Honest review time: The Nautilus AIO from Aspire

Years back when I first made the switch to vaping there was one tank in particular that really made a difference for me and from all of the stories I’ve heard over the years I know my experience has held true for countless others as well. I’m talking about the Nautilus tank or for some the Nautilus Mini but more specifically about the coils that accompanied them. Nautilus coils were long touted as some of the absolute best when it came to mouth to lung disposable coils and still are today among many seasoned vapers. They were known to produce just about the most satisfying flavour one could get from a disposable coil and that was back almost five years ago. When they first made their debut they pretty much dominated the market with their superior performance and continued to do so for quite some time. That was a long time ago though and we’ve seen a lot of trends come and go in that time. Now with the resurgence of high ohm high nicotine vaping thanks mostly in part to salt based nicotine we’ve seen the market explode with AIO(all in one) systems or as some like to call them pod mods. Aspire the company that made the Nautilus and its incredible coils saw an opportunity and decided to breathe new life in to the once market dominating disposables by combining their classic Nautilus BVC coils with a new all in one system. This one was sent over from the good folks at Pacific Smoke International for review, it’s called the Nautilus AIO and here’s what I think about it.

Package contents:

ItemQuantity
Nautilus AIO device1
1.8Ω coils (1 regular BVC & 1 for Nic Salt)2
Extra O rings2
Silicone seal1
Micro USB Cable1
Warranty Card1
User Manual1

Listed features and specs:

  • Size: 87.5x37x21mm
  • Battery capacity: 1000mAh
  • Output: 12w
  • Max charge: 1A
  • Coils: Nautilus BVC coils
  • Colours: Blue, Jade, Silver, Black, Red, Purple
  • Liquid capacity: 4.5ml (2mlTPD)

Packaging and contents:

Aspire Nautilus AIO

The kit comes packed in a demure little black sleeved box. One the front is a clean looking image of the mod next to the company and product name while on the back it lists the contents of the kit and some basic company information. Sliding off the sleeve reveals a little press board box with a jewelry box style lid bearing the name aspire stamped on in gold. Inside, the kit is held secure in a black plastic tray showing off the Aspire Nautilus AIO protected in a soft plastic sleeve along with two coils and a micro USB cable. It also comes with a user manual, a warranty slip and a little plastic bag containing a couple of extra orings and a spare silicone plug for the pod. It’s a very classy presentation that includes just about everything one would need to get started.

 

The Nautilus AIO Mod:

The Nautilus AIO is a beautiful looking device that appears to take a lot of queues from Aspires recent release the Breeze 2 another AIO device of theirs. You get a feeling of premium quality from the moment you tip the lid on the jewelry style box to when you first take the device out of its protective plastic sleeve. I got the black version which has a sort of matte satin finish that’s trimmed with shiny gold. The finish is a bit of a finger print magnet but it might just depend on the colour you get. It’s light weight being mostly made of plastic, super compact and is just a bit bigger than a typical lighter. It’s rectangular in shape but all of the edges and corners are rounded and smooth so it feels comfortable in the hand. It’s got an internal battery with a 1000mAh capacity that charges at 1A so topping up is quick and convenient. The micro USB port is located on one side of the device where you can plug it in to charge. It’s not listed but it looks as though it supports pass-through charging meaning you can continue to vape on it while it charges. On their site Aspire claims a 12W output but it’s not clear if it’s regulated or direct output but I haven’t really noticed any drop off as I’ve been using it so I’m leaning towards regulated.

On the face of the mod it’s got a single button which is used to both turn the device on and off with five clicks but to also fire it with a single press. It bears that classic Power button symbol most of us are used to seeing on computers and things like that. It lights up to indicate when it’s firing but also to show remaining battery life. When it shines blue/orange it means the battery is nearly full somewhere between 3,8 and 4.2v, when it’s solid blue it means it’s between 3.4 and 3.7v and if it’s orange it means it’s between 3 and 3.2v. It’ll also flash to indicate any kind of error like a short circuit and although they don’t list it on their site I’m quite sure it includes all of the usual safety protections we like to see on regulated devices like this.

 

The Pod:

The kit comes with a single pod which holds an impressive 4.5ml of liquid. The mouthpiece for the device is incorporated into the design of the pod and it has a sort of duckbill shape to it that’s nice and comfortable on the lips. The pods clip in to the Nautilus AIO and use a combination friction fit and a set of magnets to hold it in place. To release the pods you press two little buttons, one located on each side of the device and the pod will sort of pop out for any kind of maintenance you might need to do. On mine you do have to push pretty hard to get the pod back in to the device which I believe is caused by the protruding fill plug on the bottom which does take away from the ease of use just a bit but it’s hardly a big issue. The pods are essentially bottom airflow with the air coming in from the sides of the pod fed by two tiny little holes located in the release buttons on the sides. It’s also a bottom fill tank meaning the fill plug for the pod is located on the bottom right next to the collar that holds the coil in the tank. It is a little silicone plug that you can remove to top up the pod. The fill hole is a bit slim so if there’s any liquid in the spout it might burp out if you try and fill it too quickly. The collar that holds the coil in the pod also acts as the airflow control but the airflow slot is quite small so the range of airflow is fairly limited. It can pretty much go from a fairly tight mouth to lung draw to a very restricted direct lung but really it seems like it’s meant for mouth to lung vaping. One thing to mention is you pretty much need to empty the tank to replace the coils but that’s a common challenge for a number of devices.

 

The Coils:

Now the coils that come with this kit are what really make it special. It supports the near legendary Nautilus BVC coils that so many of us have held near and dear. Not only that but it comes with a new Nautilus BVC coil aimed specifically at salt based nicotine liquids and is labeled with NS to denote it. Both coils are rated at 1.8ohm with the original BVC coil having a recommended range of 10-14w while the newer NS branded one suggests a range of just 10-12w. Because the Nautilus AIO has a 12w output it’s pretty much a perfect match with both coils. I actually found very little to distinguish the performance between them and was getting really incredible flavour and a good amount of vapour from both coils when I tested them out. It was like a trip down memory lane and I even loaded it up with some of the liquids I first made the switch with to really complete the experience. I’m happy to say they perform just as well as I remembered and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the kit since it arrived. I do get a tiny bit of flooding if it’s been left sitting for a while but it’s a common issue with most bottom fed coils, a quick shake into a tissue and it’s ready to go.

Likes:

  • Compact size
  • Form factor
  • Look and feel
  • Build quality
  • Nautilus BVC coils!!
  • 4.5ml capacity
  • Ease of use
  • Performance, great flavour and good vapour

Dislikes:

  • Need to empty pod to refill
  • Pods are a snug fit
  • Matte finish is a finger print magnet
  • Occasional flooding

Overall:

The Nautilus AIO was pretty much exactly what I was hoping it would be. Sure there are plenty of other pod mods and AIOs on the market but this is the first one to use the original Aspire BVC coils and it works an absolute treat. It’s easy to use, provides a great initial experience and looks good while doing it. Definitely an improvement from the kit I started with but still a classic experience. It might have been a long time coming but I wasn’t disappointed in the least!! Great job Aspire and a huge thanks to PSI for sending it over!!