The Joyetech Tralus pod kit review and we’re looking at a manufacturer that’s been in the biz for fourteen years!
That’s double the time I’ve actually been vaping…Wowser!
So it comes as no surprise that Joyetech is responsible for some of the high profile pod devices on the market – devices such as the Teros One, ObliQ and the Exceed Grip range spring to mind.
Joyetech has “taken a leadership position within the industry by recognising customer demand of high quality products, brand integrity and continuous improvement“.
Is this what we get with their new pod release? Let’s find out.
Those into their science fiction may recognise Tralus as being a fictional planet within the Star Wars universe.
What Can We Expect From the Joyetech Tralus Pod Kit?
Although the Joyetech Tralus Pod Kit only has an 800mah internal battery it’s been designed for all day vaping thanks to two low powered plug and play coils and a maximum output capacity of 20W.
We can expect a variety of airflow styles ranging between a semi restrictive direct lung and a tighter mouth to lung vape ideal for the new vaper.
All made possible by an airflow slider incorporated into the side of the pod.
Don’t expect to be fiddling around with awkward silicone stoppers either (Hallelujah!) because Joyetech has opted for a child-proof push fill mechanism instead.
With inbuilt smart technology, the chip is able to read the optimum setting for either of the included coils – again, very handy for the new vaper.
Inside the Box
The front of the box incorporates a raised, embossed image of your chosen pod colour.
It’s quite effective and has been done before by the likes of Aspire. Simply pull this sleeve away to reveal the box contents – ideal for impatient buggers like me! lol
The box is deceptively small given that it includes quite a hefty amount of goodies.
- Tralus battery (mod)
- Tralus EZ cartridge (pod)
- EZ 0.6ohm plug and play coil
- EZ 1.2ohm plug and play coil
- Lanyard
- Empty E liquid bottle
- USB C cable
- Quick start guide
- User manual
- Warranty card
Specifications and Features
The Joyetech Tralus Pod Kit comes in six colour schemes: Black, Blue, Grey, Pebble, Red and silver. Pebble (under review) is the only scheme to include a distinct pattern.
There only appears to be a TPD compliant edition available at the time of writing.
Fast type C USB charging has been included which is always a plus point in my opinion.
- Dimensions 31.3 x 20.3 x 94.7mm
- Weight 64g
- Pod capacity 2ml
- Coil resistance 0.6ohm / 1.2ohm
- Resistance range 0.1 – 3.0ohm
- Battery capacity 800mah integrated
- Output modes VW / Smart
- Wattage range 5W – 20W
- Max charge current 1.0A
Design and Build Quality
I have to start by writing how I absolutely love the design of this little pod!
The curves, the contours and the way the screen has been integrated into said contours remind me of some kind of futuristic phaser device! lol
Don’t ask me why. Could be my love of all things techy and Sci Fi. Maybe I’ve just lost the plot lol!
Joyetech Tralus Battery Section
On either side of the toughened plastic fascia the words “Joyetech” and “Tralus” appear but they are very faint.
Some would call this a good thing but at the same time does little to promote the device. Perhaps it’s because I’ve received an early sample version…
As stated, the battery section appears to be composed of a toughened plastic which looks capable of withstanding quite a few knocks.
It’s a smooth finish but does feel a little greasy in the hand although highly unlikely to slip from the fingers.
A single raised tactile firing button is situated in the centre. We’re talking clicky, clicky here! It’s very noisy in use but also very responsive which is good.
At the base of the battery lies the type C USB charging port. It seems a lot of the current low powered pod devices are taking this route and that’s no bad thing for the impatient vaper with only a single device.
Of course, being placed where it is means there’s no chance of charging in a vertical position.
Remember to keep an eye on the saturation level of the coil (to prevent a possible dry hit – it can happen) unless you decide to remove the pod itself during the charge cycle.
The pod snaps firmly into place with the battery section via two magnetic contacts.
It doesn’t matter which way it’s placed either. Two spring loaded coil contacts are centrally placed on what appears to be a juice resistant pad.
How to Operate the Joyetech Tralus Pod Kit
As previously stated, I’m in love with the design of this pod.
The lower half of the battery section very much mimics the shape of the pod. There’s some clever symmetry in play which greatly assists with the overall ergonomics.
But it’s the integration of the screen that seals the deal for me, and it’s quite brilliant in my opinion.
It doesn’t rely on snazzy colour schemes but the fonts and numerals are pin sharp.
For someone with poor eyesight that’s a bonus lol!
For a straight forwards entry level pod system it gets the job done.
It’s important to note the Joyetech Tralus Pod kit relies entirely on the fire button to make the various on screen adjustments.
- Press the fire button five times to power on/off the device
- Press the fire button three times to activate wattage adjust mode
- While in wattage adjust mode, use the fire button to adjust the wattage
- Long pressing the fire button in wattage mode will increase the speed of adjustment
- With the device switched off, long press the fire button to turn smart mode on/off
A couple of things to note.
Wattage adjustments can only be increased (not decreased) and in one watt increments. After hitting the maximum of 20W the device will reset to 5W.
While vaping, the display will briefly show vape duration before returning to wattage output.
If you want the device to configure the optimal power level of the installed coil you will need to ensure that you have turned smart mode on before firing the Joyetech Tralus Pod Kit up.
The Joyetech Tralus Pod Section
To the uninitiated this looks just like any other pod cartridge on the market.
The design is all too familiar including the mouthpiece.
The tough PCTG material has a smoked finish but the entire juice level is visible at all times. Not all pod kits allow for this, so that’s another plus point.
It’s when the pod is released from the battery section a few differences are uncovered.
On the side of the pod is an airflow adjustment slider mechanism.
It looks very basic and rudimentary, appearing on one side only. The maximum opening appears to be around 5mm which should give more than enough airflow for a restrictive direct lung vape.
It follows that when fully closed a decent MTL vape can be expected. We’ll find out very soon…
The juice fill port has been discreetly placed on the underside of the pod. It uses a press fill system to administer and seal e-liquid inside the pod. Here’s the kicker though!
You will need to decant your favourite juice into the empty bottle Joyetech provide. Why? Because they’ve included a proprietary dispensing nozzle.
I know what you’re thinking…
Just swap the nozzle over onto your own bottle. Nope. It wasn’t compatible with any of the other 10ml bottles I tried.
Looks like we’re stuck with Joyetech’s bottle…every time.
..I know what I was thinking. A free bottle full of e-liquid. Pah! No such luck.
So how easy is it to use an alternative filling system devoid of a silicone stopper?
How To Fill the Joyetech Tralus
Insert one of the EZ plug and play coils before attempting to fill the pod.
Be a bit silly not to lol!
Push the coil up into the opening on the underside of the pod.
Plug and play is convenient but you’ll still need to align the flat sides of these coils to get the correct seal. So for anyone new to them, please keep that in mind.
..It’s like our Editor Neil Humber always tells me.
A picture paints a thousand words.
So ’nuff said lol
- Locate the fill port at the base of the pod
- Push the bottle nozzle up into the fill port to lift the valve
- Gently squeeze E liquid into the pod ensuring not to overfill
- Remove the bottle nozzle to close the fill valve
- Attach the pod to the battery section
It’s always a good thing to prime the cotton of the coil prior to inserting into the pod.
Once the pod is full of liquid, let the e-liquid soak into the cotton of a new coil for around five minutes before vaping.
How does the Joyetech Tralus Pod Kit Perform?
The Joyetech Tralus Pod Kit comes with two coils. One is designed for a mouth to lung vape and the other is for a restrictive direct lung vape.
Both these coils are compatible with the Joyetech Exceed Grip, Exceed Grip Plus and the Exceed Grip Pro.
Joyetech Tralus – 1.2ohm EZ coil vertical round wire best 7-13W
For the purposes of testing I used the built in smart mode.
It recommended a power output of 9W so that’s where I started.
This is the MTL coil so I opted for some 88 vape Pink Lemonade with a juice ratio of 50VG/50PG and freebase nicotine already in the 10ml TPD bottle.
With the airflow slider fully open this a loose MTL vape, providing the usual discreet level of vapour production I would expect from a low powered coil.
It’s quite a broad flavour but there’s no intensity and lacks the sweetness I was hoping to find.
Reducing the airflow slider to an almost closed position gives a much more favourable MTL vape and one the new vaper will appreciate.
Unfortunately flavour properties appear to suffer further.
When maxing the coil out to 13W all it does is improve vapour production and provides a slightly warmer vape.
The flavour quality is very poor unfortunately with just the merest nod to a drinks profile. I also feel 13W is pushing the coil to its maximum capabilities.
Joyetech Tralus – 0.6ohm EZ coil single vertical mesh best 16-20W
I stayed with the same e-liquid profile when testing this direct lung coil because it saved me trying to rid the provided Joyetech bottle of an citrus notes or flavour “hang over“.
I also wanted to see if there was any actual improvement to the flavour experience.
Using the built in smart mode the coil was reading 18W.
I began testing with the airflow slider wide open and without doubt this is quite a restrictive direct lung vape.
Being able to increase the wattage means the coil is a little more feisty than that of the MTL. It’s certainly more susceptible to the increase in airflow.
This does mean the throat hit from freebase nicotine is more prominent and a bit uncomfortable but the vapour production is adequate enough.
The flavour properties are marginally improved over the MTL but I still feel there is an absence of clarity.
There’s a sharpness lacking in the citrus fruits and the drinks profile still lacks any sparkle generally associated with it.
As with the MTL coil, it feels a very dry vape.
When the airflow is reduced there’s a dramatic change in vaping style. It now becomes a very tight and restrictive lung hit, making it an uncomfortable experience in all honesty.
Vapour production remains pretty much the same as that of an open airflow but again the flavour is average at best.
The coil is more than capable of handling the 50VG/50PG ratio but with either coil I wouldn’t recommend running anything thicker through the pod.
I would also suggest the coils to favour 10mg/20mg nicotine salts to avoid the throat hit of higher strength freebase alternatives.
Pros
- Much improved filling method
- No leaking whatsoever. Impressive!
- Fantastic design quality
- Pin sharp display
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- Average flavour production from both coils
- Display can be difficult to read in direct sunlight
- The need to remove pod when making airflow adjustments (subjective)
- Having to decant E liquid into the Joyetech bottle (subjective)
Final Review Verdict
OK, it is a bit of a hassle having to decant e liquid into another bottle in order to fill the pod. In all honesty there may be nozzle variants that will work without the need for doing this. I just didn’t have any in my arsenal.
To be honest, this is a much easier and cleaner way to fill pod cartridges. There was no leaking and it took mere seconds as opposed to fumbling around with a silicone stopper hellbent on winding me up lol!
Joyetech Tralus Coil Performance
I already had doubts about the 1.2ohm EZ coil because it looked like the cotton had already been primed with VG before I’d even touched it. I could even smell a fruity aroma coming from the wicking ports.
Yet it was tightly sealed in the same bag as the other coil.
Whether that’s down to being a sample issue I couldn’t say but no doubt it’s had an influence on my overall opinion. The coil failed to impress me, offering only average flavour qualities.
But how did it perform as a MTL vape?
By closing the airflow slider completely I was able to get a decent mouth to lung vape with a discreet level of vapour production.
Mid position or beyond is quite airy and likely to be less appealing to the new vaper.
The 0.6ohm mesh direct lung coil works best with airflow wide open, providing a restrictive lung hit. Again however, flavour was average at best with vapour production being fine and dandy given the low power capabilities of the coil.
Joyetech Tralus Battery Performance
The battery is going to last a good few days with the MTL coil and around a days use with the DL mesh coil when used moderately.
The screen displays the number of minutes remaining during the charge cycle which I thought was a nice touch and as long as the device is powered on there’s the option of passthrough vaping.
Who Would I Recommend the Joyetech Tralus Pod Kit To?
The Joyetech Tralus Pod kit is lightweight, pocket friendly, has easy to use menu functions and a raised tactile firing button which saves having to fumble when having a vape.
It’s also incredibly easy to fill and never leaked a single drop of e-liquid throughout the test period.
..That includes condensation… Highly impressive stuff.
So these are the reasons the kit is very well suited to a new vaper. The fewer set backs, the more likely they are to be encouraged.
It’s just a shame I didn’t feel I was getting the best flavour quality. I certainly expected more from the mesh direct lung coil.
That’s not likely to discourage a new vaper though and is only my own observation.
I’m closing this review on a high.
The Joyetech Tralus Pod Kit is a celebration in design quality. Absolutely flawless and excellently conceived.
Again, just my own opinion but for size, shape, build and ease of use it’s going to take some beating this year – and it’s only January!
