PRTBL Nando 510 Battery Review

The PRTBL Nando is a new 510 battery and the flagship product of PRTBL. It’s a feature-rich device that has been created from the ground up to accommodate the varying needs of 510 cartridge users.

PRTBL was started by the same man who created PCKT and designed all of the hardware, Nick T. He left PCKT to create a company where he would be able to manage all aspects of the business himself, thus giving him more freedom to realize his vision for what affordable and enjoyable cannabis products should be like.

The PRTBL Nando is a premium 510 battery that is compatible with almost all top & bottom airflow 510 cartridges. It has a 700mAh battery and supports Type-C quick charging. It features four voltage output levels, and customizable LED brightness and haptic feedback settings.

Box Contents

• 1 x PRTBL Nando Device
• 1 x Short Gold Plated Adapter
• 1 x Type-C Cable
• 1 x Warranty Card

Specifications

• 73mm x 35mm x 17mm
• Compatible with top & bottom airflow 510 cartridges
• Compatible with cartridges up to 11.65mm in diameter
• Four voltage output levels
• Draw & button activated firing
• Haptic feedback
• 700mAh battery
• Type-C charging

Design & Build Quality

The PRTBL Nando is a premium looking battery and I can’t help but notice the similarities between the Nando and the PCKT Two. After all, they were both designed by the same man so the similarities between the two make perfect sense. And although they share a lot of the same features and design queues, the Nando still has its own pros and cons.

The Nando is 73mm tall, 35mm wide, and 17mm tall. It’s a nice size and shape to carry around with you, and it’s light enough that you’ll barely notice that you have it on you. It still has enough weight to feel good, but not so much as to feel cumbersome. There are definitely smaller and lighter batteries out there, but the premium look and feel of the Nando are hard to match.

The Nando is CNC machined from a solid block of 6061 aluminum to give it good durability and scratch resistance. It’s also sandblasted by hand to create the smooth textured finish on each device. There are five colors available which all look great and feel solid. These colors are Maui (green), Slate (black), Sonoma (brown), Monterey (blue), and Paradox (purple).

I’ve been using the Nando for a few weeks now and the body and finish still look as good as new. The matte finish requires no maintenance to keep it looking clean and it has enough grip to it that I haven’t dropped it yet.

On the front of the Nando there is an engraved PRTBL logo and an oddly shaped but interesting button. This button has an LED light surrounding it which lights up when you take a draw, as well as when you adjust any of the settings.

The power/function button is firm, clicky, and satisfying to use. Since the Nando features both draw and button activated firing, you can either press and hold the button to vape or simply inhale on your cartridge.

For the most part, I didn’t use the button to vape and it’s not because I prefer the convenience of the draw activation. You see, the button on the Nando is slightly recessed into the device. This, combined with the thin button, makes it more difficult and almost uncomfortable to press and hold the button. You also have to use the tip of your finger as it’s basically impossible to press with any other part of your finger. Instead of fighting with the button, I would much rather just inhale on the mouthpiece.

The Nando is compatible with nearly every top and bottom airflow 510 cartridge. More specifically, cartridges of up to 11.65mm in diameter will fit. If your cartridge is any wider then you can still use it with the Nando, however you will have to purchase the extender adapter which is sold separately. This extender adapter basically makes the cartridge sit fully on top of the Nando so it’s not going to be an ideal form factor. However, this shouldn’t be necessary for the vast majority of carts.

Included with the Nando is a single, short gold plated adapter. Cartridges attach magnetically to the Nando, thus why an adapter is necessary. You simply screw the adapter onto your cartridge and pop it into the Nando, no need to screw the cartridge directly into the device. This makes removing and attaching the cartridge much easier. If you have multiple carts with multiple strains that you like to vape throughout the day then you can purchase extra adapters and easily switch between them.

Ideally, you’ll want your cartridge to be at least 55mm tall because any shorter and the tip won’t stick out enough from the Nando. If you do have a shorter cartridge then you will have to purchase the tall gold plated adapter which is sold separately. I’m disappointed to see that there isn’t a short and a tall adapter included with this kit but again, the vast majority of carts will work with the included “short” adapter.

The magnetic connection between the adapter and the battery connection is quite strong. Even shaking my device upside down doesn’t cause the cart to fall out. I even tried hitting it against my hand while upside down and the cart stayed put. It’s still easy to remove carts when you want to though and a firm tug is all it takes to get the cartridge out.

There’s a little bit of wiggle when most cartridges are installed, even PRTBL’s own FLO 510 cartridges. This bit of wiggle doesn’t affect anything though, not even the draw activation, but it’s something that I thought that I would mention.

Finally, on the bottom of the Nando there is a Type-C charging port. You get a nice braided cable included in the box which is a nice little extra.

PRTBL Nando Features & Functions

The Nando is a feature rich device that comes with four voltage output levels, LED brightness customizability, and customizable haptic feedback. The way to set and access each setting can be difficult to remember at first but after a few times of doing it you quickly get the hang of it.

To start with the most basic function, you can turn the Nando on or off by pressing the power button five times. Once the device is on, you can choose to use one of four preset voltage output levels. The LED surrounding the power button will light up a different color for each voltage output:

• Blue: 2.4V
• Green: 2.8V
• Orange: 3.0V
• Red: 3.4V

Pressing the power button twice will allow you to change the voltage output level. From here you can click the button to cycle through the levels and when you’ve found the level you want, press and hold the button to select it. When you vape using the auto-draw function or when you press the button to vape, the Nando’s LED will light up in the color that signifies the output level that you are currently using.

The Nando features both draw and button activated firing. You can press and hold the button to vape and the Nando will vibrate, or you can inhale and the Nando will also vibrate to indicate that it’s firing.

You can change the intensity of the vibration feedback, or turn it off completely, by clicking the button three times. There are three settings: Blue (off), Green (low), or Orange (high). Confusingly, the manual says that it’s four clicks to enter the haptic feedback settings and that there are four preset settings, but that’s not the case.

You can also change the brightness of the LEDs surrounding the button by clicking the button four times. There are three settings: low, medium, or high. I preferred to keep the brightness on the lowest setting to preserve as much battery life as possible and also for a more discreet experience when in darkly lit areas. Again, the manual has this wrong and says that it’s three clicks to enter the brightness menu and that there are four brightness settings but this is again not the case.

Unfortunately, one feature that is missing here is preheat functionality and it’s a feature that I’m sorely missing. You can achieve the same thing as a preheat by setting the voltage to the lowest output and holding the button for a few second, but having a quicker way to achieve this without having to switch output levels would be ideal.

PRTBL Nando Button Combinations

• Power ON/OFF: Click the fire button 5 times.
• Manual fire: Press and hold the fire button.
• Change voltage output mode: Click the fire button 2 times. Next, click the fire button to cycle through the 4 power modes. Long press the fire button to confirm your selection.
• Check battery life: Click the fire button once.
• Check voltage output mode: Press and hold the fire button until the LED lights up, click the fire button twice, or simply inhale on the mouthpiece.
• Adjust LED brightness: Click the fire button 4 times. Next, click the fire button to cycle through the 3 brightness settings. Long press the fire button to confirm your selection.
• Adjust haptic feedback strength: Click the fire button 3 times. Next, click the fire button to cycle through the 3 haptic feedback levels. Long press the fire button to confirm your selection.

PRTBL FLO 510 Cartridges

PRTBL sells their own 510 cartridges which have a 1ml capacity and a 1.4Ω coil. These carts are CNC machined from solid steel and use dual ceramic coils which do a great job of wicking even the thickest concentrates. 

They’re quite a bit shorter than my other cartridges that I use and when using the adapter that is included with the Nando they barely stick out of the device. It’s still usable, but I would suggest grabbing the tall adapter for the Nando if you’re going to be purchasing these cartridges.

These carts are easily filled by unscrewing the mouthpiece and filling between the center post and the glass. 

Battery Life & Charging

The Nando is a pretty device but it still has a large 700mAh built into it. If you keep the brightness and the vibration intensity on their lowest levels and use the Green (2.8V) or Orange (3.0V) outputs then you can easily go through more than two full-gram cartridges on a single charge. That’s pretty awesome battery life.

If you want to check the status of your battery then you can do so by clicking the fire button once. The LED ring will light up in one of three colors:

• Green: 66-100%
• Yellow: 33-66%
• Red: Less than 33%

The PRTBL Nando recharges very quickly thanks to the Type-C charging port. It only takes 40 minutes to get it back to a full charge and it also features pass-through charging so you can use it while it recharges.

Performance

I tested out the PRTBL Nando with cartridges from different manufacturers (including PRTBL’s own FLO 510 carts) in order to get an accurate assessment of the Nando’s compatibility. All of the carts that I tested fit in the Nando and worked with the button and draw activation. With some of the carts I felt better using the tall adapter (sold separately) because it made them stick out a bit more, but they all worked even with the short adapter.

I like that the cartridge is concealed in the device as it protects the cartridges from breakage. The haptic feedback is also a nice feature that lets you know that the device is working without even having to look at it. 

The voltage range on the Nando should be an optimal range for all sorts of materials, but I do wish that there was just one more level to it such as 3.8V. The 3.4V maximum output works great in most cases, but having another level to really pull out maximum vapor and clouds would have been nice. 

Another feature that would have been nice is preheat functionality. Of course you can do a manual preheat by holding the button but having a dedicated function that preheats at a lower voltage than even the lowest 2.4V output (say, 2.0V) would have been nice to have.

I got the best experience from the Nando by switching up the voltage level according to the material in my cart and the mood that I was in. When using thicker distillates, or when I was looking to get the most effects possible, I would use the highest voltage output level.

For times where I wanted something a bit more chill and relaxed out of my carts, the second highest setting met my needs. I didn’t end up using the two lowest output levels very often because I found them a bit too low for me, but flavor chasers might want to try these levels out.

The FLO 510 cartridges are also worth picking up with the Nando. These carts have a wide and ergonomic mouthpiece that feels much better than the narrow mouthpieces on most carts. They deliver pure taste and wick really well with all sorts of distillates so they’re versatile as well.

Verdict

The PRTBL Nando ticks all of the right boxes for how a 510 battery should look, feel, and perform. Its compact body is gorgeous, well-designed, and ergonomic. It also conceals your cartridge within it, offering more protection for your cart when in your pocket or bag. It has weight to it but it’s not too heavy and it all around looks, feels, and performs like a premium device.

I also like all of the features that the Nando has to offer. You have the option of draw or button activation, four voltage output levels, and customization of the LED brightness and haptic feedback. Plus, the Nando is compatible with the vast majority of cartridges out there. You may want to purchase the adapter kit just to have the tall adapter on hand for shorter cartridges, as the Nando only comes with one short adapter in the box.

While I would have liked to see preheat functionality, it’s more of a luxury than a necessity and you can still manually preheat thick distillates yourself by pressing the button. From there, the Nando performs exceedingly well no matter what the material or cartridge that you use. PRTBL’s FLO 510 cartridges are pretty great too and they pair well with the Nando so you might want to pick those up as well.

If you’re in the market for a new 510 battery, you won’t find many that are as high quality or as thoughtfully designed as the PRTBL Nando.

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