Published on December 30th, 2015 | by AJ
0510 Kabuki Tank Review | Vape Tank Review
In an industry dominated by imports, House of Hybrids represents one of the most celebrated names in American vapesmithing, and one look at their new 510 Kabuki Tank tells you everything about how they operate.
Crafted in the USA from surgical grade stainless steel and fused quartz glass, the Kabuki Tank is designed as the pinnacle of quality, performance and ease of use, delivering the full flavor of an RBA in a ultra-convenient modular tank design.
Premium vapeware enthusiasts have been clamoring for a run with it since it was announced, and this 510 Kabuki Tank review just might be the grand unveiling of the world’s best clearomizer.
510 Kabuki Tank Specs
- Tank Material: 316L Stainless Steel and Fused Quartz Glass
- Thread Type: 510
- Tank Capacity: 3ml
What’s New- 510 Kabuki Tank
The Kabuki Tank is the latest offering from House of Hybrids, one of the sole large-scale domestic producers of vapes and vape accessories.
Its innovative design is aimed at user friendliness, as it uses standard Nautilus-type drop in replaceable coils to make industry leading performance accessible to even the laziest vaper.
It also has a precision adjustable airflow control system with unlimited settings.
Compatible Mods- 510 Kabuki Tank
iStick 50 Watt
Eleaf earned its goodwill in the vaping community with the original 20 watt iStick, and followed it up with the even more popular iStick 50 Watt Mod.
The iStick 50w features an eye-catching profile as well as a huge 4400mAh battery to keep it going for days on a single full charge.
So it’s an excellent partner for an elite-level clearomizer like the 510 Kabuki Tank. We examined the 50 Watt iStick in a full review here on BC, so increase your awareness of this capable little mod by giving it a read.
ZNA 50w Mod
If you already have a collection of external batteries for your arsenal of vapes, why not put them to good use with the ZNA 50 Watt Mod?
The ZNA 50W is a pocket-size mod with adjustable wattage from a base of 7w, and is powered by interchangeable battery tubes for use with 18650 or 18500 type batteries. As an added bonus, its’ retro-feeling design will definitely help you pick your mod out of a lineup.
More than enough black aluminum rectangles out there, eh? Look out for a review of the ZNA 50w Mod here on BC, it’s sure to end up on these pages by reader demand.
Performance
You’ll take notice of the polished look and quality materials of the Kabuki Tank, sure, but the performance aspect is where it really caught our attention.
The Kabuki turned out some of the best vaping we’ve ever seen in testing.
It actually became the source of some controversy at our offices, as the BC team member assigned to review the Kabuki Tank exhibited an unusually low willingness to share it with other staffers (because he is not technically obligated to and is hoarding it for work purposes, so there).
The Kabuki tank exhibits flavor comparable to—or even better than—standbys like the Aspire Nautilus and Kanger Subtank.
Thick, warm vapor cascaded forth from the Kabuki Tank with every draw, and even lower wattage settings delivered big flavor.
The airflow control setup is nothing short of amazing.
Once you discover your ideal airflow level, you might never have to adjust it again, including when you have to refill or remove your tank.
It’s something you don’t realize is annoying until you don’t have to do it any more.
There was no significant leakage during testing, and the Kabuki Tank handles thicker eJuices with ease.
Build Quality
As the presentation of the unit suggests, the Kabuki Tank is an extremely high quality unit, which is how it gets its relatively steep price tag.
While it might not be 3 for $10 at your local vape shop anytime soon, the Kabuki Tank justifies the investment level by being built to last a lifetime.
The 316L Surgical Steel used to build the Kabuki Tank is the best structural metal in the industry. If you have any piercings, that’s what they’ve jammed in your hole.
The fused quartz glass used for the tank portion is (obviously) made from fused quartz, which was once prized for its exceptional clarity and durability in its use in ancient artifacts known as wristwatches.
In case the heavy-duty construction isn’t enough to convince you this is a potential family heirloom, it’s also backed with a lifetime warranty that covers the entire unit (minus the glass, o-rings and replaceable coil).
It also comes with a stand that holds the included allen wrenches, which doesn’t relate much to the actual build of the unit itself, but speaks to House of Hybrids’ commitment to turning out the best product on the market.
Threading
Along with the 510 threaded model reviewed here, the Kabuki Tank also comes in a Z2 threaded variant for compatibility with other mod types.
Compare With…
Aspire Nautilus
The Aspire Nautilus has been one of the most popular tanks on the market for a while now, and it’s not going anywhere as a basic option.
Although it can’t quite match up to the performance of the Kabuki Tank, it presents an outstanding level of performance at a great value.
We took a look at the Nautilus a while back on BC, so give it a look if you want to learn more about a modern classic in vaping.
Kanger Subtank Mini
The Kanger Subtank line was once viewed as the best hardware in the game, but that may change with the inevitable proliferation of the Kabuki Tank.
From the original to the over-sized Subtank Plus, the Subtank family is highly respected in general, but because of its pure tank build and smaller capacity, the closest match to the Kabuki Tank is the Kanger Subtank Mini.
There’s a review of it here on BC if you have a few minutes to spare.
We Would Have Liked to See…
Industry trends tell us the time of the objectively perfect clearomizer is almost upon us, and although the 510 Kabuki Tank isn’t quite it, it’s just about as close as it gets.
The only commentary resembling a complaint that we have about the Kabuki Tank is its unremarkable 3mL capacity.
3mL was pretty much the standard for a long time, but in a time were capacities on standard tanks are fast approaching the 10mL mark, the Kabuki Tank can feel a bit limited for the heaviest vapers.
Still, refilling the Kabuki Tank relatively often becomes a little easier when you think about the level of performance you’re about to experience.
Overview
Overall, it’s hard to do anything but recommend the Kabuki Tank after a few days attracting jealous glances with it.
If you’re looking for great performance and don’t have time in your life to rebuild coils and such, the 510 Kabuki Tank is what you’ve been looking for.
Is it a bit on the expensive side? Sure, but you’ll have it forever, or at least until your memory goes and you start leaving your valuables on the bus. If you can afford the Kabuki Tank, buy it.
If you can’t, start saving, or preferably have someone else buy it. Either way, you’ll be getting a tank