Vaporesso Gen Nano Kit Review: The Gen Got Shrunk!

Product intro and specs

The Vaporesso Gen Nano is a compact and super-lightweight edition of the Gen, one of 2019 best-selling and best-performing vape mods. It is an 80-watt internal battery box mod with a 2000 capacity and the latest edition of the AXON chipset.

Vaporesso pairs this mod with the GTX22 sub ohm tank, which has a 22 mm diameter and holds up to 3.5 mL of juice. But most importantly, it is compatible with the GTX coils, which are the coils that are used in the popular line of Target PM pod mods.

I was, and still am, a big fan of the original. It was up to recently my go-to dual-18650 mod, and it still looks like brand new after all this use. Is the Nano a worthy successor to the Gen? Keep reading to find out.

Price: $42.99 (at Element Vape)

Colors: Black, green, purple, silver, blue, red

Build quality and design

The Gen Nano is a very close copy of the original in a smaller body. So, outside of size and weight differences, the only changes I see here are the orientation of the buttons and the fact that the Nano has the charge port at the side—and the absence of a battery door, obviously. What this means is that the Nano, same as its predecessor, is a surprisingly lightweight device that doesn’t sacrifice build quality.

I received the black, blue, and red editions. They all look great, with the blue and red both coming with this awesome gradient effect of the original, and the rubbery texture of the back and front panels is still a joy to touch. The button is clicky and responsive, the screen is bright and easy to read (although still black and white), and branding is till not intrusive at all.

As for the tank, Vaporesso didn’t reinvent the wheel here. It is a small sub ohm tank that comes with two glass options (3.5 mL and 2 mL), with a screw cap top fill and push fit coils. Nothing out of the ordinary, but nothing to fault them either.

The only minor issue I found is that there is a slight gap between the atomizer and the mod due to the protruding 510 platform. It doesn’t bother me at all, but some may find it annoying. Other than that, the Gen Nano excels in both build quality and design.

The Gen Nano mod

The Gen Nano measures at 68 mm x 40.3 mm x 24.3 mm, and while the corners are slightly beveled, it fits 24 mm atomizers without overhang. The mod weighs 83 grams on its own (around 140 with a full tank), and all in all, this kit is smaller and lighter than some of the pod mods I’ve recently reviewed.

The first thing I noticed when I turned the Nano in is that screen info is almost exactly the same between this and the full-size Gen—although interestingly, the Gen Nano’s screen is slightly larger. Other than that, the only difference is the “Best” rating they included on the Nano, which gives you an estimated rating for the wattage you’re supposed to use your tank at. In any case, this rating is not always accurate—in fact, it suggests using their own 0.2-ohm coils between 60-75 watts, which is much higher than the coil’s actual rating.

Navigation on the Gen Nano is pretty much the same as it was on the original Gen (minus the Super Player mode which doesn’t make much sense on an internal battery device). You can find all the info about the available modes in the review of the Gen, but here’s a rundown of basic operations:

Note that the “mode” button is the one directly below the up and down buttons (or, in this case, the left and right buttons.)

As for temperature control performance, the AXON chipset has shown to be a good performer in Anthony’s in-depth review. I expect it to perform at the same level, with the only limitation being the lower wattage cap of the device.

Finally, the original Gen had an issue where the rubbery material would absorb juice and get stained. I didn’t notice anything like that on my samples, but I suggest keeping it as dry as possible just to be safe.

The GTX 22 tank

As implied by its name, the GTX22 tank is 22 mm in diameter and can fit up to 3.5 mL of juice when used with the included bubble glass. It comes with a wide bore 510 drip tip and in order to fill it you’ll need to unscrew the top cap. I wish it had a slide fill because it can get messy. Don’t fill it up to the rim or you’ll need to wipe the external. To put the top cap back on, slightly push it down while screwing.

There are three airflow slots on the ring, and when all three are open the airflow provides an airy direct lung draw. Note that I did have some leaking from the airflow after filling it, but nothing out of the ordinary—and it is pretty damn hot here this time of the year, so that may also play a role.

The tank takes the GTX family of coils, the same coils used in the Target pod mod lines and the GTX One starter kit. I haven’t tried the One but I have heard that it’s a solid beginner kit, especially for MTL vaping with the higher resistance coils. But in any case, it’s great that the tank takes coils that are sure to be around for a while. There’s also a lot of variety here, with five prebuilt coils and an RBA head available. Plus, I’m almost certain that they’ll keep adding to the line. Replacing the coil is pretty straightforward: just unscrew the base, pull the old coil and push the new one in.

These coils are great, and not far in performance from some of the best RDL sub ohm coils. Flavor is crisp on the 0.2-ohm included coil, and the 0.6-ohm coil provides a good balance of performance and battery power. You can find more info about performance and coil life in Anthony’s reviews of the Target PM80 and the Target PM80 SE.

But let’s discuss the MTL aspect of this kit. Vaporesso included a box of 1.2-ohm regular coils in the package (there’s also a 1.2-ohm mesh option available), and they mention that it’s made for MTL vaping in their coil’s page—which is further supported by the 8-12 watt rating. So, I primed one of those, inserted it in the tank, and replaced the drip tip with one with a narrower bore.

Can the GTX 22 do MTL? Technically yes, but it is not its strong suit. If you leave the airflow open by a hair and raise the wattage to the upper limit of the coil (12 watts) it vapes similarly to the Innokin Zlide with all four holes open—which is far from my preferred kind of MTL. The throat hit is almost non-existent! I certainly wouldn’t buy it for MTL, but I’d probably use it if it were the only vape I had available. I guess the point I am trying to make is that a low wattage coil with a narrow chimney doesn’t always equal a good MTL vape. But to be fair, Vaporesso doesn’t even include this coil in the package, so I can’t really fault them for that. For what it’s worth, the 1.2-ohm coil is not bad for RDL if you really want to conserve battery life.

Battery life and charging

With five coil options and an RBA head available, battery life will vary greatly depending on the power needs of the coil you go with. I got a bit under two full tanks worth of vaping (around 6 mL) on a charge when using it with the 0.2-ohm coil at 50 watts, but this didn’t translate to a lot of vaping time at that power level. Using it with the 1.2-ohm coil I went through around the same amount of juice, but it took a lot more vaping to get there.

I timed a full charge at 75 minutes, which is rather impressive for a 2000 mAh battery—I’ve reviewed pod systems that take more time to charge. Unfortunately, the Nano charges through a mini-USB port, so no Type-C charging. I find that a bit weird, especially considering that they have used Type-C ports in some previous devices like the PM30.

Finally, I really like the fact that the screen shows battery percentage and even the remaining charging time when plugged in. The remaining time is more or less accurate, and while I am pretty sure that the level reading jumped around a bit on occasion, I got consistent battery life out of the device.

Pros / Cons

Gallery

Verdict

If you are after a pocketable internal battery full-featured mod, this is one of the easiest recommendations I ever had to make. You just can’t go wrong with the Vaporesso Gen Nano mod, period. I’ve been using it non-stop since it arrived, and I will be using it for a long time. But a mod like this is not great for every style of vaping.

The 2000 mAh battery limits this mod to MTL and low-wattage RDL tanks. With the fear of sounding like a fanboy, I’ve been using it with the Innokin Zlide and it’s a great compact setup. Using it with the included GTX22 tank, the best option for me is the 0.6-ohm coil at around 25 watts. So, if you are thinking of pairing it with anything MTL, or anything that’s good for up to let’s say 30 watts (be it stock coil or rebuildable), this super-lightweight mod won’t disappoint you.

As for the GTX22 tank, it’s nothing special on its own. But the variety of the GTX coils gives you a lot of options, and the cross-platform compatibility is a good insurance that coils are going to be available for a while.

Recommended.