Pugsley's back to beautiful basics review of the Geek Vape Nova Kit & Creed RTA

[Steampugs]

This...has been a month of surprises for me - a much needed hot poker in the ass of an almost 'surreal' wave of devices to come out of China. It was one device in particular, an LED disco box which you could talk to.......that almost had me hanging up my reviewer gloves and heading for the nearest exit...

It's a direction that is neither required nor desired, the last thing I would ever want is to be seen driving my car looking like I'm sucking on a kids toy, or sat in a pub sounding like I'm having a religious rant as I go on about 'Higher Power' to a little box that tells me it's my little 'Warrior' .....come on...for fucks sake, I need no help in making myself look retarded in front of my friends after a few loud mouth soups..

However.....you can quite happily turn a blind eye to this monumental wave of Eastern human excrement because just lately there seems to have been a swell in the ocean of vape manufacturers that actually have taste and a rational mind, bringing forward a new wave of much more desirable devices made for people who aren't nine... and it's this wave that has had me grab my reviewer board and surf this gnarly barrel...or something....equally rad....I have no idea what I'm talking about....I live in Manchester and the closest thing we get to surf is a laundry detergent.
SO....much to talk about....and I'm sorry about that, because I kinda dropped myself in it with this review. When I was asked to review a 'kit' I presumed much, but knew little, and as a result added another device to fill the gaps that didn't really exist....and now the month long testing period is over I can say with absolute certainty that this review...is going to be a big one....

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Welcome back my elegant little well adjusted, rational thinking, veritable vape virtuoso's. That's exactly what you are if you have actively sought out a review for the stuff I have for you today; you have no time for flashing wtf lights or tacky teenage technological gimmicks made for people who can't be arsed pushing buttons..."What?...Use my actual fingers?!?...Are you fucking crazy?!...I ain't got time for that!" ...No....you are my kinda people. Don't get me wrong, I like a gadget as much as the next man-child, but there's a line, and that line has not only been crossed by some vape manufacturers, it's been treated like the ginger stepchild of lines...utterly ignored and...probably beaten. However, one such Shenzhen heavyweight, Geek Vape, will have no truck with such preposterous notions. Their line of rationality is not a line at all, but more of an impenetrable 'Great Wall of Normality' ...not to be climbed...or even peered over, and whilst other company design departments have stumbled through their own creative barriers with all the finesse of a drunk giraffe...

Geek Vape’s R&D department holds steadfast with a strong and respected set of morals that will hold back even the most foolhardy and wayward of vape gear designers..

And so is the case with their latest offerings, a lesson in what should be done instead of what could be done, and seeing as we have so much to get through, it's probably a good idea that we do indeed...crack...the fuck on.

Now...before I start (oh for fuck’s sake) ....today's stars of the show do not come together, one is a kit, and one is an RTA, but as is always the case, the kit comes with a Sub-Ohm tank. As much as Sub-Ohm tanks have improved recently with the surge and justified popularity of mesh coils, as someone who makes his own coils and does his own builds, I can just never accept them. They're expensive, they don't perform as well...and...meh....So when I asked for the kit I also asked for a different RTA to go with it, because...well....I'm being a reviewing cupid and I truly believe this RTA belongs with the mod in the kit....sorry Sub-Ohm tank....but you’re being totally cock- blocked...albeit, probably...wrongly so.
SO.....let's dispense with the pleasantries, courtesy of my good friends at Sourcemore, I present to you without further ado, the GeekVape Nova Kit and the Creed RTA....(at fucking last)

Reviewers sample packaging was supplied with all this gear so....nothing to see here....move along...
We'll start with the Nova kit, as this alone is what my long winded intro was really about. Classy, elegant, super clean, all that you need and nothing that you don't. A real breath of fresh air in a market that really was going in a direction reserved for people who often made dubious life choices...and find there entertainment in flashy lights and conversing with their vape gear....whatever floats your boat in that particular toilet....I'm not judging......l am.....actually......(shrugs)

The Lowdown
The Nova Kit consists of the Nova box mod, a dual 18650 200w powerhouse that is all kept in check by Geek Vape’s AS 200 Chip - the same chip that powered the bullet proof Aegis Legend, so it has all the same bells and whistles; a super responsive fire rate, accurate power output and for those of you that are a bit .....weird.....'acceptable' TC modes for all your different wires, which works OK...apparently...what the fuck do I know? I'll never be won over by such witchcraft and fuckery, but I can tell you that for those normal people amongst you, the wattage mode is bang on the nose.
The box itself is primarily made of your finest Aluminium, making it a featherweight in the mod league, weighing in at a mere 120g without batteries, and it’s embellished on both sides with swirly resin inlays...

Now...these mods were both samples and supplied with the flat, almost 'rubbery' resin panels, but I believe the retail version had the panels changed...

And I'm not 100% sure if ALL the available colour combinations come with these new ribbed panels, or if both the ribbed and the flat are available....personally I much prefer the flat panels and seeing as both mine are flat I can't really make a comment on how the ribbed panels would bring you any extra pleasure...if used within normal parameters. However, I do like the flat panels very much (you said that....we get it...)
The box itself is probably not the most ergonomic of devices, it's kinda sharp edged, not quite to the degree of the VooPoo Alpha one which was practically a weapon, but not as comfortable in the hand as a lot of devices out there. Thankfully it's kinda compact, it's actually about 2mm smaller all around than the Aegis legend and although it would probably have been a better idea to photograph these side by side to show you... in my true drama queen fashion I went for the...well....dramatic....and pictured it being totally intimidated by my Whiterose Lipo...

They could almost be father and son....
Controlling the Nova is completely generic, you have your up and down buttons and a very slightly raised fire button. All of these are beautifully clicky, rattle free, and where you would expect them to be, and I'm not going to go into the menu functions because it's..well....boring. It'll take you literally seconds to work out what's what and prevent you from giving up on the whole thing and turning into this guy....

So gross.

 

[Steampugs]

I'm still not utterly enamoured by the display that Geek Vape insist on using, mainly because I'm Mr Magoo without my specs on and although I can make out the power easy enough, I just can't read the rest. These screens are too small in my opinion - I don't like it on the Aegis, and I still don't like it on the Nova...

That being said, it does display all the information you need, and some you probably don't, I just believe that Geek Vape could improve on this in the future given the display options out there at present that don't require so much.....eyes.....ooft....that was almost snarky.

On the top we have an oval....for reasons that I'm sure made sense to someone.....bolted on 510 plate containing a nicely spring loaded pin. You'll get no change with a 25mm top on this and the placement is a little confusing. Personally...I think it would have worked better in the centre, just for aesthetics, I mean obviously you'll still only fit a 25mm top up there but this is kinda...not really at the side or in the middle...it's just off-centre...

Not sure what the thinking is behind it, and maybe it's just me (probs) .....Also on the top, you will notice a little notch in the top corner - this is to remove the battery plate.....something that is normally found underneath. Again, due to the incredibly clean lines of the Nova...I think I'd rather see it there again....these are obviously both subjective cons and neither really take anything away from the mod itself or alter the way it performs in the slightest.....it's just not what I would have done.

And finally we have the battery bay, beautifully clean interior...

And extra kudos goes to the door itself, haven't seen a rear look quite so tidy since the last time I wore denim hot pants...

Nothing at all out of place, almost perfect, the only thing I'd like to see...which admittedly is lacking in 90% of mods, is a more clearly marked positive and negative, it's not as bad as some, but you have to catch it in the light to see the faintly etched markings in the back of the sled.
Now then...as surprised as I was with the refreshing 'back to basics' approach to the Nova mod....the next surprise was a doozy, because accompanying the Nova mod in the kit was Geek Vape’s Cerberus Sub-Ohm tank....

Now like I said earlier, I pretty much poo-pooed this from the get go, bringing the Creed RTA into the mix in the hope of a better altogether rig....which...it still is, but I certainly wasn't prepared for just how good this little bugger turned out to be.
The Lowdown
The Cerberus Sub-Ohm tank is a 25mm Sub-Ohm tank which utilises Geek Vape’s X1 Kanthal mesh coil and keeps within its belly a relatively generous 5.5ml of your finest, or 4ml...with the included straight glass if you're one of those that's a little blasé with such flamboyance.
Now...I'm not going to go overboard on the Cerberus seeing as we still have the Creed to check out, and...at the end of the day, it's still a Sub-Ohm tank. There really isn't a great deal to talk about or look at - it's bottom airflow...obv....and has a quick release top cap for easy and convenient top filling.....which admittedly....houses one of my biggest bugbears - a non-recessed fill port....

You are cordially invited to the bring a cloth party, attendees of which are primarily fat handed bastards with big bottles......grrrr...etc.
Bugbears aside, the quick release is a peach, and the 810 drip tip is...well....it's....black, but hey you can change that....so that's good...
Clearly I'm struggling with the aesthetics here and you know what..it doesn't really matter, because the fact of the matter is that Cerberus...is actually a really....really good Sub-Ohm tank, partially down to the smooth airflow, but the majority of the credit goes the rather excellent X1 Kanthal mesh coil.

The flavour of this thing is outstanding for a Sub-Ohm tank, and I've had the same coil in mine now for 6 weeks with no loss in flavour or performance. Geek Vape even confirm that Smok Baby TFV8 coils can be used in it as an extra selling incentive....

The X1 coil is epic, and you should stick with those, there is a very good and obviously overlooked reason why you shouldn't use a Smok coil in the Cerberus, and that reason is ......because they are shit.
However...even as nicely surprised as I was with everything so far, the biggest surprise was still yet to come. If I was a vaper who didn't build and only ever used stock coils with a Sub-Ohm tank, then at this stage I would have been as happy as a pig in shit. As far as a kit goes there is nothing at all wrong with the Nova kit, it's a really really nice bit of kit....especially if you're a beginner to this wonderfluff hobby of ours. But...if you're typically the kinda guy or gal that likes to take things a few steps further, then pairing your Nova mod with the next item....is not the worst thing you could do. Coming from the shadows...a snarling bulky man mountain of an RTA has its sights firmly set on becoming the new heavyweight contender.....

The Geek Vape Creed RTA......

The Lowdown
The Creed comes in at a little over 25mm at the waist and bulks up to an impressive 30mm around the shoulders of it's voluminous 6.5ml glass bubble jacket....No sir....this things no flyweight, and at the core of this super sized prize fighter lies all kinds of fancy footwork, breaking the chains of airflow innovation that feed its dual engined heart.....(bit dramatic)

Now...there's nothing unusual about the dual coil build deck in the Creed...in fact by today's standards it's positively middle of the road...

Two post's, two large post holes, bottom airflow and two large juice channels. If you build you certainly won't be needing a manual, but even for me, who has installed more builds than you can shake a shitty stick at......my eyes couldn't fathom out why something wasn't quite right with this airflow....I mean you can see it....it's right fucking there....but.....wait.....that airflow inlet is inside.....how in holy fuckballs does that work?!?....Well...it was only on closer inspection of the included package that things made...well....actually...no more sense at this point...

 

[Steampugs]

I sat and looked at this array of shinyness for a solid several minutes.....I was even forced to ask all of my personalities if they had a clue what was going on....

A resounding ‘no’ it would seem....
So being the ever stubborn and pig headed male specimen that I indeed...am, I thwarted my urge to look at ...(ahem)....a manual (ptoo ptoo) ....and had a play....and finally....it all clicked...actually quite literally...into place.

The reason I couldn't understand how the fuck that airflow inlet worked when it was inside the chamber was in fact because it isn't an inlet at all....it's an outlet....bare with...it's actually quite simple once you get your head around it....even for me.
Now..the air does still come from underneath through the AFC ring along the bottom, it then comes up, hits the coils through those two little pipes..but....depending on which of those little build deck sleeves you have fitted....of which there are three...depends on what it does along the way. If you have the solid sleeve on...it just goes straight up through the pipes, but if you have either of the other two sleeves on, the airflow is split, some goes up through the pipes and some goes OUT through what I first thought was the airflow inlet and then back in through the holes in the side of the sleeve, giving bottom AND side airflow.....

And if you are wondering how it is channeled, well...if you peer inside the polished domed housing carefully you will see a seal running in the corner...it's barely noticeable...but it's there...

And this seals in the build deck sleeves leaving the air nowhere else to go.....talk about over engineered.
And the effect of this?....It’s mind blowing. The flavour off the Creed RTA is by far the best flavour I have had out of any Geek Vape RTA thus far. I'd actually be hard stretched to think of any RTA that can go toe to toe with the Creed in the flavour heavyweight championship...and win....I dunno..maybe Russia can come up with something to wipe the floor with it.....I mean it's happened before, right?.....

To say that the Creed is airy is sugar coating the shit out of it. If you use one of the perforated build deck sleeves and have the AFC wide open you could practically breath through this thing, and even with all that air it's still amazingly flavourful. Put the solid sleeve in and your are rewarded with a touch more flavour on top. However...my advice would be to put one of the perforated sleeve’s on (it really doesn't matter which..I couldn't tell the difference), close the AFC to about half way and enjoy what the Creed is all about; super silky airflow coupled with a wet, saturated, full-bodied, warm, flavourful vape. They did a really good job with this airflow.....like...really good.

The rest of the Creed is relatively standard, you get an 810 piss coloured Ultem push fit drip tip which I changed instantly....not even the little beauty ring did that any favours ..

The incredibly thin screw top that houses the nicely recessed (yay!) top fill can be a bit fiddly at first, but it's threaded beautifully and once you get to grips with it...literally...it's actually quite nice..

And with that media blasted finish it just looks like it was made to be on the Nova....

The Specs (Nova Kit)
Main Features:
Mod:
● Thread: 510
● Supporting 2pcs 18650 batteries ( not included )
● Resistance: 0.05 - 3 ohm
● TC range: 200 - 600 Deg.F
● Wattage: 5 -200WAtomizer:
● Thread: 510
● Capacity: 5.5ml
● Diameter: 2.5cm
Specification
Product Details Brand: Geekvape
Material: Aluminium Alloy,Glass,Resin,Stainless Steel
Dimension and Weight Package size (L x W x H): 15.50 x 8.00 x 7.20 cm / 6.1 x 3.15 x 2.83 inches
Package weight: 0.2900 kg
Product size (L x W x H): 13.50 x 5.20 x 2.50 cm / 5.31 x 2.05 x 0.98 inches
Product weight: 0.2800 kg
Packing Contents Package Contents: 1 x Mod, 1 x Atomizer, 1 x Glass Tube, 1 x Coil, 1 x English Using Manual, 1 x USB Cable
The Specs (Creed RTA)
Main Features:
● Capacity: 6.5ml
● Diameter: 2.5cm
● Thread: 510
● Material: stainless steel
● Three interchangeable airflow system
● Support single and dual coil builds
Specification
Product Details Brand: Geekvape
Type: Rebuildable Atomizer
Material: Stainless Steel
Dimension and Weight Product weight: 0.0500 kg
Package weight: 0.2120 kg
Product size (L x W x H): 2.50 x 2.50 x 4.00 cm / 0.98 x 0.98 x 1.57 inches
Package size (L x W x H): 4.90 x 7.10 x 10.30 cm / 1.93 x 2.8 x 4.06 inches
Package Contents Package Contents: 1 x RDA, 1 x 510 Drip Tip, 1 x 810 Drip Tip, 1 x Glass Tube, 1 x Spanner, 1 x Accessory Bag, 3 x Chamber

Final Thoughts
Geek Vape have almost become the McDonalds of the vape industry - it's almost always nice....especially when you're ridiculously hung over....ok that makes little sense, but.....their gear has been relatively consistent throughout, without being expensive. Yet again they have proven themselves with more devices that will please the masses. The Nova may not break the barriers of creativity and innovation - but it is a classy looking, well made little device that....without nitpicking on a few fairly irrelevant moot points....there is nothing not to like. Sure..it'll only take a 25mm top, which fucks with me slightly, but...for someone who's 'levelling up' with their gear and fancies a really cool, nice looking little device with a simple well performing chip, and a tank that performs extremely well and needs little maintenance then...

It'll serve you very well indeed.
However....if you would like your socks blown through your ass with a tank that outperforms most - if not all - other dual coil RTA's on the market, and you like to install your own build with your own coils, then get the Nova mod on it's own and buy the Creed, because they go together like burger and fries......like chicken nuggets and sweet curry sauce....like....bacon and cheese......like.....oh I dunno, I'm just trying to make that bullshit Mcdonalds comment I made earlier seem more relevant...and now I'm just really fucking hungry....

Harsh...but fair.
In a nutshell, I'd recommend any of these devices. I've been using them daily now for over a month and they haven't skipped a beat, and the flavour from that Creed, man....seriously...I am indeed...(ahem)...”Loving it”....and I kinda like the price too.....not the original price so much...but this price...
The Price
Generally, the Nova kit retails at around $91 and indeed the standard price on Sourcemore is £70.16/$91.99...which for Geek Vape, I think, is a little on the steep side for them. It's worth it, don't get me wrong, it's a class product, but if you use code NOVAK and follow this link...
Geek Vape Nova Kit Discounted Price
It'll be your for a heavily discounted £50.49/$66.20....lovely.
And to get the Nova mod on it's own which normally retails at £51.86/$67.99, simply use code NOVAM and follow this link...
Geek Vape Nova Mod Only - Discounted Price
And the mod can be yours for £38.13/$49.99........then add the Creed RTA to this deal, which I'm afraid I don't have a discount code for, but is discounted anyway...then follow this link....
Geek Vape Creed RTA - 8% off
And the tank will be rammed right in your arsenal for a mere £26.05/$34.15 giving you one hell of a rig for a little over 60 quid, which is what I would personally do...it's that good...and all those prices come with free international shipping....just so you know.

I have to admit, I really struggled to say anything bad about any of the gear in this review, the further away from gimmicks and flashing lights the better for me, some people might dig that shit but in comparison the Nova is just a classic well made little box mod which performs well and looks awesome, couple that with the Creed and you got yourself a cool lookin solid little kit, great work once again Geek Vape.
And as always if you would like to see how these devices scored against other bits and pieces of awesome vapeology then head on over to Steampugs
Until next time
Pugs.

 

[AndriaD]

As always, LOVE your reviews, including this one. I've thought that this mod might be a good way to break into 2-batt mods, and your review confirms that it would indeed be a good choice. I finally got an original Aegis, and LOVE it. As per your review of that mod.

Thx! (for the review AND the giggles!)
Andria

 

[Steampugs]

As always, LOVE your reviews, including this one. I've thought that this mod might be a good way to break into 2-batt mods, and your review confirms that it would indeed be a good choice. I finally got an original Aegis, and LOVE it. As per your review of that mod.

Thx! (for the review AND the giggles!)
Andria

Ahh I LOVE the Aegis, such a cool device, and I am sure you will love this too, and thank you very much for your support and kind words I very much appreciate it!

 

[AndriaD]

I wish you were a MtL vaper; I'd love to see a review comparing the Coppervape Caiman v4 RDA to the original Achilles. I'm completely stuck on the Achilles, because of its super-tight draw, and excellent super-saturated flavor -- nothing else even comes close... but the Caiman v4 offers switchable inner-airhole "nozzles" along with the outer adjustable airflow, so I'm hoping that having a nice small inner airhole (as the original Achilles does) will make the Caiman v4 just as good a vape. It's not costly, only about $15 from 3Fvape, but it would be nice to see a good review of it first. Someone else did a video review of it, but I HATE video reviews; I really don't need to watch reviewers vape nor open pkging... I much prefer written reviews because they spare me all that irritating nonsense.

Andria