Joyetech Espion Tour Kit.

[red5]

Joyetech Espion Tour Kit.​

This kit was kindly sent over for review by @Joyetech. It was originally supposed to go on the front page but I feel it's unfair to make them any longer so here are my observations...

Kit contents and packaging.​

I've seen several variations on the packaging for this kit, mine appears to be the final retail package though. Everything is housed in a cardboard sleeve with a nice picture of the mod on front, and kit contents/info on the back. Lifting the lid reveals the Espion Tour mod, and hidden under this is the tank plus spare o-rings, extra glass, NCfilm heating element and the usual instruction leaflet and warning/warranty cards etc.

Cubis max tank.​

The included tank is the Cubis max with the innovative NCfilm coil system. The supplied kit is the international version with a 5ml capacity so I'm not sure if this will be included in the U.K. version of the kit. The whole thing can be stripped down for easy cleaning and to replace the NCFilm coil (one spare included in the box).

The NCFilm is essentially a notch coil that's been flattened out and then laid over a bed of organic cotton, replacing the cotton is a breeze. Filling the tank is also easy thanks to the slide to open top fill system. It's a top airflow system so should be fairly leak resistant.

I was experiencing borderline dry hits with 70VG liquids even at 40 watts, right in the middle of the suggested wattage range, despite clearly being able to see bubbles rising from the wicking ports, it just doesn't seem to be able to keep up with modern eliquids. I did notice on Joyetech’s website a mention of 60VG liquid being used in “test conditions” regarding coil longevity, an impressive 3 months expected lifespan, and a rummage through the vape cupboard found something more suitable. Swapping to a 60VG juice definitely seemed to help a lot with wicking and that awful scratchy throat sensation went away, however I still found the flavor to be a little muted and it's a rather cool vape.

I was looking forward to trying the Cubis Max tank because of the innovative NCFilm coil but I have honestly found the experience to be slightly disappointing and lackluster.

Espion Tour Mod.​

The espion tour mod is apparently modeled on luggage and the shape definitely reminds me of the curves of a slightly overstuffed suitcase with a distinct bulge in the center. Its all plastic construction makes it incredibly light for a dual 18650 battery mod, but it still manages to feel solid in the hand and there are no weird creaks or squeaks coming from the mod when in use. The curves and ridges on the sides make it comfortable in use with a nice grippy feel and it's fairly compact which means it's even good for people with smaller hands like myself. Mine came in a rather fetching blue colour and it's also available in black, white, red and green to suit your taste.

One side is held on by 3 magnets and is removable to access the battery tray which has nicely sprung positive pins, strangely there's no battery ribbon but I've not had any issues inserting or removing batteries. Button layout is a pretty standard affair with a large clicky fire button on the front, on the right side there's a screen and an up/down switch and below this is a USB port with onboard 2 Amp quick charging and firmware updates. Fit and finish is good with no button rattle and that battery door has absolutely no play in it, great job on Joyetech’s part here.

The fire button has a nice concave curve to it and is easy to find, it does however seem to be hinged from the bottom so you pressing down on the bottom edge does nothing, it has a nice positively satisfying click to it though and I've not had any difficulty locating the switch in use.

The menu is a standard layout we've seem before from joyetech with 5 clicks on/off and 3 clicks to access the menu and the up/down switch to make your selection. The 0.96inch screen gives you all the info you need in a clear easy to read format, unfortunately it just didn't want to be photographed by my phone camera! The normal range of options like wattage and temperature control are all present and power is adjustable from 1 watt to 220 watts. Adjustment is in 0.1 watt increments below 20w for the mouth to lungers out there, and 1 watt increments above this. There's an 8 volt cutoff and the mod won't let you adjust this so with the tank I currently have sat on here with a .35 ohm load it won't go above 182.9 watts showing you maximum power available, nice touch.

Phil Busardo reported issues with temperature control on his review sample with firmware v1.00, this seems to have been addressed though as the one supplied has firmware v1.01 and I'm happy to report that TC seems to be working properly. Joyetech are usually pretty good at releasing updated firmwares so you should keep an eye on their support pages from time to time.

The 510 is a little weird, it has a really stiff positive pin which rather than having a spring appears to be mounted on rubber gromits to give it its “spring”, I have seen this on some other mods in the past and this has seemed to be a surprisingly reliable system. More concerning though is the threading which doesn't actually start for a least a couple of millimeters down. I haven't actually had any issues screwing down any atomisers but anything with a longer positive center pin does require you to push down before you can engage the first thread so that might be something to consider. Anything up to a 25mm fits nicely without any over hang as well. Let's just hope this doesn't signal Joyetech going back to non-standard 510 pins as they have in the past!

Conclusions.​

I've got several Joyetech mods in my collection already and I've always found them to be solid reliable work horses so I have no qualms in recommending the espion tour mod, it will definitely be going into my regular rotation. The Cubis Max is definitely the weak link in the kit though so unless you can get the kit on a good deal, or like me you're curious about the NCfilm coils, i’d probably go for just the mod on it's own.

Many thanks to Joyetech for supplying the kit for review.

Red5
Planet of the Vapes.