Looking to go with iStick 50w and Nautilus Mini, need some advice

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beechbum4

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Apr 28, 2015
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Hello all,

I've been using ecigs for about 3 years now since my wife and I stopped smoking the cancer sticks.
We've been using some Tornados from Totally Wicked, but most accessories are dying out (batteries etc) so I figured I'd take a look on these forums to see what else is out there.

After doing some reading, I am leaning toward the iStick 50W with a Nautilus Mini to start off with.

I have a few general questions:

- Do I need to get any other accessories - e.g. is one tank good?
- How much maintenance is involved with the tank - I have seen a lot of people mention re-wick, etc. Is this necessary on the Nautilus Mini? How often should it be cleaned out and what is involved?
- Later on I will probably try a sub-ohm tank (Kanger most likely), but figured I would start off with the Nautilus mini - from what I understand, the iStick 50W should be ideal for just about any tank setups.
- I'm also planning on ordering my own supplies for mixing my own liquid - we have been using 11-12mg Menthol mostly - any recommendations for the tanks noted above? I read that the sub-ohms burn a lot of liquid and people advise to tone down the nicotine content - is this also the case with the Nautilus Mini?
- If I opt to get a few different flavors, do you guys recommend a different tank for each?

Thanks for any advice!
 

Sarasotared

Senior Member
Feb 26, 2015
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Sarasota fl
I'm not an expert but I have an istick50 and mini nautilus. I wash the coils and soak in vodka if I want to clean them(supposedly they last longer) when I want to change a flavor. When the flavor isn't good I change the coil. I don't rewick my own I buy the replacement coils about $10 for 5. The istick50 is great so far for me but I've read lots of issues so you might want to look into the istick30(I iust bought one) I like the nautilus no problems but the gs air tank made for the istick works just as good and 1/3 the price. I have both and bought a second gs air. I use halo menthol (sample pack) they work fine in either. I'm sure you'll get a lot of advice:)
 

Cloudmann

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Mar 17, 2015
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Alot of that depends on your useage. If you vape just one flavor, one tank is plenty. More flavors means more tanks is ideal (though not REALLY necessary). The mini works great on the istick series. Just don't go above 18-20 watts. If you want to go sub ohm, I'd REALLY drop the nic level to 3-6 mg. Not such a big deal with the Nautilus Mini, but you might want to consider 8mg. The Nautilus coils DO put out a thicker vapor than the Tornados that you've been using. Maintenance wise, I'd disassemble the tank ,rinse the components individually with hot water, then soak them in vodka for 15 minutes or so, then do another hot water rinse and let air dry (typically an hour or so). Rewicking the BVC coils is possible, but not necessary. a 5 pack of coils runs about $10 and each coil should last a couple of weeks. I'd just buy new ones if you're not comfortable with the concept of rewicking.
 

dmwalker24

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Mar 6, 2012
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I have two regular use tanks right now. I personally like to have two different flavors that I can alternate between as my mood dictates.

The Nautilus tanks have replacement coils. When flavor starts getting bad/burned tasting you just swap in a new coil head and you're good to go. I'm using a Subtank mini, and Goblin tanks, and with those I have to rewick the coils that I have built every few days/weekly depending on how the flavor is.

A regulated 50w device like the istick will handle sub-ohm tanks no problem. Between 0.5 - 1.2 ohm they will give you a lot of flexibility to adjust the power to your personal tastes. I will say there have been some issues reported with the istick (some of which I've had myself). The price point for the istick is very good, but you might want to consider sigelei or ipv devices as well.

Sub-ohm tanks will go through more juice than the Nautilus, and the amount of nicotine you get per puff will be higher

Flavors vs. tanks is my own personal vape war. I'm constantly trying to lock down a couple flavors I want to use and then have them in dedicated tanks, but it never seems to work out that way. I'm constantly changing things around, blending flavors, trying new vendors. I will say that with something like the Subtank you can give it a good wash, and either pop in a new coil head or rebuild the coil/rewick and change flavors pretty easily. Likewise with the nautilus, just pop a new coil in and clean the tank out. I don't vape menthol so I can't say how hard that is to get out of a tank though.
 

Baditude

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Apr 8, 2012
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A word of caution concerning the iStick 50: istick 50 watt exploded

Concerning maintenance of the Aspire Nautilus, the coil/wick is replaceable with factory made replacement coils. These can last anywhere from 3 - 4 days to a couple of weeks. Life expectancy depends mostly on the viscosity (thickness) and color (darker clogs coils), and sugar content of the flavors. I recommend disassembling the tank prior to use, and cleaning it out with some hot water to remove any possible metal shavings or oil from the production machinery. Allow to fully dry before adding e-liquid. Clean the tank thereafter as needed. There's probably videos on YouTube on Nautilus maintanance.

With new coil heads, be sure to prime them before vaping to prevent dry hits.

The first rule of vaping is "Backup for your backups". Always have a backup for each piece of gear you vape with, because you can't vape if the only one you have goes down. Many people also have a different tank for each flavor that they use.

Sub ohm coils vaporize e-liquid at a higher rate than standard resistance coils because of the increased heat, so yes you consume juice faster. A side benefit of sub-ohm vaping is because of the higher volume and density of the vapor, more nicotine is absorbed; therefore you can drop your nicotine concentration in the e-liquid. You may also find that your need to vape will be less frequent.
 

jseah

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Feb 16, 2015
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Vaping about 3-4 ml's a day, the Nautilus BVC coils lasts me a good two weeks. And you don't need to worry about subohming since the Nautilus only has 1.8 and 1.6 ohm coils. The only maintenance I've ever done with the Nautilus Mini was to replace the coil. If I want to change the flavor, I give the tank a good rinse. I don't even bother to rinse and soak the coil since the old flavor will disappear after you vape with it for a bit with the new juice in the tank.
 
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