larger or more complicated wire types are used, and mouth-to-lung builds require thinner wire for the best performance.

While one can choose to switch between these two styles on the fly by simply adjusting the airflow, building with the intent of using one vape style or the other will yield better results. For mouth-to-lung vapers, the Aqua Master V2 also includes a thinner mouthpiece that’s much more comfortable.

The build itself is incredibly simple. The coil is held in place by two Allen screws that tighten downward while the coil is inserted horizontally. Coil placement is very forgiving, and getting it set to the correct alignment is intuitive and shouldn’t present any problems, even for those new to rebuilding. Tanks can be notorious for requiring precise wicking that demands a good amount of trial and error, but that’s not the case with the Aqua Master V2.

Ideally, each side of the wick should be long enough to just barely reach ends of the coil and get gently tucked into each juice flow port on either side of the coil (approximately one centimeter), but even if the wick is a little too long or too short, the tank still performs wonderfully. Wicks that are too short can lead to a small amount of leaking upon refilling, and wicks that are too long can impede wicking and cause dry hits when vaping too fast or using thick liquid. However, neither situation is catastrophic, and the margin for error is wide.

Footoon has made great use of the size of the tank as well. It’s small for a 24 mm diameter tank but still reaches nearly 5 mL of e-liquid capacity without looking bulky or being intrusively tall. It’s short enough to still give the feeling of heat when taking a drag but tall enough that spitback never presents itself as an issue. The base is stout and doesn’t contribute unnecessarily to the height. Furthermore, since the base and deck are relatively short, this means that the wick can be short as well. As such, the tank wicks very quickly, and even thick liquids at reasonable wattages can keep up with chain vaping.

So, what needed to be sacrificed in order to ensure the Aqua Master V2 could provide ideal vaping experiences for all types of vapers? Honestly, not much at all. The airflow is slightly louder than average since there are a few more moving pieces than usual for RTAs involved with the airflow mechanism. The airflow isn’t turbulent, but it’s not perfectly smooth either. The smoothest airflow is produced with the popular “honeycomb” design that uses many small holes for airflow in lieu of fewer larger holes. The Aqua Master V2 doesn’t have this level of smoothness in terms of airflow, but it’s not bad by any means, and a small price to pay for the versatility that this tank offers. Beyond that, there are no negatives to speak of.

However, users are limited to strictly single-coil builds, which could be viewed as a negative for a niche market. Plenty of other RTAs boast dual-coil or single-coil options, but the single-coil option is always an afterthought. Sometimes an additional piece is used to block one half of the build deck, or airflow is shut off on one side. It never provides a great experience. Footoon has opted to omit dual-coil capability, and the result is one of the best single-coil experiences available today. In this way, the positive aspects of a strictly single-coil tank greatly outweigh the negatives.

The build quality is also worth mentioning. All the threading is buttery smooth, and all pieces of the tank fit together perfectly. Even the laser-etched design on the upper and lower sections of the tank are a nice touch, adding a slightly more complex aesthetic without going full-on baroque. Footoon is a reputable manufacturer, and the Aqua Master V2 is a testament to its quality.

As a side note, the Aqua Master V2 is available in several finishes, including sand-blasted (matte) stainless steel. Many other tanks opt for a more polished finish, which is still available as an option for this RTA, but mods generally incorporate a more matte or brushed stainless steel finish to avoid fingerprints and smudging. As such, the Aqua Master V2’s sand-blasted stainless-steel finish looks markedly better atop many popular mods.

RTAs don’t generally receive the same fanfare as they did several years ago, but the Aqua Master V2 deserves to be recognized as not only one of the best single-coil RTAs currently on the market but as one of the best RTAs period. Very little is lost in the way of vape quality when comparing dual-coil builds to single-coil builds, but much is gained in terms of efficiency.

As mouth-to-lung vaping continues to make a comeback, the Aqua Master V2 is a great product that capitalizes on offering a great vape to many different types of vapers. It’s simple enough for new rebuilders and stands up to scrutiny for even the most advanced vapers. Direct-lung vapers and mouth-to-lung vapers can both find an ideal, uncompromised vaping experience in the Aqua Master V2 RTA.