Hello everyone, Pizza Dave here, delivering you a review of the Espion Tour kit by Joyetech. The Tour is the latest device from Joyetech and another entry into their Espion line of devices. They are rehashing this name repeatedly, but each time the mods are wildly different. This time around, the Tour features 220w of max wattage powered by dual 18650 batteries and it all comes in a lightweight fully plastic frame that is surprisingly comfortable. To make the kit complete, they have included the Cubis Max sub ohm tank which uses NC Film coils instead of traditional coils. Let’s dive down, see how this thing operates, and find out if the Tour is worthy of travelling with you.
DISCLAIMER: This device was sent to me by Joyetech for review.
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WHAT YOU GET
Available in Green, Red, White, Blue, and Black.
PACKAGING
OUT OF BOX
STOCK SHOT
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FEATURES
The biggest feature that this mod has is the plastic frame. That is the only thing that sets it apart from several mods out there. The entire frame, front, and battery door are made from molded plastic. It makes this device extremely lightweight and portable and offers a surprisingly comfortable feel to the device. Maybe it’s the fact that it is winter here and metal mods get so cold, but this plastic feels nice in all conditions. The magnetic battery door is held firmly in place with magnets and has only the slightest wiggle when it is in place. The buttons on this are nice and clicky, and the shape of the fire button feels great when thumb firing. This mod goes all the way up to 220 watts and scrolls in 1-watt increments at a pace that made me overshoot where I wanted to go, but I still give them a pro because I would rather go too fast than slow. When adjusting below 20 watts, it will scroll in .1-watt increments. That’s about it…. nothing too wild to report about.
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OPERATION
The Espion Tour features a bare bones screen and menu system that shows you everything you need to see and keeps it simple for beginners. This one utilizes the power up and power down by hitting the fire button 5 times, the adjustment buttons can be locked by holding both together (mod will still fire) and hitting the fire button 3 times will enter the menu. I will do a quick break down of the menu for anybody new to how Joyetech does this.
MAIN MENU
MODE – Change operating modes.
Power – Standard wattage mod
TC – Temp control for Ni, Ti, and SS modes
TCR – User adjustable temperature coefficient value for temp control
SET
Lock/Unlock coil
Power – No idea why they have this in here as I don’t know what adjusting this does
Stealth mode – screen goes black when vaping
Subpara – adjust what is shown on the main screen
Logo – I want to say this allows you to have a logo on the screen somewhere, but I don’t know where. Possibly through a firmware update and using the Joyetech software.
Preheat – Set up a preheat wattage and duration
Timeout – Set the screen timeout for 5, 10, or 15s.
INFO – shows the battery voltages and the mod firmware
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MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOS
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HOW IT VAPES
As a wattage only device, it works great. It fires very fast and feels great in the hand. The plastic at first felt cheap, but the more I used it I the more I enjoyed it. However, I attempted to do some TC testing, but it failed miserably. It vaped nice and mellow for about 2 hits when set to SS with SS coils. I turned it up just a hair and it started to vape nice, and then went nuts putting like full voltage to the coils. It then showed no atomizer on the mod. I unscrewed the atomizer and put it back on, and it worked for about 1 or 2 hits followed by super low resistance and firing hard. I used this same atomizer on a different device without issues, so I don’t know why it did this. I ended up locking the coil resistance via the menu and got it to stop doing this, but the temp control was still lacking in performance and I was getting a lot of dry hits during that test. Like I said above, this works just fine as a wattage device, and works well with the included tank. Speaking of that tank I want to talk about it slightly here. I reviewed this tank already, so I am not going to go too deep here. Basically, going to copy and paste what I did before but tweak it for some new knowledge I have.
THE FOLLOWING IS FROM MY REVIEW OF THIS TANK DURING THE ULTEX T80 REVIEW:
If you asked me day one how it vapes, I would tell you that it’s awful. My first time using it, it flooded, and I drank a ton of juice on the 3rd inhale. I found that the cotton that was preinstalled was too thin for the job and didn’t hold out excess from pouring into the chimney. I added another layer or two of cotton, and it started to work like it should. I ran this thing at 40-42w all the time and it kept up just fine. I didn’t have wicking issues beyond that first try, so I can say that the system is functional. However, I feel that the flavor is a bit muted. It just doesn’t taste quite right. I tried running it a bit hotter, but that led to dry hits. I played with air flow and just couldn’t get it to pop. One big pro to this tank comes with the coil system. I wanted to change up flavors after 6 tanks of the same old thing. I took the bottom off, pulled the cotton and placed it back on my mod. I heated it up to clean up the very slight amount of charred on liquid and tossed it in my ultrasonic clear. After it dried, I put some more cotton in, and kept on vaping. This coil system is not the most user friendly since it requires patience to change out cotton in this fashion and it is all very intricate work. The coils require tools to change, the cotton needs to be just right, and it takes some time. I can rebuild and rewick an RTA faster than changing coils on this, so I just don’t think it’s the best design out there. Joyetech has run some extensive tests on this coil and apparently the thing will last months. Only time will tell, but it is impressive if it really does hold out that long.
TANK PROS
TANK CONS
I still feel the same about this atomizer and it just doesn’t do it for me. The pros on this tank are great, as this coil system can last a long time. I think that it is one of the cheapest tanks to run for a long period of time. I mean, once the coil gets gunked up, you can heat it up and burn off the crud, toss a little cotton in there and keep on rolling. I can safely recommend this tank for someone that doesn’t have a ton of money and has the skills and some small tools to install their own cotton. For the price, the flavor might by a tradeoff. I would much rather see a coil system like this, where it is affordable to run for a long time than someone not being about to afford or find coils, so they end up going back to cigarettes.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
I won’t sugar coat it. When I first got this device, I was not thrilled at all. It felt super cheap, and I knew I didn’t really like the Cubis Max on top from before. However, I gave this one a fair shake and found that it isn’t all that bad. The plastic frame has a nice feel to it, and the lack of weight makes it feel non-existent in a jacket pocket. The whole device feels well put together with a solid battery door, great feeling buttons, and a simple menu. However, there are a handful of cons. Temp control didn’t work well for me and was crazy before I locked resistance. The next con is on the 510 pin. It has a VERY springy positive pin that somewhat fights you when putting some atomizers on top. It eventually will work, but you must push it down hard while screwing the atty on the mod. The last con is including the Cubis Max with this. I wasn’t a fan of this tank with the Ultex T80, and I am still not a fan. The flavor lacks on it badly, and I had some flooding issues with it before. I didn’t flood it this time, but I know that there’s always a chance of that based on previous usage. HOWEVER, I will say that the tank is very affordable to operate and keep on operating, so I can give them a pass on that. This kit is hard for me to place in the market. It isn’t bad, it isn’t great. It just kind of exists. Seems to be made for a person that wants a lightweight wattage device that is cheap to operate for a long time.
THE OVEN TEST
If this device went into the oven, would I go out and get another one? No. I won’t be using this after the review testing is over.
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PROS
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CONS
Thank you all for reading this review and thank you to Joyetech for sending it my way for review. I am not seeing this one available at many places yet, but it is looking like this kit will sell for about $60-70.
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Pizza Dave – Delivering real reviews, with no extra toppings
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REVIEW CRITERIA: I use each item for about two weeks to ensure I have collected enough data to adequately write a review. I use the same e liquid in tanks or rdas throughout all my reviews to ensure that I am comparing apples to apples between all modern equipment. I do not post reviews until I feel confident that I have used it enough to give an educated review. The reason I started doing reviews was due to poor purchasing decisions in my vaping infancy about two years ago. Back then, I purchased several different pieces of hardware without really enjoying it and I hope my reviews can guide people into spending their hard-earned money more wisely than I did! ****Keep in mind that some items I receive may be pre-release and not in retail packaging. Quality may be less than the finished product and what is in the package may differ from the retail package as well.
DISCLAIMER: This device was sent to me by Joyetech for review.
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WHAT YOU GET
- 1 Espion Tour Mod
- 1 Cubis Max 5ml tank
- 2 NC film Heating elements
- 1 USB cable
- 1 Spare Parts Bag
- Paperwork and manuals
Available in Green, Red, White, Blue, and Black.
PACKAGING
OUT OF BOX
STOCK SHOT
______________________________________________________________________________
FEATURES
The biggest feature that this mod has is the plastic frame. That is the only thing that sets it apart from several mods out there. The entire frame, front, and battery door are made from molded plastic. It makes this device extremely lightweight and portable and offers a surprisingly comfortable feel to the device. Maybe it’s the fact that it is winter here and metal mods get so cold, but this plastic feels nice in all conditions. The magnetic battery door is held firmly in place with magnets and has only the slightest wiggle when it is in place. The buttons on this are nice and clicky, and the shape of the fire button feels great when thumb firing. This mod goes all the way up to 220 watts and scrolls in 1-watt increments at a pace that made me overshoot where I wanted to go, but I still give them a pro because I would rather go too fast than slow. When adjusting below 20 watts, it will scroll in .1-watt increments. That’s about it…. nothing too wild to report about.
______________________________________________________________________________
OPERATION
The Espion Tour features a bare bones screen and menu system that shows you everything you need to see and keeps it simple for beginners. This one utilizes the power up and power down by hitting the fire button 5 times, the adjustment buttons can be locked by holding both together (mod will still fire) and hitting the fire button 3 times will enter the menu. I will do a quick break down of the menu for anybody new to how Joyetech does this.
MAIN MENU
MODE – Change operating modes.
Power – Standard wattage mod
TC – Temp control for Ni, Ti, and SS modes
TCR – User adjustable temperature coefficient value for temp control
SET
Lock/Unlock coil
Power – No idea why they have this in here as I don’t know what adjusting this does
Stealth mode – screen goes black when vaping
Subpara – adjust what is shown on the main screen
Logo – I want to say this allows you to have a logo on the screen somewhere, but I don’t know where. Possibly through a firmware update and using the Joyetech software.
Preheat – Set up a preheat wattage and duration
Timeout – Set the screen timeout for 5, 10, or 15s.
INFO – shows the battery voltages and the mod firmware
______________________________________________________________________________
MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOS
______________________________________________________________________________
HOW IT VAPES
As a wattage only device, it works great. It fires very fast and feels great in the hand. The plastic at first felt cheap, but the more I used it I the more I enjoyed it. However, I attempted to do some TC testing, but it failed miserably. It vaped nice and mellow for about 2 hits when set to SS with SS coils. I turned it up just a hair and it started to vape nice, and then went nuts putting like full voltage to the coils. It then showed no atomizer on the mod. I unscrewed the atomizer and put it back on, and it worked for about 1 or 2 hits followed by super low resistance and firing hard. I used this same atomizer on a different device without issues, so I don’t know why it did this. I ended up locking the coil resistance via the menu and got it to stop doing this, but the temp control was still lacking in performance and I was getting a lot of dry hits during that test. Like I said above, this works just fine as a wattage device, and works well with the included tank. Speaking of that tank I want to talk about it slightly here. I reviewed this tank already, so I am not going to go too deep here. Basically, going to copy and paste what I did before but tweak it for some new knowledge I have.
THE FOLLOWING IS FROM MY REVIEW OF THIS TANK DURING THE ULTEX T80 REVIEW:
If you asked me day one how it vapes, I would tell you that it’s awful. My first time using it, it flooded, and I drank a ton of juice on the 3rd inhale. I found that the cotton that was preinstalled was too thin for the job and didn’t hold out excess from pouring into the chimney. I added another layer or two of cotton, and it started to work like it should. I ran this thing at 40-42w all the time and it kept up just fine. I didn’t have wicking issues beyond that first try, so I can say that the system is functional. However, I feel that the flavor is a bit muted. It just doesn’t taste quite right. I tried running it a bit hotter, but that led to dry hits. I played with air flow and just couldn’t get it to pop. One big pro to this tank comes with the coil system. I wanted to change up flavors after 6 tanks of the same old thing. I took the bottom off, pulled the cotton and placed it back on my mod. I heated it up to clean up the very slight amount of charred on liquid and tossed it in my ultrasonic clear. After it dried, I put some more cotton in, and kept on vaping. This coil system is not the most user friendly since it requires patience to change out cotton in this fashion and it is all very intricate work. The coils require tools to change, the cotton needs to be just right, and it takes some time. I can rebuild and rewick an RTA faster than changing coils on this, so I just don’t think it’s the best design out there. Joyetech has run some extensive tests on this coil and apparently the thing will last months. Only time will tell, but it is impressive if it really does hold out that long.
TANK PROS
- Heating element can last a long time with proper cleaning
- Re-wick able for flavor changing or when it gets burnt
- Matches the mod perfectly
TANK CONS
- Slide top fill is kind of small
- Can flood if there isn’t enough cotton
- Flavor is muted
- Coil changing requires tools and time
I still feel the same about this atomizer and it just doesn’t do it for me. The pros on this tank are great, as this coil system can last a long time. I think that it is one of the cheapest tanks to run for a long period of time. I mean, once the coil gets gunked up, you can heat it up and burn off the crud, toss a little cotton in there and keep on rolling. I can safely recommend this tank for someone that doesn’t have a ton of money and has the skills and some small tools to install their own cotton. For the price, the flavor might by a tradeoff. I would much rather see a coil system like this, where it is affordable to run for a long time than someone not being about to afford or find coils, so they end up going back to cigarettes.
______________________________________________________________________________
FINAL THOUGHTS
I won’t sugar coat it. When I first got this device, I was not thrilled at all. It felt super cheap, and I knew I didn’t really like the Cubis Max on top from before. However, I gave this one a fair shake and found that it isn’t all that bad. The plastic frame has a nice feel to it, and the lack of weight makes it feel non-existent in a jacket pocket. The whole device feels well put together with a solid battery door, great feeling buttons, and a simple menu. However, there are a handful of cons. Temp control didn’t work well for me and was crazy before I locked resistance. The next con is on the 510 pin. It has a VERY springy positive pin that somewhat fights you when putting some atomizers on top. It eventually will work, but you must push it down hard while screwing the atty on the mod. The last con is including the Cubis Max with this. I wasn’t a fan of this tank with the Ultex T80, and I am still not a fan. The flavor lacks on it badly, and I had some flooding issues with it before. I didn’t flood it this time, but I know that there’s always a chance of that based on previous usage. HOWEVER, I will say that the tank is very affordable to operate and keep on operating, so I can give them a pass on that. This kit is hard for me to place in the market. It isn’t bad, it isn’t great. It just kind of exists. Seems to be made for a person that wants a lightweight wattage device that is cheap to operate for a long time.
THE OVEN TEST
If this device went into the oven, would I go out and get another one? No. I won’t be using this after the review testing is over.
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PROS
- Lightweight frame
- Simple menu
- Buttons feel good
- Magnetic battery door feels solid
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CONS
- 510 pin is touchy with some atomizers
- TC didn’t work
- Included Cubis Max atomizer doesn’t impress me
- Plastic frame might feel too cheap for some
Thank you all for reading this review and thank you to Joyetech for sending it my way for review. I am not seeing this one available at many places yet, but it is looking like this kit will sell for about $60-70.
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Pizza Dave – Delivering real reviews, with no extra toppings
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______________________________________________________________________________
REVIEW CRITERIA: I use each item for about two weeks to ensure I have collected enough data to adequately write a review. I use the same e liquid in tanks or rdas throughout all my reviews to ensure that I am comparing apples to apples between all modern equipment. I do not post reviews until I feel confident that I have used it enough to give an educated review. The reason I started doing reviews was due to poor purchasing decisions in my vaping infancy about two years ago. Back then, I purchased several different pieces of hardware without really enjoying it and I hope my reviews can guide people into spending their hard-earned money more wisely than I did! ****Keep in mind that some items I receive may be pre-release and not in retail packaging. Quality may be less than the finished product and what is in the package may differ from the retail package as well.
