Received the Artery PAL kit from the fine folks at Artery directly for an honest opinion. While MTL devices are generally not my thing it intrigued me as it looks like a Billet Box which goes for over $250 and awhile back was all the rage, even the clones were expensive.
While already available at a few online retailers they best price I could find was $33.35 on pre-order at fasttech: https://www.fasttech.com/search?Artery%20PAL%20AIO and here is a tip for faster shipping to US address via fasttech, choose the USPS First-Class via Hong Kong Post (you have to click: ā+ show more optionsā button to find the Hong Kong Post option)
Available in Grey, Red and Black
Whatās included:
- Artery PAL AIO with LQC 0.70 ohm coil preinstalled
- 1 spare LQC 0.70 ohm coil
- 1 replacement glass
- 4 replacement oārings
- User manual
- QC certificate
- Warranty card
Specs:
- 3ml capacity (verified with syringe)
- 510 drip tip
- Aspire Nautilus BVC coils compatible
- 1200 mah built in battery with passthrough charging
- Voltage output based on battery level from 4.2V to 3.2V
- Overcharge, overheat and short circuit protection
- 79mm H (91mm with included drip tip) x 19mm D x 47mm W
- 141 grams with juice reservoir full
First impressions
Right out of the box I digged this little AIO, nice size, like a deck of cards. The fire button was in a comfortable location to thumb fire and it uses a standard 510 drip tip so after trying the included drip tip for awhile I changed it out for one of my preferred Dotmod friction fit drip tips.
Both panels are removable:
The panels are held on by magnets which hold well but not so hard that the panels are hard to remove. The power button panel is very secure but the opposite side does have some play to it if your purposely trying to move it up/down and side to side. Shaking the kit does not rattle and overall if feels solid. I purposely dropped it on the floor as well from about 3 feet and no damage that I could see, the panels stayed on as well.
There is mention of swapping out panels, have not seen any pre orders for replacement panels as of yet but if they are released then you can style it up.
To fill it up is different, you need to lay it on itās back and slide open the glass with your thumb. Make sure you thumb and the glass are both dry, it can be a pain to open at first but gets easier over time. I found it to be a PITA the first few times I went to fill up, once I actually used a piece of rubber to get a grip to slide the glass over.
Changing the coils is interesting, you have to remove the drip tip and use a coin to twist off the drip tip slot.
From there you shake the piss out of the chamber until it falls in your hands.
Then remove the glass and separate the small chimney from the coil to remove it from the chamber.
Not much to it, just 5 clicks on and off and press the button to vape, easy fo sheezy.
Vaping the included LQC 0.70 ohm coil
I am not a big MTL fan but at times they are the smart way to go so you donāt come off as an ass for blowing fat clouds. I have tried a decent amount though and have always found the flavor to be lacking compared to an excellent RDA, RTA or even sub ohm tank. With the Artery PAL though from the first puff I found it to have better flavor than the other MTL kits I have tried. I wonāt say OMGā¦FLAVOR BOMB but for me it was more enjoyable than I was expecting when compared to some of my previous MTL experiences.
I normally try and vape a coil until it is time for a change so I can comment on coil life but after a month the coil is still going strong. Not a lot of fill ups, the 3ml capacity which I verified with a syringe lasts a hell of a long time, I only got about 5 to 6 tank fulls in 4 weeks, I was trying to puff it out but I gave up before it did.
Vaping the Aspire Nautilus BVC coils
Artery coil on left, Aspire Nautilus BVC coil on the right
I went looking for the coils to see what replacements would cost, turns out they are the same coils as the Artery Lady Q uses and I found them here for only $6.95 a 5 pack: https://www.vaporbeast.com/artery-lady-q-replacement-coil-5-pack.html
Great thing, at least I thought, was that it is also compatible with Aspire Nautilus BVC coils which are readily available, in fact I checked my coil bin and low and behold I had 2 left of the 1.8 ohm I use to use with my Nautilus back in the day.
Primed the Nautilus BVC coil with some nic salts juice I had, loaded it up with juice and waited 5 minutes. First hit pretty good, second hitā¦nothing, tried again and I got 3 red blinking lights, thought hmmmm, maybe a charge is in order. After about an hour it was fully charged so tried it and yes, working nicely for the first 3 hits then oh no, 3 blinking lights againā¦dang. Checked the owners manual and it says 3 blinking red lights means the atomizer is not connected. Removed the coils and checked to make sure everything looked fine and tried it againā¦a few puffs in and red light 3 flash dance againā¦I could get it to work again my plugging in the mod to charge but after a few puffs blinking red lights. I thought, ok, bad coil but luckily I have 1 more. Installed and this time waited 20 minutes to let the juice soak in and after trying it same damn thing, my PAL is not being a PAL to the Aspire BCV coils I have, would work sometimes but it was just frustrating. I would really like to see other reviews or users accounts of using the Aspire Nautilus BVC coils with the Artery PAL, could be I got a defect but I can only review what I have been sent. Luckily the replacement LQC coils are a bargain and work perfectly in the PAL kit, never had a misfire or 3 blinking lights while using it.
Pros:
- Comfortable to hold and feels solid
- Great button placement for thumb firing
- 510 drip tip compatible
- Good flavor
- Passthrough charging
- Excellent battery life
- Aspire Nautilus BVC coil compatible (not with my sample though)
Cons:
- Opening to fill is real tough at first, gets better over time though
- My sample was inconsistent with 2 different brand new Aspire Nautilus BVC coils
- Some play on fill side panel, you have to really try though, barely a con to me
Conclusion
Even though MTL vaping is not my preferred way to vape I enjoyed my time with the Artery PAL All in one kit. Now I wonāt lie and say it won me over and now I am converted to the MTL way of lifeā¦nope. MTL does have itās advantages though especially when you donāt want to be a douche nozzle and piss off a bunch of people with huge clouds. Cmon people, even I hate when someone comes into a crowded place and blows clouds in a group of non vapers, making us all look like dicks.
I have seen the Artery PAL listed on some sites for $50, if your aā¦some call it cheap, I call it a frugal bastard like myself then the best price I have found so far is a pre order for $33.35 shipped here. Replacement coils for $6.95 here. For those prices I would recommend the Artery PAL AIO Kit to those who like to MTL vape, I think it is a solid kit. If your not a MTL vaper then ehhhhh, I donāt think this is what will convert you, it is just a preference and do what you do if thatās what you doā¦pretty sure Confucius said that or I might be confused.
Thanks to Artery for sending me the PAL kit to review. I am always interested in trying new things and am grateful for the experience.
Check out how this stacks up to other tasty vape gear and meet the Steampugs team of reviewers. Your bound to have a good time and read up on some great products, not so great ones too http://www.steampugs.co.uk/
The glass slides down, thanks for reminding me I should have put up a pic of that so here it is:
