Beginner evaluation NautilusX vs Zenith vs Nicolas vs PrismS

Just a few notes from the past month with these 4 tanks. Wherever possible and available, I have tried them out with both the subohm stock coil as well as the plus ohm stock coil issued by the manufacturer of the tank.

The wattage ranges are as follows:
Nicolas
0.6ohm 18-25W
1.8ohm 9-13W
NautilusX
1.8ohm 12-16W
PrismS
0.8ohm 16-18w
1.5ohm 13-14w
Zenith
0.8ohm 15-18W
1.6ohm 10-14W

I have tried all tanks on two beginner mods (I am, after all, a true beginner with only 2 months as a vaper), the Innokin EZ.Watt as well as the Wismec Sinuous P80. I have also attempted both fruity, minty and somewhat more dense liquids (chocolate, tobacco and similar flavors). All of my liquids are 70% VG as I have found out I have a minute oversensitivity to PG and even 50/50 causes me issues. Where possible I have tried both the rated wattage range as well as slightly going over by a few watts.

My conclusions (and they are extremely subjective as they apply to me and me alone) are that of these 4 tanks the Zenith ends up being my favorite in terms of ease of use, flavor rendition and vapor production (although the latter is not my prime interest).

I do have a tendency to prefer the 0.8Ω coil over the 1.8Ω option and that preference applies to the rest of the tanks as well - even as a dedicated MTL vaper, the lower resistances tend to "taste" better. No wonder really if one takes the laws of physics into account.

Ease of use for the Zenith is the fact there's no unscrewing and putting away a wet topcap and the fact the juice holes close up while refilling so no gurgles after a refill. Airflow options are more than sufficient for my type of vaping. I have noted others dislike the fact the tank cannot be entirely disassembled but counting shipping charges, the cost of a replacement tank should this one meet its end prematurely is not prohibitive.

A very close second place is earned by the PrismS (which came in a starter set with the EZ. Watt) as it is an excellent flavor producer but slightly less convenient on the refill (and it does gurgle a bit after).

I may just be seeing things but the coils also tend to last just a bit less than the Zenith's. It is a flavorfull tank though and an excellent match to either mod (while the Zenith overhangs just the tiniest bit on the EZ.Watt). As with the Zenith: if the glass goes, so does the tank but at the price level this does not worry me too much.

The last little niggle with the PrismS is airflow option as there basically are none. Essentially what you see is what you get unless you manage to keep a finger over one of the two airflow holes while vaping - not a comfortable option.

The NautilusX and Nicolas end in a draw in the third place. Neither one is bad but they can't touch either one of the Innokin offerings for flavor IMHO.

The NautilusX in its extended 4ml version has a nasty habit of the coil and chimney extension coming out with the topcap when unscrewing to refill and you end up with the cap and a dripping coil attached in your hands. Also, the airflow control is extremely hard to see and very finicky to handle plus it has to be reset every time you unscrew the topcap. The coils are very decent though and wick efficiently.

The Vapefly offering is let down by the short lifespan of the stock coils and the very short driptip which is also slightly wider than the others', something that negates the tight draw it could have had. It's redeeming factor is however the infinitely variable airflow options.

 

Maybe time for an update, now that I'm settled into vaping as a daily lifestyle. I did keep a few notes over the past few months and can now jot down some details on the lifespan of the stock coils in the above-mentioned four tanks.

So, quick recap shows I use 4 tanks on 2 mods with roughly speaking two types of liquids: fruity flavours with- or without mint as well as the somewhat "darker" (for lack of a better word) liquids such as banana/custard/tobacco. I've standardized on 70%VG/30%PG and 6mg (although I've dabbled in 3mg liquids over the past few weeks.

My weekly consumption is about 40-50 ml in total and I'm not a chainvaper. At home or in the car I always have my vape within reach for a few drags and at work I take a 5 minute vape break every 90 minutes or so.

I thought it useful to jot down some experiences as I read a lot of negative stuff on the lifespan of stock coils versus that of the coils in RTA's. Roughly said, my vaping habits break down as follows:

- 60% of my time I'm on the EZ.Watt with Prism tank (0.8 ohm coil) loaded with pineapple flavour (sometimes Goldeneye by Exclucig, sometimes Tiki Punch by Surf Sauce)

- 20% usage is on the Wismec with the Zenith tank (0.8 ohm coil) with a fruit/mint e-liquid (El Presidente by Exclucig, Peace by Exclucig)

- 10% on the Wismec with the Nicholas tank (0.6 ohm coil) and fruit/mint liquids or really anything I want to try out first time.

- 10% the Wismec with NautilusX (1.6 ohm coil) loaded with banana, tobacco or desert/sweet-flavours

I switched out the Prism coil a few days ago after it had been in the tank continuously since April 23rd - the difference in taste is absolutely noticeable but the old coil was stIll usable!

The NautilusX coil has been in its tank since May 12th (I forgot to register the previous coil change) and is still fairly consistent in vapour production and taste.

I switched out the Zenith coil May 12th and before that March 19th - a decent amount of time but this tank sees a bit less use than the Prism after all. This one did lose flavour over the last week or so, I should switch it more frequently.

I'm not tracking the Nicholas as precisely but the current coil has been in there for ca 2 weeks now and it's not really remarkable in terms of taste. Not bad, not at all but certainly not up there with the Prism or the Zenith.

Everyone's experience and habits are of course unique and totally depend on vaping habits, frequency and types of e-liquids but I still hope and expect the above might be useful to some.