Broke down and ordered the Cuboid. Just received two units. Updated them both.
Some pros, cons and observations.
Pros:
Dirt cheap. The flagship Joyetech chip in a mod that is less the half the cost of just the chip, of some competition. And so it of course vapes and performs in line with Joyetech's latest products, great.
Vapes well. Custom TCR memory slots. Firmware upgradeable.
The form factor is about as small as can be imagined for dual 18650.
The design is clean, minimal, nice and ergonomic. The rounded corners are very comfortable. It fits well in the hand.
It can be held in many orientations.
The +/- buttons are firmer and clicker than I expected.
The battery door is sturdier and smoother working than I expected.
The fire button has a nice, firm, tactile "high pitched" binary click. I mean, it's not a Mitec switch, but what is.
The dual battery display is a nice touch.
No obnoxious branding.
Heavy and substantial feeling.
Cons:
Holy abrasions, batman, were these mods scratched, scraped, scuffed and blemished. The worst component and product handing I've seen in modern times. Even for China. Even for the price. It was like this on both units, so I doubt it was a fluke.
They look like stuff I've had after two years of daily use in pockets with keys, accidentally sliding around the floor of my rusted jeep wrangler, i.e., serious abuse.
The material choices are cheap (as would be expected for the price). Cheap alloys. The acrylic used in the face is thin, warp-y, (scratched and scuffed like crazy in my case) and of lesser quality than the VTC Mini screen, even. And no where near the quality of the surface of something like the Snow Wolf glass panels. Wasn't expected it to be that good, just not quite as poor quality as it is.
It's not really stainless steel colored, or even "silver." The high zinc content alloy is warm in color. It does not match super well with cooler hued 304 and 317L stainless atomizers, but is okay at a glance. Those that don't need a "metallic" looking finish, should get the painted versions. I got these, knowing it would be slightly disappointing in this regard, because I wanted a Joyetech chip in something that wasn't all blacked-out, like my RX200 and VTC mini. So, I'm okay with the decision. At arm's length, and in warmer lighting, it's okay.
The gloss coating is there to prevent patina and black oxidation from rubbing off. Not really a pro or con, just an observation. It's a cheap alloy, trade-offs needed to be made. The same thing was done with the Snow Wolf 1.5 after all the complains. The irony, is the patina on the original uncoated Snow Wolf was pretty cool looking and steampunk, but most would not have wanted this.
The brushed finish execution is about the worst I've seen.
I've seen better finishes on dollar store trinkets. It's course, wire-y and off centered. It has lift marks where it's obvious that it was quickly put under some kind of bent-wired brushing wheel and tossed into a bin with total disregard.
The button press action is nice, but the button, itself, is cheap-feeling, loose, has play, and wobbles under pressure (yet somehow avoids rattling when shaking). Since "button rattle" by shaking the mod, is all reviewers seem to glom on to, I'm sure it will get a pass from most.
The battery door protrudes just enough that it's getting pressed on and stressed when setting on table (yet the mod somehow still sits flush). This can't be good.
The USB port is in an unfortunate location; exactly where an index finger rests, if thumb-pressing.
Conclusion:
Amazing value for the price. No regrets.
The scratching and scuffing out of the box, was a disappointment, but I'm already over it. Now I don't have to break it in; ghetto-tech from the get-go. If they were 20 bucks more, it would have been unacceptable and they'd have been returned.
Fit-and-finish snobs looking at the pristine photos on Joyetech's site, will be disappointed. It has nowhere near the build quality of an SX Mini, Efusion, Hana or even Snow Wolf (but they're priced to match).
Even the fit-and-finish of the RX200 and VTC Mini are flawless in comparison (and for the same price).
It vapes great! Glad I have them in my collection.
If I had to pick only one product from Joyetech, it would be the eVic VTC Mini -- wattage limit aside (I don't vape at high wattages). The build quality and fit-and-finish is flawless.
