Nautilus Prime X Kit by Aspire
Review by Jen_Turista
Aspire Nautilus Prime X Kit + RDTA – How AIO’s Should Be!
Good day folks, Jen here for another hardware review to feast your eyes on! Today, we are going to be looking at the Aspire Nautilus Prime X Kit together with its RBA, both provided to me for review purposes by Sourcemore, with my kindest thanks!
And yes, my lovelies, you read that right- this review includes the Nautilus Prime X RDTA too!
Sourcemore.com is one of the biggest vape retailers based out of China. They are very well-known in the vape industry for the variety of vape kits and parts they sell, as well as their reliability and excellent customer service. I can speak about this as I am also a paying customer with Sourcemore, having taken advantage of their flash sales from time to time (you guys should look out for those too to get some bargains!).
So, onto the Aspire Nautilus Prime X. Yes, it does sound like a Transformer but even though it isn’t, it really is a great kit to own. We will dissect all the reasons why as we dive down into this review, together!
But first, let’s talk about Aspire. Aspire is a truly world-renowned e-cigarette brand, from their classic starter kits (bet most of us had an Aspire Pockex at one point) to their sub-ohm devices, and most recently, their collaborations with high-end mod-makers like No Name. Their name on a device has become to mean quality and reliability, and this is proven true from my own experiences as well as of people I know.
Personally, I quit smoking using an Aspire Zelos 2 (and paid a premium for it, at the time!), and so I can admit that Aspire has a special place in my heart and in my quit-smoking journey. The Zelos 2 tank is still one of my favourite MTL tanks despite the really fiddly coil change system it has.
However and as always, this review will be based on my experience of testing this kit as an average vaper, as most of you guys reading this review will be!
Packaging and Contents
I was sent the retail version of the Aspire Nautilus Prime X Kit containing:
- The mod/device uses an external 18650 battery.
- A pod for the Nautilus coils that can hold 4.5 mL of liquid.
- A pod for the BP coils that has a 4mL capacity.
- 0.7-ohm Nautilus Mesh coil preinstalled in its respective pod.
- 0.3-ohm BP Mesh coil preinstalled in its respective pod.
- A USB-C charging cable.
- User manual, warranty card.
Available for separate purchase, the Aspire Nautilus Prime X RDTA pack includes:
- The RDTA with an 810 drip tip.
- Screwdriver.
- 510 drip tip adaptor (no 510 drip tip, though).
- Spare screws and o-rings.
- Instruction card.
Salient Features of the kit and RDTA are:
- Both pods provided are compatible with existing Aspire coil platforms, and the very popular Nautilus coils line. And yes, even the Nautilus and BP RBAs.
- Mod ranges from 1W-60W in power using the ASP chipset.
- Reads 0.1 ohm to 3.5 ohms.
- 2A fast charging (I always recommend using external chargers).
- Lightweight at 110g and made from zinc alloy and leather, with PCTG for the pods.
- Measures 91 x 45 x 25 mm.
- RDTA has a single coil deck that is detachable. This is a really cool feature and I will tell you why in a bit!
- Adjustable airflow is present in both the mod and the RDTA.
Impressions and Experience
The kit and RDTA are boxed nicely, in the classic Aspire format and colourway.
The kit packaging has a coloured photo of the device that is glossy and embossed. Package contents, manufacturer information and socials adorn the outside packaging. The kit itself sits on a tabbed tray, with the kit accessories underneath. Overall, a simple and yet effective presentation of the kit. It doesn’t exactly scream premium, but it doesn’t look cheap either. It’s done just right.
The RDTA packaging has an illustration of the RDTA in front, and as with the kit, has contents and manufacturer information listed around the box.
The kit, as a whole, looks way better than its stock photos, I must say! It looks compact and robust. It is also very comfortable to hold and handle even if it looks to be a boxy AIO.
The Aspire Nautilus Prime X is supposed to be a follow-up on the Nautilus Prime, released around a year earlier. Now, I don’t own a Nautilus Prime, and so I can’t really do a fair comparison for you guys. But based on looks alone, I’d say that the Prime X looks much, much better than its predecessor, in addition to having more features packed in.
A. Pods and Coils
As far as AIOs go, you really do get a lot for your money with this kit. The 2 pods provided provide plenty of liquid capacity, and even if they are tinted, I can still see my e-liquid levels well enough when the pod is not installed in the mod. When installed, then, unfortunately, the liquid levels become hard to see due to the mod’s design blocking out light coming through the pods.
The pods are side-fill and come with removable Delrin 510 drip tips, with the one that comes with BP pod being of a wider bore for comfortable DL vaping. As a major pro, you can use your own drip tip with these pods, and this is how I’ve used the Nautilus pod for MTL vaping. I installed the 510 drip tip from my Aspire 9th RTA, which gave me the perfect MTL draw and warmth to my liking! Now, that doesn’t mean that the stock drip tip isn’t good; I just changed the drip tip to achieve the vape experience I want. And if you know MTL vapers, then you’d know how obsessive we can be about draw and warmth… but that is a topic for another day!
The coils press-fit into the pods, with the Nautilus coil screwing onto an adaptor base and BP coil as a direct fit.
The Nautilus 0.7 ohm mesh coil (20-25W) is a coil I am very familiar with. It is an “old reliable”: the flavour is consistent and better than average (7/10), with the coil lasting a fair while too. My style of MTL vaping is more on the medium to loose side, and so this coil suits me perfectly in terms of draw, warmth, and cloud density. With the pods being compatible with all Nautilus coils though, you will have a world of options here, from very tight to very loose MTL, as Aspire’s Nautilus platform is one of the most extensive ones in the industry.
The BP 0.3 ohm mesh coil (30-40W) is a great RDL performer, especially with the mod’s airflow control dialled right into your taste. I didn’t need to break this coil in (or the Nautilus coil, for that matter), with it producing a nice and crisp flavour (7/10). I did find that, to achieve the warmth I want, I used this coil near its 40W limit most of the time with the airflow around halfway open. Of course, the warmth drops off a little as more air is let into the coil.
Overall, a very pleasant experience using these pods and coils; I can’t really complain about much. The only thing I’d tell you to look out for is some (inevitable) condensation at the base of the coils, so I strongly recommend that you uninstall the pod from the mod when not in use.
B. Mod/Device
This mod looks unassuming, but boy, does it pack a punch!
Starting with the overall design and layout, I really need to applaud Aspire here for what they have produced: everything tells me that they have given careful thought and consideration as to how their product will look and function!
Although “Nautilus Prime” is printed in big letters on the leather, it is done in an unobtrusive fashion, and the same goes with the Aspire logo on the mod. The mod buttons are positioned in a way that would allow you to control the device on one hand, even the airflow control! The clicky fire button and up/down buttons are found on one side and opposite the side-mounted USB-C port (pro again here for being able to charge/update the device in an upright position!). The airflow control and screen are found on what I would consider being the front of the mod.
The 0.96” TFT colour screen displays vaping data like wattage, volts, amps, ohms, puff counter, puff time, and battery life in bar AND percentage which is always very useful. The screen is crisp and bright even in the sun; however, I feel like the layout could be improved as the voltage, ohm load, puff counter data are all way too small to read at a glance.
Operating the mod couldn’t be any easier as well:
- 5 clicks on and off.
- 3 clicks to lock and unlock the adjustment buttons (mod still fires).
- Pressing both up and down buttons simultaneously brings the menu up to change mode, UI colour (has a 5-colour palette), and brightness.
- Press the fire button to confirm a selection once inside the menu.
The mod is a fast scroller that goes by 0.5-watt increments in short presses, and 1-watt increments for longer presses. The ASP chipset gives you choices of operating modes between wattage, voltage, bypass, and auto (recommended for stock coils). It also fires super-fast with no discernible lag. And when pushed to nearing 60W of power (using the RDTA), I could feel that the mod still kicks out true or very close to 60W of power.
The airflow control is one of the best features of this mod. Of all the AIOs I’ve used to date, this one has the most precise airflow control for both MTL and DL. It has the perfect amount of tension to adjust on the fly and keeps its position despite accidental nudges from being placed inside pockets or purses.
The sliding battery door is at the bottom of the mod, with clear marks for battery placement. The door appears to be sturdy and durable; my only con with it is that it was very tight to operate. It could be just the unit sent to me and it could loosen up over the length of use, but I thought it’s worth mentioning just the same.
If in a pinch, this mod seems to charge cells quite quickly and well! The mod doesn’t get warm at all, and what I love most about charging with it is that it displays the time remaining to full charge, leaving any guesswork out!
C. RDTA
The RDTA doesn’t come with the kit as standard, but if you are getting this kit, I strongly recommend picking up the RDTA as well!
It was very easy to build on the deck, with generous wicking holes, big screws for the leads, and a 510 connection to easily test builds on a regulated mod. The pod itself detaches from the deck, which then allows you to precisely cut your wicks after you’ve passed them over the wicking wells, which is something you can’t always do with RDTAs. The pod is filled via a push to fill hole on the deck, which I was wary of at first given my experiences with push to fill pods (*shudders*). But this one pleasantly surprised me in that it actually works, and you don’t need a ton of pressure to open the fill valve which means no backflow of juices!
The RDTA has a top airflow system with no stops and comes with a chamber made from Ultem. The chamber is shaped to fit the coil and deck precisely, which effectively narrows it, and that is one of the things that contribute to the amazing flavour from this RDTA!
With the builds I ran, I had no dry hits whatsoever. This RDTA wicks beautifully and consistently whilst chucking out one of the best flavours I’ve ever had from a pod system.
The airflow control does work, and I even tried an MTL build with it successfully! That is with the 510 adaptor, drip tip, and airflow closed around 80%, of course. The RDTA is presented pretty much as a DL accessory but with the right combination of accessories, one can achieve a medium to loose (and very flavourful) MTL with this RDTA.
But nothing is perfect and as amazing as this RDTA is, there are a couple of things that I think are worth pointing out. One of these is the condensation build-up: a narrow chamber means amazing flavour but can also mean that air can’t escape that easily leading to condensation at the top of the RDTA. Another is that it can sometimes be tricky to place the cap/chamber back on the deck- you have to find the right fit and then push it down to make sure everything fits snugly.
The 810 drip tip that came with the RDTA was OK but I preferred using my own as I found it to be a little too chunky for my small mouth!
As a building tip: I recommend trimming the wicks in such a way that about 5mm of it pokes out from under the deck. If the wicks are too long, then the RDTA may find it hard to wick, and too short may cause the deck to flood.
Overall: Yay or Nay?
An abso-effin-lute Yay for me for the Aspire Nautilus Prime X Kit and RDTA! This kit has got everything I could wish for from an AIO, and the RDTA accessory just takes it to the next level!
The flexibility to use Nautilus or BP coils, the ergonomics (it’s crazy how comfortable this kit is to use!), the truly effective airflow control, flavour off the coils and more – there are just so many reasons to invest in this kit versus its competition. I really love using this kit. In fact, it has dethroned another AIO in my vaping arsenal as my “travel AIO” with how well it performs and suits my needs.
This is a great kit for a beginner due to the excellent MTL vape that can be had with it, for as long as the beginner is comfortable using 18650 cells safely. I can confidently say as well that experienced vapers will enjoy this kit, especially those who vape at around 20-40W as either MTL or RDL just because of the sheer vape quality it gives. Yes, I did mention some cons throughout the review, but none of these would dissuade me from buying this kit myself.
Would I replace it if I ever lost it? Oh yes, I will! That’s just how crazy good this kit is.
Once again, my sincerest thanks to Joyi and Sourcemore for allowing me the privilege to review the Aspire Nautilus Prime X Kit and its RDTA! To pick up this kit and extra accessories, visit the links to Sourcemore at the start of the review.
This review was written by jen_turista who is very active within the vape community. You can go give her a follow on Instagram and Twitter.
