# Nautilus Mini versus Nautilus (big)



## Silver (16/10/14)

Hi all

Being inspired by @Jan the other day and with the advent of the new BVC coils I had great intentions of comparing the Nautilus Mini to the Nautilus (big).

*Verdict - as @Rob Fisher would say - it was an EPIC FAIL. The Nautilus Big gurgled and spluttered - then leaked all over the place and I could not test it properly. Sorry guys  *

*Some background*
I got my Nautilus big several months back and stopped using it when I got the Reos. I recall the older Nautilus coils not being that reliable. About 2 months back I got the new Nautilus Mini with the new BVC coils and there was definitely a major improvement. I quite like the flavour of some juices in the Nautilus Mini. I often have a nice fruity flavour loaded in there. I like it for mindless vaping at the computer. But the new BVC coil guzzles juice and that 2ml tank doesn't last long. So I wanted to see if the Nautilus big could be brought back into service with these new coils...

*All prepped and ready to go*
So I cleaned and rinsed the old Nautilus big, which was lying in a drawer. I let it dry for a day or two. Then filled it up and put in a new BVC coil. I also put in a new BVC coil into the Nautilus Mini to make for a fair comparison. I even had both on a SVD for an even fairer comparison. I loaded them both with Craft Vapour Melon on the Rocks 18mg, which is delicious in the Nautilus Mini and I know it well. 

I really had the best of intentions for a good solid side by side comparison over the coming days.

Putting the devices together and getting them ready for their first vape gave me an excitement I haven't felt for quite a while  

*Houston we have a problem!*
After letting them stand for a bit to let the juice soak in, I took my first toot on the Nautilus Mini. It was perfect. I could taste the brand new coil was better. Richer and deeper. Great flavour and decent throat hit with Melon on the Rocks. Thanks @Mauritz 

Then the Nautilus (big). A bit of a gurgle. Then some spluttering. Wait, something is wrong. Ok, dismantle, check everything is tight, check the coil is in properly. Clear out the airways  Try again. Aah that's a bit better. I took two toots. But it wasn't quite there. Something was still wrong, I could feel it. The draw seemed a bit looser The flavour wasn't as pronounced. 

I left it for a while and came back. Spluttering and gurgling again. No man. This is not cool. Disappointed, I went to bed and thought I would fight again this morning.

This morning only half the tank of juice was in the Nautilus (big)! Juice had escaped like Houdini during the night! On closer inspection, it had run down the mod. 

Ok, out with the toilet roll brigade. Let's pack this messy lot up and fight another day. I have two busy work days ahead, so unfortunately, this is where it will stop for now.




I actually had to put a notepad on top of the roller towel because there was so much juice. That juice splotch you see next to the SVD went through about 10 pages of the notepad AND the notepad cardboard base AND through two pieces of roller towel! Juice everywhere. It was terrible! Juice went on my keyboard and my desk. Lol. 

If the picture had captions the innocent Reo looking at all of this would be saying "I told you so".

Reactions: Like 4 | Winner 2


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## johan (16/10/14)

Thanks for the comparison @Silver - like the way you go "deep" into the 2. You deserve a "deep" banner

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 2


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## vaalboy (16/10/14)

Any idea where it is leaking from? Could be that the seals have perished?


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## Silver (16/10/14)

johan said:


> Thanks for the comparison @Silver - like the way you go "deep" into the 2. You deserve a "deep" banner
> 
> View attachment 13223



Thanks @johan. I do like going deep but undfortunately, this time I could not get deep enough 
The Nautilus big doesnt like me

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Jan (16/10/14)

Now that is a bummer. I had problems with leaking and gurgling with the old coils. The only time I had that problems with the bvc's was when I gave one the vodka treatment.

I am not an expert but the only way so much juice can leak is if there is an air leak somewhere. If you feel up to it try swopping the two coils i.e. put the one in your big in the mini and vice versa. If the big still leaks it must be getting air. Wish I could give you more advice.

Good luck

J

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Silver (16/10/14)

vaalboy said:


> Any idea where it is leaking from? Could be that the seals have perished?



Thanks @vaalboy 

From what I could see, the seals dont look perished at all. The device is only a few months old and probably only had 10 tankfuls of juice vaped in it before being retired. 

The juice seems to be coming out of the airhole area and the area where the coil screws into the base. I dont think its coming out of the 510 screw but out of the airhole(s). 

It was standing upright all night, so its not coming out the top part/top seal. 

Maybe the top seal was not seated properly and it was letting air in - i.e. A vacuum wasnt properly created. Could be that. 

If you know of something I can try to get the Big back in business I am all ears.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Silver (16/10/14)

Jan said:


> Now that is a bummer. I had problems with leaking and gurgling with the old coils. The only time I had that problems with the bvc's was when I gave one the vodka treatment.
> 
> I am not an expert but the only way so much juice can leak is if there is an air leak somewhere. If you feel up to it try swopping the two coils i.e. put the one in your big in the mini and vice versa. If the big still leaks it must be getting air. Wish I could give you more advice.
> 
> ...



Thanks @Jan, i think you are totally right about it getting air. I think it may be the top seal that didnt seal it properly. I must check that. And thanks for the tip of swapping coils. Will try it all when i have some time and lots of toilet paper ready


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## Yiannaki (16/10/14)

Great idea with this thread @Silver 

Would have been great to see a side by side comparison of the two!

The image of the upside down tank, and everything written after Houston we have a problem, made me relieved that I no longer use commercial tanks. I always found i was fiddling more than actually vaping!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Rob Fisher (16/10/14)

I have a MOW, a Nautilus Mini with a new stainless steel tank with glass T view and a Nautilus original for some tests and this review is just what I needed to gel me into action... I must say both the MOW and the Nautilus Mini with new tank look really smart. Will add to this review later.

And yes the REO's are looking down their noses here at this setup too Hi ho!

Reactions: Like 3


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## Silver (16/10/14)

Agreed @Yiannaki 

Its been months since I had such a toilet roll brigade going on. Was actually quite stressful. Lol. 

The other thing with these BVC coils is that they are far more expensive than making your own. Convenience can be costly.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Yiannaki (16/10/14)

Silver said:


> Agreed @Yiannaki
> 
> Its been months since I had such a toilet roll brigade going on. Was actually quite stressful. Lol.
> 
> The other thing with these BVC coils is that they are far more expensive than making your own. Convenience can be costly.



lol! "toilet brigade" I actually like that saying. You should coin it for vaping 

Yes, I see that they are quite pricey. And i'm sure as with all commercial coils, there is at least one dud in a box?

I would be curious to work out the price of a self made micro coil vs a commercial coil.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Silver (16/10/14)

The bvc coil is about R50

A coil I make for the Reo for example uses about 10cm of wire which is about R1. And my cotton is virtually free. 

Problem with these coils is how long they last. I havent done proper testing but Id estimate the flavour is good for about 40ml. If you vape 120 ml a month, thats three coils a month or R150 per month. 

Or put differently, it adds nearly the price of a coil per 30ml bottle of juice. Quite scary. 

Some folk are probably getting way more usage from their coils and it does depend on the juice. I imagine something like Blackbird or my VM Choc Mint Coffee blend would shred that coil in no time!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Jan (16/10/14)

Initial indications are that I will be using 4 bvc's per month in total.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## huffnpuff (16/10/14)

Had same monster gurgling/ leaking issues with the bigN, till figured the top needs to be screwed tight too to maintain the vacuum...haven't lost a drop since

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Silver (16/10/14)

Thanks @huffnpuff. And one doesn't want to over tighten that top because the glass feels a bit brittle. That's prob what happened to me


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## Yiannaki (16/10/14)

Jan said:


> Initial indications are that I will be using 4 bvc's per month in total.



Wow! That's a coil a week. and R200 per month based on what @Silver mentioned regarding their price.

Have you come across any dud coils yet @Jan ?


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## rogue zombie (16/10/14)

Sorry to hear that @Silver. And thanks for the insight.

@WhatSmoke has been very happy with his Big Nauti. A few tokes on it and I was converted from a KangerTech man. Placed my order for a Mini the day after. I took the Mini because I didnt want such a big tank at that time. It was early days for me and I used to get sick of juice quick, so I wanted to change.

But it really shouldn't be leaking, something must of given up.



Jan said:


> Now that is a bummer. I had problems with leaking and gurgling with the old coils. The only time I had that problems with the bvc's was when I gave one the vodka treatment.



Myself, Smirnoff ruined my first BVC coil, to the point that I chucked it after 5 minutes use.


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## BumbleBee (16/10/14)

@Silver I'm using a big Nautilus with BVC coils at the moment. I took it out of the cupboard after I got the new coils, the stock ones were rubbish and rebuilding them didn't work _at all_, they just weren't producing _any _vapour!. I did figure out though that I was doing something wrong, I must have been because I know this atty works, just couldn't find a rational explanation for it not producing any vapour.

Here's what I found.... Take the tank section apart, separate the glass from the chimney section and clean it all out, dry it up and reassemble.... don't be shy, screw those buggers together, tight!

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Jan (16/10/14)

Yiannaki said:


> Wow! That's a coil a week. and R200 per month based on what @Silver mentioned regarding their price.
> 
> Have you come across any dud coils yet @Jan ?


No not yet I must add that I do about 7-8ml juice a day so I go through a lot of juice

Reactions: Like 1


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## JakesSA (16/10/14)

Errmm .. R50 for a BVC coil?

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Silver (17/10/14)

Sorry guys, been hectic on the work front so havent been able to respond

@JakesSA , thanks, you are right its not R50 per BVC coil. 

i think my reference to R50 came from recalling when they were R250 for 5 coils. 
I see that VapeClub has them for around R170 for 5 coils. Or about R35 each. 

Thanks for correcting that. 

I hope to tackle the Nautilus Big again in the next few days. And will report back. Thanks for the advice @BumbleBee - i do think my problem was not screwing the glass tight enough to the top part.


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## Rob Fisher (21/10/14)

There is another difference between the Nautilus big and the Nautilus Mini... not sure if the new normal size ones have changed to a similar base but the original Nautilus Bases have components that rust! Did the whole cleaning exercise after yesterdays juice test.




Then in an attempt to dry inside the bases of the Nautilus's I used an ear bud... the mini no problem... but the normal size brings the problem to the fore!

Rust in the base! Not kewl! 



But at last all the smells are gone and the tanks are ready for the next juice test.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## gman211991 (21/10/14)

Rob Fisher said:


> There is another difference between the Nautilus big and the Nautilus Mini... not sure if the new normal size ones have changed to a similar base but the original Nautilus Bases have components that rust! Did the whole cleaning exercise after yesterdays juice test.
> 
> View attachment 13508
> 
> ...


Could it be that your rubber seal is worn? This could allow the juice to react with the metal. I have come across this in when we do canning and the food substance reacts with the can if it is not coated with a lacquer. Now i doubt that the base is coated hence the rubber is used to prevent reactions with the base.

Reactions: Like 1


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## gman211991 (21/10/14)

Personally i prefer the mini has a nicer air control.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Silver (22/10/14)

Thanks to all of you who gave your advice, I am pleased to say I got the Nautilus Big working.
It seems that I didn't tighten the glass to the top cap enough. I made it tighter and voila.... it's working.... so far no leaks....

Houston we have lift off!




These devices are so big and tall they look like Ariane 5 space rockets taking off!

Here are my initial impressions - Nautilus Big vs Mini - both with new 1.8 ohm BVC coils - on the second smallest airhole setting

*The draw is a bit tighter on the Mini and I prefer it slightly* - I use the second from smallest airhole for mouth to lung hits. Not a huge difference, but I prefer the Mini slightly
*The Big is definitely quieter *- I don't mind the sounds of the Mini though - I would hardly be using this as a stealth device 
*I am pleased to say the flavour is good on both but if pushed I prefer the Mini* - the Big is very good with the new BVC coil, but vaping side by side, it just feels slightly "distant" and a bit "hollow". The Mini feels a bit richer and denser. I am using new coils on both.
*Throat hit feels a bit more intense on the Mini* - I think it has to do with the slightly tighter draw and the denser experience. 
These are my initial impressions with only one juice - Craft Vapour Melon on the Rocks 18mg. In my opinion, this is a lovely juice for throat hit seekers in these tanks - since they have extra throat hit "kick". It's not a very complex juice or anything exotic - just straighforward no-nonsense thumping with a great cooling effect and a nice green melon background. I am using both tanks on the SVD for better comparison and am vaping both at 11.5 Watts. 

I will continue to try out different juices on these setups and report back if my initial impressions change.

Overall, I prefer the vape on the Nautilus Mini. That said, the Nautilus Big performs nicely and I like it for its 5ml tank (that's why I wanted to resurrect it in the first place). It seems like it will service me well as a mindless vaping device from time to time.

Reactions: Like 5 | Winner 1 | Informative 1


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## rogue zombie (22/10/14)

I'm so disappointed with my replacement mAN coils. I mean around R40 a coil and they perform nothing like the ones that came with the new tank.

I mean really, my best performing coil at the moment on any tank is a EVOD rebuild coil I made. When I can "produce" something that performs better than what Kanger or Aspire can, you know there's a problem.

I'm like the least DIY guy out there.

But as we speak, the MPT3 tank is outperforming my mAN thanks to the coil situation.


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## Silver (22/10/14)

Where did you get your mAN coils @r0gue z0mbie ?
Maybe it was just a bad batch?

I got a pack of 5 from VapeClub and they are working fine. I have used three of the five and all is good.

This is the problem with commercial coils. Sometimes it is a bit of a hit or miss affair.

That is why I like rebuilding on my RM2 - I know exactly what to do to reproduce the identical vape - it works 100% of the time. And it's extremely cheap.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Silver (22/10/14)

@r0gue z0mbie 

PS - if you can rebuild an EVOD coil I think you will be able to rebuild just about any RDA/RTA coil

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## rogue zombie (22/10/14)

Silver said:


> Where did you get your mAN coils @r0gue z0mbie ?
> Maybe it was just a bad batch?
> 
> I got a pack of 5 from VapeClub and they are working fine. I have used three of the five and all is good.
> ...



Ya I think it was obviously a bad batch, but the fact that it's luck whether I get good ones or bad ones is what puts me off the product.

This is exactly what put me off the MPT3, I stopped using it until I learnt to build the coil. And I just can't get the aspire rebuilds to work properly. They lack Vapour and then I get dry hits.

So what's going to happen, I'm going to retire the mAN, because I don't want to pay R40 a coil and then get duds.
Above all, when I buy I like reliability, this is why I seek original products.

Even though I'm going the RTA route, I would still like my R400 mAN to work properly. I loved the thing.


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## rogue zombie (22/10/14)

Silver said:


> @r0gue z0mbie
> 
> PS - if you can rebuild an EVOD coil I think you will be able to rebuild just about any RDA/RTA coil



I'm actually getting quite handy at EVOD building


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## gman211991 (22/10/14)

Off topic kangertech aerotank turbo. Why is it so expensive im pretty sure my mini nauti gives better flavour and vape production but thats just an assumption.


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## Silver (22/10/14)

r0gue z0mbie said:


> I'm actually getting quite handy at EVOD building



I loved my EVOD coil builds for my mPT2 tanks
10 wraps of 28g, 1.5mm iD, 1.5 or so ohms, cotton wick - and I was astounded at the improvement in the vape over the stock coils.
I spent many an evening trying to perfect it and discussing the ins and outs with experts like @BhavZ 

Did this for a few months - but then I got tired with the odd gurgle here and there - the odd leaking out the bottom - and the small tank size, which meant I was pitstopping and tinkering more than I wanted to.

When I tried the RDAs and RTAs the vape improved by leaps and bounds.

And then the Reo just made it all more convenient...

Reactions: Winner 1


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## rogue zombie (22/10/14)

gman211991 said:


> Off topic kangertech aerotank turbo. Why is it so expensive im pretty sure my mini nauti gives better flavour and vape production but thats just an assumption.



Not sure how it compares to the Nauti.
But it takes two coils and can subohm. I believe the throat-hit is big.


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## gman211991 (22/10/14)

I've heard this too.... Hmm calls for a test run but dat price tho


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## Marzuq (22/10/14)

i think @Silver needs a special banner made too.
but in my opinion is should be a REVIEW MASTER banner.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1


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## Andre (22/10/14)

Ah, thanks for the review. I concur absolutely, even that CV Melon on the Rocks is great in the mAN.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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