Joyetech Espion Solo Kit Review – With ProCore Air Tank: Joyetech’s Masterpiece…

The Joyetech Espion Solo mod is from one of he market leading vape brands with a list of products as long as your arm. I never used to be a fan of their’s but over the past 6 months, my mind has been changing.

Their products have been improving by leaps and bounds, with the likes of the dual battery Espion Kit, the ProCore tank and the teensie EGO AIO ECO MTL vape pen .

The kit I’ve been reviewing this week is a force to be reckoned with, the absolutely kickass Espion Solo Kit 10th Anniversary Ltd. Edition! Mine is Gunmetal and, let me tell you, the product pics do it no justice.

What’s In The Box

• 1 x Joyetech Espion solo
• 1 x AVB 21700 battery
• 2 x Pro CA 0.4ohm head
• 1 x 18650 battery adaptor
• 1 x QC USB cable
• 1 x Manual
• 1 x warranty card
• 1 x spare parts
• 1 x Fashion drip tip, 1 x Black, Delrin drip tip

Features Mod

• Compatible with 20700, 21700 and 18650(adaptor included)
• 80 Watt max output
• Dimensions: 25.5 x 39.5 x 126.5mm
• 1.3” touch screen/ 64 x 126 px
• Modes: power/RTC/Bypass/TC(Ni/Ti/Aluminium
• Resistance: 0.05 to 1.5 for TC/TCR mode and 0.1 to 3.5 ohm for Power mode
• Temp range: 100 – 315 C
• Max charge current : 2A
• Max output current: 30A
• Max output voltage 9V
• Automatic screen lock
• Magnetic battery cover
• Reverse polarity & dual circuit protection
• Upgradable firmware

Features Tank

• 2 and 4.5 ml options
• Sliding topcap for convenient fill
• Fashion snakeskin driptip included
• Huge bottom adjustable airflow
• 0.4 Ohm ProCA head (40-80W)
• Full range of wattage coils available

Build Quality & Design

Espion Solo Mod

One opening the standard Joyetech pox packaging, I was instantly blown away by the aesthetics of the device, with its incredible brushed gunmetal finish, it also comes in black, peach and rainbow.

Gunmetal is a blend of zinc and copper and I’m assuming this is the real thing…it certainly feels and looks like it could be.

I became even more impressed when I picked it up and felt the metallic surface and the 110g weight, which increases dramatically with the 21700 installed.

The mod is highly ergonomic, a tall and narrow rectangular box chassis with a full half mood curve on the side that’ll fir your palm and the other just curved at the edges to sleeken lines.

Either of the larger side panels have a length of grooved gripping that’s a lot more than just functional, it give the mod it’s character and an almost aviation or classic car feel….while I’m not sure that this impression carries over to the other colours, it certainly works magic on the gunmetal version.

This strip with seven grooves takes up almost the whole central third of the panel and the bottom end has been finished diagonally, so if you follow its line down and around the mod to the perpendicular panel, it continues running under the micro charge port, around and up the opposite side of the mod.

The continuation of lines round the edges of the mod seems to be a theme, even the fire button has its edges curled round the sides of the mod…it’s a combination of a spring and a click that it gives you but it is perfectly sized and very conveniently placed, with the 1.3” touchscreen below it and the USB port below that.

Oops, in between the USB port and screen there is a micro USB port shaped button, barely visible on my darkly coloured mod, which will unlock the screen and perform some select functions while setting.

The branding is delicate set, with the finest print, on a wing shaped badge that cuts through that sexy grip panel, there’s branding either size and for the first time in my memory…branding that actually seriously adds to the mod’s aesthetic.

4 small battery vents can be found on the baser, where there’s an interesting relief pattern cast into it, this pattern is also on the top but I suggest you look at the pics for the details of that, since it might take me a month to describe. The pattern continues that aviation/steampunk/classic car feel to the top surface, where it frames the 510 connection, which has a deep and solid spring to it.

The mod’s battery door encompasses the whole half moon curved side of the mod and pulls away with fair effort, thanks to proper solid magnets.

The chamber will hold the included 21700 battery or 18650 and, what do you know..a 20700 also, though oddly, Joyetech doesn’t mention this. I suspect that there is a war of the batteries going on between Joyetech and iJoy, I’ll say no more.

Procore Air Tank

The ProCore Air tank is just as solid a piece of work as the mod is. I have the 4.5 ml option and for once, I was really pleased with the look and feel of a Joyetech tank.

The first thing you might notice are the enormous airflow slots, one either side and so huge that you can fit both your boat and jet ski inside. There are two connecting beams visible through the airflow and they are the things that make the aiflow sound like your jetski has accidentally turned on when you begin vaping. But I’ll get to all that in the performance section.

The airflow ring is actually incredible, its cast thinner than usual and the coating (or metal)on the outer ring has been chosen, likely, for its ability to near frictionlessly slide against the inner metal, which I assume is SS.

My gunmetal tank is a slightly darker colour than the mod, maybe because the above stated benefit….

The top cap slides to the side to reveal the juice port, only, its a little better than a slide…as it audibly clicks which…in deep brain language, translates to things like, ‘it’s now properly open/or closed, Don’t Panic and I’m really a f@#$ing genius.’

It is…without a doubt, the finest top fill topcap mechanism I’ve ever used…which says a lot.

Accessories

I grew concerned when I discovered that this was a 21700 mod (especially since the ‘JOY’ wars had led me to ignorance over the fact that 20700s and 21700s might be compatible in some mods (although, my external charger has no intention of fitting this 21700)…but I was both pleased and surprised to learn that there’s a freaking battery included, whoop whoop, not in the box straight, but inside the MOD!!!! Almost as if they wanted to surpise u…or possibly save money on cardboard.

On a final note, I’ve been ranting for aeons about Joyetech tanks rolling around loose in boxes and was most pleased about the snug foamy snoozing spot in which my ProCore air had passed his journey.

How Does Joyetech Espion Solo Kit Perform?

To be very fair, I expected nothing from the performance, I didn’t think Joyetech could pull off both a look and feel win and a performance win but I was once again mistaken.

The spring-click of the fire button has gone as far as to make ramp time a truly impossible thing to measure, there’s no separation between sound and action, just one smooth movement, smooth like everything else about this kit.

The touchscreen is stunning, with a bright, block print display that’s the same colour as those glow-star stickers you can buy in kid’s stores. The glow couldn’t be brighter and all the necessary info is provided, amps, volts, resistant, wattage and mode…with the special, sneaky addition of what should be the time, only I’ve struggled in vain to set it, trying every possible option to select my adjustment.

If you manage to figure it, kindly post it in the comments, I’d be forever grateful.

Now…fasten your shoelaces because the twilight zone is about to open.

When you select the innocuous looking RTC mode (Real Time Clock, says Joyetech) you will briefly see what looks like another setting option, which says number (with a sly dot next to it, beckoning you to adjust the point setting and move onto the number…).

That’s when you might think, wullawallabing, I can finally set my clock!!!!! but ALAS! You can not set it, the manual offers no explanation and you realize, maybe the Joyetech people are actual aliens, trying to cash in on a feature, while making you feel dumb at the same time. Maybe they are just clever people, who know that weirdness sells and every vaper loves a puzzle.

Actually, Joyetech kindly offered some instructions that, while a little counter-intuitive, will at least avert one existential crisis and allow you to set your clock. When inside the Clock setting screen, one first has to set the hours, then, to select, swipe back to the previous screen. Enter setting mode again and scroll on to the minute setting, then swipe back to select etc. Simple enough, one you know how it’s done.

Temp adjust is effective and easy in TC mode and, having tested it for SS, I’m confident it’s solid on Ni and Ti too.

Nevertheless, I’m sold on the touch screens actual responsiveness, in spite of those niggles. I suspect that those who are hell-bent on finding their perfect temp will make the time to do it but as far as the clock goes, I have my doubt.

Luckily, this is a vape device first and a broken clock second. I urge conspiracy theorists not to interrogate Joyetech employees about this, as it might make matters worse, as far as paranoia goes.

Let’s talk about the ProCore Air, what a great tank! It’s loud, that’s for sure…but whether you find that that good or bad is up to you.

Unlike some tanks, which are noisy when either open or drawn slight, this tank is noisy all around.

The vapour production and flavour with the included coils is impressive and as far as Joyetech tanks go, this is the best one they have on the market.

Unfortunately, my drip tip broke at the base after a week of use but I did put it through the motions of matchy matchying about 10 other tanks so fair play! I discovered an extra drip tip in the pack (which wasn’t mentioned on my content list, which is big and sturdy, a tall 810 like the fashion one, but thicker and far more resilient.

It really is massive though…inspiring big, long DTL hits, nothing about the airflow or mouthpiece components of this tank are suited toward MTL…only the coil, which performs well throughout an uncommonly large wattage range.

The inclusion of an MTL tip and adaptor would have gone a long way to justifying Joyetech’s use of the MTL capabilities in its advertising. You will need to make more purchases if you’d planned to use this tank for MTL, unless you have a giant face and small fingers.

How To Fill The Procore Tank

• Push the top cap to the side opposite the drip indicator
• Fill through the slot

How To Change the Coil

• Unscrew the glass from the base
• Unscrew the coil head from the base
• Replace

Stock Coil Performance

The included 0.4 Ohm ProCA coil really surprised me with intense vapour and just as much flavour, its also going good and strong after about 40 tank fills (because I vape as if my life depends on it).

This coil is a champion at producing incredible flavour right throughout the range and for me it’s great from 50-70W and I suggest that, if you find the vapour or flavour isn’t satisfying your tastebuds or cloud addiction sufficiently, you use the TC mode and adjust your temp.

TC is actually there for a reason, the performance range of the mod, tank and coil covers the entire range of both wattage and temperature readers, a deep web of possibilities. This coil is very much up to the task..

How To Operate the Menu System

• 5 clicks on or off
• Unlock button to unlock
• Swipe right to see your settings displayed in list form
• Swipe right to access the menu

How To Replace The batteries

• Pop off the battery cover
• Replace battery

Battery Life

The battery life on the included 21700 is more than ample at up to 9 hours, all relative to wattage or temp settings and the amount of playing you do with the screen, which locks itself and sleeps conveniently to save power.

Pros

• Incredibly sleek and high end aesthetic
• Responsive and bright touchscreen
• Large fire button
• Great ramp time
• Good fulll range performance on tank and mod
• Outstanding flavour and vapour
• Effective TC
• Huge airflow
• Solid magnets on battery cover that make the mod rock solid

Cons

• The occassional, counter-intuitive adjustment method

Final Review Verdict

The Joyetech Espion Solo is a beauty, such a rock solid and ergonomic hand-feel, with the incredible build quality and smooth moving or dismantling on all components. This is the finest Joyetech Kit to date and it has a unique aesthetic that truly make it a keeper and a must-have for collectors.

I know that die-hard performance vapers might avoid the name ‘Joyetech’ but, I assure you, this kit is not the cheap ass Joyetech gear of years gone by, it’s a classic gadget that you will come to love and cherish.