Kangertech Aerotank & Aspire Nautilus Comparison
I think we vapers are a little spoiled, at least in some respects. One of those ways is in the area of innovation within the vaping industry. The pace, amount and giant leaps of innovation in vaping hardware is amazing, at least to me. Devices that hit the market a year or so ago, and were ballyhooed as the greatest achievement in vaping are now collecting dust on a shelf or are forgotten, tucked away in the back of a drawer. At least I suspect that’s the case for many of us who’ve been vaping for anywhere from six months to a year or more.
But many of those products, maybe even most of them, are still solid performers and deserving of consideration from vapers of all experience levels, particularly those who’ve only recently begun to vape. There’s nothing wrong with the eVic, MVP2 or iTaste VTR. It’s just that newer mods with more power and more bells and whistles have come out since those models were introduced. The same holds true for clearomizers. Sure, three or four companies (at last count) have released sub ohm tanks with 0.5 ohm off-the-shelf coils. That doesn’t mean that the Kangertech Aerotank or Aspire Nautilus lines perform worse than they used to.
To be quite honest, some of the newer devices may be a little intimidating, even to intermediate level vapers. I base that on the number of people I see who still use some of those products and the amount of traffic Seven Report receives on the reviews we’ve posted on those products. Yes, the reviews on the newer products, the Kangertech Subtank line and the Eleaf iSticks have 20 to 30 times as much traffic, but our review for the Aerotank Mega ranked #7 among all the posts on Seven Report between March 9 and April 8 of this year, and the review was originally posted on October 6, 2014. The review for the Nautilus Mini, posted on February 12, 2015 was the #13 most visited page on Seven Report for that same period.
When I was ready to move up to a more sophisticated tank, I considered both the Aspire Nautilus and the Kangertech Aerotank lines. I opted for the Aerotank Mega, but eventually did pick up a Nautilus Mini. And while I’ve since started using the Kangertech Subtank Nano as my daily tank, I do, from time to time, vape on both the Nautilus and Aerotank.
If you or someone you know is in the market for a tank, and those sub ohm models are just a bit much (or a bit too expensive), I can recommend either line of adjustable airflow tanks, the Aerotanks or Nautilus. (Or should that be “Nautiluses”?) To help you in that decision making process, I present a head-to-head comparison of both lines of tanks in one easy to ready post. Of course, you may want a little more detail than I’ll provide here, but there are in depth reviews of each tank right here on Seven Report.
DISCLAIMER: I’ll provide a brief overview of each complete line of these tanks, the Kangertech Aerotank line and the Aspire Nautilus line, but I have first hand experience with only the Aerotank Mega and the Nautilus Mini and a little with the Aerotank EMOW. From my research, it seems that the other models in each line are very similar, with a few exceptions, the ejuice capacity being the most noticeable difference between models within the same line.
The Kangertech Aerotank Line
When Kangertech introduces a new line of tanks, they provide quite a few models. Many more than Aspire does. In the Aerotank line there are, depending on how you count them, five distinct models. That number jumps to six if you count the MOW (or EMOW), which Kangertech has dubbed as an Aerotank, and seven if you include the original Aerotank, which Kanger replaced with the Aerotank V2. There are the Mini, V2, Mega, Giant and Turbo.
The ejuice capacity on the Aerotanks ranges from the 1.3 ml of the Mini to the 6.0 ml of the Turbo. They all use Kanger’s DBC (dual bottom coil) coils. The Turbo takes two of the coils, which was at the time a revolutionary development. That, however, was quickly eclipsed with the introduction of the Subtank line.
Kanger has made coils that fit all the Aerotank models in a fairly wide variety of resistances. They have offered 0.8, 1.0, 1.5, 1.8 and 2.0 ohm coils. Not all vendors offer all of those coils. Each tank comes with two coils included. All of the Aerotanks have adjustable air flow systems. Kanger continued to refine their air flow system as they introduced new models to the line, so this is another difference between models.
The Aspire Nautilus Line
Aspire never seems to provide as much variety within their product lines. The Nautilus line can just barely actually be called a line, there are only two models in it. The original Nautilus and the Nautilus Mini. The Nautilus will hold 5 ml of ejuice and the Mini has a 2 ml capacity.
Each Nautilus tank comes with two of Aspire’s BVC (bottom vertical coils) 108 ohm coils included. Replacement coils are available with resistance ratings of 1.6, 1.8 and 2.1 ohms. Each of the Nautilus tanks also has adjustable airflow, with four preset openings.
The Kangertech Aerotank Mega Vs. The Aspire Nautilus Mini
Before I jump into the point-by-point comparison of these tanks, allow me to state the obvious: ejuice capacity is much different. The Mega holds 3.8 ml while the Mini holds 2.0 ml. You’d expect that kind difference based on the name of each tank.
What’s In The Box
| In The Box | Aerotank Mega | Nautilus Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Tank #1 | Pyrex/Glass | Pyrex/Glass |
| Tank #2 | Stainless Steel | NA |
| Coils | 2 X 2.0 ohm | 2 X 1.8 ohm |
| Beauty Ring | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel |
| Replaceable Drip Tip | Yes | Yes |
Each tank comes with similar packaging. The big difference in this area, and it was a big for me, was the inclusion of a second tank for the AerotankMega, and a stainless steel one at that. Including a second tank seems to the be the norm for Kanger. The lack of a replacement tank being included with the Nautilus Mini was a major strike against it.
Performance
Each of these tanks performs well, putting out plenty of vapor. Taste is a very subjective area, but to me the coils on the Aerotank Mega provided somewhat better taste, with less interference with the flavor than the Nautilus Mini coils. Not that the Mini made juice taste bad, it just, again to me, seems like the Mega allowed more of the natural flavor of the ejuice to come through. But we’ll test that a little later on.
Features
I rated the Aerotank Mega higher on features based on two things. The first was the inclusion of that replacement stainless steel tank. The other feature on the Mega that for me beat the Mini was the air flow system. The Nautilus Mini gives you four preset air holes of different sizes. The Mega has a large air slot that allows you finer adjustment by rotating the control collar to reveal or hide more of that hole. NOTE: For some reason Kanger made revisions to their air flow system as they introduced more models to the Aerotank line, so not all them will have the same air flow system as the Mega.
The Nautilus Mini did have one feature that the Aerotank Meg didn’t. And it’s a feature I wish was standard on all tanks. Aspire has printed on the outside of the tank in platinum silk fill level graduations, making it much easier to know exactly how much ejuice you have in the tank.
Quality
Both Kangertech and Aspire are known for producing high quality, dependable products. These tanks are no exception to that. I did score the Aerotank Mega slightly higher in quality. That was based larger on the Aspire coil. They tend to spit a little, occasionally spritzing a fine mist of non-vaporized ejuice into the drip tip. When removing the drip tip from the Mini there’s often a fine film of ejuice on the base. The only other quality issue I encountered was probably an anomaly. Within the first couple of days of using the Nautilus Mini the small O-ring fell off of the drip tip. I couldn’t find it anywhere and had to replace the tip.
There were a couple of little quality issues with the Aerotank Mega. First, because of how much ejuice it holds below the glass in the bottom part of the tank, which is stainless steel, it’s difficult to know how much ejuice you have in there without turning it upside down. The other issue is that the Mega has a slightly noisy draw, especially compared to the Nautilus Mini.
Looks
These are both good looking tanks. The Nautilus Mini has kind of an art deco vibe working for it. And that platinum silk printing really pops and provides a nice contrast to the glass and stainless steel. The Aerotank Mega has more a contemporary look, especially when you slap that stainless steel tank on it. Looks are very subjective, so this one is going to be entirely up to you.
Price/Value
I purchased both of these tanks at my local vape shop, Vapes Gone Wild in Newnan, GA. At the time the Aerotank Mega went for $39.99 and the Nautilus Mini was $29.99. That $10 may be enough of a difference to tip the scales for some people. Keep in mind though that other models in each line, with different ejuice capacity, will have different price points. Vapes Gone Wild lists the Aerotank V2, with a 2.5 ml capacity at $29.99, and the original Nautilus also carries the same $29.99 price tag as the Nautilus Mini.
I gave the price/value nod to the Mega, even with its higher price, larger because of the difference in the air flow systems and the inclusion of that replacement tank. The other consideration in the price/value ranking is the price of replacement coils. I’ve found that the Aspire coils are slighter more expensive than the Kanger coils.
Head-To-Head Taste Test
If a tank doesn’t deliver great taste, it really doesn’t matter about all of those other features. So to get the most accurate comparison between the Nautilus Mini and the Aerotank Mega I filled them each with Punch Drunk ejuice, one of the premium blends from Dura Smoke, and vaped away.
And my initial assessment was correct. Each tank presented the sweet fruity taste of Punch Drunk well, but the delicate nature of the flavor popped a little more, with more clarity, when vaped from the Aerotank Mega.
Pros & Cons
| Aerotank Mega | Nautilus Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Pro #1 | Adjustable Air Flow | Adjustable Air Flow |
| Pro #2 | Two Tanks | Graduated Fill Scale |
| Pro #3 | Capacity | Quiet Draw |
| Con #1 | Noisy Draw | Coils Get Stuck In Upper Hardwar |
| Con #2 | Deceptive Fill Level | More Expensive Coils |
| Con #3 | Tricky To Fill | Coils Spritz |
I’ve used both of these tanks extensively, and though each has some pros and cons, I can recommend them both. I do have a slight preference for the Aertoank Mega, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed whichever one you choose.
Full Reviews
You can learn more about each of these tanks from the Seven Report in depth review of each:
Kangertech Aerotank Mega Review
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