Aspire’s Nautilus coil fitting is likely the longest-running in the vaping industry that still receives proper support. Their latest AIO is the Aspire Nautilus Prime, a compact regulated device built around the Nautilus platform. Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
Let’s take a look at the Specs:
- Dimensions: 90mm*45mm*23mm (height includes drip tip)
- Materials: Aluminium alloy, PCTG
- Battery capacity: 2000mAh internal cell
- E-liquid capacity: 3.4ml/2ml (TPD edition)
- Charging: 2A USB-C charging
- Power output: 1W-60W
- Output modes: VW, VV, bypass
- Price: £28-35 (official UK distributor)
Construction, fit and finish of the Nautilus prime are excellent. This may be a small, affordable device but the aluminium chassis is beautifully machined, with tight tolerances, zero rattle and a nice weight. The pod section is press fit, with a small clip holding it in place, resulting in zero play but easy removal when needed.
In keeping with other recent Aspire releases, the Nautilus Prime has a sleek industrial aesthetic, and smart button placement, giving the device great ergonomics for thumb firing when held in the left hand.
In terms of user experience, the Nautilus Prime is simple but still provides a good degree of adjustment. Five clicks of the fire button fully lock and unlock the device. When locked, holding the fire button for two seconds powers the device down fully.
Holding the + and – buttons when unlocked allows you to choose from variable wattage, variable voltage and bypass modes. Three clicks of the fire button when unlocked enters stealth mode, turning off the screen. Another three clicks turns the screen back on. Holding the fire button and + locks the power adjustment keys but still allows you to fire the device.
That’s all for functionality of the chipset and with up to 60W of regulated power, that’s plenty for the current line-up of Nautilus coils, along with any future variants that need a higher ceiling.
The coil installation and refill design are quite standard for an AIO. Simply screw your chosen Nautilus coil into the base, then press fit. A large fill port is located on the back of the pod, which allows you to use even the largest bottles without issue.
Airflow design is another victory for the Aspire Nautilus Prime. A slider located on the front of the device, marked with dots to represent the volume of air, can be adjusted to any position you desire. Fully open, air is only restricted by the inner diameter of your chosen coil. When closed off, the result will always be a tight MTL draw. Airflow is smooth and quiet across the board, which is fantastic.
Two coils are supplied with the Nautilus Prime as standard. The first is a 1.8Ohm round wire build, rated for 10W-14W. This is a classic coil that’s been slightly improved over the years. I find it to perform best at 13W, with the airflow fully closed. With these settings, it provides great flavour and warmth, with a tight MTL draw. Longevity is good too, lasting for 30mls of moderately sweet e-liquid.
The second coil is a 0.7Ohm mesh build, rated for 20W-25W. This newer coil has a larger internal diameter, which allows for more airflow. I found this coil to be quite versatile. It performs well at 25W, with the airflow wide open. With these settings, it produces a flavourful and warm restricted direct lung vape.
It also performs nicely at 17W, with the airflow closed down, for a flavourful and warm MTL vape. Longevity was impressive here, lasting me more than 40mls of moderately sweet e-liquid before needing replacement. Due to the versatility of this coil, it’s my top pick among the current Nautilus offerings.
Battery life will depend on your choice of coil and power setting, though all current Nautilus coils are quite conservative in terms of their power consumption. I was able to get two full day’s vaping time when using the 1.8Ohm build at 13W. This is cut down to one full day’s vaping when using the 0.7Ohm coil at 18W, or just shy of a full day at 25W.
The device charges from flat to full in just over an hour, which is fantastic considering its potential run time.
The Wrap
In summary, the Nautilus Prime is a home run of an AIO. It has great build quality, a simple regulated chipset and well-designed airflow adjustment. In addition to this, Nautilus coils are widely available and among the most reliable on the market, with plenty of variety.
If you enjoy MTL and low wattage DL vaping, this is quite simply the best mid-sized AIO on the market. You may have noticed that we’ve been talking about it a lot recently, including The Best Vape Starter Kits of 2020.
Pros:
- Great build quality
- Great airflow design
- Compatible with all nautilus coils
Cons:
- None
