Augvape Narada Pod Kit Review – Stock Coils Or Separate RBA Deck Option

The Augvape Narada pod kit joins a growing band of AIO/pod mod crossovers – so does this one stand up to the competition?

It’s full name is actually the Augvape Druga Narada, the company keeping the successful Druga line going.

That range has included the sexy Druga Foxy mod – the Druga 22 squonk mod and of course the Druga RDA, the one with the twisty clamp deck.

I’ve worked closely with Augvape for some time and in general like their vape gear, indeed the BTFC RDA is still my go to dripper, and the recently reviewed Augvape and Mass Mods S2 squonker is stylish – a great performer and cheap as chips!

What Can We Expect From the Augvape Narada Pod Kit?

As always top of my list is great flavour.

The retail kit comes with a couple of stock coils – a stainless steel and kanthal mesh – the latter I hope follows in the mesh tradition of giving out great flavour.

Given this is a pod kit I’m also hoping for ease of use – good battery life – coil longevity indeed overall good performance.

There is a RBA kit that you can buy separately and I shall be reviewing that too…

I had to look up what the word Narada means and in this case it’s Sanskrit for a sage or ‘wise old man…’

I am indeed an ‘old man’, but given I have the least amount of vaping wisdom of the EcigClick team – let’s hope I do this pod kit review justice 😉

OK, this was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of this review direct from Augvape – thank you – and Merry Christmas Stephen – I know I know bit of a fanboy thing going on there lol.

However, and as always, my thoughts and opinions are not swayed by freebies 🙂

Inside the Box

The Augvape Narada pod kit packaging is smart and colourful and inside you’ll find:

• 1 NARADA Battery
• 1 Empty Cartridge
• 2 OCC Coils
• 1 USB-C Lanyard
• 6 Airflow Inserts
• 1 User Manual
• 1 Warranty Card

Not sure if it’s a misprint – but the list of contents includes x6 airflow inserts.

There were none in mine and to be honest I’m not sure they exist as looking at the internals I have no idea where they would go!

Augvape Narada Pod Kit Specs

• Dimensions – 85mm by 37mm by 19mm
• Integrated 1100mAh Rechargeable Battery
• Zinc Alloy Chassis Construction
• LED Battery Life Indicator Light
• Refillable Pod – Replaceable Cartridge
• 2mL Juice Capacity
• Adjustable Airflow
• RBA available separately – see below

Key Features

Without stating the obvious – the Augvape Narada is a pod kit or pod mod or you could even call it an AIO [all in one].

For the purpose of this review I’m going to call it an AIOMP – all in one mod pod – trademark incoming ha! 😉

OK, it features a large 1100mAH internal battery – pods that I prefer to think of as cartridges, they are refillable and the coils can be replaced.

There is an RBA kit sold separately and I’ll look at that a little later.

There’s no wattage/voltage control – the device when fully charged kicks out 3.5v – so extremely powerful this one isn’t.

The retail kit comes with x2 coils: the 316 SS at 0.5 ohm and the Kanthal Mesh at 0.6ohms.

It’s got USB-C fast charging and the very cool and colourful lanyard also acts as both a tape measure and charging cable – nice!

Without going into the design just yet – the overall look is very sleek and compact with just the fire button on show and of course the air port slot.

The airflow control is inside and is a kind of lever style.

When the ports open and close, the airflow slot reminds me of an air con shutter – obviously more on the airflow later.

Augvape Narada Pod Kit Design and Build Quality

It is certainly a stunner to look at and for me outwardly and inwardly is very reminiscent of a Billet Box.

It comes in x3 very smart colour combos: black carbon fibre – black/red leather and the black PC with the word Narada and the one I received. A little bird tells me there’s also an extremely limited edition champagne colour too.

The outside on mine is very shiny – I thought it was scratched at first, but nope, it was the plastic protector…I get worse lol.

However my version is a fingerprint magnet and has already scratched up in a few places.

Only one of the panels is removable – not sure if it’s the back or front or whether that indeed matters!

One side is obviously to get at the airflow and cartridge – whilst the other has a nice cut-out to view your juice level.

The inside is extremely clean and smart and again, it reminds me of a Billet Box.

The airflow lever/switch is easy enough to use and as to if any of the settings makes a difference we shall see soon.

I quite like the airflow control being hidden away, as it leaves the device itself very sleek with the fire button and indeed air-inlet the only parts on show.

Solid In the Hand

As to the build quality – I’m impressed.

It’s made from good quality zinc alloy and has a good weight to it making it feel like you have something substantial in your hand.

Don’t get me wrong, in no way is this heavy – it’s just very well constructed indeed.

The panel comes off easy enough though there is slight movement – maybe beefier magnets might have helped – though if I’m honest the movement is not distracting at all.

The airflow switch feels good as does the fire button which has a perfect throw and satisfying click.

So, a nice bit of kit – let’s see how this one vapes…but first…

Augvape Narada Pod Kit Quick Start Guide

• x5 clicks on/off
• Remove plate and push pod out through the window
• Remove replace coil = push ‘n pull method
• Remove bung to fill
• White light when vaping = full battery
• Red light means battery below 3.5v
• Flashing red light means voltage now below 3.3v – time to charge!
• Green light whilst charging goes off when charged
• Device goes to sleep after 10 minutes of inactivity

There’s a host of inbuilt protections too: automatic cuttoff – short circuit protection – low voltage protection and over-charge protection.

How Does the Augvape Narada Pod Kit Perform?

Removing the pod/cartridge is a simple job – just pop it out through the window.

The coil is press fit – so just push it in and pull it out [and shake it all about].

I tried swapping the coil whilst the pod was part filled and nope – can’t do it without juice pouring out.

Filling is a doddle – the stopper is very sturdy and makes a very tight connection – no leaks whatsoever after over 2 weeks of use.

It really does charge very fast indeed – I haven’t made the 25 minutes yet – but have come very close from flat to full.

Judging from the coils and airflow options, I’m expecting this one to be either a restricted DTL or indeed loose/tight MTL draw.

So let’s see what we actually get.

Read more: Mouth To Lung (MTL) VS Direct To Lung (DTL) Vaping: What’s The Difference?

For the flavour test I used both the Pachamama Nicotine Salts – Sorbet – 50/50 VG/PG and the Twelve Monkeys ‘Monkey Mix’ Origins – Papio – 70/30 VG/PG.

Read more:

• Guide To Nicotine Salt E Juice and Best Nic Salt Brands
• VG VS PG In E Liquid: All You Need To Know

Augvape Narada Pod Kit – 316 SS Coil 0.5 ohm

OK I popped this in with the device fully charged.

I did prime the coil first, leaving it to sit for a good 10 minutes.

I left the airflow wide open and after a few good draws the flavour from the crisp nic salts wasn’t exactly knocking my socks off.

Closing the airflow down and the flavour improved a little and the vape was a tiny bit warmer – but still on the cool side.

I wondered if the slight lack of flavour was down to the time the coil needs to break in.

2 fills later and with both the nic salts and regular e-liquid – the flavour is for me a little sub-par.

Airflow On the 316 SS Coil 0.5 ohm Coil

Fully open and on a scale of 1:10 with 10 being extremely airy I’d put this one at around a 6.

Half shut and it’s a restricted lung hit but almost closed and this one’s tight!

Augvape Narada Pod Kit – Kanthal Mesh at 0.6ohms

I followed the exact same procedure with this coil.

The flavour did jump a little, thanks I’m guessing to the ‘mesh effect’.

However and again after 2 fills of both e-liquids, the flavour whilst OK – really isn’t what I’m used to from the two juices I know very well indeed.

Airflow On the Kanthal Mesh at 0.6ohms

Fully open and the flavour was slightly better than the stainless steel coil.

Half closed and things improved a tad.

Closed almost tight and the flavour jumped a notch – but not by much.

Note: the Augvape Narada pod kit wicked both the 50/50 and 70/30 with no issues whatsoever.

Stock coil longevity isn’t great – I was getting less than a week before they started to fail.

Augvape Narada Pod Kit RBA

A reminder this is sold separately – decent price too.

Inside you’ll find:

• x1 empty cartridge
• x1 base – 510 pin to allow pre-firing the coils
• x1 build deck
• x1 chamber
• x20 kanthal 1.0ohm coils

Building the Augvape Narada Pod Kit RBA

The first thing to say is you need to be extremely dexterous – have good eye-sight and patience!

I have bags of the latter – allegedly – however the first two and even with my reading glasses on are a big nope!

First off you’ll need to pop the deck onto the base and then attach it to your preferred build stand – mod or ohms reader – I use the Coilmaster 521 Plus Tab which for me also acts as a sturdy stand for building.

OK, advert over lol.

To call this RBA deck small is an understatement – it’s tiny!

To get to the build deck you need to unscrew the chamber…er get me stating the bleedin’ obvious again lol.

The screws are obviously extremely small and I did manage to remove one completely which being so small got lost in the black hole that is my carpet.

Trust me, getting one back in is an absolute nightmare – I’m getting flashbacks just thinking about it!

Once opened up, the tails of the coils need to drop under the head of the screw – which sounds easy but we are talking micro-micro here!

First few goes and I lost the will to live…it’s that simple!

However, and ever the professional – what you laughing for? – I persevered and despite cooking one coil after forgetting to turn the wattage down – that had my blood boiling let me tell you – I eventually got a decent build in there.

It’s not just blind as a bat fingers and thumbs old bloke me moaning either!

I’ve seen far more advanced builders than me saying the exact same thing!

Wicking the Augvape Narada Pod Kit RBA

Again we’re talking minimalist – which is a nice way of saying fiddly 😉

You’ll be amazed how little cotton you’ll need and it does work much better wet – that’s what she said…

There are ‘guides’ or slots – but as you might expect they are tiny too.

I thinned my cotton out and snipped the legs just off the base by about half a mm.

Popped the chamber back on – removed it from the base and pushed it into the cartridge and pressed it into the AIOMP the all in one mod pod.

If I’m honest after this build-fest I stomped off out for a pint – man was I vexed ha!

How Does the Augvape Narada Pod Kit RBA Perform?

After all those shenanigans I was hoping for a BIG jump in flavour.

Did I get it?

Indeed I did.

Wide open airflow and fully charged as you might expect the hit was a tad more restricted than the stock coils.

However the flavour did jump up a couple of notches putting it in the good not great realm.

I’m guessing the ‘proper’ builders out there will be able to eke out more flavour with fancier coils – I just stuck with those supplied.

The question is – is it worth buying the Augvape Narada pod kit RBA?

I’d say yes given I have no doubt like many of the flash in the pan pod kits out there, the stock pods and coils will become unavailable as the manufacturers move onto the next big thing.

And given most places are selling it for around a tenner – quid that is – it’s a decent enough investment.

But as I said – patience is the virtue here!

Note: I’ve had a good look around but can’t find the Narada RBA kit on sale anywhere apart from Augvape – I’ll update when I find one!

Pros

• Nice design
• Solid build
• Easy fill
• Easy press fit coils
• Easy cartridge swap
• Good airflow control
• RBA deck available
• Can take your own 510 drip tip

Cons

• No wattage/voltage control
• Flavour just about good enough
• Vapour same as above
• RBA deck is EXTREMELY fiddly!
• Poor stock coil life
• Pricey

Final Review Verdict

A case of close but no cigar.

I’m guessing the Narada is attempting to appeal to vapers in the same market as the Lost Vape Q Pro.

I take the Q Pro absolutely everywhere with me – love that pod kit.

As much as I’d like to say the Augvape Narada pod kit will replace it, it won’t.

The flavour is not anywhere near the same as I get from the Q Pro and to be honest and despite liking the design and quality build from the Narada, I simply prefer the Q Pro.

On the upside the Narada does have redeemable features – the RBA deck for one and for me the design is extremely eye-catching.

That RBA deck may test the patience of even the most saintly of builders out there – but I have a feeling fancier coils might – just might bring the flavour out more.

As to if it’s a DTL or MTL device – that’s really up to you with the airflow allowing your to really tailor your vape.

Personally I preferred it with the airflow 2/3rds shut giving a tightish draw with decent flavour off the RBA – but each to his/her own.

So…

What are your thoughts and opinions on the Augvape Narada pod kit?

Have you used it? Planning to buy it?

And what about that RBA!!!

Let me know in the comments below – especially if you think I’m talking out of my ample ass as usual 😉