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There’s one question I’ve been struggling with when it comes to the Aspire Quad-Flex Survival Kit. ($47.99 Vapor Authority) atWho would buy it? I believe this kit is definitely for someone that’s progressively stepping into advanced vaping and wants to find out what they enjoy and don’t like.
The word versatility comes to mind when I think of a product morphing into four different, functional, high performing devices in a matter of minutes. If the FDA comes down on us hard, I guess Aspire is preparing us with this ultimate vaping Survival Kit!
The Aspire Quad-Flex Survival Kit Evolution
Starting with a Nautilus X Mouth-To-Lung Flavor Tank, an Atomizer that has already been successful for Aspire, and crafting additional pieces so they fit together like a multi-functional puzzle is not only difficult but hasn’t been done until now!
The Quad-Flex System consists of four total configurations, the Nautilus X MTL Tank, RDA, Squonker RDA and Genesis (drop-wick) RDTA.
Follow the instructions plastered on the inside flap of the Aspire Quad-Flex Survival Kit box, which has schematics of all four configurations and each part is nicely organized and marked.
In a nutshell, connect piece one to piece two then screw that onto piece three (not in that order but you get the idea) is pretty much all it takes to create all four versions. The system is downright clever and everything goes together and comes apart surprisingly well.
The Many Faces of the Aspire Quad-Flex Survival Kit
The Aspire Quad-Flex Survival Kit has a total of 12 pieces (technically 13 when removing the top cap from the side airflow tube) and is available in either Stainless Steel or Black. When first opening the box, it’s overwhelming at first glance since there’s a lot going on.
But everything is organized, each piece has its own place and everything you need to accomplish each of the configurations is right there in front of you. The Quad-Flex drop-wick (Genesis-style) RDTA is already put together sitting nicely on the left. The thing I like about having all these separate pieces makes for easy cleaning and maintenance.
All pieces are crafted from 304 Stainless Steel (besides the two Pyrex glass tubes), not the thickest I’ve seen but the quality and craftsmanship is evident right from the beginning. Another cool feature is you can assemble either the RDA or Squonker RDA and the Nautilus X Tank at the same time!
The Quad-Flex RDTA, since already assembled, was my starting point. Measuring 22mm in diameter and sporting a two-post Velocity-style deck that has 15mm of build space from outside post to post.
The 2mm post holes (two holes on each post) gave me plenty of room for different size coils and the side tension hex screws held snug without loosening or clipping my leads. The post holes swallowed up the dual Clapton coils with room to spare.
The deck tube has a Quad-Flex engraving presented cleanly across the middle with two 8mm x 2.5mm airflow slots underneath it. The 13.5mm Delrin ‘top hat’ drip tip screws into place but was a little short for me. It did its job dissipating most of the heat away from my mouth so no complaints there. There’s also a 510 compatible drip tip adapter if that’s your thing.
The top cap is held into place by two O-rings and presses into place really smooth. It has a Delrin section that feeds into the deck tube allowing the airflow slots to be adjustable and be used as a single or dual airflow system. The knurling on the top cap helps it to slide around easily. When connecting the top portion onto the build deck, you have to line up the arrow pointing down to the arrow pointing up on the build deck.
It can only go on one way so depending on where you position your coils you could end up with minimal air exposure. Where the arrows meet up is a notch that one feeds into the other and connects together snug. Two O-rings, one Red and one Black, around the build deck hold everything together properly.
All the O-ring clearances throughout each configuration had a perfect amount of resistance as I never had to struggle with installing or removing anything (Aspire also includes extra O-rings and grub screws in the box of goodies).
After installing your coils, feeding your cotton ends into the four 3.4mm wicking holes is an easy task. Since the deck separates individually from every other piece, once you put the cotton through, you can make adjustments underneath as well as up top for a really efficient and foolproof wicking process.
Depending on how you wick it, plan on your eJuice disappearing quickly. When I had longer cotton ends hanging down, I could go through a full tank in one vape session. So I trimmed them just enough to pop out the wicking holes and that method has worked the best for me.
Aspire says you can fill it through a microscopic hole located on the floor of the build deck with a syringe dropper. That didn’t work for me even with a small milliliter syringe. I unscrewed the entire top half from the deck which reveals a plentiful 5.5mm gap between the chimney and glass for filling the 2ml of eJuice.
My wicks were always cut short but some consumers might have an issue with the cotton getting caught in the threads when screwing the top half back down. But because I prefer shorter wicks I never ran into this problem.
With the dual Clapton build reading around 0.5Ω at 85W, I did get some really fantastic flavor and a super smooth vape. When first taking pulls, I got the impression of a cheaper RDTA but my initial observation was way off. After several full tanks, the RDTA left a great first impression and I had hoped that momentum would continue with the rest of the review.
The Quad-Flex Squonker RDA was the least impressive of the group. Using the same build deck, the airflow is what I don’t like about it. You can interchange it with the side airflow tube but I assembled it exactly as they pictured for the review.
The Turboline top airflow consists of two 12mm x 1.8mm adjustable slots which give you an extremely restricted draw since the air has to travel down the Delrin lining and back up through to your coils. Adjusting the ring is difficult since it sits flush with a smooth surface above and below it with no knurling to grip onto.
It spun really easy right out of the box but after its first cleaning, it got crunchy and much tougher to move. The inside Delrin piece also rubbed against my hot coils at times and actually started melting one side. You have to install the hollow Gold-plated Squonk 510 pin in order to achieve proper functionality.
The 510 pin screws into another pin already installed holding the build post in place. I wrenched it down the first time making uninstalling it a pain. But nonetheless, it’s only one of four that wasn’t impressive.
The Quad-Flex RDA was another standout piece that performed well above my expectations. I installed the pair of Kanthal Clapton coils that came in the box of goodies (read 0.36Ω) along with the piece of Organic Cotton that was included as well.
I decided to use the 510 drip tip adapter and I’m glad I did. Using my own DotMod 510 drip tip (which was press-fit and installed perfectly) really concentrated the flavor and gave me an outstanding vape experience; plus the pattern on the 510 adapter really gives the RDA a stunning appearance.
Using the side airflow option provided a wide open draw. Turning the airflow down a fourth was dead on for my style. The juice well is pretty small so plan on dripping often but I never had any leaking unless I over-dripped (which I’m guilty of on occasion).
The way the top cap has the Delrin lining the inside of the deck tube, excessive heat was never an issue. The only negative I had with it is after dripping having to line up the arrows in the correct position. It’s not a huge deal but became very repetitive. I ended up dropping through the center of the drip tip which eliminated the tedious process.
And last but not least, the Nautilus X Flavor Tank (Nautilus X ). I’ve spent some time previously with this tank and it didn’t provide enough to win me over. It still gave me a decent MTL vape but I’ve had better. It’s a top-fill tank with a 2ml capacity.
I installed the frosted Pyrex glass section which gave it a very unique look. The dual 4mm x 1mm adjustable airflow slots are located on the top cap under the drip tip and can be adjusted by easily spinning the top portion of the tank. The 9.5mm Delrin drip tip is held on strong by a thick O-ring and is a really comfortable fit for its intended purpose.
The 1.8Ω coil head acts as the coil head and chimney referred to as U-Tech Coil Technology. Basically air passes down and around hitting your coil twice which is where the intensive flavor comes from. The 1.8mm ID coil inside a bunch of Organic cotton is rated between 12W-16W.
I made the mistake of pulling the bottom pin out so I could measure the inside coil diameter and ended up pulling the coil completely out, rendering it unusable. Luckily I had a 1.5Ω coil head from my Nautilus X Tank I never used (which has a slightly different 14W-22W power difference) so I was able to get a few tanks through it.
I used a 70/30 VG/PG ratio and never had any dry hits or gurgling through the duration. A lot of people rate the Aspire Nautilus X as a really good MTL Tank but it’s not my cup of tea.
Aspire Quad-Flex Survival Kit Bottom Line
The Aspire Quad-Flex Survival Kit is definitely an off-the-wall, out of the box design. Never would I of thought the Nautilus X could be turned into three additional designs with relatively little effort by the user. Aspire’s engineering department is who should be getting the most kudos.
Initially, I thought with so many pieces that performance would lag far behind my expectations. But I was taken back by the clouds and flavor I was receiving from each configuration. For $39.99 at VaporDNA, you’re buying four separate products in one.
Breaking that down in mathematical terms, that’s $10 per tank! And even if you don’t like one of the configurations, you have three more right there waiting.
Available Now at Vapor Authority
Final Grade – B+
“You can use the Aspire Quad-Flex Survival Kit as a skill level progression tool starting with the Nautilus X for a MTL pull, graduate up to an RDA and Squonker then the RDTA when you feel up for the task. Or if you simply like messing with little pieces and constructing things, this Survival Kit could be what you’ve been looking for. Just another notch on the belt for Aspire.”
Team Spinfuel
Aspire Quad-Flex Survival Kit Features:
- Four Products in One Kit
- Produces Incredible Vapor Production
- Delivers Rich and Intense Flavor
- Perfect Way to Progress Skill Level
- Clearomizer, RDTA, RDA, and Squonker RDA in One
- Made with High-Quality Materials
- Velocity Style Build Deck
- Pyrex Glass Tank
- Perfect for Vapers of All Skill Levels
- All Parts Can Be Disassembled
- All Setups Are Stunningly Designed
- Includes Wide-Bore Delrin Drip Tip
- 100% Authentic Aspire
Aspire Quad-Flex Survival Kit Specifications:
- Manufactured by: Aspire
- Threading: 510
- E-Juice Capacity (Nautilus X / RDTA): 2ml
- Tank Material: Pyrex Glass
- Metal Material: 304 Stainless Steel
- RDA Deck Style: Velocity
- RDA Deck Post Hole Size: 2.95mm
- Diameter: 0.87 Inches (22mm)
- Height (Nautilus X): 1.77 Inches (45mm)
- Height (RDA): 1.38 Inches (35mm)
- Height (RDTA): 2.4 Inches (61mm)
Aspire Quad-Flex Survival Kit Includes:
- 1 x Aspire Quad-Flex RDTA
- 1 x Aspire Nautilus X Replacement Glass Tube
- 1 x Aspire Nautilus X Top Cap
- 1 x 510 Drip Tip Adapter
- 1 x Capillary Screw
- 1 x RDA/RDTA Top Cap
- 1 x RDA Deck
- 1 x Aspire Nautilus X Replacement Atomizer Coil (1.8 Ohms)
- 1 x Japanese Organic Cotton
- 1 x Allen Wrench Tool
- 2 x Pre-Made Clapton Atomizer Coils
- 4 x Replacement Screws
- 1 x Set of Replacement O-Rings
- 1 x User Manual
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