Arbiter 2 Clone & Genuine

"A brilliant dual coil RTA, internally similar to the Dead Rabbit V3 & virtually identical in use. Very highly recommended for newbies & old warriors alike"

Intro

Available in both clone & genuine versions, gimmick-free, simple to set up, does what it says on the tin & imo a brilliant choice for both single and dual coil mode. I've used my own to achieve deeply profound journeys far into the realms. Highly recommended, but suggest going for the genuine model if available.

Summary

It's hard for me to fault its design. Sure it has a slightly larger juice capacity than I'd ideally prefer, plus (as usual for top airflow tanks) the base shell forms part of the juice reservoir, meaning the level will disappear from view when the juice runs low.

However in use, it's indistinguishable and just as brilliant as the Dead Rabbit V3 RTA in both single and dual coil mode. Almost identical too is its internal design & setup procedure. Sure, the Arbiter has 0.5mm less terminal gap at 7.0mm, but still comfortably fits the suggested 5.5 turns of 26x2+36 clapton for single-coil setup mode.

Given a choice between an equally-priced Arbiter 2 and Dead Rabbit V3, I'd probably take the Dead Rabbit owing to the extra 0.5mm terminal gap, slightly better build finish on some parts, and the included coil measuring tool. However this takes nothing away from the Arbiter 2, imo it's a truly excellent tank that I use regularly.

Headlines

Performs As Well As The Dead Rabbit V3 RTA Apart from a slightly different airflow sound, I wouldn't be able to tell any difference in a blind test. For our purpose, once set up with recommended coils, juice and airflow ring settings they can be considered identical. Brilliant performance across a wide range of airflows, single or dual coil modes, ideal for newbies & experienced user to achieve the full range of experiences that Dimitri has to offer.
Go For The Genuine Model If Possible The base on my clone Arbiter 2 attaches competely with only a single turn (compared to nearly 2.5 full turns for the genuine), which isn't particularly confidence inspiring. My clone Dead Rabbit V3 had the same issue and eventually refused to screw on at all, so for this reason I suggest going for a genuine model
TPD Edition Supplied With 2ml PCTG Frosted Glass If purchasing from the EU or UK, expect to receive only the PCTG "plastic" glass which restricts capacity to 2ml. This might suit some, but I really don't like it. Being frosted, it's very difficult to see the juice level. I haven't tested it, but I'd have concerns about persistent air bubbles forming in the narrow space between body & glass. Spare transparent 3.5ml "glass" glasses are available from Aliexpress but see the point below.
Replacing The PCTG Glass For a Proper Glass Version The aftermarket Yuhetec glasses from Aliexpress (link may be inacessible from USA) are not as snug a fit as I'd prefer. I haven't noted any leaking but they easily fall off during disassembly. A solution for me has been to replace the glass top O ring (inner Ø20mm x Ø1.0mm thickness) with a silicone or nitrile inner Ø13 x Ø1.5mm. Care is needed when fitting as it stretches the O ring beyond its normal diameter. However this has solved the tightness issue completely for me.
Build Quality Of Genuine Model My genuine Arbiter models are impressive and certainly way more than good enough. However under very close scrutiny, some parts don't appear to quite match the perfection of my genuine Dead Rabbit V3 RTAs. The 510 pin, screw threads and general internal finish are comparable to top tier of clones rather than genuines. However, the external appearance seems as good as I've ever encountered.

The glass fitted is a "Yuhetec" aftermarket accessory (Aliexpress), as the TPD version annoyingly includes only a PCTG frosted 2ml "glass" (on the left). Included coils are Ni80 28x3+40 5.5 wraps, ⌀3.0mm. Fitted & spare grub screws are hex head M2.5 x 3mm.

Replacing your TPD frosted glass for an aftermarket Yuhetec? The slightly loose fitting is corrected by replacing the top glass O ring for one with inside Ø13mm x 1.5mm thick. Take care when fitting, its quite a stretch.

The base on my genuine takes 2.5 turns to attach compared to only a single turn on my clone, which doesn't feel terribly secure.

Suggested Setups

Single coil pictorial guide to setting up the Arbiter 2 in single coil mode The 5.5 turn 28x3+36 Ø3mm coils supplied with the genuine models are great for Dimitri, but there isn't much space available for spreading out the windings. So if using these, be especially careful to strum/eliminate hotspots & minimise risk of electrical contact between windings. I tend to use the same coil, but with a slightly finer 26x2+36 clapton, which gives a little more clearance.
Dual coil pictorial guide to setting up in dual coil mode (not yet written) When two coils are used, this greatly expands the scope for various useable configurations. For a starting suggestion, I'd suggest a 5 turns of 26x2+36 on a 3.0mm diameter.

Pros/Cons

🙂 Performs extremely well in both dual & single coil mode across a wide range of toke rates. Very simple/rewarding to get the best from. Very highly recommended for all explorers.

🙂☹️Spare glasses (from UK at least), but those tested (Yuhetec) appear to be a slightly looser fit than ideal (see above for a fix)

🙂 Has the dual coil option, easy to achieve safe & massive Dimitri potency with a much raised max Wattage limit

🙂 Top cap and base are very easy to grip for manual removal without tools (unlike the Zeus X)

🙂 Workable clones are available, however I suggest genuine models if available

😐 Availability might be an issue in some countries

☹️ I haven't yet seen any O-ring kits for this tank

☹️ Without the TPD glass, has a higher juice capacity than I'd ideally prefer for Dimitri

☹️ TDP glass is frosted, difficult to see through and easy to stain

😐 (As is common to this design) it uses the base as part of the juice reservoir, so the level disappears from sight when there still may be useable juice remaning (depending on how it was wicked). Personally I'd rather it was like the Destiny or Mini V2 in this respect where the entire reservoir is easily visible.

Clone (left) & genuine (right) shows differences in honeycomb wall curvature (which prevents interchangeability), plus lower glass O-ring is lipped on the genuine & plain on the clone

Clone (left) also has the exposed 510 screw in the deck. Both have same terminal gap at 7.0mm and perform equally well.

I really appreciate kit that both looks nice and works well. This imo, is a fitting description of the Arbiter 2 RTA

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