Aspire Nautilus AIO Pod Mod Kit Review

It seems like only yesterday I was pointing out that most every pod mod is the same. (Wait, it WAS yesterday!) Well, naturally I’m forced to eat my words, because the Aspire Nautilus AIO kit isn’t JUST a pod mod. It isn’t just a throwback to the good ol’ days of vaping. And it isn’t just another throwaway plastic pod designed to be more convenient than satisfying.

The Aspire Nautilus is all of the above. And more importantly, it’s a damn good vape device. Possibly even worthy of its namesake – which is still considered by many to be the gold standard for mouth-to-lung (MTL) tank atomizers.

To be fair, Aspire isn’t just namedropping its most famous tank for nostalgia purposes. And they’re not going trying to gouge users into a “new and improved” system bearing the moniker. No, the Aspire Nautilus AIO uses the exact same BVC coils they introduced all those years ago, breathing new life into your collection.

(And admit it, you still have a bunch lying around – we all do.)

Even the included “nic salt” BVC is identical and 100% compatible with all Nautilus tanks. In my opinion, this is a very classy move by Aspire – why make users buy new proprietary items when the design was perfected years ago? Our hats are tipped, friends.

At first glance, the 12-watt Nautilus AIO doesn’t seem all that impressive. Sporting a shape that’s pretty similar to the company’s other pod devices, and using the same primary palette for the color options, there’s nothing here you didn’t expect. Perhaps the clicky fire button and “pod release” key are a little rare on most pod mods, but all in all, Aspire found a design it likes, and is getting the most out of it.

The real goodness comes beneath the surface. For starters, the unreal 1,000mAh battery meets and exceeds its expected longevity by a nautical mile (see what I did there?). Something big must have happened to pod mod battery technology, because after a few years of trashing all pod devices for longevity, my last two have absolutely shone for power and performance.

Secondly, there’s the pod cartridge itself, which – thanks to the BVC coils – isn’t the usual “puff, puff, done” waste of plastic. Now, users will enjoy a massive 4.5mL tank reservoir, which surrounds the BVC coil securely and allows for maximum juice flow.

While this means the plastic pods don’t HAVE to be tossed I would have liked Aspire to include a second one in the kit, simply because the plastic does retain much of the previous e-liquid’s characteristics. And that can make for some seriously funky flavors if you’re not careful. I’m confident the pods will hold up for the long haul with regular cleaning, but I’d recommend grabbing a few more before heading out of the shop.

One slight disappointment, if it can even be called that, is the dedicated “nic salt” coil – the BVC NS – which is guilty of being exactly like the standard BVC coil. It’s a great MTL coil, for sure. But the idea that the coil is optimized for nic salt use is both strange and unproven. Not only didn’t it distinguish itself, performance-wise, but it also kinda worked against the whole “everything old is new again” ethos that makes the Nautilus AIO so impressive.

The other VERY slight disappointment is the adjustable airflow, which didn’t affect the Nautilus performance in any meaningful way. It’s not bad, it’s just not necessary.

But the rest of the Aspire Nautilus AIO experience IS. Maybe I’m getting a little soft ahead of the holidays, but the latest round of compact, ultraportable AIO/pod devices have really stepped things up. And the Nautilus AIO is my current category leader.

Call it nostalgia. Call it memory lane. I’m too busy enjoying the Nautilus AIO to care.