Pod System Reviews

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit

Hot on the heels of the current fad of pod/mods, Artery have just released a dual 18650 model, the Nugget GT, which takes it up a level! We dive in to take it for a test drive!

by Si Davies
Aug 24, 2020

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Supplied by Source More for review
https://www.sourcemore.com/artery-nugget-gt-pod-mod-kit.html
Current list price $44.44

Discount Code to grab yourself an Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit for $27.99
Code: ANGT

Hot on the heels of the current fad of pod/mods, Artery have just released a dual 18650 model, the Nugget GT, which takes it up a level. Obviously the dual battery capacity will be very welcome for those that want their vape to last for a long day out, but you also have the option of adding the 510 adaptor (NOT INCLUDED) to turn it into a regular 200 watt mod. Some might say what’s the point? But a pod/mod does have its uses, so have Artery nailed this one? Read on to find out my thoughts.

Nugget Nugget Nugget……

Similar to Artery’s PAL line of evolution, the Nugget line now has a big brother. I have quite a few pods from Artery and even a rarer mod and tank, the Nugget X, which is a sub ohm tiny setup. I love the mod but the coils were a bit bland. The Nugget AIO I really enjoyed for MTL so the Nugget GT is clearly aimed at sub ohm cloud chucking whilst sticking to a compact as possible formula.

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit artery fam

I was sent the Red version (as requested). There are four colours to choose from, all have an automotive quality paint finish. It’s just a shame I didn’t have a red Nugget AIO to add to my collection.

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit colours

Here’s a view from all sides of the Nugget GT

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit from all sides

Vape Sourcing’s Artery Nugget GT Kit Short Description:
"Nugget GT Kit is the world's first dual 18650 pod mod kit. It has constant wattage with max 200W output. Holding 8ml big e-juice capacity, it will provide you long-time vaping. There is 0.96 inch color screen to display detailed data of the device. With the 510 adapter, you can turn the device into a box mod. The design of four transverse lines style bring you butter smooth vapor enjoyment. It is compatible with XP core series to provide powerful and flavorful vape. AERO chip is designed for Nugget GT to delivery constant wattage output. In addition. It also comes with intelligent wattage setting to avoid accident DRY burn."

Interestingly the claim of:
"Nugget GT Kit is the world's first dual 18650 pod mod kit"
Smok also claim the exact same thing. A little research, and it appears Artery were the first to market, not that it matters but it’s good to know you can trust what Artery say.

My only complaint with all the product descriptions I have found is that it is not made clear that the 510 adaptor is NOT included. It’s pretty cheap but it would be nice to know when ordering so that you can add it to your basket, more on that later.

Features

World's first dual 18650 pod mod kit
Constant wattage with max 200W output
Compact structure and ergonomic design
8ml cartridge with Artery latest XP core
Provides DTL vaping
0.96 inch colour screen
Cool LED light
With 510 adapter to turn it into a box mod (Optional Extra)
Changeable 510 drip tip
Smooth airflow inlet design
Type-C charging port and 2A fast charging current
Intelligent wattage setting to avoid accident DRY burn
Safety protections: Overcharge/Cut-off/Overheat/Short circuit/Battery Reverse/Balance Charging Protection

Unboxing and contents

The outer sleeve features a photo of the colour option you chose and a little info of the features, and the back has the contents. The inner box is really sturdy with a minimal white theme featuring the GT logo. I actually prefer the inner box. It also has notches so you can open the box easily.

Contents wise, typical of Artery you don’t get a whole lot included, the bare minimum in fact. This is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your view, good as in no unnecessary ‘stuff’ which keeps the retail costs lower, but bad if they don’t include ‘stuff’ that is useful such as the 510 adaptor.

There’s no spare pod, but they do include an additional coil and a plain 510 drip tip which looks pants but does give a different, more restrictive vape. The usb-C cable is basic and long enough for most needs, seeing usb-C is such a welcome sight especially as the mod supports fast balanced 2A charging.

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit contents

There is something included which isn’t listed and is perhaps an afterthought, there are some tiny little teenie ickle mini silicone plugs which press fit into the airflow slots. These things are seriously tiny and really fiddly to fit but it turned out to be a really useful extra.

Looks and ergonomics

Stating the obvious, looks are always subjective but I’m guessing if you’ve read this far then the looks appeal to you. I really love the styling of the Nugget GT especially when you see just how compact it is. The size does affect the looks if you get my drift? I mean if this was a larger mod then the styling would seem cumbersome, but everything has been designed to make it as compact as possible.

The styling reminds me of a sports car with the attention to detail which looks good at most angles. Even the base battery vents are slanted which is a nice little detail. I don’t see any mention of ‘Sports Car’ styling but I’m wondering if they went with the whole GT thing? Either way I do like it, and I don’t feel it looks immature or over the top.

Ergonomically, it feels so damn good. I own many Artery devices, and this is by far the most comfortable, the size is so compact and well-rounded that it gels into your hand with easy access to the fire button in multiple positions. That said, this can be a downside as the coil position and mouthpiece lean towards thumb firing. This is not the case if you use your own tank with the optional 510 adaptor.

The weight has also been kept to the minimum for the all metal chassis, even with the two 18650 batteries and full pod it still feels light yet solid enough not to feel cheap.

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit battery sled

The battery door is held on by two strong magnets and is removed with a fingernail notch on the one side. You can judge the compact size in the photo above, the mod is not much taller than the two batteries. Considering that it also houses a pod, then it’s quite impressive.

Fitting the batteries is simple enough, it has positive and negative markings, spring loaded top pins and a battery ribbon to make changing them easier. Replacing the panel is best done from the ribbon tab side to make sure you cover the ribbon. The battery door stays in place and there’s no play or wobble.

The paint finish is really nice and definitely automotive quality, I’m a little concerned that the battery door might become a chip zone over time but so far no issues.

Pods & Sods

The pod looks an odd sod, huge yet compact and flat if that makes sense? I mean they really went to town to keep the profile as low as possible and to be fair, they have done a hell of a good job on that front considering the overall height of a dual battery setup and an 8ml capacity pod, not only that but they have also styled and contoured it to match the mod nicely. Thats not to say it’s perfect, it’s when you get to the bottom of it that things are less impressive. The filler tab is located underneath the pod, it’s not the most convenient position and becomes a bit of a pain to refill. There’s a lip on the base of the pod which makes getting the tip of a 50/100ml shortfill awkward, and it’s also quite tricky to see your juice level when filling too as you need to tip at an angle in the light. That said, I soon got used to it and have had no messy overfilling since my first attempt.

Coil fitting is a piece of cake, plug and play style, and you don’t need a wrestlers grip to remove it. There’s just the right amount of tension for it to remain sealed. Fitting the coil is your first introduction to the MASSIVE airflow slots in the coil. For the size, the proportion of the slots are huge and sadly there’s no airflow control ring which surprises me for Artery as they usually have this nailed.

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit pod and fill port

A tiny detail I did find good on the fill tab was that it is shaped to ensure the pull section is always protruding which makes it easy to get to and pull open.

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit filling

Fitting the pod has to be done a specific way. There’s a thumb press tab which needs to be guided into place, and then pull and press it downwards until you feel it click. Simply pushing the pod down won’t work as it needs that click, same way to release it, press and unclick.

Operation and performance

The Nugget GT is pretty basic in functions, basically it’s a VW (variable wattage) device with a few protections.

5 x Fire = Turns mod On/Off
3 x Fire = Lock or Unlock coil wattage limit (more on this below)
Hold + and - = Locks adjustment buttons
Hold Fire and - = Adjusts side LED colours
Hold Fire and + = Cycles screen colours
Hold all buttons = Reset puff counter

That’s the lot. The only feature worth discussing is the Wattage Limit feature. This automatically sets the correct wattage to your selected coil to avoid dry burns and incorrect wattage adjustments. In most cases it’s handy to leave it set to ON, but you can turn it off if you prefer a cooler or warmer vape.

Every time you replace the coil or refit the pod you’re prompted with a ‘New Coil’ option on screen, always select ‘New’ to register the correct oHms. I found that occasionally this prompt came up a few times as the coil bedded in but it soon settled down.

The side led coloured lights I found a bit pointless, they don’t light up the whole sides and you can’t see them while vaping anyway. Spectators can see them though so you’re sure to draw the crowds in amazed by your light show.

So how’s the vape?

I took the Nugget GT for a test drive on the Top Gear track, no surprises it didn’t drive well at all! But it vaped a good un! It’s not perfect though, which is down to the airflow path.

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit airflow

To be fair, it is smooth, but boy is it noisy! Think Darth Vader having sex.

The draw is super airy, one of the airiest draws I’ve had on a pod. It reminds me of a typical stock coil sub ohm tank fully open. The flavour and vapour production are spot on, and I really enjoyed the actual vape, but I would have preferred a slightly closed off airflow. I achieved this by covering one side of the airflow with my hand while vaping which was far better for me, this is when I went digging into the baggie and discovered the tiny plugs so I closed off a slot on either side, happy days!

The mod set the wattage at 65 watts on the 0.15Ω coil, I unlocked this and played around only to find I was more than happy with 65 watts but LED-OCD changed it to 66 Watts which put the world back into good order.

The 0.4Ω coil had smaller airflow slots and a less noisy draw. This also worked well for me with the two plugs fitted and overall it felt a nicer, more restricted DTL vape. Generally I preferred the 0.15Ω coil for cloud chucking flavourful outdoor vaping.

The included plain 510 drip tip option worked well on it, narrowing the draw a little for a more concentrated vape and it brought even more flavour out. I was enjoying the vape of the Nugget GT more and more, the down-side is it detracts from the styling.

The 0.15Ω coil wattage range peaks at 65 watts, so what’s the point in 200 watts output? Well this becomes apparent when you buy the optional 510 tank adaptor………

Pod/Mod or Mod/Pod?

Basically a pod/mod is just another on trend buzzword for AIO (all in one) devices and is nothing new. The first one I bought was almost two years ago, the horrific iJoy Diamond I think it was called, cracking tiny mod but the pods sucked ass big time. Things have certainly moved on since then with around 83.4 new pods a day being released into the wild. This recent trend of 18650 battery pod/mods and 510 adaptors is bringing things around full circle back to a mod and tank, so I was keen to see what the Artery Nugget GT was like as a mod, so I ordered a 510 adaptor to find out. Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit 510 connector I did have my reservations prior to ordering one. I was concerned that the 510 adaptor wouldn’t be very sturdy or would simply look wrong, but thankfully I had nothing to be concerned about. The moment I clipped the adaptor onto the mod, I was instantly impressed.

The Nugget GT had already proved itself as a cracking DTL pod system, and now it looked like it was going to make a superb compact dual 18650 mod too. It all looked so right with the black contrasting nicely, and it certainly didn’t look like an afterthought. In fact, you could tell that Artery designed this kit to make a good looking stable mod in its own right. A 24mm tank looked perfect on it and despite its compact size, it will take some pretty large tanks, up to 26mm without overhang.

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit Mod mode

Above is a photo of the Dovpo Odin 100 to give you an idea of the compact size.

I tried a few tanks on it and I was really pleased with how easy it was to find a match, most designs look at home on it. The adaptor is sturdy and secure, and there’s no wobble or worry of it falling off. The 510 is spring loaded and took all the tanks I tried on it without issue.

So it all looks great as a mod but the functionality is where it starts to show some flaws. As you may have seen in the earlier functions, it only has variable wattage which might be fine for most vapers, especially with stock mesh coils, but with DIY tanks or non mesh coils you might find that VW only is not enough. For me, my recent love of the Blotto Mini RTA meant I preferred it on bypass mode or maybe a preheat boost in VW. I also enjoy TC (temp control) on some of my tanks so the Artery Nugget GT is simply not up to the job for these.

Limitations aside, I opted to use the nexMesh tank on it and I’m more than happy with this pairing. I just love this mod as a pod/mod or as a mod and tank. On paper it’s style over substance, but in this case it’s not a problem for me. A new vaper won’t notice or care about no DIY functionality and the simplicity will suit them better.

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit juicy stuff

RBA Option

Artery have also released an optional RBA coil head for the Nugget GT which is a very welcome option. I have bought one but not in time to include in the review, I can only tell you that I’m already pleased with it, especially as it has an adjustable airflow ring, a couple of DIY coils and a 510 threaded build adaptor (BUT you will need a 510 Tank Adaptor to use it on).

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit RBA option

Conclusion

The Nugget GT manages to find a good balance between a pod and a mod. I’m not too keen on the term pod/mod as I feel AIO (all in one) describes it more accurately especially with the 510 tank adaptor (not included). It’s a cracking bit of kit, especially when you look at the price of it. The pod performs really well though it's not without its flaws such as AFC, but once you add the 510 adaptor, it transforms into a really compact dual 18650 VW mod which will please a lot of new vapers or those that only use VW anyway. It’s just a shame that Artery didn’t include the adaptor as it probably costs well under $1 to produce.

I’m pretty impressed with the GT overall, it’s far better than I was expecting, though it wasn’t an instant hit with me. I still don’t like the filling method, and the lack of adjustable airflow is a shame, but the inclusion of the bungs really improved things, I love how it feels in the hand and the styling is really nice. The more I used it, the more I loved it.

Pros

Dual 1860 battery capacity
Compact & very ergonomic
Styling and attention to detail
Value for money
8ml capacity (unless you’re unfortunate enough to suffer from TPD)
Simplicity
usb-C
Optional 510 makes it into a cracking little mod
Flavour is top notch

Cons

No airflow adjustment ring
510 adaptor should be included rather than optional
Very noisy when wide open
Limited functionality

Final Thoughts and score

Cons aside, and considering just how inexpensive the Nugget GT is, then it starts to become a no brainer. If you like the look of it, then I’m confident that you’re going to love how it feels in the hand. My advice is get the 510 adaptor to make this into a true pod and mod system.

Score: 8/10
Not quite perfect but a no brainer for the money.

Artery Nugget GT Pod Mod Kit boxed

Si Davies

Reviewer at POTV

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My background is Engineering and Professional Photography. Mostly from POTV users knowledge I learned so much about pretty much all styles of vaping and equipment, Cloud Chasing, Squonking, Mouth To Lung, Direct To Lung, Pods, Mechs, Rebuild-able tanks and atomisers etc, and have experience with many many devices and atomisers, it's become a hobby and enjoy trying out the latest gear. I like to think my reviews are plain speaking and informative without getting too technical, if I have to resort to reading the manual then I don't consider it user friendly!