The Source Nail is one of the better implementations of a portable e-nail that I have personally seen and used. There have been a number of designs coming from a few different companies, but this one in particular from Source gives users a lot of value for their money.

You are offered quartz, ceramic, and titanium “nails” which are mostly specially designed atomizers with the main purpose of acting similar to a traditional e-nail.

If you already have a powerful sub-ohm battery, you don’t even need to buy much besides the glass hydratube. Source doesn’t require any proprietary batteries or anything like that, which I feel is better for the consumer.

The “portable erig” concept like the Source Nail finds itself in between a vape pen, and a traditional oil rig. Portable e-rigs are great for both home and on the go use, but we’ll dive more into those two scenarios later in the portability section of the review.

In this review, we’re going to look at why this e-nail has personally exceeded my expectations overall, but as with all our reviews we look at everything regarding each vaporizer. As such we’ll be looking at each of the following categories when evaluating this device.

• Parts and Assembly
• Temperature Control
• Vapor Quality and Efficiency
  • Grade 2 Titanium
  • Ceramic
  • Quartz

• Battery life
• Portability

With the introduction aside, let’s jump right into the review!

Parts and Assembly

For starters, the Source Nail Temperature Control Kit is an all inclusive package. It provides you everything you need to vape concentrates effortlessly and efficiently.

The temperature kit includes the Source Volt Temperature Control battery.

I personally have one gripe about the battery with this kit.

The battery will stand upright with the bubbler installed but be careful as the base is narrow. This makes it easy to knock over the device since it’s top heavy. A little base attachment that slides over the base of the battery would be a great improvement for future iterations.

The Source Nail attachment is what threads into the battery. This attachment is also what houses the bubbler and the atomizers.

The bubbler simply slides onto the Source nail attachment and the seal is made airtight with some black orings.

The bubbler that is included with the kit splits into two pieces, this makes the bubbler really easy to empty out and clean.

The problem with similar e-rig devices is that the spill proof design works too good, making it a pain to get all the water out at the end of a session.

Source also includes a glass globe top too If you need to take your Source Nail on the go, this is great because the bubbler isn’t the best option for every scenario.

Finally the atomizers, each atomizer housing is built with 303 stainless steel while each atomizers bucket is made with either genuine grade 2 titanium, ceramic, or quartz.

There is also a dabber which also has a carb cap attached to it.

It functions well, but I feel the dabber sits a little too close to your face when you’re using it. 

Temperature Control

For starters you have the option of choosing between a “Temperature Control” mode and a traditional “Variable Wattage” mode. Personally, I preferred the Variable Wattage mode; I like using watts as my unit of power. However, someone who doesn’t have much experience with ecigs may prefer the temperature control mode due to its simplicity.

By slowly clicking the power button 3 times you’ll open the menu interface, the first option you see should be “atomizer,” click the power button to select it. From there you’ll have two choices, “Normal” and “Ni2000.”

“Normal” is the Variable Wattage mode and that’s what lets you set the Source Volt from its range of 5-40 watts.

“Ni-2000” is the Temperature Control mode and that allows you to set the temperature from 200-700 Fahrenheit.

Vapor Quality and Efficiency

When reading a review for a vaporizer, I find confusing when someone talks about a device’s vapor quality without first defining what they mean by “vapor quality.”

Here at Paint the Moon we breakdown the actual characteristics of the vapor and allow you, the reader to deduce how a vaporizer will perform before you spend your hard-earned cash on it. We’re going to be looking at the vapor production, flavor, and smoothness when evaluating vapor quality.

Each atomizer included with the Source Nail is coilless and in general does a pretty good job at emulating a traditional dab nail.

There’re two main ways you can load and use the Source Nail Atomizers.

For starters, you can simply scoop up a dab with the included dabber, heat the atomizer a few cycles, and the dab the concentrate into the atomizer while it is hot like a normal e-nail.

Or for a different experience, you can load concentrate into the atomizer while it’s cold, and you’ll be hitting the device more so like a traditional vape pen avoiding the whole dabbing action you have to do with other e-rigs on the market.

If you have used Source Vape Pens before, you’ll fall right in love with this e-rig. The addition of filtering the vapor through water allows you to vape at hotter temperature while still maintaining an enjoyable level of smoothness.

With all of that out of the way let’s breakdown how each of these atomizers perform.

Grade 2 Titanium

I am usually not much of a fan of titanium, but I personally like how it was implemented in this atomizer.

I found this atomizer to be fastest at heating up, about halfway through the first heat cycle you’ll find a good amount of vapor being produced which is good if you’re looking for immediate hits and not looking to heat an atomizer a few cycles to get the right temperature.

I typically dab in the 20-25 watt range with this atomizer. That’s a little hotter than a like to go with my Source Orb 4, but the addition of water filtration makes the vapor a lot smoother on the throat.

All in all, vapor production is the reason why I would use this atomizer with the Source Nail. The Titanium atomizer heats up quick and hits you with dense vapor in an instant. Personally, I don’t find it the best tasting, but not everyone is necessary worried about flavor.

This atomizer is also practically indestructible. Regarding durability, this is the atomizer that will stand up to the most abuse over time.

Ceramic

The Ceramic atomizer is my personal favorite. Offering great flavor, and the smoothest vapor possible.

I found myself using this atomizer the most as I’m usually trying just to sit back and enjoy the whole vaping experience.

I would rather slowly boil my concentrate into delicious and smooth vapor, rather than hitting it with intense heat and instantly sublimating it into really dense and hot vapor.

Ceramic is the best material to dab off of if you’re into the former option. Ceramic in my experience provides the best flavor and the smoothest vapor when vaporize concentrates off it at a low temperature.

This atomizer takes the longest to heat up to vaping temperature, though, in my case I need 1-2 full heat cycles before a good amount of vapor is produced.

I found myself in the 20-30 watt range when using this atomizer, you can definitely go hotter if you want but I prefer a more tame experience.

This atomizer will discolor a bit over time much more noticeably so than the titanium. Doing burn offs will get rid of most of the black color, but I try to avoid throwing to much power at my atomizers, so they don’t burn out.

Quartz

I found Quartz to be the best all around atomizer.

It offers great vapor production; the flavor is about middle of the road between ceramic and titanium, and the smoothness is about the same being somewhere between the ceramic and the titanium.

Like the titanium atomizer, this one heats up pretty quick but not as fast as the titanium from my experience.

I used this atomizer in the 12-17 watt range most of the time. Anything past 19 watts I found too uncomfortable for my liking.

Battery Life

The battery included with Source Nail kit is a  2200mAh sub-ohm box battery.

It took this battery about 3 hours to fully recharge from a dead battery. The battery is charged with a simple micro-usb cable like most portable electronic devices are charged from.

I will get about a days worth of usage on the Source Nail, possibly more if you don’t dab as much as I do.

Portability

Now I said the Source Nail is great for home and on the go use, but I need to clarify that claim.

When I say on the go, I mean you taking it with you to a destination. This is not a device you take out of your pocket and use while walking through the street; it can be if you use the glass globe attachment, however.

With that said, however, the whole kit is easy to transport due to the case that is included with it.

This is a great option for you to take from Point A to Point B, but I wouldn’t recommend using it in between Point A and point B.

If I want to bring my oil rig somewhere, it’s a pretty big hassle in my opinion.

I need to put my rig away in its pelican case, I need a backpack big enough for my pelican, I need to bring my big torch, I may need to bring some extra butane, and of course, I need to be somewhere where I feel comfortable using my expensive glass. Bringing my “actual” rig with me is not a realistic option in most scenerios.

The Source Nail makes it easier to have that “dab rig” experience, without the whole dab rig. If you’re looking for something to use during a hike, at a friends house, or anything like that this is perfect for you.

When at home it sits upright well on a desk or a table given it is a sturdy piece of furniture. I usually just lay my Source Nail on its side when I am not using as I can be a bit of a klutz at times. The bubbler is spillproof and won’t leak any water.

Accessories

In this short section, we list everything that is included with each Source Nail kit.

• 1x SOURCE nail Attachment
• 1x SOURCE nail bubbler
• 1x SOURCE nail globe
• 3x SOURCE nail Atomizers
  • Grade 2 Titanium
  • Ceramic
  • Quartz
• 1x SOURCE volt 40w TC temperature control battery
• 1x SOURCEvapes Metal Case
• 1x Quartz Carb Cap and Dab Tool
• 1x microUSB Cable

Pros/Cons Breakdown

To conclude the review we’re going to breakdown the good and the bad points of this vape into a short and concise pros and cons list, and then we’ll wrap it all up with our final thoughts.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Modular design
• Fantastic vapor quality
• Works with existing sub-ohm batteries
• Convenient as a travel and a home device

Cons

• Devices center of gravity makes it top heavy
• Dabber sits close to your face when using the included carb cap

Conclusion

The Source Nail is your ideal device If you’re looking for a convenient and easily transportable option for dabbing concentrates.

You are not encumbered by having to lug around possibly expensive glass and a torch. The whole Source Nail Temperature Control Kit easily fits into its carrying case for easy transportation. The carrying case easily fits into any backpack or bag and has no flashy designs of colors on it to attract attention.

This has personally been my favorite portable e-rig experience to date. The battery included with the kit works great and gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of how you want to use your Source Nail. It excels at low-temperature hits that tastes great and provide a very heady and inspiring experience, and you can also crank the power way up for dense lung busting hits if you’re looking for a more sedative experience.

The verity of atomizers or “nails” is very welcomed. Source has you covered no matter what material you prefer to dab off of.

The glass is all very easy to clean and maintain, the split glass design which is included with most of the kits is a breeze to fill up, empty and clean.

If you’re interested in the best erig experience in the market, be sure to pick up the Source nail Temperature Control directly from Source Vapes website for the best deal on the kit. Also, don’t forget you can use our discount code “MOON” for a 10% discount off your whole order!