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Last Updated on March 27, 2017 by Team Spinfuel
Vaporesso Nalu RDA Review
Vaporesso is definitely a big player throughout the vaping industry and they pretty much perfected the Ceramic coil technology with the cCell Ceramic Coil Heads. Vaporesso has covered most of the market with a diversified portfolio of products from Box Mods to Sub-Ohm Tanks and the Vaporesso Nalu RDA is another example of the craftsmanship they possess and what it takes to compete at these higher levels.
About The Vaporesso Nalu RDA
The Vaporesso Nalu (means ‘wave’ in Hawaiian) RDA is shaped like a robot’s head but performs like a fighter jet. The greatest innovation here is the two glass chamber windows that you can easily monitor your coils and cotton without removing the top cap! The glass acts as a heat resistant surface so even though the Stainless Steel portion can get really hot, you can safety grab on the glass which will be cooler. I know Geek Vape has also included this window concept in the newest Tsunami 24 RDA so I’m not entirely sure who came up with the idea first. Regardless, as a consumer we benefit greatly from this new feature. Hopefully more manufacturers release a similar design as it makes it effortless to check the life of your coils and makes dripping and Squonking much more user-friendly.
The Vaporesso Nalu is a 24mm diameter Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer exquisitely crafted out of premium Stainless Steel and glass. The two-post Velocity-style deck included here is becoming the standard for most Rebuildable Atomizers these days and for good reason; easy to build on and the performance is only limited by your building skills. Thankfully I received both the Stainless Steel and Black version for review and I’d have to say both look great on top of any device I attach it to. Vaporesso includes everything you need right out of the box (except for eJuice of course) to get you started building with plenty of extra O-rings and grub screws, a pair of Clapton coils (that read at 0.55Ω when installed) and a small hex tool. A hollowed out, bottom-feeding 510 pin is also included, once installed, converts the Nalu RDA into a Squonk-ready Atomizer.
The Velocity-style build deck of the Vaporesso Nalu measures 21.8mm (outside post to post is 17mm) with endless amounts of comfortable room to build on. The two posts are extremely thick pieces of Stainless Steel that house two large 3mm x 2mm holes on each post. Any exotic coil I installed fit easily with extra room to spare. The side-mounted grub screws can be cranked down aggressively without any worry of them loosening or stripping. The 5mm deep juice well can hold over a milliliter of eJuice which is ideal when Squonking or dripping. Simply remove the adjustable Gold-plated 510 pin with a flathead screwdriver and insert the hollow bottom-feeding pin. With a single 5-second Squonk, you’ll have enough eJuice pooled to last you several extra pulls. The remaining vacuum from the bottle sucks any lingering liquid back down from the airflow tubes so leaking is minimal; mostly non-existent. Having the option to quickly switch back and forth really shows the versatility and usability of the Nalu RDA.
The airflow comes from two 8.5mm x 3.5mm milled out holes along the bottom of the base that feeds air through a 7.4mm x 3mm oval-shaped air tube under each of the coils. Vaporesso achieved the successful Kennedy-type airflow by giving you enough wide open surface area that covers even longer, higher-wrap coils. By implementing one big airflow pipe rather than two separate ‘stove-pipes’ on each side (seen on the Geek Vape Tsunami and Kennedy RDA’s), it gives you more room for tucking your cotton ends into the four corners of the build deck. If for some reason you get a couple drips into the juice canals, each hole is milled 8mm deep into the base and down at an angle, essentially eliminating any eJuice from pouring out. The multiple builds and over 60ml of eJuice I’ve put through both of my Nalu RDA’s since receiving them for review, I had not one leaking, dripping or sweating issue whatsoever.
The top cap is made of mostly glass thanks to the enormous 20.5mm x 6.5mm viewing windows, which means your eJuice and vapor are making contact with the glass as well as the Stainless Steel giving you a clean, pure flavor profile. The inside has a conical shape to it and helps give you a denser, more concentrated type of vape. There are three total airflow holes available, two for the dual coil configuration and the third slot for an independent single coil build. The dual O-rings on the base of the build deck are stiff and without any eJuice lubrication makes installing the top cap a challenge; not so much when removing the cap. Inside the top cap, Vaporesso created a step down feature so when the top cap is installed everything is sealed off, fits snug and neutralizes any potential leaking.
The three color-matching drip tip options (Black, Stainless Steel and Blue) included in the package are extremely short (5mm tall to be exact)! All three are identical besides the color and have an 8.4mm bore straight down top to bottom. Each drip tip is held on with two thick O-rings and is a tight fit making them hard to remove and install at times. I’ve noticed with my Black drip tip, the O-rings are starting to wear down already so this could become a quality control issue. When running scorching hot, low-ohm builds over 100W, my mouth was almost burned a couple different times when my lips brazed the rounded top cap. Luckily you have the option of plugging a 510-compatible drip tip directly into the top of any of the three shorty’s (it looks obnoxious), but actually does a great job dissipating heat away from your mouth. I’ve seen on some descriptions that a Red/Pinkish drip tip was included but with the two packages I received, I only got the three colors listed above.
I installed a dual Twisted Fused Clapton build in the Vaporesso Nalu RDA with a reading around 0.35Ω and at 75W, the flavor was excellent and the warm dense vapor hit the nail on the head! Even dripping my unicorn bottle straight through the drip tip, I never got any leaking or dry pulls thanks to such a large juice well holding my eJuice reserve. The airflow stayed wide open and really is a great balance between too airy and slightly restrictive; exactly how I prefer the airflow. In my second Nalu RDA, I went with a single Alien Clapton 0.2Ω coil and around 85W was able to get some serious plumes of vapor produced right away. I didn’t notice much of a performance difference when running single or dual coils as both gave me a satisfying vape experience. If you decide to install bigger builds, especially coils with flatter leads, make sure to hold the coil in place with a drill bit or coil jig rod when tightening the leads down. Because of the side mounted screws, it will twist the leads weird directions so holding it in place helps to minimize any adjustments needed after the fact.
After rewicking the dual Clapton coils, I changed the preinstalled 510 pin to the included bottom-feeding 510 pin to get some Squonking action with the Vaporesso Nalu RDA! I threw the Nalu on my Council of Vapor Wraith Squonk Mod and the pair performed flawlessly together and works extremely well as a Squonking RDA! Having the large viewing windows makes it easy to check the saturation status of my cotton and coils. The windows do fill up with condensation within a couple draws but is still easy to see. Vaporesso states that half a dripper will be good for 16-20 hits. Depending on your build, wicking technique, style of vaping and PG/VG ratio, these factors will determine how many hits you can actually get.
Available At Element Vape
Final Grade – A
“The Vaporesso Nalu RDA is a solid performer. Flavor and vapor production is through the roof combined with a simple, easy to build platform really makes the Nalu RDA standout from its competition. For only $20.95 at Element Vape, why not pick up two and ride that vapor wave!”
Team Spinfuel
Vaporesso Nalu RDA by Vaporesso Features:
- 24mm Diameter
- Deep Juice Well
- Superior Stainless Steel Construction
- Glass Window Reinforcement
- Side-Tension Vertical Two-Post Design
- Single or Dual Configurations
- Bottom Airflow Intake
- Squonk-Ready Center Pin
- Gold-Plated 510 Connection
