The Artery Nugget is just one of many mini box mods or stealth vape mods, to hit the market in recent months.
Artery are a fairly new brand to the e cig market, established in 2015, but already they have some striking, and more importantly, mods that look to offer that something different.
This review is going to be taking a look at the Artery Nugget Gold Rush Kit – Black Zinc Edition as well as a quick look at the stainless steel. This includes the Nugget mod and 49er Tank.
This was sent free of charge for the purposes of review, as always, our views are our own.
In The Box
- Artery Nugget Mini Box Mod
- 49er Tank
- 0.5 Ohm Kanthal coil
- 0.2 Ohm Coil
- User Manual
Nugget Mod Features
- Size: 55.5mm x 31mm x 22mm
- 13650 Internal 1000 mAh Battery
- 5-50W Power Output
- Resistance 0.1-3.0 Ohms
- Temperature Range: 200˚F – 600˚F / 100˚C – 315˚C
- Temp Control Compatible: Nickel and Titanium (Stainless Steel by firmware upgrade)
- Gold Plate Copper Positive Pin
- Upgradeable Firmware by Micro USB Cable
49er Tank
- Top Fill
- Juice Flow Control
- Adjustable Airflow
Build Quality & Design
Straight up, out of the box, I love the design of the Artery Nugget….I mean really love it!
Even though I was aware of the dimensions prior to receiving the mod, the size still took me back somewhat. It’s super small! OK, there are mods such as the Eleaf iNano which is smaller but they don’t come close when it comes to performance, build quality and functionality.
It’s a classic box design with clean lines and minimal fuss. The design is right up my alley.
It’s a cool looking little mod with the stainless steel having a brushed steel finish and the black having a smooth matte finish.
Despite the size, the Nugget actually has a nice weight to it as well, it doesn’t feel cheap, it’s a solid little critter that can take being carried around in a pocket on a daily basis.
Here is the side by side comparison with a 30ml bottle of e jucie.
The 1000 mAh battery is an internal 18350 battery and while it may seem like a small capacity for some vapers, you need to keep in mind the intended use for this mod.
The spring loaded pin allows for flush seating of tanks, at least the ones I used. I tried the Artery 49er, the Aspire Cleito and the Aspire Nautilus X for mouth to lung vaping. All are 22mm diameter and looked the business on the Nugget with no gabs.
One side of the Nugget features three buttons, the power and function control. There is a little movement and rattle to them but not something that has put me off personally.
The OLED screen is a a good size considering how small the mod is. I did find this to be a little on the dim side, maybe Artery are likely trying to reserve as much power as they can from every source available.
Still very much readable inside and out, however.
The largest flat side include nice branding and the Micro USB port that has dual use for charging and upgrades. The Artery nugget also allows you to vape while charging, always a good feature for me.
The base of the mod features venting holes for the battery.
Firmware Upgrade
A great feature for sure but not for me personally. The download file is for Windows users only at the time of writing. I have a Mac so no joy upgrading for me.
49er Tank
The Artery 49er tank is a top fill design with juice flow control and adjustable airflow. To fill the tank it’s just a case of twisting the glass until the juice holes close, twist off the top and fill.
Once the top cap is back on simply twist the glass in the opposite direction to open up the juice holes. Simple.
The tank is well made, the only slight downside for me was that the airflow ring is quite tight to turn. Not a huge problem for me as I tend to leave it fully open and won’t touch it again.
How Does The Artery nugget Perform?
Before getting into the actual performance lets take a quick look at the functions and how they work.
Functions
- 5 Click On/Off (Button to be pressed within 2 seconds)
- If new tank is attached the nugget will ask if you have a new coil
- Press ‘+’ and ‘-‘ buttons together to access menu
- Menu will show – Working mode Setting | Temperature System | Temp Power Limit (Ramp Up Wattage) | Auto Off Time Setting | System Software Updating | Software Version Info | Exit
- Use ‘+’ or ‘-‘ buttons to scroll through menu options
- Press fire button to select option in the menu
I won’t go into the selections such as the various temp control settings within the device as they are straightforward once you access the above. The only thing I changed, after my atomizer setting, was to turn the ‘Auto Off’ setting to off.
This just makes sure that the Nugget doesn’t turn itself off after any amount of idle time.
That’s pretty much it, so all easy to operate.
Temp Control
I only used Ni200 for this review and the mod coped with things well when the tank was running on empty. No dry hits creeping in.
49ER Tank Performance
I tested this with the 0.5 Ohm Kanthal coil and found the vape was excellent. The airflow is very good and the flavor it kicks out is very good indeed, as are the clouds.
I was vaping Illusions ‘Taste of Gods’ flavor, a tropical fruit and coconut flavored vape juice that has quickly become an all day vape for me.
Battery
The battery capacity isn’t huge at 1000 mAh, not surprising due to the size and still impressive that they have managed to squeeze that and other functionality into a mini mod.
I used the 0.5 Ohm 49Er coil and found it lasted around 4 hours when using regularly.
The 0.2 Ohm resistance of the Aspire Cleito, used at the maximum 50W, unsurprisingly drained the battery in 2-3 hours of good use.
Although the Artery 49Er tank is a stellar performer, when I was going out for the evening I actually found myself using the Aspire Nautilus X tank with 1.5 Ohm coil.
It’s the perfect size to pretty much hide the whole mod and tank in your hand for a few sneaky little vapes when I’m out.
With the X tank I was managing around 6 hours of moderate vaping at 21W. Enough for an afternoon and evening out on the town.
It has to be said though I always carry a portable charger or a spare mod when going out.
The Artery Nugget does fire from 0.1 Ohm but with a 50W maximum power output you may not get the best results in terms of battery life going this low.
I was very impressed though overall.
What kind of Vaper Will Use The Artery Nugget?
Keep in mind that this may not suit all vapers as their go-to vape mod. If you are looking for a box mod to last you a full day of sub ohm vaping without charging then the Nugget isn’t going to be it!
Having said that I found myself using this kit at home a lot and even went out and bought another to rotate batteries.
If you are sub ohm vaping, especially at the 0.2 Ohm range, the battery isn’t going to last long.
The Artery nugget is a mini box mod that excels as a device for carrying when going out, as I mentioned I purchased a second Nugget and now take both out with me.
If, like me, you like a mouth to lung vape when you are out and about then this is a great option.
What I Like
For me, the design and looks of the Artery Nugget are superb, it’s a wicked little mod. For an out and about mini box mod I haven’t used many better.
Build quality is also solid for a little device. Add to that the performance of the 49er tank and it’s happy days here.
The fact that the mod is upgradeable by micro USB is always a positive, that is unless you only have a Mac (like me), then you’re pretty much out of luck!
What I Don’t Like
Unsurprisingly, the battery life with low resistance atomizers isn’t great. Keep this in mind if you are thinking of buying the Artery Nugget for an all day sub ohm vape fest away from a recharging point.
Another small point was the stiff airflow adjustment on the tank.
Not much else though, I really enjoyed using the Artery Nugget and will continue to do so. If you hadn’t already noticed, I’m a big fan of this Mod.
Final Artery Nugget Review
Pros
- 50W power output
- Tiny mod, perfect for taking out and about.
- Excellent build quality, solid little device.
- Great airflow and performance from the 49er tank
- Can fire coils from 0.1 Ohm (Keep in mind the max 50W output if you are going low)
- Firmware upgradeable
- Battery lasts a good amount of time with standard resistance coils.
- Spring loaded pin works well to fit all the tanks I tried flush.
Cons
- Battery life, understandably, is limited when using low resistance coils
- OLED Screen isn’t the brightest
- Tight airflow ring
My Artery Nugget V2 display screen is blank, but it still works, perfect, but I just need you to know
how many inches is this mod lcd screen? and socket how many lines?
or what other devices’ screen sizes and sockets have something in common?
Been a long time since we used this and don’t have it in hand anymore. Do you have a tape measure?
Maybe be best touching base with Artery at arteryvapor.com I’m sure they may be able to help more with specs.
Size wise things that compare are:
https://www.ecigclick.co.uk/vapour2-trinity-review/
https://www.ecigclick.co.uk/innokin-coolfire-z50-kit-review/
I have bought two of these Nuggets – and I love their size and how they vape. What I don’t like is the charging port – on both I’ve bought, I now have to jiggle the charge port to pick up a charge. It’s a pain – particularly because it’s happened to both. That feels like a design fault – not a one-off incident. Also they regularly say ‘check atomiser’ which I do and clean and wiggle and poke and prod and screw in less tightly, more tightly and nothing makes a difference. Today – both are unchargeable and saying to check atomiser – disappointed.
Hi I have brought a v2 mine came with the trace tank in the box, one thing I notice mine does not allow you to vape when on charge just wondered why the difference.
Hey Trev, this is the review for the first version of the Nugget that did allow vape whilst charging.
The Nugget V2 doesn’t allow vape whilst charging unfortunately, not sure what their reasoning was to exclude it from the second version.
What Tank is it on the picture with the silver coloured nugget?
Is it also the 49 Tank?
Thank you.
Hey Steve, That’s the Aspire Nautilus X. Great little combo for a mouth to lung vape. Looks cool as well 🙂
Thank you very much:)
I have 4 of these. Love them. Despite the short battery life, they are incredibly stylish and portable. Looks and feels great in the hand and pocket, and the mods with the internal batteries are just as easy to travel with as spare batteries. Top marks for the 49er Tank, the coil options are great and I’ve had no problems with leakage whatsoever, I always keep my airflow holes closed when not in use. if you are considering just buying the mod, think twice and get the whole kit. I end up using the 49er tank on several other mods, the top-fill is a painless no mess, and the size is perfect, not too small, not too big. But the fill holes are nice and big. My favorite colorways for the kit are the silver and white (slight pearly finish), but they all look very slick. A solid pocket kit for a good price.